AffiAp°rUiLSrm'}       Elementary  Dispensing  Practice.  171 
to  be  received  there  with  simple  but  impressive  ceremony.  At  the 
present  time  they  rest  in  the  Regents'  room  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  awaiting  the  selection  of  a  proper  spot  for  sepulture. 
NOTES  FROM  JOSEPH  INGE'S  BOOK  ON  ELEMENTARY 
DISPENSING  PRACTICE. 
By  M.  I.  WlXBERT. 
Mr.  Joseph  Ince  has  embodied  such  a  wealth  of  interesting  per- 
sonal opinions,  as  well  as  suggestive  and  practical  ideas,  in  his  little 
book  on  "  Elementary  Dispensing  Practice  "  (Amer.  Jour.  Pharm., 
1904,  p.  145),  that  it  was  thought  that  a  few  extracts  or  random 
notes  might  prove  interesting  to  practical  pharmacists  in  this  country. 
In  the  preface  Mr.  Ince,  himself  nearly,  if  not  quite,  an  octogenarian, 
gives  a  description  of  what  is  evidently  his  ideal  for  a  dispenser.  He 
says:  "Many  years  ago  I  stood  by  the  side  of  an  excellent  and 
experienced  dispenser  whose  example  was  a  perpetual  lesson  in 
this  branch  of  pharmaceutical  education.  His  work  was  rapid,  tor 
he  was  of  the  opinion  that  slow  dispensing  by  no  means  leads  to 
accuracy.  His  method  was  the  very  soul  of  order,  for  he  returned 
every  bottle  to  its  place  as  soon  as  done  with,  and  in  the  very  press 
of  business  carefully  read  his  prescriptions  and  then  wrote  his  labels, 
which  he  kept  constantly  before  him  so  as  to  avoid  the  smallest 
chance  of  error.  Save  the  final  wrapping  up  and  sealing,  each 
separate  piece  of  work  was  finished  out  of  hand,  judgment  being 
used  as  to  what  should  be  attempted  first." 
Having  this  ideal  in  mind,  it  is  little  wonder  that  Mr.  Ince  has 
profited  by  his  experience  and  is  able  to  tell  us  how  we  ourselves 
may  become  more  efficient  in  this  particular  branch.  This  he  does 
a  little  further  on,  when  he  tells  us  that:  "Success  in  any  branch  of 
knowledge  depends  on  the  perpetual  culture  of  the  talent  of  obser- 
vation. This  is  particularly  applicable  to  the  would-be  dispenser, 
who  should  train  himself  to  recognize  the  chief  preparations,  liquid 
and  solid,  which  he  sees  around  him,  including  drugs  in  common 
use. 
"  He  will  dispense  best  who  during  his  apprenticeship  has  become 
familiar  with  the  physical  characteristics,  general  behavior  and  or- 
dinary doses  of  the  various  drugs,  chemicals  and  preparations  with 
which  he  comes  in  contact." 
