June 22,1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
10S5 
SATURDAY, JUJR 22, 1872. 
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- 
ridge, Secretary, 17, Bloomsbury Square, W . C . 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street , London , W. Envelopes indorsed u Pharm. Journ.” 
REPORTERS AT THE COUNCIL TABLE. 
Most of our readers were probably somewhat asto¬ 
nished at the very full report which appeared in the 
Journal of the 8th instant of the proceedings of the 
June Meeting of the Council. The subject which ex¬ 
cited most interest and discussion was one that af¬ 
forded ample scope for the arguments of those who 
advocate the view that these proceedings are public, as 
well as of those who, on the other hand, maintain 
their private character. Ultimately it was re¬ 
solved,—“ That it is desirable that such reporter or 
reporters as the Council may desire to invite be 
allowed the opportunity of reporting the proceed¬ 
ings;” and a Committee was at once appointed to 
inquire into and report as to the best means of 
carrying into practice the foregoing resolution. 
For the benefit of those who have not closely fol¬ 
lowed the doings at the Council table, it will not be 
out of place to mention that a reporter engaged by 
the Council has been taking shorthand notes for 
the last year; and that a Committee, consisting of 
the President, Vice-President, and Mr. Sandford, 
lias each year been specially appointed to decide what 
portion should be published and what suppressed. 
Accordingly, monthly reports, based on the notes of 
the shorthand writer, have been regularly furnished 
to this Journal by the Committee. 
It would seem, however, that this system is not 
satisfactory to the present Council, who imagine that 
a complete verbatim report should, as a rule, be 
published; and some even affirm the necessity of 
inviting other reporters, to be paid by the proprietors 
of any journal that may find it to its advantage to 
head its report with the magic words, “ By our own 
reporter .” 
The discussion turned more upon the question as 
to how much was fit, or ought, in the interests of the 
Society, to be published than upon the main point of 
open reporting; and the majority of the supporters 
of the resolution avowed, so far as we can judge 
from their remarks, the expediency of some sort of 
control over the publication other than that exercised 
by the editorial staff of most journals. They did 
not, and possibly could not, state the nature of the 
supervision they would wish to see exercised, and left 
what was somewhat facetiously called tliis matter of 
detail —practically, the whole subject—to be settled 
by the Committee first referred to. 
It is perhaps needless to say that this question of 
reporting has been very fully discussed more than 
once at the Council table, and the conclusion come 
to that open reporting would not conduce to the 
material interest of the Societ} r , but might minister 
to the vanity of tall talkers, and seal the lips of 
some of the quiet, wise men on whose judgment 
the Council has often had good reason to rely. 
We confess that we regard this view as somewhat 
overstrained; and indications are not wanting that 
the old as well as the new element on the Council 
are at one in their desire to kindle and maintain 
amongst the members generally an interest in their 
proceedings. _.Tlie members themselves have also, 
in very plain language, expressed their -wish to know 
more about the public business of the Council; but 
the distinction between public and private business 
is the difficulty which has to be satisfactorily solved 
before open reporting can be considered to be agree¬ 
able to many even of the councillors who spoke in 
favour of the resolution. 
One of our correspondents in last week’s issue 
remarks very justly that it is not only quite usual 
but the rule for representative bodies, charged with 
administrative and executive duties, to conduct their 
deliberations privately, but that legislative func¬ 
tions are properly exercised in public. A glance 
at the work of the last four years shows that the truly 
legislative fimctions vested in the Council are ex¬ 
ceedingly few as compared with the executive duties 
of carrying on what may be termed the trade (is not 
a handsome profit realized out of it?) of a great 
examining and educating body having much subsi¬ 
diary business attached- to it. Though we ourselves 
concur in the opinion that a full report of most 
matters pertaining to the administration of the 
Society might be published with positive advantage 
to the Council and gratification to the members, we 
are bound to admit that it would be impolitic not to 
have some means by which any one councillor can 
exercise that absolute freedom of speech which is 
obviously of grave importance under certain cir¬ 
cumstances. Cases of this land would not be of 
frequent occurrence but when they have to be dealt 
with they would be best suited for discussion before 
the whole Council rather than in any Committee. 
We cannot fail to see that, whatever scheme is 
adopted, the President and Vice-President will 
have to exercise considerable firmness and judgment 
to prevent discussions which may tend to lessen the 
respect we all feel for the Council. 
There is eveiy reason to believe that the Com¬ 
mittee will solve the difficulty in a manner creditable 
to themselves and satisfactory to the members. 
