-January 4, 1S73.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
539 
3 tremble to think of the clanger to property and reputation 
to which the trading community will be liable in the hands of 
some “scientific” analysts who are sure to come to the sur¬ 
face. I would suggest that pharmacists might, with great 
-advantage to the public, occupy a little time in testing the 
analysts who may be appointed. Every chemist knows that 
an accurate separation of vegetable and animal products as 
found in commerce into their proximate constituents is tedious, 
difficult, and in many cases impossible, but there are men 
who profess to be able to analyse anything and everything; 
det some organic substance, either known to be genuine, or 
mixed in known proportions, be submitted to some of the 
analysts for their examination and report, and they may thus 
•be made to appear in their true colours. 
Evidence internal and external might be adduced to show 
that the Act, if not originated, was yet greatly coloured by 
an interested and noisy clique operating on the credulity and 
practical ignorance of the legislature. I will venture to pre¬ 
dict that it will become a dead letter, a fate which has 
..already befallen the Arsenic Act, and will at no very distant 
period overtake Clause 17 of the Pharmacy Act. 
A Pharmaceutical Chemist. 
[%* In publishing the foregoing letters, we must remark 
that some of the opinions expressed are based upon erroneous 
reading of the Act, and that some of the arguments they con¬ 
tain have already been dealt with in last week’s Journal.— 
Ed. Pharm. Journ.J 
Milk Testing. 
In the article on “ Cows’ Milk and the'Best Methods of 
Detecting its Adulteration,” by Mr. Charles Ekin, in last 
week’s issue of the Pharm. Journ., it is stated that cows’ 
milk is a slightly alkaline liquid. I have examined several 
samples of cows’ milk and have always found a slightly acid 
reaction. According to Dr. Parkes, an alkaline reaction in¬ 
dicates either that the cow is diseased, that there is much colo¬ 
strum, or that carbonate of soda has been added. 
The system of estimating the richness of genuine milk by 
the amount of solids may be of value, but in cases of adul¬ 
teration with chalk, starch, etc., the result would be far from 
satisfactory. 
The estimation of fat by ether is a very delicate process, 
and I think the lactoscope of Vogel is preferable, a de¬ 
scription of which may be found in Parkes’ ‘ Manual of 
Eygiene.’ 
The cream may be estimated by allowing the milk to stand 
24 hours in a glass tube graduated into 100 parts; the per¬ 
centage can at once be read off. Any deposit should be exa¬ 
mined with the microscope for starch or epithelium; chalk, 
etc. should be tested for in the usual way. 
With regard to the estimation of water by specific gravity: 
on Saturday last I obtained a sample of pure milk, sp. gr. 1031, 
at 60° Fall., and when this was mixed with water, I ob- 
4ained the following results:— 
10 percent.ofwatergaveasp.gr.of 1027 at 60° Fah. 
20 
33 
33 
33 
1024 
33 
30 
33 
3 ) 
33 
1022 
33 
40 
33 
33 
33 
1020 
33 
50 
33 
33 
33 
1018 
33 
Charles H. Southwell. 
The Edinburgh Chemists’ Assistants’ Association. 
Sir,—In the number for December 21st, there appeared from 
some one subscribing himself ‘An Edinburgh Assistant,’ 
what must be considered as an impotent attempt to throw 
discredit, and a want of sincerity upon the committee en¬ 
trusted in following up and carrying out the “suggestion” 
made at a meeting last April, viz., the necessity of the 
Edinburgh chemists’ assistants forming themselves into a 
literary, etc. association. The following, I trust, will be suffi¬ 
cient to remove such imputation, that the committee has 
cither been unfaithful, or wanting in zeal towards their com¬ 
mission, in having allowed matters to drift to such a termina¬ 
tion as stated by your correspondent.” 
At a meeting of committee held on the evening of Dec. 
43th, in the rooms kindly furnished by the Council of the North 
British Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society, the majority at 
once agreed to act as office-bearers for the present unavoidably 
short session. Rules were drawn up, duly passed into the 
printer’s hands (a copy of which is herewith enclosed), and it 
is now the pleasing duty ot the committee to announce that 
the President will deliver the introductory address to the 
Edinburgh Chemists Assistants Association, on the evenm°* 
of Friday, 3d January, 1873, regarding which due intimation 
will be given. 
Further, I would remark that at the close of the present 
session office-bearers will be elected, in accordance with the 
rules, from the members of the association, so that all will be 
on an equal footing, in being eligible for honours; indeed 
such should and would'have been the case at present, but it 
being only two or three weeks since possession of the rooms 
was obtained, it was thought the sooner we got set to work 
the better. It will be gratifying to find that the result of the 
deliberations of the committee shall have merited and met 
with general approval; should there have been the slightest 
appearance of “ tardiness” in the matter, it should be re¬ 
membered that “ Rome was not built in a day.” 
All are earnestly invited to come forward, even to the 
number of the eighty, or ninety, or more, who evinced such 
unmistakable satisfaction over the “material.” The call 
being made, it is desired that they will not be dilatory in 
coming forward to partake of the more exalted,—the “ intel¬ 
lectual.” 
John Hutchinson, Vice-President, 
Chairman at the April meeting. 
Edinburgh, 
December 23d, 1872. 
Co-opebative Stores. 
Sir-Many members of the trade having expressed their 
conviction to us, that the sale of goods at the co-operative 
stores could be prevented by the proprietors of specialities 
like patent medicines, if they put a pressure upon the 
wholesale houses by refusing to supply them, we beg to 
call the attention of your readers aud the trade in general to 
the few following facts. Ever since the origination of the 
co-operative system, we have publicly announced our inten¬ 
tion to stand by the trade, and have resolutely refused all 
orders offered by the Civil Service Stores and every other 
co-operative association. Having even (not two months 
back) closed an account by refusing to supply goods, on the 
mere suspicion that they were intended for the Stores, we 
were, therefore, considerably surprised at receiving a letter 
from the proprietor of an article of very limited sale, to the 
effect that goods supplied to us had reached the Civil Service 
Stores in the Haymarket. We called on him, and were told 
the date and quantity of goods. We traced the goods as 
having been supplied to a customer who had dealt with us 
for yeai’s. We wrote to him on the subject, and received a 
reply to the effect that he felt at liberty to sell in any market 
and at any price. We closed the account with a remonstrance, 
and regret that he should support so iniquitous a system. 
We communicated the details to the proprietor by a first 
letter, asking him to call and see the order ; by a second in¬ 
viting him to read the correspondence. He acknowledged 
these and said he was satisfied. Possibly he i-q but what ad¬ 
vantage has been gained by the transaction? Oar customer 
has opened with another house, and is, doubtless, selling to 
the Stores as before. If proprietors were in earnest in the 
matter and the retail trade were so too, doubtless the supply 
might be stopped ; but as it rests in this case, the Stores will 
get their supplies with the same facilities as before. Suppose 
this proprietor traces his next lot of goods to another whole¬ 
sale house. He will stop supplying them. Supposing they take 
no notice of his letter, but simply buy through another whole¬ 
sale house. Why it would go on before it was stopped until 
we had all passed into another world, and had forgotten the 
difficulties of this. However, if this proprietor really is in 
earnest, he will, ere this, have advised all the wholesale trade 
who the man is. Then, after that even, some other retailer 
might yet be found to take the place of the one in question. 
We only write this letter in the feeling that it will throw a 
light on the way the Stores are supplied, and to show how 
impossible it is to prevent goods reaching the Stores, unless 
you can bind the retail trade to be unanimous in defending 
themselves. 
John Sanger and Sons. 
