necessity of providing for that want; and the ques- | regret that so little has been done to carry out the tion now to be considered is simply what part the suggestions offered in a previous article* on the Pharmaceutical Society should take in that direction. subject, that our provincial friends should, by taking Since the time when the Society's educational action stock of their local wants and resources, ascertain assumed its present form, the general conditions to what prospect they have of keeping up schools of which the business of pharmacy is subject have been pharmacy, as well as the means they can command so far legislatively altered that there is, indeed, on for the establishment of such schools; but we hope this account alone, ample reason for reconsidering the disposition since shown by the Council to deal how far that action is sufficient or appropriate under with this subject in a liberal manner will yet be the existing circumstances; and it must be remembered means of bringing about such a course as we then that since the Society is now acknowledged as the suggested. governing power for the entire trade, it is not only in regard to members that its functions, in this respect or otherwise, have to be considered.

At the same time, we unhesitatingly deprecate the idea of making the provision for pharmaceutical instruction in any way partake of an eleemosynary character. In starting provincial schools, there probably must be, in many cases, some expenditure which cannot be at once recouped; but we have no faith in the utility of attempting to establish such schools, unless there be some decisive evidence that they will continue to be self-supporting. It is, moreover, very important to bear in mind that thiscondition has never yet been attained by our existing school.

Regarding the subject from this point of view, and assuming that the attendance at the lectures and laboratory in Bloomsbury Square were very much more numerous than it ever has been, it may, nevertheless, be taken for granted that a very large majority of those who require pharmaceutical education could not come up to London for the purpose. To meet their case it would be necessary that they should have access to lectures during the time of their apprenticeship or while acting as assistants. But any measures taken to provide such a general system of teaching must evidently apply to the entire trade; and although it would be eminently in accord with the spirit of the Society's charter to promote such an uniform system of education, the fact that only about one-fifth of the trade are connected with the Society raises a difficulty as to the application of the Society's funds to the purpose. For this reason there seems to be some irrelevancy in the argument put forward by Mr. BAYNES, Mr. RADLEY and others, that grants should be made to provincial associations as a return for the support heretofore given by country members to the Society. That argument might have considerable force as regards those connected with the Society, but it could not well be urged as a reason for the Society granting money to support provincial schools, unless at the same time it were seconded by the offer of liberal contributions from those who are not connected with the Society. Thus taking, for instance, the towns of Leeds, Sheffield and Hull, where the subject of provincial education has been very prominently mooted, it appears that the great majority of pharmacists in those towns do not belong to the Society. Even the number of registered apprentices and associates is far less than might have been expected, as will be seen from the following table:

27

Total number in business
Connected with Society
Associates not in business and

Registered Apprentices. . 11

Taking the general result of such attempts as have been made, it is too apparent that the aid required by "provincial education " is not so much money as interest on the part of those requiring to be taught.

Without dwelling too much on the failure that has characterized most attempts to establish schools of pharmacy in the provinces, it would be unwise to overlook this fact. It would be equally unwise to ignore the indifference to the claims for education prevailing in many cases among country chemists, or to disregard the disinclination of young men to enter upon the serious study of those subjects which should be mastered by every one who hopes to follow most humble form. with credit the career of a pharmacist even in its

How those obstacles are to be removed is a question well deserving the earnest consideration of every one desirous to raise the general status of the trade. and we hope those who have been active in making at the ensuing meeting, render the still greater known the need of further educational facilities will, service of demonstrating that there is also such a demand for them as would justify a liberal use of the Society's funds in promoting their establishment throughout the country.

of practical chemistry at the Royal Veterinary ColAN address from the students attending the class lege, has recently been presented to Professor Richard V. Tuson, expressing their appreciation of the advantages resulting from laboratory instruction, and Sheffield. Hull. congratulating him upon being the first to establish 102 such a course in connection with that college.

100
27

9

19

4

THE Annual Oration before the Medical Society of London will be delivered on Monday evening next, at the Architectural Society's rooms, Conduit Street, It is, therefore, an important point to ascertain by F. J. GANT, Esq., F.R.C.S., upon "Modern how far any effort to establish provincial schools Surgery as a Science and an Art." After the address would be aided by the whole or even the majority a conversazione will be held.

of those in the trade. In regard to this point, we

PHARM. JOURN. 3rd Ser. Vol. I. p. 388.

Torquay.

Balham.

.Nottingham.

Norwich.

Wynne, Edward Price........Aberystwith. Resolved-That the following, having passed their respective Examinations, be elected Associates of the Society:

MAJOR.

Brough, Henry James.....

MINOR.

..Windsor.

Appleby, Edward Joseph Brighton.
Bates, William.
..Stevenage.
Blackwell, Frederick William Birmingham.
Constance, Herbert Edward .London.

Cortis, Arthur Brownhill

Dear, James Edward

Edwards, Thomas..

