500 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 21, 1S72 
committee “ to try again what they failed in before.” Nil 
desperandum l Apologizing for occupying so much space. 
An Edinburgh Assistant. 
Edinburgh, November 26th, 1872. 
Pharmaceutical Education. 
Sir_Having carefully read the various schemes published 
in our trade journals respecting pharmaceutical education, I 
think every one, like myselt, must have come to tne dis¬ 
heartening conclusion, that we are as far off any .definite 
plan as we were at the commencement of the discussion.. 
It has been proposed that the Pharmaceutical Society 
should cease to be an educating body; but how will it be pos¬ 
sible to get rid of so enormous a surplus as is now accumu- 
latino- unless it be spent upon educational purposes? 
In the discussion which followed Mr. Mackay s paper, 
read at Edinburgh, a remark tell from Mr. Mackenzie which 
I think worthy of attention, viz., “ That the Society should 
pay competent men to edit a work ot tlie nature of Ccissei s 
Popular Educator/” Now, having derived great benefit 
from that periodical myself, I am ot the opinion that lessons 
on chemistry, botany, materia medicn, etc., published in the 
same manner, would be much more beneficial to the country 
student than lectures in a few large, towns, as it would place 
all on a more equal footing, in which object every system 
hitherto proposed seems signally to have failed. . 
I do not wish to enlarge further upon the efficiency of tne 
plan, but simply to bring it forward, so that if thought 
worthy of discussion, it may be taken up by more competent 
and experienced persons. 
0£CIXi. 
December 3rd, 1872. • 
We cannot give insertion to this letter without ex¬ 
pressing our opinion that such a proceeding as that advo¬ 
cated by its writer would be constituting a high road to 
“ cram.”—E d. Pharm. JouRN.j 
The Patent Medicine Licence. 
Sir,—lAill you allow me through the medium of the Phar¬ 
maceutical Journal to suggest what I think would be a 
satisfactory settlement of the patent-medicine licence. Let 
the wording ot the Act be altered from medicines liaole to 
stamp duty, to all medicines and medicinal compounds. I 
would not take off the stamp duty on patent medicines, but 
allow that to remain as at present, and let the licence be 20s. 
throughout the country. By adopting this plan, a great 
benefit would be derived by the trade* and those tv no have 
no right to deal in medicines would probably be excluded. 
H. Gf. 
Disinfectants and Disinfecting. 
Sir,—I have been preparing for some time “ Disinfecting 
Sawdust,” which, whilst it possesses all the advantages of 
carbolic acid (of which it contains 20 per cent.), is perfectly 
harmless and efficient. I cannot claim any credit foi the 
ingenuity of the preparation, as the manipulation is exceed¬ 
ingly simple, but from experiments I find there is a great 
difference in the absorbent properties of the different u oods ; 
and I have taken care to avail myself of the best for the 
purpose, so that I am now able to produce a very even dust 
and one of a very absorbent character after it has had the 
required impregnation of the acid. It has been much used 
in this neighbourhood during the small-pox epidemic, being 
adopted by the sanitary committee of Helstone, where it was 
found that many of the poorer people especially, who objected 
to the wholesale sprinkling of liquids in their homes, did not 
object to the use of it. 
It is self-evident that such a preparation cannot be swal¬ 
lowed by mistake, cannot corrode metals, furniture, cloth, 
etc., nor act so injuriously on the valves of. water-closets, 
etc., as either liquid acid or any of the chloride powders or 
carbolate of lime will do, hence it must be valuable in public 
institutions, schools, asylums, and in the becl-room anu 
nursery, and for general purposes, for using in stables, dog 
kennels, bird cages, and a variety of other places where many 
of the preparations in general use would be positively 
dangerous. 
W. W. Mildren. 
llayle, Cornwall, 
“ Piper .”— Nepaul Pepper. —Mr. G. B. Clarke, of C o¬ 
burn, has kindly forwarded a specimen of “ nepaul } ep- 
per,” which h° believes to be made from a small yellow 
Capsicum similar to one which was brought overby the' 
gardener to the Prince of Males, and used in this country for 
table decoration. The specimen sent is very pungent. 
