February 2-, 1873.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
CG7 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1873. 
Communications for this Journal, and boohs for review,etc., 
should be addressed to the Editor, 17, Bloomsbury Square. 
Instructions from Members and Associates respecting the 
transmission of the Journal should be sent to Elias Brem- 
ridge, Secretary, 17, Bloomsbury Square , TF.C. 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street, London, IF. Envelopes indorsed “ Bharm. Journ.” 
OUTSIDE IDEAS. 
Though it was one of the chief hopes of the 
founders of the Pharmaceutical Society that it should 
eventually become a body representative of the en¬ 
tire trade, and although this aim has since that 
time repeatedly become apparent in the course of 
events, evidence is too frequently to be met with 
that the attainment of this object must yet be a work 
-of some time. Of such a nature is the letter we publish 
this week from “ An Old Druggist,” in which he 
justifies his right to be what is called an “ outsider,” 
by the remarks he offers as to the advantage of being 
a member of the Society. The letter to which we 
refer is indeed calculated to serve as a practical 
commentary on the suggested reduction of the 
entrance fee payable by persons becoming members 
of the Society, and to raise some serious doubts 
whether the proposal discussed at the last Council 
mee tin g would be found to augment the roll of 
members. 
The writer of the letter candidly confesses to 
being amused by the discussion of this question, 
and regards with obvious astonishment the idea that 
membership involves any privilege beyond what he 
terms “the very shadowy advantage of voting once a 
year for a few gentlemen of whom you know little or 
nothing.” The state of mind indicated by these 
expressions appears to manifest a strange disregard 
of the fact that the functions now exercised by the 
Society through its Council are of vital importance 
to all engaged in the business. If it had not been 
that our correspondent writes ffrom a town claiming 
to be foremost in its efforts to secure universal 
suffrage, the fact might have been less surprising, but 
in any case if the views he advances are at all re¬ 
presentative of those entertained by other “ out¬ 
siders,” there seems to be little cause to regret their 
relation to the Society, however much we may de¬ 
plore the existence of a section of the trade which 
takes no part in supporting its efforts to advance 
the condition of British Pharmacy. If such be the 
case indeed, we do not hesitate in answer to another 
of our correspondent’s questions to say that it would 
be more to the advantage of the Society not to re¬ 
ceive the outsiders, for putting aside altogether the 
idea of a duty to be fulfilled by those who enjoy the 
right to select the governing body, we should be 
sorry to see the privilege of voting for members of 
Council exercised under the influence of such in¬ 
difference as that indicated by “ An Old Druggist.” 
We believe, however, that this feeling is not gene¬ 
ral even among those who are not in “ the ranks of 
the Societv,” though it must be remembered that the 
necesshy of respecting “ vested interests ” at the 
passing of the Pharmacy Act involved the registra¬ 
tion as members of the trade of a very mixed class. 
We believe also that the sjLstem now in force of re¬ 
porting the proceedings of the Council will tend to 
excite an interest in the Society much more general 
and hearty than has prevailed heretofore. The part 
taken by individual members of Council in regard to 
any measure is now month by month ascertainable 
from the published reports; and if any one who has 
the right of voting for the election of Councillors 
neglects to avail himself of this means of informa¬ 
tion, and of thus becoming acquainted with those 
who offer themselves for election, the fault will be 
his own as regards himself; and as regards the gene¬ 
ral interests of fire calling he follows, he will have 
rendered himself chargeable with a failure in his 
duty. 
VERMIN KILLERS. 
It is with much pleasure that we direct the atten¬ 
tion of our readers to the report on a previous page 
of a meeting of Chemists and Druggists, held at 
Whitehaven, to consider the conditions under which 
vermin killers should be sold, and to enter into an 
arrangement as to the scale of charges for them. 
The Local Secretary, Mr. A. Kitchin, in opening the 
proceedings took it for granted that most vermin 
killers contained either arsenic or strychnine, and 
that they consequently were subject, as prepara¬ 
tions of Arsenic and Strychnine, to the regulations 
laid down for the sale of poisons included in the 
first part of Schedule A of the Pharmacy Act. In 
taking this view, we think that he acted most wisely; 
and it is satisfactory to find that this was the general 
feeling of those present. This having been agreed 
to, it only became a question how the sellers of 
vermin killers should be remunerated for the addi¬ 
tional trouble of registering the sales; and for the 
settlement of this point Lancashire furnished a 
precedent, inasmuch as it appears to have been the 
custom there for some time past to register sales 
of vermin killers, and to make threepence the 
smallest charge for them. We believe that the 
action taken in tins matter by the Chemists and 
Druggists of Whitehaven will have the effect oi 
removing the difficulties that have prevailed; and 
they have earned the thanks of the trade at large 
by adopting the principle acted upon in Lancashire, 
and having thus made a move in the right direction. 
