THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



193 



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j!^*Pf| 



Published under the auspices of the 



Alumoi Associatioo of tlie College of Pharmacy 



OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, 



115=119 WEST 68th STREET. 



Vol. I. 



December i, 1894. 



No. 8. 



The Alumni Journal will be published Monthly. 



Entered at New York Post Office as second-class matter 



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A. Henning, Treas., 115-119 West 68th Street 



TAX-FREE ALCOHOL. 



The Cleveland administration has dis- 

 tinguished itself probably more than any 

 other in the history of the nation by its 

 inertia and apparent inability to cope 

 with the issues that have presented 

 themselves during the past few years. 

 However much some may feel encour- 

 aged by the recent elections, it is appar- 

 ent from the present discussions in all of 

 the American pharmaceutical journals 

 that there is a momentous question to be 

 decided by the next Congress which will 

 be either for or against the interests of 

 the pharmacist. The Philadelphia Col- 

 lege of Pharmacy has started a movement 

 regarding "tax-free alcohol." A circular 

 letter regarding the same we pitblish in 



a prominent part of The Alumni 

 Journal. As this matter is of more 

 than ordinary interest, and as it is de- 

 sired that the pharmacists of the vicinity 

 of New York shall be identified with it. 

 we venture to present some features of 

 the movement that must be considered. 



Men with eyes in their heads must 

 see that at present there are at least 

 three problems that concern American 

 pharmacy, and that as we meet these 

 problems now so will the future phar- 

 macy be. They are regarding : (i) 

 Patent medicines; (2) Physicians dis- 

 pensing; and (3) "Tax-free alcohol" 

 Regarding the first, it was hoped that 

 when the tax on proprietary articles was 

 removed that the solution was attained. 

 The result of this action, as the years 

 have shown, has been protection to the 

 proprietors of such preparations, and the 

 notable but sad fact that " the pharma- 

 cist is not in it." This problem is un- 

 solved, and probably never will be 

 solved, for the difficulties increase as the 

 nation grows. Regarding the " dis- 

 pensing by physicians," this is a more 

 recent evil, but one of such a magnitude 

 that there is scarcely a pharmacist in 

 the vicinity of New York that does not 

 sadly feel its effects, and we are inclined 

 to believe that u.itil " we have men of 

 sound convictions, which they are fear- 

 less to express, and are willing to openly 

 confront the evils which tend to nullify 

 the best educational efforts or even un- 

 dermine the very foundations upon 

 which all hope for progress may rest" — 

 until then and with well concerted action 

 by such men, the end of this movement is 

 inevitable ruin to the pharmacist whether 

 we have tax-free alcohol or not. 



Concerning "tax-free alcohol" we 

 must say more, for upon first thought it 

 presents a very alluring proposition to 

 the pharmacist, and several important 

 questions arise that must be considered 



