November 12,1370.1 THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
39D 
notice that, in spite of improved education, there is a decided 
falling off in the drug business; our expenses increase and our 
receipts decrease. This arises from two causes, over the first 
of which—that persons do not take nearly so much medicine 
ns formerly, while a great deal of that which is consumed is 
obtained at free institutions—we have no control; but for the 
second surely something may be done, with proper determi¬ 
nation on the part of the Council. 
To tell us to wait a little longer, that education will do 
away with these miserable cutting traders, is about the same 
as telling us that men of talent are invariably good men. 
The chemist who sells spirits of nitre at 2d. per oz.,puts up a 
6 oz. mixture for 8J. from a prescription, or supplies Is. 1 \d. 
patent medicines for a shilling, is not likely to have his prin¬ 
ciples changed by any educational influences. Whatever his 
professions may be, what he wants is money; and he cares 
nothing for the honour of the Society, or the success of its 
members, so long as he can obtain it. 
It should be borne in mind that some of these cutting 
establishments are large ones, and that in them young men 
are taught a certain mode of doing business which they in 
many cases carry out in other localities on their own. ac¬ 
count; and that this they will continue to do unless they 
are constantly cautioned against a system of business which, 
whilst it is certain to iniure others, can never prove a source 
of happiness to those who adopt it. 
London, Nov. 1st, 1870. East Central. 
Sir,—The following came under my notice to-day, which I 
think ought to be made known to the trade generally:— 
Having dispensed this prescription, 
R. Tinct. Lyttos 5i'j 
„ Ferri Muriat. Jiss. 
M. Capt. gtt. xxx ter die ex aqua, 
I was surprised, after stating my price, to hear that it was 
more by 25 per cent, than the customer had ever before paid, 
at the same time telling me that 9 d. was the usual price! 
It bore the stamps of two suburban chemists of the Metro¬ 
polis. As the bottle was brought, bearing also a label of a 
third London chemist, I considered my charge but a fair re¬ 
muneration, and was annoyed to feel that the London mem¬ 
bers of the profession should be so far behind us provincials 
in their prices, when they ought to be the pioneers to a better 
•order of things. 
I hope to see more uniformity in dispensing prices, which 
are now so irregular. “Pharmaceutical Chemist.” 
Bristol, November 3 rd, 1870. 
Sir,—Your correspondent “Breasting the Hill,” in the 
Journal of the 14th inst., alludes to the practice of non-phar¬ 
maceutists selling ordinary medicines, etc. etc., at low prices, 
and particularly notices sulphate of copper at per lb. 
Now, I believe the chemists have more to fear from each 
other than from outsiders. 
I send you a copy of a bill circulated by a Pharmaceutical 
Chemist in a small country town south of the Thames:— 
“ Season, 1870. Usual charge. 
“Down’s Farmers’ Friend, 7 d. per packet. 9d. 
“ Cooper’s Wheat Dressing, 4 \d. „ . 6d. 
“ Best Blue Vitriol, 3d. per lb. 
“ The above warranted genuine.” 
I have seen the articles, and can testify they are as war¬ 
ranted. 
Oct. 10th, 1870. _ M. P. S. 
Pharmacy in Ireland. 
Sir,—It was with feelings of pleasure and gratification that 
I perused the leading articles in the Journal of October 
the 22nd, with reference to Pharmacy in Ireland. 
Now that the time is approaching when that very impor¬ 
tant subject, which has for so many years been left unno¬ 
ticed, is about to be reconsidered, I think it a favourable 
opportunity of tendering a few remarks through the columns 
of the Pharmaceutical Journal, which I feel sure will be 
perused and receive the appreciation of many of my brother 
chemists in that country. It is indeed time that something 
should be done for them, as for many years they have had to 
battle against great difficulties in practising their profession. 
While an assistant in a large chemist and druggist’s esta¬ 
blishment in Ireland, I had prescriptions handed me daily to 
dispense; but as I was not employed by a member of the 
Apothecaries’ Hall, it would have been a breach of the law, 
making me liable to a heavy fine, had I done so, no matter 
how simple the prescription might be. For instance:— 
It. 01. Ricini.gss 
Aquae Cinnam. ... ad 5'j 
Cras mane sumend. 
