July G, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
10 
Carmpttae. 
* 0 * No notice can le taken of anonymous communica¬ 
tions. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily 
for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith. 
The Possibility op Effort. 
Sir,—I was pleased to see in your last issue a letter on this 
•subject of a far healthier and more encouraging tone than that 
of Mr. Ince, but I quite expected to have seen some authority 
step forward and remind that gentleman that of the many 
who annually pass the examinations, a great proportion do 
so with scarcely any help other than that derived from the 
study of the ordinary text-books, and hints from those who 
have already passed. 
Now I wish it fully to be understood that in these remarks 
I refer to the “Minor” only, for it is with respect to this 
examination that I observe the greatest anxiety possesses 
young men. And further, I would guard against being 
thought to undervalue in the slightest degree the great advan¬ 
tages derivable from courses of lectures, laboratory teaching, 
or access to a qualified tutor. On the contrary, I place the 
highest value upon each and all of these aids, but my sym¬ 
pathy with the many apprentices and assistants who are far 
removed from their influence, induces me to record my im¬ 
pression that individual effort is easily able to accomplish the 
■“ Minor.” A perusal of either of the previous letters would 
■convey a contrary impression ; yet, although my experience 
must be far less than that of Mr. Ince, every young man in 
my somewhat extended circle of personal acquaintance, with 
one exception only, whom I have seen set diligently to work, 
has accomplished it in periods of from four to twelve months. 
The ages of these candidates have varied between eighteen 
and twenty-one years. 
With your permission, I would now state by what means 
the foregoing results were attained, putting my remarks into 
such form as shall enable the many anxious and comparative 
outsiders of our community to construct for themselves a line 
of action. 
It is presumed on the part of intending candidates that 
they possess thorough acquaintance with the construction of 
prescriptions and methods of dispensing, with the appearance 
of the various chemicals and galenicals, and with the more 
•common articles of Materia Medica. The possession of such 
knowledge ought to be a matter of course with all who have 
■been three or four years in the trade; and such as have yet to 
acquire it,ought to bear in mind that they must qualify them¬ 
selves thus far for their ordinary duties behind the counter 
before they entertain any immediate thoughts of submitting 
themselves to the examination. 
Ihe study of the various subjects should proceed simul¬ 
taneously ; but the first step should be the getting together 
•of specimens of the organic materia medica; and when looking 
these over, reference should be made to any standard work 
on the subject, with a view of learning the method of ob¬ 
taining them, their uses, and such knowledge as is set forth 
in the synopsis of the examination. The galenical prepara¬ 
tions of the Pharmacopoeia should be learnt by heart, and 
the processes for the manufacture of officinal chemicals well 
•studied, Attfield’s Chemistry being used for their explana¬ 
tion. The reactions of the salts should bo studied experi¬ 
mentally. My conviction as to Botany is, that the best be- 
ginmng in it is to go out into the fields and interest one’s 
self in the wild flowers. The structure of these, carefully 
studied by the help of a good work on botany, will soon lead 
up to such a knowledge of structural botany as will ensure 
•confidence under examination, and in all probability, will 
further lead to the subject being taken up afterwards as a 
source of amusement. 
Briefly, then, it appears that a candidate for the “ Minor ” 
is required to show a thorough familiarity with the various 
•aspects of those things which he is called upon to use daily; 
and for persons of average capabilities who make proper use 
<>t their time with a view to render themselves good men of 
business, a steady application to study in the spare hours 
after business will soon fit them to undergo the now dreaded 
ordeal. 
Norwich , June 24 th, 1872. 
E. Nuthall. 
Pharmaceutical Curiosities of Medical Prac¬ 
titioners. 
