96 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
the same time as Mr. W. Field. Mr. Swift 
as a Pharmacien of the first class, he having 
fully complied with all the necessary regula¬ 
tions, viz. in first taking his degree as “ Ba- 
chelier-es-Sciences,” and then passing the 
whole of the examinations required by the 
School of Pharmacy. 
I enclose my card and remain, 
Yours obediently, 
I/A Lanteene. 
Evasion of the Phaemact Act. 
Sir,—May I, through the medium of the 
Journal, be permitted to put a case which I 
cannot help regarding as an evasion of the 
Pharmacy Act, that it may be ventilated in 
your columns, and if thought at variance 
with the spirit of the Act, steps taken to 
prevent a recurrence of the same ? I inten¬ 
tionally omit both name and place. 
A person in the month of September, 1868, 
after the passing of the “ Pharmacy Act,” 
hires a shop, and later in the year opens it 
as a Chemist and Druggist—he advertises 
himself such by label, placard, and news¬ 
paper—in due course lie is compelled to go 
before the Board of Examiners to pass the 
Modified Examination, and fails; but until 
pressure is brought to bear, he still usurps 
the title of Chemist, and carries on business 
as before. At last, finding himself amenable 
to the law, he transfers the business to a re¬ 
gistered man living some thirty miles away, 
whose duties preclude his giving personal 
attention to the shop, which is conducted as 
before, the only difference being that it is 
carried on as-and Co. Now if a regis¬ 
tered man can thus carry on business many 
miles from his residence, and have an un¬ 
qualified man defacto manager, of what prac¬ 
tical utility is the Pharmacy Act ? how many 
shops may a registered man have ? and how 
will it in public estimation raise our profes¬ 
sional status ? 
I am, Sir, yours obediently, 
July 16, 1869. L. 
A. F. J. (Norwich).—(1.) The constitu¬ 
tion of emetic tartar is peculiar. The for¬ 
mula given is correct as to fact, but it might 
have had more of the character of a rational 
formula given to it by associating one of the 
seven atoms of oxygen with the Sb, for it 
might be assumed that SbO in this com¬ 
pound plays the part of a univalent radical. 
(2.) The constitution of the alkaloids is not 
sufficiently known to justify more specula¬ 
tive formulae. (3.) The most simple method 
of representing subnitrate of bismuth is 
BiN0 4 . (4.) There is certainly room for 
speculation. (5.) The formula is correct. 
(6.) The less we attempt to rationalize the 
formulae, the better. (7.) The formula is 
wrong, and has been corrected. The com¬ 
pound is not sufficiently definite to justify a 
formula. (8.) At present it would be rather 
too speculative to do so. 
J. F. should apply at Apothecaries’ Hall. 
J. S. T. W. S. —We know of no royal road 
to the knowledge required, and believe that 
nothing short of a regular systematic course 
of instruction would suffice for the purpose 
alluded to. Mere book knowledge would be 
of little use without practical work in the 
laboratory. 
T. (Bury).—Soubeiran’s ‘ Traite de Phar- 
macie,’ and Dorvault’s ‘L’Officine.’ Bail- 
liere, Regent Street. 
B. G-. M. (Richmond).—The subject of your 
communication is a very important one, but 
•it is not thought desirable at the present 
time prominently to discuss it in our pages. 
Ignoramus will find the information he 
requires in the back numbers of this Journal. 
“ Cocking ”—Soap Test. —See Yol. XIV. 
p. 48. 
F. C. (Leadenhall Street).— Syrup of 
Phosphate of Iron, Quinine, and Strychnia. 
Yol. X. (N. S.) p. 111. 
Macstinger (Neath).—“The preparation 
of Concentrated Infusions.”—The subject is 
fully discussed in the Fourteenth Volume of 
this Journal. See also Yol. I. (N. S.), pp. 
6 and 7. 
“ Pharmaceutist ” (Guildford).—The work 
in question is suitable, but it is not intended 
to supersede the use of the usual text-books. 
“ Petitio Principal —No. See the Re¬ 
gulations of the Board, published in the 
July number. 
Gr. W. (Stony Stratford).—See the Regu¬ 
lations in the July number, page 18. 
Eeeatum. —In our last number the pro¬ 
ceedings of the Manchester Chemists’ Asso¬ 
ciation were, by an oversight, attributed to 
the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Che¬ 
mists’ Association. 
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