December 21 , 1870.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AXD TRANSACTIONS. 
517 
* 0 * A r o 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. 
Proposed Regulations por Storing op Poisons. 
In regard to this subject there is evidently still almost as great 
a divergence between the position taken by the Council and 
•that held by the country members as there was before the last 
election of Council took place. As far as present evidences 
go, there appears little prospect of an agreement being arrived 
•at by the time the Annual Meeting comes round, at which 
the subject will be again debated,—and, it is earnestly to be 
desired, debated with better effect than at the meeting in 
May last. 
Mr. Flux, at that meeting, said “he must confess there 
was, in his opinion, no danger of a mandamus being issued 
calling upon the Society to pass these regulations; but, 
whether the public would not consider that the clause did 
impose an obligation to pass some regulations, and that, re¬ 
fusing to pass any, the subject was remitted back to the pub¬ 
lic to be dealt with as Parliament might in its wisdom think 
best, was a matter for the consideration of the members.” 
And the members at the meeting practically indicated their 
willingness to take the consequences of the rejection rather 
than submit to the regulations then proposed. If the Coun¬ 
cil have other and more urgent reasons for pushing the 
•adoption of some regulations, the members do not appear to 
be made sufficiently aware of the fact. 
A clear statement of the reason why some regulations 
must be adopted, and an evident desire on the part of the 
Committee and the Council to meet as far as possible the 
•objections which were raised against the previous code, would 
do much to remove the objections which I have reason to 
believe are still strongly felt by many of my provincial 
brethren. 
Comparing the code as at present proposed with that pre¬ 
viously discussed, it is certainly altered for the better; but 
comparing it with the remarks which were made at the dis¬ 
cussion in May and with the correspondence that has been 
published since that time, I think it might have been modified 
still further, both with advantage to its efficiency and to the 
prospect of its ultimate adoption. 
The main objection to the former code -was that it was im¬ 
practicable to put restrictions upon the mode of keeping many 
•of the less potent preparations of cantharides, belladonna, 
opium, etc.; that it was unreasonable to put them under the 
same regulations which were requisite for tlie safe custody of 
strychnine and hydrocyanic acid, and futile to expect good 
results from the use of any danger-signals which would be too 
common from their extension to the whole of the numerous 
list of legal poisons. 
It may be that the Committee do not feel empowered to 
select a short list of very dangerous articles, which might be 
kept under stringent regulations; but, if so, we think they 
would do well to make it fully known that they have not the 
power of making two sets of regulations to apply to the 
lirst and second parts of the schedule respectively, or to clas¬ 
sify poisons according to any other mode which might be 
more practicable for their safe keeping. 
Perhaps the publication of the debates in Council upon the 
subject would show that these points have been fairly con¬ 
sidered and for good reasons laid aside; but the Council must 
not wonder at the continued opposition of the country mem¬ 
bers, so long as they give them no evidence that their sugges¬ 
tions have met with consideration before being rejected. 
In the Journal for July 9, 1870, Mr. Wilkinson rejoices 
that the immediate danger of vexatious restrictions has passed 
away, and concludes his letter by saying, “ If we must have 
regulations on the subject, they should be confined to a few 
ot the more deadly and dangerous poisons and their names 
■specified.” 
In the Journal for September 17, 1870, I protest against 
making the poison regulations abortive by becoming too 
common, and suggest, as a means of avoiding this, that “All 
poisons intended for internal use as medicines, the usual adult 
dose of which is less than one drachm, shall bear a label im¬ 
mediately under the name of the article stating the usual 
adult dose; and upon such articles the usual adult dose of 
which is less than, say 5 grains, there shall be added the label 
‘ Poison,’ immediately under the label indicating the dose 
and add, that if a poison-cupboard or other additional pre¬ 
caution is deemed necessary, it should only apply to such 
poisons, the usual adult dose of Avhich does not exceed 5 
grains; thus liberating the tincture and Avine of opium, etc., 
from the poison-cupboard, and liberating paregoric elixir 
and syrup of poppies from any restriction regarding their 
storage. 
In the number for October 8, 1870, Mr. Buclcett, while 
declaring his preference that avc should restrict our efforts for 
securing public safety to the proper education of all Avho sell 
and dispense poisons, also says, “ Keeping dangerous articles 
in one particular place, such as a cupboard, is a precaution 
which, I think, should never be neglected, though the articles 
so treated would depend, in some degree, upon the class of 
business done.” There is thus evidently a Avillingness on the 
part of some of the opponents of the late code of regulations 
to accept an amended code, if it can be made such as they 
have suggested Avould be practically useful and not exces¬ 
sively burdensome; and while I wouid urge upon the Council 
to prepare for submission to the Annual Meeting such a code 
of regulations as would disarm their late opponents, I Avould 
also gladly see the country members extend yet a little further 
their Avillingness to submit to regulations which are probably 
more dreaded in anticipation than objectionable in actual 
practice; this, hoAvever, with the understanding that in the 
meantime the Council show satisfactory grounds for the 
opinion which they seem to hold, that it is necessary at the 
present time to add some further regulations to those in¬ 
herent in the Act. And that they either submit a further 
amended code of regulations, obviating, as far as possible, 
the objectionable features Avhich, I think, have been amply 
pointed out during the discussion of the subject, both at the 
meetings of the Society and in the pages of the Journal. 
11, G-rey Street, Newcastle. Barnard Proctor. 
Sir,—It appears to me that this proposal is likely again to 
cause much ill-feeling in our Society, and will probably lead 
to a distinct fight upon the question at the next election. I 
think every well-wisher to the Society will be anxious to see 
this avoided. The question then arises, Avhat steps can bo 
adopted to avoid the scandal of a split among ourselves? 
Perhaps the first amendment moved at the Council Meeting 
by Messrs. Brown and Woolley, Avould command the adhe¬ 
sion of a majority of the Pharmaceutical and Registered Che¬ 
mists; but certainly their second proposal, that of ascertain¬ 
ing the opinion of chemists throughout the country before 
taking action, would command almost universal support. 
What I Avould therefore propose is that every local secretary 
should at once ascertain the opinions of all chemists in his 
district and forward them to the Council. I am prepared so 
to act here, and would recommend, Avhere the local secretary 
declines to act, that some other member or registered chemist 
does the work. The feeling of all could be thus obtained in 
a feAv days, and would, no doubt, determine the action of the 
Council. 
T. W. Gissing, Local Secretary. 
Wakefield, Dec. 17 th, 1870. 
Sir,—The Chairman at the last Annual Meeting, in his 
opening remarks upon the question of “ Poison Regulations,” 
used the folloAving Avords:—“ I fail to gather from all the 
protests Avhich have been sent up, any more logical objection 
to them than that of perhaps a natural dislike to being com¬ 
pelled to submit to any special code.” Does it not strike the 
reason of any intelligent person that the real repugnance 
to these absurd regulations is based upon the most logical 
grounds possible, and is but the natural expression of minds 
possessing just appreciation of their own intelligence and 
responsibility ? 
Allow me to put a parallel case and to ask what Avould be 
the feeling of a gentleman, after receiving a good educa¬ 
tion, Avalking the hospital, going through the usual examina¬ 
tions and who in due course received his diploma authorizing 
him to practise,—were the same authorizing body to.come to 
him and say, “NoAA r , Sir, you have passed our examinations, 
you are fully qualified to practise, but before you do so, avo 
must remind you that you must conform to our regulations 
as to the place and manner of keeping your knives and lancets, 
lest you should by mistake use the Avrong one. Aou must 
