STRAY ITEMS AND COMMENTS

Botanical Excursions every other Sunday are conducted by the New York Branch of the A. Ph. A., under the guidance of Professor William Mansfield.

Politics.-The business man who cannot control his temper when he discusses politics should confine his discussions to joint debates with himself.-[Omaha Trade Exhibit.

Wonderful Chemists in Africa.-The Pharmaceutical Journal publishes the following which appeared in the Johannesburg Star:

"Patent Medicines Analyzed.-All secret remedies are sold at enormous profits. They cost little, and are easily made up by yourself. For 1s. postal order and stamped envelope I will furnish an analysis of any well-known cure such as Phosferine, Bile Beans, Sacco, Koko, Cockles' Pills, Beecham's Pills, etc.-['Analyst,' J. R. 4, Star Office."

Proprietary Medicines are expected to fall off in demand in England as soon as the national insurance act is in full operation. Germany, however, has lived under a medical benefit for a quarter of a century and a medical writer who has studied the subject says, "The vender of patent medicines still seems to have a ready public."

Drop and Minim.-Do you understand that a drop and a minim are seldom equivalent? Alcoholic liquids usually drop two drops to the minim. Bear this in mind when filling a prescription. If the order calls for minims, measure the liquid or, if it is necessary to drop it, consult a drop table and ascertain the exact approximate equivalent before dispensing the compound.

Illegible Prescriptions.-The A. Ph. A., at the Denver meeting, discussed the propriety of legislation obliging physicians to write legible prescriptions and pharmacists to supply labels that can be read. We doubt whether legislation can banish "hen tracks." Proper educaton in the common schools and at the schools of pharmacy and medicine can do much to bring about a reform.

Do Not Make a Collection of Certificates.-Now that reciprocity is about to be realized, which enables a registered pharmacist in one state to register without examination in another state, some of our readers have an idea that they may make a collection of certificates. Such is not the case. The rules and regulations prevent pharmacists from registering merely to gratify a desire for a collection of certificates.

that at present they cannot accept the conditions of interchange of certificates adopted by the N. A. B. P. An effort will be made in some of these states to secure amendments to the laws so that the boards can be eligible for membership in the national body.

All On Account of Coffee.-Mrs. Melinda P. Kyle, Warren, O., at the age of 114, is supposed to be the oldest inhabitant of the state. She attributes her good health to the use of coffee. The amount she has consumed would fill a well twenty feet in diameter and twenty-seven feet deep. If placed in pint milk bottles, set side by side, the row would be three miles long. The amount would measure 6843 gallons or 217 barrels.

McKinley Loan Fund.-William B. McKinley who served apprenticeship as a pharmacist and who is now a representative in congress and a traction magnate, has presented $13,000.00 to the University of Illinois as a nucleus of a loan fund for needy students. We regret that the benefits of the fund will not be available for students in the pharmacy department. It applies only to students enrolled at Urbana.

The N. A. B. P.-The seven states which are associate members of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy are with laws of such a nature

A New Automobile Danger. From Europe comes a fish story about a man who emptied an acetylene generator into the river. The gases developed from the carbid residue killed the fish and he was arrested. Another German set fire to a leaky carburetor when he turned the convex lens of the head light so that it focused the sun's rays on the oil carburetor. Pharmacists with automobiles in this country have troubles of their own but not of the nature experienced in Europe.

A New Rubber Substitute is to be manufactured in a factory in course of erection at Ymuiden. The process is patented in Austria and Belgium. It consists of mixing fish with 15 per cent of natural rubber.

The product costs about one-eighth the price of rubber and has greater resistance to heat, benzin, etc. We have noticed beef steak suitable for mixing with rubber but are surprised to find fish used for this purpose. The firm expects to produce albumin and fertilizers as a by-product.

English Seaweed is being used to such an extent in trimming hats in that country that a profitable industry has resulted in collecting the plant. Fishermen use barbed wire and thus destroy the plant. By the old procedure, the only portion gathered was what washed ashore. It has been suggested that a closed season be adopted in order to prevent the extermination of the English seaweed. If men restrict women as to the birds and the plants that they wear on their hats, what will happen when women make the laws?

