February 18,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
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who had the largest experience in dispensing were 
amongst the most anxious to avail themseves of all 
possible precautions, whether mechanical or moral, 
against accidents. He was desirous to do so also ; and, 
indeed, with Mr. Boucher, believed there were but few 
pharmacists throughout the country who not only felt 
as earnestly upon the matter as he did himself, but 
who would have approved these “ regulations” warmly, 
had they only been presented as “recommendations.” 
He believed that what had produced the show of op¬ 
position to them was the fear that, as the existing 
legal power to enforce their observance was mani¬ 
festly insufficient, the adoption of them as compulsory 
would bo tantamount to a pledge to support some 
further legal enactments, which, to be efficacious, must 
of necessity be inquisitorial. This view had presented 
itself strongly to his own mind, though ho had never 
before publicly expressed it, and had made him regard 
the whole business, highly as he approved the substance 
of the regulations, with a good deal of distrust. He 
could not endure the notion of inspection, and yet with¬ 
out it he could not see how these “ regulations ” could 
be rendered compulsory. There was a sentence in the 
circular the meeting had just heard read, which he in¬ 
terpreted as a disclaimer on the part of the Council of 
any intention to push what legal power they possessed 
to a vexatious issue; he should not, therefore, press 
upon the Association a resolution he had prepared, re¬ 
questing definite information from the Council upon this 
very point; but he thought all the more that “ compul- 
pulsory regulations,” which were not be enforced, had 
better be called by their proper name—“recommenda¬ 
tions.” 
After a general discussion of a conversational character, 
in which the details of the proposed regulations were con¬ 
sidered, it appeared to be the feeling of the meeting that 
it was desirable that the agitation upon the subject of poi¬ 
son regulations should be set at rest, by accepting the pro¬ 
position of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, 
which appeared to satisfy the requirements of the Privy 
Council. The following resolution was therefore pro¬ 
posed by Mr. Giles, seconded by Mr. Boucher, and 
carried without a division:—“ That this meeting ap¬ 
proves of the regulations proposed by the Council of the 
Pharmaceutical Society, in concert with the Privy Coun¬ 
cil, for the keeping and dispensing of poisons, and autho¬ 
rizes the Council of this Association to take measures at 
their discretion for supporting the action of the Council 
of the Society at the Annual Meeting in May next.” 
HULL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
At the usual monthly meeting of the Hull Chemists’ 
Association, the proposed poison regulations were dis¬ 
cussed, when it was unanimously resolved, “That the 
attempt to enforce uniformity throughout the kingdom 
in the keeping and storing of poisons by chemists, would, 
if successful, be likely in the first instance to result in 
greatly increased risk by disarranging existing plans, 
without any probable ultimate benefit to either the pub¬ 
lic or the trade, and such proposed regulations arc in the 
opinion of this meeting unnecessary.” 
CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 
At the Meeting of the Chemical Society on the 2nd of 
Eebruary, Professor Frankland, P.R.S., read a paper 
on “The Development of Fungi in Potable Water.” 
He first alluded to Mr. Heisch’s experiments on waters 
contaminated with sewaqe matter. The addition of 
sugar gave rise to a kind of fermentation, and a rich 
fungoid growth made its appearance. Professor Frank- 
land, in repeating those experiments, has arrived, with 
one or two exceptions, at the same result. But lie also 
met with some reactions which were at first difficult to 
explain. On the 26th of November last, he collected at 
Mr. Hope’s irrigation farm at Romford, a sample of 
effluent water from one of the drain outfalls. This, 
water consisted of Romford sewage, which had percolated 
through four or five feet of loose gravelly soil to the tile- 
drains below. It was clear, but still contained much 
unoxidized sewage, as was shown by the following results,, 
obtained upon analysis :— 
100-000 parts contained— 
Total solid impurity in solution . 
85-600 
Organic carbon. 
0-844 
Organic nitrogen. 
0-233 
Ammonia. 
0-040 
Nitrogen as nitrates and nitrites . 
1-143 
Total combined nitrogen . . . 
1-419 
Chlorine. 
9-300 
Temporary hardness. 
27-950 
Permanent ,, . 
20-600 
Total „ . 
48*550 
The proportion of organic carbon was three times, 
and that of organic nitrogen ten times, as great as that 
found in unpolluted water, whilst the comparatively 
large proportion of ammonia showed that the oxidation 
of organic matter was still incomplete. Nevertheless,, 
this water, mixed with the proper proportion of sugar, 
and maintained at a temperature of about 70° F., re¬ 
mained perfectly transparent for weeks. The result of 
the next experiment was still more remarkable. Two 
samples of the Grand Junction Company’s water were 
mixed with sugar in the usual way. One of them was. 
drawn from a foul, uncovered cistern over and within a 
water-closet; the other from a clean slate cistern, and 
filtered through 30 or 40 lbs. of animal charcoal. The 
water from the foul cistern remained transparent for 
weeks, whilst that drawn from the clear cistern through 
animal charcoal soon became turbid, and in three days- 
produced abundant fungoid growths. To test Mr. 
Heisch’s statement that filtration through well-airccl 
animal charcoal prevented these growths even in foul 
water, Professor Frankland passed a rapid current of air 
through the filter for about fifteen minutes, and left it 
exposed to air for six hours. The result, however, was 
the same; Grand Junction water drawn through it im¬ 
mediately after aeration, when mixed with sugar, be¬ 
haved exactly as before. These experiments seem to 
indicate that the presence of a phosphate was in some 
way connected with the production of the fungoid 
growths and other living organisms, for it is known 
that water dissolves traces of calcic phosphate from 
animal charcoal, and this supposition was strengthened 
when Professor Frankland found that the effluent water 
from the sewage farm at Romford contained no detect¬ 
able trace of phosphoric acid, the plants and poor soil of 
this newly-cultivated farm having, doubtless, removed 
all phosphates from the percolating sewage. The hy¬ 
pothesis of the dependence of fungoid and other growths 
upon the presence of phosphates was further supported 
by the results of the following experiments :— 
A sample of the Grand Junction Company’s water- 
mixed with sugar remained perfectly clear for twelve- 
days ; minute quantities of ammonic nitrate and sodic 
phosphate were then added; three days later, it swarmed 
with very active vibrios and cells with bright nuclei; 
subsequently very luxuriant branched fungoid threads 
were developed, the mixture emitting a strong ferment 
odour, which, a few days later, became horribly offen¬ 
sive. 
A sample of the Southwark Company’s water mixed 
with sugar remained for nineteen days perfectly clear ; 
small quantities of ammonic nitrate and sodic phosphate 
were then added. In a few days it was crowded with 
vibrios and monads: later it was found to contain the 
characteristic mycelial fibres. 
The usual proportion of sugar was added to a sample 
