948 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[May 27, 1871. 
Gentlemen, illuminate the trade generally, and you 
must have a very much larger income for distribution. 
Mr. Mize li: Sir, I have one or two remarks I should he 
glad to make upon the Report. As touching the Benevo¬ 
lent Fund, I most fully concur with every word which 
has been uttered, and I would only add one suggestion re¬ 
specting it; that is, in publishing the calendar, together 
with the members’ names and residences, you should have 
a column stating the amount they subscribe to the Bene¬ 
volent Fund. It would be very handy and convenient 
to those who were taking an interest in any case and 
canvassing for votes, because it would at once show the 
number of votes each member had ; it would, at the same 
time, be a silent monitor to those against whoso names a 
subscription was not found. Another matter is, that 
before the new issue of the Journal we used to have a 
report of the donations to that fund published monthly, 
which has recently been discontinued. I think that 
was a good plan, because it brought the matter promi¬ 
nently and frequently before the members. If that plan 
were readopted, it might stir up benevolence, and so 
help the fund. Another suggestion I would make is 
with regard to the library. I believe the rule at 
present is that the library shall be open up to six 
o’clock ; might it not be extended, with advantage to 
many of the students and assistants in London, if it 
were open up to nine o’clock? Young men are out 
in the evening, and have an opportunity of reading in 
the library, but they cannot do so in consequence of the I 
present regulations. Another point I would observe 
upon is the accuracy of the register. In last year’s 
Report we were told that the register was very satisfac¬ 
tory. I am sorry to differ from that opinion. The ex¬ 
perience I have had lately has told me it is anything 
but satisfactory. I believe, I may say, that in London 
there are from 150 to 200 addresses in the register which 
are wrong, and that in the whole of the country there 
are between 1000 and 2000 such wrong addresses. That, 
is a very serious matter, because I believe if the re¬ 
gister were taken into court, it would be no evidence 
whatever unless it were correct. The Act of Parlia¬ 
ment, by clauses 9 and 10, provides against that difficulty, 
and gives the Registrar power to issue letters by v hich 
that register may be corrected. If the Council have the 
power, I think it would be well to exercise it; and 
before the publication of the register, every person 
should be required annually to notify his residence, and, 
in case of failing to do so, that his name should be left 
out, capable of being restored in after sheets up to a 
certain date upon payment of a trivial fine. I believe 
that a regulation of that kind is in force in the case of 
the Law Society, and that it would be a great improve¬ 
ment if it were judiciously carried out with the register 
of this Society. 
Mr. Schacht (Clifton): Sir,the subject of the Benevo¬ 
lent Fund is one upon which I should be sorry to say 
one word that would seem like a damper upon the feelings 
which, I hope, more or less actuate us all. But however 
much the observations which have been made apply to 
ns individually, I think they ought not to apply to us in 
our corporate capacity. It seems to me that benevolence 
should not be considered as the flrst duty, at any rate, ; 
of the Pharmaceutical Society. And moreover, what¬ 
ever cause there may be for something like a lecture 
to us individually, I say I do not think it (Joes apply 
to us in our corporate capacity; for, on the very ba¬ 
lance-sheet we have in our hands, there is a sum of j 
£500 which has been handed to the Benevolent Fund. 
The reason why I introduce the subject in this way 
is, that I wish at the same time to call attention to 
a statement in the Report in which I am very much 
interested, and with which my name is very politely 
again associated. I mean the subject I had the honour 
to introduce last year—provincial pharmaceutical edu¬ 
cation. I think, I may fairly say, that we owe the 
Council the expression of our gratitude for what has 
been done up to the present time. At any rate, the- 
statements contained in the Report, and the action, 
which they have taken, are as much, perhaps, as any of 
us, interested in the subject, had a right to expect at 
this stage of the history of the subject; but the admis¬ 
sion made in the Report, and the action taken upon that 
admission, are, as yet, far from proportionate. And one 
of the arguments adduced for this poverty of action is . 
the smallness of means available for the purpose. I rise 
not for the sake of complaining that more has not been 
done, but rather to express a hope that a great deal 
more will be done in this direction, which I consider to- 
be one of such immense, I was going to say, paramount 
importance. You, Sir, in your opening address congra-- 
tulated the whole profession of pharmacy upon the fact, 
that in the present day men who wanted to improve them¬ 
selves had greatly better opportunities of doing so than in 
past times. I cannot help thinking that your attention 
has been rather limited to what you are accustomed to ■ 
see in this institution, upon which have hitherto been 
concentrated all the resources of the Society. AYe com¬ 
plain that in the provinces scarcely anything has as yet 
been done, except by local effort; and it is a little gall- - 
ing to be told of the small amount that is at the disposal 
of the Council for this purpose. It may bo so, but we 
think it a large sum. You have all noticed the fact that 
something like £2000 a year is spent on the education, 
conducted in this institution. Something like £1200 are- 
spent in the laboratory, and £630 in the lectures. More¬ 
over, £500 are handed over to the Benevolent Fund, 
and thus education in the provinces is literally nowhere ; 
and the only advance I can see is that a large purchase- 
has been made of certain apparatus, valued at £300, 
which it is proposed shall be lent for lectures in the pro¬ 
vinces. There are certain regulations, which seem to me 
to be intricate, in which I suppose money grants are 
hinted at, but their exact operation is made a little mys¬ 
terious. Probably they are more generous than I think, 
them to be. I am not in the least degree anxious to- 
cavil, seeing that those regulations have first of all to 
stand the test of experience; but it is upon the spirit of, 
the thing that I wish my observations to bear. AYe 
spare money for everything else, but seem to neglect 
that which, I think, is a paramount claim—the education, 
of the mass of our young pharmacists. The accommo¬ 
dation at this school is only equal to about 100 pupils per 
annum, which is not more than a twentieth part of the • 
number who require to be educated, and yet complaints 
are made that more do not pass the examination. I 
again say we have no opportunity other than in this esta¬ 
blishment, nor any means of acquiring knowledge other- 
than we had thirty years ago, which, instead of being 
matter for congratulation, is a disgrace. 
Mr. Urwick: Sir, it would appear that there is some- 
reason to suppose that some day or other we may 
fall shoit of funds if we give lectures in the country, 
but I think there is a way in which we may secure the 
requisite funds. It appears there are a large number of 
chemists and druggists who have all the privileges given, 
them by the Act, but still not being members of this 
Society, we do not get their annual subscriptions. It 
would seem that there is a golden bar which prevents 
their entiy, and that is the two-guinea bar. If that.- 
could be diminished, or even done away with altogether, 
I think the number of those men who stand outside 
would be greatly diminished, that they would come in,, 
and that your annual subscriptions would greatly aug¬ 
ment. Therefore, I would suggest that we should meet 
them in some way. 
Mr. Radley (Sheffield): Sir, I feel very much gratified 
by the remarks which have just been made with reference 
to the educational question. I am connected with a local 
association which has endeavoured to establish a school 
and lectures for the benefit of the rising generation. 
Our difficulty is becoming rather serious in regard to 
funds for the maintenance of tho lectures during tL&- 
