October 5,1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
267 
After some discussion it was resolved :— 
“That this Council thoroughly endorses Mr. Flux’s 
opinion, and entertains no doubt as to the legal 
eligibility of pharmaceutical chemists, chemists and 
druggists, and others, possessing the requisite 
knowledge for appointment as analysts under the 
Adulteration of Food and Drugs Act, 1872.” 
Parliamentary. 
The Report of the Parliamentary Committee was 
read. It included a revised form of circular with re¬ 
ference to the sale of vermin killers, which had been 
approved of by the solicitor. The Report and Recom¬ 
mendations of the Committee, with a verbal amend¬ 
ment, were received and adopted, and a copy of the 
amended regulations was ordered to be sent to every 
Chemist and Druggist and Coroner throughout the king¬ 
dom. 
It was resolved—> 
“ That the Registrar be instructed, and is hereby 
authorized, to erase from the Register the name of 
Thomas Holden, of Burnley.” 
Mr. Sutton read a letter which had been sent to 
him by the coroner for the city of Norwich, calling 
his attention to the facts of an inquest which had 
lately been held in that city, on the death of a child 
which had been poisoned from an overdose of an opiate 
inadvertently administered, but where the jury had 
expressed a strong opinion that medicine of sufficient 
strength to kill a child should not be sent out without 
a label stating what the proper dose for certain persons 
of different ages would be. With this letter was sent 
a phial containing the residue of the medicine. The 
mixture contained about one-third of its bulk of lau¬ 
danum, and was simply labelled “ Nurses’ Drops,” 
with the name of the seller, there being no poison label 
or caution whatever. 
Mr. Williams said that it was not the duty of che¬ 
mists and druggists to give scales of doses. 
Mr. Sutton said it was evidently a case in which a 
prosecution might have been instituted by the police for 
selling poison without a caution label. The mixture 
was sold over the counter and not prepared from a pre¬ 
scription. 
After some conversation, it was resolved— 
“ That the coroner of Norwich be informed by the 
Secretary that the sale to which he had called 
attention was an offence for which the police or 
any person might have prosecuted the seller, but 
that it was not the province of the Society to take 
action in the matter.” 
Fees To Local Secretaries. 
Mr. Sutton brought forward the motion, of which he 
had given notice — 
“ That Local Secretaries who have to superintend the 
examination of candidates for the Preliminary exami¬ 
nation shall be allowed the sum of five shillings for 
any single candidate whose examination he shall 
superintend; if the number of candidates exceeds 
one, the sum of two shillings and sixpence each shall 
be allowed.” 
Mr. Sandford seconded the motion. 
Mr. Bottle said Mr. Hills had also a resolution to 
bring forward for setting apart a sum of money towards 
defraying the expenses of local secretaries in coming to 
London to attend the Anniversary Meeting. He thought 
the two matters might well be considered together. It 
appeared to him that it was rather infra dig. to give a 
man five shillings for sitting three hours, and should 
prefer awarding half a guinea for each examination 
without regard to the number of candidates. 
After some remarks from Mr. Williams and Mr. 
Savage, 
Mr. Mackay suggested that the whole matter had 
better be referred to a committee. 
Mr. Hills said on a previous occasion he had brought 
forward the idea of making some recognition to local 
secretaries for their services, which he was desirous 
should be acknowledged in some way or other. Whether 
that should be done in the way suggested by Mr. Sutton 
or as proposed by himself was to him a matter of com¬ 
parative indifference. He was quite willing that the 
whole matter should be referred to a committee to devise 
some plan which should carry out both Mr. Sutton’s and 
his own idea. 
It was ultimately determined that it should be referred 
to the General Purposes Committee to consider and 
report upon the whole matter. 
Examination Fees. 
Mr. Frazer brought forward the following motion, of 
which he had given notice— 
“ That this Council, fearing that the present rate of 
examination fees forms an obstacle to many young 
men entering on the studies necessary for passing 
these, hereby appoint a special committee to exa¬ 
mine into the whole question, and this especially, 
as to the propriety of reducing the fee for the Pre¬ 
liminary examination by one half, and also as to 
giving all candidates for the different examinations 
who failed to pass the first to have two other oppor¬ 
tunities of passing without the necessity of making- 
further payment. The Committee will further con¬ 
sider the question of giving all candidates who have 
passed the Preliminary the option of passing the 
Major, or such a modification of it as will embrace 
all the essential features of the Minor at once, with¬ 
out the necessity of passing the Minor also. And 
further that should these Resolutions be adopted, 
I propose that all who shall have passed the Preli¬ 
minary examinations before they come into force 
shall be admitted to pass the Minor on payment of 
two guineas, and the Major one of four guineas, 
and that all our present Minors shall be allowed to 
pass the Major on payment of one guinea, thus 
securing that all our present students and assistants 
shall be able to take our highest honours on a pay¬ 
ment of six guineas, instead of ten guineas, as at 
present. But it is to be understood that in the 
event of these changes being adopted, there shall 
be no portion of any of the examination fees 
returned to the non-successful candidates on their 
failing to pass the various examinations. ” 
Mr. Frazer said he was convinced in many cases the 
saving of fees was a matter of importance to apprentices, 
and when he looked at the fees exacted by other bodies, 
it did appear that their own scale was fixed rather too 
high. In Glasgow the fee for passing the Faculty of 
Physicians and Surgeons was only ten shillings, and 
having paid that, the student could present himself 
for a second examination without further charge. In 
the Pharmaceutical Society of Philadelphia the fee was 
four dollars, to be paid once for all, and the fee payable 
in that city on obtaining the highest diploma was only 
ten dollars. In the London University the fee for the 
Preliminary examination was £2, but the candidate had 
two other opportunities of passing without further 
charge. Their students, however, had to pay four guineas 
for three examinations. He believed that the loss 
to the revenue would be very inconsiderable if they 
adopted the principle of not returning any portion of the 
fees to unsuccessful candidates. Last year the fees 
received from 802 apprentices who passed the examina¬ 
tion were £1684. Had the fee been one guinea 
instead of two, the direct loss would, of course, have 
been £842 but against this must be credited £333 
received from 317 students who failed; £144 from 
137 Minors, and £21 from 20 Majors, who were also 
rejected, making in all £498, to be set off’ against 
