PHARMACEUTICAL EDUCATION IN THE PROVINCES. 191 
the employers. This method was not so desirable as a more uniform one would be, but 
it did some good work. 
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society (Mr. Evans) said that it might en¬ 
courage the promoters of such local education, when he told the meeting that some of 
the best students who had offered themselves for examination at Bloomsbury Square, 
during the past twelve months, were young men who had studied in the provinces. 
Mr. Brady (Newcastle-on-Tyne) said that a few years since he was engaged, conjointly 
with his friend Mr. Proctor, and one or two others, in a scheme of local pharmaceutical 
education. This consisted of courses of lectures, followed by discussion and questioning. 
The result was satisfactory during a period of two or three years, for which the system 
was carried on, but at the end of that time the supply of students was exhausted for a 
while. It should be recollected that at that time there was no legislative compulsion, 
but every young man was left to follow his inclination. 
In connection with this experiment he might name that he (Mr. Brady) was, at the 
time alluded to, lecturing upon botany at the College of Medicine, as well as to the class 
of chemists’ assistants. This double labour struck him as being wrong in principle, 
because it was a wnste of power, and it was with this feeling that he approached the 
subject when the passing of the Pharmacy Act again brought up the question of local 
pharmaceutical education. The arrangements now made for the recognition of phar¬ 
macy by the University of Durham, and its affiliated College of Medicine at Newcastle, 
had been described. It was only due to acknowledge the very friendly way in which 
the subject had been treated by some influential members of the University, especially 
by the Rev. Canon Whitley, President of the College, Dr. Embleton, and Mr. Marreco. 
The experiment of making joint classes of medical and pharmaceutical students might, 
by some, be considered as one doubtful of success, but he looked upon it as a reasonable 
thing. Surely, in towns where classes for medical students already existed, those who 
practised medicine and those who practised pharmacy could mutually throw aside any 
jealousies, and avoid a great waste of brain-power by combined action. The inter¬ 
course which would take place between the two classes of students would lead to a 
better understanding between them. 
Mr. Atkins expressed his admiration of the paper just read, and of its author’s 
very meritorious exertions. He could offer personal testimony to the warm feelings of 
obligation felt by young men who had attended Mr. Schacht’s class, as it happened that 
a former apprentice of his (Mr. Atkins’s) had been one of this number ; and after passing 
an excellent Minor examination, he had written stating how much his success was due 
to Mr. Schacht’s kind teaching. All must agree that they had to contend with a great 
deficiency of educational means in the provinces. Again, the difficulty was greater in 
the smaller towns. In such places jealousy existed, and a fear lest young men, mixing 
together in classes, would not preserve that confidence about their employers’ affairs 
which was needful. He had tried in Salisbury, setting a series of questions on paper, the 
subject being chemistry, and the treatment, much like that adopted by Roscoe. Botany 
would be more difficult to deal with in many towns, but doubtless there were many 
enthusiastic botanists u.p and down the country who would help to give instruction in 
their favourite science. As regarded the Government Schools of Science and Art, he 
believed that many other towns were in the position of Salisbury, where there was 
an excellent school of art, but none for teaching science. A great change had come 
over the class of young men within the last twenty years, and there was now amongst 
them a spirit of receptiveness for knowledge which did not then exist. Therefore we 
must recognize this great and widely-spread want of educational means, and it was a 
duty to try to find a practical remedy. 
Mr. J. C. Brough wished to lay before the meeting one or two facts bearing 
upon this important question. He had had the opportunity recently of issuing a 
series of questions to students,* and he had found that receptiveness to which a pre¬ 
vious speaker had referred. He was overwhelmed with answers. From twenty to thirty 
students regularly sent in answers, and some were so excellent that they improved upon 
his own replies. If other Universities would follow the example set by that of Durham 
in recognizing pharmacy, he thought much of the difficulty vvGuld be removed. The 
* Vide ‘ Chemist and Druggist,’ “Corner for Students,” conducted by J. C. Brough, F.C.S. 
