Editorial

The Pharmacopoeia and Whiskey.-The Committee on Revision of the U. S. P. has many knotty problems to solve. The one which is at present disturbing the equanimity of the members is the question of continuing whiskey as an official therapeutic agent or deleting it from the Pharmacopoeia. It is rumored that whiskey has been voted in and voted out until the liquor itself does not know where to run for protection. The final outcome of the contest is quite as uncertain as the ultimate result of the war in Europe. This is not the first committee on revision to have trouble with the whiskey problem. The revisers of the U. S. P. VIII were urged to delete whiskey but it was not until the present decennial period that the contest became really acute.

Those who favor deletion of whiskey contend that it is a commercial commodity which should be procured from liquor dealers when required as a medicine. Some argue that whiskey, as such, is by no means a necessary therapeutic agent, as alcohol answers every purpose for which whiskey is used in medicine. Some who are anxious to dislodge whiskey from the trenches have a more sentimental view and feel that the presence of spiritus frumenti in the Pharmacopoeia is a reflection on the moral standing of the pharmacist. There is an appreciable number of retail druggists who do not pay the government retail liquor dealers' internal revenue tax and who refuse to sell even alcohol. The defenders of whiskey as an official article have the argument of preIcedent in their favor and see no reason for discarding a medicine which has long been official and is frequently prescribed in the legitimate practice of medicine. They claim that when whiskey is required in the treatment of disease it should be procured from the drug store, the same as is morphine, cocaine, or any other potent remedy.

Judging from our own observations, the retail pharmacists of the United States take but very little interest in this question and are not particularly alarmed over the prospect of buying a new Pharmacopoeia without whiskeys being indexed. Nor has there been any concerted action of movement among the retail pharmacists who favor deletion. The question is up to the Committee of Revision for final settlement and the retail drug trade of the country will abide by the action of the committee without protest or undue criticism. The world-wide movement in favor of temperance may have some influence on this question but, if so, it is sub-conscious.

White Lead as a Paint.-The white lead paint industry of the United States is an important one for the manufacturer, the jobber, the retailer and the consumer. From time to time, an effort has been made to discourage the use of white lead by calling attention to the poisonous nature of the substance.

In the good, old days that are past, both white lead and red lead were purchased dry and mixed by the painter on the job. The handling of dry chemicals led to some cases of poisoning. At the present time, dry lead is seldom handled outside of the paint factory. Nearly all of the lead in paint in this country is used on outside work and never rubbed as is white lead paint on the inside work in England. The safety first movement in this country long before it secured a popular name exerted an influence among painters who have since adopted sanitary regulations. Painters are so careful about their clothing and the handling of paint that cases of lead poisoning in this country are few and far between. The Department of Labor issued a bulletin on "Hygiene of the Painters Trade" (Bulletin No. 120). The author, Dr. Alice Hamilton, pointed out additional hygienic precautions which painters might take but saw no necessity for restricting the use of white lead as it is now employed by painters.

We are reminded of these conditions by a report from England that parliament will be called on to prohibit the use of white lead in paint. It seems that the painters in that country are careless about their person and also are accustomed to using dry lead which they mix on the job. It is the number of cases of lead poisoning in England which led a government committee to recommend a prohibition of the use of lead in building paint. We suggest that instead of prohibition temperance be advocated in the use of white lead. If the painters of England will take as much pride in their personal appearance on the street and observe the same sanitary conditions that workmen in the United States follow there will be no necessity for prohibitory legislation.

The white lead industry in Great Britain has been producing an annual output of about 200,000 tons. This is sufficient to indicate that the manufacturers will fight white lead prohibition. The best argument which they can use in their campaign is the condition of affairs in the United States.

Disease and Warfare.-The calling of the pharmacist necessarily brings him in close touch with disease. His function, however, is not so important regarding the diseases of warfare. Every military campaign is influenced largely by the condition of the health of the troops. Cholera, plague, typhoid fever, small pox, malaria, dysentery and yellow fever have disarranged more military campaigns than have been frustrated by an opposing army. In the war between the United States and Mexico, the number of persons killed or who soon died from wounds was less than 1,000 but more than five times this number succumbed to disease incident to the campaign. Our war with Spain was brief but sufficiently long to demonstrate the importance of disease as a determining factor. The dead among the United States troops was seven times as great as the number of deaths from injury.

