November 16, 1872.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
300 
duced to 50 per cent, and the benefit would be correspondingly 
increased. The result would be that they would be placed 
with regard to their use of the library, more on a par 
with their London brethren. 
Ihe country members may fairly claim the consideration of 
the Council for this matter, the use of the library being the 
principal direct advantage they derive from their’connection 
with the Society. 
A. H. Claypole. 
Early Closing. 
Sir,—I am always happy to say a few words on early 
•closing, as I have found from experience that chemists are 
open much longer than there is any necessity for. The reason 
people go to a chemist’s late is generally because they expect 
to get in, whereas if the public knew chemists finally closed 
at a certain time there would be very few late customers. 
I am quite willing to admit in large towns medicine from a pre¬ 
scription may occasionally be required late; but even this more 
often is because the patient or prescriber knows it can be dis¬ 
pensed at any hour. I think if chemists were asked if things 
.served after 8 oclock were really necessaries, the majority 
would answer in the negative. Pennyworths of pills, two- 
pennyworths of castor oil, and seidlitz powders could as well 
be had before eight as after it, and therefore calls for such 
trifling remedies—which every one ought to have in their 
house cannot be looked upon as a sufficient reason for keep¬ 
ing open .so late. I recollect a few years ago writing on the 
same.subject to the ‘Chemist and Druggist,’ and while I was 
penning the letter a woman called me up for something for 
her husband, who, on inquiry, had been poorly a fortnight, and 
had just then, at 20 minutes to ten p.h., thought he had 
Letter take something. This is only one case out of many. 
Neither medical men nor the public are unreasonable ; and 
it we are disposed, our working hours may and ought to be 
much shortened; for how can we expect our young men to 
study if they have to work until ten ? 
Again, Sunday trading many also be reduced to a mini¬ 
mum by a little discretion and pains. Eleven years ago, 
when I came here, people used to come for all sorts of things 
on Sunday, but by degrees they have all dropped off, and so 
nave most of my would-be-late customers; and yet my busi¬ 
ness has increased yearly. I now lock up and turn off the 
gas at nine every evening, excepting Saturday, and myself 
and young men either go out or sit at home and read, and 
on Sunday I do not open at all, and find this arrangement 
not in any way unpalatable. At the same time, if anything 
urgent is required, the public have the willing servics of 
Alfred W. Smith. 
93 & 91, High Street, Bye, Sussex. 
Sunday Closing. 
Sir,—Xindly allow me the opportunity of replying to Mr. 
Wilkinson and £ One who has Known the Drug Trade Thirty 
Tears.. To the latter 1 say that he is quite mistaken in 
supposing that I am not in favour of what he calls Sunday 
closing. In proof of which I assure him that I am fifty-eight 
years of age, and never in my life opened my shop on a 
Sunday in his sense of the words; that never since I was my 
own master have I sold anything on a Sunday that was not 
required strictly for medical purposes; and that for more 
than twenty years I have only required the attendance of my 
assistants in turn, from 12.30 to 1.30 ; from 4 to 5, and from 
8 to 9. 5 
. To Mr. Wilkinson I reply, that as no glossary was pro¬ 
vided with the announcement of the new agitation, I really 
did expect something more, or rather something less, was 
intended than what is described by my friend, which is not 
Sunday closing. By ££ closing,” a place of business is always 
understood ceasing to transact business there. If a notice 
were placed on the door of a broker’s office, stating ££ this 
office will be closed every day at four o’clock,” and one or two 
elerks always remained behind to receive telegrams, or money, 
and transact other business, any one being admitted on 
knocking at the door, say till six o’clock, it would not be true 
that the office closed at four. Or if a number of clerks were 
employed at a telegraph office from Monday to Saturday, and 
on Sundays one or two were in attendance to despatch 
messages, etc., it could not be said that the office was “ closed 
on Sundays.” 
I am delighted to find that my brethren are agitating for 
the establishment of the practice I have adopted for more 
than a quarter of a century, and heartily wish them success; 
but I don t close on a Sunday.” I wish I could. 
