December si, 1370.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
539 
colours as another order of insignia, until the public will 
begin to doubt whether beings with such peculiar tendencies, 
and grotesque ideas, are quite the proper persons to trust 
with their lives ; and some of our dear friends, who envy our 
wealth because of our overcharges, will not forget to point 
out to their patients, who pay them for their physic as well 
as their advice, that these changes have been considered ne¬ 
cessary by the authorities, in crder, if possible, to avoid the 
many and fatal blunders into which we are so constantly 
falling. 
Finally, if we allow this measure to pass without raising 
our voices in opposition, and showing clearly and logically 
the ground of our objection, our moral and intellectual force 
must be weak indeed; and the public will not be slow to 
learn that those who exhibit such inability to manage their 
own affairs must be equally incompetent to undertake, and 
carry on successfully, the important interests of others. 
Although I have gone over this subject very superficially, 
I fear you will regard it as extremely prolix : yet I beg you 
will accept it, with all its faults, as an earnest conviction of 
one deeply interested. Nemo. 
Information Wanted. 
Sir,—In answer to JE. B., p. 520 of your last Journal, 
I beg to state that magnes. ferri et quince sulph. is composed 
of 1 gr. of sulphate of quinine, 3 grs. sulphate of iron, and 
I6grs. of sulphate of magnesia in each 20 grs. of the com¬ 
pound salt. G. S. 
Renfrew, December 29 th, 1870. 
Sir,—We perceive in the Journal of the 21th inst. an un¬ 
dated and anonymous communication wherein our name is 
introduced as having compounded a prescription containing 
“Mag. Ferri et Quin. Sulph.” and evidently treating it as a 
nostrum of our own. 
The prescription in question was sent to us a short time 
since by a customer, to be dispensed. Not having the fore¬ 
going preparation, we wrote to our firm in Bruton Street, 
Berkeley Square, to procure it, which they did, at the Apo¬ 
thecaries’ Company in Berners Street. 
We now beg to make the following remarks: some indi¬ 
vidual (evidently “ E. B.”) went to our establishment in 
Bruton Street, last week (we believe on the 21st), and asked 
if they had a preparation of magnetic iron and quinine; he 
was told they had not; he then produced the identical pre¬ 
scription we had made up at Oxford, and was politely told it 
was a compound of the sulphates of magnesia, iron and qui¬ 
nine, and where he could obtain it; we were therefore ex¬ 
tremely surprised to see his uncalled-for letter, especially as 
it is our invariable practice to give every information which 
may be desired of us. 
It is evident that your correspondent has a sinister motive 
in view, for after taking the trouble to translate the prescrip¬ 
tion for him, which he was unable to do, and to tell him where 
he could procure the medicine, it is too bad that he should 
-drag our names in such an invidious manner into print. 
Oxford, Dec. 27th, 1870. Hitchcock and Sons. 
[*y* The letter of our correspondent E. B. was inserted at 
the moment of going to press, and under the belief that it 
was a bond fide request for information. We do not now per¬ 
ceive that it was otherwise, or that there was any intention 
to annoy Messrs. Hitchcock.— Ed. Ph. Journ.] 
Pharmacy in Ireland. 
Sir,—In their efforts to secure rights analogous to, and a 
basis as nearly as possible resembling, that which governs the 
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the Chemists and 
Druggists’ Association of Ireland would deem it a favour if 
the members of that Society, individually or as a body, if oc¬ 
casion require, would exercise their influence with members 
ot Parliament on the introduction into Parliament of the 
draft Pharmacy Act of the Apothecaries’ Hall Company of 
Ireland. We look on the said Draft Act, as at present com¬ 
piled, as unjust,—a barrier to the future progress of our Asso¬ 
ciation, in its ultimate working a monopoly, and in no way 
likely to supply the grievous want so ably filled by the Phar- 
jnaceutical Society of Great Britain. 
The importance of the subject to us, Sir, will be, I trust, a 
sufficient excuse for trespassing so much on your valuable 
space. 
