December 9,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS 
473 
The Committee reported that they had accepted Mr. 
Howlett s estimate for three new mahogany cases and 
a table for the museum. 
Resolved—That the Report and Recommendations of 
the Parliamentary Committee he received and 
adopted. 
The Committee reported that a case of prosecution 
which had been commenced against an oilman in London, 
for selling Oxalic Acid, had been settled by the defendant’s 
paying the penalty of £5 and costs into court. 
England 
REPORTS OF THE BOARDS OF EXAMINERS. 
November, 1871. 
and Wales. 
Candi¬ 
dates 
— examined 
-Major . 3 
Minor . 32 
Examination. 
Candi¬ 
dates 
passed. 
2 
22 
Candi¬ 
dates 
failed. 
1 
10 
35 
24 
11 
Two certificates of examination (one from the College of 
-Vreceptors, the other from the University of Cambridge) 
were presented to, and accepted by, the Board in lieu of the 
ordinary Preliminary examination. 
Scotland. 
Minor .. 
Modified 
Examination. 
Candi¬ 
dates 
examined. 
7 
3 
10 
Candi¬ 
dates 
passed. 
2 
1 
Candi¬ 
dates 
failed. 
5 
2 
One certificate of examination from the University of 
Edinburgh was presented, and accepted by the Board in lieu 
of the ordinary Preliminary examination. 
The President presented the following Special Re¬ 
port from the Board of Examiners on the Preliminary 
examinations :— 
Rather more than three years have elapsed since the 
passing of the Pharmacy Act, 1868, which rendered spe¬ 
cial examinations, and thereby education, compulsory 
upon all intending to practise pharmacy. 
There are three stages in these examinations; the 
First or Preliminary for those who at the passing of the 
Act were apprentices or students, or if serving as 
assistants were under twenty-one years of age, and for 
all who may hereafter enter the "business; 2ndly, the 
Minor examination for those who intend taking up 
only the title of Chemist and Druggist; and 3rdly, the 
Major, for those who desire to obtain the more honourable 
one of Pharmaceutical Chemist. 
It is to the first of these, or the Preliminary examina¬ 
tion, that attention is now directed. 
The Bye-Laws of the Pharmaceutical Society, section 
x., paragraph 12, describe the Preliminary examination 
as being a test of knowledge of the Latin language, 
English grammar, composition and arithmetic ; and the 
Board of Examiners has defined the extent to which the 
examination in each subject shall be carried, so that its 
exact requirements may be understood; it is as follows 
“ The examination is a written one, and comprises Latin, 
translation into English of a paragraph from the first 
book of Caesar (De Bello Gallico), or a passage from 
each of the following works :—Pereira’s ‘ Selecta e Prai- 
scriptis,’ and the last edition (Latin) of the London 
Pharmacopoeia. 
“ Latin Grammar. 
“ English Grammar, Composition. 
“ The first four rules of arithmetic, simple and com¬ 
pound, vulgar fractions and decimals. 
“ Certificates of haying passed the local examinations 
of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, or Durham, 
the examination of the College of Preceptors, or those 
of any legally constituted examining body previously 
approved by the Council, provided Latin and arithmetic 
are included in the subjects, are accepted in lieu of this 
examination.” 
The 5th of October, 1869, was the day on which these 
compulsory examinations were commenced, and nine 
have been held since that time. 
At first, the precise nature of the examination not 
being fully understood, great success was scarcely to be 
expected; but, as regards subsequent examinations, the 
details having been fully explained in public, the Board 
looked, and surely not without reason, for great improve¬ 
ment. 
It is with unfeigned regret that the Board is obliged 
to confess that replies are no better, while the percentage 
of failures remains the same. 
To alter this state of things, alike painful to the Board 
and disheartening to the candidates, a review of the past 
is now contributed. 
Taking the numbers of four examinations, it will bo 
found that out of 1101 candidates, 714 passed and 387 
failed, an average with a trifle over of 35 per cent, of 
failures. The highest number of any one of those who 
passed is found to be 285 out of 300, and the lowest 150, 
just sufficient to pass. In order that a correct opinion 
of the cause of failure may be formed, it may be as well 
to give further particulars. 
In each subject it has happened upon several occasions 
that no mark has been given, 3, 4 and 5 have been the 
lowest numbers given out of 100 for Latin ; 5, 8 and 10 
for English; and 5, 8 and 10 for Arithmetic. This has 
occurred more frequently in Latin and English than in 
Arithmetic. In the four examinations of 1871, 170 
candidates obtained less than one-fourth the number 
of marks in Latin, 64 in English, and 44 in Arithmetic ; 
362 less than half in Latin, 275 in English, and 204 in 
Arithmetic. Thus, it is clearly shown by these num¬ 
bers that Latin and English, especially Latin, are the 
stumbling-blocks, and more particularly Latin Gram¬ 
mar, for where that is deficient failure in English Gram¬ 
mar and Composition is to be expected. Arithmetic, 
though occasionally at fault, cannot be said to be defi¬ 
cient ; on the contrary, in many cases, it has been the 
means of passing candidates, the large number of marks 
obtained for it making up for the deficiency in the other 
subjects. 
A few samples of free translations from the Latin may 
be given without offence:— 
Quod reliquum est balneo aquoso ad idoneam crassi- 
tudinem consume—translated, ‘ what remains is balneum 
water to be taken at the same time to-morrowquarta 
quaque hora—frequently rendered ‘ every fourth part of 
an hourlactis vaccini recentis—recent vaccination 
being calmer; summo mane deglutiendus—to be taken 
in the morning when the pain is raging ; et perfico sicut 
de syrupo althaea) preeeeptum est—and pass through tow 
upon syrup us althaeae and collect the precipitate ; fiat 
haustus, mane deglutiendus—make a draught to be taken 
as a jelly ; ‘coccum’ is construed ‘cocoa.’ 
There is evidence here of great want of education, 
besides guess-work. It would be better to give no 
answer or no translation than one which is destitute.of 
sense. These examples are from pharmaceutical Latin. 
Caesar would furnish equally inaccurate ones. To the 
questions in grammar the replies are little better as a 
rule, and often given without the least bearing upon tho 
question. Arithmetic is nearly always well done, but 
the English composition generally falls deplorably short. 
The real nature of the subject selected is often misun¬ 
derstood ; there is an absence of style,—a want of accu¬ 
racy of expression; the illustrations are inapt, tho 
words badly selected and too frequently repeated; the 
construction of sentences is imperfect, while the con¬ 
nection between one sentence and another is obscure. 
