2 
THE CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP. 
of offering himself for examination without some previous preparation, and the 
only difficulty that can attend the undertaking is to know how to set about this 
preparation, and to find the time and application for its accomplishment. We 
propose on some future occasion to devote an article to the subject of prepara¬ 
tion for the examinations. At present we have merely to point out what are 
the steps to be taken to become registered as Pharmaceutical Chemists, Assistants, 
and Apprentices, and for obtaining admission into the Pharmaceutical Society. 
tSTo person can be placed upon the Register or admitted into the Society with¬ 
out passing an examination. 
Any person, after passing the required ordeal and receiving a certificate to 
that effect, is entitled, on payment of the specified fee, to be registered as Phar¬ 
maceutical Chemist, Assistant, or Apprentice, as the case may be. This gives 
him the title and privileges resulting from registration under the Pharmacy Act, 
but it does not make him in any way connected with the Pharmaceutical Society. 
Those who have passed the examinations are entitled to registration, but they 
are only eligible for admission into the Society. Hence Registration follows as 
a necessary consequence of passing an examination, whereas admission into the 
Society, although founded upon the same qualification, is the result of a distinct 
application made afterwards, and it involves the payment of a separate subscrip¬ 
tion. 
There appears to have been a good deal of misapprehension upon this subject, 
and it may be well therefore to endeavour to make it as clear as possible. 
An apprentice proposes to be registered under the Pharmacy Act; he there¬ 
fore presents himself for the classical examination, and on passing it, and pay¬ 
ing a fee of two guineas, he is placed on the Register. If it be asked, what has 
he gained by this ? it may be answered, that he has taken the first step, and 
paid the first instalment of the fee, for becoming a Pharmaceutical Chemist. 
But it may be asked, does he derive any immediate benefit, or anything in 
return for the payment of the fee ? In reply to this it may be stated that he 
has the benefit of calling himself a Registered Apprentice, which implies that 
he possesses the first qualification for the higher position of assistant or phar¬ 
maceutist, but he has not yet entitled himself to anything more. If he desires 
at once to enjoy the advantages of association with the Pharmaceutical Society, 
he must apply to the Secretary for admission as a Registered Apprentice of the 
Society. This he will receive as a matter of course, on presenting his certifi¬ 
cate, which implies the requisite qualification, but he will now have to pay a 
subscription of half-a-guinea a year to the Society. In return for this subscrip¬ 
tion he will receive the 1 Pharmaceutical Journal’ without payment, he will be 
admitted to the lectures provided by the Society on the payment of half the fees 
otherwise charged, he will have free admission to the Library and Museum of 
the Society, and be eligible to compete for the Bell Scholarships, besides enjoy¬ 
ing other advantages conferred by the institution. 
At the end of his apprenticeship, or earlier it may be, he desires to take the 
next step, and be registered as a qualified assistant. To enable him to do this 
he must pass the Minor Examination of the Pharmaceutical Society. In pre¬ 
paring himself for this examination some amount of systematic study is neces¬ 
sary, and if he has the means of doing so, he will no doubt avail himself of the 
instruction provided by the Society, and at the same time will reap the benefit 
of his connection with the Society. On passing the Minor Examination, and 
paying the fee (which, as he is a registered apprentice, will be three guineas, 
otherwise it would be five guineas), he receives a certificate of qualification as 
an assistant, and is registere 1 as such. lie has now taken the second step towards 
becoming a Pharmaceutical Chemist, but in doing this he has ceased to be 
a Registered Apprentice, having passed to a higher grade. His examination, 
however, has only entitled him to registration as in the former case, and if he 
wishes to belong to the Society, and continue to enjoy the resulting privileges, 
