This item was used at J.D, Torley, Nicholson Street in Orbost by Mr H.A. Murray.. Chemists who worked in Orbost included Henry Cottman; James Alfred Dubois Williams; Harry Arthur Murray; Miss P.E .Mason (Phyllis Estelle?); Miss Sybil Monica Buzza; Thomas James Frayer; Australia Shaw; James David Torley; John William Zimmer; Dalkeith William Steele; William Thomas Hollingsworth; E.E. Cohen; R.S. Anderson; Frances John Perry Faith Everard Pardew and Charles Anthony Wurf. From POISONS ACT. Act No. 54, 1952. "1 2 . (1) Every person who sells any poison included in the first part of Schedule One of the Poisons List shall, before delivery thereof to the purchaser, inquire his name, place of abode, and occupation and the purpose for which such poison is required or stated to be required. (2) Such person shall thereupon make a faithful entry of such sale, specifying the poison and the quantity thereof, and all such particulars so given by the purchaser, together with the day of the month and year of such sale, in a book to be kept by the vendor for that purpose in the form prescribed. (3) Every such entry shall be signed by the person making the same, and shall, subject to sections thirteen and fourteen of this Act, be also signed by the purchaser, unless he declares himself unable to write, in which case the person making the entry shall add thereto the words "Purchaser cannot write". (4) Whenever a witness to the sale is required by this Act, such entry shall be signed by such witness, and shall also state his place of abode. (5) The book referred to in subsection two of this section shall be preserved by the vendor for at least five years from the date on which the final entry in the book is made." Before these ledgers were used there had an increasing number of proprietary medicines appearing on an unregulated market, with many products regarded as ‘quack’ medicines with amazing therapeutic claims.State governments moved to control claims for these product sand the Commonwealth strengthened controls on imported biological products. This item reflects the history of pharmaceutical practices. Until the mid 1950s there was no government co-ordinated record-keeping of the sales of poisons. This item is indicative of that period.A thin cardboard covered book - orange cover with red cloth binding. It contains information -dates, names, addresses, occupations, witnesses and name and purpose of poison. The details are hand-written.ledger-sale-of-poisons turley-chemist zimmer-john pharmacies-orbost