March S, 1873.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
719 
robmrial fransactions. 
CARLISLE CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The monthly meeting of the Carlisle Chemists’ Associa¬ 
tion was held on Tuesday evening, February 2oth. There 
'was a fair attendance of associates, but few members 
were present. A paper, by Mr. Sawyer, on “ The Human 
ddeart,” describing its formation and its functions, was 
in the absence of that gentleman read by Mr. Sawyer, 
jun. The paper was listened to with great interest and 
attention, and at its conclusion a vote of thanks to the 
author was passed. 
It was resolved that the president of the association 
. should be requested to write a letter to Mrs. Moss of 
sympathy and condolence with her in the great affliction 
.she has sustained in the loss of her husband, and also to 
convey to her the feeling of great respect the members 
had for him and how sincerely they deplore his loss from 
among them. 
The class lately under the care of Mr. Moss (materia 
medica) will be taken by Mr. Hallaway, who will also 
combine with that subject practical pharmacy. 
The committee have great pleasure in announcing 
■that Mr. Joseph Pattinson, of Baldwin Holm, has kindly 
undertaken charge of the chemistry class, and it is hoped 
that a large number of students will thu3 be brought 
together. 
Mr. Hallaway was requested to perform the duties of 
secretary pro tem. to the association. 
OLDHAM CHEMISTS’ ASSISTANTS’ 
ASSOCIATION. 
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the annual meeting of the 
‘Oldham Chemists’ Assistants’ Association was held in 
the Church Institute, Mr. John Taylor, president of the 
association, in the chair. The report, read by Mr. S. 
Bateman, the secretary, stated that the committee, in 
presenting their annual statement, felt great pleasure in 
congratulating the association on the arrival of its third 
anniversary. In accordance with the decision of the 
members, no meetings were held during the summer, 
and during the recess the business of the association 
was conducted by a committee of five. Weekly meet¬ 
ings were recommenced in October, and in the inter¬ 
vening time two lectures had been given, the first by 
Mr. Nield on “The Natural History of Chalk,” which 
was well illustrated by diagrams and prepared slides of 
foraminifera, etc., exhibited under several binocular 
microscopes, kindly lent by Mr. Pullinger. The second 
.lecture, which was on “ Mercury and its Preparations,” 
was delivered by Mr. F. A. Johnson, the subject being 
-elucidated by experiments. In conclusion, the committee 
was glad to inform the members that the funds of the 
society were in excess of former years, and the number 
•of members encouraging, when it was remembered that 
snore powerful inducements were offered by the Man¬ 
chester Association than can be afforded at Oldham. 
The election of officers for the coming year was then 
proceeded with. Mr. Taylor was re-elected president; 
Mr. W. Potts was appointed vice-president; Mr. F. 
A. Johnson, secretary ; and Mr. Bateman treasurer and 
librarian. The usual votes of thanks were accorded to 
i£he officers for the past year, after which the proceedings 
terminated. 
UNITED SOCIETY OF CHEMISTS AND 
DRUGGISTS OF IRELAND. 
A meeting of the above society was held on Monday 
♦evening, March 3rd, at 12, Grafton Street, Dublin. There 
was a very large attendance, nearly all the principal 
-druggists of the city being present. 
In the absence of the president of the society, Mr. J. 
Brooks was elected chairman. 
The hon. secretary, Mr. W. Hayes, said the chief sub¬ 
ject to be brought before the meeting was the considera¬ 
tion of the means best adapted for elevating the trade 
and obtaining a status similar to that of the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society of Great Britain. He would put forward 
three suggestions for the consideration of the meeting. 
First, that it should endeavour to make some terms with 
the Apothecaries’ Company of Ireland, with a view to 
the establishment of an examination similar to that of 
the Pharmaceutical Society, as a qualification for com¬ 
pounding physicians’ prescriptions; secondly, that it 
should petition the Pharmaceutical Society of Great 
Britain to extend its operations to Ireland ; and, thirdly, 
that an attempt should be made to obtain a special Act 
of Parliament for the purpose. 
Mr. Wells said he was of opinion that the most prac¬ 
ticable method of attaining their object would be in con¬ 
nection with the Apothecaries Hall, as he had reason to 
believe that that body would be disposed to meet them. 
Mr. Marshall considered the Pharmaceutical Society 
would, from its present position, be the most likely 
quarter to apply to for support. 
After considerable discussion, in which Messrs. Good¬ 
win, Simpson, Bermingham, Grindley and Holmes took 
part, it was proposed by Mr. J. T. Holmes—“ That a 
deputation from this society, consisting of Messrs. Hayes, 
Goodwin and Wells, with power to add to their number, 
wait upon the governor and company of the Apothecaries’ 
Hall, and ascertain their views on the subject. 
Mr. Browmrigg seconded the proposition, which was 
carried unanimously. 
After some further business, principally in connection 
with the financial position of the society and the desira¬ 
bility of possessing permanent offices and reading-rooms, 
the meeting adjourned. 
ferespttett. 
*** No notice cm be taken of anonymous communica¬ 
tions. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily 
for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. 
The Sale oe Poisons. 
Sir,—I shall be very glad to be put right if I am wrong 
in my ideas, but I cannot endorse the action taken by our 
Whitehaven brethren in the matter of vermin killers, nor 
the views with which (to my surprise) you support them. I 
think Mr. Kitchin misinterprets the Act when he says, 
“Vermin killers being mostly preparations of strychnine ancl 
arsenic come under and are included in part 1 of the 
Amended Schedule.” Now, so far as arsenic is concerned, 
there is a special Act; and as to strychnine, in part 1 of 
Schedule in 1868 Bill, it is put, “ Strychnine and its prepara¬ 
tions ,” which in the Amended Act of 1869 is altered to 
“ Strychnine and all poisonous vegetable alkaloids and their 
salts,” so that the amended Act really ignores “preparations 
of strychnine.” But I maintain that vermin killers are not 
preparations of (although they may contain) arsenic or 
strychnia, any more than paregoric is a preparation of opium, 
a fallacy which I am astonished is still held by so many 
chemists. The registration of the sales of those articles sche¬ 
duled in the Act was instituted for the prevention of their 
being employed as poisons for the purpose of poisoning; 
what, then, shall we say to such a commentary on the Act, 
that those things known to be, published as and required and 
used only for poisons should be registered also ? 
And, Sir, you will not be able to stop here. If we are to 
register vermin killers because they contain (or are supposed 
to contain) arsenic or strychnia, shall we not also have to re¬ 
gister preparations for the hair containing (or supposed to 
contain) cantharides; lotions, such as Gowland’s, containing 
(or supposed to contain) corrosive sublimate; cough reme¬ 
dies, containing (or supposed to contain) tartar emetic ? Who 
is to say that the many female pills do not contain both can¬ 
tharides and savin ? In short, where are we to stop ? As I 
