April 15, 1871.] 
. THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
835 
MODIFIED. 
Allden, John.London. 
Bennett, Joseph .Bristol. 
Clark, John .Sheffield. 
Eox, George Clement.London. 
Gibbs, William Duirs.Winchester. 
Kermath, William Ramsay.. ..Glasgow. 
Sirett, Henry, jun.Buckingham. 
Smith, William Henry .Cheltenham. 
Watts, Walter.Peterborough. 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
Wednesday , April 5 th, 1871. 
MR. G. W. SANDFORD, PRESIDENT, IN THE CHAIR. 
The following donations to the library and museum 
were announced:— 
The Half-yearly Abstract of the Medical Sciences: from 
the Editors (per Publishers),—The Year-Book of Phar¬ 
macy and Proceedings of the British Pharmaceutical Con¬ 
ference, 1870 : from the Conference,—On a Localized Out¬ 
break of Typhoid Fever in Islington during the months 
of July and August, 1870, traced to the use of Impure 
Milk, by Edward Ballard : from the Author (per Pub¬ 
lishers),—The History and Present State of Electricity, 
with Original Experiments, by Joseph Priestley, LL.D., 
F.R.S.; a Volume containing pamphlets as follows:— 
1, A Series of Experiments relating to Phosphori, and 
the Prismatic Colours they are found to exhibit in the 
dark, by B. Wilson, F.R.S., etc., together with a Transla¬ 
tion of two Memoirs from the Bologna Acts upon the same 
subject; 2, A Lecture on the Perpetual Motion; 3, A 
Continuation of New Experiments Physico-Mechanical, 
touching the Spring and Weight of the Air, and their 
Effects. The I. part. Whereto is annexed a Short Dis¬ 
course of the Atmosphere of Consistent Bodies, by the 
Honourable Robert Boyle, F.R.S.: from Mr. Alexander 
Bottle,—Durham University Calendar, 1871, —London 
University Calendar, 1871 : from the Universities,— 
Guy’s Hospital Reports, Vol. XVI., 1870-71 : from the 
Editors (per Publishers),—On the Claims of Science to 
Public Recognition and Support, with Special Reference 
to the so-called “Social Sciences:” fromW. A. Guy, M.B., 
F.R.S., etc. (the Author),—Zeitschrift des allgemeinen 
bsterreichischen Apotheker-Vereines, several numbers,— 
List of the Fellows, etc., of the Royal College of Physi¬ 
cians : from the College,—The Chemists and Druggists’ 
Compendium, a Handbook of Practical Receipts and 
Processes : from R. J. Owen, St. Mary, Charterhouse,— 
Reports on the Progress of Practical and Scientific Me¬ 
dicine in Different Parts of the World, 1870, Vol. II. : 
from Dr. Dobell,—Curiosites de I Alimentation : from 
Dr. J. Leon Soubeiran,—Introductory Address delivered 
at the opening of the Session, 1870-71 (Queen’s Hos¬ 
pital, Birmingham) : from Alexander Fleming, M.D.,— 
25 beautifully-prepared Specimens of Thallium and its 
Salts, viz., Thallium (metallic in hydrogen) acetate, an- 
limoniate, sulpho-antimoniate, benzoate, bromide, car¬ 
bonate, chlorate, chloride, sesquichloride, platinochloride, 
carbazotate, chromate, bichromate, iodide, molybdate, 
nitrate, oxalate, peroxide, silicate, sulphate, bitartrate, 
thallio-carb., tungstate; thallium alum: presented by 
Messrs. Hopkins and Williams,—Specimen of Coumarin: 
prepared and presented by Mr. Fredk. Janson Hanbury, 
—Two Specimens of Penguin Oil: presented by Mr. P. L. 
Simmonds,—Sugar of Ergot: presented by Mr. Rim- 
mington (Bradford),—Specimens of Maple Sugar, Beet¬ 
root Sugar, Crystallized Cane Sugar, a fine crystal of 
Sucrose from Beet Sugar and Glucose from Starch as 
imported : presented by Mr. Stoddart. 
The Chairman drew attention to several samples of 
poisonous articles which had been laid on the table by 
Mr. Bland, none of which bore any label intimating the 
poisonous nature of the contents, saying he apprehended 
Mr. Bland’s object was not to anticipate any discussion 
on the subject of storing poisons, but rather to show the 
facility with which very dangerous articles might he ob¬ 
tained notwithstanding the clauses in the Pharmacy 
Act. It certainly seemed a great grievance that whilst 
pharmaceutical chemists were placed under numerous 
and heavy restrictions as to the manner in which they 
should carry on their business, traders of an inferior 
class were allowed to sell oxalic acid, acetate of lead, 
sulphate of zinc, cyanide of potassium and such-like 
articles without any protection whatever. There could 
be no doubt that such a mode of selling these articles 
was illegal, but he supposed there was no means of 
knowing whether the person who supplied the articles 
was connected with the Society or not. 
Mr. Bland said he could trace every article; they 
had all been supplied by totally unqualified persons. 
The Chairman said in that case it was clearly a matter 
for the interference of the police. 
Professor Attfield then read a paper on “ The Che¬ 
mical Nomenclature of the Pharmacopoeia, with Sug¬ 
gestions for its Revision,” which will be found printed 
at pp. 801 and 822. 
The Chairman said there was one remark in the 
paper which he considered of primary importance, viz. 
here should in all cases be a perfect understanding and 
unanimity in nomenclature between prescribers and dis¬ 
pensers, and if any system could be introduced which 
would increase that understanding, it would be an im¬ 
mense advantage to all parties. Another point of detail 
of considerable importance was the recommendation that 
different but analogous names should be distinguished 
by the prefix rather than the termination, on account 
of the inveterate habit amongst medical men of abbre¬ 
viating pharmaceutical Latin. They could not very 
well cut off the beginning of a word, and it would be a 
great relief to dispensers if they could see by the first 
syllable what article was intended. Great difficulties 
had sometimes arisen in this matter, even with regard 
to calomel. 
Professor Frankland said there seemed to have sprung 
up two systems of chemical nomenclature, which had in 
many cases two distinct objects. The scientific chemist, 
in pursuing his investigations, was led to modify his 
nomenclature, and frequently also his notation; whilst, 
on the other hand, the pharmaceutist had to maintain as 
strictly as possible a uniform and intelligible system, for 
he quite agreed that nothing could be more mischievous 
than frequent or unnecessary changes of names in phar¬ 
macy. It was peculiarly fortunate, therefore, that Professor 
Attfield’s scheme retained most of the old names, and only 
introduced changes where they had become almost in¬ 
dispensable. In the first place, there could be no doubt 
that the name ought to individualize the substance 
named ; and he might be pardoned for pointing out one 
or two cases in the list where this rule was hardly com¬ 
plied with. In the case of sulphate of iron there were 
two substances which claimed that designation, the fer¬ 
rous and the ferric sulphates, or the protosulphate and the 
persulphate. There might perhaps be a difficulty in the 
way of finding euphonious names for these two salts, but 
he would suggest the terms ferrosum and ferricum, instead 
of the word iron. There was also another point to be kept 
in view, viz. that, as far as possible, the nomenclature of 
applied chemistry should be consistent with that of che¬ 
mistry exclusively scientific; and there were some in¬ 
stances where this consistency was somewhat departed 
from. At the head of the list was placed acetate of am¬ 
monium, and a little lower down acetate of morphia. 
Now, in two compounds so analogous, consistency re¬ 
quired that you should be able to substitute one basic 
constituent for the other without altering your conception 
of the chemical composition; in other words, morphia 
ought strictly to represent ammonium, which it did not, 
