6S0 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February 22, 1873; 
A Valentine. 
To the President, Vice-president, and Council of the Royal 
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. 
“ 0, woman !..... 
“ When pain and anguish wring the brow 
“ A ministering angel thou ! ” 
Ye gentlemen of England so loyal, free, and grand, 
"Who in the realms of “ Pharmacy ” have gained the fore¬ 
most stand, 
A “ young man from the country,” with reverence would 
draw near 
And seek permission, if you please, to whisper in your ear. 
‘ The Journal ’ hints that you have held a long and warm 
debate; 
Yea, more—that what with “ pros ” and “ cons ” you kept it 
up till late;—• 
Your lovely wives and daughters, too, I’m sure would all feel 
sad, 
When you got home at last and said wdiat a “ stormy day ” 
you’d had. 
And, O ! methinks they’d almost weep when you with feverish 
brow 
Began to say that they had been the cause of all the row! 
And each one to her partner dear—or fond Papa—would say, 
“ Do tell me quickly ! tell me, love, how we have caused this 
fray ? ” 
“I’m glad at least that you were there—with true and noble 
heart— 
“ For like a freeborn Englishman you’d take the women’s 
part; 
“ You’d ne’er consent that we should be the slave of any 
man— 
“ But seek to help us all to gain and do what good we can.” 
Well, gentlemen, if this be true, why should you still delay 
To grant the privilege they seek, until the month of May P 
If they desire to learn the art which soothes our pain and 
woe, 
You surely will not close your door and coldly answer “ No.” 
If by the bedside of the sick they watch with sleepless care 
And tenderly administer the medicines you prepare, 
Methinks it cannot be a sin—if they desire to try— 
To let them learn to mix the drugs, as well as you or I; > 
The only fear is lest they should surpass us by-and-by! J 
But now that they have once begun, I’m sure they won’t be 
still; 
What man on earth could ever turn a woman’s steadfast 
will? 
That they have good abilities was proved last month by three, 
Especially by one who stood the highest on the tree ! 
A “ Royal charter ” you’ve obtained, and published certain 
rules, 
But none of these, I think, excludes the Women from our 
schools. 
If they obey the law laid down, we cannot keep them out, 
And, O! they’re wide enough awake to know what they’re 
about. 
Be gallant, just, and graceful, then—let prejudice give way— 
Admit them freely to your ranks, nor wait another day. 
Come, then, most noble “President,” let them beside you 
stand ; 
The “ Vice,” I’m sure, will proudly join and help with gene¬ 
rous hand. 
Had but your final “casting vote” been given the other way, 
Some dozen fragrant Valentines you might have had to-day ! 
W. B. 
A.-u.-B., February 14£7t, 1873. 
Passing- the Examinations. 
Sir,—I trouble you with the following, in the hope that it 
will diminish the number of trifling communications you re¬ 
ceive upon the subject of preparing for the examinations. 
I was recently much astonished on looking over the list of 
those who had passed the Minor examination, to see the name 
of a gentleman with whom I am acquainted. Only sixteen 
months ago we were behind the counter together, I having 
passed my apprenticeship with him as assistant. I, therefore, 
know something of his capabilities. At that time he was 
complaining (as many are now) of the hardship of passing 
that examination. He had had little or no education to assist 
him in his vocation, small pecuniary means, and was rather- 
inclined to give up and despond ; but by a good stern resolution 
and patient industry, he has in the few months mentioned, 
overcome those so-called hardships and become victor, even 
with “ honours.” 
I really think if some of those who oceup}'- their time so 
much in writing to the Journal were, after reading the above, 
to put their “ shoulder to the wheel,” they would soon find-, 
their difficulty to disappear. 
Geo. E. H. Bartlett. 
Cirencester, January 31s7, 1873. 
F. W. B .—It is unlawful for any person not registered, 
under the Pharmacy Act, 1868, to sell poisons or to keep open 
shop for retailing, dispensing, or compounding poisons ; aud¬ 
it is equally unlawful for such unregistered persons to carry 
on the business of a chemist and druggist if they employ a 
registered chemist to manage for them. See Pharmacy Act, 
Clause I., also Clause XV., for the penalties attaching to in¬ 
fringements of the law, and Clause XVI. for the exemptions. 
R. Rawlinson. —Several assumptions in your letter are, to 
say the least, open to question, and therefore until you furnish 
something like tangible evidence in their support we must 
decline to give currency to the remarks based upon them. In 
the first place, the Registrar’s report does not show a decrease 
in the number of members. It is true that there is a slight 
decrease in the number of pharmaceutical chemist members, 
but this is due rather to the small number of men who pass 
the Major, than to any disinclination to join the Society, for 
the increase in the chemist and druggist members is more' 
than double the decrease in the other section, while there is- 
also a very much larger increase in the number of associates 
in business, who are to be regarded as members as far as it is- 
likely the great majority of those belonging to the Society 
cou d ever expect to enjoy all the fruits of membership. As 
to the examinations, we are at a loss to guess from whom 
you learned that your friend was plucked, although he had 
obtained one hundred marks more than were necessary. Was 
it from the supposed delinquent examiner? For our own 
part we hope your apparent fear that by the time you have- 
passed the “ Major ” the Pharmaceutical Society will be on. 
the point of disruption will not turn out to be true. At any 
rate, should the events prove to be synchronous, you will still 
preserve the knowledge to acquire which we presume is the- 
primary object of your study. 
“ Rogdon.” —If you will read the report of the discussion 
upon the subject, printed on pp. 634-636, you will find that 
the third paragraph of the proposed alteration in section 10, 
clause 16 of the bye-laws, by which Preliminary examinations- 
would have ceased in all places except London and Edinburgh,, 
was rejected. Therefore as the presumed occasion for your 
strictures does not exist, we do not think it necessary to- 
publish your letter. 
W. Booth. —Perhaps you would find what you require in 
Maunder’s ‘ Treasury of Botany,’ edited by Findley and 
Moore, and published by Messrs. Longmans, in two parts, 
12s., cloth. 
JE7. B. — Mentha sativa, or common mint. 
“ Spes.” — (1) You might obtain the information at 
Apothecaries’ Hall. (2) Apply to the Secretary of the Phar¬ 
maceutical Society for a copy of a pamphlet entitled ‘ Hints 
to Students.’ 
S. A. Bring. —There is no restriction as to when, where, or 
how a candidate for examination shall acquire his knowledge. 
W. G. B .—It does not come within the wording of the 
Act, but inasmuch as it is a very dangerous poison, it would 
be desirable in the interests both of the seller and the public 
to observe every possible precaution in the sale of it. 
“ Txoo Inquirers.” —Put the syrup into the bottle, add. 
first the tincture of benzoin, then the oil of cubebs, and 
lastly the copaiba. Add the camphor mixture gradually. 
AT. P. S. writes in reference to requests which are some¬ 
times made to chemists and druggists by their customers that 
they would translate and write prescriptions. He suggests- 
that such a practice should be strenuously resisted as unjust 
to the person who wrote the original prescription, and suicidal 
on the part of the chemist and druggist. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from- 
Messrs. J. F. Barrett, J. Roberts, H. Rogerson, E. J. Bishop,. 
G. W, C. D., H. D. H., “An Assistant,” and “Apprentice.” 
B. B. and “A Chemical Student ” are referred to the rule- 
respecting anonymous communications. 
