816 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[April 8, 1871. 
other day, he said, that a medical practitioner who held 
his diploma from the University, called upon him and 
wanted colocynth pills at Is. per gross; and though he 
was glad to say such a state of things was gradually 
dying out, he thought it was a disgrace to the profession 
that they should encourage such a state of things. 
Mr. Kinninmont, in seconding the motion, also re¬ 
ferred in humorous terms to the unhappy state of matters 
between prescriber and dispenser. AVith regard to counter 
prescribing by the druggists, he said that respectable 
chemists were very often placed in an awkward predica¬ 
ment; for, through the great number of surgeon-druggists 
in the city, the public had got accustomed to look upon 
the counter as the proper place to get prescribed for 
in any but serious ailments, and that if a druggist 
refused to prescribe bilious pills or a calomel powder when 
asked, the customer would invariably go to the nearest 
surgery and get supplied there with what he wanted. 
He also pointed out that people when they asked a drug¬ 
gist’s opinion on anything, generally had their mind 
made up as to what they wanted, and merely wished the 
druggist to assure them that the medicine they had made 
up their mind to take was the proper thing. 
After some amusing remarks by Dr. Moffat, the vote 
of thanks was heartily responded to. 
The Secretary afterwards, with permission of Messrs. 
Evans, Sons and Co., Liverpool, presented one of their 
Five Guinea Cabinets of materia medica to the Associa¬ 
tion. 
The President, in' accepting the cabinet in the name of 
the Association, said he had no doubt the members would 
all make a good use of it; and those especially who had 
examinations to pass, would find it of great benefit in 
assisting them in their studies. 
Mr. Paterson seconded the motion, and suggested 
that a brass plate be engraved with names of donors and 
date of presentation, to be placed on top of cabinet, so 
that “he who runs may read.” 
The suggestion was supported by Mr. MAIillan, and 
agreed to with acclamation. 
A special general meeting of pharmaceutical chemists 
and chemists and druggists on the “ poisons” question 
was announced for Monday, 3rd April; and a paper on 
“ Volatile Oils” for next ordinary meeting of the society. 
CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 
Anniversary Meeting, March 30th ; Prof. William¬ 
son, F.R.S., President, in the chair. 
The President delivered the following address:— 
“ Gentlemen,—I feel much pleasure in congratulating 
you on the rapidly increasing prosperity of our Society 
and the enlargement which has taken place in its sphere 
of usefulness; for, on the one hand, the number of our 
Fellows continues to show a most satisfactory increase; 
and, on the other hand, your Council has made arrange¬ 
ments for carrying out the system of monthly reports 
which has been for some time in contemplation. It was 
hoped that the Chemical Society of Paris might, from 
the first, co-operate with us in the preparation of these 
monthly reports, but circumstances beyond their control 
have prevented the sister society from joining us in the 
beginning of this year. Deeming it undesirable to delay 
the commencement of the reports, your Council still look 
forward to the future co-operation of the Paris society 
in their preparation. 
“ You are aware that the present available income of 
the Society was not considered to be sufticient to defray 
the additional expense of writing and printing these 
reports, and I have the pleasure of informing you that 
contributions to the extent of £1175 have been promised 
by members of your body towards supplying the deficit 
during the first five years of the appearance of these re¬ 
ports. The British Association has, moreover, granted 
us the sum of £100 for this year in aid of the under¬ 
taking. We hope that in five years the funds of the 
Society may have sufficiently increased to enable us to 
pay the whole expense of the reports, and that their pub¬ 
lication will be valued by the members of our Society, 
and promote the advancement of our science, wherever 
the English language is read. The next number of our 
Journal, wffiich I hope to see in a few days, will be the 
first to contain the monthly reports in addition to the 
original papers contributed to the Society. 
“At the last anniversary meeting, we numbered 551 
ordinary members and 36 foreign members; 6 of the 
former have withdrawn from the Society. On the other 
hand, 42 new members have been elected into the So¬ 
ciety. We have lost 5 ordinary members by death, viz. 
Mr. George Tolley, Dr. W. A. Miller, Dr. Aug. Mat- 
thiessen, Dr. J. S. Muspratt and Mr. W. AY. Rouch; and 
it is also my painful duty to record the death of two of 
our foreign members, viz. Prof. Gustav Magnus and 
Prof. Weltzien.” 
After the delivery of the address, the Treasurer read 
his account of the Society’s finances, which shows a 
balance of more than £1300 at the Society’s bankers. 
The election of the President, the officers and the 
other members of Council for the ensuing year was then 
proceeded with, and the following is the list of the 
gentlemen elected:— 
President: E. Frankland, D.C.L., F.R.S. 
Vice-Presidents, who have filled the office of President : 
Sir B. C. Brodie, F.R.S. ; Warren De la Rue, Ph.D., 
F.R.S.; A. AV. Hofmann, D.C.L., F.R S.; Lyon Play¬ 
fair, Ph.D., C.B., F.R.S.; A. AY. AVilliamson, Ph.D.,. 
F.R.S.; Col. P. l r orke, F.R.S. 
Vice-Presidents : H. Debus, Ph.D., F.R.S.; J. H. Gil¬ 
bert, Ph.D., F.R.S.; H. M. Noad, Ph.D., F.R.S.; AV. 
Odling, M.B.,F.R.S. ; T. Redwood, Ph.D.; J. Stenhouse, 
Ph.D., F.R.S. 
Secretaries : A. A r ernon Harcourt, M.A., F.R.S.; AV* 
H. Perkin, F.R.S. 
Foreign Secretary : H. Muller, Pli.D., F.R.S. 
Treasurer: F. A. Abel, F.R.S. 
Other Members of the Council : E. Atkinson, Ph.D. ; 
H. Bassett; C. L. Bloxam ; A. Dupre, Ph.D. ; F. Field, 
F.R.S; M. Holzmann, Ph.D.; H. M'Leod ; E. J. Mills, 
D.Sc.; H. E. Roscoe, Ph.D., F.R.S.; W. J. Russell, 
Ph.D. ; R. Angus Smith, Ph.D., F.R.S.; A. Voelcker, 
Ph.D., F.R.S. 
The meeting terminated with the customary votes 
of thanks to the retiring President, the Secretaries, the 
Treasurer, etc. 
MEETINGS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. 
Tuesday . Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, at 
April 11. 8.30 p.m. 
Photographic Society, at 8 P.M. 
Wednesday... Society of Arts, at 8 p.m. — “Boiled Oil and 
April 12. Varnishes.” By C. W. Vincent. 
Microscopical Society, at 8 p.m. 
Friday. Quekett Club, at 8 p.m. 
April 14, 
AUGUSTUS DE MORGAN. 
Although not connected with the particular branch of 
science which is of most interest to the readers of tins 
Journal, the late Professor De Morgan was a man of 
such eminence, and had secured to himself the admiration 
and respect of so large a portion of the community, that 
no apology is needed for giving more than a bare notice 
of his death. 
