660 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February 15 , 1873. 
and they will, no doubt, gladly corroborate, or, if need be, 
correct, my assumption that lactose equals cane sugar in its 
reducing power over cupric salts. 
J. Fred. Brown. 
4, Market Square, Dover, February 9th, 1873. 
The Preliminary Examination. 
Sir _We are informed through the reported discussion of 
proposed bye-laws that there is a general impression the Pre¬ 
liminary examinations as conducted “in the country,” are so 
unsatisfactory that it is desirable to abolish the arrangement. 
I will not enlarge on the question beyond saying that I feel 
personally insulted, and unless the two gentlemen making the 
statement can qualify or explain it, I would suggest that the 
local secretaries for the future decline the duty. 
John "Whitfield, F.C.S., Local Secretary. 
Scarborough. 
Pharmaceutical Women. 
Sir,—In the report of the Council Meeting on the 5th, I 
find that on the motion that three ladies be elected appren¬ 
tices or students of the Society, Mr. Sandford moved an 
“ amendment ” that those three ladies “ be not elected appren¬ 
tices or students of the Society.” I should be glad to know 
what constituted this proposition an amendment. _ It appears 
to me a simple negative of the original proposition which 
should have been rejected by the President as an amendment, 
which ought to introduce some condition which would not be 
decided by a simple vote upon the motion before the meeting. 
Henry H. Pollard. 
140, High Street, Ryde, I. W. 
February 10 th, 1873. 
The New Bye-Law. 
Sir,—You would greatly oblige by allowing me through 
the medium of your columns to ask your readers to erase 
the words “ of the Society ” from the form proposed by me 
in my communication to the Council upon the new Bye-law, 
and published in this week’s Journal, on page 636. By so 
doing it will read correctly according to my suggestion, one 
of the main objects of my letter to the Council having been to 
point out the error in the use of those three words. 
Edwin B. Vizer. 
63, Lupus Street, Belgravia South, February 8 th, 1873. 
Spiritualism v. Rheumatics. 
Sir,—There has been a great deal of talk of late about 
spiritualism, and people have wondered what good it was 
going to do. 
It seems at last poor suffering humanity is going to reap 
a benefit from it in a form little expected. The other day a 
customer of mine was commissioned by a member of the 
spiritual community, to obtain some drugs for the prepara¬ 
tion of a recipe which had been revealed from the Spirit-land, 
to cure rheumatics. I was very anxious to get a look at this 
prescription, but it was so jealously guarded that they had 
even taken the precaution of getting only part of the ingre¬ 
dients at one shop. The customer informed me they were all 
vegetable preparations, as they believed in herbs. I suppose 
he meant the spirit, but whether from actual experience of 
their beneficial results or only from observation, I was unable 
to learn. Perhaps some of your readers can throw some fur¬ 
ther light on the subject of spiritual pharmacy. 
A Chemist. 
J~. McKnight. —You will find formulae in the present 
series of the Pharm. Journ., vol. I. p. 1042. 
W. C. W. —A recipe for “ Peppermint Cordial ” was given 
in vol. I. of present series, p. 497. 
“ Cecil.” —Ethyl is the radical of the alcohol series of com¬ 
pounds, and methyl the radical of the wood spirit series. 
You will find a description of them in Attfield’s ‘ Chemistry ’ 
or any elementary work on the same subject. 
“A Working Country Chemist.” —If you will state defi¬ 
nitely your difficulty we will endeavour to remove it. 
W. Wood. —(1) Youatt ‘ On the Horse.’ (2) Blaine’s 
‘ Veterinary Art.’ 
R. Fmment Charles. —Clause 16 of the Pharmacy Act, 
1868,provides that nothing “thereinbefore contained” shall 
extend to or interfere with the dealing in patent medicines; 
but clause 17 declares it to be unlawful to sell any poison— 
either wholesale or retail—unless the box, bottle, vessel, 
wrapper, or cover in which such poison is contained be dis¬ 
tinctly labelled with the name and address of the seller of the - 
poison, and unless the further regulations applying to poi¬ 
sons in the first part of the Schedule A are complied with. 