Evison, William

Green, Vittery

....

Worthing.

.St. John's Wood.
Newport, Monm.
Louth.

..London.

Greenish, Thomas Edward....London.

Haworth, Benjamin Henry.... Manchester.

Houghton, Robert William .. Bermuda.

John, Jabez Arundel
Jones, Matthew Henry
Langham, Henry John
Latham, Robert John
Maitland, Alick...

Tenby.

......London.
.. Diss.
Worksop.
. London.

........

Williams, William Griffith.... Abergele.

have to be gone into systematically and on a broader basis by the new Council. He therefore doubted the advisability of doing a thing partially which would have to be re-considered so soon.

The PRESIDENT thought the new Council would be assisted in this matter by the recommendations of the Committee being adopted.

Mr. SHAW thought it most important that something like the principle of "payment for results" should be inaugurated in connection with this matter. In the case of Liverpool there had not been such a demand for pharmaceutical education as might have been expected, and the facts showed the necessity of some regulations which would ensure the funds of the Society being wisely expended. For the last twenty years every desirable means had been provided in Liverpool for giving a thorough systematic pharmaceutical education, lectures on Botany, Materia Medica, and Chemistry being delivered, but although there must be from three to four hundred apprentices and assistants in the town, these lectures had not been attended by more than half a dozen, while the Materia Medica lectures were attended by two only.

Mr. HILLS asked if the masters had given their young men the opportunity of attending.

Mr. SHAW said he was simply speaking of the facts, not entering in any way into the cause or causes. He had heard that in other places masters had insisted on the time spent by their apprentices in attending lectures, Indivietc., being made up at the end of the term. dually he was prepared to vote for any amount being expended on the advancement of provincial education and was very much pleased with the action of the North.Newcastle-on-Tyne. ampton Association as stated at the last meeting. He

Brighton.
Wantage.

Kennington.
Coventry.
..London.

hoped that by degrees it would become generally known by parents and guardians, that under the regulations which required every chemist to pass his examination before entering into business, it would be essential that ten or twenty guineas should be expended on lectures, etc., at the conclusion of a young man's apprenticeship. He thought on the whole the matter had better be left to the incoming Council, and suggested that it would be well if the balance sheets of the various provincial Societies were forwarded, so as to show that all was fair, and above board, and that it might be known who had done their duty and who had not.

Mr. STODDART said that his experience at Bristol was quite at variance with that of Mr. Shaw at Liverpool. The Bristol Association had made no application for as

M'Culloch's Dictionary of Commerce and Com-sistance, though he had been asked several times to do
mercial Navigation.
Annuaire Pharmaceutique.

The Committee presented the Annual Report of the Council, which, with alterations, was agreed to, and ordered to be issued with the Voting Papers for the election ensuing of Council and Auditors.

Resolved-That the Report and recommendations of the House Commitee be received and adopted. The Report of the Finance Committee was received and adopted, and sundry payments ordered. Resolved-That the Report and recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee be received and adopted.

so; but he had always said they had better do all they
could for themselves first, and then if absolutely neces-
sary they could ask for assistance, and he was sure the
Society would grant it. He believed every druggist in
Bristol had joined their Association, which had now been.
in operation for two seasons, and had been very prosper-
ous indeed. Last year there were classes in Chemistry,
Botany and Materia Medica, the number of students at
sion of the session. He found that two of the young
the commencement being 18, and the same at the conclu-
men had since passed their minor examination, although
the last lecture was only given in February.
showed they ought to be rather circumspect in this
matter, and see that people tried their best to help them-
selves before asking assistance.

This

The Report of the Provincial Educational Committee was read. It recommended the expenditure of more Mr. SHAW said that Liverpool had not applied for money on provincial education, and stated that in the assistance. He asked if Mr. Stoddart had not virtually opinion of the Committee, the applications for aid would applied the system of payment for results, by requiring have been more numerous had the conditions been less a fee of 5s. only for the lectures (which he gave gratuistringent and less fettered by details. It therefore re-tously) if the students attended regularly, whilst 10. commended certain amendments in the regulations.

Mr. WILLIAMS suggested the question whether the proposed alterations would really widen the sphere of provincial pharmaceutical education.

Mr. ATHERTON said they would no doubt do so to some extent, but in his opinion the whole matter would

was exacted if they did not.

Mr. STODDART said the fee was uniformly one guinea, which was devoted to the formation of a museum of materia medica. The 58. subscription to which Mr. Shaw had referred was requisite to constitute a young man a member of the association.

Mr. SAVAGE thought the suggestions of the Committee the Committee were not able to go into the general subwere very admirable, and really met Mr. Shaw's views.ject, though they were very desirous of treating it in a The Report of the Committee was then adopted. comprehensive manner. Mr. SANDFORD suggested that a special resolution should be passed, embodying the proposed alterations in the regulations.

