720 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[March 8, 1873, 
said at first, I shall be glad to be set right if all this is mythi¬ 
cal, bat these were the thoughts of my mind when I had re¬ 
covered from the surprise that the editor of the Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Journal should have considered anybody initiating 
such a system, worthy “ of the thanks of the trade at large.” 
Fredk. Tibbs. 
81, Challc Farm Hoad, N.W., March 5th, 1873. 
} 
Women versus Men. 
“ O would some power the giftie gie us 
To see ourselves as others see us ; 
It would from many a blunder free us 
And foolish notion.”— Robert Burns. 
Dear Sir,—It is no trifling thing again to seize the lance, 
And strive against three mighty foes “ the ladies’ cause t’ ad¬ 
vance.” 
An “ M. P. S.” in flowing verse gives a “ Valentine’s Reply ” 
And seeks to whisper in our ear ‘ O do not let them try; 
To all things else they may aspire, but not to Pharmacy.” 
Then the “ ex-President ” defends the course he took before, 
And says they may be “ C’s and _D’s ” but we will close our 
door. 
Tho’ for 4000 years and more, they’ve nursed and trained as 
well, 
They must not touch the “ garment’s edge ” of Allen, Fayne 
and Bell. 
Two years ago we were advised “Inspectors ” to admit, 
Rut when three ladies gently knock—“ Away ! you are not 
fit! ” 
Our “ peaceful ” friend from “ Shepherd’s Bush” would al¬ 
most lose his life 
If a lady mixed his medicine or used the palette knife ! 
Though his arguments, if rightly used, cut his own throat, I 
think, 
For ignorance, not knowledge, gave the wrong “ effervescing 
drink.” 
’Tis true that “ earnest Women ” now on every hand we 
view, 
But they’ve a right to push their way as well as I or you; 
And if amidst ten thousand sons old “ Celsus ” trains a 
daughter, 
O, never fear! she’ll hurt us not! nor C£ cut our salaries 
shorter.” 
H. L. hints—if some recipes of a “ peculiar ” kind 
Were brought to females to dispense, ’twould hurt their vir¬ 
tuous mind! 
Hay, rather like their Lord, they’d seek the fallen to restore ; 
And while administering relief say, ££ Go and sin no more.” 
Some would even make them tools, and to be like beasts “ in¬ 
spected,” 
But God made them “helpmeets” for man, to be honoured, 
loved, respected. 
Yea, e’en within our ranks there’s room for such as Mrs. Fry, 
To raise the downcast and to shed the tear of sympathy. 
Mothers, and wives, and daughters too, have nobler work on 
earth, 
Than to dress and dance and spend their time in vanity and 
mirth. 
If some desire or duty bids that they midst drugs should dwell,\ 
I’d kindly whisper in their ear, ££ Cheer up ! ’twill all be well; x 
You never would have been cast out by Allen, Payne, or j 
Bell. _ ' 
Yea, I believe the gallant knights who took your part oefoiv 
Will shortly cheer £ our President ’ as he unlocks the door; 
Till then, with steady careful steps, your onward course pur¬ 
sue, 
And rest assured the distant prize will yet be won by you.” 
And now, dear Editor, “ Good night j” I’ll cast this pen 
away, 
Calmly peruse what others write, and wait the £C Event” of 
May. 
Ashton-under-Fyne, March 4 th, 1873. W. Bostock. 
Pharmaceutical Women. 
Sir,—I think the arguments adduced against the admission 
of women to the Pharmaceutical Society are senseless, selfish, 
narrow-minded, and unworthy of the profession to which we 
belong. Certainly neither William Allen nor Jacob Bell 
would sympathize with the doggerel rhymes of M.P.S. They 
were large-minded men who, from their association with the 
Society of Friends, had learned to value woman at her true 
worth; not as the puppet and thing which society has 
hitherto valued her at—a doll, an amusement, a toy, but at 
her true estimate, the equal and the helpmate of man. This 
true esteem is not felt by those who flatter with sickly gal¬ 
lantries, and who would bar every avenue to a dignified and 
worthy position. I believe it may be considered an axiom 
that the true civilization and position of any nation may be 
gauged by the place women hold in it. 