Health Day is becoming recognized, the country over. Last year, more than 50,000 churches throughout the United States observed tuberculosis day. What is desired is the presentation in the churches of the antituberculosis movement and the need of co-operation of church members and others. It is shown by statistics that in St. Louis one out of every ten deaths is caused by tuberculosis. It is certainly time for the entire community to become interested in this crusade. This year, October 27 was health day, and the churches throughout the country observed the same.

that such a regulation would eventually become a fact in this country, as it is in Europe. The bitter opposition to parcels post by various organizations may perhaps have delayed the advent of the scheme. We suggest that pharmacists take advantage of any opportunity which the new parcel regulation presents for an extension of their business. Perhaps pharmacists in small places will be able to fill telephone orders from rural districts and supply the goods by parcels post.

The International Federation of Pharmacists, which met at The Hague, Holland, September 25, held an interesting meeting. The following dele

gates and members were present: Messrs. J. Damen, President of The Hague Pharmaceutical Society; J. J. Hofman, Secretary of the Federation, and G. R. Ten Burg, of The Hague; Messrs. O. v. Schoor and V. Haazen, Antwerp; Dr. A. Schamelhout, Brussels; Mr. Martin, Mons; Dr. H. Thoms, Berlin; Dr. J. F. Suyver, Amsterdam; Mr. H. J. Moeller, Copenhagen; Mr. E. White, London; Mr. L. Mouliets, La Teste de Buch; Dr. L. van Itallie, Leyden; Mr. R. J. L. Schoepp, Maastricht, and Mr. W. Hoffman, Aixla-Chapelle.

action

Why the Mouth Waters.-The action of the nervous system upon the secretion of glands is strikingly exemplified, as in the case of its upon the heart and blood-vessels by the effects of the emotions. Thus an emotion of one kindsuch as the anticipation of food-will cause saliva to flow-"the mouth to water"; whereas an emotion of another kind-such as fear or anxiety-will stop the secretion, causing the "tongue to cleave unto the roof of the mouth," and rendering speech difficult or impossible. Such arrest of the salivary secretion also makes the swallowing of dry food difficult: advantage of this fact is taken in the "ordeal by rice" which used to be employed in the east for the detection of criminals.-[E. A. Schaefer.

What Reciprocity Will Not Do.-The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy has long been at work on a plan to ultimately secure universal reciprocity. The plan, when perfected, will enable a pharmacist, registered in one state, to locate in another without re-examination. Reciprocity does not and never will enable a person who is not qualified to register in his own state, to go to a neighboring state with lower qualifications and pass an examination and then by reciprocity register and practice pharmacy in his own state. If you are not qualified to register at home lose no time in preparing to meet the requirement of the law. There is something else which reciprocity will not do and that is, enable a pharmacist to make a collection of certificates of registration. Fads of this kind have no place in legitimate pharmacy.

American Enterprise.-The House of Commons has appointed a select committee on patent medicines to inquire into the sale of such remedies and recommend legislation to control the manufacture

and sale of patent and proprietary medicines and medicinal preparations and appliances and advertisements relating thereto. In the testimony taken by the committee it develops that the United States furnishes the major portion of the proprietary medicines sold in that country. One witness said, "During the last five years a huge influx from the United States has occurred." The British colonies are also given credit for a portion of the influx. Another witness stated that a majority of the mail order patent medicines come to England from America. The committee is devoting much time to taking testimony from representatives of all interests concerned.

Mutation, like evolution, is a theory. It was given form by a Dutch botanist, Professor Hugo de Vries, who is now visiting in this country. Writing on the subject Dr. William Mansfield says: "Professor de Vries has shown by actual experiments that new species of plants may jump into existence at a single bound by 'mutation,' the offspring being of a higher type than the parent from which it developed, and the changed form being capable of reproduction, just as the parent plant and thus perpetuating itself. According to the mutation theory, then, existing forms of life may not date back many centuries into the great unknown past, in fact may be of comparatively recent origin. Even man himself may have suddenly sprung into existence from some similar ancestral type. This seems rather startling in view of the generally accepted theory of the evolution of man which is supposed to have extended through countless ages. However that may be, Professor de Vries saw spring into existence, as it were, a new form of life different in many ways from its parent, and possessing the power to perpetuate itself, in its offspring."

