February 13,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
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mechanical safeguards, there are less mistakes (and no fata¬ 
lities) than in other places where stringent and burdensome 
regulations are imposed upon the assistants. 
I would then say to the Council, advise by all means, but 
compel by no means. Recollect that you now represent the 
whole trade (not our Society only), and you are in duty 
bound to show the Privy Council how unsatisfactory such 
piecemeal and tinkering legislation as has been indulged in 
on the subject of “poisons” is and must be, if not to all, at 
least to a large majority. 
Liverpool. Alfred Utley. 
Sir,—With regard to the third regulation proposed by the 
Council, that “ all poisons be sent out in bottles, readily dis¬ 
tinguishable by touch from ordinary medicine bottles,” I think 
a clause should be inserted making it illegal to sell in poison- 
bottles anything which has to be taken internally. 
Poison bottles are of no use if one sells medicines in them, 
and the public will bring such bottles for syr. rhei, spt. aeth. 
nitr., etc. 
I respectfully suggest the above for the consideration of the 
Council. 
Sheffield. Edward Barbee. 
Sir,—Respecting the “keeping and dispensing of poisons,” 
I think the chemists, as a body of men, ought not to inter¬ 
fere with the proceedings of the Pharmaceutical Society; but 
rather support its efforts in trying to promote our interest. 
The simple regulations set forth by the Council cannot in any 
way inconvenience us, as such regulations already exist or 
ought to exist in our establishments; and as for thinking 
them compulsory, why we had better be compelled (if such is 
the case) by our own Council, which, does so for our best, than 
by the Medical Council or by others, who would only be too 
glad to interfere, if but an opportunity be allowed. There is 
one thing which I hope will be the issue of this subject, viz. 
that the regulations will apply to the medical men who keep 
open shop as well as to the chemists, and then I do not see 
how we can have any objection to them. I made use of the 
words “own Council,” because I feel that the interest and 
promotion of the profession rests with the Society, with which 
our children and grandchildren will ultimately have to do in 
some shape or other, if they mean to follow the profession, 
therefore we ought to do our best to uphold and support the 
Society. I have, at present, nothing whatever to do with the 
Society, but I shall certainly take the first opportunity to 
send my name in for election, and I would urge upon us all 
to do the same, that we may all be under the same standard. 
730, Old Kent Hoad, S.F. J. S. S. 
Sir,—I have read the statement which the Secretary of the 
Pharmaceutical Society has issued by order of the Council, 
and have given it my most serious attention ; but I am bound 
to say that I cannot see any sufficient reason why the Council 
should still persist in proposing regulations regarding the 
keeping, dispensing and selling of poisons. 
With reference to the keeping and dispensing of powerful 
remedies,—for I prefer this designation,—the chemists’ own 
material interest, saying nothing of those moral considera¬ 
tions which I believe to be the primary object of a vast majo¬ 
rity of our members, gives more security than any which 
legislation can provide. 
Then, with regard to the sale of poisons. This question 
I consider has been most satisfactorily settled by law. The 
Arsenic Act was very important and proper, having quite 
a different bearing to the keeping and dispensing of powerful 
remedies. The public had a right to such restriction, as a 
means of thwarting criminal intention, and of checking evil- 
disposed persons in their path, through fear of leaving foot¬ 
prints behind. 
After forty years’ responsible practice, with its experience, 
I come to the conclusion that to present to our customers’ 
eyes emblems of death is unwise, but that they should rather 
be taught that many of our medicines are powerful and im¬ 
portant agents in the cure and alleviation of human diseases, 
requiring the most careful attention, for which we cannot, 
reasonably speaking, be paid too much. 
I have been connected with the Society from its founda¬ 
tion, and feel proud of the position it has attained, and I fer¬ 
vently hope the Council, seeing the pain these poison regula¬ 
tions are occasioning a vast majority of its members, will re¬ 
trace its steps, and report at the next general meeting “that 
it is of opinion it is unnecessary to propose any regulations 
for the storing, keeping and dispensing of poisons, believing 
that the rapid advancement pharmacy is making in this 
country will be the best public security.” 