Proctor Jones. —The ‘American Journal of Pharmacy’ is 
supplied by Messrs. Triibner and Co., Paternoster Row. 
JC. Y.— The amended Regulations of the Board of Ex¬ 
aminers do not come into operation until October, 1874. 
With respect to the regulations fixing the age of the can¬ 
didate for the Minor at twenty-on? years, we cannot agree- 
either with your opinion or anticipation of its acting injuri¬ 
ously. With regard to your further remarks we remind you 
that" the action of the Council is not regulated by the pro¬ 
bability “ that every youth of the age of sixteen or seventeen 
who had passed the Miucr would immediately rush into- 
business on his own account,” but that it is the business of 
the executive of the Society to prevent such a possibility. 
11. —Any person passing the Minor examination becomes- 
thereby entitled to be placed on the Register of Chemists and 
Druggists, and to commence business as such. 
Datura. —No other preparation is required than to roll it 
up in cigarette form, like an ordinary tobacco leaf. It should 
be used with great care. See Warm’s ‘ Therapeutics.’ 
W. J. —Inquiry shall be made and the result communi¬ 
cated in a future number. 
J. 11. Pumphrey. —(1) It is published privately, and is not 
for sale. (2)" The crystalline character is obtained by sub¬ 
mitting the oxide to a high temperature, just under that 
sufficient to produce decomposition. 
Dr. C. Kidd is thanked for his communication, but we 
think it treats rather too much of the medical aspect of the 
subject to be suited for our columns. 
It. S. (Gateshead). —The eligibility of chemists and drug¬ 
gists who were in business before August 1st, 1868, to be 
members of the Pharmaceutical Society was prescribed by 
the terms of the Pharmacy Act, 1838. The same Act says 
(clause xv.) that a person w 7 ko has passed the Modified ex¬ 
amination “ shall be eligible to be elected an Associate of the 
Pharmaceutical Society, and every such person, so elected 
and continuing as such Associate, being in business on liis 
own account, shall have the privilege ot attending all meet¬ 
ings of the said Society and of voting thereat, and of other¬ 
wise taking part in tlie proceedings of such meetings, in the 
same manner as members of the Society. 
“ Cuprum ” appears to ’nave omitted putting the question 
that he wishes .to have answered. 
“ JuvenisP —Dissolve the borax in the elder-flower water,, 
slightly warmed, and add the opium wine. 
“ Nil Desperandum .”—Equations are simply means of 
representing chemical facts, and without a thorough know¬ 
ledge of the facts represented, it is impossible to understand 
the meaning of the corresponding equations. You are 
recommended to study carefully the introductory chapter in 
the work referred to. 
W. T. —The examination for the Prize of Books is a 
written one, and is conducted under similar regulations to the- 
Preliminary examination. 
C. N, —The fluorescence is a physical character belonging 
to some substances in the same manner as sweetness is a 
character of sugar. 
“ Incertus.”— The words “Entered, at Stationers’ Hall” 
on the label would probably be held to indicate that you have 
or claim to have an exclusive right or title to the making or 
preparing of the article so labelled. 
Philip Childs.' —We agree with your remark, but think ifc^ 
probable that the article in question was intended to be^ 
highly coloured. 
“ Linimentum.” —The best way would be to well mix the 
liq. plumbi and oil, and gradually add the other ingredients 
previously mixed together. Even then it is doubtful ii a 
perfect admixture could be maintained. 
W. Litchfield. —Your letter and enclosure have been handed 
to the publishers. 
Ranunculus P-E nder the present regulations.the Latin 
examination for the Junior Bell Scholarship is in Caesar s 
‘ De Bello Galileo;’ but under the amended scheme, which 
comes into operation after the award in 1873, the subject will 
be the first three books of T irgil’s oEneid. 
Communications, Letters, etc., nave been received from 
Messrs. Kay Bros., Atkins, Campbell, Rogers, Parsons 
Stables, Simpson, Jenkinson, W iieeLer, Macx ay, An 
Associate.” 
