84  Report  of  Pharmac.  Examining  Board.  {^Ib^JS^' 
prepared  would,  I  am  sure,  be  a  boon  to  the  pharmacist  as  well  as  to 
the  medical  man. 
The  increased  tendency  of  these  extracts  to  deliquesce  can  be  met 
by  making  them  firmer  than  those  in  use  at  present,  and  by  keeping 
them  in  pots  better  secured  than  those  commonly  used.  For  the  dis- 
pensing counter,  strong  glass  jars  with  ground-glass  lids,  would  be 
found  to  answer  well ;  and  when  made  into  pills,-  the  apt  dispenser 
will  not  be  at  a  loss  to  protect  them  from  the  action  of  the  air. — Lon. 
Pharm.  Journ.  and  Trans.,  Dec.  7,  1872. 
First  Annual  Report  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Examining  Board  of 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia,  January  1,  1873. 
To  His  Honor,  Wm.  S.  Stokley,  Mayor  of  Philadelphia. 
The  Pharmaceutical  Examining  Board  respectfully  report,  that  the  mem- 
bers appointed  by  your  Honor  in  April  last,  in  accordance  with  the  "Act  to 
regulate  the  practice  of  pharmacy,  etc.,"  approved  April  4th,  1872,  on  being 
duly  qualified  by  the  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions,  met  on  the  29th 
of  April,  and  organized  by  the  election  of  James  N.  Marks  as  President,  Chas. 
L.  Eberle,  Treasurer,  and  James  T.  Shinn,  Secretary. 
Rules  and  by-laws  were  adopted,  and,  as  soon  as  the  necessary  books  and 
papers  could  be  prepared,  an  'advertisement  was  inserted  in  nine  of  the  news- 
papers of  the  city. 
An  office  was  rented  and  opened  at  No.  723  Arch  street  on  May  20th,  when 
the  Board  met  daily  until  after  the  expiration  of  the  time  fixed  by  law  for  the 
registration  of  apothecaries  and  retail  druggists  who  were  proprietors  of  stores 
on  April  4th,  1872. 
During  the  year  fifty  meetings  have  been  held  for  the  transaction  of  business, 
and  504  applicants  for  registration  as  proprietors  received,  of  which  number 
492  were  approved  and  certificates  ordered  to  be  issued.  There  have  been  287 
applications  from  clerks,  of  whom  250  appeared  for  examination  as  to  compe- 
tency and  qualification.  Certificates  as  "  Qualified  Assistant"  were  granted  to 
185  of  the  applicants,  and  65  were  rejected  as  incompetent  to  be  left  in  charge 
of  a  store.  Since  the  passage  of  the  act  10  persons  not  graduates  in  pharmacy 
who  wished  to  open  retail  drug-stores  have  been  examined  by  the  Board,  five 
of  whom  received  the  necessary  certificate  of  competency,  and  five  were 
rejected  as  not  possessing  the  requisite  knowledge  and  qualifications. 
This  record  shows  that  of  the  number  applying  for  the  responsible  position 
of  proprietor  of  a  store,  where  the  most  deadly  poisons  were  to  be  dispensed, 
fifty  per  cent,  were  judged  by  the  Board  to  be  unfit  for  it,  and  that  only  seven- 
ty-four per  cent,  of  those  who  were  to  be  left  in  charge  during  the  absence  of 
the  proprietor  were  deemed  competent  for  the  post.  At  this  date  twenty-five 
proprietors  and  thirty  qualified  assistants  have  not  called  for  or  obtained  their 
certificates,  although  duly  notified  to  do  so. 
