93 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[August 3, 1872, 
at temperatures ranging from 59° to 68 ° Fahr., and 
digestion at temperatures between 95° and 104° Fahr. 
Tinctures of wormwood, aconite, aloes (compound and 
simple), arnica, assafoetida, orange-peel, benzoin, casca- 
rilla, catechu, bark (simple and compound), cinnamon, 
and a great many others are made by digestion ; while 
tinctures of belladonna, cantharides, capsicum, castor, 
digitalis, euphorbium, and many others are made by 
maceration. It is not explained how the temperature is 
to be maintained between 95° and 104° Falir. night and 
day, for eight days, which we presume would be the 
principal difficulty in conducting the process by diges¬ 
tion. 
One of the peculiar features in this pharmacopeia is 
the small number of pill masses ordered. Besides the 
Pilulce odontalgicce , intended merely for local application, 
there are only three formula? given for pills, under the 
titles of Pilulce aloeticce ferratce, Pilulce ferri carbonici, and 
Pilulce jalapcc. This forms a marked contrast with the 
twenty different sorts of pills ordered in our Pharma¬ 
copeia ; and wo should be glad to think it indicated an 
improvement in the practice of physicians, in prescribing 
other forms of medicine for their patients. The Pilulce 
jalapce of the German Pharmacopoeia are composed of 
resin of jalap, soap, and powdered jalap; and notwith¬ 
standing the number of formula? for pills we have 
already in the British Pharmacopoeia, we are disposed 
to think that this or a simliar form might with advan¬ 
tage be introduced, omitting at the same time some of 
those we have, for while pills with aloes are repeated 
over and over again, we have no purgative pill without 
aloes. 
ibitarg. 
EDWARD PALK. 
We have to record this week the death of another of 
the founders of the Pharmaceutical Society, in the per¬ 
son of Mr. Edward Palk, Pharmaceutical Chemist, of 
Southampton, who died on Thursday, July 25th, at the 
age of seventy-three. 
Mr. Palk was born at Portsmouth, but early in life 
removed to Southampton, where he was apprenticed to 
Mr. Gillmour, of the High-street. He afterwards com¬ 
menced a business on his own account, which he carried 
on for more than fifty years. During that time he 
always threw himself heartily and zealously into every 
movement for the public good, and became prominently 
identified with the benevolent institutions of the town, 
and with the discharge of the public duties associated 
with municipal government. In 1847 he was elected 
alderman, and held that office until I 860 , when upon the 
cessation of his connection with their body, the Council 
passed a vote of thanks to the ex-alderman for the im¬ 
portant services he had rendered to the borough; and 
the inhabitants marked their appreciation of his labours 
on their behalf by subsequently presenting a testimonial 
to Mr. Palk in the form of a handsome gold watch, a 
timepiece, silver salver, and candelabrum, at a large 
public meeting held at the Philharmonic Hall. In 
1858 he was elected mayor of the borough, and served 
the office with the utmost advantage to the community. 
In 1856 he accepted the appointment of a justice of the 
peace for Southampton. 
Mr. Palk was also for thirty-two years churchwarden 
of the parish, of Holy Rood, in which he resided. In 
connection with the religious, benevolent and philan- 
thropical institutions of the town, his labours were 
unceasing. In conjunction with other zealous workers 
he founded the ragged school, of which he became trea¬ 
surer, and was regarded as the father of an institution 
which has accomplished an inestimable amount of good 
among the poorer classes of the town. He also took a 
deep interest in the Female Penitentiary, was a Gover¬ 
nor of the Royal South Hants Infirmary; Vice-Presi¬ 
dent of the Southamptom Dispensary ; and Honorary 
Vice-President of the Southampton Athenaeum, etc. 
The deceased gentleman was one of the earliest mem¬ 
bers of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain— 
his membership bearing date 1841—and for many years 
he acted as its local secretary for the district. 
During the last three years Mr. Palk suffered from a 
painful internal disease, for the relief of which he on the 
11 th June last underwent an operation. This was con¬ 
sidered to have been very successfully performed, but 
the long period of suffering he had undergone had un¬ 
demined his naturally vigorous constitution, and after 
returning to Southampton he gradually got weaker until 
his death. On Saturday last the magistrates of the 
borough held a special meeting, and passed a vote of 
condolence with the bereaved family, and on Monday,, 
they, together with the Corporation and an immense* 
concourse of his fellow townsmen, paid a further mark 
of respect, by attending the funeral. 
Notice has been received also of the following deaths : 
O 
On the 15th July, Mr. William Paine, Pharmaceutical 
Chemist, of St. Margaret’s Street, Canterbury. The 
deceased gentleman had been a member of the Phar¬ 
maceutical Society from 1842 till the time of his death* 
On the 10 th July, Mr. Richard Lewins, Chemist and'. 
Druggist, of Morpeth. 
On the 14th July, Mr. Richard Hardy, Chemist and. 
Druggist, of Dicconson Street, Wigan. 
On the 18th July, Mr. James Waits, Chemist and 
Druggist, of Poplar. 
Corospitart. 
*** No notice can be 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. 
Provincial Education. 
Sir,—If they have taught us nothing else, the discussion 
and correspondence on the Education Scheme now before the 
Council, as well as the scheme itself, are calculated to arouse 
in the minds of all pharmaceutists a sense of profound 
humility. 
If we regard the very modest requirements of the Pre¬ 
liminary examination, and notice the large proportion of 
candidates who are rejected, if we consider the elaborate 
schemes that have been and are propounded to enable young- 
men to pass such easy examinations as the “ Minor ” and 
even the “ Major,” we must acknowledge that the day is far 
distant when we can hope to take the position that some of 
our body are sanguine enough to think the practitioners of 
pharmacy ought to take in this country. 
I am not saying in the present state of things that it is. 
either desirable or possible to mako either the Minor or 
Major examinations more difficult, and we might go far to 
find a better Board of Examiners than we now have, still the 
fact remains, as everybody’s experience will testify, that it is 
possible for a young man to pass his examinations wffiose 
general education is wofully deficient, and who knows but 
little of his business. Only the other day an assistant of 
26 years of age (who I need hardly say only stayed a day 
with me), and who had lately passed his “ Minor,” was con¬ 
strained to confess that he had never silvered a box of pills in. 
his life, and he directed some pills that were to be taken 
“ si opus possit ” to be taken “ with posset.” 
I sympathize with Mr. Schacht ’3 philanthropic endeavours 
to help those young men who entered the business before the 
passing of the last Pharmacy Act, although I question if the 
