{Am  octuyimarm'     British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  519 
Studies  in  botany  and  materia  medica. — On  Wednesday  morning,  Professor 
Hillhouse,  of  Mason's  College,  read  a  paper  in  which  he  showed  that  for  the 
sake  of  ensuring  thoroughness  in  the  study  of  botany  and  materia  medica 
these  subjects  should  be  taught  with  a  suitable  regard  for  and  co-ordination 
with  the  study  of  other  branches  of  science,  which,  like  physics,  chemistry  and 
physiology,  deal  with  the  same  subject  matter  from  different  points  of  view, 
and  also  with  due  regard  for  the  practice  of  those  arts,  which,  like  medicine 
and  pharmacy,  require  a  knowledge  of  drugs  and  their  composition  and  effects. 
He  pointed  out  that  the  study  of  botany  is  with  the  pharmaceutical  student 
largely  a  means  to  an  end,  namely,  the  systematic  and  intelligent  study  of 
some  portion  of  the  heterogeneous  subject  known  as  materia  medica,  and  his 
object  was  to  suggest  how  the  study  of  botany  might  be  best  directed  towards 
eventually  qualifying  the  student  for  that  work.  Under  the  conjoint  system 
adopted  in  reference  to  medical  education,  Professor  Hillhouse  considers  that 
this  correlation  of  different  branches  of  science  has  not  been  sufficiently  re- 
garded, since  the  teaching  of  a  branch  of  knowledge  which  most  persons 
would  consider  to  be  dependent  on  prior  chemical  and  botanical  training  is  to 
be  deprived  of  its  botanical  side,  while  the  period  assigned  for  teaching  thera- 
peutics is  limited  to  the  first  year  of  the  student's  career.  Ah  hough  pharma- 
ceutical study  is  still  without  any  definite  regulation  the  considerations  treated 
of  by  Professor  Hillhouse  are  well  worthy  the  attention  of  all  who  hope  to 
see  that  deficiency  removed,  and  from  the  rapid  progress  of  science  in  all 
directions  it  becomes  especially  important  from  a  practical  point  of  view  so  to 
adjust  the  teaching  of  the  different  branches  that  time  may  be  economized, 
and  with  regard  to  the  specific  object  of  the  course  of  study  the  teachers  may, 
to  use  Professor  Hillhouse's  words,  "  play  into  each  other's  hands."  The  first 
part  of  the  discussion  which  followed  the  reading  of  this  paper  referred  to  the 
subject  from  a  medical  point  of  view,  Dr.  Trimen,  for  instance,  differing  materi- 
ally from  the  author  and  speaking  of  the  absurdity  of  professing  to  arrange  a 
complete  course  of  botany  that  would  be  suitable  to  the  conditions  of  the 
medical  student.  Mr.  Holmes,  Mr.  Martindale,  Mr.  J.  C.  Shenstone  and  others, 
however,  brought  the  question  back  within  pharmaceutical  range  and  argued 
that  the  teaching  of  botany  to  pharmaceutical  students  should  be  made  more 
practical  than  it  is  at  present. 
Unofficial  formulary. — The  next  business  transacted  by  the  Conference  involved 
an  innovation  which  will  probably  distinguish  this  from  every  other  meeting  that 
has  preceded  it.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  his  address  the  President  sug- 
gested that  the  Conference  might  undertake  the  task  of  compiling  a  non-official 
formulary.  Mr.  Eeynolds  now  moved  a  resolution  which  practically  covered 
this  suggestion,  the  exact  words  being,  "  that  in  order  to  secure  greater  uni- 
formity of  composition  and  strength  in  non-official  remedies,  and  also  to  enable 
the  medical  profession  to  prescribe  them  with  definite  knowledge  of  those  quali- 
ties, and  without  indicatin  g  any  particular  maker,  the  British  Ph  arm  aceuticalCon- 
ference  undertakes  the  preparation  of  a  Formulary  of  Non-Official  Remedies." 
This  proposition  was  supported  by  a  reference  to  what  had  been  done  by  the 
Paris  Pharmaceutical  Association,  and  was  seconded  by  Mr.  S.  R.  Atkins.  It 
was  evidently  in  accord  with  the  views  of  nearly  all  present,  although  the  dis- 
cussion made  it  apparent  that  a  diversity  of  opinion  existed  as  to  the  scope  of 