Kilburn, February 13 th, 1871. John Beaton. 
Sir,—The explanations which the Council of the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society have given of the proposed regulations for the 
keeping and dispensing of poisons, will do much to make them 
acceptable to the chemists generally. I, for one, must acknow¬ 
ledge my dulness of intellect in thinking that by adopting 
any one of the proposed systems, it would apply to all poisons, 
and not as is now explained by the Council, that some of the 
poisons could be kept in a closet set apart for dangerous 
articles, and another portion of them on the shelves amongst 
the other bottles, provided the bottles or vessels containing 
poisons are either capped or tied over or rendered readily dis¬ 
tinguishable to the touch. The delay of twelve months has 
not been wasted, but during that time the proposed regu¬ 
lations have been so much improved that they can now be 
carried out in any shop with very little trouble or expense, 
and need not interfere with the present arrangement of the 
bottles. The regulation relating to the dispensing of poisons 
is very simple. There will be no necessity to have specially- 
made bottles to send out liniments, lotions and embrocations 
in. Any bottle will meet the requirements of the regulations, 
if a piece of glass or sand-paper or other roughened material 
is pasted on the side or back of the bottle. But to make this 
clause thoroughly effectual, I think another is rendered neces¬ 
sary, prohibiting the sending out of medicines intended for 
internal use in the distinctive bottles used for internal reme¬ 
dies. Without some such regulation the distinctive bottle 
will be used for some internal remedy, and, probably, one 
day we shall find that the regulation has caused to be done 
the very thing it was intended to prevent, by the liniment 
being taken instead of the simple remedy from a family recipe. 
As I expressed in my letter (which was allowed to appear in the 
number of the Journal for March last) an opinion that the 
corrugated bottle was best adapted for general use, I will 
again point out its easy application to all classes of trade. If 
an ordinary medicine bottle w r as taken to a chemist to have 
a liniment put into it, all that would have to be done would 
be to stick a piece of roughened paper on its side or back, and 
it would be converted into a distinctive bottle; then, if a 
bottle so converted was taken for medicine for internal use, 
it would only be necessary to scrape off the roughened 
surface, and it again becomes an ordinary medicine bottle. 
Many chemists object to being trammelled with regulations 
whilst the surgeon is free to keep and dispense his jjoisons as 
he likes. I believe there is even greater need for the regula¬ 
tions to be applied to the surgery than the shop. But I trust 
this necessity will soon disappear by the surgeon handing 
over the dispensing to the chemist. Anyhow, the public will 
learn that there is greater safety in getting their medicine 
dispensed where every precaution is taken to prevent accidents 
than where no system whatever is adopted, and where even 
most deadly poisons may occasionally be found in bottles 
without labels of any kind on them. 
Fochdale, February 14 th, 1871. Ralph Robinson. 
Sir,—In reading the various letters which have appeared 
in your Journal on the proposed poison regulations, I have 
regretted that most of them were not so conciliatory as they 
might have been, as it is very evident that the Council have sim¬ 
ply a sincere desire to promote the general welfare of the trade, 
and are ready to take into their consideration every reasonable 
objection which may be pointed out to them. I am opposed 
to regulations for the storing of poisons, not, however, as it 
affects dispensing chemists, but on account of the difficulty 
which some must experience in those parts where they deal 
largely in poisonous drugs and chemicals for manufacturing, 
etc., purposes. I have no doubt, however, that the Council will 
try to meet this difficulty to the best of their ability. If, as Mr. 
Jones states in his letter, “ we never allow preparations to pass 
through our hands without proper recognition, poisoning 
would become a thing of the past, and we should then have 
accomplished w T hat the storing of poisons can never attain.” 
In conclusion, I would briefly state that what seems the 
most unpleasant part in this matter of legislation is, that 
public dispensaries and surgeries, etc. should be exempt from 
it. I hope in the meantime that the subject will be tho¬ 
roughly ventilated before the Annual Meeting. 
Manchester, February 14 th, 1871. E. A\ alsh. 
