780 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[March 23, 1872, 
fourteen chapters on the general principles of chemical 
philosophy, including chemical physics; one-third to a 
chapter on the non-metallic elements ; and one-third to 
a chapter on the metals and their compounds. Organic 
chemistry, to which Wilson originally gave forty pages, 
is omitted-altogether. The titles of the first fourteen 
chapters are:—Introduction, General Properties of 
Matter, Weight and Specific Weight, Crystallography, 
Heat, Light and Spectrum Analysis, Electricity, Chemi¬ 
cal Affinity, Laws of Combining Proportion, The Atomic 
Theory, Chemical Nomenclature, Chemical Notation, 
Laws of Gaseous Volumes, Atomic Weights. About 
four hundred questions and exercises for home-students 
are given at the end of the hook. 
Chemistry cut down to the requirements of candidates 
for examination is hut too characteristic of recent ele¬ 
mentary works on the science, a fault not apparent in 
the hook now under review. The volume has been 
brought well abreast of existing knowledge, the arrange¬ 
ment of its matter is clear, and it is well printed. Its 
nomenclature throughout may he illustrated by the 
names given to oil of vitriol, sulphuretted hydrogen and 
cream of tartar, these compounds being designated as 
hydric sulphate, hydric sulphide and hydric potassic 
tartrate. The employment of this system of names 
much impairs the usefulness of the volume to medical, 
pharmaceutical and other students of applied chemistry, 
but to the learner in general chemistry the book will be 
more popular than ever. 
MEETINGS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. 
Monday . Medical Society , at 8 p.m. 
March 25. London Institution , at 4p.m. —“Elementary 
Music.” By Professor J. Ella. 
Tuesday . Loyal Medical and Chirurgical Society, at 
March 26. 8.30 p.m. 
Saturday . Chemical Society, at 8 p.m. —Anniversary. 
March 30. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Mkmoire sur la Pancreatine : Etude de Chimie Phy- 
siologique. Par T. Defresne, Pharmacien de Pre¬ 
miere Classe, ex-interne des Hopitaux, Laureat de 
l’lfcole de Pharmacie. Paris : Bailliere et Fils. 1872. 
Elementary Treatise on Natural Philosophy. By 
A. Privat Deschanel. Translated and Edited, with 
extensive additions, by J. D. Everett, M.A., D.C.L., 
etc. In Four Parts. Part I.: Mechanics, Hydro¬ 
statics and Pneumatics, with 182 engravings; Part II.: 
Heat, with 152 engravings ; Part III.: Electricity 
and Magnetism, with 242 engravings. London: 
Blackie and Son. 1872. 
The following journals have been received:—The ‘British 
Medical Journal,’ Mar. 16; the ‘Medical Times and Gazette,’ 
Mar. 16 ; the ‘ Lancet,’ Mar. lfi; the Medical Press and Cir¬ 
cular,’ Mar. 20; ‘ Nature,’ Mar. 16: the ‘ Chemical News,’ Mar. 
16; ‘ English Mechanic,’ Mar. 15 ; ‘ Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ 
Mar. 16; the ‘Grocer,’ Mar. 16; the ‘Journal of the Society 
of Arts,’ Mar. 16; the ‘Pharmacist’ for January and Fe¬ 
bruary ; the ‘ American Journal of Pharmacy ’ for March; the 
‘ Chemist and Druggist ’ for March 15; the ‘ Grocery 
News,’March 15; the ‘Philadelphia Medical and Surgical 
Reporter,’ Nos. 775 to 777; ‘Transactions of the Odonto- 
logical Society ’ for February; the ‘ Wandsworth and Batter¬ 
sea District Times,’ March 16 ; the ‘ Western Daily Mercury, 
March 16; the ‘Liverpool Daily Albion,’ March 19; the 
‘Liverpool Mercury,’ March 19; the ‘Liverpool Daily 
Courier,’ March 19. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. Umney, Mr. Southall, Mr. Radley, Mr. Pocklington, Mr. 
