740 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[March 11,1871, 
as the Society are compelled by law to place all pharmaceu¬ 
tical chemists, chemists and druggists, and associates on the 
Register, which Register shall be admit ted in all courts of law. 
An Associate of ’53 by Examination. 
A “ City Pharmacist ” writes to protest against submitting 
to an innovation “ useless, foreign and tyrannical,” to express 
his “confidencein Messrs. Brown, Bottle, Savage and Woolley,” 
and to suggest that “ the opinion of every chemist be taken 
by vote.” In such case he believes the majority would pro¬ 
nounce against any “ further interference ” with the trade. 
Sir,—To-day a gentleman handed me a prescription as 
follows: — 
R. Tr. Gentian. Co. f^iiiss 
Acid. Hydrochlor. Dil. 
„ Nitric, dil. aa f3ii. 
M. ft. Guttae. 
Inquiring my charge for the same, on my replying 2s. 6d., 
he withdrew the prescription from my hand, saying, “ the 
charges in this town were exorbitant and out of all propor¬ 
tion ; the mixture only contained gentian and hydrochloric 
acid, which would not cost more here than at Tunbridge 
Wells and other places, where he had paid Is. 6d. for it.” 
I politely hinted that I thought such a charge would not be 
made at Tunbridge Wells, but he assured me the prescription 
had been dispensed there several times at that price. 
Now I do think at the present time, when we are about 
taking upon ourselves increased duties as a protection to the 
public, such miserable charges should be abandoned, for surely 
no one conversant with our business will contend that Is. 6d. 
is a sufficient remuneration for the above prescription; and 
any man charging this price does not act fairly either to 
himself or his brother chemists. 
I should like to add a few words respecting the proposed 
regulations for keeping and dispensing poisons. I have read 
a great deal the last few weeks about the supposed hardships 
and annoyances to which the trade will be subjected, in case 
the proposed regulations become law. Now I feel sure a can¬ 
did consideration of what they entail, when carried into prac¬ 
tice, would strip them of half their terrors. 
All will admit that at the present time more precautions 
arc taken against accidents in the better-class dispensing 
businesses than in mixed country businesses; and although 
this partly arises from the supposed greater difficulty in car¬ 
rying them out in the latter cases, I feel persuaded the will 
to do, together with a little ingenuity in the doing, would 
overcome all obstacles, and I speak with a practical know¬ 
ledge of that class of business. 
Could not the casks in the warehouse containing arsenic, 
sheep dipping, etc., be provided with lids and secured by a 
padlock ? Also the acid, hydrocyan., the various alkaloids and 
their solutions, and the more potent poisons, be consigned to 
a cupboard, the key of which should be in charge of the prin¬ 
cipal, and only opened in his presence, or by his permission, 
instead of, as is too often the case at present, these things 
standing side by side with innocent preparations, probably on 
a shelf at the back of other bottles, with every chance of a 
mistake being made by a young apprentice. Then again, the 
laudanum bottle may be transferred from its vicinity to the 
Tr. Rhei to some corner, besides being rendered distinctive 
by a strip of sand paper or leather cap. Surely such precau¬ 
tions as these are not very onerous, and their observance 
must impress the mind of the apprentice with an idea of the 
potency of the articles he is using. If therefore it be once ad¬ 
mitted that these regulations will be found practicable, I think 
we may dismiss any fears as to vexatious proceedings likely 
to be adopted to inquire into their observance, for the law 
has no terrors to those who carry out its provisions. 
It has been strongly insisted upon by some that there is 
more need of these restrictions being placed upon public and 
private dispensaries than upon us; now this I fully endorse, 
but surely we should be able, with a much better grace, to 
ask that they should be extended to meet these cases, when 
we could point to our own observance of them. A few acci- 
cidents like the one at Manchester, reported in a recent 
journal, would then add considerably to the force of our ar¬ 
gument. I much regret to see so much personal ill-feeling 
imported into the discussion, as it only tends to make it more 
difficult to come to an agreement. I would like to see those 
who are in favour of the regulations speak out, and so 
strengthen the hands of the Council, who I am sure have onlv 
* I 
the interests of the trade at heart, and more especially as the 
same restrictions will fall upon them as upon us. I would 
also suggest that local secretaries should call together the 
members of the trade in their districts, to talk over the sub¬ 
ject in a friendly way, which would do much, I believe, to 
smooth many difficulties, and would certainly tend to promote 
a better feeling between chemists in the same town, and allay 
much of the present trade jealousy. W. H. P. ' 
A Child Poisoned by Mistake at Manchester. 
