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BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
suggested appeared practicable. He did not think that this uniformity of prices could 
be carried out, and their experience in Exeter favoured this view, as they had formerly 
made the attempt. He could not but deprecate the practice of those chemists who un¬ 
dertook to prescribe medicines to their customers, thus leaving their own province to 
trespass upon a very dangerous one. 
Mr. Manby (Southampton) suggested that the subject "was not one upon which it 
was desirable to continue the discussion, although he sympathized with much that had 
fallen from various speakers. 
The President remarked that it was natural to find a large number of members de¬ 
sirous of speaking upon a subject of so much interest and importance, but they were not 
likely to put their opinions into the form of practical action at that meeting, and he 
should now call upon Mr. Smith to reply. 
Mr. Smith replied to the various criticisms of his opinions. He remarked that he did 
not wish to equalize prices, but he did wish to raise to a higher standard those that were 
too low. The chemists of watering-places, like Torquay, were in a worse position than 
those of the towns where their customers permanently resided, because they had so many 
prescriptions written by physicians whom they did not know. A general price-mark 
would therefore be of especial use to them. The public complained more at being 
charged irregular and inconsistent prices than they "did because of prices being too high. 
He especially urged that independently of combination as to price, every one who dis¬ 
pensed a prescription should mark upon it the price charged. 
Mr. Radford (Devonport) said that he took great interest in this question, to which 
he had given considerable attention. Some time since, he heard it whispered that a 
neighbour of his was cutting down prices. He felt sure that the report was not true, 
and inquiry proved that it was not. In conjunction with his friend Mr. Balkwill, he 
had canvassed the chemists of Plymouth and Devonport on this question, the result 
being, that with very few exceptions, and these amongst those who had small busi¬ 
nesses, a general agreement upon prices for dispensing was come to. He strongly 
advised all to try the system of marking the prices upon the prescriptions which they 
dispensed, and he was sure that the result would satisfy them, by preventing unpleasant¬ 
ness and disputes. 
Mr. Carteigiie said there was one important point which had not been considered, 
and that was one which had been alluded to by Mr. Giles last year: it was, that the 
best practical way out of the difficulty would be to charge by the dose. They simply 
wanted to know what was a fair price per dose for a four or six ounce mixture, or for a 
six ounce mixture in doses of a tablespoonful or a wineglassful. At present there was 
no consistency in their prices. 
The President. —There is nothing like consistency in our system, and therefore we 
cannot have anything like consistency. 
Mr. Reynolds (Leeds) said that the author of the paper had put very strongly his 
proposition, that a portion of their duties was performed at so low a rate of remunera¬ 
tion as to entail a positive loss. He agreed with the author, that making pills was the 
most unprofitable duty which they had, from the time which it occupied, and the small 
sum received for each dose. The quantity of pills used by patients was much less than 
formerly, whilst the trouble of preparing a small number of pills was not diminished. If 
it was not possible at once to achieve the whole of the reforms of prices which had been 
indicated, there was no reason why they should not reform the most glaring fault of 
their system, viz. the prices charged for pills. This might be done in every town. 
ON SYRUP OF IODIDE OF IRON. 
BY M. CARTEIGHE, F.C.S. 
The simple experiments recorded in this paper have been made with the view 
of clearing up, if possible, the discrepancies contained in communications on the 
preparation and preservation of this important and elegant medicine contributed 
to the 9th Volume, N.S., of the ‘ Pharmaceutical Journal.’ The first, page 260, 
by W. A. Tilden, B.Sc., after alluding to the now obsolete custom of intro- 