November 1 Ith, 1872. ^® LUGG ' 
Patent Medicine Licences. 
Instead of debating the question of the various 
nices. of a patent-medicine licence, I think we ought boldly 
° j- r '. se aS 0ne mar ’’ 5 as k that licences to sell stamped 
medicines be only granted to registered chemists and drug¬ 
gists. Now that laudanum is being sold by grocers (Piiarm. 
Journ., Oct. 26th, 1872, p. 339) under the guise of a patent (?) 
medicine, I should think the Legislature would, if the matter 
were properly put.before them, readily grant this privilege. 
Wqen I came into this part ot the kingdom I was much 
surprised to find the regular price of a Is. patent to 
je Is. At first I would not believe that the more respectable 
of the profession would be guilty of lowering the prices ; 
)ut alas, for the noble science of pharmacy, I found it only 
too true | Yes; gentlemen who had acquired the higher 
qualification required by the Major examination, and gentle¬ 
men with letters after their names indicating fellowship with 
earned societies, were doing that which many a greengrocer 
would scorn to do, namely, selling Is. 1£<*. puffs at the star¬ 
vation price of Is. After making inquires, I was informed 
'hat the Is. price was started by a local newspaper pro- 
pi ie tor, who had to take out the charge for advertising the 
arecious stuff partly or wffiolly in the patent stuff itself, 
instead of coin. Whether this be the true solution or not 
I cannot say, but this much I do know, that patent medicines 
are regularly sold by my neighbours all at Is., much to my 
loss and theirs too. 
Now, if the trade.in patent medicines were confined to 
chemists and druggists, this terrible state of competition 
might be done away with, while the public would in no way 
suffer.. I know it would make make very little difference to 
the elite of the trade—those who have their dispensing esta¬ 
blishments—yet I think the Pharmaceutical Society should 
look a little to the interest of the more numerous and humble 
of her children, those poor country druggists whose scanty 
subsistence is eked, out by the sale of sundries, including a 
very large proportion of patent medicines, and who seldom 
see a prescription. 
Why should one man before he can sell a pennyworth of 
paregoric, be compelled to spend time, money and talent in 
passing the ordeal of the Pharmaceutical Society, -while 
another is allowed, for os. per annum, to dispense such 
blessings as soothing syrups, laudanum, etc., ad lib.? I 
pause for a reply. 
A Village M.P.S. 
Sir, The question of patent medicine dealers and licences 
has more than once been thoroughly ventilated; and as it can 
be proved, no doubt, to the satisfaction of anyone, that re¬ 
stricted articles. are being supplied to the public by persons 
who are not registered chemists, and in nowise qualified to deal 
in the same except under cover of the medicine licence, it 
is time some action should be taken in the matter. The sug¬ 
gestion of Mr. Alexander Ellis to raise the duty to £2 
would probably shut up his opponents, but it would not deter 
very many unqualified persons from pursuing their present 
course. Whatever arrangements be made relative to the 
amount of duty, I hold that this large department of the che¬ 
mists business ought to be secured to the properly qualified 
man. He has little enough compensation for the legal require¬ 
ments upon his attention ; besides which, it is a farce to pro¬ 
hibit a non-registered person selling laudanum, etc. under 
heavy penalties, when, by paying 1 \d. in the Is. to Inland 
Revenue, he can do so with impunity; further than this, it is 
well known that large numbers of country shopkeepers con¬ 
tinue to deal in prohibited articles without in the least dis¬ 
guising the fact. 
A Country M.P.S. 
Sale of Patent Medicines. 
Sir,—I have always been given to understand it to be illegal to 
open Patent Medicines and retail the contents in small quan¬ 
tities ; I find, however, thishs largely done in Bristol. Che¬ 
mists open packets of ££ Steedman’s ” and sell the powders 
singly, or in any quantity ; and hairdressers and hucksters 
sell Whelpton’s Pills in pennyworths. One hairdresser pur- 
