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THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [September 23, 1872. 
Commissioners. Whatever its faults it did one thing well— 
it taught Latin. Would that all other schools, not being 
disintegrated, could say the same. 
The other three would have found it difficult to construct 
the simplest sentence of nominative verb and object without 
mistake, and their Latin education is consequently all to 
begin, though one of them had done the first book of Ccesar. 
How boys are taught in such slipshod fashion I cannot make 
out; it seems to me that the foundation is badly laid, and 
there ought to be more time spent over the five declensions 
and conjugation of verbs than there is. One step should 
be made sure before another is taken; for want of it we have 
these failures. We want some stern supervision of these 
private schools; then schoolmasters would not dare to let 
such work pass muster, and the parents’ money and the 
boys’ time would not be so wrongfully wasted. We want 
some guarantee from every schoolmaster that he can and 
will do his duty. There’s the rub, and till this is done there 
will be these failures. The question is then, how best to 
meet existing difficulties and patch up the schoolmaster’s 
miserable work. The only plan and the merciful one is to 
take these lads as they are, and either teach them Latin 
ourselves or send them to night classes to learn, and give 
them all the help we can. In this way I got one of my 
three aforesaid through the Preliminary; the other two are 
yet to be passed. Of course I wish it was done, and think 
it a great shame I should give my time to teach these lads 
what their school ought to have done; but under existing 
circumstances I see no other plan. Feeling one’s own de¬ 
ficiencies in Latin, and knowing also that there are hundreds 
no better, who nevertheless read prescriptions daily, and 
having also some doubts as to the profundity of the Latin 
of the prescribers, one is tempted now and then to doubt 
whether it is absolutely necessary to be able to translate a 
passage of Caesar without a dictionary before one ought to be 
allowed to be a chemist. This is, however, such a heresy 
that one scarcely dare say all one thinks; nevertheless there 
may possibly be something in it. 
26 & 27, Commercial Street, Leeds, W. Smeeton. 
Pharmaceutical Education. —“Reformer” writes express¬ 
ing surprise at the objections urged against the increased 
outlay incurred by a higher class of pharmaceutical educa¬ 
tion. He is of opinion that the remuneration would be in¬ 
creased in greater proportion, since the stringency of the 
examinations -would exclude those not sufficiently intellect¬ 
ually trained, thereby diminishing competition. He thinks 
that for the full development of pharmaceutical education it 
will be necessary to comprize such subjects as Euclid, algebra, 
and natural philosophy. 
Mr. J. C. Coles, of Chippenham, writes to say that it is 
with country members of the trade that the majority of 
young men pass their first year of study, and he thinks this 
proves that any aid the Society can afford should be general 
rather than central. 
Dispensing and Drug Dealing Surgeons. 
Sir,—I was much gratified upon reading the article in the 
Journal for Sept. 7th, concerning the question of medical men 
keeping retail shops and dispensing their own medicines ; it 
is one of vital importance to the chemist, and I trust the 
subject will be fully ventilated. If the existing antagonism 
between medical men and druggists is to be removed, it must 
be by both parties making concessions, wilick would prove 
mutually advantageous, each restricting themselves to their 
proper and legitimate functions—the chemist confining him¬ 
self to the dispensing of prescriptions and the retailing of 
drugs and chemicals, and the medical man visiting his patients, 
and sending his prescriptions to the druggist for preparation, 
thereby removing to a great extent the present temptation 
for the chemist to trench on his prerogative by prescribing 
across the counter; a certain amount of counter prescribing 
would of necessity still exist, for the chemist is and must re¬ 
main the “ Poor Man’s Doctor;” they (the poor) will come to 
us for advice and medicine for minor ailments, and I presume 
the medical man would consider it rather infra dig. to supply 
either for the small remuneration the druggist receives for 
his trouble. 
As the chemist of the future is to be something higher 
and more worthy of the title than in the past, provision 
must be made to enable him to keep up his dignity by fur¬ 
nishing the means to live out of the proceeds of his business, 
a matter which, as things exist at present, he finds somewhat 
difficult,—the closing of the surgeon’s retail,and the transfer of 
his dispensing to the chemist would go a long way towards 
this desirable object, while, on the other hand, the medical 
man would get a quid pro quo, and a fertile cause for the 
present jealousy and ill-will now existing between the two 
parties would be removed. Trusting you will do your utmost 
to bring about this desirable consummation. 
