720 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[March 4, 1871. 
possesses this property; and I have generally found that re¬ 
distillation of a deliquescent article (rejecting the last portions 
that come over) produces a perfectly non-deliquescent cake. 
I have not as yet been able to determine the precise cause of 
this deliquescence, but I consider it to be due to some im¬ 
purity of a higher boiling-point than the pure hydrate. At 
any rate I have always found that the last portions which 
come over are the most prone to absorb moisture. 
The following table will speak for itself:— 
Theoretical quantity of chloroform from pure hydrate 
chloral, 72'20 per cent. 
Theoretical quantity of chloroform from pure alcohol ate 
chloral, 6T75 per cent. 
Boiling 
point. 
Chloro¬ 
form 
present. 
Dunn, Squire and Co. ... A cake . 
>) >) » • • • B }) • 
)> » » • • • c ,, • 
33 33 33 ... D ,, * 
33 .33 33 ... E „ . 
Yon Martius and Mendelsohn crystal . 
„ „ powder . 
„ ,, cake . . 
De Haen . cake . . 
Saame . „ . . 
97° 
97° 
96o 
97° 
97° 
97° 
96° 
97o 
97° 
96° 
70- 5 
69- 5 
71- 5 
71-0 
70- 5 
71- 0 
7P5 
70-5 
70-0 
70.5 
I gather from these results that there is little or no prac¬ 
tical difference in quality of the principal makes of hydrate of 
chloral, and that the alarm caused by Mr. Mason’s paper is 
entirely unfounded. 
That Mr. Mason conducted his experiments with care I 
can well believe, but if so, there must have been some 
error. As he does not describe his method in detail, I 
am unable to criticize it; but it is at least remarkable that 
it gave perfectly satisfactory results in the case of the so- 
called guaranteed article which he has taken under his pro¬ 
tection, while it failed altogether when applied to the other 
makes. As he has raised the question of the fraudulent sub¬ 
stitution of alcoholate for hydrate, I thought it worth while 
to inquire how far such a case was probable. I have 
therefore prepared some considerable quantity of the alcoho¬ 
late as an experiment, and I find that it is somewhat more 
costly to make than the hydrate. The process employed 
for preparing hydrate of chloral must effectually remove every 
trace of alcohol from it; and even if this were not necessarily 
the case, the interest of the manufacturer would lead him to 
supply the hydrate rather than the alcoholate. 
W. Stevens Squire, Ph.D. 
Langthorne Chemical Works, Stratford, Feb. 14 th, 1871. 
In further reference to this subject, Messrs. Domeier 
and Co. desire to state that the sample, No. 8, examined 
by Mr. Mason, as representing the manufacture of Messrs. 
De Haen, has been foimd on re-examination to yield 64’37 
per cent, of chloroform, whereas Mr. Mason’s original result 
indicated a yield of only 55'6. They add that the result 
of this discussion clearly shows that the manufacture of Messrs. 
De Haen is really what it is represented to be, pure hydrate 
of chloral, and they express their gratitude to Mr. Mason 
for having assisted to establish this fact. 
Messrs. Schoetensack desire to state that the chloral hydrate 
manufactured by Saame, of Gottingen, has been examined for 
them by Mr. K. Muller, who objects to the ammonia test, 
and adopted in preference treatment with solution of caustic 
potash (without heat). In this way he has found the chloral 
hydrate made by Saame to yield 71'4 to7l‘9 per cent, of chlo¬ 
roform. These results, as we have already stated, have been 
certified by Professor Wohler. 
Messrs. Gehe and Co., of Dresden, object to Mr. Mason’s 
result (No. 9) as not possessing any value until he has shown 
from what stock, and in what manner the sample in question 
was obtained. -. 
Irish Pharmacy. 
Sir,—Some time ago you called attention to the change 
proposed to be effected in the law regulating pharmacy in 
Ireland, and invited correspondents interested in the matter 
to express their opinions thereon. As an Irish apothecary 
who confines himself, like many others, exclusively to the 
business of the pharmaceutical chemist, I wish as briefly as 
possible to express my opinion of the proposed change. As 
you state in your article of January 28th, “a chemist and 
druggist is allowed to vend drugs to any extent, but is abso¬ 
lutely prohibited, under fear of a heavy penalty, from making 
up a single prescription.” This has been the law for nearly a 
century; and I met the difficulty at once, in common with 
many others, by becoming an apothecary before commencing 
business. Some gentlemen who had been in business for 
years, I have known to attend their classes and obtain the 
necessary qualification. 
