4G0 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December s, 1870. 
cerning the prices charged by other druggists. Several weeks 
ago I dispensed the following prescription for a stranger:— 
R. Yin. Ipecac. 5j 
Oxymel. Scillte, 
Syr. Papav. Alb., ana 5^ij 
Tinct. Ferri Perchlor. 5j- 
M. A teaspoonful every four hours in water. 
The customer brought a bottle and called for the mixture 
an hour or so after. He asked the price of the medicine and 
I charged Is.; he told me that Mr.-of-only charged 
Sd. I said that Mr.-might do so if he liked, but I cer¬ 
tainly could not think of dispensing the prescription at such 
a price; consequently he would not take the mixture. Wishing 
to test some of my neighbours whom I suspected of doing a 
cutting trade, I sent a boy incognito to them with a copy of 
the prescription to inquire how much they would charge to 
dispense it. One replied Is., another 9d., and a third, recently 
elected a member of the Pharmaceutical Society, said, “ If you 
bring your own bottle, I will make it up for 6 d.” 
An apprentice of mine saw recently in the windows of a 
shop less than a mile from St. Paul’s Churchyard, whose 
owner is the proprietor of a well-known patent for gout and 
rheumatic pills, a printed bill stating that seidlitz powders were 
sold there at 4 d. per dozen. He went in as an ordinary customer 
and found that their seidlitz powders were 8 d. a box, and that 
by seidlitz powders at 4<d. per dozen, 4 d. for a dozen powders 
w T as meant, six white papers (acid) and six blue papers (salts) 
making six seidlitz draughts. Surely such a grossly dis¬ 
honourable trick would almost call for the removal of the 
chemist’s name from the Register. 
I hope that all those who declaim so loudly against the 
cutting prices of others, practise what they preach, but I 
fear that it is not so. 
S. S. Holloway. 
[*** Several other correspondents write in reference to the 
statement contained in the letter of a “ Prescriber ” which ap¬ 
peared in the Lancet of the 19th ult.; they suggest that it 
would be desirable to ascertain the ingredients of the medi¬ 
cine referred to, and that since the correspondent of the 
Lancet writes from personal knowledge of the case, he can, 
perhaps, give a copy of the prescription as well as the name 
and address of the dispenser. We have written to the editor 
of the Lancet, requesting his assistance in this matter.—E d. 
Pn. J.] 
Six-,— I think it is a pity the Pharmaceutical Journal 
does not print occasionally half a column of rates of prices 
for 10 or 8 or 6 oz. mixtures, etc. Of course every medical 
man knows what would be a fair price for such “ mixtures,” 
but coming with the authority of your Council, it would be 
something for a physician or surgeon to fall back on when 
he is asked questions as to prices. I remember in my quiet 
apprenticeship days, when I saw served out thousands of 
ordinai-y 8 oz. mixtures, 3s. 6d. average price. I remember 
in another place, always this 8 oz. mixture, 2s. 2d. (circum¬ 
stances quite equal); but now mark the difference during 
the last two yeai-s. I write a prescription at Kilburn or St. 
John’s Wood, and the chemist vei-y properly, as I think, 
chai-ges Is. 8 d. or 2s.; but on the miserable system of “ doing 
a trade ” at any risks, I every week find that by taking the 
prescription to one of the “ cheap and nasty ” shops off Ox¬ 
ford Street, near Grosvenor Square, the same 8 oz. mixture, 
bottle, cork, label and some quack wrapper are all given for 
Id. or Qd. I know, of course, all about competition as a 
healthy (?) phase of trade; but I must confess I tell my 
patients that cheap and adulterated drugs are so common 
that I would prefer their getting the mixture at Is. 8c?. or 2s. 
But then we have no standard rate of prices to assure our 
patients that a conscientious and honourable chemist cannot 
give an 8 oz. mixture for Qd. 
November 15. Charles Kidd, M.D. 
Citrate of Lron and Quinine. — Hr. J. Stathers .—We have 
received yoiu- letter and the sample of citrate of iron and 
quinine; but we cannot undertake to furnish professional 
analyses gratuitously. 
Lt. Bayner (Owston Ferry).—The letter and stamps have 
been handed to the Secretary. 
W. C. H. (Brighton), who asks a question concerning chloric 
ether, has omitted to send his name. 
“Botanist” (Rochester).—In the last edition of the ‘Ca¬ 
lendar ’ there is no such reference made. 
Microscopic Examination of Starch. 
Dear Sir,—Mr. Cooke’s remarks on the mounting of 
starches for microscopic purposes, induces me to add my 
experiences. I have given up using old slides of starches on 
standards for references, having, like Mr. Cooke, found that 
the granules in course of time become materially altered in 
shape and appearance, no matter in what fluid they have 
been mounted. Being so satisfied of their untrustworthiness, 
I now prefer the trouble of preparing fresh slides as occasion 
requires, and mount the starches temporarily in glycerine. 
