CORRESPONDENCE. 
739 
ruinations were voluntary; that more pro¬ 
found theory has been introduced, more 
elaborate chemistry, which, it is urged, is of 
no practical use. This, if true, is a great 
mistake on the part of the Examiners, as it 
not only leaves the integrity of the founders 
of the Society open to ridicule, there always 
being to be found members of the kindred 
professions who would in such a case readily 
throw out the insinuation that the opera¬ 
tions and examinations of the Society prior 
to the passing of the Act were all “sham,” 
but it also deters many of our young men 
from attempting anything further than the 
“Minor,” the passing of which registers 
them as chemists and druggists, and termi¬ 
nates their connection with the Society. 
And to the sensible mind it must occur that 
we cannot, even with our extended powers, 
afford to lose these persons, if the Society is 
to prosper and increase ; the fees which are 
compulsory would not be sufficient to sup. 
port the Society in future years. And what 
if they were ? We could not expect great 
success from such sources. What we want 
is to keep this examination a practical, mo¬ 
derate one,—an extension simply of the 
Minor as heretofore, so that we may induce 
our young men to become pharmaceutical 
chemists, to continue to take an interest in 
and to labour for the Society cheerfully 
through life; so that, as office after office 
becomes vacant, we may have right material 
to supply the deficiency. 
Carry out the Divine law of helping one 
another, and by so doing we shall find we 
have not only a better and more flourishing 
Society, but a better race of eliemists upon 
the whole, and not one highly scientific man 
here and there and a host of indifferent ones. 
A friend of mine, who was one of the foun¬ 
ders of the Society, joins me in my views, 
■which I hope will incite the Council to in¬ 
vestigate the affair, so as to make it as effi¬ 
cient as possible. In the meantime, Sir, I 
w r ili subscribe myself 
On.e who passed his Examination 
WHEN IT WAS VOLUNTARY. 
Uniformity of Prices. 
Sir,—As a member of our Society, I beg 
to complain through the Journal on two 
subjects, which I should think other mem¬ 
bers will agree with me as annoying to us 
as matters of business. -In the first place I 
regret there is no uniformity in our charges 
for dispensing medicine. This is really a 
matter of considerable importance to us, 
though the charges, I am aware, cannot 
altogether be regulated, on\j~approximately. 
But when mixtures, pills, etc., can be had 
at respectable houses for prices differing so 
considerably from what they were supplied at 
regular trade prices, it is very perplexing 
and vexatious to see the trade cut to pieces 
as it is, and I think reflects discredit on 
those who dispense medicines at almost the 
mere cost of the drugs. 
The other matter I complain of is the 
system of physicians writing their prescrip¬ 
tions in English, so that they can be ob¬ 
tained at the cheapest possible charges. 
This practice, adopted now frequently, I 
consider quite unprofessional, and prevent¬ 
ing us, as dispensers, obtaining our fair 
profit in business. 
I do not know whether these matters will 
get regulated, at least the first, having a 
scale laid down for our adoption. As to the 
second, all we can expect and hope to be 
done must rest with the profession; their 
own good sense, I trust, will suggest to 
them the propriety of writing prescriptions 
as formerly, which will tend to their honour 
and the advantage of those who have to live 
by their business. 
I am, Sir, yours truly, 
M. B. SL 
April 22nd. 
Dear Sir,—Through the medium of your 
valuable Journal the voice of a Barnsley 
chemist craves the hearing of a few mem¬ 
bers of oiu* noble body. In this town, with 
a very large population, we have always 
been behindhand in almost everything, 
but. more particularly in our own branch 
of business. Were some of our pharma¬ 
ceutical friends to come and stroll through 
the town, taking a survey of the chemists’ 
shops, they would be utterly astounded; 
the windows of some are devoted to the 
display of scarcely anything but pipes 
and tobacco. One is very conspicuous as 
the “Worsted Repository,” and nowhere is 
that air of genteel respectability to be seen 
which I contend is not only desirable, but 
actually necessary, for the maintenance of 
the status in which we have been placed. 
I would suggest that we, as a body of che¬ 
mists in this town, should adopt the motto 
of our worthy corporation (for at last wo 
can boast of such an august institution), 
which is “ Spectemur Agendo.” In the first 
place, then, as we do not seem equal to the 
task of making a start in the way of im¬ 
provement, I, for one, should be glad if any 
of our brethren would devise an easy method 
whereby we could commence the “ serious 
difficulty.” In the second place, I would 
apply our corporate words, “ Spectemur 
Agendo,” to ourselves as members of one 
common body (and that one the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society of Great Britain), and ask 
the question, Is it necessary that our young 
men should undergo the ordeal of examina¬ 
tion, also the expense of the same, to be 
enabled to compound medicines—at the un¬ 
dermentioned rate, to wit ? 
On April 11th a prescription was brought 
