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BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
eight years. Hence these 13,578 are renewed every eight years, in other 
words, an average of 1693 fresh young men are annually entering the busi¬ 
ness. In the future, therefore, when matters have settled into their normal 
working, we may expect to have to provide opportunities for scientific in¬ 
struction for about this number (1693) annually. But in the meantime it 
must be remembered, that a large proportion of the existing student class 
(the 13,578) have never yet been scientifically educated, and that they will 
be pressing for opportunities also. What that proportion may be I have but 
few data to judge from, but if it be only half, then 6789, whose need is 
urgent, must for the present be added to the list, raising the number of pro¬ 
bable annual applicants to about 3000. 
This, then, is something like the number of young men who, with more 
or less earnestness, are responding to the appeals that have been made to 
them, and to the necessities that have been created; but when they demand, 
where shall we go for the commodity you have now made a necessity,—what 
can we answer? The two sciences upon which pharmacy is based are che¬ 
mistry and botany. What opportunities exist throughout the length and 
breadth of the land for the study of chemistry and botany ? 
London is undoubtedly largely provided with good means of supplying a 
pharmaceutical student’s wants. Regard being had to the number of students 
only that really belong to, or are indigenous to London, the provision might 
be said to be adequate. First and foremost stands the Institution in Blooms¬ 
bury Square, without doubt the best school for the pharmaceutist, both for 
quality of instruction and moderateness of cost. Then there are excellent 
courses of lectures at the two Colleges—King’s and University, at the 
various medical schools, at the College of Chemistry, and at other places, so 
that for a young man living in London it is only necessary that he have the incli¬ 
nation and sufficient leisure, and he can enjoy the highest scientific instruction. 
But what is the provincial to do? Now I may as well here refer to a pro¬ 
position that has been frequently urged, that every young pharmaceutist at 
the completion of his apprenticeship (wherever that majr have been fulfilled) 
should undertake a course of science at the Society’s Laboratories and Lecture 
Booms, and there and then pass his examinations. To the desirability of 
such a plan, when practicable, I entirely agree, but it is manifestly limited 
by two important conditions—lstly, the ability of the student to afford the 
time and money, and 2ndly, the amount of accommodation at Bloomsbury 
Square. Even to those who reside in London, it involves a larger outlay 
than many can afford, whilst to those who live in the provinces a much larger 
expenditure still is involved; moreover, if our estimate of numbers be any¬ 
thing like correct, it is clear the establishment won’t hold them. It really 
can accommodate only about its own proportion of the new men annually 
introduced into the business, that is, about fth of the entire number ; so our 
question, “What is the provincial to do? ” remains still to be considered. 
Now the opportunities offered in the provinces may perhaps be conveni¬ 
ently considered under three heads :— 
1st. Local Pharmaceutical Societies. 
2nd. Local Medical Schools. 
3rd. Local Classes in connection with the Science and Art Department of 
the Committee of Council on Education. 
Let us take each of these divisions in turn, and see how far they meet the 
necessities of the case. 
1st. Local Pharmaceutical Associations exist in seventeen towns, viz. 
Liverpool, Lincoln, Leeds, Birmingham, Ashton, Plymouth, Nottingham, 
Manchester, Bradford, Sheffield, Sunderland, Hull, York, Halifax, New¬ 
castle, Bath, Exeter. 
