31-8 
LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
that some who have not yet been prominent among us may come forward to distinguish 
themselves in efforts to be useful to the Society. More than one of our earliest and 
best friends are no longer of this world. Oae of these was Dr. Jos. Dickinson, F.R.S., 
one of our most distinguished physicians, who. when pressed with the cares of a large 
practice, found time to attend early in the morning at the Botanical Gardens to give 
instruction gratuitously to all the members who chose to attend him. He was one of 
the ablest as well as the most benevolent of the men who have tried to raise others to 
their own level. Dr. Richard Brett was one of our earliest lecturers, and his name is 
connected with the history of two substances which have since obtained universal use 
in pharmacy. About thirty years ago, when Dr. Brett was Chemist to the then Liverpool 
Apothecaries’ Company, he made some experiments—I believe at the suggestion of 
Dr. Richard Formby, of Liverpool, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians—on the 
products of the distillation of chlorinated lime with spirit of wine. Such experiments 
had previously been made both in the United States and on the Continent, but the pro¬ 
ducts had not come into general use. A liquid was obtained which was introduced 
into medical practice by Dr. Formby under its previous name of Chloric ether, a name 
which had also been applied to chloroform. Its use gradually spread ; but an inquiry 
and answer, which may be found in the ‘Pharmaceutical Journal’ for March, 1844, 
show that it was very little known in London even at that time. Dr. Brett was quite 
aware that the name was incorrect, and, having separated the chloroform from its solu¬ 
tion in spirit, he found that he could make a medicine of purer flavour by making pure 
chloroform, and then diluting it. Since that time many inquiries have been made for 
a chloric ether soluble in water; and some have supposed that the liquor drawn from 
the retort, and preserved without any attempt to isolate the chloroform, was a better 
preparation. I believe the fact to be that, just as the preparation under examination is 
weaker of its active principle, chloroform, it is more soluble in water. The strength 
which I have always used, and which I believe to have been the early standard, is one 
volume in sixteen. The preparation continued for some years to be prepared exclu¬ 
sively, I believe, in Liverpool. And here I must mention another of our earliest friends, 
Mr. David Waldie, who delivered the first lecture which was addressed to us. He suc¬ 
ceeded to the office which had been previously held by Dr. Brett, and, using chloroform 
largely in the preparation of chloric ether, was very familiar with that now well-known, 
but then generally unknown, substance. How little Was then generally known of it, 
although its composition had been accurately ascertained by Dumas in 1834, may be 
seen by reference to an “ Historical Notice of the Chloride of Formyle, commonly called 
Chloric Ether, or Terchloride of Carbon,” by the late Dr. Pereira, in the ‘Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Journal’ for March, 1846, in which the name “chloroforme” is identified with the 
names which I have quoted, together with that of chloride, or terchloride of formyle. 
Mr. Waldie, as I have said, being familiar with the properties of chloroform, was, some 
time after the introduction of ether into use as an anaesthetic, asked by the present Sir 
James Simpson if he could suggest anything more likely to answer the purpose. He 
suggested chloroform , and the distinguished Professor, always ready to seize upon any 
means of alleviating suffering, immediately tried it with a success of which I need say 
nothing. Sir James publicly acknowledged his indebtedness to Mr. Waldie for the 
suggestion, but I do not think his merit in the introduction of this most valuable sub¬ 
stance is so generally known as it should be. We still number him amongst our hono¬ 
rary members, though he has been long absent from us, dwelling in Calcutta. How 
pleasant it would be to see his face again ! The application of chloroform to the pur¬ 
pose in question took place, I think, in 1847, and at that time the only place in which 
it was manufactured for commercial purposes was Liverpool. A large demand quickly 
arose, which the Liverpool makers could hardly supply, and some of the excellent phar¬ 
maceutical establishments in Edinburgh began to make it, and soon carried the process 
to perfection. They had a material advantage over their rivals in England, by reason 
of the fact that the duty upon spirit used in England was then much higher than in 
Scotland. This gave the Edinburgh manufacturers a vantage ground, and in the 
manufacture of this article they have preserved a foremost position to the present time 
after the duty has been equalized. 
Our first Secretary was Dr. Edwards, and his services as Teacher of Pharmacy, Presi - 
dent, and a frequent lecturer, extended over a long period; and, although he is far 
from us, he is fresh in the memory of many who accompany him with their good wishes 
