294 
THE LATE MR. THOMAS HERRING. 
rank, might take it, but by the general acceptation which the great body of mankind, 
passing the defendant’s door-plate, would ascribe to the words used there. I think, on 
the whole, that these words would convey to them that a surgeon, duly qualified and 
registered as such, practised at the house in question as a chiropodist. Taken to be 
such a surgeon, he would command more confidence with those who sought his aid as 
a chiropodist; and not only that, but he might naturally be consulted by them in 
surgical matters beyond the mere treatment of corns. We must allow something for 
the craving after small titles which is so widely spread at present. The corn-cutter 
is restless until he writes “ chiropodist,” and next, from fear of so much Greek not 
being understood, dubs himself surgeon at all hazards. On the whole, if the defendant 
will remove from his door-plate and cards the word “ surgeon,” I might consider as to 
mitigating the penalty, which is £20, and in that hope would adjourn my decision 
till this day week. But if the defendant requests me to grant a case “for the opinion 
of a superior court, I will do so. In that case it will be needless to adjourn the case, 
and I dine him £20. 
Mr. Lewis, jun., said since the last hearing Mr. Bearnard had been to the Medical 
Council, and the secretary had informed him that they were not initiating the com¬ 
plaint. 
Mr. Tyrwhitt said he had nothing to do with the Medical Council. 
Mr. Lewis, jun., said, if Mr. Bearnard took a case to a superior court, he had a right 
to know whether Mr. Tilley was a responsible person. Mr. Bearnard had been called 
upon by several medical men, who had expressed their distaste at the proceedings. 
After some consultation between Mr. Lew r is and Mr. Bearnard, Mr. Lewis said, with 
all deference to the judgment just delivered, his client would take a case, and Mr. Bear¬ 
nard would at once enter into the requisite sureties. Subsequently the magistrate 
said he felt that there was so much doubt about the matter that he should not enforce 
the penalty, and he would not advise Mr. Bearnard to alter his plate. 
A summons w r as also taken out against Mr. M. C. Rogers, dentist, of New Burlington 
Street, “ for falsely pretending to be a surgeonbut ft was proved that Mr. Kogers 
had passed the hospitals in Paris as a qualified surgeon, but he practised only, as a 
dentist. It appeared that the Medical Council had ignored these proceedings against 
Mr. Rogers, stating that they were not taken by their advice nor at their expense. 
OBITUARY.—THOMAS HERRING. 
We have to record the death of one of the oldest members of the drug trade, an 
original promoter, and one of the most active and zealous supporters of the Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Society. Mr. Thomas Herring was born in Norwich on the 1st of January, 1785. 
He was apprenticed to Mr. George Sothern, of that city, in 1801, and at the end of his 
apprenticeship in 180G he came to London and obtained an engagement with Messrs. 
Kirk, Hear on, and Co., in Bishopsgate Street, with whom he remained until the begin¬ 
ning of 1808. In this year he married Anne Rogers, the only child of Nathaniel Rogers, 
a wealthy dyer. About the middle of 1808 he commenced his career in business on his 
own account, having purchased the freehold of premises No. 8, Barbican, and invited his 
brother, Thrower Buckle Herring (at that time living with a bombazine manufacturer 
at Norwich), to join him. The new firm soon met with considerable success, and in 
1815 they moved to more extensive premises at 40, Aldersgate Street, where the busi¬ 
ness has been carried on ever since. All the arrangements were provided here for a first- 
class wholesale drug business. There was ample room at that period for improvement 
in the preparation of medicines, and especially of those sold by wholesale druggists. 
The whole class of powders were usually prepared in an imperfect manner, and were 
often adulterated to an enormous extent. Medicinal extracts were also very imperfectly 
made, and in fact pharmacy was altogether in a low state. There were, no doubt 
honourable exceptions to the then existing general condition of the drug trade, but 
these were mostly in the retail department. Dispensing chemists who were anxious to 
perform their duty conscientiously made their own preparations, even to the powdering 
of many drugs, which of course was done with the pestle and mortar. Herring’s house 
was soon brought prominently into notice by the introduction of a new class of powders, 
for the production of which they had fitted up very powerful and efficient drug-grinding 
