January 7, 1871.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
550 
The present arrangement of keeping poisons in a separate 
apartment or cupboard is, no doubt, to a great extent, a 
satisfactory precaution; but it must have an improvement, 
as the dangers are equally bad as, if not worse than, that of 
mixing them with the usual drugs. 
We have had several suggestions on this point. A very 
useful and practical one came from Mr. Proctor. He recom¬ 
mended “that all poisons intended for internal use as medi¬ 
cines, the usual adult dose of which is less than one drachm, 
shall bear a label immediately 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.” He also suggests, “ that if a 
pobon-cupboard or other additional precaution be deemed 
necessary, it should only apply to such poisons the adult 
dose of which does not exceed 5 grains, thus liberating the 
tincture and wine of opium, etc., from the poison-cupboard, 
and liberating paregoric elixir and syrup of poppies from any 
restriction regarding their storage.” 
In the many suggestions we have had, this seems to be the 
one that is the most useful, and the one which should be 
specially laid before the Council for their consideration at the 
next discussion on this very important subject. 
What can be a safer guide to the dispenser, than to have 
the bottle distinctly labelled with the dose, and the word 
•“ poison” placed as prominently as suggested by him ? 
The doses of medicines are very apt to escape the memory of 
the most careful; but having it constantly before him is of 
the utmost importance. He knows then that the quantity he 
pui s in a mixture is safe. 
To this very useful suggestion I would wish to add another. 
In the keeping of the cupboard, one very necessary thing 
ought to be attended to, that is, the bottles which contain 
powders of a similar appearance, ought to be of a different 
•character. For instance, strychnine, morphia and emetic 
tartar, ought to be more conspicuous than those less danger¬ 
ous. The same rule should also apply to liquids; Seheele’s 
liydrocA’anic acid ought to be in a different-coloured bottle 
from that of the acid of the B. P. strength. 
To arrive at some definite result respecting this most im¬ 
portant and very necessary Act, we must put aside antagonism 
and petty prejudices, and ask ourselves whether the rules are 
so very troublesome that we cannot carry them out. We 
must do our utmost to assist the Council as much as possible, 
and let us bear in mind that they are a body of practical and 
intelligent men, anxious to promote our Avelfare and raise us 
to something higher than we have hitherto been. I had 
commenced this letter early last Aveek, Avith the intention of 
submitting it to you for insertion in last week’s Journal, but 
Christmas festivities interfered with my finishing it. I trust, 
hoAvever, it is not too late to point out to Mr. Vizer the mis¬ 
take he has made. 
January 3rd, 1871. JonN Dowling Allman. 
Infusions. 
Sir,—I have only noiv seen Mr. Allchin’s paper on Infu¬ 
sions, Avhich appeared in your Journal of the 17th inst. I 
hope you will allow me space for a few words on this subject, 
and they shall be as few as possible, for the matter lies (as I 
conceive) in a nutshell. 
It seems to be generally agreed by several Avriters on the 
subject in your Journal, that fresh infusions are to be pre¬ 
ferred to those of a concentrated form. I think if this be 
conceded, it can only be when those infusions really are made 
fresh daily; at least, one can only be sure of it then. I know 
very well what frequently happens when freshly made infusions 
are bottled and put on one side till they are wanted. They 
may be, and no doubt are, very good sometimes, Avhen Avanted 
a day or tAvo afterwards; but I knoAvthey are very often kept 
in that way too long, and sometimes until they are unfit for 
use, and there is so great a temptation to use them (no con¬ 
centrated infusion, perhaps, being at hand) when they are, 
at all eA’ents, in a partly decomposed state. Surely a care- 
iully prepared concentrated infusion must be better than that. 
I know it is all very well in theory to talk of using none 
but treshly-made infusions, but it cannot always be, save in 
houses doing a large dispensing business. They can and 
they do, no doubt, make those fresh infusions every morning 
Avhich are likely to be wanted during the day, and their large 
daily consumption of such warrants them and repays them 
for so doing; but chemists in general cannot do this. It 
would be a great loss to them w T ere they to make fresh infusions 
daily and throw away those not used, and so in self-defence 
they must use concentrated infusions. I say in self-defence, 
and thus it is so. A person, for instance, takes a prescription 
to one of the large dispensing houses, and has a mixture 
made up containing some ordinary infusion. The mixture is 
made at once, and the customer takes it away Avith him. 