Sir,—I do not know where your correspondent * G. II ’ 
hails from, who writes on the above subject in last week’s 
Journal, but I think he has just cause for complaint; and as 
it is a subject to which I have given some attention, I would 
like to add a few words to ‘ G. H.’s ’ communication, in the 
hope that some reform may be the result, in our locality at 
jl *ast, viz. the vicinity of the Valley of the Clyde. But in the 
first place, as I have, partly from curiosity and partly from 
an enquiring nature, been trying to discover the origin of 
‘ G. H.’s ’ “ Co.2,” I beg to offer the following)as the reason:— 
‘ G. H.’ has probably heard of the new chemical notation; but 
having a large practice, he has not had time to “read up” on 
the subject; and having an idea that brevity is the soul of 
wit, has come to the conclusion that all acids are easily dis¬ 
tinguishable by such symbols as “ S02,” “ C02,” and so 
forth. I shall be glad to learn that my conjecture is wrong. 
But my main object in writing is to point out that such 
obscure prescriptions as those referred to by ‘ G. H.’ are very 
common ; and, if I mistake not, are becoming more common, 
especially in this district; and I know further that the prac¬ 
tice is not carried on by “ignorant” medical practitioners, 
but by some who have a practice and reputation, as well as 
social position, which ought to be far above such miserable 
contrivances. What would ‘ G. H ’ think were ho to receive 
such prescriptions as the following?—“Ung. Elav.,” “Pil. 
Asiatics},” “ Lotio Oculi,” “Lin. Co.,” “ Ung° Rub.,” “Acid. 
Tonic. No. 2,” “Pil. Nucis Co.,” “Tinct. Alterative,” etc. 
Yet these are but specimens of what have gone through my 
hands since I became connected with the drug business. I 
might give the initials of the authors of these wonderful cog¬ 
nomens, but deem it advisable tor the present to withhold 
them. I have frequently sent to the physicians for explana¬ 
tions, but, unlike G. H., instead of finding the prescription 
coming into the shop in a more extended and comprehensible 
form, have been horrified by the reply that these couldonly be 
got at so-and-so’s establishment. I have long since come to 
the conclusion, however, that the medical profession are not so 
much to blame in this matter as a certain unprincipled class 
of our own brethren in trade. If the profession were not en¬ 
couraged or tempted by a bait of some kind, they would not 
be so terribly anxious to send patients distances of miles for 
medicine, which, were the prescription written in full, might 
be prepared at the patient’s own door. This system of secret 
or tacit understandings between physician and pharmacist 
ought to be most strenuously opposed by all right-minded 
members of the trade. I would far rather have surgeon- 
druggists for my neighbours than such underhand dealers. 
I know some, however, who have gone into this system, and 
who would give a good deal now to get rid of it altogether; 
for they have discovered to their chagrin that the benefit is 
all on one side, viz. that of the medical practitioners. They 
hare found out that unless they are dishonest by making an 
extortionate charge for dispensing and withholding the °pre- 
scription, which they have no right to do, they are simply 
playing a game at filling the exchequer of the doctor, while 
they are preventing the money reaching its legitimate source, 
viz. their own pockets and that of their brother pharma¬ 
cists. I am further convinced that it is an unprofitable spe¬ 
culation to most chemists who engage in the system, from the 
fact that in many cases they have to prepare large quantities 
of these particular medicines, to gratify the whim of the 
medical man, who, in time taking another notion, gets ena¬ 
moured with some new nostrum, thus leaving the poor vic¬ 
timized druggist with a stock of, say half a gallon, “ Lin. Co.,” 
an article which nobody knows, or cares to kuow, anything 
about; and ultimately the doctor forgets all about it himselfi 
and there it lies on the chemist’s shelf “dead stock.” As a 
general rule, however, I find that it is the young pharmacist 
just commencing business, who falls into this grave error, in 
the hope of procuring in a short time a good going business 
(thoughl have instances of old druggists, who ought to know 
better, not only carrying on the system, but doing 0 all they can 
to extend it). But the hope of honourably increasing one’s 
business by it is a delusion and a snare; and I would warn 
my younger brethren to give no encouragement to such a 
system, which is in many instances corrupting the morals 
of our young men. Let us ever remember that “ It is not 
all gold that glitters,” and that “ There is a day of reckoning 
at hand,” when honesty and uprightness shall prevail against 
all such contemptible expedients. Alois. 
July 2nd, 1872. 
