520 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 23, 1871. 
wlien possible, the prescriber should be communicated with 
before any material liberty be taken with his prescription. 
Since then that gentleman has owned to agreement of 
opinion with me in this respect. Secondly, Mr. W., because 
unable himself to make a passable-looking pill, using the full 
quantity of ol. cinnam., quietly omits the half of the last- 
named ingredient, and asserts his method to be the only way 
of forming a decent pill. 
Now, if a man of Mr. Wilkinson’s attainments and expe¬ 
rience meets with difficulties occasionally, can he not see 
that apprentices and assistants will often have pills to 
make which, while presenting no difficulties to him, may be 
fraught with great obstacles to them, when of course they 
may conclude they have an equal right with Mr. W. to omit 
ingredients difficult of manipulation ? I would close this 
part of the subject by reminding your readers that J. B. has 
given us a method by which the whole quantity of ol. cinnam. 
may be contained by the iron and gentian pills without the 
addition or subtraction of any active ingredient. 
In the next part of the letter alluded to it is asked, Are 
not the extracts likely to be damaged by drying them ? 
Perhaps so; but then Mr. W. must remember that he him¬ 
self recommends this course in regard to ext. rhei in his own 
paper. 
In reply to the next paragraph, which asks what real dif¬ 
ference there is in the omission of half a quantity of essential oil 
Ordered and the wasting of the same quantity upon the slab, 
I answer, but little; but would still recommend that we 
endeavour so to prepare the pills that they shall contain the 
whole. 
And now, in regard to the more personal part of the 
epistle, I must first ask the writer to very carefully note that 
my presumption concerning the Manchester chemists was 
contingent upon the fact that in the Journal no report of the 
expression of any opposite opinion about the propriety of 
thus dealing with prescriptions was given, although part of 
the debate was reported; but as such objections were made 
at the Manchester meeting against the lecturer’s views, he 
will see that I have not in reality the smallest charge to 
bring against the Manchester chemists as a body. 
Finally, I am sorry to have to confess that I fail to see the 
applicability of the fable to which my friend so nicely 
alludes. Allowing, for the sake of argument, that my sup¬ 
posed attack upon the Manchester chemists is similar to that of 
the baser quadrupeds upon the lion, yet I can hardly see that 
this great body of talented and intelligent men are to be 
compared with the aged, dying forest king, incapable of self- 
defence. 
To conclude, I cordially sympathize with Mr. Wilkinson, 
the more especially as I find that when he prepared the 
paper he had no thought of seeing it in print; and I know 
that it is far easier to find fault with a paper written by an¬ 
other than to read half so good an one myself. 
Walter B. Claek. 
Leicester, Dec. 16 th, 1871. 
Sir,—In reply to Mr. Wilkinson, I beg to say I do not 
possibly see that any injury can result to the extract (as he 
intimates), provided the suggestion in my former letter is 
closely adhered to, it being, strictly speaking, nothing more 
than what is directed in the Pharmacopoeia. I can under¬ 
stand that if the heat applied be so great as to burn the 
extract, its active properties would no doubt be impaired. 
I am sorry at having mistaken Mr. W.’s question in 
reference to the second prescription given in his letter of the 
20th ult., but the correspondence had hitherto been on the 
manipulation, not directions, therefore I naturally concluded 
that when Mr. W. asked the question he referred to the 
manipulation, as he did not specially state otherwise. 
Every one is well aware that occasionally cases do occur in 
which the dispenser is bound to exercise a little common 
sense, still I would not uphold the principle of making mate¬ 
rial alterations without first communicating with the pre¬ 
scriber, unless I was sure he had committed some palpable 
error, and could not be easily consulted. 
Hackney, Dec. 18 th, 1871. F. W. S. 
Sir,—Mr. Wilkinson appears to have written his reply to 
the numerous criticisms his paper called forth whilst smart¬ 
ing under their aspersions, but with these I have nothing 
to do. 
I merely suggested a plan by which the prescription ho 
quoted could be formed into good and firm pills containing 
the whole of the oil of cinnamon ordered. As my using the 
tragacanth and magnesia was the result of several trials, I 
most certainly do not understand Mr. Wilkinson terming it 
a “ pet scheme.” 
It is very necessary to be able to dispense pills containing 
an excessive quantity of essential oil, and as the subject is- 
decidedly worth ventilating, I should like to have other 
opinions or further suggestions from those who have them to 
offer. Omitting part of the oil or squeezing it out afterwards 
are neither of them desirable processes. 
The pills I made at time of writing to you before still keep 
their shape, and are in good condition. 
17, Bull Street , Birmingham, James Spences. 
December 19 th, 1871. 
Shall the Pharmaceutical Society cease to be an Bducatiny 
Body ?—We have received a lengthy communication from a 
member of the Society, in reference to Mr. Schacht’s paper 
on the educational question. The chief point of our corre¬ 
spondent’s letter refers to what he regards as a change in the 
constitution of the Society wffiich has found eloquent sup¬ 
porters, namely, the proposal to conduct all the Examinations 
by written questions,—these to be forwarded to the provinces, 
and answered in accordance with known stringent regula¬ 
tions. Our correspondent thinks that the Preliminary is the 
only one where this course is available. He objects that the 
dispensing department of the examination cannot be trailed 
round to various provincial centres, and that materia medica, 
deprived of its illustrative specimens, or botany minus living 
plants, would be a farce; while book chemistry alone is not 
worth a straw. Such a mode of procedure, in our correspon¬ 
dent’s opinion, would merely result in producing patent 
paper pharmacists, and he says that he, being engaged in 
London business and having a wife and family to support, 
could not afford to engage such an one for his assistant. 
B. Sjparroiv. —We are unable to furnish the recipe asked 
for. 
S. T. —We would recommend you to address the question 
to Professor Crace-Calvert. 
“Puzzled.” —The most simple way would be to try the 
experiments. 
“A Student.” —As your difficulty appears to arise from what 
you deem to be an error or an obscurity in the book referred 
to, the best way would be to communicate with the author;, 
but before doing so, it would be well to attempt yourself to 
solve the query. Probably a little more care would enable 
you to do this, for you have forwarded to us an equation in 
which carbonate of zinc does not occur. 
W. J. Smith. —The statement is quite correct; it is 
“precipitated black.” 
A. B. C. —We presume that a calendar month would be 
meant, the engagement being a yearly one. 
W. Bates. —Yes. 
J. Bradshato. —If the quinine is dissolved in the tinct. ferri 
perchlor., the water added, and, lastly, the syrup, the mixture 
will present an uniform appearance. The tincture should be 
that of the B. P. 
“ Oxygen.” —(1.) Of the two books mentioned, Hoyle’s 
‘ Materia Medica ’ would best answer your purpose. There is 
also a new edition of ‘Pereira’ announced. (2.) Roscoe's 
‘ Chemistry.’ 
C. Gerring. —In most works on chemistry or materia 
medica. 
A. WLean. —Your paper has been received and is under 
consideration. 
W. M. B .—Yes; but the proprietor is responsible. 
“ A Country Chemist.” —Inquiry has been made, and the 
answer shall be published when received. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. Knowles, Mr. B. M. Johnson, Mr. G. F. Schacht, Mr. J. 
luce, Mr. T. Bradley, Mr. W. B. Clarke, Mr. F. J. Hayes, 
Mr. Spencer, Mr. Sandy, Mr. R. G. Mumbray, Mr. J. Knowles, 
M. P. S., X. Y. Z., “ Student of the Pharmaceutical Society.” 
