120 THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 



training- in chemistry as possible. Of course, it is understood that 

 mathematics, physics, languages and other subjects must be in- 

 cluded in a course of this kind. Graduate courses of study should 

 be established so that pharmaceutical chemists could pursue their 

 studies under competent instructors. 



We believe that the cause of this unsatisfactory condition in 

 pharmaceutical education is found in the fact already noted, that 

 the men in any one of the divisions of pharmaceutical work have 

 not sufficiently interested themselves in the work of the other 

 divisions; and thus the educational men have had little oppor- 

 tunity to learn what is required in the other lines of work. 



The chemical work of the manufacturing pharmacist is varied 

 in character; and in order to gain a clearer idea of its nature it 

 may be well to consider it in several steps. The inspection of 

 crude materials is obviously a most important factor in the produc- 

 tion of a good product. This inspection consists in the positive 

 identification of everything purchased, exclusive of those things 

 which are identified by a botanical examination ; and as thorough 

 a study as possible of the purity and strength of the material. 

 Drugs of vegetable or animal origin containing known active prin- 

 ciples must be assayed in order to determine their value. The 

 determination of the nature and amount of impurities in organic 

 and inorganic chemicals, oils, resins, gums, balsams, etc., taxes 

 the resources of any chemist, and the pharmaceutical chemist is 

 often driven to the expedient of rejecting clearly unsatisfactory 

 materials on account of the presence of unidentified impurities. In 

 choosing materials it is understood that certain amounts of harm- 

 less impurities must be permitted in all medicinal substances other- 

 wise their cost would be prohibitive. 



Having determined that the crude materials are satisfactory, the 

 manufacturing processes must be controlled by the examination 

 of preparations in different stages of manufacture in order to give 

 directions for finishing products of proper strength and composi- 

 tion. 



The finished poducts must then be examined to determine their 

 compliance with standards of strength and purity ; and also by 

 aging experiments to determine something of their keeping qual- 

 ities. 



