314 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[October 19, 1872. 
that the total number of students in January, 1871, was 
5760 more than the number two years before, and that 
in the subject of chemistry alone the number of students 
was 5000 odd in 1871, as compared with 2000 odd in 
1869. That looked so little like a collapse that he was 
:astonished at the audacity of the writer who made the 
.assertion. He was obliged to Mr. Giles for his remarks ; 
and he could not help, without any violent twist, per¬ 
verting them as an argument in favour of his own 
scheme. He gathered that whilst approving and esti¬ 
mating highly the good which the school in Bloomsbury 
•Square accomplishes for high pharmacy, he also sees that 
for the requirements of the Minor examination a not 
very high class of qualification is necessary. And yet 
‘the Minor required something like the study of two im¬ 
portant sciences, and the skeleton scheme of his aimed 
at little more than imparting these two sciences as part 
of the qualifications of the many students who may be 
Brought into the smaller centres. He failed to see that 
Mr. Taplin’s plan would prevent “ cram ”; on the con¬ 
trary, he feared it might encourage it, by inducing men 
to substitute a three months’ course of chemistry and 
Botany for the more legitimate and effectual study of 
these sciences. 
Mr. Giles said he was not speaking against Mr. 
Schacht’s or any scheme. 
The resolution was then put to the vote and carried 
unanimously. 
Mr. Taplin then proposed his resolution, and said their 
students had not the same facilities as medical or law 
students. Medical students went to some hospital, while 
law, students /went to their employers’ agents in London 
to get that knowledge they could not procure in pro¬ 
vincial towns or villages. Mr. Giles was favourable to 
keeping up Bloomsbury Square as a high school of phar¬ 
macy, but that was not so legitimate as the establishment 
of halls in various parts of the country. 
Mr. Giles seconded the motion. 
Mr. Boorne said he preferred the resolution passing 
without the rider of Mr. Taplin. The Pharmaceutical 
-Society from the first had sought to make examination 
-compulsory, and had recently obtained the sanction of 
the Legislature to the Minor examination ; but if they 
committed themselves to the obligation to educate, they 
must ask Government to make compulsory the Major 
examination. The difficulty was not as to the desira¬ 
bility of promoting education, but as to the mode. Mr. 
Schacht’s scheme in theory was a really practical one, 
But it was like putting the cart Before the horse. It 
asked the Society to give payment for results when they 
wanted payment in order to obtain results. He thought 
it was desirable that the Society should make grants to 
any provincial association that would use them usefully, 
and from which results were likely to flow. As to the 
-establishment of colleges, he hardly imagined that the 
day was come for that, but it might shortly. At present 
hardly sufficient support would, be given to maintain 
such colleges in the provinces. The tendency of all 
Technical education was towards London. It was de¬ 
sirable that young men should learn all they could in the 
provinces, and so prepare themselves for a very short 
time in London to complete their education. 
Dr. Tilden, in response to an invitation from the 
President, next addressed the meeting. He thanked 
them for the honour they had done him in admitting 
him as an honorary member of the association, and was 
glad of that opportunity of meeting his old pharmaceuti¬ 
cal friends. With regard to the question of the esta¬ 
blishment of colleges and the question of pharmaceutical 
education, he had very little sympathy with any scheme 
for the distribution of the funds of the Society merely to 
enable students to pass the examination. He thought 
Mr. Schacht’s scheme would supply the demand for local 
education, but would only go so far as to bring a con¬ 
siderable number of students up to the Minor. That 
was a very low standard, and one of which he was not 
particularly proud. They should look for something 
beyond that. Another difficulty had been alluded to by 
Mr. Giles, and that was the position of the institution 
in Bloomsbury Square. Pharmacy had cut a very poor 
figure in times past, and its present position was owing 
to the existence of the school in Bloomsbury Square in 
a flourishing condition. That school showed the outside 
public that they were doing a good work, and not merely 
following the occupation of an ordinary chemist and 
druggist. He had supported Mr. Schacht’s motion, 
because he took it as an expression of opinion in favour 
of scientific pharmaceutical education—that education 
that leads on to pharmaceutical research, leaving the 
money-grubbing behind, and leading on to better re¬ 
sults than in the past. He had a notion that local 
branches associated with Bloomsbury Square could not 
fail to be an advantage in enabling young men to get a 
thorough grasp of the subject, and there was an advan¬ 
tage in working with fellow-students which could only 
be obtained in large establishments. 
The President said he was glad the subject had excited 
discussion, but as it was late he must ask them not to 
prolong it much longer. 
Mr. Schacht said this resolution was offered to the 
Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, and urged on 
them a certain course. He was not sure if he was correct, 
but did Mr. Taplin wish them to assume the duties of 
housekeeping in which they had had no experience ? 
Mr. Giles: That was in the speech, not in the resolu¬ 
tion. 
Mr. Schacht: The resolution goes for a home for 
students from all parts of the country. 
Mr. Taplin : That is perfectly right. 
Mr. Schacht: Rather a new field for the Council of 
the Pharmaceutical Society to enter upon. But in his 
capacity he must be silent, and receive the request from 
the association if they chose to adopt it. 
The President said he did not see any great advantage 
in residential houses or colleges. He would rather sup¬ 
port the idea that all young men take lodgings and pro¬ 
vide for themselves. 
Mr. Taplin pointed to the facilities for board and 
lodging afforded at Cambridge and Oxford, and said he 
hoped the resolution would pass, as he should be glad to 
see it brought under the notice of the Society. 
The resolution on being put to the vote w r as negatived 
by two to one, and the proceedings terminated. 
MANCHESTER CHEMISTS’ ASSISTANTS’ 
ASSOCIATION. 
The second annual meeting of the above association 
took place in the new lecture-room of the Chemist’s and 
Druggists’ Association, 37, Blackfriars Street, on Mon¬ 
day evening, October 7th ; the President, Mr. W. 
Lane, was in the chair, and, after delivering a few in¬ 
troductory remarks, called upon the Secretary, Mr. J. T. 
Clarke, to read the report on the past session. 
The committee reported that during the second ses¬ 
sion ten papers had been read, followed by animated 
discussion, which, it w r as believed, must have afforded 
matter of interest and instruction to all present. Re¬ 
ference was made to the want of good attendance of 
members; and it was pointed out that the larger the 
attendance, the greater the encouragement for the pro¬ 
duction of papers. Another point in which there is 
room for improvement was said to be the small number 
of members on the roll. It was suggested that each one 
should do his utmost to make known to his friends the 
existence, object and result of the meetings, and induce 
them to attend, so that while increasing their knowledge 
they might promote generally that feeling of friendship and 
union so necessary to their existence as an educated and 
influential body. 
The President, in moving the adoption of the report, 
