240 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [September 16,1871 
legally practise as a liomoeopatliic chemist without passing 
the Society’s examinations, it does seem somewhat absurd to 
tell a man that if he does certain things he may be elected a 
member or associate of the Society, as the case may be, and 
then refuse to admit him when he offers himself for election. 
263, Cheetham Sill, Manchester, W. Wilkinson. 
September 12th, 1871. 
Sir,—At the meeting of the Council held on the 6th inst., 
Mr. Edwards asked if there were any homoeopathic chemists 
members of the Society. 
With your permission, I will answer that question, and 
offer a few remarks on the subject which led to this question 
being put. 
There are several homoeopathic chemists who style them¬ 
selves “ Member of the Pharmaceutical Society.” 
Mr. J. M. Rendall, of Exeter, is one of them. 
Also, some of their assistants are members of the Society. 
It is, therefore, more than probable that the proposal will 
again be made to admit homoeopathic chemists who are re¬ 
gistered chemists and druggists to membership with the 
Society. 
The observations which were made respecting the scientific 
education of homoeopathic chemists are quite just; for some 
of them have had no scientific (pharmaceutical) education 
whatever, but others have had an excellent education, and 
in scientific attainments will bear comparison with some of 
the ablest members of your Society. 
Unfortunately, for the status of homoeopathic chemists, as 
such, they have (hitherto) consented to be ignored by the 
new and amended Pharmacy Acts, that they might avoid 
being subject to the regulations which are made obligatory 
upon chemists and druggists, pharmaceutical chemists, and 
members of the Pharmaceutical Society. Nevertheless, being 
alarmed lest future parliaments should look more closely into 
their assumed claim to exemption from parliamentary con¬ 
trol, they have established a defence society, dignified by the 
name of “ The Homoeopathic Pharmaceutical Society of Great 
Britain.” F unds have been provided for defensive and protec¬ 
tive purposes, and an appeal was made to all those who styled 
themselves homoeopathic chemists. The inevitable result of 
this appeal was, that the badly educated and incompetent 
gladly paid a subscription which entitled them to affix to 
their names “ Member and one of the Founders of the 
Homoeopathic Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.” 
Some of the homoeopathic chemists, disgusted with this re¬ 
sult, have stood aloof from the new Society, and have been 
registered as “ Chemists and Druggists.” Also, they propose 
sending their apprentices before the Board of the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Society for examination, with a view to their obtain¬ 
ing the diploma of the Society. 
I have had twenty years’ acquaintance with homoeopathic 
pharmacy, and my experience justifies my dissenting from 
the remarks made by Mr. Hills. Homoeopathic chemists pre¬ 
pare tinctures of many of the indigenous plants, and these 
are supplied to German and American homoeopathic chemists, 
wffio in exchange supply tinctures (of plants indigenous to 
those countries) to the English chemists; they also employ 
pure chemicals and mineral products in the preparation of 
then’ remedies; consequently they are obliged to retain and 
employ their knowledge of botany and chemistry in their 
pharmacies. 
Again, membership with your Society will prove helpful to 
the homoeopathic chemist, for it will remove him from his 
present false relationship to the medical profession and to 
the public. 
It is not for the public interest, but altogether prejudicial 
to it, that the homoeopathic chemist should be relieved from 
the performance of the obligations which have been imposed 
upon members of the Pharmaceutical Society. He keeps in 
stock crude drugs and chemicals, including all the scheduled 
poisons, and occasionally dispenses prescriptions which con¬ 
tain poisonous quantities. 
This state of things cannot continue much longer, and a 
timely recognition by the Pharmaceutical Society of the 
homoeopathic fraternity will tend to separate the wffieat from 
the chaff, and prevent the separation of interests which is 
altogether unnecessary and injurious. 
J ohn Parton Berry, M.R.C.V.S., and 
Registered Chemist and Druggist. 
609, Old Kent Road, London, S.S., 
September 12th, 1871. 
Tiie Chippenham Case. 