Tungsten Trioxide was produced in the United States in 1910 to the amount of $800,000 value. Tungsten is used chiefly in making steels that will hold their temper when heated, but it is mose generally known as supplying the filament of tungsten incandescent lamps. The great improvements in drawing tungsten wire and further notable improvements in the size of the globe of the tungsten lamp and in other mechanical details that add greatly to its efficiency are making it encroach upon the carbon-filament lamp and the arc lamp, and it is rapidly driving from the market the tantalum lamp, which was the first good incandescent lamp having a metallic filament. Diamonds are used for dies in drawing tungsten wire. At first it did not seem possible to drill small enough holes through the diamonds to make wire sufficiently fine for lamps of small candle-power, but wire 0.0006 inch in diameter can now be drawn in quantity. The total quantity of tungsten ore used for electric lights, however, amounts to only a few tons a year. New uses of tungsten, in making electric furnaces, electric contacts and targets for Roentgen rays, have been developed, and the last products are being actively manufactured.

STRAY ITEMS AND COMMENTS

Perpetual Motion has not been demonstrated as yet, but it seems as if the invention of perpetual motion machines is itself a perpetual process.

Who May Own a Drug Store?-Massachusetts declares that such a place of business must be limited to registered pharmacists or executor or administrator of a deceased owner. From the standpoint of the pharmacist, such a law is desirable, but we have our doubts about the legality of such a regulation.

The Oldest Museum in the World is located at Nara, the former capital of Japan, and was established in 756. It contains 3000 of the most beautiful examples of decorative work ever produced by human hands. The museum is open but one day in the year and not a single specimen has been added since the foundation of the museum in 756.

The Importance of Coal.-Giocomo Ciamician says that "Modern civilization is the daughter of coal, for this offers to mankind the solar energy in its most concentrated form; that is, in a form in which it has been accumulated in a long series of centuries. Modern man uses it with increasing eagerness and thoughtless prodigality for the conquest of the world and, like the mythical gold of the Rhine, coal is today the greatest source of energy and wealth."

A Good Word for Gelatin.-The use of gelatin as a food in this country is far below the per capita in Europe. It is believed that this is due to a prejudice against gelatin, for many people in this country have an idea that it is made in a slipshod manner from refuse animal matter. Hoofs, which are often spoken of as the source of gelatin, are never used in its manufacture. The gelatin manufacturers and also importers of this country have recently held a meeting and will enter upon a campaign of enlightenment on the use of gelatin as a food. The actual food value alone of gelatin is very small, but it renders nitrogenous foods much more easily digestible.

War Taxes in Times of Peace. It is now proposed to increase the tax on tobacco by putting into force the high revenue law of 1879 which was enacted to pay off the war debt. It is planned to use the money in building a paved highway of 15,000 miles connecting ever capital in the United States. In addition, roads are to be built in the national park. A congressman, favoring the plan, says, "During the Spanish-American War, the tax on tobacco was increased to nearly the amount suggested, and I venture the assertion that not one consumer of tobacco out of a thousand who reads this article ever knew the tax was raised." How many of the readers of the MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST know when the tax of the Spanish-American War was taken off from tobacco?

A Record-Breaking Board of Pharmacy Class.Texas is a large state and does things on a large

scale. At a recent examination, the board of pharmacy had a class of 506 candidates. This, we believe, is the largest on record in any state. Another interesting feature of this class is the fact that they were what is known as "permit men." They were licensed to practice pharmacy within certain districts. Through the good work of the board of pharmacy, the "permit men" became enthused and by home study or attending special summer courses in the Texas schools of pharmacy, the "permit men" became competent to pass the examination for registered pharmacists. Quite a number were already members of the Texas Ph. A. and an additional 102 presented their applications while at the board examination. Texas has set a good example for other boards of pharmacy and for "permit men" in other states.

Is Potassium Chlorate Poison?-At the New York Branch of the A. Ph. A. Dr. Eugen Unna delivered a short but interesting address on "The Physiological and Chemical Properties of Potassium Chlorate." Chiefly this had to do with opposition which had been voiced by Dr. Prinz, of St. Louis, against the use of potassium chlorate in buccal medication, in which it was contended that the salt was not a specific for stomatitis, caused bleeding of the gums, exerted no oxidizing bactericidal effect, and might through its absorption into the blood, act as a systemic poison.

Opposition of a similar sort arose in Germany and Europe generally, several years ago, said the speaker, and had been settled by the investigations of Kroner, Levine, Binz, Bachem and others. These investigators, continued the speaker, showed that only about 4 per cent. of the chlorate was left in the mouth after the use of a gargle or mouth wash containing the salt, that this was reduced by buccal bacteria with the liberation of the oxygen, that susceptibility to the poisoning effect of the chlorate is an idiosyncrasy as the salt is naturally absorbed very slowly; that the cumulative effect was negligible; and that only after long-continued use internally was there an untoward effect upon the kidneys.

