•June 14, 1873.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1001 
land, where the Conference might possibly meet (in Bel¬ 
fast) in the autumn of 1874, in accordance with the cus¬ 
tom hitherto obtaining of assembling at the time and place 
of meeting of the “ British Association for the Advance¬ 
ment of Science.” One of these gentlemen wrote :—“After 
careful consideration I cannot advise that the Conference 
should meet in Belfast. I fear that scientific pharmacy 
is not very well represented here in Ireland. Moreover, 
Belfast is a long way from London, and unless the colla¬ 
teral attractions of the ‘ Giant’s Causeway’ might be an 
incentive, the local inducements are but small.” The 
other gentleman wrote : —“ After viewing the matter in 
every light, I cannot recommend the Conference to go to 
Belfast. You would get very few Irish papers at the 
meeting.” In April also Professor Attfield, as secretary, 
had at the suggestion of Mr. Schacht, written to Mr. 
Pring (Messrs. Grattan and Co.), Belfast, explaining the 
objects of the Conference, and its custom respecting the 
place of meeting, and had forwarded to him a ‘Year-Book’ 
and various papers relating to the Conference. Mr. Pring 
said in answer that he feared a sufficient number of mem¬ 
bers to make the meeting a success would not attend. In 
answer to a fuller and more explanatory letter which the 
Secretary read to the Committee, Mr. Pring gave reasons 
(which he afterwards personally repeated to the Committee 
at greater length) why it would be inexpedient in his 
opinion for the Conference to meet at Belfast. 
Mr. Greenish said that notwithstanding the opinions of 
Mr. Pring, and those whom Mr. Pring represented, he 
hoped the Conference would keep up the practice of meet¬ 
ing in the town in which the British Association assembled. 
Mr. Carteighe would like to hear more about Belfast 
and the pharmacists there, before finally deciding the 
question under consideration. 
Mr. Clayton, who had just visited Belfast, gave valu¬ 
able information regarding the relative positions there of 
the dispensing apothecaries and the so-called druggists. 
Professor Attfield had also made extensive inquiry in 
-the same direction, and placed the result before the Com¬ 
mittee for its guidance. 
Mr. Schacht thought that the further consideration of 
the subject had better be adjourned. The Committee 
consequently postponed the discussion. 
Editorship of Year-Book. —The Secretary reported that 
Mr. C. H. Wood had intimated that in consequence of 
his appointment as Quinologist to the Government in 
Messrs. Deane (in the chair), Hanbury, Greenish, Car 
teighe, Hills, Williams, Umney, Attfield, and Moss. 
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and 
confirmed. 
Place of Meeting for 1874.—Professor Attfield reported 
that on the day after the last meeting of the Committee 
he received the following letter : — 
“9, Trinity Street , Belfast , 
“ 20 th May, 18 73. 
“ To Professor Attfield, 
“ Sir,—At a meeting of the Protective Association of 
Licentiate Apothecaries of Ireland, held in this town on 
the evening of the 15th inst., Mr. Pring stated that he 
had been in correspondence with the London Secretary of 
the British Pharmaceutical Conference respecting the 
advisability or otherwise of the Conference assembling in 
Belfast at the same time as the British Association in 
1874. The unanimous opinion of the members present 
was that it would give them very great pleasure to wel¬ 
come the Pharmaceutical Conference, and to co-operate 
in furthering its objects, if the present movement of drug¬ 
gists in Ireland against the interests of the apothecaries 
did not present an obstacle. To fully explain the matter 
and the difficulties of the situation, it was agreed that a 
deputation of two or more of the members should proceed 
to London some time next week to meet the Committee 
of the Conference, if the Committee was willing to receive 
them. I would feel obliged if you would kindly inform 
me at your earliest convenience of the time and place of 
meeting. 
“ I am, dear Sir, faithfully yours, 
“Reuben Bolton, L.A.H., Hon. Sec.” 