Slugg, Mr. W. L. Scott, Mr. A. H. Mason, Mr. G. Delves, 
Mr. G. Ellers, W. F. R., Q. X. 
We are compelled, by want of room, to defer the answers 
to some correspondents. 
*** Wo notice can he taken of anonymous communica¬ 
tions. Whatever is intended for insertion must he authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily 
for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith. 
“The Mysterious Councillor.” 
Sir,—To my mortification I learn from many sources that 
I am credited with having written the disgraceful paragraph 
which appeared in the Chemist and Druggist of March 15th, 
under the above title. Let me therefore observe that I not 
only did not write it, but that I had not the remotest know¬ 
ledge of its insertion, until in common with others I -was 
disgusted by its appearance. 
10, Vigo Street, Regent Street, TV. Joseph Ince. 
March 18£/i, 1872. 
Pharmacy in the Laboratory. 
Sir,—“Commercially it pays to make many preparations, 
strictly pharmaceutical, and yet these are too frequently 
bought.” These words from the pen of one of our most ac¬ 
complished pharmacists deserve the careful consideration of 
those of us who may be called the lesser lights of our pro¬ 
fession. A great deal may be written for and against the 
purchasing of ready-made Pharmacopoeia preparations. In 
an establishment where an extensive dispensing trade is done, 
many assistants employed, and the principal is at liberty to 
attend personally and direct the operations of the laboratory, 
it may prove commercially advantageous to make some of 
the preparations; but not so in the majority of provincial 
pharmacies, where but one or two assistants are employed, 
and the master’s time is fully occupied with the usual multi¬ 
tudinous affairs of the shop and attention to customers. 
Where apprentices are taken, it certainly behoves masters fu¬ 
see that their pupils receive a fair share of practical tuition: 
but this may be accomplished by a supply of experimental 
apparatus, and an allowance of extra time each week for the 
students’ use. 
The preparation of waters, extracts and the more com¬ 
plicated processes, requires an amount of practical knowledge 
which few retail chemists possess. I speak from an extended 
experience in some of the best manufacturing houses in the 
trade. 
Mr. Haselden writes familiarly of 20-gallon stills, which 
he terms not very large, and Mr. Staples advocates the use 
of the kitchen boiler, without, I am afraid, considering Mrs. 
Housewife’s virtuous indignation at the vile compounds in¬ 
troduced into her domestic apparatus. I have occasionally 
been favoured with an inspection of home-made extracts, 
waters and the like, but was never greatly impressed with 
their finish. Irrespective, however, of quality, I can con¬ 
fidently assert that most preparations can be bought as cheap- 
or cheaper than made, after taking into consideration wear 
and tear of apparatus, labour, fuel, still licence, and loss in. 
product by careless or ignorant manipulation. 
How many pharmacists could undertake to make spt. 
ammon. aromat., spts. tether nit., linim. aconit. and bella¬ 
donna, extract, ergot, liquid., conf. sennae, succus scoparii, and 
taraxaci, equal in quality, or at as cheap a rate as they can 
be purchased from trustworthy London and Provincial whole¬ 
sale manufacturing firms ? Their successful manufacture 
requires expensive apparatus, and, as I said before, that prac¬ 
tical experience which can only be obtained by daily fami¬ 
liarity with the workings of large quantities of substances, 
and not by an occasional acquaintance with mere dribbles, 
too often ending in expensive muddles. 
In spite of Mr. Haselden’s good intentions, few country 
chemists will be induced to lay in stock twenty-gallon stills, 
numerous evaporating dishes, and powerful presses, or to add 
the labours of a laboratory to those which already engross 
their attention, and keep them tied to their counters from 
early morning to bedtime; but will in all probability, like 
myself, content themselves with the practical pharmacy, illus¬ 
trated by the preparation of tinctures, infusions, ointments, 
pills, compound powders, and the like, leaving extracts, dis¬ 
tillates, granules, scales, alkaloids, chemicals, etc. to be made 
by those who make it their special branch and study. 
Leominster, March 18 th, 1872. M. J. Ellwood. 