Sir,—Allow me through the medium of your widely circu¬ 
lating Journal to say a few words in reference to the late sad 
case of death which has just taken place at Chippenham. 
I do it to compare the relative positions occupied by the • 
chemist and doctor after either has been arraigned before a 
coroner’s jury to account either for an accident on the part 
of the former, or for ill-judged treatment on the latter side. 
We see as recently as the last fortnight where a chemist in 
case of having administered an overdose of morphia in error- 
has had the ill-luck (for I can term it nothing else) to be- 
pounced upon by the Home Secretary, even after the jury 
had expressed a somewhat sympathetic verdict, and when he 
(the chemist) had laboured under the difficulty of having to 
decipher a badly written prescription. The case referred to- 
at Chippenham, however, is very different in respect to the 
treatment by the authorities of the person charged. Here 
we have a child to whose head a solution of bichloride of 
mercury, of the strength of 10 grains to the drachm, or 80 
grains to the ounce, has been applied, and who in the course 
of two or three days sinks from the result. 
I should very much like to ask what punishment the che¬ 
mist might expect to receive from the “authorities” if he 
should be ignorant enough to make use of such an “ out¬ 
rageously strong” application ? Who amongst the trade of' 
chemists, whether apprentice of twelve months’ standing or 
assistant, would think for one moment of using a thing so 
powerful and caustic to the head of a child ? 
Never in my experience was an instance more glaring of 
the injustice of the law in the comparative treatment of" 
the two persons accused. 
Is not this a case, amongst unfortunately too mapy others,, 
which should teach the medical profession generally to show 
a kinder feeling to those who like themselves follow an anxious- 
and responsible calling ? M. P. S. 
Sept. 10th. - - — 
Pills, One Penny a Dozen. 
Sir,—Your correspondent, N. O. P., complains of the low 
price charged for dispensing in his neighbourhood; he has 
reason to congratulate himself they are no worse. The other - 
day a man brought a receipt for making eight dozen pills,, 
and asked how much I would charge to make them up. I 
said 2s. 6d., which I considered a moderate price, being less- 
than 4 d. a dozen. He appeared to be very much astonished. 
and said, “ Why, I got them made up at-, in the Essex 
Road, for 8 d. He charged me 2d. for each of the articles- 
(the pills were composed of three ingredients), and 2d. for 
making them.” Of course I declined working so much below 
ordinary labourer’s wages, and he declined paying more than 
8 d. for them, and so the matter ended. On a par with this- 
we have a man in the Kingsland Road, in an apparently' 
respectable shop, who sells patent medicines at cost price,, 
and many other articles at what the drapers would call 
“ a ridiculous low price.” When will druggists learn to study 
their own interest, instead of cutting their own throats and. 
injuring their neighbours and the trade generally? 
Islington, September 4<th, 1871. Fair Propit. 
The Tincture Press. 
Sir,—In the excellent tincture press of Mr. Staples, of 
which an account and engraving are given in your last issue, 
there is one little practical difficulty suggests itself to me, and 
which no doubt Mr. Staples can easily solve. The cylin¬ 
der, it appears, stands in the spouted basin, and the basin has 
no outlet for the expressed juice without unscrewing the 
press, and by that means emptying it. The ingredients stand, 
in the expressed juice the whole time they are under pressure,, 
without being allowed to drain off. I should be glad to know 
if there is any difficulty to be experienced on that score 
before having one made. 
I should also like to know where Mr. Staples obtained his- 
tinned iron cylinders pierced as he describes. 
320, Roman Road, Boiv, Sept. 13th. S. D. 
Erratum. —In the article on “Pharmacy in Spain” last 
week, the words “ of the monk ” were omitted from the 18th 
line from the bottom, p. 183, before “ of Monte Cassino.” 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. J. Mackay, Mr. J. J. Macaulay, Mr. Hustwick, Mr. J. 
Garrett, Mr. G. Pattison, Mr. S. Dean, Mr. Hartley. 
“ G. P. E.” is referred to the notice concerning anonymous 
correspondents. 
