August 24, 1372.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
155 
adoption of the principle, but even if fuller administrative 
powers were required from Parliament, I should with 
certainty of success proceed at once to obtain them. 
In the firm belief that this question of compulsory 
education, and the form it shall take, will receive priority 
of discussion at the hands of the members of the Phar¬ 
maceutical Conference at the present meeting, and by 
the leaders of pharmacy hereafter, and priority of 
organization by the Council of the Pharmaceutical 
Society, I will now briefly introduce the subjects of 
provincial pharmaceutical education, and the ultimate 
relationship of the Society to either or all the Schools of 
Pharmacy. 
From data possessed by the Secretary of the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society, it is his opinion that in the course of a 
few years 1000 youths will pass the Preliminary exami- 
tion annually; that 750 apprentices will annually pre¬ 
sent themselves as candidates for the title of chemist 
and druggist, and 600 gentlemen will annually start in 
business. This calculation is of course based on the 
present condition of things. There can be little doubt 
that if the efforts of the Pharmaceutical Society to im¬ 
prove the trade generally by means of education and 
-examination be successful, many young men will be de¬ 
terred from entering pharmacy, the present excessive 
number of small shops being greatly reduced. The 
existing central school of pharmacy can accommodate 
150 or 200 students in a session if each studies for 
a few months; there will therefore be room for three 
or four, or possible five such schools. France pos¬ 
sesses three. That a school of pharmacy can be es¬ 
tablished in every twentieth town is simply impossible. 
Moral reasons are said to prevent some people sending 
their sons to the school in London or other large town. 
If this is true, such parents should select a calling which 
can be followed nearer home, though I fail to see how 
that would meet the difficulty; it is chiefly that which 
cometh from within which defileth. At the same time 
J have long urged for other reasons the establishment of 
.residential halls, clubs, in connection with schools of 
pharmacy. I far more strongly sympathize with the 
patient and perserving youth who steadily prepares for 
the Minor by sheer hard work in a country village. It 
seems unfair to compel such a man to attach himself to 
a recognized school. The same objection to the compul- 
.sory-attendanceplan obtains in the medical profession, but 
it is not found to be an important objection. In truth, 
I believe, that the number of such ifien will be very 
small when the Minor examination comes to be con¬ 
ducted with the thoroughness foreshadowed in the last 
.report on our examinations by the officer of the Privy 
Council (3. 3. 115). Moreover, I have found that these 
men of all others are most glad to take advantage of 
professorial assistance. “ There can be no doubt (3. 3. 
•50), that even where the pupil has the advantage of 
a master capable and willing to instruct him, he will 
be benefited in supplementing such practical instruc¬ 
tion by hearing scientific principles systematically 
enunciated by other persons.” 
The steps by which to establish such schools in the 
provinces should be undertaken by the Council of the 
.Pharmaceutical Society through the agency of com- 
mittes and deputations, assisted by, and assisting local 
committees, all the care and deliberation exercised when 
founding the central school being observed in establish¬ 
ing the new schools. I am of opinion that such schools 
would be self-supporting, for I am assuming that pharma¬ 
ceutical education is made compulsory in the manner 
■ suggested. That point reached, their financial connec¬ 
tion with the Society would cease, whether the school 
were located in the metropolis or the provinces; but 
until that position were obtained liberal support should 
be accorded. The manner of distributing aid scarcely 
needs remark; there being only four or five schools, each 
would be treated on its merits without any elaborate 
machinery. To spread aid to pharmaceutical educa¬ 
tion broadcast over the whole country would, in my 
opinion, prove to be sheer waste of energy and money. 
Mr. Benger’s proposal (1. 1. 253) to establish special 
technical schools for boys intending to become pharma¬ 
cists is important, but is scarcely practicable at present. 
Moreover, the rapid spread of scientific education in 
general schools will probably in time render any such 
proceeding unnecessary. That no chemist and druggist 
should take an apprentice who has not passed the Pre¬ 
liminary examination of the Pharmaceutical Society is a 
proposition which has been accepted by all who have 
spoken or written on the subject. I think it might be 
urged officially on every chemist and druggist in Eng¬ 
land as soon as the new and vastly improved Register is 
published. Mr. Edward Smith’s suggestion (3. 2. 301) 
that only apprentices who have passed the Preliminary 
examination should be admitted as students at schools of 
pharmacy has my earnest support; I often temporarily 
fail in teaching a student some chemical fact or prin¬ 
ciple through his want of knowledge of arithmetic. Mr. 
Smith’s method of ascertaining which are the deserving 
recipients of aid from the parent Society by an elaborate 
system of special examinations, and Mr. Schacht’s 
original plan of carrying out the same object (3. 2. 401) 
would be attended by a vast deal of trouble, and would 
not, I think, with any amount of labour be successful. 
But if successful, such examinations would be open to 
the abuse of cram. Mr. Schacht’s more recent scheme 
now before the Society extends aid only to provincial 
associations, having recognized schools similar in kind, 
and not very different in degree to those, the establish¬ 
ment of which I have advocated in this paper; such a 
plan was also urged by Mr. Hustwick (3. 2. 499). I 
have shown that all such schools must fail unless cram 
be crushed, but assuming this to have been done, then I 
do not see the need for any separate special examinations, 
the Minor itself would afford means of ascertaining the 
relative efficiency of these schools, and thus provide for 
the distribution of aid so long as aid might be necessary. 
As to the manner in which aid might be given, it would 
necessarily differ according to the requirements and 
amount of local support of the school, but Mr. Reynolds’ 
plan (3. 2. 751) would probably be taken as a basis, “ 1. To 
increase the fees of teachers of chemistry, practical che¬ 
mistry, materia medica, pharmacy and botany. 2. To pay 
one-half the salary of curator and lecture-assistant. 3. To 
distribute such duplicate specimens from the Society’s 
Museum as might be available. 4. To make grants to 
libraries. 5. To grant loans of materials for class teach¬ 
ing, with the power of making them absolute grants. 
It is clear that provincial schools must mainly be 
under local management. As a school, metropolitan or 
provincial, becomes self-supporting much of its connec¬ 
tion with the parent Society would naturally cease; 
but the question whether all connection should lapse 
may well be postponed. I see no difficulty in providing 
suitable teachers for future schools of pharmacy. . The 
sources are obvious, but I may mention one not quite so 
apparent. At present it is cause for constant regret that 
our Bell Scholarships do good to all other professions 
except our own; a Bell Scholarship is too often the lever 
by which a worthy, clever and ambitious young pharma¬ 
cist so elevates himself that his talents are lost to phar¬ 
macy altogether. As a teacher or professor in a school 
of pharmacy he would find full scope for his skill and 
energy, and pharmacy not lose the fruit she had taken 
such pains to mature. 
In conclusion, let me beg for the fullest considera¬ 
tion of pharmaceutical education by every pharmacist 
having the interest of pharmacy at heart. I invite 
objections to my own views ; I ask for criticism; 
and if neither can be given, three words of approval 
will strengthen my position. The pharmaceutical 
press is open to all. I have Mr. Schacht s authority, for 
stating that “ The Council of the Pharmaceutical Society 
are most anxious to devise a scheme that shall pro"\ e 