Dr. Nodine, a dentist, In discussing Dr. Unna's remarks, said that the views of Dr. Prinz were not shared by very many of the leaders in the dental profession although Buckley in the latest edition of his work on dental surgery advises caution in the use of dentifrices containing potassium chlorate. In a work by Blair with whom Dr. Prinz collaborated the use of the chlorate in stomatitis was, according to the speaker, advised. Dr. Nodine stated that as much as 740 grains of potassium chlorate had been taken in thirteen hours without untoward effect, yet he did not wish to be considered as thinking the salt entirely harmless.

Messrs. Lascoff, McElheine, Raubenheimer, Oates and Niece, joined in the discussion of Dr. Unna's address. None of the speakers were of the opinion that the use of potassium chlorate in gargles, mouth washes, and the like, was dangerous.

IN BRIEF

Are you securing new customers? Human fat had a place in the French codex as late as 1818.

Do you make an inventory each year? If not, why not?

The most profitable time to set a hen is-when the hen is ready!

The death of Professor Morris Loeb, of New York, removes from active work a prominent chemist.

Palm nut stearin is an important substitute for cocoa butter, especially in the manufacture of chocolate.

Mel Boracis is the cost mark recommended by the Liverpool Chemists' Association for use on prescriptions.

The proprietary medicine business in Mexico is prospering in spite of the frequent and continued revolutions.

If it is a board of pharmacy about which you desire information, see pages 46 and 48 of the MEYER BROTHERS Druggist.

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An understanding of the true nature of disease, according to the American Practitioner, is the greatest need in surgery.

Baltimore had a milk-borne outbreak of septic sore throat, last March, which is still a matter of discussion in medical circles.

Hon. Robert Boyle was a prominent English scientist. One of his descendants said, "He is a Boyle, the rest of us are but Pimples."

Crystals as big as a man are reported from a mine at Maica, Mex. They are the largest and purest crystals of gypsum thus far known.

Perhaps the most unique field of the practice of medicine is that conducted by wireless. Cases of this kind have occurred recently.

The Royal Society of England has celebrated its 250th anniversary. Of the thirty-nine presidents, many were interested in medicine.

The death of J. Arthur Bean, Boston, following an automobile accident is a severe loss to the organized drug trade of this country.

The Ill. Ph. A. has asked the legislature to appropriate $200,000 for a new home for the School of Pharmacy of the University of Illinois.

Dante, the poet, studied medicine at Padua in 1300 and was listed among the apothecaries at Florence. He, however, never practiced pharmacy.

The work in pharmacy falls upon a few in New Mexico. The state association has but fifty members. This, however, is considered a good showing.

Death from poisoning by illuminating gas occurs to about the same extent as those from scarlet fever. It is greater than the number of deaths from measles.

The Audubon Society offers $1,500.00 for a pair of wild pigeons. Our older readers will remember when a carload could have been purchased for that price.

The peanut-selling privilege on trains of the Southern Pacific Railroad has been sold for $103,800.00 a year. Think of this when you drop a penny in a peanut vender.

By means of wireless electricity, all of the city gas lights of a city can be lighted or extinguished within a few seconds. Such is the invention of a German electrical engineer.

"Keep a cool head," is the advice given certain pharmaceutical societies in England, when discussing important subjects. The same advice is applicable in this country.

Some crystals of uranyl will explode on slight friction or even spontaneously. Some believe a connection exists between the explosivity of the salt and the radio activity of uranium.

The Pharmacy College of the State University of Iowa, located at Iowa City, will probably raise the entrance requirement to high school graduation or its educational equivalent.

The Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry received 722 papers. What is more, they were presented in a tangible form and placed at the command of the delegates.

On account of the small packages sold at retail in the drug store, the trade should be able to take advantage of the parcel post to a greater extent than is the case in other lines of business.

A metric carat has been adopted by the leading jewelers of this country. It will weigh 200 milligrams. The old carat weighs 205.3 milligrams. The metric carat becomes official July 1, 1913.

A St. Louis dry plate manufacturing firm is sued for $35,000 by a woman whose picture was used for advertising purposes. Pharmacists must be careful and not become liable in a similar manner.

Now comes the pleasing news that cancer is not increasing. The greater number of cases reported are due to the fact that cancer of the internal organization is more readily diagnosed than formerly.

