April 20, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
857 
the chemist’s assistant dispensing six grains of one of the 
salts of morphia instead of six minims of its solution, must 
•be fresh in the memory of most of your readers. It occurred 
in one of the western towns a few years since, and bears a 
remarkable analogy to the present case, as the accused on his 
trial pleaded that he read Sol. Morph, as Sal. Morph., or 
salt of morphia. 
As it is well for all your readers to profit by the experience 
of others, I will mention a case occurring in my own 
practice. A prescription was sent to me to dispense, com¬ 
mencing, Morph. Acet. 5 SS > and other ingredients to 
form a composing draught to be taken in two doses! My 
assistant and myself conned the prescription over, and con¬ 
sidered it unsafe to deal with it without further instructions. 
Fortunately, I had no occasion to apply to the patient, as the 
writing and initial ot' the physician were familiar to me. I 
■shall never forget the deathlike pallor of his countenance as 
I put the prescription into his hand. I thought he would 
have fallen; he said he had intended it for half a grain; pro¬ 
bably he intended 3ss of the solution (P.L.) as it was 
before the injudicious alteration of the strength of solution of 
morphia in the new pharmacopoeia, which I know pre- 
scribers frequently overlook, so that the patients only get 
half the dose intended. 
A Chemist. 
Benevolent Fund. 
Sir,—My attention having been called to the Benevolent 
Fund by the circular issued by the Secretary, I will, in the 
interests of the Society, tell you why I am not a subscriber 
to it. 
Let us first look at the facts and figures as a whole, and 
then treat them in detail. The present capital is stated to 
be £12,000, invested in Consols, and yielding a yearly income 
of £360. The subscriptions and donations for 1871 amount 
to about £527. Relief granted during 1871: annuities 
£347. 10s., and temporary grants £77, making a total of 
£424. 10s. The circular states there are now thirteen 
annuitants, each receiving £30 per annum, making a total of 
£390. 
“ The mountain in labour brings forth the mouse.” In a 
leading article in the Journal of January 6 th, the writer re¬ 
joices that we have £12,000 capital, which, he says, provides 
for twelve annuitants, but there are thirteen, and the only 
way to maintain the thirteenth annuity is to provide another 
£ 1000 . 
I should rather have rejoiced had the money been dis¬ 
tributed in past years to relieve the objects for which it was 
subscribed. After the lapse of thirty years, all that is done 
with the Benevolent Fund is to relieve twelve people by 
annuities,’and seven by temporary grants, and to rejoice that 
no more is being spent. 
It is time an end was put to this system. The reserve fund 
ought not in such a society to exceed the amount of five 
years’ expenditure ; and with the exception of large sums 
arising from legacies and special donations, the whole of the 
yearly income should be divided amongst the deserving 
applicants for relief. 
You appeal to the members for further subscriptions, and 
say, practically, that out of every guinea you are prepared 
to apply sevenpence farthing per annnm to purposes of bene¬ 
volence. You are amazed that members are not more willing 
to subscribe money ou these terms. You say you want £1000 
to relieve one person with £30 a year. You prefer relieving 
one person in perpetuity, to relieving thirty-three people 
with the same sum for one year. You have no faith in the 
future, and therefore you deal with the money you have as 
though you were never likely to get any more ! But how do 
you deal with the money which you have ? That is my 
second point. Why is it invested in Consols, rather than in 
good securities yielding a higher rate of interest? There are 
Indian Railways with Government guarantee of 5 per cent., 
which at present prices will yield you more than 4^ per cent., 
and thus your interest may be increased from £360 to £540; 
and your annuitants, from twelve to eighteen, by a mere 
stroke of finance. There are other modes of investment, such 
as Railway Debentures, Mortgages, etc., which the Court of 
■Chancery will tell you are available to trustees, and which 
will yield as much or more. 