I believe that the apothecaries would have no objection 
whatever to admit the pharmaceutical chemists (by examina¬ 
tion) to all the privileges, as regards pharmacy, which thev 
themselves enjoy, and I -would wish to see a pharmaceutical 
society for Ireland; but I decidedly do object to any altera¬ 
tion in the law by which an inferior class of men would be 
permitted to dispense medicine in this country. The drug¬ 
gists at present in existence have no right to complain; they 
entered the trade with all the advantages and disadvantages 
it at present possesses, and they cannot reasonably expect to 
be placed on a footing with men who have spent much time 
and money in procuring the necessary qualification. 
The medical men in Ireland have gradually given up com - 
pounding their own prescriptions, owing in a great measure 
to the efficiency of the apothecaries; but I believe that the 
inevitable result of a radical change, by which druggists, 
under a modified examination, might be admitted to perform 
the duties of dispensers, would be to force the profession to 
compound their own prescriptions, lest they might be taken 
by their patients to incompetent persons. 
In England all your recent endeavours have been to raise 
the status of the druggist, and I have gladly seen the different 
steps taken by the Pharmaceutical Society in this direction, 
but I would earnestly deprecate the retrograde movement 
contemplated in this country. 
The great difference between the two countries is, that 
while in England any person so disposed could sell drugs and 
compound medicines, in Ireland, while any incompetent per¬ 
son might do the former he could not do the latter. This, I 
think, most persons will admit to be an advantage to the^ 
people of this country. 
In conclusion, I would wish to see a Bill passed by which 
the Irish apothecary, or pharmaceutical chemist if you will, 
should—without studying medicine or surgery—be compelled 
to be thoroughly well educated in botany, chemistry, materia 
medica and all things relating to his business. To this, I 
think, no English chemist or Irish druggist ought to object. 
_ Aliquis. 
F. Faynor (Durham).— Modified Examination. —Candi¬ 
dates will be required to read autograph prescriptions, trans¬ 
late them into English, render a correct translation of the 
directions for use, and detect unusual doses. To weigh, mea¬ 
sure, and compound medicines, write the directions in suitable 
language, finish and properly direct each package. To recog¬ 
nize the Pharmacopoeia chemicals in frequent demand, and 
specimens of roots, barks, leaves, fruits, resins, and gums in 
ordinary use; the following plants, either in a fresh or dried 
state, or from plates:—belladonna, stramonium, hyoscyamus, 
conium, aconitum, digitalis, and sabina; also to estimate the 
quality of each specimen submitted and its freedom from 
adulteration. To recognize the preparations of the Pharma¬ 
copoeia which are not of a definite chemical nature, such as 
extracts, tinctures, and powders, and give the proportions of 
the more active ingredients. 
Capability of passing this examination would proba¬ 
bly be acquired better and more readily by cultivating the or¬ 
dinary faculties of observation than by any kind of books. 
For that the every-day experience of a well-regulated pharmacy 
ought to afford ample opportunity.—E d. Pharm. Jotjrn.] 
Lux. —Yes. 
W. Lea (Dorchester).—Recipes for making Brilliantine 
will be found on p. 437. 
W. W. (Exeter).—Passing the Minor Examination is suffi¬ 
cient qualification for entering business on your own account 
as a Chemist and Druggist, but not as a Pharmaceutical 
Chemist. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. J. Ince, Mr. W. Southall, Mr. C. A. Staples, Mr. J. Noad, 
Mr. W. Hills, Mr. W. Hartley, Mr. J. Birt, Mr. C. Ekin, Mr. 
C. Pierson, G. W., F. O., H. R. H., W. H. P., E. W., “ A 
Medical Assistant,” “ Conservo,” “Iodi,” “Did Student, 
“Farina,” “ Sincarf.” 