Professor Attfield said that he at once acknowledged 
Dr. Bolton’s letter, assuring him that the executive of 
the Conference would gladly hold a special meeting on 
any day that would best suit the deputation, explaining 
also that the Conference was a non-political body, that 
membership of it conferred no guarantee whatever of pro¬ 
fessional competency, and giving other information re¬ 
specting the Conference. In answer, Dr. Bolton fixed 
Thursday, May 29th, as the day of meeting, and stated 
that the deputation would consist of Dr. Whitaker, Mr. 
Pring, and Dr. Cantrell. Professor Attfield at once 
telegraphed to Dr. Bolton that the executive would meet 
the deputation at 17, Bloomsbury Square, on the day 
India he would have to leave England about next | mentioned at eleven o’clock in the forenoon, and two of 
October. But this would not prt ve it him from editing the three gentlemen were now waiting to meet the Com- 
the next issue of the ‘ Year-Book,’ and he proposed, there¬ 
fore, to hold his present office of Editor until September 
next when he would place his resignation in the hands of 
the Committee. 
The Secretary was instructed to issue an advertisement 
announcing that the Editorship of the ‘Year-Book for 
1874’ would be vacant, and inviting applications from 
candidates for the appointment. 
The following gentlemen were duly elected members of 
the Conference :—A. S. Amoore, E. J. Barrett. G. H. 
Bayley, G. F. Bindloss, W. H. Booth, J. Bordass, F. W. 
Branson, W. Brewster, W. L. Bridgman, J. B. Brierley, 
T. H. Clifford, A. G. Cole, Cooke, M. P. Davies, T. 
Dobinson, Edwards, J. Elgey, A. W. Field, J. Finlay, 
R. Fortune, Grimwade, A. Harrington, H. G. Harradine, 
J. Hart, J. Hayes, E. Histed, W. H. Horril, J. C. Hunter, 
J. Jackson, W. King, J. MacCreath, H. J. Masters, H. 
Mathews, A. Mercer, A. T. Monkhouse, W. Pitcliford 
R. M. Pratt, R. W. Pring, A. J. Rayson, J. Robson, 
C. Shapley, J. Spencer, J. Simpson, N. Spyer, J. Swaine, 
T. C. Taylor, G. P. Tennent, J. D. D. Thomas, W. Thorp, 
jun., J. Tirrell, W. W. Urwick, M. F. Walton J. S. Ward, 
W. A. Watts, J. Westlake, E. Wildsmitli, J. L. Wills, 
J. H. Wilson, B. Wood, R, Wood, A. Wrigh. 
Meeting of Executive Committee at 17, Bloomsbury 
London, on the 29th May, 1873. Present— 
quare 
mittee. 
Dr. Whitaker and Mr. Pring were then introduced to 
the Chairman and other members of the Committee. Dr. 
Cantrell was unable to be present. 
Mr. Pring, after making some remarks complimentary 
to the Conference, and acknowledging the welcome given 
to the deputation by the Chairman, went on to say that 
the compounders of medicine in Belfast, who, before they 
could legally dispense prescriptions had been obliged to 
pass a classical examination, to serve a long apprenticeship 
to pharmacy, and to face the ordeal of examination in 
chemistry, botany, and materia medica, were disinclined, 
in the interests of pharmacy as well as in self-interest, to 
recognize on any such common footing as that afforded 
by the Conference the so-called druggists of Ireland, men 
who might be of good social position, and who often traded 
largely in other articles, but who had given no guarantees 
of educated fitness for pharmacy such as those just men¬ 
tioned. They had never dispensed prescriptions, and had 
been by law prevented from so doing for the last hundred 
years. 
Dr. Whitaker adverted to the honour conferred on him 
by his appointment as a representative of Irish com¬ 
pounders of medicine to a body like the British Pharma¬ 
ceutical Conference, which had such excellent aims as 
encouragement of research, and the promotion by non- 
politicai means of friendly feelings amongst pharmacists. 
He was glad, too, because the occasion gave him an 
