ANNUAL MEETING. 
771 
that, in fact, that examination was almost a dead letter, and in rearranging the exa¬ 
minations, this subject has been very carefully considered. In founding the bye¬ 
laws of the Society, it was provided that this preliminary examination should con¬ 
stitute an absolute precursor of all the other examinations, and not only for the good of 
the candidate, but also to save vexatious disappointment to the examiners, it has been 
insisted upon as a necessity in all cases. I believe this change will, more than all 
others, tend to elevate and improve the condition of our profession. The mode of 
conducting this part of our examinations is that adopted in the case of the Local 
University Examinations, and is calculated to secure the greatest uniformity and fair¬ 
ness of dealing to all parties. The result is determined by the duly appointed 
examiners in London, although upon the local secretaries devolves the duty of seeing 
that the candidates are fairly dealt by, and deal fairly with their papers. Though the 
duties cannot be very onerous they are very important, and the responsibility should be 
agreeable. It is a matter of congratulation that the duties of the Board of Examiners 
have been carried on under the eye of a representative of the Privy Council, who has 
most carefully watched the course of the examinations in behalf of the candidates and the 
public; and I believe I have this gentleman’s authority for stating that he considers the 
examinations to be as perfect as circumstances will permit, the proportion of rejections 
proving, on the one hand, that the examinations are set low enough to meet the exist¬ 
ing condition of pharmaceutical education, high enough to exclude all that is unsafe, 
and not so high as to exclude deserving worth and practical merit. The educational 
establishment, which has been one of the features of the Society from its foundation, 
has always proved an expense to the Society. It has ever been the policy of the Society 
to provide efficient pharmaceutical education at the smallest possible cost to the 
students ; and, while at the present day our school furnishes the most complete opportu¬ 
nities for obtaining a thorough knowledge of the art aud science of pharmacy, it does 
so at a cost to 'the student which, in comparison to the other schools, is remarkably 
small. The Report, however, informs us of a large increase of students, and the crowd¬ 
ing up of the Laboratory to such an extent as to render the erection of additional 
benches and other re-arrangeinents perfectly necessary. All this is very well, and it is 
satisfactory to see the Lecture Theatre and Laboratories well filled; but is it a right 
condition of things to perpetuate that the Society, now it is entrusted with new powers, 
should be at one and the same time an educating and examining body ? My an¬ 
swer to this is, that it is not, and that the time is fast approaching when a severance 
must be made of the examining from the educating functions. I trust, however, when¬ 
ever the time arrives, the educational will not be so riven from the examining functions 
as to throw' it on to private enterprise ; and I confess I look to the time when the nucleus 
of the school we have reared will be converted into a duly and properly and wisely orga¬ 
nized collegiate establishment with endowed chairs, and a governing board independent 
of all mercenary considerations in its control. Indeed, I see no better mode of appro¬ 
priating the increasing realized property of the Society than in the endowment of such 
a College of Pharmacy. Our schools have annually cost us an average of £400 to £500, 
winch income, if derived from the funded capital of the Society, would amply serve the 
purpose, augmented by a proportion of students’ fees. The Journal, as represented in 
the balance-sheet, shows a loss to the Society of £31. 18s. 8^. instead of a balance to 
credit of some £200 or £300; but this must not be taken as the absolute facts of the 
case, for we should carry to the credit of the Journal account the cost value of the 800 
odd copies which have gone into the hands of new members and associates. If this be 
done, then the Journal account shows a balance to the credit of the Society of £470, which 
may be taken to be satisfactory. In compliance with the recommendation of a Special 
Committee of Inquiry, and with a very generally expressed desire for more early record of 
the proceedings of the Society, it has been wisely, I think, decided to publish the 
Journal weekly, and after July 1st the Journal will appear every Saturday, containing 
half as much matter as the present Journal in each issue, and, therefore, will give 
double the quantity of matter per month. It is to be hoped that these increased ad¬ 
vantages will induce first-class pharmaciens to contribute of their stores of knowledge, 
so as to make the new issue thoroughly successful. The Council has said nothing in 
its Report of the evening meetings, and advisedly, for .it could have said so very little. 
More original investigations and experience are w r anted, but so long as the vast body of 
the members exercise total abstinence in the matter of monthly meetings, it cannot be 
