THE ALUMNI JOURNAL , 11 



to the hearty support of all measures taken to secure, in the ninth 

 revision of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, a more perfect and reliable 

 standard of excellence than has been hitherto obtainable. 



President Carter: — Gentlemen, you -have heard the report of the 

 Board of Control on the Report of the Special Committee on 

 Standards and Tests. What action will you take in connection 

 with the report? 



]\Ir. Plant: — I do not know whether this matter was discussed 

 and explained at the time the report was offered. Did Mr. Main 

 at that time make any explanation? 



Thos. F. Main, New York : — In relation to the first recommenda- 

 tion, there is one portion of it, particularly that part which refers 

 to the recommendation that there should be on that committee a 

 chemist familiar with the manufacture of medicinal chemicals, and 

 a druggist familiar with the world's drug market, and this body 

 has put itself on record before as being in favor of such men being 

 on the final committee. I think that the resolution is self-evident 

 and does not require explanation. 



Perhaps some members of the Association, however, may not be 

 familiar with the composition of the Committee on the Revision 

 of the Pharmacopoeia. The convention which is to meet next May, 

 if it follows past precedents, will then elect a committee of twenty- 

 five to revise the U. S. Pharmacopoeia. Heretofore, as was ex- 

 plained in the report written by our committee, the great majority 

 of these gentlemen have served mainly without pay, that is, they 

 have received a small honorarium or compensation which in some 

 cases amounted to $25 a year, or $250 for the ten years. You can 

 readily understand that most of these men being professors in 

 college, etc., were naturally unable to give very much of their 

 time to the work they had to do, and the last revision of the Phar- 

 macopoeia, I think,' occupied five years. Some of the men elected 

 to that important committee were men elected out of consideration 

 for themselves, and it was supposed to be an honor to serve on 

 that committee — it is an honor undoubtedly — but I understand 

 quite a number of the men on the committee did very little work, 

 and the work was done by a few. 



We believe, therefore, that our recommendation that the men on 

 the committee in the future shall consist of acknowledged experts 

 who will agree to devote sufficient of their time to the prompt and 



