260 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [September 23,187L 
Sir,—In the last number of your Journal, “ One who has 
Passed” asks for information, which I will gladly give. 
Until recently the Board of Examiners have had a distinct 
and separate set of questions printed for the Preliminary, but, 
with a view to render these meetings as like those in London 
as possible, they have lately adopted the same sheet as the 
Board in the metropolis. To prevent, however, a recurrence 
of what your correspondent has pointed out, I may here 
mention that it has now been arranged, on and after the 1st 
of January, 1872, to holdall the Preliminary Examinations in 
London, here and in the provinces on the same day, and sub¬ 
mitting the same questions as in Bloomsbury Square. The 
effect of this will be, that in future only four opportunities 
will be given for the First or Preliminary Examination 
throughout the year, and these will, on every occasion, be 
simultaneous. 
John Mackay. 
Edinburgh, Sept. 18th, 1871. 
Tiie Chippenham Case. 
Sir,—I am delighted at the delicate attention M. P. S. has 
been good enough to pay me, and for speaking in such gentle 
terms of my practice. In commenting upon the application 
of a solution of bichloride of mercury made by -Dr. Meeres to 
the head of a little child for the cure of ringworm, M. P. S. 
asks, “ Who amongst the trade of chemists, whether appren¬ 
tice 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 ?” I am so glad to find M. P. S. has such a 
correct sense of the proper duties of the pharmaceutist, and 
such a keen appreciation of the importance of the chemist 
not usurping the duties of the medical practitioner. M. P. S. 
does not presume, does not wish in fact, to set himself up as 
a judge of therapeutics as against properly qualified phy- 
sicians. But, Sir, unfortunately I acknowledge that I have 
been “ignorant enough” to make use of such “outrageously 
strong” applications as that employed by Dr. Meeres very 
freely and very frequently for thirteen or fourteen years 
without the shadow or vestige of a mishap or evil conse¬ 
quence, and only with unvarying success. 
If M. P. S. will turn to either of the medical journals of 
last week, he will see that, without exception, tliey-say that 
Dr. Meeres has been most unjustly condemned/lmd that the 
sad result of his treatment is to be attributed to an unfortu¬ 
nate idiosyncrasy in the patient against mercury, and could 
not have been foreseen. M. P. S. compares a case of poison¬ 
ing with a case of unforeseen accident. In the one case 
there was an absolute blunder; in the other, an untoward 
result from the use of a well-known remedy by the hands of 
one who had used it according to authority, and not for the 
first time, but as an old acquaintance. No parallel between 
the two cases is possible. 
Before M. P. S. takes upon himself to “bell the cat” 
again he should be sure that she deserves it. 
Tilbuey Fox, M.D., F.R.C.P. 
SacTcville Street, W., Sept. 18th, 1871. 
[*** We appreciate Dr. Fox’s emotion at being associated 
ever so remotely with a case of poisoning, even under medical 
auspices, and we fully agree with him in thinking the jury 
exceeded its functions in censuring Dr. Meeres for using an 
application according to authority, whatever may be the 
value of the opinion that it could not do harm. At the same 
time it is evident that the application Vvas capable of poison¬ 
ing, even when so used, and though we do not endorse the 
parallel drawn between the Chippenham and Salcombe cases, 
“ M. P. S.” is not alone in thinking that somewhat greater 
cave might have rendered Dr. Fox’s hypothesis of “idiosyn¬ 
crasy” superfluous.— Ed. Phaem. Joubn.] 
Tinct. Kino and Tinct. Keamebue. 
Like many others of my Pharmaceutical brethren, I have 
been much inconvenienced by the perverse behaviour of tinc¬ 
ture of kino. At the time I made my last batch, now about 
two years ago, the idea occurred to me to use the kino in the 
coarsely granular state in 'which we receive it, instead of first 
powdering it; the result proved quite successful, the tincture 
being as fluid now as when first made. When maceration 
was complete, I poured off the clear tincture, washed the 
dregs with a little sp. vini rect. and turned the whole on to a 
muslin cloth, poured a little more spirit over, and gently 
squeezed it with the fingers, afterwards adding more spirit to 
make the required measure. I now discovered that each 
particle of the gum retained its individuality, if I may so term 
it, much paler in colour, slightly swollen, and in the condition 
of a very stiff jelly, which crumbled when rubbed between thes 
fingers. 
The batch preceding this, of which I write, was made from’ 
the same parcel of gum, but first reduced to a finer state of 
division ; the tincture soon gelatinized and had to be thrown, 
away. This experience, therefore, would tend to show that 
the state of division does influence the keeping of the- 
tincture. 
A short time since having to replenish my shop-bottle of' 
tinct. kramerise from the stock in the cellar, where it had re¬ 
posed undisturbed for a long time, I found to my surprise? 
that it had assumed the gelatinous condition. I never heard 
of such an alteration taking place in tinct. krameriie, and 
cannot help thinking it unusual; perhaps some of your corre¬ 
spondents may be able to enlighten us ? 
Liverpool. J. H. Hu sr wick. 
Tincture oe Kino. 
Sir,—Referring to the notices which have recently appeared 
in the Journal on the gelatinization of tincture of kino, I 
beg to state that for several years I have added a small quan¬ 
tity of glycerine, and that I have found so small a quantity as- 
5 clrrns. to the pint quite sufficient to preserve it in a fluid- 
state. This, I submit, is an excusable addition to the autho¬ 
rized formula, and an easy remedy. 
Ludlow, September 2nd, 1871. ” Geoege Cocking. 
Dkuggists’ Pkices. 
Sir,—We read in the Phaemaceutical Jouenal about 
prices in the north; can they be surpassed by the following, 
which I am assured by a venerable clergyman to have been 
dispensed for sixpence —bottle included—by a Pharmaceutical 
Chemist in this town :—• 
R. Potass. Bicarb. 5ij 
Sp. 2Eth. Nit. 5'j 
Tinct. Hyoscyam. ?'lxviij 
Tinct. Opii mxviij 
Aquas Puree ad 3 v j* 
Ft. mist. 
High Street, Grantham. W. M. Betts, 
Registered Student. —Presenilis is most complete. 
G. L. Napier. —Your suggestion is a good one, but since- 
the case will be publicly investigated, it would be improper to 
interfere now. 
Wm. Gill. —Communications are always acknowledged,, 
but not necessarily for acceptance or rejection. The subject 
of poison bottles has, we think, been more than exhausted. 
H. B. Crofts should communicate with the publishers. 
Pharmaceutical Education in the Provinces. —We have- 
received several letters on this subject, in which the want of 
provincial schools of pharmacy is dwelt upon or suggested,, 
and, among others, some letters from Edinburgh complain- 
that the prize lists of the Pharmaceutical Society contain only: 
names of men who have studied in London, none of those who- 
have passed the Major or Minor Examinations with honours- 
in Scotland being represented. Our correspondents, reason¬ 
ably enough, say they are not surprised that this is the case, 
but they justly complain that they have not the oppor¬ 
tunities of the London students. This subject is.one of 
especial importance at the present time, and it is only 
because we purpose shortly to speak of it more fully 
that we refrain from publishing our correspondents’ letters- 
at present. 
Communications, Lettees, etc., have been received from 
Mr. Wilkinson, Messrs. Kay Brothers, Mir. LL B.. Croft,, Mr- 
H. Crabb, « Scribo.” 
