June 29, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1037 
grolrituial fraitsaxtions. 
MIDLAND COUNTIES CHEMISTS' 
ASSOCIATION. 
The Third Annual Meeting of the Midland Counties 
Chemists’ Association was held in their Rooms, 24, 
Quadrant Chambers, New Street, Birmingham, on Fri¬ 
day evening, May 31st, at 8 o’clock. Mr. Dymond, 
President, in the chair. The attendance of members 
was good. 
The minutes of previous meeting having been read 
and confirmed, the following report was read by Mr. 
Lucas, Honorary Secretary. 
Report. 
“ The Council of this Association is gratified in being- 
able to issue a report this year of much encouragement. 
“ In their circular of July 10th, 1871, an endeavour 
to awaken a fresh interest in the objects of the Associa¬ 
tion was announced, to which a response of a most 
hopeful kind was made. The number of members, 
which, a year ago, was 102, is now (members and asso¬ 
ciates) 188, a large proportion of whom have been 
actively interested in the proceedings of the Association. 
The rooms in the Quadrant Chambers have been made 
good use of, the records showing that about 1600 visits 
have been made to the reading-room, exclusive of a 
large number of visitors who have omitted entering their 
names in the visitors’ book. Of these, the associates 
(principally those who are engaged as assistants in busi¬ 
ness) form by far the larger part. It is this large and 
important class of chemists who must ultimately be the 
real gainers by the objects of the Association. 
“The first meeting of the associates took place in 
October, at the invitation of the President, who supplied 
coffee and refreshments. The meeting was crowded, and 
it was certainly the largest assemblage of assistants ever 
held in Birmingham. Its principal object was to con¬ 
sider an educational scheme for the winter months. The 
scheme as proposed was adopted, and the names of about 
forty students who were desirous of attending classes 
and lectures were given in on the spot. The attendance 
at the classes did not ultimately keep up to the original 
number at the commencement of the session, reasons 
being found in the facts that some of the students left 
then- situations and removed to a distance, and others 
having during the session passed through their troubles 
at Bloomsbury Square, felt the immediate pressure of 
the need of study removed. The lectures and classes were 
held in connection with the Birmingham and Midland 
Institute, the educational facilities of which are likely to 
prove of great advantage to the Association. To those 
students who joined the lectures in chemistry, the Pro¬ 
fessor of Chemistry, Mr. J. C. Woodward, gave special 
occasional lectures in the Pharmacopoeia. The attend¬ 
ance at lectures on botany has been limited to ten per¬ 
sons. The Latin classes have assisted many to pass the 
Preliminary examination. 
“ During the year four evening meetings have been 
held, which have been well attended. 
“ At these meetings papers have been read as fol¬ 
lows:—‘ The Examinations of the Pharmaceutical So¬ 
ciety,’ by William Southall; ‘ Volumetric Analysis,’ 
by Henry W. Jones; ‘The Study of Botany,’ by j. B. 
Williams ; and ‘ Disinfectants,’ by Wentworth L. Scott, 
F.C.S. 
“ Amongst the other incidents of the past year may be 
noted a petition to Parliament, in June, praying for the 
suspension of any further legislative interference in the 
keeping and sale of poisons by chemists. It will be re¬ 
membered that the Bill then before Parliament was 
afterwards withdrawn, and has not since been intro¬ 
duced. 
“ In the same month a grant of £10 was received from 
the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, for the pur¬ 
chase of additional books for library. The secretaries 
were instructed at the same time to make application to 
the Free Libraries Committee of the Borough of Bir¬ 
mingham, for a restoration of the books committed to it 
in 1863, by the Birmingham Pharmaceutical Association, 
then expiring. This application was refused. In con¬ 
nection with the library, the council records its grateful 
thanks for many valuable presents thereto, amongst the 
rest, for some excellent pictures from Mr. Thomas Hyde 
Hills, for a clock from Mr. Edward Snape, and for a 
cabinet of materia medica specimens from Messrs. Evans, 
Sons and Co. 
“The early closing of chemists’ shops has obtained 
considerable attention; and an endeavour made during 
the year to secure an uniform hour for closing through¬ 
out the town of Birmingham, was not successful. The 
need of different districts of the town vary so consider¬ 
ably that it has appeared hopeless to expect all should 
combine in the observance of the same hour, but an 
agreed time, to suit the convenience of different districts 
has met with some success. This subject is likely to ob¬ 
tain further attention. 
“ The ‘Price Book’ of the Association has had a con¬ 
tinued demand, the sale during the year being 149 
copies, exclusive of copies supplied to members of the 
Association gratis. The Council cannot too earnestly 
commend to chemists the desirability, as far as practi¬ 
cable, of observing uniformity in the price of drugs, and 
particularly of medicines dispensed from prescriptions, 
and also of marking with the private mark of the Associa¬ 
tion all prescriptions when first compounded, that the 
first compounder of a prescription should invariably 
mark on it the price he has charged, with the private 
mark of the Association. 
“ On January 12th, 1872, a meeting of members of 
the trade was held in the rooms, to discuss the proposals 
made in this district by the Metropolitan Co-operative 
Association for the supply of drugs by chemists to its 
members. An unanimous feeling of opposition to this 
proposal was exhibited, and the signatures of a large 
number of chemists obtained, pledged to decline it. It 
was afterwards found that only one or two chemists in 
Birmingham remained under any engagement to the 
Co-operative Association, and its schemes, as far as 
chemists are concerned, practically fell through. 
“ The C ouncil of this Association has also had the 
important subject of Provincial Pharmaceutical Educa¬ 
tion under its consideration, believing that great centres 
like Birmingham, have not yet obtained their due share 
of aid from the Central Council in London. A recent 
minute of the London Council, and an important move¬ 
ment of opinion among chemists throughout the country, 
gives the hope that this subject will, ere long, receive 
the attention it demands. 
“ The Council has sought to obtain for the Great 
Midland District, of which Birmingham is the centre, 
a representative at the Council Board in London; but, 
unfortunately, without success. It was hoped that the 
just claims of this district to a representative, and the 
personal character of Mr. John Churchill, would ha\ e 
secured his election. The Council suggest that it may 
be necessary to reform the present method of election, 
by which the representation of the chemists ot the coun¬ 
try is so unequally divided. 
“Amongst the records of the year must not be omit .ed 
that of the soire#, which was given by the President on 
February 6th, 1872. Such a gathering of gentlemen 
and ladies interested in pharmacy had certainly never 
met in Birmingham before. It was attended by -40 
persons. A great variety of scientific experiments and 
objects of interest were shown. Music was provided. 
The refreshment room was duly honoured with guests , 
and at half past ten, the floor' being cleared, dancing 
commenced, and was continued till a late hour, ex ei) 
person agreeing that the evening had been most sue- 