At the end of this clause certain exemptions are specified, but 
patent medicines are not among them; and accordingly, to 
our apprehension, the provisions apply to such patent medi¬ 
cines as contain poisons belonging to the first part of Sche¬ 
dule A. This subject has already been incidentally men¬ 
tioned on several occasions, and we may refer to an article 
in the Journal, vol. II. p. 975. 
Messrs. Kay Brothers' communication has been received 
and the enclosure handed to the Secretary. We are sorry 
we cannot comply with their request. 
A. H. Mason. —We are obliged for the communication. 
J. W. Watson. —Apply to Messrs. Butler and M'Culloch, 
Covent Garden. 
“Tolu." —“Cough Lozenges” have been exempted from 
the provisions of the Act, but probably the recommendation 
for “relieving hoarseness, bronchitis, asthma,” etc., might 
place them outside the exemption. It would be better, 
therefore, to communicate with the Inland Revenue author¬ 
ities and ask their permission to use the label. 
M. M. B. —The section on “ Physics ” in Fownes’s work,- 
if thoroughly mastered, will be amply sufficient for the 
purpose you mention. 
“ Pilosus.” — Verbascum Thapsus, Linn., or the Great 
Mullein. 
“ Inquirer.” —No. Red oxide of Mercury and Ammoniated 
Mercury are included in the Schedule of Poisons, and it is 
unlawful for any one to sell them unless he be a pharmaceutical 
chemist or a chemist and druggist within the meaning of the 
Pharmacy Act, 1868, and unless he be registered under that 
Act. 
J. S. W .— We are unable to read the name of the article to 
which your question refers. 
Mr. Joseph Leay .— The insertion of your letter would give 
rise to much angry correspondence, so we prefer not to pub¬ 
lish it. 
T. F. J. —The Minor examination is conducted entirely 
viva, voce. According to the published Regulations of the 
Board of Examiners, which may be had on application to the 
Secretary, it appears to be not so much the ability to repeat 
from memory a description of the characteristics of various- 
plants and drugs as to practically apply such knowledge in 
the recognition of plants and drugs that is required. The 
arrangement of marks is a matter arranged by the examiners 
only, but we believe that a certain amount of proficiency is 
required in each subject. 
L. S. A .— Globules of mercury would generally be visible 
on making such a mass as you mention; the smaller globules 
have a tendency to aggregate on “ working,” into a firm pill 
mass. It shows much of the mercury in the grey powder to 
be in the metallic state, as it ought to be, and not much 
oxidised. 
T. B. (Lynn).—We believe that a label for “Cough 
Lozenges ” and similar preparations may be used without a 
stamp, provided it does not contain any words suggesting 
that it is a secret or proprietary preparation, or recommending 
it for any disorder. It is doubtful whether the label sent 
complies with this provision; it would, therefore be better to 
submit it to the Inland Revenue authorities. 
FL. F. — Probably you refer to the price list issued last year 
by the Glasgow Chemists and Druggists’ Association, of 
which, we believe copies may be obtained upon application to 
the secretary of that association. 
F. K. —The latest edition of the Codex was published in 
1866, and could be obtained through Messrs. Williams and 
Norgate, Henrietta Street, W.C., or any respectable foreign 
bookseller. 
George Adams. —Yellow Prussiate of Potash is not a 
poison, and therefore it is not necessary that its sale should 
be entered in a “poison book.” 
G. L. Napier. —We believe its therapeutic qualities to be 
little inferior to the Pharmacopoeia preparation, but it would 
not be admissible to substitute it in ordinary dispensing for 
the latter, which is naturally more pure. It is used in many 
hospitals where cost is a matter for consideration. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Messrs. G. L. Napier, Dr. Muter, J. Squire, Pocklington,, 
Rawlinson. “ Spes,” “Tyo Inquirers,” II. F., E. B. 
