January 28, 1871.3 THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
Gil 
Jljarnraceutrcitl journal. 
■-♦- 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 1871. 
Communications for this Journal,and boohs for review, etc., 
should be addressed to the Editor, 17, Bloomsbury Square. 
Instructions from 'Members and Associates respecting the 
transmission of the Journal should be sent to Elias Brem- 
EIDGE, Secretary, 17, Bloomsbury Square, 1V.C. 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street, London, IV. Envelopes endorsed “ Bharm. Journ.” 
PHARMACY IN IRELAND. 
It is probable that among the various matters 
claiming the attention of our legislators in the ap¬ 
proaching Parliamentary Session, the Pharmacy 
Bill for Ireland, proposed by the Governor and 
Company of the Apothecaries’ Hall, Dublin, will 
have a place. The Bill has been already printed in 
this Journal,'*' and doubtless has been-read by many 
interested. It does not seem to have been regarded 
with much favour by the chemists and druggists 
of Ireland; but although an expression of opinion 
was invited, and a portion of our space offered for 
the discussion of the subject, only three letters have, 
up the present time, been received. Certainly it 
seems desirable that those whom the question most 
affects should not rest contented with merely protest¬ 
ing, but that before the time arrives for the discussion 
of the Bill in Parliament they should decide among 
themselves what course they ought to take. 
That the state of affairs with regard to the practice 
of pharmacy in Ireland is anomalous has long been 
admitted. A chemist and druggist is allowed to vend 
drugs to any extent, but is absolutely prohibited, 
imder fear of a heavy penalty, from making up a 
single prescription. That portion of the business is 
confined to members of the Apothecaries’ Hall, who 
are also permitted to sell drugs. 
The law, as it at present stands, simply creates a 
monopoly which cannot be defended on the ground 
that it favours the educated pharmacist, for a man, 
however well qualified to practise that calling, is not 
allowed to do so in Ireland unless he is a member 
of the particular body mentioned. He may have 
passed the examination of the Pharmaceutical So¬ 
ciety of Great Britain and hold a diploma certifying 
that he is competent to dispense a prescription in 
England, Scotland, or Wales, but let him cross the 
St. George’s Channel and set his foot in Ireland, 
and his diploma is of no avail. Surely that skill 
which is accounted sufficient in England would be 
* No. 21, p. 405. 
equal to satisfying the requirements of the Irish 
public. 
There is no reason why the law concerning phar¬ 
macy should not be assimilated in the three king¬ 
doms. In doing this, it would be necessary to guard 
against the privilege of dispensing being accorded to 
any but those who are competent fully and conscien¬ 
tiously to carry out a prescriber’s wishes. But this 
should be done with consideration. Men who have 
been many years in business, and who have a good 
practical knowledge of it, could hardly be expected 
to enter upon a curriculum of chemistry, botany and 
materia medica. Any examination that may be in¬ 
stituted should be capable of being modified to 
meet these and similar cases in Ireland ; and per¬ 
sons who have once satisfied the requirements of the 
English law ought to be allowed to practise there 
without any further examination. 
POISON REGULATIONS. 
Our readers will perceive that we have again some 
long communications on tliis subject, which deserve 
attention as representing various views. We have 
also during the last few weeks published some in¬ 
formation as to the state of opinion and law in Ca¬ 
nada and the State of New York respecting the sale 
of poisons. The present Journal contains a num¬ 
ber of recent cases of poisoning, illustrating some of 
the modes in which accidents happen. Both these 
and the papers above referred to afford matter for 
reflection, though they cannot be expected to deter¬ 
mine the regulation question. In regard to that, it 
appears there are some who maintain there should 
be regulations, some who maintain there should not 
be any, and others who declare they will not have 
them. Which of these three views is to rule the 
action of the Society is clearly a matter for decision 
by vote, and meanwhile we endeavour to fulfil our 
part by furnishing all available information on the 
subject. 
An amusing instance of popular posology occurred 
this week in the report of a case of poisoning given 
by one of the London daily newspapers. It was 
there stated that death arose from an overdose’ of 
opium, “ the deceased having taken a drachm and a 
half, whereas the full dose was only a drachm.” 
A crowded audience assembled in the theatre 
of the London Institution on the occasion of the 
Conversazione on Wednesday evening last, to hear 
Professor Tyndall lecture on “Dust and Disease.” 
The discourse, which "was a very eloquent one, 
was a repetition, with some variations, of his cele¬ 
brated lecture on the same subject at the lloyal 
Institution. 
