•508  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  {Am^T:imavm' 
would  be  in  his  element.  From  this  point  of  view,  the  work  that  had  been 
done  in  respect  to  standardization  was  important,  and  the  communications  of 
Messrs.  Farr  and  Wright  showed  the  necessity  for  further  uniformity.  Still 
this  might  be  overdone,  for  how  could  the  medicinal  action  of  rhubarb,  cascara, 
or  senna,  or  the  appetizing  effect  of  compound  infusion  of  gentian  be  standard- 
ized ?  Reference  was  then  made  to  the  present  imperfect  provision  for  teaching 
pharmacy  to  the  medical  student,  and  the  opinion  was  expressed  that  a  course 
of  six  months'  practice  under  the  eye  of  a  pharmacist  would  be  of  great  service 
to  the  embryo  medical  practitioner  before  commencing  his  hospital  career.  It 
was  pointed  out  that  if  the  coming  race  of  medical  practitioners  receive  no 
practical  training  in  pharmacy,  they  will  have  no  confidence  in  prescribing, 
because  they  will  never  have  known  their  medicines,  and  that  they  will  con- 
sequently become  a  prey  to  the  advertising  manufacturers  of  ready-made  mix- 
tures and  specialties,  instead  of  making  use  of  official  preparations.  It  was 
recognized,  however,  that  the  making  of  preparations  in  a  wholesale  manner 
might  in  some  cases  be  for  the  public  weal,  though  to  the  detriment  of  the 
pharmacist's  interests.  Some  remarks  upon  the  position  of  the  chemist  and 
druggist  in  respect  to  the  sale  of  nostrums,  and  the  onus  that  lies  upon  him  to 
supply  the  identical  article  asked  for  if  he  supplies  any,  led  up  to  a  discussion 
of  the  question  of  the  introduction  of  synonyms  into  the  Pharmacopoeia.  Upon 
this  the  opinion  was  expressed  that,  notwithstanding  Dr.  Attfieed's  reasoning 
in  his  recent  report,  if  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  is  to  be  made  the  commercial 
as  well  as  the  medical  standard  for  the  articles  it  contains,  and  the  proposed 
synonyms  are  tacked  on  to  the  official  preparations,  pharmacists  will  often  be 
placed  in  greater  doubt  and  difficulty,  or  even  danger,  than  they  are  at  present. 
If  the  official  list  of  synonyms  were  to  be  extended  it  would  require  to  be  care- 
fully watched,  else  pharmacists  would  be  placed  at  great  disadvantage  as  com- 
pared with  the  drysalter  in  supplying  many  substances  used  in  the  arts  and 
manufactures  in  a  more  or  less  crude  condition.  After  allusions  to  the  work 
done  in  the. Research  Laboratory  and  the  celebration  of  the  Jubilee  of  the 
Pharmaceutical  Society,  a  word  or  two  was  said  as  to  the  desirability  of  extend- 
ing the  scope  of  the  preliminary  examination,  and  the  address  concluded  with 
a  record  of  the  loss  the  Conference  had  suffered  since  the  previous  meeting  by 
the  death  of  its  former  Treasurer  and  President,  Hsnry  Bowman  Brady.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  Address  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  President,  moved  by 
Mr.  G.  F.  ScHACHTand  seconded  by  Emeritus  Professor  Redwood  in  an  inter- 
esting autobiographical  speech,  was  carried  by  acclamation. 
Before  proceeding  to  the  reading  of  the  papers  the  President,  as  Chairman  of 
the  Unofficial  Formulary  Committee,  presented  a  report.  This  was  very  short, 
being  practically  limited  to  a  statement  that  a  new  edition  of  the  Formulary 
had  been  issued,  in  which  the  nine  formulae  authorized  in  1889  had  been  incor- 
porated, together  with  six  others  ;  while  seven  formulae  had  been  deleted  on 
account  of  their  having  been  now  accorded  a  place  in  the  official  additions  to 
the  British  Pharmacopoeia. 
The  reading  of  papers  was  then  commenced.  The  first  was  a  report  upon 
Ipecacuanha,  by  Messrs.  Cripps  and  Whitby,  which  was  the  communication 
referred  to  in  the  report  of  the  Executive  Committee  as  the  first  instalment  of 
an  investigation  in  aid  of  which  a  grant  was  made  from  the  Conference  funds 
some  time  ago.    The  investigation  had  its  origin  in  the  need  felt  to  exist  for  a 