Where the pharmacist is more concerned in the results of diseases in warfare is when the aftermath

comes. The acute conditions caused by the diseases above enumerated are usually followed by life lasting debility among those who survive the termination of the war. Pharmacists are then called upon to fill prescriptions, to counter prescribe or to sell patent or proprietary medicines for liver troubles, heart disease, kidney disturbances, anemia and general debility. The strain on the physical system caused by the present methods of warfare in Europe will long be felt by the survivors. The pharmacists of that country will be constantly in touch with the disabled soldiers. Unless pensions are soon established and liberal in size, the pharmacists will find that the veterans among their customers must be classed on the charity list. Thus, the drug trade will be called upon to contribute to the expense of the war for years after peace is declared.

Visit the Internal Revenue Department Before July 1. Pharmacists have become pretty well acquainted with the Internal Revenue Department on account of the internal revenue on alcohol, the requirement made by the department on cigar and tobacco retailers and the internal revenue on certain proprietary preparations put up by pharmacists. At least a few pharmacists also know the income tax department of the internal revenue office.

The Harrison Anti-Narcotic Law, however, has the most far-reaching influence on the retail drug trade. Many pharmacists are giving up the handling of alcohol, while some never have sold cigars or tobacco. None, however, escape buying the internal revenue stamp provided under the Harrison Anti-Narcotic Law. The fiscal year begins July 1, and every person dealing in narcotics coming within the law must secure a stamp, covering the next fiscal year, not later than June 30, 1915. Do not put it off until the last moment but either visit the office or write to the internal revenue collector at once.

Drugs from Italy play a more important part in the commercial affairs of the United States than is ordinarily supposed. The entrance of Italy into the war brings out the fact that we, in this country, are largely dependent upon Italy for citric acid, lemon oil, orange oil, bergamot oil, argols, castile soap, manna, juniper berries, orris root, squill, sumac and some other less important drug commodities. The argols from Italy are used in the manufacture of cream of tartar and tartaric acid. Citrate of lime, as it is called, is the source of our citric acid.

The deliberate manner in which Italy has long considered the approach of that country to actual participation in the war has enabled the United States to realize the possibilities and prepare for eventualities by importing large quantities of such goods as citrate of lime and a number of other drugs in the list which we have mentioned. The prices on such articles are necessarily high but may not materially advance unless the war continues for a long period.

Board Members in Illinois. For many years, the pharmacists of Illinois have annually voted on can

didates for the board of pharmacy. Of those receiving the higher number of votes, the names are submitted to the governor and he is supposed to select from this list. A bill has been introduced in the Illinois legislature making it mandatory to appoint one of the three highest nominations recommended by the Illinois Pharmaceutical Association. It is not at all likely that this bill will pass, although similar regulations are enforced in some of the states. The appointment of board of pharmacy members is a prerogative which the governors of most states look upon as a right rather than a privilege. The governors of both Illinois and Missouri have frequently selected for the board of pharmacy persons not named by the state association. This, we say with no reflection on the members appointed, but merely to show the tendency of the times.

What Did You Do Clean-up Day? The annual clean-up day or days or week is becoming a fixed annual occurrence. In the smaller places, women and school children have evidenced the most interest in clean-up day and become the important factors in the work accomplished. Business men have not taken the interest in these occasions that we would naturally anticipate. We are pleased to note that pharmacists have given more attention than their fellow dealers in other lines and in many sections of the country pharmacists were leaders in clean-up day work. This fact is in keeping with the general feeling that the pharmacist is and must be more than a mere merchant. Like the physician, he must regard the customer and the community in a professional light. Those pharmacists who did not wake up to the occasion for clean-up day in 1915 should blue pencil the clean-up season on the calendar for 1916.

All Registered Pharmacists Members of the State Association.-Montana has taken a long step in advance of other state associations by securing a pharmacy law which makes each registered pharmacist a member of the organization. With the payment of the renewal fee for annual registration the pharmacist pays dues in the state association. This plan has worked well in South Dakota and should in time become the ordinary course of action in all states. It is particularly interesting to note that the western states are the ones where thoroughly up-todate ideas should be tried out. Perhaps in time the Atlantic Coast states will fall in line, but we surImise that the Middle West and the West will adopt the South Dakota and Montana plan long before it is possible to install such a procedure in the East. This is no reflection on the eastern contingent in pharmacy, but is merely due to the fact that it is easier to adopt new plans in a comparatively new section of the country.

I Enjoy Reading the MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST, which is well worth more than the subscription price. -[H. F. Wright, Etowah, Tenn.

