March 30, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
799 
mere waste of time and trouble. Possibly some of them are 
nicer when so made than when prepared with the essential 
•oils and precipitated chalk. The difference, however, is very 
slight; in a medical sense, quite imperceptible, and that is 
what we have chiefly to regard. Such refinement is more 
worthy of the attention of the book or liqueur maker than of 
the pharmacist. Let me finally express the hope that every 
.chemist and pharmaceutist will, as far as in him lies, justify 
the former title by preparing for himself the drugs he dis¬ 
penses, and so benefit—himself, by the interest added to his 
otherwise monotonous pursuits—the pharmaceutical body bv 
•the original observations that such work must occasionally 
igive rise to; and, lastly, the apprentice, who will then, and 
mot till then, have a fair chance of learning his business, and 
passing his examinations, without undue effort, or the per¬ 
nicious aid of the professional grinder. 
Thomas B. Gboves. 
of a passage taken from 
I. and questions 
suggested 
Sir,—The subject brought forward b} r Mr. Haselden is one 
which affects the rising generation of pharmacists in no 
small degree. “The key to dispensing is a perfect know¬ 
ledge of the substances dispensed.” So writes Mr. Ince. 
Now, this kind of “knowledge ” can only be obtained by 
actually making the preparations used; but, as Mr. Elwood 
truly observes, these cannot all be made either conveniently 
or profitably by the retail chemist; they require expensive 
apparatus and much time. But what shall we say of the 
•diluted acids, the precipitated phosphates, arseniates, carbo¬ 
nates and iodides, many of the soluble citrates, tartrates and 
acetates, and their solutions ? My experience of a country 
pharmacy has taught me that such preparations can be 
made both cheaply and well. And with regard to their cost, 
I may instance red iodide of mercury, of which I made half 
the quantity of the B. P. formula some months ago. The 
materials for making the theoretical yield (3’35 ounces) cost 
at that time 2s. 10d., and as the article was quoted at Is. 2 d. 
an ounce, I saved about Is. on the product. Other cases 
might be given, but one is enough to show that such opera¬ 
tions can be performed with great intellectual profit to the 
student, and often gain to his master. 
The same may be said of many galenicals, especially the 
•expressed j uices, and no preparation of that class has given 
so much satisfaction as succus taraxaci. 
Where practice of this kind is afforded to the apprentice, 
the difficulty of many other processes will vanish; the ap¬ 
pearance of some little-used chemical in a prescription will 
not disturb his mind. Young men in the’trade, especially 
those preparing for examination, would be glad to avail 
themselves of such opportunities, especially when situated 
in country places where no school of pharmacy, with its at¬ 
tendant advantages, exists. 
I might propose, too, the use of a laboratory journal by 
those who follow practical pharmacy, for noting down any 
•observations which may come under notice, and comparing 
them with those of more experienced workers. 
While seeking to raise pharmacy to its proper position, the 
student who has espoused its cause should never forget how 
much may be done towards this end by individual effort. 
An Apprentice. 
3. 
4. 
6 . 
6 . 
Tiie Education Question. 
Sir,—Reading over your article this week on “ The Edu¬ 
cation Question,” and seeing that you regret so little has been 
said on the subject, you will perhaps allow me to give you 
my idea on the question, as I have had a little experience in 
assisting both pharmaceutical and medical students. 
1st. For my own part, I blush to think that any of our 
brethren would make the Preliminary examination any easier 
than it is; lor if a young man considers it a difficult one, he 
must be without any idea of method in study; or else, so dull 
of comprehension that I fear he would never pass the “ Minor,” 
should he be allowed to go in for it sine the Preliminary. 
Indeed, the examination would be all the better if it com¬ 
prised one in “elementary physiology,” taking Huxley’s 
‘ Physiology’ as the text-book, for it is not at all uncommon 
now, to come across boys and girls who are as well able to 
give you a description of the “circulation of the blood,” the 
•• function of alimentation,” or of “the nervous system,” as 
well as many a second year’s medical student (of course, not 
.anatomically); and surely if schoolboys and girls can do so, 
it is not too much to expect from pharmaceutical students. 
