118 THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 



THE SCOPE OF PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY. 



F. R. Eldred. 



The term Pharmaceutical Chemistry conveys no very definite 

 idea to many who are engaged in other branches of the science ; 

 and with these indeed, may be included many who are connected 

 with this branch of chemistry. For this condition, the 

 pharmaceutical chemists themselves are responsible. Men engaged 

 in the various divisions of pharmaceutical work, forgetting how 

 dependent they are upon the other classes of workers in this field, 

 have failed to keep in touch with one another. With this con- 

 dition existing among the pharmaceutical chemists it is not diffi- 

 cult to understand why other chemists often have vague ideas 

 as to what pharmaceutical chemistry comprises. 



The term should be applied to the chemistry directly involved 

 in the preparation and dispensing of medicines, in other words, 

 that connected with the practice of pharmacy in any of its branches. 

 The retail pharmacist often makes chemical and microscopical 

 examinations of urine, or even maintains a general commercial 

 laboratory; and the chemist in a manufacturing house may be 

 called upon to examine flue gases, coal, paints and other materials 

 used in construction work, but none of these can be included in 

 the branch of chemistry under consideration. 



There are four well defined divisions of pharmacy in which 

 chemistry plays an important part — Retail Drug Business, 

 Pharmaceutical Education. Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, and 

 Drug Inspection. These divisions originated in the order named 

 and each is directly dependent upon those preceding it. 



The retail drug store is the unit upon which the whole structure 

 of pharmacy rests and from which the other divisions were evolved. 

 A considerable knowledge of chemistry is required by the success- 

 ful prescriptionist to whom many difficult problems come. The 

 retail pharmacist also manufactures a certain number of his 

 preparations, and his manufacturing operations should differ only 

 in magnitude from those of the manufacturing pharmacist which 

 we shall consider later. The retail pharmacist should also be 

 competent to inspect his purchases of drugs and chemicals and 

 this requires careful analytical work. Hence, the purchase of a 



[Reprinted from the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 



Vol. 4. No. 6. 1912.] 



