June 10,1871.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
995 
The Local Executive Committee of tlie British 
Association have announced that the meeting at 
Edinburgh will commence on Wednesday, August 
2nd, under the Presidency of Sir William Thomson, 
M.A., LL.D., D.C.L., F.R.S.L. & E., Professor of 
Natural Philosophy in the University of Glasgow. 
We have been favoured with a copy of the first 
number of a new journal of pharmacy from America. 
The conductors of the Leavenworth (KansasJ Me¬ 
dical Herald, considering “ the intimate relations 
existing between medicine and its close and natural 
ally, the art of pharmacy,” and believing that “ the 
judgment and opinions of the educated pharmacolo¬ 
gist must be of interest to the ambitious physician,” 
have thought it advisable to supplement the Medical 
Herald with a department to be entitled the Journal 
of Pharmacy. We cannot say much for the origi¬ 
nality of the articles in] the first number, but doubt¬ 
less when it becomes known to the Kansas pharma¬ 
cists that such a journal exists, it will not be long be¬ 
fore original communications are forthcoming. The 
editorship of the new journal has been entrusted 
to Mr. H. J. Brown, who, in his “salutatory” ad¬ 
dress, thus announces his intentions and opinions:— 
u My aim shall be to make this Journal of practical 
use to every druggist in this section of country, and to 
deal in questions of special interest pertaining to the 
science; make such selections as will be of service to 
our readers, and supply the best information on all new 
preparations, chemicals, etc., at my command. 
“ I believe in the onward march of pharmacy, its 
growth and prosperity. The Great West throbs in 
sympathy with its progress, and moves forward with its 
schools of pharmacy in solid, column. 
“ I shall hear the standard that shall be for the eleva¬ 
tion and advancement of this science, encouraging a 
spirit of research and study, and working in harmony 
with all wiio are assisting in its progress ; advocating a 
thorough pharmaceutical education for the young men 
of our country, the establishment of schools of phar¬ 
macy, where they can receive such instruction as will 
fit them for the responsible duties of their profession.” 
A project for framing a Universal Pharmacopoeia 
for tlie -whole of the German Empire is reported. 
According to the Lancet, a Committee is to be formed 
for the purpose, consisting of twelve members, of 
whom Prussia is to send three, Saxony, Mecklen¬ 
burg and Bavaria each two, and Wurtemberg, Baden 
and Hesse each one. The Committee will be em¬ 
powered to call to their assistance men whose special 
knowledge may prove useful. It is anticipated that 
the work will be ready by the 1st of January, 1872. 
We notice that the Montreal Chemists’ Associa¬ 
tion has succeeded in obtaining an Act of Incorpo¬ 
ration. This, although not of so great importance 
as the Act recently passed in Ontario, is a step in 
the right direction. About two years since an effort 
was made to secure an Act for the better regulation 
of pharmacy in the province of Quebec; but, in con¬ 
sequence of the great opposition offered by the medi¬ 
cal men who, in some parts, monopolize both the 
prescribing and the dispensing of medicines, it was 
unsuccessful. At present, a person wishing to enter 
the business must submit to an examination by a 
board of examiners, consisting entirely of doctors; 
and the sole power of granting a licence to carry on 
the business is vested in the physicians. It is hoped 
that the educational organization in connection with 
the newly incorporated Society will gradually win 
for its members an influence that will ensure success 
in a future attempt at legislation. 
The prosecution of the Toronto druggists for the 
illegal sale of poisons, to which we have referred on 
former occasions,* has finally resulted in the dis¬ 
missal of all the cases through the absence of the 
informer’s witness. Under the new law, which has 
been passed since the institution of the proceedings* 
such a prosecution will not be possible. 
A Bill has been brought before the New York 
Legislature proposing to forbid the renew r al of a 
prescription without the special order of the pre- 
scriber, but there does not appear much probability^ 
of its passing. The subject was to come on for dis¬ 
cussion before the American Medical Association at 
its annual meeting in May at San Francisco. In 
reference to this subject, the American Journal of 
Pharmacy states that in Philadelphia several phy¬ 
sicians have tested it practically by having on their 
prescription-blanks a notice that the apothecary is 
to retain the prescription, but not to renew it without 
a special order. This plan has, liow r ever, been found 
to be impracticable, and it is believed that the phy¬ 
sicians have discontinued the use of these forms. 
Nature reports that among other South American, 
districts on the point of being re-worked are the 
Cinnabar mines of Santa Barbara in Huancavolico, 
in Pen.!, gold and silver mines in Cauca, and copper 
mines in Doepar, in Colombia or New Granada. 
We learn from the Journal of the Society of Arts: 
that a new r fibre, obtained from the bark of the mul¬ 
berry tree, has been produced by Mr. G. B. Marasi. 
It is expected that the new material will answer 
almost all the pinposes for which hemp and flax are 
employed. __ 
We read in the Athenamm, that a native amor¬ 
phous sulphide of mercury has recently been col¬ 
lected in Lake County, California. Its composition 
is—sulphur, 13-82; mercury, 85‘79. It is proposed 
to call this new r mineral metacmn abarite. _ 
* See ante, pp. 547 and 651. 
