December 14,1872.] * THE P HARMA CETTTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
467 
THE ADULTERATION OF FOOD ACT.—DEPUTA¬ 
TION TO MR. STANSFELD. 
On Thursday afternoon, December 12, a deputation 
from the Pharmaceutical Society, consisting of the Presi¬ 
dent, Treasurer, Messrs. Betty, Bottle, Greenish, and 
Williams, with the Secretary and Mr. Flux (the Solici¬ 
tor) attended hy appointment at the office of the Local 
Government Board to bring before Mr. Stansfeld their 
views with regard to the appointment of analysts under the 
Adulteration of Food, Drink and Drugs Act. They were 
received hy Mr. Lambert and Mr. Lumley, who stated 
that Mr. Stansfeld regretted very much that he was 
unable to meet the deputation, having been summoned to 
a Cabinet Council at such short notice as not to enable 
him to communicate with the deputation beforehand. 
The President stated that the deputation at¬ 
tended in consequence of what had taken place at a de¬ 
putation of medical gentlemen a short time ago, an ac- 
-count of which appeared in the Times of November 22nd 
last, from which it was feared the inference would he 
drawn that Pharmaceutical chemists or chemists and 
•druggists would he excluded from competing for the 
appointment of analyst under the Act referred to. Now, 
-as there were among their body many men quite qualified 
dor the appointment, they were desirous that it should he 
publicly stated that such persons being so qualified were 
•eligible. He would read three resolutions which had been 
passed hy the deputation that morning:—• 
“ That whilst it is obvious that sanction to the appoint¬ 
ment of a dispensing chemist, simply because he happens 
to be called a chemist, cannot properly he asked, it is 
■equally obvious that sanction to the appointment of a 
medical practitioner simply because he happens to he 
-called a medical practitioner cannot properly he asked. 
“ That there are upon the Register of Pharmaceutical 
■Chemists and Chemists and Druggists, persons possessing 
•competent medical , chemical and microscopical know¬ 
ledge for the office of analyst within the meaning of the 
Act of Parliament, and that it is not expedient for such 
persons to he excluded from the appointment. 
“ That competency is a question of fact, to he con- 
■dered in each case, and that the examinations of the 
Pharmaceutical Society in a knowledge of chemistry and 
materia medica are, as a test of competency, at least 
•equal to those necessary for admission to the Medical 
Register.” 
Mr. Lumley inquired if there were any examination 
to as microscopical knowledge hy the Pharmaceutical 
Society, or how that qualification was to he tested ? 
The President said they did not examine in microsco¬ 
pical knowledge, nor was he aware that medical exami¬ 
nations included that subject. 
Mr. Lumley asked if any of their examinations led to 
the belief that the persons examined had really given any 
study to the subject of microscopical investigation. 
The President said the examinations themselves did 
not; but it was known as a fact, that there were many 
gentlemen in the business who were well qualified in 
that respect, and it would be, therefore, unfair to them 
that they should he excluded simply because they hap¬ 
pened to be called chemists and druggists. Their view 
simply was, that chemists and druggists who were pro¬ 
perly qualified should not be excluded from competing 
for the appointments. 
Mr. Lumley asked how it could be ascertained that a 
person had acquired the requisite knowledge. With 
regard to a medical practitioner, the study of anatomy 
or some other branch of his profession would necessarily 
or naturally lead to microscopical investigations. 
Mr. Greenish (member of the Microscopical Society) 
said the microscope was very much used at the 
present time in connection with materia medica, and 
although it did not form any part of the Society’s 
■examinations, yet it w r as very rare to meet with 
a pharmacist who was not a tolerably good, if not an 
accomplished, microscopist. In fact, the use of the 
microscope was necessary to the proper study of materia 
medica; especially in connection with starches and 
similar substances which would constantly have to be 
examined to detect adulterations. 
Mr. Lambert said, as he understood, the resolutions 
simply went to the effect that a dispensing chemist 
should not be excluded from the appointment referred 
to, provided he was properly qualified. 
The President said that was their object. 
Mr. Flux said he considered it went to this length, 
that there was a greater inference to be drawn from 
a gentleman being on the Register of the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society that he was properly qualified for this 
appointment than if he were on any medical register. 
In lately preparing a case which he had laid before the 
Attorney-General and Solicitor-General in connection 
with this matter, he had made many inquiries, but he 
could not discover that there existed any test as to 
microscopical knowledge; but it appeared that the test 
applied by the Pharmaceutical Society as to the know¬ 
ledge of materia medica went further in this direction 
than any other he could discover. It appeared that 
medical men were examined more especially in the 
application of medicines than in the knowledge of their 
ingredients, while the examinations of the Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Society were directed more to the composition of 
the medicine in its original state and its various com¬ 
pounds. What led to the present deputation was the 
fact that it appeared from several medical publications 
that a special claim was set up on behalf of the medical 
body to these appointments by reason of the use of 
the word “medical” in the statute. Now, in conse¬ 
quence of that, he had laid a case before the Attorney- 
General and Solicitor-General, and obtained opinion 
from those gentlemen, and he would ask leave to hand 
in both the case and the opinion. 
Mr. Lumley, after looking at the opinion, said 
no doubt that when the Legislature wished to point 
to a legally qualified medical practitioner, they used those 
words which were not to be iound in the present Act. 
Mr. Flux said that was as far as the deputation de¬ 
sired to go. They only wished an authoritative utter¬ 
ance to the effect that these appointments were not 
limited to medical practitioners on the medical Register, 
and that really the electing bodies had to select the 
most competent persons within their knowledge and 
submit the election for confirmation to that office without 
a foregone conclusion that if the person appointed were 
not a medical man his election would not be confirmed. 
Mr. Lambert said it was quite clear from the opinion 
of the Law Officers of the Crown that the appointment 
was not to be confined to medical practitioners, but it 
appeared that the persons must have some medical 
knowledge. 
Mr. Flux said he admitted that, but contended that 
that medical knowledge did not necessarily import the 
practice of medicine. 
Mr. Lumley said the difficulty was to see how a gen¬ 
tleman’s medical knowledge could be ascertained unless 
he possessed a medical diploma. 
Mr. Flux said there were many gentleman possessing 
the degree of Doctor of Science from the London Uni¬ 
versity who were examined in all the sciences, including 
medicine, but they might not possess a medical diploma, 
and would not be on any medical register. Their con¬ 
tention was that the question of medical knowledge, like 
any other, was one of fact to be ascertained by the elect¬ 
ing bodies without reference to any register, that the 
knowledge of medicines themselves was as much medical 
knowledge as the knowledge of their administration, and 
all pharmaceutical and other chemists did possess a 
knowledge of medicines, although they were not ex¬ 
amined as to their application. 
Mr. Lumley said in that case, would not the word 
“ chemical” have been sufficient/ 
