October 26,1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
330 
tompntatt. 
No notice can be taken of anonymous communica¬ 
tions. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily 
for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. 
Patent Medicine Licence. 
Sir,—Under this head I observe in your leader of last 
week that you entirely coincide with the suggestion of a 
correspondent as to the desirability of fixing some uniform 
rate throughout the country for the above licence. I agree 
with you, and think the higher rate of £2 would be “ con- 
ducive to the interests of the chemists and druggists through¬ 
out the country,” for, as you truly observe, “ it would tend 
to prevent the now very general sale of patent medicines 
by booksellers, grocers and hucksters, and transfer it to 
the hands of those who are legitimately entitled to deal in 
the potent drugs frequently contained in the preparations 
sold under stamp.” In a small place like this we have no 
fewer than five dealers in patent medicines, there being but 
one chemist’s shop. The last addition to the patent medicine 
vendor’s stock is the harmless preparation Laudanum, which 
is now raised to the dignity of a patent medicine, and retailed 
throughout the country by grocers and hucksters, thanks 
to the Patent Medicine Licence and the Pharmacy Act. 
Whether the makers of this strange patent medicine intend 
running entirely through the Pharmacopoeia I cannot say, 
but I shall not be at all surprised if before very long we are 
presented with such innocent preparations as prussic acid 
.and strychnine in the form of patent medicines, and retailed 
by all patent medicine vendors, be they druggists, grocers, or 
hucksters. 
As a country chemist, I would willingly pay the higher 
rate of £2 ; and I believe this is the opinion of most in the 
trade. I think this is more a matter for the whole trade to 
take up than one within the province of the Pharmaceutical 
Society; and I have no doubt if proper representations were 
made to the revenue authorities a remedy for this grievance 
would soon be found. 
Alexander Ellis. 
Skelton-in-Cleveland, Oct. 21st, 1872. 
Examination Fees.* 
These figures do not prove his statement that our numerical 
strength as a “ Society is decreasing, while that of outsiders is 
increasing;” but the contrary. Mr. Vizer, in his first letter, 
either ignored, forgot, or did not know of this rapidly in¬ 
creasing class of associates enjoying all the political privileges 
of members. 
I am aware that the unexamined chemist and druggist 
class of members is annually falling off (notwithstanding 
that there are some thousands who have not yet applied for 
admission); but this difference, if not already balanced by the 
increasing number of associates in business —the corre¬ 
sponding class of examined men—will be so in another year. 
I have not hitherto expressed an opinion one way or the 
other upon the scheme of fees proposed by Mr. Vizer. 
Some time ago, one very like it was discussed informally, 
either at the Council table or in committee, so that 
the subject has not come upon me altogether de novo. 
Allow me, therefore, to trespass further on your space by 
stating that I am in favour of making one change at the 
present time, and one only, viz., to increase the fee for the 
Minor examination to eight guineas, which, with two 
guineas for the Preliminary as heretofore, would increase 
the fee for obtaining the certificate of a chemist and drug¬ 
gist to ten guineas in all. I consider that this qualification, 
being the passport to a business of tangible value, is well 
worth that sum from a purely mercenary point of view, and 
that the chemist and druggist of the future ought to con¬ 
tribute in this way, as well as by payment of a yearly sub¬ 
scription, towards the maintenance and extension of the 
Society, which has literally created him, and from whose 
efforts and money expenditure he and he mainly will reap a 
decided pecuniary advantage. 
It is premature to alter the fees for the Major exami¬ 
nation or for the annual subscription. An experience 
of at least ten years from the passing of the Pharmacy Act, 
1868, ought to be gained before dealing with this part of our 
fiscal arrangements. In my judgment it is not the fee 
which deters larger numbers from presenting themselves for 
the Major, nor the subscription which prevents all our Majors 
from joining the Society. I am sanguine enough to think 
that when a sufficient period has elapsed, those youths who 
have passed a good Preliminary examination before being 
apprenticed, will, in much greater numbers than now, present 
themselves for the higher examination, and afterwards enrol 
themselves in the Society as members. 
Sir,—The exceptions which I ventured to take to some 
of the statements made by Mr. Vizer in his communication 
inserted in your number for August 31st,f are not in any way 
disposed of by the statistics and counter-statements contained 
in his rejoinder.^ 
In the first place, statistics referring to a period prior to 
the passing of the Pharmacy Act, 1868, are of no value in the 
discussion between us. By the passing of that measure, the 
Society was so materially changed in character and constitu¬ 
tion, that it has become to all intents and purposes a neio 
Society; and therefore the only figures available are those of 
1869, 1870, and 1871. Being comprised within a narrow 
period I do not, and did not, attach an exaggerated import¬ 
ance to them; but taking them as they exist, they do not 
bear out my friend’s assertions. 
I repeat then, that—disregarding 1869 as peculiarly excep¬ 
tional—the proportion of pharmaceutical chemists who joined 
the Society in the two last-named years compared with the 
number who passed the Major examination was not small, as 
stated by Mr. Vizer, but large. It is not the fault of the pre¬ 
sent generation of Majors that the total numerical strength of 
Pharmaceutical Chemist members was less in 1871 than in 
previous years. 
Again, as regards the numerical strength of the Society. 
On this point the table published by Mr. Vizer shows that 
the total number of members was, in 
1869 . 2185. 
1870 . 2384. 
1871 . 2466. 
And of associates in business the total number was, in 
1869 22. 
1870 82. 
1871 161. 
* See Phabm. Journ., No. 117, p. 240. 
t Ibid, No. 114, p. 179. 
1 Ibid, No. 119, p. 279. 
Michael Caeteighe. 
Sir,—As the question of examination fees is likely to come 
before the Council at their next meeting, may I, through your 
Journal, ask for a slight concession to that numerous class 
of persons who have passed the “ Modified.” 
Doubtless there are many of these men who regard this as 
merely a temporary qualification, and, when time and oppor¬ 
tunity occur, will endeavour to obtain a higher standing in 
the trade. Now, in order to do this, they are at present com¬ 
pelled to go through the same course and pay the same fees 
as a beginner, no notice being taken of their connection with 
the trade. 
The concession I ask for is, that when any such person 
wishes to compete for the Minor, the fee for him shall be one 
guinea less than that usually charged, being the amount he 
has already paid to the Society. As our aim ought to be to 
improve, I ask not any mitigation of the educational test. 
Modified. 
Too Much Light. 
Sir,—The well-known action of light upontinct. ferri per- 
chlor., and, as all observant chemists know, upon most other 
preparations, suggests the adoption of some means to prevent 
so serious an alteration in the constitution of such drugs and 
preparations as are daily exposed on our shelves to the sun s 
rays. Bottles made of non-actinic glass might prevent such 
decomposition; but the objection would be the difficulty of 
observing the colour and appearance of the contents. ISo 
doubt the real cure would be an alteration in our present 
mode of building pharmacies. Windows should be consti ucted. 
so as to admit a minimum quantity of light, and the shelves 
arranged to hold the bottles away from the direct rays ot the 
sun. Modern fashion dictates enormous plate-glass win¬ 
dows, glaring open shops, and a show of as many prepara¬ 
tions as possible in large clear glass bottles, so placed as to 
attract the eyes of passers-by. It is time such fashion 