Newport, Isle of Wight, Chemist. 
Majors and Members. 
Sir,—In Mr. Carteighe’s letter to you, published last week,, 
extracts are made from the Registrar’s Reports as to Mem¬ 
bers elected in 1870 and 1871, and by which it appears that 
more pharmaceutical chemists were elected than passed the- 
Major in these years. 
The following extract therefore, supplementing the Reports 
referred to, may be somewhat explanatory and perhaps 
useful:— 
Passed the Major in 
1852 53 56 60 61 63 65 66 67 68 69 70 
1 - 1-1-1-2-1-1-2-3-9-38-19 = 79 
Associates before August 1st, 1842 . 5 
Elected Members in 1870 ... 84 
Passed the Major in 
1853 59 64 67 68 69 70 71 
1 -1-3-3-8-8-20-17 — 61 
Associates before August 1st, 1812. 2 
Elected Members, 1871 .... 63 
Elias Bremridge, Secretary and Registrar. 
17, Bloomsbury Square, September 26th, 1872. 
3Irs. Stochnan and Family.— The following sums have 
been thankfully received in aid of the above family: Mr. J 
W. Britain, Hampstead, 2s. 6d.; Amicus, Is.; Messrs. Rob¬ 
bins and Co., Oxford Street, £1. Is.; Mr. T. Hodsoll, 5s. 
Pharmacist, 10s.; Friends, per Mr. Spurling, Brompton, 
£1. 3s.; Mr. Tylee, Bath, 10s. Further contributions are 
much needed, and will be received with many thanks by G- 
Perfect, Havelock Park, Southsea, and Charles Mumby, 
Pharmaceutical Chemist, Gosport, Trustees. 
W. J3. Clark. —We have handed your letter to the Board, 
who, in framing their new regulations, will doubtless take 
your suggestions into consideration. 
The Editor of the ‘ Grocery News.’ —The paper you refer 
to was read in the Chemical Section of the British Association 
at Brighton, and was published in extenso in the * Brighton 
Daily News.’ Our report was derived from the same source- 
Mr. James Stedman writes in reference to a case reported 
at page 239 in our last number to state that the composition 
of his powders was not correctly given by Dr. Hughes. 
A. I. C. —By simple solutions is intended those in the- 
B. P. and others in common use in medicine and Phar¬ 
macy, but not in that volume. 
T. Hugh Jones. —We refer you to the number of the- 
journal in w’kich the recipe appeared. 
X. Y. Z. —Formulae for this preparation have repeatedly 
been given in the journal.— Vide I. 857. 
JD. Jenkins. —We do not know of any authorized form: 
3 grains of the scales in one fluid drachm of syrup make a. 
nice preparation. 
Z. (Dulwich).—The plant is Erigeron canadense. 
“ Justice.” —(1) It would certainly be unlawful to keep a 
druggist’s shop under the conditions you mention. (2) We- 
do not quite understand this question. (3) You had better 
communicate with the Registrar on the subject. 
P. J. —(1) The sale is legal. (2) The case you mentiort 
would not come under the Adulteration Act, we think, unless 
the salt were sold as medicine. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
“Inops,” Mr. P. L. Simmonds, “Justitia,” Mr. G. J. 
Cutcliffie, S. W. W., Dr. J. Leon Soubciran, Mr. E. B. Yizer, 
Professor Attfield, Mr. S. K. Bennett, G. L., A. P. S., Mr. 
Jas. Copley, Mr. R. G. Mumbray, Mr. D. B. Sharp, Mr. C. 
Fletcher, “An Apprentice,” Mr. J. Mackay, “A Student,” 
Mr. J. Farr, Mr. W. H. Hayward, Dr. Cameron, Mr. G. W. 
Stephens, Mr. H. Minett, Mr. H. J. Whitred, Mr. J. 
Hutchinson, Mr. J. Archer. 
