THE PETROLEUM ACTS, 1862, 1868. 
507 
herbalist of the district, not being registered, advertised himself as being a 
Registered “ Chemist and Druggist,” and alleged that he was right in so doing, 
because of having sent to the Registrar forms in accordance with Schedules 
(C) and (D), and had a written acknowledgment of their receipt; and the case 
resulted in a judgment for the penalty of £5 ; it is interesting, because of 
showing a manifest reluctance on the judge’s part to give judgment against the 
defendant, and that the law was so plainly with the Society, that the right to 
the judgment became clear upon the facts. 
Third, and last in point of date, is the most important decision of the Court 
of. Queen’s Bench on the appeal in the Worthing case, which also resulted 
satisfactorily to the well-wishers of pharmacy. This case is referred to in the 
preceding article. 
When we so often hear of the “ glorious uncertainty ” of the law, it is well 
to note, that in each cf the instances of resort to a Court, the views which 
have been expressed in this Journal, as to the intentions of the Legislature, 
and the meaning of the statutory language, have borne the test of the judicial 
interpretation. 
ADULTERATION OF FOOD AND DRUGS BILL. 
Mr. Muntz has introduced a Bill into Parliament to amend the “ Adultera¬ 
tion of Food and Drink Act of 1860, and to extend its provisions to drugs. 
He reserved the explanation of the measure until the second reading ; but as 
the Bill is already printed, we are enabled to state that it is substantially the 
same as the Bill of last Session, a copy of which will be found at page 657, 
and comments upon it at page 617 of the preceding volume of this Journal. 
MEDICAL ACTS AMENDMENT BILL. 
Sir J. Gray has introduced a Bill into Parliament to amend the Medical Act 
of 1858, and the Acts amending the same, the objects of which are to secure a 
more direct representation of the profession on the Medical Council, and to so in¬ 
crease the powers of the Council as to enable them to prevent any person from 
being enrolled on the register of practitioners who has not previously proved liis 
qualifications by a satisfactory examination. The Bill was read the first time 
on the 21st of February, but it is not yet printed. 
THE PETROLEUM ACTS 1862, 1868. 
On the 19th of February a judgment of considerable importance to those in¬ 
terested in the petroleum trade was delivered at the Guildhall, Westminster. A 
retail dealer appealed against a conviction by Mr. Paget, of the Thames Police 
Court, for keeping petroleum contrary to the provisions of the Petroleum Acts. 
On behalf of the appellant, whose case was promoted by the Petroleum Associa¬ 
tion, it was contended that the Acts provide that the testing of the petroleum 
shall be conducted by an inspector of weights and measures, and that, since the 
person on whose evidence the conviction was based was not an inspector of 
weights and measures, but a gas inspector, the requirements of the Acts had not 
been complied with. The Court retired to consider this preliminary objecti on, 
and on their return ruled that the provisions of the Acts of Parliament had not 
leen carried out, and that, therefore, the conviction was quashed. 
2 L 2 
