January 4, 1873.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
533 
the case. Since the publication of the statement 
referred to, we have reported 41 cases of poisoning 
by accident, suicide, or with intent, and among these 
two only were referrible to mistakes made by drug¬ 
gists either in the sale or dispensing of poisons, one 
of these being in part due to the want of precision 
in the terms of a prescription. We may, perhaps, 
be permitted therefore to congratulate our readers 
that there is still no evidence to establish the neces¬ 
sity for hanging a Chemist and Druggist believed 
in by the Pall Mall Gazette , nor any justification 
for the flagrant accusations of some of our medical 
contemporaries. 
The numerous cases of death, accidental and 
otherwise, from poisoning by vermin killers, have 
directed attention to the conditions under which 
these are to be sold, and many communications have 
been published, showing that great and wide-spread 
uncertainty exists upon this point. The matter has 
recently been under the consideration of the Coun¬ 
cil, and, on the recommendation of the Parliamen¬ 
tary Committee, it was decided to add some explana¬ 
tory words to the regulations, and to issue a revised 
copy of them, defining more clearly the manner in 
which poisonous vermin killers are to be dealt 
with. 
We took occasion, some time since, to point out the 
inconsistency of the present rates charged upon the 
patent medicine licence, and to suggest that the 
equalization of all the rates to the higher sum of 
.42, or some approximation thereto, would be condu¬ 
cive to the interests of chemists and druggists. In the 
correspondence that followed the balance of opinion 
seemed to incline towards some such alteration. 
It is a matter for congratulation that the per¬ 
sistent and energetic efforts of the advocates for the 
adoption of fewer hours of business have met with 
considerable recognition, and that this year more 
has been accomplished towards earlier closing and 
the avoidance of Sunday business by chemists and 
druggists than in any previous year. Still much 
more remains to be done, and it is to be hoped that 
the custom will become each year less exceptional. 
The relations between medical men and chemists 
and druggists are so intimate, that it is extremely 
desirable every cause of misunderstanding between 
them should be removed. The practice adopted by 
some prescribers of using a peculiar nomenclature 
in order to secure to a particular chemist and 
druggist the dispensing of their prescripions has 
again been referred to, and the conduct of both 
parties to such an agreement denounced. But still 
more serious grievances result, on the one hand, from 
the practice of medical men keeping “ open surgeries,” 
and outlie other hand from the cultivation of “ counter 
prescribing” by some chemists and druggists. It 
was therefore satisfactory to find the Lancet recently 
declaring that it would “ gladly see the entire sur¬ 
render of medical dispensing as a practice, and 
would like to abandon the ordinary supply of medi¬ 
cines to the druggist, at the same time restraining 
him from prescribing.” The confusion to which the 
present custom leads is amusingly illustrated by 
our contemporary, who, in sarcastically defining a 
“ chemist ” as a person who sells Epsom salts and 
has a shop window containing blue and green 
bottles, unconsciously propounded a definition that 
would include many persons on the Medical Re¬ 
gister. Evidently the popular idea of the “ doctor’s ” 
shop was for the moment lost sight of. 
Amongst other matters connected with the trade 
which have been brought forward during the year 
may be mentioned the desirability of some improve¬ 
ment in the method of supplying medicines to sea¬ 
going vessels, and the claims of various deodori¬ 
zers and disinfectants. Serious evasions of the 
law in reference to the sale of spirit have occurred, 
and extensive seizures were made in consequence. 
It is matter for regret that the subscriptions to 
the Betts’ Suits Defence Fund have not yet 
amounted to sufficient to clear off the balance due 
for legal expenses. 
The good feeling existing between the pharma¬ 
cists of England and the United States was illus¬ 
trated by courtesies interchanged at the meeting of 
the American Pharmaceutical Association, at Cleve¬ 
land, Ohio, and no doubt the bond will be 
strengthened by the hearty response which was 
made in this country to the appeal on behalf of the 
Chicago College. 
The Parliamentary measures affecting pharma¬ 
cists have been few. Among these the Juries Bill 
and the Petroleum Bill stand over. This is also the 
case with greater part of the Public Health Bill. 
The Adulteration Act presents at least so much in¬ 
terest that it has raised an important question as to 
the office of public analyst, the discussion of which 
is too recent to need recapitulation. 
Although original communications of chemical 
researches or on subjects of pharmaceutical interest 
have not been so numerous as might have been 
wished, some of great value have appeared in this 
Journal during the year. Messrs. Stoddart and 
Tucker’s paper on the Tinctures and Wines of the 
Pharmacopoeia has been followed by Mr. Umney’s 
on the Specific Gravities of the Liquids of the B.P. 
Mr. C. H. Wood has dealt ’with the subject of 
metric weights and measures. Mr. Daniel Han- 
j 3 ury has thrown light on the origin of Calabrian 
Manna. Mr. Morson has described a new test for 
Creasote, and Mr. Williams has investigated Guaia- 
col. Mr. Ekin has found silver in preparations of 
bismuth. Mr. Moss has contributed a valuable 
paper on Anthnonium Sulpliuratum. Dr. Tilden has 
continued his researches upon Aloes. Mr. Treves 
has contributed an original note on the Odour of 
Gases. Mr. Schweitzer has given sum useful 
instructions respecting Percolation. And last, but not 
