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THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February 24,1872. 
ttosartas of fjjarmratal 
EXAMINATION IN LONDON. 
February 16 th, 1872. 
Present—'Messrs. Allchin, Barnes, Bird, Carteighe, 
Cracknell, Davenport, Edwards, Gale, Garle, Haselden, 
Ince, Linford and Southall. 
Dr. Greenhow was also present on behalf of the Privy 
Council. 
MODIFIED EXAMINATION. 
Thirty-seven candidates were examined; of these, 
eleven failed. The following tiventy-six passed, and were 
declared duly qualified to he registered as 
CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS. 
Backhouse, Headley Noah ... .Paris. 
Bush, William.Skipton. 
Clayton, Daniel Thomas.Boston. 
Clayton, George Pearson .... Huddersfield. 
Clifton, John Moore .Lincoln. 
Cooper, Thomas Rayner.York. 
Crookes, Joseph .Bradford, Yorks. 
Facey, John .Ledbury. 
Freeman, Frederick.London. 
Harrop, William Hutchinson.. Rochdale. 
Higgins, William.London. 
J ones, Frederic.London. 
Longley, Charles.London. 
Mason, Thomas Searby .Wolverhampton. 
Moore, J ohn Shipp.Stratford-on-Avon. 
Ozanne, Albert Angel.London. 
Parkin, Charles .Stockton-on-Tees. 
Pearson, Edward.Islington. 
Probyn, Clifford .Kennington. 
Rawson, Frederick George.... Lincoln. 
Spalding, William Richard .. Hull. 
Taylor, Charles William.Brighton. 
Thomson, William .London. 
Vickerman, Edwin .Huddersfield. 
Walker, Samuel Charles.Ipswich. 
Wheeler, Joseph .London. 
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION. 
The undermentioned certificates were received in lieu 
of this Examination:— 
Certificate of the University of London. 
Griffith, Richard W. Smith .. Southampton. 
Certificates of the University of Cambridge. 
Chaston, Ernest Robert D.Lowestoft. 
Harrington, J ohn Frederic .. Rochdale. 
Certificate of the University of Durham. 
Wordsworth, George .York. 
Certificate of the Committee of Council on Education. 
Patchett, Isaac.Birstal. 
Certificates of the College of Preceptors. 
J ones, Henry Stevens.London. 
Tisdall, Charles Jerome.Holt, nr. Wrexham. 
nrtratnal 
THE NORTHAMPTON CHEMISTS’ ASSISTANTS 
AND APPRENTICES’ ASSOCIATION. 
A special Meeting of the above Association was held 
on Wednesday, February 14, to give the members an 
opportunity of meeting Professor Attfield, who happened 
to be present in the town, and had kindly accepted an 
invitation to attend. After a few words of introduction 
from the President (Mr. Masters), the Secretary (Mr. 
Drijce) mentioned some details relating to the Society. 
He said that there were sixteen employers and twenty- 
five assistants and apprentices engaged in pharmacy in 
Northampton; of these twenty-five, twenty were mem¬ 
bers of the Association, the average attendance being 
ten. 
Professor Attfield, after expressing his sympathy 
with the objects of the Association, proceeded to give a 
few hints as to the method by which they might be 
attained, and such knowledge acquired by the members, 
as would enable them to pass the examinations of the 
Pharmaceutical Society. 
With regard to the Preliminary examination, Professor 
Attfield expressed a hope that it had been passed by all 
present. He said that it presented no real difficulties, 
and should be passed before commencing an apprentice¬ 
ship. Many candidates were rejected, but such ought, 
to be the case if they insufficiently prepared themselves- 
As the Minor examination had to be passed by every 
person wishing to be a chemist, it became more specially 
the business of such associations to facilitate the acquire¬ 
ment of the necessary information. The reading and 
translating of prescriptions would present no difficulty to 
those who had passed the Preliminary and had acquired, 
the practical knowledge to be obtained in the shop- 
In practical dispensing neatness was very desirable- 
The ability to detect unusual doses required by the- 
examiners was such as could be obtained by an acquaint¬ 
ance with the doses given in the Pharmacopoeia. Dis¬ 
pensing must be studied practically; the information 
acquired from books or in a school of pharmacy could 
never obviate the necessity of going behind the counter- 
Under the head of “ Pharmacy ” was included the- 
recognition of the several preparations of the Pharma¬ 
copoeia which were not of a definite chemical nature, 
such as extracts, tinctures, simple and compound pow¬ 
ders, etc. Much of this information might be acquired 
by carefully noticing the differences in the substances- 
met with in the ordinary business of the shop. A con¬ 
siderable knowledge of materia medica also could easily 
be obtained in the same way, wffiile the information, 
which had to be sought elsewhere, such as the botanical,, 
zoological and geographical sources of the different arti¬ 
cles, would be of great service to the student in fitting- 
him for the position he aspired to occupy. 
Botany should be learned practically: the student 
should go into the fields and gather plants and flowers, 
for himself. The use of a microscope would greatly 
increase the interest of structural botany—the drier por¬ 
tion of this subject. 
In the study of chemistry the descriptions of the- 
processes by which certain compounds were produced 
were sometimes learned by the student by rote. But by 
far the better plan was to make a small quantity of' 
the different salts, such as iodide of potassium, of which 
five grains could be prepared more easily than five- 
ounces, so that no great expenditure for chemicals or 
apparatus was necessary. The student would be required, 
to know the composition of such salts as soda tartarata 
and to be able to write their formulae, and care must be¬ 
taken by learners not to confound pharmaceutical with, 
chemical formulae. The decompositions occurring in the- 
production of such salts would also have to be explained, 
by diagrams or written equations. 
Professor Attfield congratulated the Association or 
the manner in which they conducted their classes, and 
could only suggest that they should add practical chemi¬ 
cal analysis to the other subjects. By the expenditure of a. 
few shillings per head for apparatus and reagents, they 
could parry on analysis, and perhaps a little synthesis, 
in their class-room, which was in every way fitted for- 
the purpose, and so be able to detect adulterations, im¬ 
purities, and faults of manufacture in the many articles» 
which came before them in pharmacy. Such knowledge 
would also, indirectly, help them for the Minor examina¬ 
tion, improve their reasoning powers, make them better 
men of business and more useful members of society. 
At the conclusion of the address a hearty vote of; 
thanks to Professor Attfield was passed by those present- 