Mr. ATHERTON thought it would be useless to do so, as the Council were so soon going out of office.

The resolution was then put and carried.

(In order that the alterations may be fully understood, the Regulations as amended are printed at page 893, the alterations being in italics.)

Resolved-That the Report of the Conversazione
Committee be received and adopted.

Mr. SANDFORD thought it would be, at any rate, taking a step in the right direction. He saw no reason why a Mr. SMITH then drew the attention of the Council to given amount should not be voted to a provincial association, and left to be expended as necessary. The regu- a circular which had been sent round with regard to the lation hitherto acted upon had stood greatly in the way forthcoming election, headed" Pharmaceutical Society of of assisting provincial education, though the principle Great Britain," and, therefore, purporting to emanate of granting aid had been fully established-first by a from that Society. It appeared to him a very important resolution at General Meeting, and afterwards by repeated matter, and, as he thought, unless some immediate steps resolutions at the Council. He would, therefore, move were taken it would have the effect of vitiating the that the alterations recommended by the Committee be whole election. He thought those who had put it formade in the code of rules marked "No. 1." ward had subjected themselves to legal penalties.

Mr. GROVES suggested that the motion which Mr. Frazer brought forward at the last meeting should be incorporated, so that all applications should come before the Council together and be decided at the same time.

Mr. FRAZER said he was still of opinion that money for this purpose should be voted upon some general principle, and he knew of none except the state of the balance sheet. He thought Mr. Shaw's idea of payment for results was really met by the proposed regulations. He always thought it a mistake not to give any assistance towards lectures, which it appeared to him were equally worthy of encouragment with the collection of books and specimens.

Mr. WILLIAMS thought the course of the discussion showed how difficult the question was, and that it had really better be deferred. If they adopted the resolutions, they had no guarantee they would be acted upon in the future. As Mr. Atherton had remarked, it was a large question, and must be dealt with on some great principle, and he hoped this would be done by the new Council.

Mr. HILLS agreed that the question had not been gone into sufficiently yet; but this was a step in the right direction, and he would therefore accept it for the present. He believed London members would be very liberal in the matter. For his part, he would at any time give half as much as the local Society itself raised.

Mr. BETTY said it was from no want of desire on the part of the Committee to enter into the question on a broad basis that they did not go further in the regulations proposed. They were simply put forward, and the Committee wished them to be accepted as an earnest and evidence of the good feeling of the Council towards advancing pharmaceutical education in the provinces. They would willingly have gone a step further, but it would have been impossible to go into the whole question at present, because they could not complete the work. The broad question had not been lost sight of, though the Committee had not been able to come to a decision upon it. Several plans had been proposed, and one was mentioned which he believed would some day have to be adopted, viz., that schools should be established in so many provincial centres-say 12 or 14,— where pharmaceutical education should be given, similar to what was done in the case of the medical schools. He also agreed with Mr. Frazer's suggestion that the balance-sheet, showing what was done with the funds voted, should be presented annually. He had mentioned a sum of £600, to be divided into 12, which would give £50 to each, and that, he thought, should be granted for one or two years; and even at the expiration of that time assistance might be given according to the results of the teaching. The schools must be established first, and the results paid for afterwards.

The PRESIDENT thought Mr. Betty was going rather further than the Report before them warranted.

Mr. BETTY said he was only giving the reasons why

Mr. GROVES was of the same opinion. He had not seen it before.

Mr. SMITH said it was important to stop such a matter at once, for no one could say on what occasion a similar thing might be done next.

After some further discussion, in which several members took part, the matter was referred to the Parliamentary Committee, with instructions upon it as the solicitor should advise, to take such steps that a meeting of the Committee be called immediately.

Mr. CARR drew the attention of the Council to a letter in a recent number of the Journal, by Mr. Scholefield, regarding the investment on the Benevolent Fund account. He suggested that if the amount invested in consols were turned into Metropolitan three and-a-half per cents., there would be an increase of income of upwards of £40 per annum, with perfect security.

REPORTS OF THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS.
April, 1872.

STATEMENT OF ATTENDANCE OF MEMBERS OF COUNCIL ON COMMITTEES
FOR THE YEAR 1871-72.

STATEMENT OF ATTENDANCE OF MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AT COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR

THE YEAR 1871-72.

Greenish, Thomas B.

Haselden, Adolphus F.

Groves, Thomas B.

Bottle, Alexander

12

Brown, William Scott

7

Carr, John...

14

Edwards, George

Hills, Thomas Hyde
Mackay, John

Frazer, Daniel

Reynolds Richard..

7 Sandford, George Webb.....

......

...

15

Stoddart, William Walter

4 Sutton, Francis.

5 Williams, John...

14

12 Wooley, George Stephen

8