I have for some time used a solution of dammar in benzole 
as a mounting medium, its use having been suggested to me 
by Mr. Swan, of Newcastle-on-Tyne; but I also use and 
prefer for most purposes the resin of Canada balsam dissolved 
in benzole, prepared by evaporating the balsam over a water 
bath until solid, and dissolving in the benzole. This last 
makes a brighter and cleaner-looking solution than the dam¬ 
mar, and dries quite as rapidly. I have also tried with par¬ 
tial success a solution of pure pale yellow rosin in benzole. 
Leominster, November 22nd, 1870. M. J. Ellwood. 
IF. H. Cotter ell (Dover).— Pharm. Journ. 2nd series, 
Vol. X. p. 180. 
“ Guaco .”—We think not. 
B. Hayton Davis (Harrogate).—The only officinal prepa¬ 
rations are the fluid extract, infusion and syrup. (See Notes 
and Queries.) 
Messrs. 31‘Master, Hodgson and Co. are informed that, 
owing to the official character of this Journal, we are con¬ 
strained not to give editorial notices of new inventions, etc., 
which might appear to partake of the nature of advertise¬ 
ments ; meanwhile we shall always be glad to afford space to 
any communications respecting novelties which may possess 
general interest for the drug trade. 
“A Constant Beader” is thanked for his communication. 
We were already aware of the facts to which he refers, but 
cannot make use of his letter, since it is anonymous. 
H. H. Bollard (Ryde). — The several recipes will be in¬ 
dexed. We are obliged for your suggestion. 
Chapters for Students. — B. C. J., Manchester, writes to 
say, in reference to the method of making alum described by 
Mr. Tilden, at page 424, that nine-tenths of the alum used is 
now made by the following method:—The shale of the coal- 
measures is calcined in long ridges, it is then put into iron 
vessels lined with lead, sulphuric acid from the chamber is 
then poured over it, and the mass allowed to digest at about 
230° F. to 240° F. The temperature is kept up by steam and 
ammonia vapour, which are blown in, and also by a small fire 
underneath the pans. When the solution is strong enough to 
crystallize, it is drawn off into lai*ge coolers and there agitated 
to prevent the formation of large crystals; the alum-ilour so 
obtained is washed and redissolved by steam, and the solution 
rim off into crystallizing-tubes, where it remains for ten days or 
a fortnight; the mother-liquor is then run off, and the alum is 
broken up, and is ready for the market. This is a brief out¬ 
line of the manufacture of alum as carried on at Mr. Spence’s 
works at Manchester and Goole, one of the largest manufac¬ 
tories of this salt in the world, where 250 tons are turned out 
weekly. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. W. N. Twelvetrees (Manchester), Mr. R. W. Giles (Clif¬ 
ton), Mr. J. E. Howard, Mr. F. C. Maggs (Yeovil), Mr. W. 
Aylesbury (Weymouth), Mr. A. E. Cole (Lee), Mr. H. Pol¬ 
lard (Ryde), Mr. A. C. Wootton, Mi-. H. B. Brady (New¬ 
castle), Messrs. Churchill, Mr. R. C. Tichbome (Dublin), 
Mr. A. H. Mason (Liverpool), Dr. B. W. Richardson, Mr. 
J. C. Pooley (Bath), “Polio,” “ Medicus ” (Garston), “Cor¬ 
tex” (Manchester), “Iota” (Southampton), “Constant 
Reader,” “A Physician” (Oldham), “ Utile ” (Boston), “Ex- 
hibatui-,” M. P. S. (Tunbridge Wells), J. F. (Aberdeen), J. F. 
B. (Derby), H. (Salisbury), J. F. (Halifax), J. T. E. (War¬ 
rington),^. M., T. M. (Worksop), F. C. Wyatt (Henley). 
The following joui-nals have been received:—The ‘British 
Medical Journal,’ Nov. 26; the ‘ Medical Times and Gazette,’ 
Nov. 26; the c Lancet,’ Nov. 26; ‘ Nature,’ Nov. 24; the ‘ Che¬ 
mical News,’ Nov. 25; ‘Journal of the Society of Arts,’ Nov. 
24; ‘Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ Nov. 26; the ‘ Grocer,’ Nov. 26; 
the ‘English Mechanic,’ Nov. 25; the ‘Produce Markets 
Review,’ Nov. 26; the ‘Journal of Applied Science’ for De¬ 
cember. The ‘ Medical Press and Circular ’ has not come to 
hand for two weeks. • 
