May 25, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
953 
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1S72. 
Communications for this Journal, and boohs for review, etc ., 
should be addressed to the Editor, 17, Bloomsbury Square. 
Instructions from Members and Associates respecting the 
transmission of the Journal should be sent to Elias Brem- 
■HLDGE, Secretary, 17, Bloomsbury Square. IV. C. 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street, London, JV. Envelopes indorsed u Pharm. Journ .” 
THE JURIES BILL. 
The Government Bill on this subject wliich, as 
Tve announced last week, has now been read a 
second time, is one that, as a whole, seemed to meet 
with the approval of the House, although it contains 
some provisions which will doubtless provoke much 
discussion ; such as one fixing the number of jurors 
in County Court cases at five, and in all other cases 
seven, except trials for murder, where the number 
is still to remain twelve as at present. It was, 
however, referred to a Select Committee, where the 
■details will be considered and virtually settled. 
But although so much has been gained, the Bill 
'will require careful watching, since the extension of 
-the exemption is so framed that, as pointed out by 
Mr. Giles at the Annual Meeting, the privilege at 
present enjo 3 r ed by pharmaceutical chemists is some¬ 
what endangered. As will be seen by the quotation 
from the Bill given last week, the phrase “ registered 
•chemists and druggists ” is the only one used in re¬ 
lation to persons on the Register; so that as the 
Juries Act, 1862, which exempts pharmaceutical 
•chemists, is contained in the schedule of Acts to be 
i 
.repealed, should tins phrase be cut out, it would 
liave the effect of taking away the present exemp¬ 
tion, unless some special provision were made. 
There is the more danger of this, because the ex¬ 
tension of the exemption to registered chemists and 
^druggists appears to be the only instance of the 
kind in the Bill, its general tendency being to cur¬ 
tail present privileges in that direction. There is 
•also the other fact referred to by Mr. Mackay, 
that since the Bill extends only to England and 
Wales, the Scotch members of the trade, whether 
pharmaceutical chemists or registered chemists and 
druggists, will still be liable to service. 
Among the other matters worthy of notice, it is 
provided that a notice is to be sent b} r post to every 
man whose name shall be put for the first time upon 
the list of jurors, stating the time and place where 
objections will be heard, and informing him that he 
will not be excused from service on the ground of 
any exemption which shall not be claimed on such 
occasion. It is also provided that should a man be 
summoned who is by the terms of the Bill exempt 
from service, he may be discharged from serving 
upon challenge, or upon his own application, if the 
Court shall be satisfied of the fact; but no such 
exemption or want of qualification, if not submitted 
before such juror is sworn, is to be accepted as 
ground for impeaching a verdict given by a jury. Men 
of sixtv-five years and upwards of age are to be 
exempt from service if the exemption lie claimed in 
time, but at seventy years of age they become abso¬ 
lutely exempt. 
NEW PHARMACY ACT IN PHILADELPHIA. 
Ax Act regulating the practice of pharmacy and 
sale of poisons, and to prevent adulterations in drugs 
and medicinal preparations in the city of Phila¬ 
delphia, has recently passed both Houses of the 
Legislature. Stating in the preamble that the 
safety of the public is endangered by want of care 
in the sale of poisons; that the power of physicians 
to overcome disease depends greatly on their ability 
to obtain good and unadulterated drugs and skilfully 
prepared medicines; and that persons entrusted 
with their preparation and sale should possess a 
practical knowledge of the business and science of 
pharmacy in all its relations,—it enacts that no 
person shall hereafter open or cany on any chemical 
or drug store in that city, or engage in the business 
of dispensing medicines, or retail “ drugs, chemicals, 
poisons or medicines,” without having a certificate 
from, and being registered by the Pharmaceutical 
Examining Board. The Board is to consist of five 
skilled pharmacists engaged in business, appointed 
by the mayor, who are to hold office for three years, 
and to examine such persons as ma} r apply to them 
for registration. The penalty for an unregistered 
person carrying on business is one hundred dollars 
per week; the penalty to be handed over to the 
guardians of the poor of the city. Persons in busi¬ 
ness at the time of the passing of the Act, and those 
i holding a certificate from an incorporated college, 
are exempted from the necessity of examination, but 
not from registration. No person is to dispense 
prescriptions—except as an aid under the immediate 
supervision of the proprietor or a qualified assistant— 
who has not been apprenticed two years and 
attended one full course of lectures on chemistry, 
materia medica and pharmacy, and no proprietor is 
to leave his store in charge of any but a qualified 
assistant. There is also a clause enacting a penalty 
of five hundred dollars and forfeiture for knowingly, 
wilfully or fraudently falsifying or adulterating any 
drug or medicinal substance or preparation. 
The Act appears to be received with approbation 
by the pharmacists of Philadelphia, although they 
would rather the appointment of the Board had 
been vested in themselves than in the mayor, iliat 
official, however, has shown a desire to carry out 
the Act in a proper spirit by requesting the college 
