May 24, 1373.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
945 
were blind to the interest of the Society, or that they 
deliberately shut their eyes for the purpose of acting 
unjustly towards the members ? As a member of the 
Society, he must be pardoned for saying he thought it 
hardly desirable for a gentleman in office to publish 
business transacted in Committee. If that kind of thing 
were continued, there would be many difficulties con¬ 
stantly occurring, and he hoped future members of 
Council would, as in times past, consider the proceed¬ 
ings of Committees as being private. It was. as easy 
to get a lawyer’s opinion as to get up a petition. He 
remembered a gentleman’s saying, after a petition had 
been obtained on a certain subject, that if he had a 
shilling a head, he could go round and get the same 
persons to sign another in the opposite direction. Ihe value 
of a legal opinion depended entirely on the way in which 
the case was drawn. He did not profess to know anything 
about this as a question of law, but the examiners left it 
to the Council to consult their proper authorized officer, 
and to do what they thought desirable for the benefit 
of the candidates, by adopting such proceedings as 
would, in their judgment, improve the calibre of their 
men in what was always clamoured ior—practical know¬ 
ledge. It was all very well to say that a man s capacity 
could be tested in five minutes. He should like any of 
those present to try. If they were conscious how easy it 
was for a man to get up a certain kind of knowledge, even 
a certain kind of practical knowledge, they would not 
make such statements. Men would actually make up 
difficult emulsions, pills, and even silver them, and get a 
certificate, who still did not know their business ; and the 
examiners felt they had no right to give certificates unless 
they carried—what they should carry—a certain amount 
of money value, and be a guarantee that every man who 
passed the Minor examination might be considered rea¬ 
sonably competent. It often happened now that employ ers 
would say to assistants, We do not care so much about the 
Minor examination; where have you been ?—they each 
w r anted some test of practical knowledge. If the examiner 
devote two hours to every candidate, in ninety-nine cases 
out of a hundred he would be able to pass an accu¬ 
rate judgment; but for that purpose they would require 
an enormous increase in the number of examiners, or the 
duties would be so heavy that no one would undertake 
them. The proposed alteration was asked ior in the inte¬ 
rest of the candidates themselves, in order that they might 
have ample opportunity to digest their knowledge, and 
so be better prepared to pass creditably. The great fauit 
of the present system was, that many men got up their 
scientific knowledge too quickly, and while they came up 
thoroughly prepared in chemistry and botany, they often 
failed in a practical subject, because of some little technical 
matter which experience only could have made tnern 
familiar with. If such men had waited a little longer they 
would have passed with credit. Any man who was com¬ 
petent to pass under twenty-one should be infinitely more 
competent at that age; there could be no question of that. 
With regard to apprenticeship regulation, it must be 
remembered that the examiners were men who had 
taken some interest in the constitution of the Society ; 
they had had something to do with the passing, of the 
Pharmacy Act and with the old voluntary examinations 
which previously existed. They did not want to force on 
any bye-law, but simply, in accordance with the often- 
expressed wishes of the members, to make the examina¬ 
tions more practical. If Mr. Hampson were an examiner 
for twelve months he would find it much more difficult to 
discover the amount of a man’s real knowledge than he 
supposed. Men might be, and he believed were, prepared 
for the examination who had never been in a chemist’s 
shop at all. They wanted men having an honest, bond 
ficle, practical knowledge of the various subjects. . Be¬ 
lieving tliey would assist in this direction, the examiners 
had proposed the new regulations, and he took it for 
granted that the Council consulted their solicitor and 
knew what they were about. Assuming that no breach 
of law was involved, he supported the bye-law, and was 
quite sure it would be beneficial both to candidates and 
employers, the latter of whom would in the course of time 
find they could obtain a better class of assistants. 
Mr. Andrews (London) considered the new bye-law a 
wise one in every respect, and he had devoted a good deal 
of thought to the subject. 
Mr. Mellin said he should support the amendment. 
There were many young men apprenticed at fourteen or 
fifteen for three years, and if they could not pass their 
examination until they were twenty-one, they might be 
kept out of a situation for two or three years. Many 
were as well qualified at seventeen as others were at 
twenty-one ; but he thought it quite right to insist on a 
three years’ term of apprenticeship. 
Mr. Giles said the greatest respect was due . to the 
suggestions of the Board of Examiners and the decision of 
the Council, but at the same time it was a very fair.subject 
for discussion, and Mr. Hampson was quite entitled to 
move his amendment. He did not attach much import¬ 
ance to the legal question; because, after all, they could 
do pretty much as they liked until they were disturbed, 
but he should put his vote in the hands of ‘the Council ; 
and if they felt they must ask for a vote in favour of the 
alteration, he should give it. At the same time there 
were objections. It was within their knowledge that 
there was a great difficulty in obtaining assistants able to- 
pass the examinations, and they were considering how 
best to offer educational facilities to assist them ; now 
this was raising up an artificial obstacle, it appeared to- 
him, unnecessarily. A young man should, he thought, be 
allowed to pass when most convenient to himself ; ^he was 
frequently controlled by circumstances, as to when he 
should come up to Bloomsbury Square and undergo a 
course of instruction, but when that was concluded he was 
best prepared to come up for his examination. He quite 
agreed that no young man ought to be allowed to conduct 
a business before he was twenty-one, but that was quite a 
distinct question, and the two ought to be separated. It 
would bemuchbetter to allow the examination to take place. 
at any time, when most convenient, and introduce a clause 
restricting the age for opening a shop. What would be 
the use of this clause ? What would it effect \ In the 
majority of places which would confer this three years’ 
qualification, a young man might never see a prescription 
from one year to another. Taking the chemists and 
druggists throughout the country, he did not believe the 
majority had a prescription once a month. He was very 
sorry for it, and always stood up for those members of 
the trade who were not doing the class of business they 
could wish, and he considered it a great mistake to set up 
a standard which would make it impossible to find men 
to fill useful and necessary positions. The object of the 
examinations was not to certify that the candidate was 
qualified to discharge all the duties which might devolve 
upon him, but that he was so far qualified that he was in 
a position to qualify himself. One of the most essential 
qualifications—good handwriting—did not appear to be 
considered at all. 
Mr. Carteighe said Mr. Giles could not have read the 
regulations. . . 
Mr. Giles : If they did attend to handwriting, they 
failed most miserably in securing anything like a good 
standard ; probably the standard was fixed rather low. 
Something must be left to the employer. The examiners 
did not certify that a candidate had two legs, but he 
should not like to have a man with a wooden leg. in his 
shop. Still he could judge in that matter for himself. 
He repeated that he placed his vote at the disposition oi 
the Council, remembering that even if this new rule were 
not found to work well, it could at any time be revoked. 
Mr. Cosset supported the amendment, and desired to 
endorse the sentiments expressed by the last spealcei. A 
three years’ apprenticeship would in no way ensure a 
qualification to dispense, whilst cases might occur, say of 
a person dying and having a son in the business not quite 
