The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7480 p628
1 December 2007

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Sailing boats with wings

Biodynamic gardener

Old pharmacists never die; instead they just seem to fade away

Sailing boats with wings

A recent report claimed that the contribution of carbon emissions from ships to climate change had been greatly underestimated and that, globally, they may exceed those of aircraft.

A wind-powered vessel would produce no carbon emissions, and sailing boats have been used successfully for thousands of years. Why, then, are there so few, if any, wind-powered commercial vessels?

About 25 years ago, a boat designer, John Walker, set up a company called Walker Wingsail Systems Plc, with the intention of marketing his design for a sailing wing as an alternative to traditional sails for large vessels. The wingsail had an aerofoil section, rather like the wing of an aeroplane, but fixed vertically on the hull of the boat.

An aircraft wing produces vertical lift because of the differential air pressure developed above and below the (horizontal) wing during the forward motion of the wing. If such a wing is mounted vertically, in place of a traditional sail, it follows that the “lift” will be horizontal and can be used to drive the boat.

In 1986, WWS built and sold an eight-tonne wingsail for use on the MV Ashington, a 6,500-tonne freighter. However, the collapse of world oil prices in the 1980s destroyed the economic case for using of wingsails in commercial shipping, so the company turned to the luxury yacht market.

Unfortunately both WWS, and its successor company Wingtek Plc, went into liquidation. This is a pity, as the concept appeared sound.

One can imagine a wingsail-equipped cargo vessel, or indeed passenger ship, being powered by wind for much of the journey and making use of engines only under conditions where there was insufficient wind or the wind was in the wrong direction. With modern communications and weather forecasting techniques, the best route could be chosen and such a vessel would ply its trade across the oceans with little fuel usage.

We hear much about the use of wind for generating electricity, and about the despoliation of the landscape caused by large ‘wind farms’. How much better to use wind power for sea travel? We already have the technology. All that is needed is the willpower and imagination.

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Biodynamic gardener

There was an interesting advertisement for pharmacists by a large multiple in this year’s BPC Supplement to The Journal which used as its basis an old wives’ tale about treating corns on the feet at the right phase of the moon. By coincidence, Merlin was recently drawn to an article on biodynamics.

Biodynamics is the art or science of treating the earth in a holistic way. The biodynamic agricultural movement is based on a series of lectures given in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Steiner set up the Rudolf Steiner Schools, and his interest in spiritual matters led him to become involved with the Theosophical Society of London and the Anthroposophical Society, which was a society for the development of spiritual science.

Biodynamics proposes that planetary rhythms have an influence on the growth of plants and animals. Thus, plant growth is influenced by the phases of the moon.

Steiner proposed that the moon’s gravitational pull affects plant growth. Therefore, seeds are best planted two days before new moon. As the full moon approaches, the increased light stimulates foliage growth, but the gravitational pull increases so root growth is less but young shoots thrive.

In the seven days following full moon both moonlight and gravitational pull decrease, slowing foliage growth but encouraging roots to develop. This is said to be a good time to transplant seedlings as it gives the roots better conditions in which to flourish.

Such beliefs should be easily testable, but so far Merlin has found few scientific studies. Such a study would provide an interest for a gardener with a bent for the quirky.

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Old pharmacists never die; instead they just seem to fade away

Some time ago, while going through some old copies of The Journal before dissecting them for keepables and recycling the remaining paper, I reread the “A certificate’s story” from the Christmas Miscellany of a few years ago (21/28 December 2002, p931).

This prompted a close look at my own certificate which, in spite of a relatively unadventurous four decades and more, has faded somewhat. To be precise, my name, date of registration and registration number are now only just legible, although the names of J. C. Bloomfield (President), A, Aldington (Vice-President) and D. F. Lewis (Registrar) are still clear.

Obviously the Society’s Officers used a different, longer-lasting ink than did the draughtsman whose lovely copperplate is now fading away. This observation prompted me to look at the certificates hanging in some of the community pharmacies in which I spend the odd day as a locum.

I assume that more recent certificates have the pharmacist’s name printed on by laser printer, so that the printing of the names should be reasonably stable over the years. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the signatures of the President and the Secretary and Registrar.

For example, on a certificate dating from 1993, the pharmacist has faded slightly, John Ferguson (Secretary and Registrar) is still very clear, but Ann Lewis (President) has almost faded away to nothing. Even Christine Glover (President, 2000) has begun to fade in one instance.

Obviously, storage conditions, light intensity etc for certificates will vary from pharmacy to pharmacy and this will influence the stability of the inks used. However, since a certificate issued this year, say, might be expected to have an active “professional life” of almost half a century, surely the Society should use a fully stable type of record ink for the signatures?

I know it is possible to obtain a replacement certificate, but like, I suspect, many pharmacists, I am proud of my antique certificate and would certainly not wish to trade it in for a newer model. However, what will the inspector say if he or she cannot read the name and registration number on my certificate?

Under the Department of Health consultation document “The responsible pharmacist’, currently available for comment by interested parties, is a proposal that the responsible pharmacist “display a notice, conspicuously in the pharmacy, stating that he/she is the pharmacist in charge on that day and at that time, together with his/her registration number”.

It makes no mention of a certificate. So, perhaps, in future we may be able to display our certificates proudly in the dining room while having a scrap of paper on the counter showing our name and registration number for the inspection of our patients? At least our certificates will not fade under powerful shop lighting.

On a recent visit to my solicitor’s office to sign a document, I noted that he had a framed practice certificate which was valid for the year 2007–08. He informed me that he had to obtain a new one each year, having satisfied the requirements for continuing in practice. Could this be a future scenario for pharmacists?

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