520 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 28, 1372.. 
classes are equally eligible to compete for, and one would 
naturally suppose equally eligible to take, the prizes to which 
their answers may entitle them. The letter which appeared 
in the Journal of December 14th shows that the ladies now 
attending the lectures have their time quite as fully occu¬ 
pied as a large proportion of the other students ; and (should 
the opposition of part of the Council continue) it would be 
only an act of courtesy on the part of the gentlemen to peti¬ 
tion the Council to grant the ladies equal privileges with 
themselves—a step which would show that they are not 
afraid to meet them in competition, on what I believe to be 
all the ladies desire, viz., even terms. Hoping soon to see 
both 'sexes in possession of the same facilities for study in 
laboratory as well as lecture work. 
-Edwaed H. Stoeey. 
42, Castle Street East, W. 
Sale oe Deugs, etc., by G-eocees. 
Sir,—In reply to your correspondent C W. Metcalfe,’ I 
would suggest that when he i3 prepared to set up branch 
shops with duly qualified managers in every village, then 
will be soon enough for shopkeepers to give up selling the 
drugs usually kept by them; such a law as he proposes 
would inflict great inconvenience upon the poor of agricultural 
districts, who are not able to drive ten or twelve miles to the 
nearest town, or keep supplies in the house. In most vil¬ 
lages it is looked upon as a public convenience if the shop¬ 
keeper will hold a stock of medicines in common use, so that 
the people can get when they need them such things as 
aperient pills, tinct. rhubarb, etc. With an extensive ac¬ 
quaintance amongst country shopkeepers, I am quite sure 
that I am right in saying that they are wishful to avoid the 
sale of dangerous medicines, and that serious accidents at 
their hands are as rare as amongst surgeons and chemists. 
It would be wise to advocate to shopkeepers the sale of drugs 
ready put up in packets and bottles, duly labelled by the 
chemist. Let us carry out the Pharmacy Act thoroughly, 
but at the same time not be too ready to find fault with 
those who are outside the trade, remembering that accidents 
do take place with us as with outsideas. e.g., see the letter 
preceding Mr. M.’s., where particulars are given of the use 
of liq. morphia instead of aqua pura. Speaking of poisons, 
it seems very desirable that there should be more uniformity 
abouf registering vermin killers. Some of us have done it 
for years, but are sometimes told by customers that they can 
get it at other chemists “ without any bother.” It is a good 
deal of trouble to all parties, but if unfortunately an accident 
should occur, the seller who had observed the law would be 
in a much better position before the public and the j ury. 
J. F. 
November 30 th, 1872. 
Unusual Doses. 
Sir,—As an amendment to the suggestion at page 473 I 
would propose that whenever an unusual dose is intended, 
the prescriber shall show that he knows the Pharmacopoeia 
maximum dose, by placing that first and the excess after, 
both included in brackets under the ingredient referred to. 
All doubt would then be removed. For example, take the 
following well-known prescription to hand this day :— 
R. Potass. Iodid. . . 5 1V - 
Ammon. Garb. . . 5 j- 
T. Cinch on. . . 5 Mb 
Julep. Camph. ad 5 vj. 
M. ft. mist. A tablespoonful for a dose in water as before. 
We know that this dose may be far exceeded, but many 
an inexperienced though examined man might hesitate to 
give the full quantity of potassii iodidmn. Then for the fu¬ 
ture let the top line be written as below. It would look 
neater (though not necessary) to convert it into an equation 
by placing the number of doses before the brackets to balance 
the total ordered. Thus:— 
Potass. Iodid. . . . 5 iv. 
12 (gr. x + gr. x) 
Another example which is more interesting in its way (the 
prescriber having intended to give two grain doses but or¬ 
dered ten) was thus written:— 
R. Pulv. Opii . . . gr. xxx 
Sapo Cast. . » . q.s. 