Again, take for example, the Oxford local examinations for 
juniors (boys or girls), no candidate being eligible who is 
more than fifteen years old. It is as follows:— 
1. Reading aloud. 
2 . Writing from dictation. 
3. The analysis and parsing 
Milton’s £ Paradise Lost,’ book 
by the poem. 
4. Writing a short English composition. 
5. Arithmetic up to simple rule of three. 
6 . Geography. Every candidate will be required to answer 
questions on this subject, and to fill up an outline map of 
England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain and 
Portugal, or Turkey in Europe; by inserting the chief moun¬ 
tains, rivers, divisions and towns. 
7. The outlines of English history. 
Every candidate will also be required to satisfy the exa¬ 
miners, in two at least of the following subjects, viz.:— 
1 . The rudiments of faith and religion. 
2. Latin. Caesar (Bell. Gall. i. ii.). Virgil (Ain. iv.). 
Greek. Xenophon (Anabasis i.) and Homer (Iliad i.). 
French. ‘Bertrand du Guesclin.’ 
German. Schiller’s Ballads. 
Mathematics. Euclid, book i. ii., and algebra to simple 
equations inclusive. 
7. Mechanics and mechanism as embraced in statics, dy¬ 
namics and hydrostatics. 
8 . Chemistry. Questions on the elementary facts ; also 
substances will be given to be tested, each containing not 
more than one acid and one base. 
The quality of the handwriting and the spelling will be 
taken into account; also the answers to the grammatical 
questions and translations of English passages into the re¬ 
spective languages. 
Such, Sir, is the examination for boys and girls under 
fifteen years of age, therefore I ask is our pharmaceutical 
preliminary examination too difficult ? I think that a great 
many students are “plucked,” not for want of ability to 
study, or want of application, but simply for want of method; 
and I have been pleased, and surprised, in my short experi¬ 
ence, to see them get on so thoroughly and surely (even those 
whom you would consider dull) by slow methodical per¬ 
severance. 
2nd. In large towns and cities of this country, when such 
places have grown to some considerable dimensions, and have 
become possessed of hospitals containing a certain number of 
beds, the same enabling them to become recognized by the 
“ licensing bodies ” to be a fit place for instruction, the medi¬ 
cal and surgical staff have then opened a school of medicine, 
and of course derived pecuniary benefit. Now if so in medi¬ 
cine and surgery, why not in pharmacy P In all the large 
cities and towns of Great Britain there are chemists’ associa¬ 
tions, and amongst the members of such I am sure there are 
many who might take the place of lecturer, only four being 
needed, one each for botany, chemistry, materia medica, and 
pharmacy. Such an appointment as lecturer (or professor) 
in a school of pharmacy, open only to chemists, would be an 
incentive for many men to study hard, even though engaged 
in business, and would tend greatly to exalt the profession of 
pharmacy; but, if we are obliged to have professors belong¬ 
ing to other professions, we have to thank those who are not 
pharmacists for teaching us our own profession of pharmacy. 
In conclusion, I consider the examinations so good that 
they could not be better, and hope that they will continue to 
be held at the Society’s houses in London and Edinburgh, 
whether they become a non-educating body or not. 
W. B. O. 
Manchester, March 20th, 1872. 
Sir,—In answer to your invitation to discuss in your 
columns “ Provincial Pharmaceutical Education,” allow me 
to call attention to a fact or two. Some of the provincial as¬ 
sociations, I know, have obtained, and do obtain, gratuitous 
education for their students. I came in contact the other 
day with an F.C.S., who said that he gave his services for 
nothing, delivering his lectures weekly in the laboratory con¬ 
nected with their local association. In Sheffield the Council 
of the local association obtained the gratuitous services of a 
gentleman to deliver lectures on pharmacy for a session ; but 
the tax upon his time (he being engaged in business during 
the day) was too great, and he was obliged, reluctantly, to 
give it up. His lectures were well attended, and the appre- 
