290 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[October 7,1371. 
the practical class had reached 113; a higher num¬ 
ber than that of any previous session. Moreover, 
for the first time, the laboratory class had been larger 
than either of the lecture classes. When the school 
was instituted, there was no laboratory class, the 
only method of instruction being that of lectures; 
afterwards means of prosecuting the study of che¬ 
mistry by practical manipulation were provided, and 
ten gentlemen entered. In four years the numbers 
had risen to thirty, afterwards approaching, and last 
vear exceeding the numbers attending lectures. Such 
a result, he thought, must be gratifying to those 
pioneers in pharmaceutical education who had 
striven to place this, the most thorough and effective 
method of learning chemistry at the disposal of 
students. Still there was abundance of room in the 
laboratoiy. Two years ago twelve new benches were 
added; and since the passing of the Pharmacy Bill 
of 18(58 many students had worked for very short 
periods; hence if each one of the seven t}Mwo 
benches were occupied as soon as empty, more than 
‘200 gentlemen could be accommodated annually. 
When they might expect to reach this number he 
did not know, but his experience showed that prac¬ 
tical chemistry was more studied every year, not 
only for its own sake, but as the quickest and best 
means of acquiring that knowledge of the principles 
of chemistry without which success in business be¬ 
came increasingly difficult, and success in passing 
the Minor and Major Examinations impossible. 
He had further to report respecting last session, 
not only that the conduct of the students was 
highly commendable, and that practical chemistry, 
as a branch of study, continued to increase in 
favour, but that the laboratory cost the Society 
notliing, it having about paid its expenses. At 
the close of the session nine gentlemen had com¬ 
peted for the prizes, conducting experiments with 
this object during two whole days. The tasks in¬ 
cluded operations in qualitative and quantitative 
analysis, and the value of perfect work was repre¬ 
sented by the number 100. The extent to which 
the competitors severally approached this standard 
was indicated in the following table;— 
Mr. Arthur P. Smith ... 05 
Mr. James Hughes .... 82 
Mr. Henry Churchill . . . 70 
Mr. Thomas Iredalo . . . 73 
Mr. Harold Woolley ... 08 
Mr. Herbert E. Constance . GO 
The other three students obtained less than GO 
marks—the minimum for honours. To Mr. Arthur 
P. Smith the Council had awarded an extra silver 
medal; extra, because Mr. Smith, being uncon¬ 
nected with the Pharmaceutical Society, or, indeed, 
with pharmacy, was, according to an old rule, 
scarcely eligible to compete for the medals. Mr. 
Smith was a most zealous and intelligent student; 
but through devotion to chemistry alone naturally 
was able to out-distance his fellow-students, who 
had to learn simultaneously three or four subjects. 
To prevent such non-pliarmaceutical single-study 
men entering any class in the school, and running 
away with honours and prizes instituted for the 
encouragement of the harder-worked students in 
pharmacy, an order was made some years ago re¬ 
stricting the award of the medals, competition for 
the certificates remaining open. Under this rule 
Mr. Smith would only be able to take a certificate 
of honour of the first class ; but considering, it was to 
be presumed, the unusually high merit of Mr. Smith’s 
work, and that he would be likely to do credit to the 
School, the Council had kindly, and in the Professor’s 
opinion wisely, given to Mr. Smith the much-coveted 
silver badge of excellence. Mr. James Hughes also 
having won a silver medal, was rewarded accord¬ 
ingly. Mr. Henry Churchill, the Junior Bell Scholar 
of last year, just missed the silver, but took a bronze 
medal. Messrs. Iredale, Woolley and Constance 
fully deserve their certificates of merit. 
Practical Chemistry. 
Hours: Ten to Five. Books and Memoranda permitted. 
Standard Number of Marks, 100. 
1. The substances supplied to you arc five pharma- 
copoeial chemicals. Name them. 
2. Ascertain the nature of the impurities (if any) pre¬ 
sent in the accompanying salts. 
3. The lozenges are supposed to be poisoned. Ascer¬ 
tain if such is the case. 
4. A specimen of mine is placed before you; is it 
moi'bid or healthy ? 
5. The sample of “pyroligneous acid” contains some- 
hydrochloric acid. Determine volumetrically the amount 
of each acid. 
6. Analyse quantitatively the sample of Epsom salts. 
Give your results in percentages of Mg, S0 4 , and H.,0. 
P.S. You are at liberty to select one of the last two 
exercises, but not to attempt both. The same value in 
marks is attached to a correct answer in either. 
The awards were then distributed to the respective 
successful competitors in this class. 
Professor Bentley next stated the result of the 
competition for the Herbaria Prizes, remarking that 
he could not, although time pressed, refrain from 
doing justice to those who had competed for these 
distinctions. On the present occasion two collec¬ 
tions had been forwarded for competition; and al¬ 
though he did not ask those present to examine them 
at that moment, yet he should like those interested 
in knowing what students could do to look at these 
collections before the close of the evening’s pro¬ 
ceedings. They all knew that these prizes were 
given for the best collections of British plants, anti 
they were essentially competed for by young students, 
of this Society, to whom they acted as a stimulus to* 
the prosecution of a study which was not only 
important, practically, as bearing upon their future 
education and advancement as scientific pharma¬ 
ceutists, but also as regarded their early training, 
in cultivating their powers of observation and discri¬ 
mination. The two competitors on the present occa¬ 
sion were both deserving of distinction. He was par¬ 
ticularly pleased to be able to state that the first was- 
from a student who was only seventeen years of age, 
hence they would be able to appreciate tlie real merit 
which was due to him, and when lie stated further 
that his name was Stoddart they would know that 
he bore an honoured name. The collection comprised 
between 500 and GOO plants, and when it was ex¬ 
amined, he felt sure they would say that Mr. 
Walter Boycott Stoddart had honourably obtained 
the Bronze Medal. The second distinction wliicli 
had been conferred was a certificate of honour to* 
Augustus Horton Crundall, whose herbarium was. 
also in the room, and he (Professor Bentley) could’ 
say that the student well deserved the distinction 
which he had obtained. The examples of these 
successful competitors would act as an inducement 
to other students to prosecute botanical studies 
