Memoir of John Bell / [John Bell].

  • Bell, John, 1774-1849.
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memoir of John Bell / [John Bell]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    making up liis account to make it balance, instead of acknowledging his forgetfulness. On reflection, this occasioned so much “ distress and trouble,” that it was several days before he could perform his duties calmly and with any degree of satisfaction, so great was his un¬ easiness at the idea of the occurrence of a mistake in the money. On the 17tli of August, he observed a shop to let in Oxford Street, to which he alludes as follows :— “ Observed, on my return home from seeing a poor woman, a shop to let, which seems a little to strike me, though with a fear lest I should err in judgment. It would truly be considered a peculiar favour to be rightly directed so as to have peace and confidence afterwards, as with a superior licence in a matter of so great importance in knowing the right place. This must all be left, as I have never wanted yet, and if I may be so favoured as to keep my place, however unworthy, will not an allwise bountiful Providence care for me ? How is it with the sparrows and the lillies though truly can I have so great a right as they ? since they have never sinned like me.” On several other occasions he alludes to his doubts and misgivings respecting “ that shop in Oxford Street,” which he seemed unable to abandon, and yet had not resolution or confidence to come to a deci¬ sion. One ground of hesitation arose from delicacy of feeling towards his master, to whom he was desirous of acting with strict honour, and avoiding the possibility of any jealousy or distrust, by commencing business too near the old shop. His employer, however, not only gave him full permission, but encouraged him to proceed; and his father ultimately settled the question by taking the shop for him, and lent him £400 to prepare and stock it. The fitting-up order for drugs was executed by Messrs. Fynmore and Palmer, on the 24th of November, 1798, and amounted to £86 135. There was at that time only one Chemist’s shop in Oxford Street, which was situated at the west corner of Argyll Street, now the Green Man and Still. This establishment was celebrated for the fabrication of cheap powders, which were ground and prepared in a mill at the top of the house, and the character of the business in other respects was not of a high order. The custom of adulterating medicines was so prevalent that even at houses considered above the average in respectability, various practices were carried on which occasioned much uneasiness to the subject of this memoir. He has frequently been heard to mention the fact that, during his apprenticeship, he was employed to pound many hundred-weights of glauber salts, which were sold as nitre for horses. Red precipitate was mixed with red lead, and there was a small room almost exclusively used for “ russifying” rhubarb. This process consisted in cutting and filing East Indian, to imitate Turkey, rhubarb. In reference to horse powders,it was custom¬ ary to keep two kinds, the “ genuine” and the “ compound,” which latter were prepared by sending 141bs. of the article to the mill and receiving in return 28lbs., sometimes even a larger quantity, no questions being asked as to the mode in which the quantity had been increased. These and other similar practices being too general to excite any attention, they were not entirely absent even in the establishment of a man who was, in other respects, remarkably concientious and scrupulous, which the following fact will serve to show :—Before embarking in business as a Chemist, Frederick Smith held for many years a lucrative situation
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