STRAY ITEMS AND COMMENTS

German Pharmacists are restricted as to the quantity of gasolin which can be obtained for re-sale during the month. According to the latest reports the quantity is fixed at 3 kilos.

The Twilight Sleep Craze, as exploited by the daily press, has probably reached its height. The medical profession does not endorse the extravagant statements published in the secular press.

Pharmacists Cannot Go to Europe This Year.They may, however, go as far as the coast and we suggest the Pacific Coast on account of the PanPacific International Exposition, now in progress.

The Supply of Drugs from Turkey is being cut off by war conditions. A German pharmaceutical journal announces that the following drugs and perfumes cannot be exported from Turkey: Anise, sesame oil, opium, alizarin, licorice root, senna leaves, manna, indigo, musk pods, rose leaves, oils and water, all

essences.

The Modern Pharmacy Law, being prepared by the Section on Education and Legislation of the A. Ph. A. under the direction of Chairman F. H. Freericks, of that section, is a very interesting and important document. If you have any suggestions to make regarding such a law, write at once to the chairman at Cincinnati.

North Carolina Has a New Pharmacy Law which, however, will not become effective until January 1, 1918. On and after that date, an applicant for full registration as a pharmacist must be twenty-one years of age and have had four years' practical experience and have attended nine months at a recognized college of pharmacy.

The Debt the Graduate Owes His College. The Druggist Circular reviews the responsibility of the graduate of a school of pharmacy. Among other things, the editor says, "There is the debt that the graduate owes to the college that has given him his education." This should be the most appealing call, but it is rarely so regarded.

Pharmacists and Physicians are becoming better acquainted in several sections of the country, owing to advances made by the pharmacists. A recent gettogether meeting in Detroit was attended by members of the A. Ph. A. Detroit Branch and all of the Detroit R. D. A. and the Wayne County Medical Society. The president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Victor C. Vaughn, gave a lecture on the occasion.

The Physiological Standardization of Drugs requires animal experimentation. The Secretary of State for the English Home Department has investigated a large pharmaceutical laboratory in that country and decided that no cruelty occurs in the work, as every precaution is taken to prevent cruelty to the animals under experimentation. While this government interest in vivisection is going on, the greatest

of all wars continues and human vivisection is a matter of constant occurrence.

British Dye Stuffs and Fine Chemical Industry are receiving much attention in both England and Germany. England proposes to establish the industry on a much larger and more promising basis than ever before. The German pharmaceutical and chemical press is somewhat divided as to the prospects. Some German chemists claim that a lack of organization in England dooms the ambition to failure. Other German chemists are equally certain that the British plans will mature and threaten the supremacy of the German fine chemical industry.

Do You Wear a String Tie?-The editor of the Interstate Medical Journal for March dilates on the subject of medical culture. Much that he has to say applies with equal force to pharmaceutical culture. The customers as well as the fellow associates of pharmacists are impressed with the culture or lack of culture of those who serve them or work with them. As an example of how the medical editor goes into detail, we quote as follows: "A 'string' tie is not such an objectionable decoration, provided it is black and worn with a turned down collar; but when it is placed carelessly or even carefully around a standing collar, its innate stubbornness prevents it from being content to remain in its original position; and greatly to our sorrow have we seen not once but often the spectacle of a learned medical man holding forth on some abstruse subject with his black 'string' tie in complete disarray."

For Our First Knowledge of Senna we are indebted to the Arabians, who, however, preferred the pods to the leaves. They seem also to have regarded Mecca senna as the best. In Gerard's time a species of senna was cultivated in Italy, but it was not of much value, and had apparently ceased to be used when Lemery wrote. He enumerates three kinds then in vogue, of which senné de Levant (or de Seyde that is to say, Saida, or Sidon) was most esteemed. Senné d'Alexandrie ou Tripoli he considered inferior to this, being "verd, rude, peu odorant," and having less of "teinture" and "qualité." Poorest of all was senné de Moca. In England at this time, and for long afterwards, virtually the only kind in use, if we may judge from the Dispensatories,

was what was known as Alexandrian. There is an apparent discrepancy between Lemery and Flückiger and Hanbury with regard to one interesting point. The former calls senné de Seyde "senné de la Palte," because it paid to the "Grand Seigneur” a tribute which the Turks call Palte, but in "Pharmacographia" this name is given to Alexandrian senna for the same reason. In "Pharmacographia," by the way, senna is said to have been first mentioned by the elder Serapion, "who flourished in the ninth or tenth century," which is an obvious mistake, as the elder Serapion's date is about 200 B. C. Wooton, more correctly, attributes the introduction of senna to the elder Mesue, who lived from 776 to 855 A. D.-[Chemist and Druggist.

