February 1, 1873.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
G15 
gtotaural fensattos. 
LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The sixth general meeting of the session was held at 
the Royal Institution on January 16th ; the President, 
Mr. Edward Davies, F.C.S., in the chair. 
Mr. Mason exhibited several interesting specimens of 
Indian drugs, etc., and explained their characteristics 
■and uses. 
Mr. Shaw called attention to the alteration of the 
schedule of poisons.* Vermin killers known to contain 
any of the poisons classed in Part 1 of Schedule A re¬ 
quired to he registered accordingly"; those which did not 
contain any of the poisons classed in Part 1 remained 
as hitherto in Part 2. 
A paper “ On Lead and its Preparation” was read by 
Mr. Thomas Williams, P.C.S. The author, after de¬ 
scribing the different varieties of lead ores, their sources, 
geological characteristics, mines, etc., exhibited fine speci¬ 
mens of galena (sulphide of lead), anglesite (sulphate of 
lead), etc , and fully explained what is known as “ the 
Flintshire process” for melting galena in its various 
stages. He also described Pattison’s process for desil- 
verization of lead. Mr. Williams stated that in the 
United Kingdom alone the production of lead ore is on 
the average 96,000 tons per annum, which yields about 
72,700 tons of metallic lead and 792,700 ounces of silver. 
The author then described the manufacture of white 
lead, red lead, litharge, and mentioned some of its appli¬ 
cations in pharmacy". The paper was illustrated through¬ 
out with some fine specimens of the products alluded to, 
and after a short discussion, in which the President, 
Messrs. Parnell, Rigby and others took part, a unanimous 
vote of thanks was voted to Mr. Williams for his paper, 
and the meeting adjourned. 
BRADFORD CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The annual meeting of this society was held on the 
evening of the 28th January. The President, in review¬ 
ing the past year, regretted that it had passed with such 
slight evidence of progress. The only class that had 
been formed, for a course of Botanical lectures, was 
poorly attended by the young men in the trade, and 
gave little ground for hope in the future. After the 
routine business of the meeting, and the election of the 
new council, it was proposed by Mr. Rogerson, and 
.seconded by Mr. Harrison, that Mr. Hicks be the Presi¬ 
dent for the ensuing y r ear. Dr. Parkinson moved, and 
Mr. Rogerson seconded, that Mr. Bell be the vice- 
president. 
The best thanks of the meeting were then given to Mr. 
Harrison, the treasurer, and to Mr. Newsholme, the 
honorary secretary", for the valuable services they had 
rendered the society-, accompanied with a request that 
they would continue their offices for another year. 
After a few complimentary remarks from Mr. Rogerson 
to the retiring president, the meeting terminated. 
IpfiMCKtars anil H&to gromtop. 
PROSECUTION UNDER THE PHARMACY ACT WITH REFE¬ 
RENCE to the Sale of Vermin Killers. 
A case of great importance to chemists and druggists 
has been brought before the Wolverhampton Police 
Court, in consequence of the death from poisoning by 
vermin killer, which was reported at p. 571; Mr. Hen¬ 
son Moses, chemist and druggist, Snow Hill, having 
been summoned for unlawfully selling certain poisons, 
* The alteration, consists merely in the addition of ex¬ 
planatory words. 
to wit, Battle’s Vermin Killer, containing strychnine, 
to Thomas Woodward, deceased, he not having been 
personally introduced to Mr. Moses, as required by Act 
of Parliament. Mr. J. E. Underhill appeared to prose¬ 
cute, and Mr. Thorne defended. Mr. Thorne, on behalf 
of the defendant, pleaded guilty'. 
Mr. Underhill said he had little to say respecting the 
case, but he wished to state that it was one in which 
they were bound by law to take proceedings against the 
defendant. A compound, known as Battle s A ermin 
Killer, had been sold to a person, but he (Mr. Underhill) 
believed that the defendant, when he sold the article, 
had no intention of infringing the Act. The defence 
was that Mr. Moses acted in ignorance of the law, and 
the prosecution were simply desirous of showing to the 
defendant and others engaged in the same business that 
they were obliged to comply with the provisions of the 
Act of Parliament. 
Mr. Walker (magistrate) : Is it within the view of 
the Act that any" person being ignorant of the fact that 
a substance contains poison, they shall be obliged to 
follow the provisions of the Act F 
Mr. Underhill said he would show the Bench why it 
should be so ; the vermin killer was sold as a poison. 
Mr. Thorne said the proceedings were instituted at 
the request of the Borough Coroner, who inquired into 
the death of the man Woodward, and there seemed to 
have been some misapprehension about the state ot the 
law on the matter. He (Mr. Thorne) found from the 
report of the proceedings at the inquest that the Coroner 
stated that all poisons were within the meaning ot the 
Act, and that Battle’s Vermin Killer was included in 
the schedule. All poisons were not included in the Act, 
nor was Battle’s Vermin Killer mentioned in the sche¬ 
dule ; therefore, as far as the Act itself was concerned, 
his client pleaded not guilty ; but in the second section 
of the Act power had been given to the Pharmaceutical 
Society of Great Britain to add to the schedule in the 
Act any poisons which they) might think fit, and, in 
accordance with the power given, a resolution. was 
passed, and submitted to the Privy Council, containing 
a schedule of poisons, amongst which was Battle’s Ver¬ 
min Killer, which contained a proportion of stry-chnine. 
That fact was unknown to his client at the time of the 
inquest, and was not discovered until the matter had been 
further investigated. He might state that it was not 
generally known amongst the chemists and druggists of 
the district that they were required by' the recent regu¬ 
lation to treat that poison in the same, way' as pure 
stry r chnine. He had seen several chemists and drug¬ 
gists with reference to the matter, but he was not at 
liberty to state their names, they' having disregarded the 
new regulation, being unaware of the poisons which were 
added to the schedule by the Pharmaceutical Society. 
His client was in no way accountable for the death of 
the man Woodward, which was occasioned by" poison. 
No doubt, if his client had asked the question of either 
the man who bought the compound, or any" person who 
might have introduced him, “ What do you want with 
this vermin killer ?” they would have answered that it 
was required for the ordinary" purpose of destroying 
vermin. That would not in any' way have prevented 
the disastrous effects which followed. 
Mr. Walker : Do you plead guilty or not ? If not, it 
will be necessary to prove that the Pharmaceutical 
Society have included this poison in the schedule. 
Mr. Underhill said his friend sent word to say that 
his client would plead guilty", otherwise he (Mr. Under¬ 
hill) would have quoted a case bearing upon the point. 
Air. Thorne said his client did not dispute, being 
guilty, but there was nothing in the case to which Mr. 
Underhill had referred. , 
Mr. Underhill replied that the case was one which had 
been tried at the Court of Queen s Bench. 
Mr. Thorne : There is nothing in it. 
Mr. Walker said if the defendantjpleaded guilty it 
