CORRESPONDENCE. 875 
sionally) to know, not only how to preserve 
eggs, but everything else. In this instance 
I am able to favour your correspondent, B. 
Shaw, with the information required, having 
tested the efficacy of the method many years, 
—the eggs retaining their sweetness, and 
the shell its natural state. 
It is necessary that the solution he boiled 
ten or fifteen minutes, and when cold put in 
the eggs, small end downwards, using a 
vessel lined with lead, and placing in a cold 
but dry cellar— 
It. Quicklime 1 lb. 
Salt 1 lb. 
Saltpetre 3 oz. 
Water 1 gallon. 
Sir,—In answer to the queries about the 
preservation of eggs, the following will, I 
think, be found to answer well:—The shells 
are not softened as in simple lime-water, but 
hardened, and the yolk and albumen thereby 
kept in something like their natural condi¬ 
tion. To one gallon of boiling water add 
one ounce of cream of tartar, add to this, 
when cold, a piece of newly slacked lime, 
about two ounces; after standing a short 
time, put the eggs into the clear liquor, 
taking care they are covered; in a short 
time an abundance of small crystals will be 
deposited on the eggs—I suppose tartrate of 
lime. Be it as it may, the eggs keep well. 
Yours, etc. 
Chemicus. 
Sheffield, May 4, 1870. 
Chlorodyne.—Its Composition. 
Sir,—It is rather clear our “ Provincials” 
have left the composition of chlorodyne ques¬ 
tion pretty much where it was at first; and 
the clinical test or that by which we observe 
the action of chlorodyne on the sick, will 
help us more than pharmaceutic speculation 
as to belladonna or tobacco. There is still 
another side of the question, if we turn it 
round, whether the profession ought to pa¬ 
tronize secret formulae. Is it one of the 
“ frailties of the faculty” that they do P All 
the chlorodvnes are obviously most dan¬ 
gerous and fatal to life in unwise doses; but 
your Journal deserves great credit for at 
least letting medical men know what they 
will have to treat in poison cases or over¬ 
dosing by this agent. 
I am, etc., 
Charles Kidd, M.D. 
SacTcville Street, June. 
Preliminary Examinations. 
Dear Sir,—Having had some considerable 
experience in preparing students for Pre¬ 
liminary examinations, whether pharma¬ 
ceutical or otherwise, may I be permitted to 
say a few words on the remarks made in the 
May number of your Journal ? 
“A Voice from the Preliminary” has 
given much useful information both to 
teachers and students, but I fail to see the 
force of his argument about the Latin. A 
slight calculation will show, from his own 
figures, that whereas more than three-fourths 
passed in this subject in the first examination, 
not two-thirds passed in the second, and only 
a few more than one-half in the third. 
Having carefully studied the Examina¬ 
tion Papers from the beginning, I attribute 
the increased number of failures to the in¬ 
creased difficulty of the questions. With 
the exception of the last, the papers were 
more difficult as they succeeded each other; 
but, in my opinion, the paper for the April 
examination was of a simpler description 
than any previous one. 
Would it not be worth the attention of 
the Board of Examiners, that a certain 
equality of value should obtain in all the 
papers ? My own conviction is, that many 
failures have resulted from the absence of 
this uniformity. Of course, no one could 
reasonably expect one set of questions to 
afford any clue to another; but I think it 
more than probable that intending candi¬ 
dates make themselves acquainted with ques¬ 
tions in previous sets, and from these argue 
their competence to pass a succeeding one. 
Hence, if the questions be increasingly diffi¬ 
cult, the numbers of failures are propor¬ 
tionate ; but it is to be hoped that the nature 
of the last set may be regarded as an acknow¬ 
ledgment of this evil, and a practical proof of 
a determination to remedy it. 
Trusting you will not consider my re¬ 
marks too dogmatic, 
I remain, dear Sir, 
Yours respectfully, 
y. h. 
May 4 th, 1870. 
Date’s Ointment. 
Sir,—In answer to T. S., Date’s (eye) 
ointment is an ointment prescribed many 
years ago, by the late Dr. Date, Bristol. It 
was zinc ointment, coloured yith vermilion, 
and perfumed with ol. origani. 
E. Browse. 
368, Stretford Hoad, Manchester. 
Oxford Memorial. 
Sir,—You will greatly oblige by stating 
in your supplementary number of the 15th, 
that the memorial (Pharmaceutical J ournal, 
p. 753) read before the Council on the 13th 
ult., bore the signatures, not only of the 
Oxford, but also of the Abingdon chemists. 
Your omission as to Abingdon was pro¬ 
bably due to the fact that the signatures 