_ Henry Flint. 
Laboratory, 108, Patrick Street, Cork. 
A Point of Ethics. 
Sir,—“ Chemicus ” will be good enough to remember that 
the point at issue is not the mode of dispensing prescriptions 
containing morphia, etc. 
He has not yet disproved the assertion that acid, sulph. dil. 
is not to be added to a mixture containing quinine unless 
specified. 
There are eminent medical men here and elsewhere that 
frequently specify that the quinine is not to be dissolved 
unless specially ordered. 
Bath, Dec. 27th, 1870. D. T. W. 
Sir,—With reference to the prescription alluded to by 
“ Magnesia,” I see that “ Chemicus ” still adheres to his asser¬ 
tion that the medical man forgot to add the acid, sulph. dil., 
and as proof is wanting, I think it best to give him the benefit 
of the doubt; but I quite agree with you that your corre¬ 
spondents were not justified in adding acid, sulph. dil. 
If such was allowable, it would produce a rivalry amongst 
dispensers, as to who could supply the same medicine so as 
to present the most elegant appearance, regardless of the 
wishes of the prescriber or the comfort of his patients. I 
quite agree with “ Chemicus ” that a dispenser is justified, and 
in duty bound, to use his discretion in compounding a medical 
man’s prescription (for medical men, like ourselves, are often 
pressed for time, and a slip of the pen might be productive of 
serious results); but he has no business to touch it up to suit 
his own fancy, and if any alteration be necessary, it is his 
duty to refer to the medical man. About a month ago the 
following prescription was handed to me to be dispensed, and 
was supplied accordingly:— 
R. Potass® Chlor. 3ij 
Quin® Sulph. gr. viij 
Acid. Sulph. Dil. 5i 
Syr. Limonis 5jj 
Aqu® ad ^viij 
M. 3j Itis horis. 
When the medicine was finished, the same person brought 
the empty bottle and presented a prescription containing the 
same ingredients as the above, minus the acid, sulph. dil. 
It immediately occurred to me that the acid had been for¬ 
gotten, especially as the medical man sometimes prescribed 
acid, citric, with chlorate of potash and quinine, but as I had 
not an opportunity of referring to him, I felt bound to dis¬ 
pense the prescription as ordered, and of course I did so. 
A few days after I happened to mention the circumstance 
to the medical man, who told me that he omitted to add the 
acid, as his patient complained of the medicine causing irri¬ 
tation of the bowels, and that the omission had produced a 
satisfactory result. 
Imagine the annoyance of the medical man and the dis¬ 
comfort of his patient if I had presumed to act upon the 
suggestion of “ Chemicus of twenty years' standing.” 
Darlington, Dec. 26th, i.870. J. Swenden. 
Dispensing Charges. 
Sir,—There can be no doubt that the plan proposed by 
“ W. Wilkinson” in last week’s Journal is most valuable, 
and would tend to lessen the great evil of different charges 
for the same prescription when dispensed at different shops; 
but still I fancy it would meet but half the difficulty. I have 
been in business for over twenty years, and in a town of about 
7000 inhabitants. There are two chemists besides myself; 
often they undersell me and as often I undersell them, not 
intentionally on my part, and I am willing to believe not on 
theirs; but how is it to be avoided? For all trade commu¬ 
nication between us we might as well live fifty miles apart; 
and I see no chance of effecting a better state of things till 
all in a town or district will agree to meet, say once a month, 
and, sinking all petty jealousies, talk over business matters in 
an amicable and friendly spirit. If this could be brought about, 
I am sure the evils so often complained of in your Journal 
would be much lessened. 
Just to give an example of low charges. Some time since 
a commercial traveller (in the drapery line) brought me a 
prescription for an 8 oz. mixture, and on calling for it a little 
time afterwards, put down a shilling on the counter. I said 
I could not possibly charge less than Is. 6d. for it.. “Oh,” 
said he, “I never pay more than a shilling.” I insisted on 
the fairness of my charge, and the result has been that from 
