Jane 8, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1001 
association, as Dr. Redwood had stated that his object 
was to receive the opinion of practical men as to the de¬ 
sirability of carrying out the proposed change, before he 
devoted the time and labour necessary to recast the for¬ 
mulas, and he thought the best reply would be the ex¬ 
pressed opinion of the different associations throughout 
the country. He hoped the subject would be fully dis¬ 
cussed next session. His own opinion was that if the 
proposed change would lead to an earlier adoption of 
the metrical system, it should be adopted; but its value 
and utility was principally as a means to this end. 
The President said he should like to see the metrical 
S 3 'stem adopted at once. It had been introduced into 
almost every continental country and some in South 
America, and he trusted the time was not far distant 
when it would be also introduced and universally applied 
in England. 
The President then read the following (the valedic¬ 
tory address of the session):— 
■“ In the absence of any recognized formula for the 
production of valedictory addresses, I may be excused if 
I bring rather a miscellaneous assemblage of subjects 
before you this evening. The range of interesting mat¬ 
ter embraced by the objects of the Chemists’ Association 
is so wide that many points must go untouched; and if 
I fail to mention any facts new to all, or to give any new 
or valuable views of my own on vexed questions, I hope 
to excite some little discussion, or to suggest some lines 
of thought which the members may develope for our 
mutual profit. 
“ No startling novelties have marked the record of 
chemical discovery since I addressed you at tfbe opening 
of the session. In the field of artificial production of 
organic compounds,—one of the most important now 
worked by chemists,—the only one with which I have 
met is the formation of dulcite,—C 6 H 14 0 6 ,—a substance 
resembling mannite, obtained from Melampyrum nemoro- 
sum and other sources—by hydrogenating galactose, a 
product of the action of dilute acids on milk sugar. 
This was naturally suggested by the previous artificial 
production of mannite from glucose. I refrain from 
speaking of the numerous researches in organic chemis¬ 
try which have been recently made, as many of them 
are of purely scientific and limited interest. Some, 
having a special reference to the properties or composi¬ 
tion of drugs, I will now bring before you. 
“ Opium, which is about the most heterogeneous mass 
of organic bodies, has had its complexity still further 
•developed by the addition to the list of cryptopine, pro¬ 
topine, laudanosine, laudanine, codamine, and hydroco- 
tarnine. Dr. Wright is still working on the opium alka¬ 
loids, with results which promise valuable information as 
to the constitution of these bodies. An improvement in 
the iodic acid test for morphia increases the delicacy of 
this reaction, so as to render the detection of that alka¬ 
loid much more certain. 
“ Senna is a still more difficult body; and here I 
regret that we seem further off than ever from a clear 
insight into the active principle or principles of the leaf. 
The main results appear to be that there are several pur¬ 
gative substances in this drug,—chrysophanic acid, 
-cathartic acid, and some other not determined; the 
cathartine of Lassaigne and Feneulle being shown to be 
a mixture. (Bourgoin and Bouchut.) 
“ Therapeutics are perhaps scarcel}- admissible; but 
anything like an intelligible idea of the action of medi¬ 
cines is so rarely to be met with, that no excuse is need¬ 
ful for bringing before your notice an investigation on 
the influence of quinine on oxidation in the blood (A. 
Schulte). In this, quinine is shown to arrest fermenta¬ 
tion and putrefaction, killing fungi, bacteria, etc., and 
stopping the action of certain substances which produce 
•ozone. The red corpuscles of the blood can do this, and 
therefore quinine diminishes oxidation, lowers the tem¬ 
perature, and arrests fever. Naturally, waste of tissue 
also diminishes ; and a very remarkable fact is that pi- 
crate of sodium will act in the same way, whilst cincho¬ 
nine has much less influence. 
“ I think that in my opening address I made a very fair 
prophecy as to the utter futility of our present laws for 
preventing, or rather punishing adulteration; and I 
appeal to the experience of the tentative efforts of the 
Corporation as a fulfilment of it. With regard to adulte¬ 
ration, Englishmen will do anything but act. They will 
write to the papers, conjure up the most horrible pic¬ 
tures (mostly false) of the practices of the unprincipled 
adulterator, will assure you that they know that the 
food they buy is not genuine; and yet they will not 
walk to the end of the street to have an article tested. 
Our papers, big and little, carefully informed the public 
that they could have any article of food analysed for 
nothing, that no personal appearance in any prosecution 
would be needed, no risk run of being a martyr for the 
public good, and that the trouble and expense would all 
fall on the broad shoulders of the Corporation. Yet 
where is the result P I have looked daily in the papers 
for any action, but in vain, and I can only draw two 
conclusions. One is, that every fraudulent sinner in 
Liverpool has seen the error of his ways, has destroyed 
his adulterated stock, and told the wholesale dealer that 
henceforth nothing but pure articles, at a fair price, will 
be received,—a moral revolution of which we might 
well be proud, even though fear of the public analyst 
had supplied the place of conscience. But I fear that 
this is too fair a picture, and that the truth is, firstly, 
laxity on the part of the public ; and, secondly, a well- 
grounded despair in the official mind of doing anything 
in the present state of the law. 
“ While on this subject, I have much pleasure in calling 
your attention to a series of papers in the Pharmaceuti¬ 
cal Journal by Mr. Pockiington, on the use of the 
microscope in the detection of adulteration and the study 
of the minute structure of drugs. 
“ I would willingly abstain from any allusion to the 
question of help to schools of pharmacy from the central 
body, but it has assumed sufficient importance to demand 
some remarks. Of course I speak for myself only, and my 
double position as President and Teacher must make me 
careful. We may lay down a few axioms which may 
assist our thought on this matter. 
“ 1. Education of a special kind must be provided for 
young men if they are to pass the examinations. This 
education is not generally to be met with in educational 
establishments. Chemistry is certainly pretty universally 
receiving attention, and in almost all large towns some 
measure of instruction is available, but as to botany, 
pharmacy and materia medica, teaching must be spe¬ 
cially provided. 
“ 2. Many masters are themselves unable, even if will¬ 
ing, to give such instruction to their apprentices. 
“3. Pecuniary and moral reasons prevent many parents 
from sending their sons to London. 
“ 4. Even if large numbers join classes, the fees, which 
must not be large, will not give adequate remuneration 
to teachers. The cause is not one which appeals very 
forcibly to public sympathy, important as it is, and 
there is no very direct interest to draw support from 
those already in business. 
“ 5. The establishment of schools in small places is im¬ 
possible from lack of means and teachers. . 
“From these data I draw the conclusion that central 
places judiciously selected over the country, will afford 
the only way of establishing schools of pharmacy with 
any chance of success. With regard to funds three 
sources present themselves, students fees, public money, 
and help from the Pharmaceutical Society. The first on 
all hands is admitted to be insufficient; Mr. Lowe will 
demur to the second, and the last remains as the. only 
resort. Local effort should supply a place and fit it up, 
and then one teacher competent to instruct in all the 
subjects required should have a minimum amount secured, 
and after that receive payment on results. Members in. 
