CORRESPONDENCE. 
311 
pound powder of chalk with opium, etc., as 
against poisoning with the strongest poisons, 
and this can be attained by treating the 
whole pharmacy as a poison-cupboard, di¬ 
viding the substances posologically from the 
strongest to the weakest. This plan I sug¬ 
gested in the November Journal, 1866, and 
my excuse for again intruding on your space 
is that I think it would give as great secu¬ 
rity as could be gained by arrangement, and 
because I think it practicable. 
Yours truly, 
W. King. 
4, 31arJcet Place, Huddersfield, 
October 18,1869. 
Responsibility and Remunebation. 
Sir,—At the Pharmaceutical Conference 
held at Exeter in August last, an able paper 
on “ Pharmaceutical Responsibility and Re¬ 
muneration” was read by Mr. E. Smith, of 
Torquay. 
I "wonder what Mr. Smith, and those who 
took part in the discussion which followed 
tha reading of the paper, would say to the 
remuneration obtained for dispensing the 
following prescription:— 
R Pulv. Scamraonii Comp. gr. xij. 
Hydrargyri Subchlor. gr. iij. 
Misce. Ft. Pulveres 3. 
Such prescription was brought to me on 
the loth instant, bearing the stamp of two 
chemists in this city. After dispensing it, 
I charged Qd., when I was astonished by 
being assured that 4 d. was the price charged 
by the chemists who had previously dis¬ 
pensed it. 
Now, Sir, the pharmaceutists who con¬ 
sidered 4 d. sufficient remuneration (?) for 
their responsibility in the above case, were 
not, as some of your readers would at once 
conclude, young beginners; they are well- 
established pharmaceutical chemists occupy¬ 
ing a position here similar to the “ great 
historic houses in London, who, according to 
Mr. Smith, “will always be able to obtain 
any price they think fit to ask.” 
I am, Sir, yours obediently, 
Chemicus. 
Gloucester, October, 1869. 
Sir,—A great deal having lately been 
written and said about retail prices, I am 
induced to bring before your notice the fol¬ 
lowing circumstance. 
A prescription, copy of which I enclose, 
viz.:— 
R Acidi Nitrici dil. 3h 
„ Hydrockl. dil. Jiss. 
Tinct. Chiretta. 
,, Calumb. aa ^iss. 
„ Lupulinse, Ji. 
Liquor. Taraxaci, ad 3yj. 
M. One teaspoonful in a little water 
three times a day before meals. 
—was brought to me to dispense, this was 
done, and on naming my charge, I was told it 
was greatly in excess of previous charges, 
and had been compounded by some eminent 
M est-end houses, and also in the country. I 
refused to take less, stating it was an ex¬ 
pensive mixture,containing forty-eight doses, 
and for pure and best drugs it was only a 
just and fair price. 
I then acted on the advice of our ex-Pre- 
sident of the Pharmaceutical Conference, and 
wrote to some of the leading West-end 
houses and others, and I may mention the 
names of Bell and Co., Godfrey and Cooke, 
Savory and Moore,—and A lien and Hanbury, 
in the City ; to these gentlemen I am much 
obliged for their kind and courteous replies ; 
and with the exception of one, whose price 
was a little higher, all had named the same 
sum I charged, viz. 4s. 6d. I may mention, 
I did not in my letter to any one state the 
price I had charged, and which was said to 
be so excessive. 
This fact will serve to show that it is not 
the high-class chemists in London, of long 
esteemed reputation, the country chemists 
have to fear, but only the petty competitions 
among themselves. 
Yours truly, 
A COUNTBY MEMBEB. 
The Geievance oe Appbentices. 
Gentlemen,—Will you allow me a small 
space in your valuable journal to say a few 
words on what I call the grievance of ap¬ 
prentices ? 
First, I must explain what I call this 
grievance ; it is that there was not some 
provision made for apprentices who, like 
myself, when entering the business, had no 
knowledge whatever that these examinations 
would have to be gone through. I had been 
in the business three years when the Act 
came into force, and think it very hard that 
I and many more that I know should have 
to pass all three examinations, which, when 
we made up our minds to learn the trade, 
we had no idea we should be required to 
pass. 
Had I known that it would have been 
compulsory for me to pass these when I first 
entered the trade, I should have spent my 
time during the first three years of my ap¬ 
prenticeship rather differently than I have. 
Is it now too late to amend this ? Surely 
it ought not to be. The Council, I think, 
ought to provide less stringent means for 
those who, when entering the business, were 
not aware that they would have to pass any 
examination previous to going into business. 
I can’t see it at all fair myself, and I am 
sure there are plenty of my opinion, and I 
fear it will drive many from the trade after 
wasting some years of their time. 