STRAY ITEMS AND COMMENTS

A Garden of Pharmaceutical Interest is located at Butentan, Brazil. It covers 700 acres and is devoted to the raising of snakes for use in manufacturing serums intended to cure or prevent the effects of snake bites. This corporation monopoly prevents pharmacists from having their own individual gardens of serpents.

Are You Plagmatic? If so, you had better give up pharmacy, for any one who is plagmatic cannot make a success in the early part of the twentieth century. If you are not familiar with this word and not a plagmatic, you are likely to look it up in the dictionary, but if you are just lazy-like, you are too plagmatic to make such an effort.

You Should Go to the Pan-Pacific International Exposition. The best time for pharmacists to attend is during the meeting of the A. Ph. A., the week of August 9. The week preceding will be taken up largely by the American Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The exposition is a grand success and should be seen by every public-spirited citizen.

The A. Ph. A. House of Delegates as now constituted has representatives from quite a variety of pharmaceutical organizations. It is a clearing house for organization representatives as well as for resolutions. Professor H. P. Hynson, chairman of a committee appointed to consider and report on the house of delegates, suggests the feasibility of limiting the body to delegates from state pharmaceutical associations. He invites further discussion of the possible scope and usefulness of the A. Ph. A. house of delegates.

Cereal Coffees.-Fourteen cereal coffees were lately examined by the North Dakota food department. Four were roasted barley, six contained coffee and the other four were mixed cereals, mostly wheat. Three of the six containing coffee were mainly coffee, while one of the others was nearly all cereal with a small amount of coffee. Roasted barley was the basis of various kinds, although in some instances wheat bran mixed with a molasses product, which had been baked and ground, composed the product.

Canada Balsam cannot be gathered when it rains, not even on the same day, because the branches are wet and the water dropping into the gum renders it milky and unsaleable. It is collected from June to September or to about the time snow begins to fall or the weather turns cold; the gum does not flow during low temperature. It is sometimes gathered as early as May from trees standing in the open where the sun's rays can strike them. The trees are not worked for two years in succession, because they require two or three years' rest before they can be tapped again, and then they always yield very much less than the first time.

Cotton Seed has developed a great industry in the

South which has converted a waste product into one of the most valuable materials. This has revolutionized stock raising and replaced animal foods for cooking purposes with a satisfactory vegetable product. Even olive oil has difficulty in maintaining first place as a salad oil. In addition to the food product and the fertilizing material, cotton seed fiber has rendered suitable mattress and pillow fillings. With the outbreak of the war comes additional demand for cotton seed fiber in the manufacturing of high explosives. The story of the recent changes in the cotton seed industry is a very fascinating one.

Will Trade or Pharmacy Survive?-The English pharmaceutical press is discussing the advancement of pharmacy. A correspondent of the Pharmaceutical Journal exhorts his fellow pharmacists to eliminate trade from pharmacy and take the proper position which the importance of pharmacy as well as the training and qualifications of pharmacists justify. He says that pharmacy should not be bartered away for the temporary advantage of "fancy goods." It is evident that pharmacists of England still have sufficient encouragement to talk about the supremacy of professional pharmacy over trade. In the United States, the appearance of drug stores which look more like department stores than anything else indicates the complete elimination of pharmacy from trade.

Happy Transformations.-By combination with other bodies the offensive-smelling principles of valerian root are converted into particularly sweet odors as exemplified in the rich fruitiness of ethyl valerianate, the apple flavor of amylvalerianate, the utility in rose perfumes of geranyl isovalerianate, the camphoraceous odor of bornyl isovalerianate and the suggestion of jasmine and narcissus in styrolyl valerianate. Similarly, the esters of amyl alcohol-the alcohol corresponding to valerianic acid-furnish bodies with powerful and useful odors, of which amyl acetate, with its pear flavor; amyl benzoate, and its amber smell; and amyl salicylate, much used for orchid perfumes, are well-known instances, with amyl heptylate as one of the latest and most expensive.[Perfumery and Essential Oil Record.

Glycerin in Germany. The supply of glycerin required for war purposes is very great. A correspondent of the Pharmaceutical Journal claims that this should be met if the waste of glycerin in the manufacture of soap and textile industries were avoided. The fats which, together with alkaline lyes, yield soap are in themselves composed of fatty acids and glycerin. So far the processes have been frequently carried on in such a way that the glycerin becoming free in the working up of fatty acids into the soap, without affording any special advantage, has been allowed to remain in the soap. It has now been prescribed in general that the fats must previously be separated into fatty acids and glycerin, and only the former are now allowed to be employed in the manufacture of soap.