Some day, when again wanting that mixture, he takes the 
prescription to some other chemist, Avho tells him it will take 
an hour or so to prepare. The customer is, of course, very 
much surprised, and probably all the explanation in the Avorld 
will fail to convince him but that this chemist is “a muff,” 
and though he may consent to ha\'e his mixture made there 
then, he determines not to go to that shop again. So it is to 
meet this, or rather to prevent this, chemists, not doing a 
dispensing business which will Avarrant them in keeping fresh 
infusions ready, must use concentrated infusions to enable 
them to compete Avith the larger houses. 
There can be no doubt, I think, that infusions can be so 
prepared as to contain all the extractive matter of the ma¬ 
terial employed in a concentrated form. Medical practitioners 
as a rule use them in the concentrated form, and find them 
answer admirably; and if vegetable extracts are to be be¬ 
lieved in at all, I cannot see Avhy they should be prescribed 
Avithout hesitation in pills, etc., and a concentrated infusion, 
which is, of course, not nearly so concentrated a preparation 
as an extract, should be objected to. For my own part I be¬ 
lieve the best plan AA r ould be to recognize concentrated infusions 
at once in our Pharmacopoeia. They are partially so, I knoAv, 
by the introduction of the formula; for ext. cinchona; liq., ext. 
Pareirse liq., etc., but I venture to think if concentrated in¬ 
fusions generally Avere recognized there, it would put an end 
to much uncertainty in the matter; it would lead to move 
uniformity in dispensing, and it would, on the whole, be 
more satisfactory alike to the prescriber, to the dispenser and 
to the patient. 
Henby Ayscough Thompson. 
22, 7 Vorship St., Finsbury Sq., London, F.C. 
27 th December, 1870. 
Pbescbibing and Dispensing. 
Sir,—I presume the time is approaching Avhen medical 
men will no more be their own dispensers than architects 
their oaatl builders. The anomalous position of prescribers 
and pharmacists is doomed, but good service may yet be done 
in clearing the way. 
Are medical men gainers by dispensing ? I doubt it much. 
Dispensing implies a stock of medicine and implements, the 
value of A\diich is money sunk;—it often implies the salary 
of an assistant; it always implies employment inconsistent 
with the duties of a prescriber. Again, it deprives medical 
men of the support of pharmacists, and gives them opposing 
interests. Who loses most by this false position ? Surely 
prescribers. Medical men can doubtless do much for che¬ 
mists, but chemists can do more for medical men. What 
chemist, possessing in any degree the confidence of the public, 
does not knoAV that scarcely a day passes Avhen he could not 
transfer an applicant to the doctor? Make it his interest to 
do so,—or rather make it unfair that he should do otherAvise 
—and the desired revolution would soon be effected. The 
practice arising from this altogether new class of patients 
would more than compensate prescribers for loss of profit on 
medicine. 
These things Avill doubtless for some time be said and re¬ 
said with more or less force before all that is included in the 
new position of pharmacy, as a recognized and legalized 
branch of the medical profession, is understood and appre¬ 
ciated. A slow crystallization is howeA r er going on, which. 
Avill gradually assign to the treaters of disease and the pre¬ 
parers of remedies their due form and position. When the 
process shall have been completed, the substantial benefits of 
the change, to both parties, will be too apparent to leaA r e an 
atom of regret for the “ good old times ” that will have come 
to an end. T. M. 
Glastonbury. - 
A Point of Ethics. 
Sir,—The only way to settle the matter in dispute relative 
to the prescription dispensed by “Magnesia” Avould be tor 
him to ask the medical man if he intended to add “ ac. sulph. 
dil.” to the mixture. In all my experience in different toAvns, 
extending over thirty-six years, I never kneAV a doctor ” but 
