21b 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND xiva.it©ACTIONS. [Septenmer », i 
ful nature. The prisoner held, a respectable situation, 
and was much respected. Her employers gave her a 
holiday on the morning of the Foresters’ fete at the 
Crystal Palace, so as to afford her an opportunity of 
going there with a party of friends. About eight o’clock 
the following morning she was seen by a watchman in 
Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, in the act of taking some¬ 
thing from a phial which she raised to her mouth. He 
called the attention of a police-constable to her, and she 
was removed to the surgery of Dr. Phillips, in Spital 
Square. There an emetic was administered, and she got 
better. The phial taken from her hand was labelled 
“poison” in large letters, and after the prisoner had 
been remanded a summons was ordered for the attend¬ 
ance of the doctor who sold the stuff to the prisoner. 
He was now present, but his name did not transpire. 
In reply to the magistrate, he admitted selling the poison 
in the bottle produced, which he said held about half an 
ounce. He could not say if the quantity sold was suffi¬ 
cient to destroy life, but the bottle was not full. It was 
essence of almonds. He had questioned the prisoner, 
and she had stated that she wanted it to flavour jellies, etc. 
The magistrate remarked, that it was necessary to 
know how such poison came to be sold, but ho had been 
under the impression that it was oil of almonds, and not 
essence. 
The doctor said that he should not have sold oil of 
almonds to the prisoner without she had been introduced 
to him by some one he know, but essence of almonds was 
an article of daily commerce, and much used by pastry¬ 
cooks, etc., for flavouring custards, blancmanges, etc. 
The magistrate then ordered the prisoner to bo given 
up to her father, who was in attendance, and who pro¬ 
mised to take care of her.— Daily News. 
Accidentally Poisoned. 
At the adjourned inquest, held on Wednesday, 23rd 
August, on John Bullock, the old man who was acci¬ 
dentally poisoned at Aston on the 25th of July, the jury 
considered that Hunter was highly censurable for his 
carelessness, and that Mr. Hoare was also blamable in 
not attending to Bullock immediately when called in. 
VACANCIES AND APPOINTMENTS IN CONNEC¬ 
TION WITH PHARMACY. 
The Editor ivill he glad to receive early notice of any 
vacancies of pharmaceutical offices connected with public 
institutions, and likewise of appointments that are made ,— 
in order that they may he published regularly in the Journal. 
APPOINTMENT. 
Mr. Theophilus Weaver, A.P.S., late Dispenser to the 
South Staffordshire General Hospital, Wolverhampton, has 
been appointed Dispenser to the Birmingham New Parish 
Dispensary. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
On the Relative Poweks op various Substances in 
Preventing the Generation op Animalcules or 
the Development op their Germs; with Special 
Reference to the Germ Theory of Putrefaction. By John 
Dougall, M.D. London: J. and A. Churchill. 1871. 
Analytical Tables por Students of Practical Che¬ 
mistry. By J. Campbell Brown, D.Sc., E.C.S. Lon¬ 
don: J. and A. Churchill. 1871. 
The following journals have been received:—The ‘British 
Medical Journal,’ Sept. 2; the ‘Medical Times and Gazette,’ 
Sept. 2 ; the ‘ Lancet,’ Sept. 2 ; the ‘ Medical Press and Cir¬ 
cular,’ Sept. 1 ; ‘Nature,’ Sept. 7; the ‘Chemical News,’ 
Sept. 2; ‘Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ Sept. 2; the ‘Journal of 
the Society of Arts,’ Sept. 2; the ‘Grocer,’ Sept. 2; ‘Pro¬ 
duce Markets Review,’ Sept. 2; the ‘ English Mechanic,’ 
Sept. 1; the ‘Pharmacist’ for August; the ‘American 
Chemist ’ for August; the ‘ Canadian Pharmaceutical 
Journal’ for August; the ‘Practitioner’ for September; 
the ‘ Food Journal ’ for September; the ‘ British Journal of 
Dental Science ’ for September. 