Now, then, supposing the present capital were to be left 
ntact, and invested at 4* per cent.; and the subscriptions 
and donations for 1872 were to be the same as in 1871, you 
would have £o40 + £o27 — £1067, which would give £30 
each to thirty people, and leave £167 for temporary relief. 
I hope this subject will claim the careful consideration of 
the members, and that at the Annual Meeting some resolu¬ 
tions will be passed to deal with this fund in some such wav 
as I ha%e suggested, which would, I have no doubt, materially 
increase the number of subscribers, as it will be felt that 
whatever sum is subscribed, is applied direct to its legitimate 
purpose of relieving the distressed. 
_ T , H. Sc HOLE FIELD. 
Aewcastle-on-Ti/ne, April 12th, 1872. 
The Council and Provincial Education. 
Sii, Ihe unusually full report which you were good 
enough to give us of the proceedings of the last Council 
meeting, must have been read with interest by many, both 
the subjects discussed being of great importance to country 
chemists. With regard to the question of grants to pro¬ 
vincial associations, I venture to suggest that some such 
system as that proposed by Mr. Schacht in the Journal of 
Nov. 18th, 1871, deserves more attention than appears to 
have been yet bestowed on it; at all events, some system of 
payment by results. Possibly, for the present, the simplest, if 
not the best plan might be for the Council to decide annually, 
as advised by Mr. Frazer, how much it can afford to devote to 
this object, and then to make to provincial associations grants 
bearing some definite proportion to the incomes collected 
locally by these associations; a stimulus would thus be given 
to local effort, and the principle of helping those who try to 
help themselves would be fully carried out. It might be 
necessary to recognize only such associations as could pro¬ 
vide suitable rooms, etc., and certain prescribed courses of 
lectures. It does not appear to me desirable that these pro¬ 
posed grants should be devoted to the reduction of students’ 
fees, but rather to the perfecting of the educational appli¬ 
ances of the association. I feel convinced that provincial 
Schools of Pharmacy will become necessities of the future, 
and the development of really efficient institutions is an 
object worthy of the attention and hearty support of our 
Pharmaceutical Societv. 
•/ 
F. Baden Benger. 
Market Place, Manchester. 
April 13 th, 1871. 
Apprenticeship Svstem. 
Sir,—Although I cannot hope to add much to the value of 
Mr. Atkins’ remarks upon “ Apprenticeship,” published in 
the number for March 30, I am unwilling to let the occasion 
pass without adding my testimonyto the portentous import¬ 
ance of the subject. Mr. Atkins speaks of it as having already 
given rise to much discussion, both in the columns of the 
Journal and in the transactions of the Conference, but I am 
more astonished at Ihe prevailing indifference with which a 
question so rife with disaster to the future of pharmacy is 
generally regarded. 
It is dangerous to assume the oracle, but I challenge the 
judgment of ten years hence upon the prediction that the 
present disorganized state of the apprentice system must end 
in collapse. Unless it is speedily amended, there must be a 
break-down in the supply of Pharmaceutists qualified accord¬ 
ing to law for carrying on the business of pharmacy in 
England. 
A new order of things has, as Mr. Atkins states, deterred 
many from prosecuting the trade of druggist by dread of the 
ordeal designed for the protection of pharmacy, but appli¬ 
cable in this country to both, and therein differing from 
Continental usage. Mr. Atkins also quotes the known and 
significant fact that the really capable teachers decline the 
responsibility of teaching; and they will be likely to do so 
until this responsibility is more clearly defined and restricted 
within reasonable limits. Men of character do not under¬ 
take that which they well know it will be impracticable for 
them to fulfil. In the meantime Pybus seeks refuge and 
instruction with Horner, and qualifies himself for dispensing 
strychnia and prussic acid by grinding cart grease. One 
does not easily recognise the aptitude of the means to the 
end, but does Pybus himself appreciate the gravity of the 
end Avith euflicient clearness to accomodate himself to the 
exigencies of appropriate means ? 
