THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
SECOND SERIES. 
VOL. Vlir.— No. L—JULY, 18G6. 
THE MEDICAL COUNCIL AND THE PHARMACOPCEIA. 
We alluded briefly, in our last number, to some of the proceedings at the 
meetings of the Medical Council, but at the time of our going to press the sit¬ 
tings of the Council were not concluded, and only the first day’s proceedings 
were reported. The arrangements for the publication of the new edition of the 
British Pharmacopoeia were discussed at more than one sitting, and occupied a 
good deal of attention. The following report was presented by the Pharma¬ 
copoeia Committee:— 
“ The Pharmacopoeia Committee have to report that since the date of their last Eeport 
Messrs. Kedwood and Warington have continued to be engaged in the duty assigned to 
them; and they have so far completed their work, that the whole of the matter, with 
the exception of the Appendix, is now in type. The Committee have reason to hope 
that the volume will be ready for circulation, in proof, amongst the members of Council, 
in three months from the present time. Under these circumstances the Committee beg 
leave to direct the attention of the Council to the resolution adopted at the meeting of 
last year (Minutes, vol. iii. p. 285) as follows :— 
“ ‘ That it is desirable to have a proof copy of the new Pharmacopoeia in the hands 
of the members of the General Medical Council at least one month before the meeting, 
of the General Medical Council, at which the opinion of the Medical Council is to be 
given relative to its being published, in order to afford to each member of Council the 
opportunity of making such suggestions to the Committee as may appear desirable.’ 
“ As the Committee anticipate that the work will be ready some considerable time 
before the next Ordinary General Meeting of the Council, the Committee would wish to 
receive such further directions as the Council may feel it necessary to give them on this 
subject. The Committee, before concluding their Eeport, desire, in reference to an im¬ 
pression which seems to prevail, that some unnecessary delay has taken place in the 
production of the Pharmacopoeia, to assure the Council that no time has been spent in 
the work which was not necessary. 
“ The Committee beg to inform the Council that they have not hitherto had occasion 
to draw upon the fund placed at their disposal by order of the Council. (Minutes, vol. iii. 
p. 285.) 
“ Maij 21s^, 1866.” “R. Christison, Chairman.” 
The presentation of this report led to a long discussion, in which the question 
was raised by Dr. Apjohn, a member of the Pharmacopoeia Committee, whether, 
in describing bodies of definite chemical composition, symbols and proportional 
numbers should be used. The Committee, after devoting much consideration 
to the subject, had decided to omit them, and were, no doubt, partly influenced 
VOL. YIII. B 