CwwsptiiMte. 
No notice can be taken of anonymous communica¬ 
tions. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily 
for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. 
The Council op the North British Branch op the 
Pharmaceutical Society. 
Sir,—The head and front of the offence committed, accord¬ 
ing to Mr. Fairlie’s opinion, by the members of the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society residing in Edinburgh, has been to call the: 
local committee by the name which it has so long enjoyed.. 
He pleads not only that it is a misnomer, but one likely to** 
mislead. Giving your correspondent more credit for appre¬ 
hension than it appears he deserves, I wrote a reply to his 
first communication, in which I pointed out the origin of file¬ 
name, stating that the “high-sounding title” had been used 
unchallenged for nineteen years. Mr. Fairlie is still appa¬ 
rently resting on thorns and feels uncomfortable regarding 
the matter, and with the desire of giving him, if possible, 
some relief, I will endeavour to make our position in Edin¬ 
burgh, past and present, plainer still, premising, that ho had 
better again peruse my first reply. 
As already explained, a distinct clause in the Act of 1852 
appoints an examining body to sit in London and in Edin¬ 
burgh. At the time the Bill was passed it was felt that there* 
ought to be two centres, one in London and one in Edin¬ 
burgh, lor the operation of the affairs of the Society; and 
had this not been conceded, the name of “ Great Britain ’” 
could not have been employed, as Scotland would have re¬ 
belled. It is true that powers were also taken to make ther 
examining boards peripatetic, if such was felt to be a necessity* 
and this power, although never acted upon, still exists. This*, 
however, is widely different from appointing and constitu¬ 
ting other boards throughout the country, with all the re¬ 
quisite machinery for conducting the examinations as they 
ought to be.* 
In connection with the existence, then, of the Board in* 
Edinburgh, it became a necessity that a committee should be- 
appointed to look after various matters in connection with, 
the existence of such a Board. A museum required to be- 
founded and a library commenced, in order that certain fa¬ 
cilities should be given to young men coming to Edinburgh 
to pass their examinations, and at the same time scientific, 
meetings were established, at which papers were read anch 
the operations of the Society conducted. These gentlemen, 
formed and still form the Council in Edinburgh. The name* 
as has already been explained, was given by Jacob Bell, and the- 
funds requisite supplied by the parent Society. A glance at the* 
‘Annals of Pharmacy’ since 1852 will tell whether the Council* 
here have since their formation done their duty. Throughout 
bygone years billets were freely sent both to large cities anck 
country towns, and the tale can be told by many of how seldom, 
came a response, while the presence of friends from a dis¬ 
tance at any of om* meetings, annual or scientific, always- 
gave much pleasure. 
From what I have said, Mr. Fairlie will now, I trust, be- 
able to draw the distinction between the recognized London. 
Council of the Society and the local position of that of tha- 
North British Branch. We have neither claim nor power to- 
issue voting-papers for our Council in Edinburgh. All mem- 
* The clause referred to by our correspondent (15 & Iff* 
Viet. c. lvi. sect. 9) is as follows:—“And to enable the said. 
Society to provide for the examination in Scotland of suck 
students, apprentices, or assistants in Scotland as may desire* 
to be examined there, it shall be lawful for the Council off 
the Society, and they are hereby required, to appoint suck 
fit and proper persons in Scotland, to meet in Edinburgh 
or Glasgow, or such other place or places as the Council may 
think desirable, and to conduct there all such examinations^ 
as are provided for and contemplated by this Act, with such 
and the like powers and authorities in respect thereof as are- 
herein conferred, and to grant to the persons to bo so exa¬ 
mined such and the like certificates as are hereinbefore 
specified and referred to, or to refuse the same; and alL 
the provisions of this Act shall be equally applicable to the- 
examiners, examinations, and parties examined in Scotland 
as to the examinei’s, examinations, and parties examined im 
England .”— Ed. Pharm. Joubn. 
