374 
LEEDS CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
unfavourable views. No doubt it has faults, many faults, both of omission and com¬ 
mission. It would be a most extraordinary thing if it had not. It was a great work to 
accomplish, under unfavourable circumstances, by a number of persons situated at con¬ 
siderable distances from each other, and having many difficulties and prejudices to com¬ 
bat with. I think injustice has been done to these gentlemen, and they have received 
few thanks, although no body of men could be more properly entitled to them. By 
their efforts, we have now one Pharmacopoeia for the whole of Great Britain. And, 
although I should like to see some old formulae re-introduced, I trust, in a little while, 
the portion of the public whom it more immediately concerns will regard it as entitled 
to universal adoption, and that, like the British Constitution, it will never be subjected to 
any revolutionary assaults, but only such well-considered and deliberate alterations and 
amendments as the intelligence and science of future years may bring to bear upon it. 
With respect to the practical, every-day operations of the shop, I will name one or 
two things. The new Pharmacopoeia contains the w r ell-known mode of preparing 
Pilula Plummeri with castor oil. He must have been born a genius wffio invented this 
mode of dealing with such a mass. I need hardly say that this article is now called by 
the jaw-breaking name of Pilula Calomelanos Composita. Another little matter which 
I will name is, that during the prevalence of influenza in this town, when, the older 
portion of us will remember, there was such an unprecedented demand for Tinctura 
Camphorse Composita that there was not time to prepare it in the ordinary way, the 
remedy was sometimes made by ascertaining the amount of Opium required, which tvas 
contained in Tinctura Opii, and by lessening the quantum of spirit accordingly the 
article was prepared in a few minutes. Perhaps this might have been done with boiling 
water, but I think not so well. I mention these little matters, in order that I may sub¬ 
mit for the consideration of our members and associates, the advisability of giving us 
some papers during the ensuing monthly meetings, upon these ordinary, every-day, 
practical manipulations, required in our business. I know' some members of our Society 
who can give us valuable information on these matters, and I hope they will do so. 
I am desirous, as your President, of referring to the interesting and clever papers 
which were read to us by two associates, during the past year. I trust that they will 
not only favour us again during the present year, but that their excellent example 
will be followed by others of the young men connected with this association. 
I also venture to express the wish that the example of our little association in Leeds, 
which includes members of both the Pharmaceutical and United Society, could be 
followed by a union of those societies. The progress and large amount of support which 
the United Society has obtained throughout the length and breadth of the land, may, 
I think, be regarded as proof that the object which the Pharmaceutical Society has 
alw'ays had in view, namely, to unite in one society all the members of our business, is 
in reality the object and wish of the entire trade. If any one will read the publications 
of both societies, I defy him to come to any other conclusion, than that the object of 
both societies, and the mode in which both societies would carry out that objeet, are 
exactly and entirely identical. If such is the case, I ask, wffiat is there to prevent 
the amalgamation of the two? In my judgment there is nothing. If a deputation 
of two or three gentlemen from each society w'ere appointed to meet, who were really 
wishful to effect this most desirable object, I am confident they would effect it, and 
the more so, because I have not met, at any time, with any person in our business 
who did not desire that it should take place. 
The institution of the British Pharmaceutical Conference last year, one of the funda¬ 
mental objects of which is the promotion of friendly intercourse between all engaged in 
the practice of Pharmacy, shows very clearly the feeling that exists in the minds of 
the leading men among us upon this subject. 
Mr. Harvey expressed the satisfaction with which he had listened to the address just 
delivered. The probability that the subject of Poisons would be a matter for early 
legislative interference, made it fitting that the President should have given it the pro¬ 
minence which he had done. He concurred most heartily with what had been said 
about the importance of shop arrangements, and the necessity for separating those pre¬ 
parations whose proximity had been found by experience to lead to error. Surely the 
sad case at Liverpool enforced this lesson more strongly than any other. It had for 
many years been his practice to tie over the stoppers of bottles containing the more 
dangerous drugs, and he was convinced of the utility of the plan. 