"Some Activities of the American Medical Association and Their Value to Pharmacists," was the subject of a lecture by L. E. Warren, Ph. C., at the November meeting of the Chicago branch of the A. Ph. A.

Sao Paulo is a Brazilian town in the coffee-growing district with 380,000 inhabitants. It is building a $2,000,000.00 cathedral and spending $20,000,000.00 on improvements in the way of boulevards, gardens, etc.

Ninety years of age was an Oklahoma man when presented with a daughter. His wife was thirty-six years old. One year ago, the court appointed a guardian for the father. The child will soon be old enough to take care of itself.

The National Health Insurance, plan which went into effect in England, January 1, does not meet the approval of the medical profession. A local organization officially states that the plan means "to undertake an inefficient service and to sell the freedom and to a degree the status of the profession."

PUBLIC EXPRESSIONS

Read This Before You Write.

Contributions on subjects of interest to the pharmaceutical profession are always welcome. Write upon but one side of the sheet and spell out in full the names of medicines; never use abbreviations. The editor pays no attention to anonymous communications.

Mark Your Goods. Just one word on pricing goods with a ticket. I discovered today that I was selling a certain room moulding for 2c per foot that cost me 34c per foot. While I do not want to be classed as a price cutter, I must confess that I certainly cut the price on picture moulding. And from now on, I am going to put a ticket on articles that I do not often sell as any one is liable to get a price fixed in his mind, especially in the drug business, where you have to keep your mind busy on the drug business proper and then turn around and play the game of a successful business man.[W. G. Hughes, Bucklin, Mo.

Are Your Drugs of Proper Quality?-I believe in high college curriculum and preliminary educational requirements, as they are necessary in the training of a thorough and scientific pharmacist. Low requirements are detrimental to pharmacy. It is only with proper education that comes the right spirit for the practice of pharmacy as a profession. I have visited drug stores where examination of the galenicals revealed a condition which is in no way a credit to the calling. I have observed methods employed in serving the physician and the public which are due to lack of proper education and understanding of pharmacy.

I appreciate the good that is being accomplished by pharmaceutical journals and believe that much more will be accomplished in the future. The influence of boards of pharmacy and schools of pharmacy is for the betterment of pharmacy. Let us all unite in bringing the profession to the front.-[William A. Clark, Ph. G., Mobile, Ala.

A Few Words Concerning Counter Prescribing.— There is probably not a registered pharmacist who is not thoroughly familiar with the state laws regarding the sale of narcotics, or who is not conscious of the crime he is committing against mankind, when for a sum of money he will dispense those "Devitalizing" salts. There is, however, another crime, almost as demoralizing, which does as much injury as the sale of narcotics, and which a large majority of conscientious druggists are guilty of, without any knowledge of the wrong they are doing. Counter prescribing does not sound very bad, but when the results are summed up, it is an unredeemable wrong. To a certain extent it may be looked over, as no great injury is done in the administration of mild remedies, with a thorough knowledge of their therapeutics, for the purpose

of temporary relief, but the attempted treatment of diseases, with the nature of which the pharmacist is unfamiliar, and which are none too well understood by well trained physicians and specialists, is certainly not commendable.

It is a common occurrence for druggists to prescribe and give advice to the unfortunate victims of venereal diseases, which treatment and advice is not only in vain, but invariably does almost irreparable damage. It is only proper and honest, to the patron, the medical profession and yourself, to direct the person to a competent physician or specialist, where he would receive proper treatment, and instead of netting a profit of thirty-seven cents on a bottle of "fake" medicine, it is very probable that a profit of several dollars would be realized from his prescriptions, and you could also credit yourself with probably saving a life from wreck and ruin.

Venereal diseases are gradually being looked upon in the right light, and their disastrous results are day by day being better understood, so if for nothing else, for the sake of suffering humanity pharmacists should banish the false idea that by treating them they or the patient will profit by it in any way. There are many other divergences from ethics by modern pharmacists, but excepting the illegal sale of narcotics, I do not know of any more disastrous than this one.

When druggists agree, and advise their patrons properly, a good deed will be done.-[William A. Clark, Ph. G., Mobile, Ala.

THE SUPREME VALUE OF HEALTH.-Finally, I have one advice which is of very great importance. You are to consider that health is a thing to be attained to continually, as the very highest of all temporal things. There is no kind of an achievement equal to perfect health. What to it are nuggets of millions? -[Thomas Carlyle.

Alumni Association, St. Louis College of Pharmacy.-Lorenz A. Seitz, President 1898.