948 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[May 2-1, 1873. 
No notice can 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 Shop Hours’ Regulation Bill. 
Sir,—I was greatly surprised at reading an article in this 
month’s number of the Chemist and Druggist, commenting 
very strongly on the provisions of the above Bill; and as a 
repiy to that journal would not appear for another month, 
will you kindly allow me space for the purpose P 
In the first place, I cannot see how compelling chemists 
and druggists to close their shops at 2 p.m. for one day in 
the week would be “ seriously affecting them,” for at the 
present time in several towns the shops are closed early one 
night in the week, so it would only he adding a few more 
hours; besides, any chemist would be at liberty to supply 
medicines himself after closing time, or to keep a qualified 
assistant for the purpose. Now that the examinations are 
to be made more severe than ever, which of course will 
necessitate very close application to study, what could be 
more refreshing to the student than an afternoon’s trip 
into the country, where he might study botany from real 
plants, and thus learn more in one afternoon than he could 
by a week’s reading at home P As to closing at 9 other 
evenings, that certainly would not be “ seriously affecting 
them,” as 8 is the general hour now in most country towns, 
and even in London some of the principal chemists have 
agreed to close at 9 (as lately reported in this Journal ); 
and as I said before, medicines urgently required could be 
supplied by qualified persons at any time. I hope the exi¬ 
gencies of our trade (or profession!) will never compel us 
to keep open shop on Christmas Day and Good Friday, 
when every other tradesman is holding holiday! If this 
Bill is made law, the public, of course, will soon become 
aware of it, and consequently come earlier for their goods. 
I am sure if any one tradesman would be more benefitted 
by it than another it would be the chemist, who has 
hitherto been working the longest hours of any. I think 
Sir J. Lubbock has taken a step in the right direction, and 
I trust he will not be influenced by petty representations. 
In conclusion, let me urge on all assistants and apprentices 
the necessity of prompt and united action in preventing 
this desirable privilege being taken from us. I hope the 
subject will soon be taken up by abler hands than mine. 
Audi Alteram Partem. 
May 1 7th, 1873. 
Pharmacy Act, 1868. 
Sir,—I quite agree with “Registered Chemist” that the 
system of wholesale firms supplying small grocers and 
costermongers with drugs, etc., should be investigated. 
For several miles around my shop, you can purchase from 
the above class of dealers a penny powder, box of pills, 
ointment, or paregoric, etc. The above are put up and 
sold by persons called wholesale druggists or manufacturers 
of pharmaceutical preparations. It is time such a practice 
was put a stop to,—but how are we to do it ? I think 
by refusing to do business with such firms as are known 
to supply drugs to the above-mentioned dealers. 
Boz. 
Proposed Addition to the British Pharmacopeia. 
Sir,—The pulv. glycyrrhizm co. of the Ph. Borus., to 
which attention was directed by an article in The Prac¬ 
titioner about a year ago, has been found in many cases 
an excellent aperient. 
When prepared with 2 oz. of ginger instead of 3 oz. of 
fennel, as ordered, I find that patients do not complain of 
the taste so much, and the medical man to whom 1 sug¬ 
gested this slight alteration finds it an improvement, and 
frequently orders the pulv. glycyrrhizse co. prepared with 
ginger. George Brown. 
Sandmen, I. IF., May 12th, 1873. 
An Inquiry. 
Sir,—A public confession of ignorance, if not exactly 
conducive to a feeling of self-respect, is sometimes a neces¬ 
sary preliminary to the acquirement of knowledge; such— 
having completely failed to obtain the information I seek 
in the circle of my acquaintance—I fear it is in my case. 
This is my difficulty: I am familiar with analytical che¬ 
mists, dispensing chemists, manufacturing chemists, but I 
don’t know what a consulting chemist is; yet such is the 
title a gentleman who has recently opened what an auc¬ 
tioneer would describe as “commanding premises,” not a 
thousand miles from Broad Street, has conferred on him¬ 
self in letters of no common magnitude. Can you or any 
of your readers enlighten 
An Ignoramus? 
Pharmaceutical Curiosities. 
Sir,—Mr. J. Bower Williams, A.P.S., has the honour to 
occupy a quarter-page of the Journal of the 3rd May, 1873. 
Such an advantage brings responsibility. He fulfils his by 
holding up to view,— 
1st. A small exhibition of popular ignorance ; and 
2nd. A specimen of trade ignorance which may be taken 
as not the worst to be found, although such instances can¬ 
not possibly be numerous. En parenthese, the remedy is 
already provided, for henceforth “vested rights ” can only 
be possessed by the initiated. 
But in reference to No. 1,1 would say it is always possible 
for a teacher to expose the ignorance of his pupils. Che¬ 
mists are teachers, and the general public are their pupils. 
For this reason many of the now absurd names for drugs 
are historical; e.g., oil of Exeter, oil of swallows, and oil 
of earthworms, which are legitimate names of things for¬ 
merly dispensed to the public as medicaments of value. 
The things are obsolete, but the names are not totally for¬ 
gotten. Names of another class are equally absurd: take, 
for instance, the series of “copperas.” The public retain 
the use of the terms, but the chemist, being a little in ad¬ 
vance of his pupils, calls them sulphates according to their 
kind. It is probable that, for some time to come, the 
chemist will be asked for things under obsolete and cor¬ 
rupted names, and he will still continue to teach his pupils 
a more correct nomenclature, for he is in that department 
the only true pioneer. 
I am happy to see that Mr. Williams is going “ to send 
you some more ere long.” Might I suggest his line to be 
—A research into the history of curious and old-fashioned 
names of medicaments, and their corruptions ? I have no 
doubt many would feel pleasure in aiding in that pursuit, 
and in doing so, many a quaint old book might turn up to 
daylight again. 
1 will just add a specimen which will serve to indicate 
the occasion to be informed of the meaning of old terms, 
and then conclude. 
Bolus ad Diarrhoeam. 
R Cons, rosar. r. semidrachm. 
Terr, japonic. 
Coral, rub. pp. vel occ. cancr. pp. ana gr. xij. 
Croc, martis astring. gr. vj. 
Syr. e mecon. q. s. f. bolus. L. 
Mr. Lawrence .—We are unable to insert your inquiry 
except as an advertisement. 
E. K. ( Chemicus ).—Essence of patchouli is obtained by 
distillation from the Pogostemon Patchouli, Pell., a plant 
of the Labiate order. 
T. Dibbs. —(1) Angus’s Gland book of the English Tongue;’ 
.Mason’s ‘English Grammar.’ (2) Newth and Wormell. 
(3) Roscoe and Barff. 
“Inquirer.” —(1) Decomposition, rather than solution, 
would take place. (2) We believe that no further know- 
edge of chemical processes is required to pass the Minor 
examination than may be obtained in a pharmacy where 
he pharmacopoeia preparations are made for home use. 
'3) No. (4) The expense need not be great. See a list in 
he Appendix to Attfield’s ‘Manual of Chemistry.’ 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Messrs. R. G. Mumbray, A. Patterson, J. J. Smith, M. H. 
Arundell, J. Askew, W. H. Griffiths, Buckler, J. Hallawell, 
J. Abraham, C. R. Blackett (Melbourne), W. Axford, 
“Country Chemist,” “A Student,” “Hypo,” G. W. 
