360 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[November 2,1872; 
a dead letter as Mr. Reynolds’s. I would be more inclined to 
support, in conjunction with Mr. Frazer’s motion^that pro¬ 
posed by Mr. Giles in to-day’s Journal, viz., the establish¬ 
ment of another School of Pharmacy for higher pharmaceu¬ 
tical education in Edinburgh. I am convinced these are the 
only practical schemes that have yet been proposed; there 
has certainly been too much theorizing on the question of 
pharmaceutical education; as a friend of mine here said the 
other day, “ There has been too much talk about how to 
cook the soup, while the much more important matter of how 
to catch the hare, has been almost entirely neglected.” I 
trust the country members will speak out on this matter of 
increasing the examination fees. It is so mixed up with the 
question of education that I fear it must be settled first, and 
if they do not lot their voice be heard in support of a reduction 
from the present scale, an increase will in all likelihood be 
resorted to, which to my mind would be a sad calamity to the 
business of pharmacist in this country. 
J. M. Fairlie. 
17, St. George's Cross, Glasgow, 
October 26th, 1872. 
Medicines Afloat! 
Sir,—In glancing over your leader on “ Physic Afloat,” 
the thought struck me that some “practical” difficulties 
experienced by me might be useful to illustrate the point in 
question. 
In the first instance, I received an order for the ordinary 
forty-man Board-of-Trade chest. Happening to be away 
from home before it was shipped, I received a telegram saying 
that additional medicines were required for from 80 to 100 
passengers, as the steamer was chartered for the Cape of 
Good Hope passenger traffic; and further, that the arrange¬ 
ments were to be completed forthwith, as she had to be on the 
berth in London on a very short date from that time. I was 
not long in getting to business, and now my troubles began. 
Naturally enough, I supposed that for a steamer which had 
to be specially surveyed and licensed by the Board of Trade, 
to see that her hull was seaworthy and properly supplied, 
when the souls on board were increased at once from 40 to 
140 or mere, there would be some provision made for their 
well-being—something to stem the tide of disease, mayhap 
some malignant epidemic; but I was woefully mistaken. My 
first step was to apply at the shipping office, but I came away as 
wise as when I entered. I next went to the Custom House, 
where the same fate awaited me. The officials were polite, and 
did their best to find anything to help me; but all was blank. I 
then wrote up to the Board of Trade, and in due course received 
one of their characteristically laconic epistles written on any 
amount of paper; but still the same result. “ There is no pro¬ 
vision made for such cases as you describe.” Lastly, I applied 
to “ Her Majesty’s Emigration Commissioners,” when I did 
get two lists and a very polite note, saying that they hoped I 
should find what I wmnted in the enclosed lists. Now I do 
not consider the Board of Trade list for seamen all that could 
be desired in that line, but compared with the lists of 
“ Her Majesty’s Emigration Commissioners,” it is simply 
perfection. For example, for 100 passengers for 100 days 
and upwards, they order, amongst other things, acid, hydro¬ 
cyan. dil. oz.; chloroform, 2 oz.; po. borax, 1 oz.; morphim 
mur. 1 dr. Then the other list for 600 men for 100 days and 
under, argent, nit. 4 drs.; quinise sulph. I 5 oz.; cor. cetacei, 
8 oz.; and lint 14 oz., etc. 
I managed to extract some wheat from the chaff, and after 
a good lot of planning, and w r ith the assistance of one or two 
medicals who understood such matters, I got it fitted up and 
stocked, and in this my maiden attempt I flatter myself I suc¬ 
ceeded moderately well, as the surgeon who joined her (at 
Gravesend) was so far satisfied on his return that he could 
only suggest some six or eight articles that were wanting. 
My next order was for a steamer going to India, “ via Suez 
Canal,” upon which I set to work at once, as I knew from ex¬ 
perience what I had to rely on from extraneous sources. But 
I hope and trust that now the Board of Trade have taken it 
in hand, we shall ere long have a thoroughly useful and com¬ 
prehensive list for voyages of the longest description, and for 
any number of passengers. 