M. ft. pil. vj. Capt. ij. p. r. n. 
Now, no accident in this case need happen ifjhe dose were 
interlined as I have proposed. « 
I would further suggest that a committee of physicians and 
pharmacists be appointed to consider this subject, a subject 
which affects their reputation as well as their patients’ wel¬ 
fare. 
Their attention should also be directed to the following :— 
That the dispenser shall be justified in reducing to the 
Pharmacopoeia maximum dose when that ordered is excessive 
and not interlined. 
If the above suggestions were laid down as rules emanat¬ 
ing from a properly constituted commission, the prcscriber 
would secure the accurate dispensing of his unusual doses*, 
the patient would gain a great safeguard, and the dispenser' 
would have removed a serious responsibility. 
H. Simpson. 
Regent's Park, December 17 th, 1872. 
Remuneeation op Assistants. 
Sir,—The suggestion thrown out by Mr. Lindley in your 
Journal of November 23rd would, it' adopted, receive the 
earnest support of the great mass of assistants. Something 
must be done, for an assistant’s life, as at present constituted*, 
is one continuous round of slavery. 
A more badly paid, harder worked set of men do not exist. 
If employers be not wise in time, they will have difficulty 
in obtaining assistants at all. Everybody leaves the business 
who can, and they do not fail to give advice to would-be 
future apprentices. I do not condemn employers wholesale, 
for I believe the majority would be favourably disposed to- 
ameliorate the present state of things, and I agree with Mr. 
Courtenay, that many who give high salaries can barely 
afford it. 
The proper remedy would be for employers to take the 
initiative, by coming to some common agreement to close 
their establishments at a given time, and,—if not advancing 
the price of medicines,—to charge one uniform price, thereby 
gaining the respect, instead of, as at present, the distrust of 
the community. 
There unfortunately exists such an utter want of “ under¬ 
standing ” between man and man—each jealous of his neigh¬ 
bour—as does not exist in any other trade going. That being 
the case, the only course I see open is for assistants to com¬ 
bine, form some such a society as Mr. Lindley suggests; and 
I have no doubt that it would not only result in benefit to 
themselves, but to employers, who, having one line of action 
to pursue, would establish a better feeling, resulting in one- 
uniform scale of prices (or an advance), and a much greater 
reduction in the hours of labour. 
Excelsiob. 
December 2 nd, 1872. 
The Pungency op Wateeceess. 
Sir,—I shall be glad if some of your botanical readers will 
give me some information as to the difference in flavour be¬ 
tween two specimens of Nasturtium officinale which I re¬ 
cently collected. The first was gathered in a mountain stream, 
and in this 1 observed that the peculiar pungent flavour was 
particularly strong; the other grew in stagnant water on a 
plain, and in this the pungency was extremely delicate, in 
fact, hardly perceptible. This plain is several miles in ex¬ 
tent, and the cress grows in the ditches which separate the 
fields; it is in close proximity to the sea, and in former years 
the tides overflowed a considerable portion of it. 
It is well known that the flavour of watercress is much 
stronger during the winter months, but how are we to ac¬ 
count for the difference in degree of pungency between these- 
two specimens collected at the same time ? 
An Associate. 
“ Spes.” —(1) The books mentioned should be of great 
assistance to a beginner. (2) The British Pharmacopoeia. 
(3) The certificate required will be to the effect that the 
person has been employed in the trade three years, but not 
necessarily to one person. 
F. Parsons .—Suppository moulds may be made of many 
less expensive substances than gun-metal. See an article in 
Phakm. Joubn., vol. II. [1871 j p. 26. 
Communications, Lettees, etc., have been received from 
Messrs. Broad, Bqll, Smith, A. H. Ma3on, Gurnell, Benger* 
Dunn and Co., Sturton, Southwell, Shaw, Hutchinson, 
Macintosh, Reade, T. W. P., D. V. S. “ Studens,” - 
Liverpool Courier, from Messrs. Clay and Abraham; Diver- 
pool Daily Post. 
