Was 46 years at the Royal The death has taken place of Mr J. McM Cole who was the chief pharmacist at the Royal Victoria Hospital for 46 years before his retirement in 1946. A native of Co. Monaghan, Mr Cole served his apprenticeship to pharmacy in Cookstown, in Dun Laoghaire, and Belfast before joining the "Royal" staff. I those days the hospital was in Fredrick Street, and accommodated only 120 beds, as compared with over 600 at the time of his retirement. His monthly bill for drugs, dressings, etc., was £120, and by 1946 it had risen to between £1,500 and £2,000 when three dispensers looked after a stock of medicines second to none in the United Kingdom. Mr Cole is survived by his son Dr. J McM Cole of Newtownards, and two daughters, Mrs Corkey, of Belfast, and Miss M. Cole of Belfast