In consequence of this law the poor chemists are compelled 
to hand their customers over to the apothecary, and of course 
thereby lose the sale of other articles. In London, in the 
same capacity, I had the privilege of receiving and com¬ 
pounding as many prescriptions as the house was favoured 
with. As Dublin is separated from London only by a four or 
six hours’ journey, I must confess that it appears somewhat 
strange that such a difference in the law should exist. 
I have had many friends who served their apprenticeships 
in Ireland as chemists and druggists, and who had the means 
of opening on their own account, but had to come to England 
to do so; for in Ireland, their own country, they were pre¬ 
vented from practising the most profitable part of their busi¬ 
ness, dispensing, not being registered members of the Hall. 
I think it will be admitted that a law such as this is ano¬ 
malous and unjust; and I trust the Council of the Society 
will do their utmost to extend the Pharmacy Act to Ireland, 
so that the law of Pharmacy there maybe assimilated to that 
of England and Scotland, and all Pharmaceutical Chemists, 
or registered chemists, with all already established there who 
pass the Modified, or any of the examinations of the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society, may have the privilege of dispensing and 
compounding. Then our brothers in Ireland will be on a par 
with us in England, and the monopoly which has so long 
stood in their way will no longer exist. Let the Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Society be the one recognized body of the three coun¬ 
tries, England, Ireland, and Scotland. 
A Registered Chemist and Druggist. 
London, Nov. 4 th, 1870. 
Hospital Dispensing. 
Sir,—A word about Hospital Dispensing, my experience 
of which is limited to a fortnight, when I was lent to a hospital 
in the absence of one of the dispensers. What I saw during 
that time certainly did not encourage much hope that many 
of the out-patients would derive great benefit from the treat¬ 
ment they received. On certain days, when a popular doctor 
was in attendance, about 300 persons would come to see him 
in the course of about five hours, i. e. one per minute ! Surely 
no one could in so short a time thoroughly investigate a pa¬ 
tient’s necessities, write his prescription, and make the usual 
entry in the hospital books. Frequently also when so many 
patients came, the doctor would be unable to remain long 
enough to give them even one minute each, and a part of them 
would be left to the care of a medical student, who had passed 
no test of his qualifications whatever. Then when the pre¬ 
scription was written, though the medicines were always duly 
labelled, they were necessarily compounded in the roughest 
style, minute accuracy being out of the question ; and some¬ 
times a week’s supply of an infusion would be sent out when 
it w r as already rather stale, and other things in similar style. 
An Unexamined Member. 
Loss op Spirit in Making Tinctures. 
Sir,—Since looking over Mr. Umney’s communication re¬ 
lative to the loss of spirit in the preparation of tinctures, I 
have referred to my own tables, which for some time past I 
have kept, and I find from them that the average loss has 
been about 4 per cent, more, which doubtless results from the 
use of an ordinary screw-press, instead of the more effectual 
hydraulic press. This amounts to a considerable loss in a 
year, even in a moderate-sized business; and I am conse¬ 
quently led to believe, with your correspondent Mr. Slugg, 
of Manchester, that an effective and moderately cheap hy¬ 
draulic press might be manufactured for the use of pharma¬ 
cists, which would be of inestimable value in the preparation 
of juices, etc., as well as tinctures. 
Mechanicians appear to me to be, in general, very backward in 
ministering to the requirements of modern pharmacy, for there 
are several kinds of apparatus which, if made moderately cheap, 
would, I am sure, command a sufficiently remunerative sale. 
Among such I may mention the hydraulic press, a good 
pharmaceutical stove, and a vacuum apparatus for evapora¬ 
tion, etc., besides a number of less important articles. Of 
course these are now manufactured for the wholesale trade 
and a very few retail pharmacists ; but the fact of their being 
made singly so enhances the cost of production, that only 
