October 5, 1S72.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
271 
latecl to advance tlie students than periodical and 
systematic examinations during tlie progress of the 
course. With these few remarks lie would pro¬ 
ceed to make some observations upon the students 
of the past Session. He had already spoken of 
•their diligence and good conduct; and when he 
spoke of their good conduct, he spoke of it not only 
as regarded that institution but with respect also to 
the Botanical Gardens, where they had important 
and rare privileges and opportunities for study,— 
and he must say as a member of the Council of the 
Botanic Society that not the slightest breath of 
complaint had been made during the past year, or, 
indeed, in previous years, of the conduct of the 
pharmaceutical students. He might also mention 
that it was with some satisfaction that he noticed 
the number of pharmaceutical students was in¬ 
creasing. This was not the time to go into the 
question of pharmaceutical education, but he might 
remark that when they considered the numbers 
of students who attended the classes, it was at all 
events to some extent a satisfactory test that, even 
under the present voluntary system, the young men 
were desirous of availing themselves of instruction. 
He found on referring to the Secretary’s books that 
in the year 1869-70 there were 111 students at¬ 
tending his lecturers ; and they must bear in mind 
that this was just after the passing of the Phar¬ 
macy Act, when there was a great rush of students. 
In 1870-1, he had 102—a fall of only nine ; and 
in the year 1871-2 there were no less than 113 stu¬ 
dents attending the class of botany and materia 
meclica. These facts spoke for themselves, and 
the members could draw deductions from them 
quite as well as he could. With regard to the 
terminal examination, sixteen candidates pre¬ 
sented themselves. The examination in his 
class was twofold. It was a test in every res¬ 
pect. There was not only a written but a 
practical viva voce examination, and the total marks 
awarded for the two examinations was 120. Of the 
sixteen candidates, seven had at his recommendation 
'been awarded prizes or certificates. The first gen¬ 
tleman, the same as obtained the first prize in che- 
mistry, Mr. Davies, obtained 105 marks out of a 
possible total of 120. The second gentleman, the 
same again as obtained the second prize in che¬ 
mistry, Mr. Hammell, got 103 marks. To these two 
gentlemen had been awarded the silver Council 
Medal and the bronze Council Medal respectively. 
The third, who ran exceeding close with the first 
two, obtained 99 marks, the numbers being 105, 
103, and 99, and a certificate of honour had been 
awarded to the gentleman making these marks, 
who bore a name which was honoured in connec¬ 
tion with that institution—Mr. Frederick Janson 
Hanbury. The fourth, Mr. W. A. Shenstone, got 93 
marks, and was also awarded a certificate of honour. 
The next three, who got certificates of merit, were 
Mr. Arthur Brownliill Cortis, Mr. Joseph Walker, 
and Mr. Charles Harridge Russell. In conclusion, he 
congratulated these gentlemen on their success, and 
said that no one ever obtained a medal or certificate 
in that Society unless he was fairly entitled to it. 
The questions for examination were :— 
Botany. 
Hours : Ten till One. 
1. Give a general description of the different kinds of 
Raphides, and mention the plants and parts of plants 
where they are respectively found. 
2. Describe the internal structure, and external ap¬ 
pearance of an Acrogenous or Acotyledonous stem. 
3. Define the following :—Phyflode, stipule, crenate, 
pinnate, pinnatifid, palmatifid, decompound, ligule, 
tuber, rhizome, corm, and bulb. 
4. Define the following:—Involucre, glume, cyme, 
receptacle, thalamus, follicle, legume, septicidal, syn- 
genesious, primine, testa, and aril. 
5. Give the essential characters of the following 
Natural Orders, and enumerate the official plants which 
they respectively contain :— Mahacea, Rosacea, Compo - 
sita, Scrophiclariacea, Polygonacea and Liliacea. 
MATERIA MEDICA. 
Hours: Two till Five. 
1. Describe the general characters, and botanical and 
geographical sources of the different varieties of Rhatany. 
Mention especially how they may be distinguished from 
one another, and enumerate the official preparations of 
Rhatany. 
2. Describe the mode of extraction, general characters, 
varieties, and adulterations of guaiacum resin. Mention 
its botanical and geographical sources, and the means of 
detecting it when employed to adulterate scammony. 
3. Describe the general characters of annulated, stri¬ 
ated, and undulated Ipecacuanhas. Mention their bo¬ 
tanical and geographical sources, and to what their 
medical properties are due. Enumerate the official 
preparations of Ipecacuanha. 
4. Describe the botanical and general characters, 
varieties, substitutions, and adulterations of Chamomile 
Flowers. Enumerate the official preparations. 
5. Describe the general and chemical characters of 
Dandelion root, and point out especially how it can be 
distinguished from other roots ; also mention the season 
usually regarded as the best for its collection, and the 
data upon which such an opinion is founded. Enumerate 
the official preparations of Dandelion root. 
Practical Chemistry. 
The President then called upon Professor Att- 
field for his report in reference to the class of Prac¬ 
tical Chemistry. 
Professor Attfield said that at the close of the 
last session, sixteen gentlemen competed for the 
prizes in the class of Practical Chemistry. Of these 
sixteen, fourteen continued working during the 
whole of the two days devoted to that examination; 
and of the fourteen, ten succeeded in obtaining such 
a position as to entitle them to the medals and cer¬ 
tificates awarded by the Council. Mr. William 
Ashwell Shenstone obtained ninety per cent, of the 
standard number of marks. Mr. Shenstone was a 
Bell Scholar,—one who would remain in, and 
doubtless be an ornament to pharmacy. The second 
on the list was Mr. Robert Higgins Davies, who ob¬ 
tained seventy-eight marks. Mr. Davies was also a 
Bell Scholar, but, the Professor was sorry to say, 
leaving the practice of pharmacy for that of medi¬ 
cine and surgery: indeed, he had already entered 
the ranks of medical students in Dublin. Mr. Da¬ 
vies and the third Bell Scholar,—for there were 
three last year,—Mr. Rammell, had enriched phar¬ 
macy with some original investigations during their 
term of study. These gentlemen had made re¬ 
searches and published papers : Mr. Davies on Sul¬ 
phite of Magnesium, which would be found in the 
Pharmaceutical Journal for the 1st June ; and 
Mr. Rammell, in conjunction with Dr. Tilden, on 
| the Resins of Aloes, communicating the results 
to the Meeting of the British Pharmaceutical Con- 