Sir,—In justice to Mr. "Wild allow me to state that he 
(Mr. Wild) has for some time retired from practice, and con¬ 
sequently lie was not “ the man censured by the jury.” The 
practice belongs entirely to Dr. Fox, who works exces¬ 
sively hard, and, to my thinking, should not have been rated 
for the pardonable omission of his dispenser. I know the 
class of patients Dr. Fox has to deal with, and I must say I 
never met with a more careless set in the course of my exist¬ 
ence. The surgery is not an open one. 
Herts, February 2oth. A Medical Assistant. 
“ Chemicus ” and II. P. 3. are referred to the rule as to 
anonymous communications. 
“ BoetisI —Dr. Hassall’s is the famous work on food adul- 
teration, but we do not recommend it. 
J. S. JR .—The substance of your letter has already appeared 
in this Journal more than once. 
M. P. S. —It would be legal if the proprietor of the busi¬ 
ness be a Registered Chemist and Druggist within the mean¬ 
ing of the Pharmacy Act. 
W. F. C. —See the letter on this subject from the Medical 
Officer of the Privy Council, Phaem. Jotjrn. 2ndser. Vol. X_ 
p. 567. 
W. J— Phaem. Jouen. 1st ser. Vol. II. p. 649; Yol. IX. 
p. 511. 
A Member. —No. 
“ Podophyllin .”—We cannot assist our correspondent. 
W. Boyers (Maidstone).—As a memorial addressed to the- 
Council, the document of which copy is forwarded cannot be 
published before it appears in the proceedings of the Council 
meeting. 
T. Padwick .—Oleate of soda. 
F. O .—We cannot undertake to teach our correspondents 
the first principles of chemistry and mathematics, and would 
recommend the careful study of an elementary work on either 
subject. 
“ Spes .”—We think if our correspondent would carefully 
study the relative value of grammes and cubic centimetres, as 
compared with grains and grain-measures, the apparent dis¬ 
crepancy in the Pharmacopoeia would be clear to him. 
“ Rumex .”—Epsom salt and salt of lemons are the correct 
terms. 
G. W .—You will find a formula for syr. ferri bromidi in 
Phaem. Journ. 2nd ser. Yol. XI. p. 744, and one for vinum 
pepsinse, 1st ser. Vol. XVIII. p. 197, or 2nd ser. Yol. VI. 
p. 192. 
W. P .—You will find what you require in Ure’s ‘ Dictionary 
of the Arts,’ under the head “ Silvering.” 
3. D. —(1.) For liniments it is; but not for any prepara¬ 
tion for internal use by man or beast. (2.) You should give 
notice to the Registrar to make the alteration in the Regis¬ 
ter, for which no fee is charged. 
J. P .—We should think Bonjean’s preparation,—an infu¬ 
sion made with water and evaporated to a soft extract. 
The following journals have been received:—The ‘British 
Medical Journal,’ March 4; the ‘ Medical Times and Gazette,’ 
March 4; the ‘Lancet,’ March 4; the ‘Medical Press and Cir¬ 
cular,’ March 8; ‘Nature,’ March 2; the ‘Chemical News,’ 
March 3 ; ‘Journal of the Society of Arts,’ March 2; ‘Gar¬ 
deners’ Chronicle,’ March 4; the ‘ Grocer,’ March 4; ‘ Produce 
Markets’ Review,’ March 4; the ‘English Mechanic,’ March 
3; Messrs. Longman’s ‘Notes on Books’ for February; the 
‘New Lebanon Journal of Materia Medica’for February; 
the ‘ Food Journal ’ for March; the ‘ Brewers’ Guardian ’ for 
March. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. C. Pierson, Mr. D. Hanbury, Mr. J. A. Forster, Mr. P. 
L. Simmonds, Mr. A. H. Mason, Mr. G. Edward, Mr. D. O- 
Evans, Mr. W. G. Scruby, Mr. A. W. Gerrard, Mr. A. Girdler, 
W. F. C., A. B. N., E. Y., J. C. B. M., T. D. M., “AIL 
Saints,” “ Alpha,” “ One in a Fix,” “ Quercus.” 
