REPORT ON MEDICAL EDUCATION, &C. 
251 
once, I believe, upon its first discovery; but the difficulties of 
making it are so great, that the manufacturers of it can do it 
much cheaper than we can. Do you mean to say, that there 
is not sufficient skill at your laboratory to prepare this sub- 
stance with advantage? I am not speaking of skill, exactly; 
but in France the quantity to be prepared is so large that they 
can do it better and cheaper than we can. The article pre- 
pared in England is not very saleable; for it differs so much 
in appearance from the French, that the public in general is 
not satisfied with it. What are the principal articles that are 
prepared at your laboratory? It is almost impossible to state, 
there are so many; almost all galenicals or compound medi- 
cines, syrups, and pills and a great many chemicals. Do you 
grind all the drugs yourselves ? Yes. Are your preparations 
better or worse than those which are sold by the most respect- 
able chemists and druggists ? They certainly are greatly 
better than what are sold by chemists and druggists in general : 
but there are a few persons in London who might be named, 
and who sell very excellent medicines, and I dare say, as good 
as ours. We are governed by the pharmacopoeia, and in gale- 
nicals consider ourselves obliged to make use of every ingre- 
dient therein mentioned." 
Mr. Field immediately after states, that the processes of 
the pharmacopoeia are not followed in all cases, but that 
deviations are made whenever it is deemed necessary. Dr. 
Christison, perhaps the first pharmaceutical chemist of the 
day, asserts that the French quinine cannot be depended on; 
but the Worshipful Company refuses to manufacture this 
substance, or even to vend the British; because, forsooth, the 
public would rather have it of the French shade of colour. 
Such are the guardians of medicine in England ! 
Some questions regarding processes in pharmaceutical che- 
mistry, put to Mr. Field, were very promptly answered by 
Mr. Hennell, the operating chemist to the Apothecaries^ 
Company. Was the superintendent unable to answer them 
himself, or was the operating chemist too anxious to show 
