June 7, 1873.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
983 
House Committee. —The same as the above. 
Parliamentary. — Messrs. Atherton, Baynes, Betty, 
Brown, Mackay, Owen, Sandford, Savage, Shaw, Sutton, 
Urwick, and Williams, with power to add to their 
number. 
Provincial Education. —Messrs. Atherton, Baynes, Betty, 
Brown, Frazer, Mackay, Radley, Schacht, Shaw, Stoddart, 
Sutton, and Urwick. 
Election of Examiners. 
A ballot was taken for the appointment of Examiners 
in the usual way. In addition to the two vacancies re¬ 
ported last month, there was a third, occasioned by Mr. 
George Edwards, of Dartford being over the prescribed 
age for re-election. The following gentlemen were elected 
to serve until the end of the present year :— 
England and Wales. 
Messrs. Allchin, Barnes, Carteighe, Cracknell, Daven¬ 
port, Gale, Haselden, Linford, Martindale, Schweitzer, 
Southall, and Umney. 
Scotland. 
Messrs. Ainslie, Buchanan, Gilmour, Kemp, Kinniiv 
mont, Noble, Tait, and Young. 
Appointment of Editor, etc. 
Dr. Paul was re-appointed Editor of the Journal, and 
Mr. F. Passmore Sub-editor. 
Local Secretaries. 
The Secretary reported that out of more than 2000 
voting papers which he had sent out, only 489 had been 
• returned. He suggested that where no nomination had 
been made, no local secretary should be appointed. 
Mr. Sutton said he thought local secretaries might be 
dispensed with altogether, but certainly he should not 
appoint them where no trouble had been taken to make a 
nomination. 
Mr. Savage thought the absence of fresh nominations 
merely showed the satisfaction which was felt at the pre¬ 
sent appointments, and did not approve of the suggestion 
that the appointments should not be made. 
It was then resolved — 
“ That the report of the scrutineers in reference to the 
nomination of local secretaries be referred to the 
Parliamentary Committee ; the Committee to be 
authorized to nominate, if they deemed it desirable, 
local secretaries in those districts from which no 
return had been received.” 
The Sessional Lectures. 
A letter from Professors Redwood and Bentley Avas read 
suggesting that the lectures would be more beneficial to 
the students if the course of instruction were somewhat 
altered, being given twice during the session instead of 
once, and that the fees might be raised with advantage, etc. 
Mr. Scott Brown moved that the letter be referred to 
the Library, Museum, and Laboratory Committee, to 
report thereon to the next meeting. 
Mr. Williams seconded the resolution, and suggested 
that the Committee should take into consideration the 
Avhole question of the educational action of the Society. 
Mr. Hampson thought they could not do better than 
seize the opportunity afforded by the Professors’ letter to 
reconsider the Avhole matter. Everyone seemed to agree 
that there Avas something not quite right in the present 
arrangements, and he hoped some decision would be ar¬ 
rived at. 
Mr. W. Scott Brown thought the letter only should be 
referred to the Committee, leaving them of course to adopt 
any hints that might be offered them. 
Mr. Schacht thought the whole matter had better be 
included, and that the Committee should also take into 
consideration the instruction given in the laboratory. 
The chief point which had weighed upon his mind of late 
was that they kept up the educational establishment at 
considerable cost, and yet they scarcely seemed to have 
what struck him as a perfect system of education. Great 
differences were attempted to be drawn between the in¬ 
struction given there and that which young men received 
at other educational places, the latter of Avhich had been 
called a cramming process, whilst that afforded there was 
said to be quite the reverse, though what the reverse was 
he did not exactly know, particularly as he knew that in 
the laboratory part of the system a man might enter for a 
week only, and do the best he could to grind up any par¬ 
ticular subject in that time. This certainly looked some¬ 
thing like cramming. He Avas perfectly willing that their 
educational system should cost them a good round sum, 
but at the same time he should like everything to be com¬ 
plete and thorough, so that a student might really go 
through the educational course steadily, honestly, and well. 
The President reminded the members that the Pro¬ 
fessors must be appointed next month, and if the whole 
subject were taken up he feared it would be too large for 
the Committee to deal Avith in so short a time. 
Mr. Williams said it was not absolutely necessary to 
appoint the Professors next month, as the Session did not 
begin till next October. The Committee might propose 
adding other names, or a totally different system. He 
should like to know from the Council whether the Com¬ 
mittee were to go into the whole question. It was ad¬ 
mitted even by the Professors themselves that many who 
attended their lectures simply Avent there for the purpose 
of passing their examination, and this was what they all 
wished to discourage as much as possible. 
Mr. Greenish thought the Professors’ letter was one of 
the most important matters that had come before them 
for some time. If they commenced an inquiry they should 
go through the whole, and deal, not only with the lec¬ 
tures, but the laboratory also. . 
Mr. Sandford said they might send the letter to the 
Committee Avithout any instructions to go further, as they 
would naturally consider any point bearing upon it. 
Mr. Baynes said the matter Avas of the greatest import¬ 
ance. In his opinion they ought not to stand second to 
any institute in Europe. But he was quite sure at pre¬ 
sent that the position of the Society in relation to educa¬ 
tion Avas very imperfectly understood in many parts of the 
country. Some of the arrangements might perhaps be 
somewhat antiquated, but all these matters of detail had 
better be referred to the Committee.. 
Mr. Urwick suggested that a Special Committee should, 
be appointed to deal with this matter, as it was one of 
great importance, and ought to be considered in all its 
bearings. 
Mr. Sandford said it had been stated repeatedly 
that the time was coming, and he hoped it would come 
very soon, when the Society Avould give up educat¬ 
ing. Education, in his opinion, should be separated en¬ 
tirely from examination, but here they both educated 
and examined, which was Avrong in principle ; and he 
thought if they could get rid of the laboratory altogether 
it would be a very good thing. With regard to the fees, 
it must be remembered that when they were established 
and the lecturers were engaged the object was simply to 
tempt young men to come here to be educated, and every¬ 
thin 0- was done to induce them to attend. I hus, a young 
man°could attend the whole course from October to the 
end of July, if he were connected with the Society, on 
pavment of one guinea, whereas in the medical school 
eight guineas was the fee charged for a course from Octo¬ 
ber to the end of March. The lectures Avere at present 
simply given aAvay. He thought, however, it would be 
better to consider the letter of the Professors first, for if 
they went into the whole question they would not get 
through it in a month, or perhaps a year. 
The President said it must be remembered that the 
Council, not the professors, fixed the fees. They must 
bear in mind, when it Avas suggested that the lectures 
should be abolished, that these gentlemen had been 