There is one most important matter I should like to touch 
upon, and that is concerning the survey of ships’ medicine- 
chests. A most salutary law exists regulating the purity of 
the drugs employed, but, unfortunately for the benefit that 
ought to accrue to the sailor, it is in most ports a dead letter; 
and I hesitate not to say that there is not one case in five 
hundred where a chest is opened by an inspector. What is- 
wanted is a skilled inspector attached to every shipping port 
in the kingdom, a thoroughly practical pharmaceutist, whose 
duty it should be to examine every chest that leaves the 
port; pay him well, but let one of the qualifications for the 
office be that if elected he himself shall not fit a chest during 
such time as he holds the appointment. This would deal a 
death blow at the cheap and nasty compounds that are put 
into the box and sent to sea as medicines “of the finest quality 
only,” and give the upright conscientious pharmaceutist a 
chance not only of getting a remunerative price for a genuine- 
drug, but would tend to uphold the credit of British pharmacy. 
Sunderland, Sept. 23rd, 1872. David B. Sharp. 
Pharmaceutical Examination. 
Sir,—It will perhaps satisfy ‘ Quserens ’ if I remind him that 
admission has been publicly made that, by a system under 
which candidates, “ no matter how backward,” are prepared 
for the Minor in about a month, no less than one hundred 
and thirty have been annually passed since 1868. 
I do not think, as ‘ Quserens ’ seems to insinuate, that the- 
examiners are ignorant of their business; but I do think that 
they have not time to carry on their business properly. More 
time is required, greater change in the mode of examination, 
and, if possible, in the examiners; the practical portion should 
be much more extended, and a certificate of apprenticeship of 
at least three years’ duration should be required. For 
affording any further information in support of the state¬ 
ments contained in my letter, I should be glad of an oppor¬ 
tunity of communicating personally with “ Qucerens.” 
Frederick Andrews. 
23, Leinster Terrace, W., 
October loth, 1872. 
J. Whin, A. B. and J. Richardson.—Your letters, with 
enclosures, have been forwarded to the publishers, Messrs. 
Churchill and Co. 
A. JB. —A species or variety of Veronica, probably Veronica 
Hendersoni ; but specimen arrived much shrivelled. 
II. W. Harris.—(1) Ground Pine {Ajuga Chamcepitys, 
Sm., from Gr. cliamai, ground, and pitus, pine), so called, 
according to Prior, from its terebinthate odour. He says 
also that it was the forget-me-not of all authors till the be¬ 
ginning of this century. It is found in the chalky districts of 
Kent and Surrey. (2) White oxide of antimony, prepared by 
heating metallic antimony in a vessel freely exposed to the 
air, and furnished with a cool surface-for the condensation 
of the oxidized vapour, is termed “ Flowers of antimony.” 
(3) Dr. Hassall’s is the best-known book upon the subject. 
G.L. —See the regulations respecting Naval Dispensers 
printed in the first volume of the present series of the Journal, 
pp. 44 and 82S, and also in the Society’s Calendar. 
“A Registered Student of the Society .”—There is no rule 
prohibiting the admission of such specimens as you describe ; 
but in awarding the prize, the degree of perfection in the 
specimens would undoubtedly be taken into consideration. 
“ In Embryo,” and G. C. Bunn. —Apply to the Secretary 
for copies of the pamphlets entitled ‘ Hints to Students,’ 
and ‘Regulations of the Board of Examiners.’ 
J. L. —We do not quite understand your question. If the 
new Adulteration Act be referred to, we do not think it would 
interfere with the sale of the article you refer to for the pur¬ 
pose specified. 
W. R. H .—We do not think the opinions you express are 
well founded, or that your letter generally is suitable for 
publication. 
C. Crampton, Coventry. —Your letter does not contain any¬ 
thing calculated to convince us that the necessity of passing 
the ‘ Preliminary examination ’ is to be regarded as a hard¬ 
ship for any one desiring to carry on the trade of a chemist 
and druggist with credit to himself and benefit to the public. 
But we feel sure that if our correspondent’s energy were di¬ 
rected into a proper channel, the ordeal of the ‘ Preliminary ’ 
would have no terrors for him, and that he would agree with 
us in ceasing to sympathize with those ‘ unfortunates ’ who 
regard it with dread. 
B. B. B., “ Zarefi,” “ Pharmaceutist ,” and A. P. S. are 
referred to the rule respecting anonymous correspondence. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received irom 
Mr. Parkin, Messrs. Howard and Sons, Mr. W. A. James, 
Mr. J. Leare, Mr. Daniel, Dr. J. L. Soubeiran, Mr. Good- 
fellow, Mr. J. B. Clarke, Mr. J. D. Allmann, W. R. H., W. D„ 
S., A. B., M. P. S., “ An Assistant.” 