The time has passed in England when the true position of 
woman could be ignored. One by one the learned bodies are 
glad to open their doors to her, and it must come in our So¬ 
ciety ; it is only a question of time ? Shall tho benighted 
obstructives who are half a century behind the age make us 
the last to do this simple duty. I do not suppose we shall ever be 
inundated with applicants—a few here and there—perhaps the 
wife or daughter of a poor member in some village or small 
town whose death might otherwise destroy the comfort of his 
family, some one or two studiously disposed girls ; but there is 
no likelihood that a profession involving such brainwork as 
ours at such small remuneration would, like drapers and 
milliners, attract any numbers of the fair sex. 
F. P. Balkwill, M.P.S., F.L.S., etc. 
Plymouth, March ls£, 1873. 
Tincture or Quinine. 
Sir,—In reply to Mr. Mumbray’s communication in your 
last week’s issue, I beg to inform him that if tincture of 
quinine is made by using a tincture of orange made with 
spirit of full-proof strength, there will then be no deposition 
of quinine crystals, except perhaps in very cold weather. 
I have found the same difficulty with this preparation as 
Mr. Mumbray has, but on investigation I traced the cause 
to insufficient strength of the spirit; since then I have had 
no trouble at all. 
With regard to the addition of sulphuric acid, my expe¬ 
rience is that it does not in the least tend to keep the quinine 
in solution; indeed, upon two occasions when I tried the 
effect of adding a small quantity of the dilute acid, I got if 
anything more crystals than before, certainly larger ones. 
Seeing, however, that the Pharmacopoeia process if strictly 
followed so as to have a really proof spirit, yields a perfectly 
satisfactory preparation, we need not trouble ourselves about 
the addition of another agent which would change the cha¬ 
racter of the preparation, and, worse still, be taking liberties 
with official formula, which there is already too much dispo¬ 
sition to do. 
J. H. Bald ock. 
South Norwood, March 3 rd, 1873. 
“Inquirer.” —We should prefer the dry specimen of iodide 
of potassium and should reject the specimen you describe. 
Iodide of potassium contains no water of crystallization, 
therefore any water present (and we imagine it would be less 
than 5 per cent.) must be adherent or hygroscopic. The crys¬ 
tals in the London market of British manufacture are not 
very variable, as they are produced by two makers. The 
pressure upon manufacturers last month for immediate de¬ 
livery of iodides consequent upon the sudden decline in 
value of iodine in January, with the chances of advance for 
forward delivery, was doubtless the cause of the crystals hav¬ 
ing been less perfectly drained and dried than usual. 
“Jestyn.” —The deposit consists principally of kinate o 
lime, and we believe contains little of the cinchona alkaloids, 
The amount of deposit varies according to the variety and 
age of the bark used. We have noticed it in Battley’s Liquor, 
P. L. Infusum Spissatum, as well as the B.P. preparation 
you refer to. See Pharm. Journ., 2nd ser., vol. V. pp. 110, 
162, and 328. 
T. Collier. —Your letter was returned, accompanied by a 
note stating the reasons for its non-publication. 
A. P. S. —Your communication should have been addressed 
to the advertising department of the Journal. 
Hugh M. Williams. —We are compelled to defer the pub¬ 
lication of your letter until next week. 
B. B. —The designation of such a firm as that described 
by you as “pharmaceutical chemists” would be incorrect, 
and therefore illegal. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Messrs. J. Abraham, Hickling, Chaplin, Houghton. R. T. 
Clarke, Green, Martin, Fourness, Thompson, Hustwick, 
Williamson, Wise, Country Pharmaceutical Chemist, Two 
Apprentices, Cornubia, An Associate, Deva, Minor Associate, 
Dallas, G. C., A. P. S., J. C., W. B. B., W. C. M. 