IN BRIEF

Mississippi is working for reciprocity.

Fresh air and pure water must be classed among the best of disinfectants.

Have you learned the difference between efficiency and inefficiency in store service?

Chenopodium oil is now in demand for use in the treatment of hook worm disease.

Wild camphor trees in the Philippines may add to the world's supply of that valuable commodity. It is claimed that the polarizing effect of moonlight will decompose fish and meat exposed to the light. The St. Louis College of Pharmacy requires a four years' course for the degree of pharmaceutical chemist.

"Zyxomma" is the last word in the dictionary. It is probably the last word you would look for in a dictionary.

England, since the beginning of the war, has taken increased interest in the question of farming economic herbs.

An experienced contributor to the Bulletin of Pharmacy says that it is best "to push one good odor at a time."

Kansas never does anything by halves. The recent legislature considered 1,978 bills. Most of them were of a legislative nature.

The Department of Agriculture has fixed a standard for condensed milk. The next thing is to make the milk keep to the standard.

Do you keep watch of your weights and make certain that they do not become light by wear or heavy by the accumulation of dirt?

The Pacific Drug Review announces a "safety first" slogan when it says, "The best way to get rid of dead stock is to sell before it is dead."

The pharmacist who advertised penny sales incurred the ill will of his associates without materially increasing his popularity with the trade.

The University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy announces that the entrance requirement has been placed at high school training or an equivalent.

The sponge dealer who said that there are no adulterated sponges on the market does not know the resources of the sponge market of the United States.

The prohibition of liquor among soldiers is a question of debate, but the British government is supplying free tobacco to the troops, a thing that has never been done before.

An ice book "that works wonders" is being advertised. We have often observed ice scales that "work wonders," by recording fifty pounds when forty pounds of ice are weighed.

The proposition of the British government to increase taxation on alcohol is meeting with strong protest from industrial lines making use of alcohol for manufacturing purposes.

Professor H. P. Hynson, at a meeting of the A. Ph. A. Baltimore Branch, exhibited a copy of a work

on Prescription Writing and pointed out "horrible prescriptions and worse pharmacy."

North Carolina has a new law taxing each licensed pharmacist $5 per year. This caused one of them publicly to say, "We know that there is war in Europe, but why make war on the druggists?"

A lump of ammonium carbonate in a container of kerosene or gasoline is said to mask the odor. If the lump is sufficiently large, we doubt whether any one will try the odor more than once.

An English town council has issued an order for the pharmacists to close at 1 o'clock on each Wednesday throughout the year. What town council in the United States will follow this example?

College prerequisite in a curtailed form has been recognized by the North Carolina legislature. A new law provides for an attendance of nine months at a school of pharmacy before registration.

Golf balls are said to contain compressed rubber bags filled with a highly caustic fluid. Accidents are reported, caused while dissecting such balls. Will rubber withstand "caustic fluids"?

The miserable salaries paid to trained chemists is the explanation which the Chemist and Druggist makes for England's having allowed Germany to completely outstrip her in chemical research and industry.

According to Mr. P. S. Talbert, before the City of Washington Branch of the A. Ph. A., the government has imported during the past ten years double the amount of cocaine and its salts required for legitimate purposes.

The strength of laudanum has been increased by the British Pharmacopoeia to such an extent that all sales of that article must now be entered in the poison register. This has long been the condition in the United States.

Wormwood is becoming scarce in England on account of a curtailment of the supply from Europe. Wormwood is an important ingredient of the Drake absinthe which has been prohibited in France since the beginning of the war.

That section of Southern France which produces perfumery has assumed a fairly normal condition, according to reports emanating from France by the way of England. It is claimed that the older generation are looking after the perfumery industry while the younger men are at the battle line.

The dog Latin of American pharmacy was frowned upon at a recent meeting of the A. Ph. A. Baltimore Branch. It was compared in an unfavorable light with the good Latin of Europe. American pharmacists are glad to get prescriptions even when written in dog Latin or poor English.

Pharmacists sometimes eat lunch behind the prescription case. It is more than Johan Muller could have done. According to history his mid-day meal consisted of eighty pounds of meat, vegetables and fish, washed down with fifteen quarts of wine. He died at the age of ninety, probably from the effect of over-eating.