132 C. U. C. P. ALUMNI JOURNAL August, 1918 



ever, it might be stated that a sample of mixture of rhubarb and soda which com- 

 pletely reduces more than one-tenth its volume of Fehling's solution is to be con- 

 sidered suspicious. 



The amount of time actually expended in carrying out the assay is slight, be- 

 ing limited to the several weighings and the determination of reducing sugars. 

 The operation, however, covers several days of time, but we find with a good vac- 

 uum the sample ceases to lose weight within two or three days. 



THE WAR AND PHARMACY* 



By Curt P. Wimmer 



On the occasion of last year's meeting of The New Jersey Pharmaceutical 

 Association the author of this paper took the liberty of presenting a paper entitled 

 "The War and Pharmacy." In that paper it was his aim to bring before you 

 conditions as they existed then in the various belligerent countries and from them 

 draw certain conclusions with an idea of applying them to our own country. The 

 development of conditions in pharmacy during the past year has fully justified and 

 confirmed what amounted, in a measure, to a prophecy last year. It is for this 

 reason that I feel encouraged to come before you again with a paper of a similar 

 nature. It is a matter of great interest to all of us to know what our colleagues on 

 the other side of the ocean are doing, what they are sacrificing and how the war 

 in its various stages affects them. 



Without a doubt, the greatest difficulty which English pharmacists have to 

 contend with is the crying need of qualified assistants. In that respect conditions 

 are bad indeed. A number of drug-stores have been closed on account of lack 

 of help, others are open only during certain hours of the day. The "man-power" 

 bill recently enacted will call many individual pharmacists, who for industrial 

 reasons hitherto have enjoyed exemption, into active service. 



To a certain extent women are taking the places of men. Of one hundred 

 students of the London Pharmaceutical College who passed the minor examina- 

 tion last month, forty-two were women. 



The needs of the times have caused European pharmacists to get together as 

 never before, to protect their interests. The London Society, for example, has 

 set up a "Pharmaceutical Central Advisory Committee" which is to deal with the 

 question of liability of individual pharmacists to military duty. The committee 

 has been created with the consent of the Ministry of National Service and other 

 government departments and will assist the local boards in deciding questions 

 relative to the exemption from military service of individual pharmacists. It is, 

 of course, not the intention of this committee to endeavor to secure exemption 

 for each and every pharmacist, but only for those whose call to the colors would 

 seriously interfere with the public welfare. 



*Read at the Annual Session of The N. J. P. A. 



