February 17, 1872.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
071 
%\t Journal. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1S72. 
Communications for this Journal, and books for review, etc., 
should be addressed to Me Editor, 17, Bloomsbury Square. 
Instructions from Members and Associates respecting the 
transmission of the Journal should be sent to Elias Bkem- 
ridge, Secretary, 17, Bloomsbury Square , TF.C. 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street, London, JF. Envelopes indorsed “ Fharm. Journ.” 
THE REGISTER FOR 1872. 
The publication of the Register of Chemists and 
Druggists for the present year induces us, at the risk 
of a charge of too frequent reiteration, to call the 
attention of our readers to the necessity of keeping 
the Registrar supplied with the information requisite 
to ensure accuracy hi a list of so many names. There 
are on the Register at the present time about 
13,200. No pains have been spared to make it 
correct, but there is good reason to believe that 
something like eight or ten per cent, of the addresses 
are incorrect or insufficient, owing to the neglect of 
registered persons. It should be as widely under¬ 
stood as possible that this is likely to be a matter of 
considerable inconvenience to those persons them¬ 
selves, inasmuch as their names will probably be 
erased from the Register, in accordance with the 
provisions set forth in the lOtli section of the Phar¬ 
macy Act, 1808, and the absence of a name from the 
Register is taken in a court of law as primd facie 
proof that the person is not entitled to registration, 
and that, if carrying on business, he is doing so 
illegally. 
There is another cause of error which does not rest 
with Chemists and Druggists themselves, but which 
they can do something to rectif} r . There are many 
deaths unreported, although Registrars of Deaths 
are instructed by the authorities at Somerset House 
to supply the Registrar at 17, Bloomsbury Square, 
with certificates of the death of any registered Che¬ 
mists and Druggists occurring in their districts. 
During the past year 136 deaths have been notified; 
but information respecting 57 of these only has 
been received from the Registrars of Deaths, the 
remainder having been reported from private 
sources. If the attention of the Registrars were 
drawn to this matter, no doubt it would be recti¬ 
fied to a great extent. The number of additions to 
the Register last year is 307 ; of erasures 142 ; the 
increase therefore is 255. 
The Calendar for 187 2 is also ready. This pub¬ 
lication, as is known to many of our readers, is 
issued by the Pharmaceutical Society, for the pur¬ 
pose of affording information more particularly 
concerning that body. But besides the lists of 
members, the Acts of Parliament and Bye-Laws by 
which the Society is guided, particulars concerning 
the Examinations, Benevolent Fund, etc., there is 
a veiy useful Appendix, containing all the Acts of 
Parliament which have special interest for chemists 
and druggists. A list of the contents of the Calen¬ 
dar will be found in our advertising columns. 
ADULTERATION. 
The subject of adulteration is likely once more to 
command attention at an early period, in conse¬ 
quence of the introduction of a Bill into Parliament 
by Mr. Stansfeld, as head of the Local Government 
Board, and we hope whenever there is any legisla¬ 
tion on the subject, the fitness of properly-educated 
pharmaceutical chemists for filling the office of 
“public analyst” will not be lost sight of hi Par¬ 
liament. 
Although the Excise authorities have the services 
of a considerable staff of professional chemists, their 
care for the subject properly begins and ends with 
the interests of the funds of the Inland Revenue. 
Latterly, however, analyses have also been con¬ 
ducted for the Customs and Board of Trade, as will 
be seen from the account given at p. 670, of the 
work done in the chemical department of the Inland 
Revenue, under the zealous and able direction of 
Mr. George Phillips and his assistants. Although 
the increase in the staff of chemical assistants 
seems to indicate a contemplated greater activity as 
regards the adulterations affecting public health, 
past experience proves that the Excise does not take 
charge of adulteration in the interests of public 
health. 
An illustration of this occurred during the earlier 
days of the system of methylating spirit. A large 
amount of abuse of this spirit was tolerated because 
the introduction of the system had entirely stopped 
illicit distillation, and saved expense and annoyance 
to the Excise. It was only when the new evil had 
augmented very largely that the present more strin¬ 
gent limitations of the uses of methylated spirit 
were imposed. 
Among those articles of every-day consumption 
which lie under the imputation of being adulterated 
alcoholic beverages are, in this respect, of great im¬ 
portance, inasmuch as it is believed by many that 
their systematic adulteration with noxious materials- 
is a fertile causes of crime. An instance in point is- 
furnished by the Annual Report of the Chaplain to* 
the Borough Gaol at Leeds. From this document, 
just published, we quote the following remarks :— 
“There is one other point which has for many years 
past filled legislators and philanthropists with mingled 
feelings of alarm and sorrow. It is the increase of 
drunkenness as a cause of crime. I said much upon this 
unwelcome topic last year; but I can throw new light 
upon it this. It is a vulgar description of an inebriate- 
that he has had ‘ too much.’ It cannot in all cases bo 
said so now. My actual experience tells me that our 
three, seven and fourteen days’ cases are not always the 
