100 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[July 29,1571- 
Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, and further erroneously 
attributing to me a change of opinion respecting the Poison 
Regulations. 
As I am not a delegate of your Association, nor in any way 
connected therewith, I shall not enter into any correspond¬ 
ence respecting the matters referred to in your note, but 
must content myself now by distinctly repudiating the autho¬ 
rity your Association presumes thus to assume over members 
of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society. 
I am quite ready and most willing at any time to reply to 
any gentleman, who courteously communicates with me, on 
the subjects referred to in your note. 
Yours, 
R. Hamfson, Esq. Edward Smith. 
Hon. Sec. Defence Association. 
The Council of the North British Branch of the 
Pharmaceutical Society ash the Pharmacy 
Bill. 
Sir,—In the hope that the question of poison regulations 
and the late Pharmacy Bill have sunk into oblivion to rise no 
more, and being desirous that differences of opinion upon 
them should now be cemented, especially at the prospect of a 
pleasant “ Conference ” meeting in Edinburgh next week,—I 
would have preferred to let the matter rest in peace, but I 
consider that a word of explanation is necessary regarding 
the report of a meeting of the Council of the North British 
Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society published in last Satur¬ 
day’s Journal.* 
The high-sounding title, “The Council of the North British 
Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society,” will, doubtless, be 
looked upon by our friends south of the Tweed, as a repre¬ 
sentation of the members of the Society in Scotland, and, 
consequently, that the decision of that body on the Amended 
Pharmacy Bill will be representative of their opinions. I 
have reason to know, and I believe I am quite justified in 
stating, that the present Council is not a fair representation 
of the North British members of the Pharmaceutical Society. 
Their decision, therefore, cannot in any case be accepted as 
expressive of the feelings of the members the Society in Scot¬ 
land. This, of course, opens up the question, “ How is this 
Council elected and the Society conducted ?” I trust it will 
be discussed on some future occasion; meantime 1 will con¬ 
tent myself by stating that I have refrained from sending re¬ 
ports to the Journal of the action taken by the “West of 
Scotland Chemists’ Defence Association ” against this Bill in 
all its forms, as I consider the columns of the Journal of late 
have been occupied more than was necessary with this un¬ 
called-for poison question, and much to the detriment of 
matters of greater importance to the Society, which I look 
upon as purely an educational institution. 
James M. Fairlie. 
St. George's Cross, Glasgow, July 25th. 
Informal Petitions. 
Sir,—That numerous petitions have been rejected on the 
ground of informality, is apparent by reference to the en¬ 
closed printed form:— 
(Copy.) 
House of Commons. 
Journal Office. 
Sir,—With reference to the accompanying Petition, I have 
to call your attention to the Standing Order of the House, 
which requires that every Petition must contain a Prayer. 
There is no Prayer to the sheet upon which this Petition 
is written; it is, therefore, informal, and will not be sub¬ 
mitted to the Select Committee on Public Petitions. 
The words, “Your Petitioners will ever pray, etc.,” have 
no reference to the subject-matter of the Petition. 
I have the honour to be, Sir, 
Y our obedient servant, 
Wm. Glynn. 
Petition Department, Journal Office, 
House of Commons. 
Now, although our petition was read over at least a 
hundred times during the day and a half we had for obtaining 
signatures,—was approved by our solicitor, and by our member 
* See ante, page 07. 
of Parliament, no one detected the omission of the few words 
that constitute its ineligibility. 
The comment of Mr. Peck is, however, noteworthy, who in 
returning the petition, says,— 
“ The Bill having been withdrawn is a matter of no conse¬ 
quence, but another time the necessary formality must not be* 
forgotten.” Allow me, Sir, to add, in conclusion, my humble 
opinion that the most effective and constitutional way of 
moving any Government, is the expression of public opinion, 
thus saving a vast amount of circumlocution, writing, print¬ 
ing, interviewing, deputation and expense of postage, travel¬ 
ling, etc.; above all, of brain-power that might have been 
more profitably directed. 
R. Goodwin Mumbeay. 
Piclimond Hill, July 26th, 1871. 
Poisoning with Beans at Liverpool. 
Sir,—I enclose three “ beans,” apparently of different spe¬ 
cies, the names of which I cannot at present learn. Perhaps 
you can identify them, and kindly let me know the result 
through the Journal. I obtained these from Mr. Smith, of 
Athol Street, the gentleman to whose shop the sufferers from 
Calabar bean poisoning were taken the other day. I was 
there told that beans similar to the sample were along with 
the Calabar-beans, and were as freely partaken of as the 
others. I am also inclined to think that castor-oil beans 
were present, as I became acquainted, about the same time, 
with a case of serious illness, caused by a woman having 
eaten freely of them, a sample of which was shown to me by 
her husband. These were picked up by several people about 
the same locality, and no doubt have caused great uneasiness, 
and possibly severe illness, as, according to my informant, 
they were eaten largely, in some cases by the handful. After 
reading such a case as this, the question naturally forces 
itself upon our attention, How is it that so poisonous a drug- 
as Calabar bean is allowed to be throwing about our dock- 
quays and waste places, apart from all consideration of its 
value as an article of commerce, for I find from the drug list 
its price to be 4s. per lb. ? The difficulties of examining every 
cartload of rubbish going through the dock gates are, of 
course, great. I think something might be done to miti¬ 
gate the evil by the dock board and the corporation,—the 
former by impressing on its officials the necessity of looking 
after the rubbish cleared from the holds of the "west coa3t of 
Africa traders, for I believe the mischief is confined entirely 
to them, and the latter by prohibiting its deposit within the 
borough boundary. 
9, West Derby Street, Liverpool, T. H. Hustwick. 
July 18th, 1871. 
[*** The seeds sent are those of the oil palm of Africa 
(PAceis Guineensis ), from which pahn oil is obtained. The 
fatty oil is used largely on the West Coast of Africa for 
the same purposes as butter in this country.— Ed. Phaem. 
Journ.] 
The “Bank Holidays.” 
Sir,—Messrs. Maw, Son, and Thompson have inserted a 
“Notice to the Trade,” in their Price Catalogue, intimating 
that their establishment would be closed on the following 
days:—Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, first 
Monday in August, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Is 
not this an example worthy of imitation by the wholesale 
trade generally ? Not only will the banks be closed on these 
days, but many wholesale houses in various branches of com¬ 
merce have determined to follow the same course. Why 
should the drug trade be an exception? If the plan were 
universally carried out, employers would suffer no pecuniary 
sacrifice; retailers wouid be put to no inconvenience, as they 
would be able to make provision beforehand, and those en¬ 
gaged in the wholesale would derive a great benefit. 
M. P. S. 
London, July 2 oth, 1871. 
P.S. I do not see why the plan might not be largely adopted 
in the retail also. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. E. H. Chester, Mr. W. W. Stoddart, Mr. W. M. Betts, 
Mr. J. R. Jackson, Dr. Headland, Mi-. J. H. Woods, Mr. J. 
Thornton, Mr. Tomlin, Mr. Horsley, Mr. Owen Jones, Mr. 
W. L. Y’eats, Mr. Atkinson Pickering, N. O. P., M. P. S.*. 
W. G., “Yeuve.” 
