56 



THE A L UMNI JO URN A L . 



the two circles coincide. Since the two 

 meanings long ago ceased to cover each 

 other, the necessity arose to use different 

 words to express the two different mean- 

 ings, and it was therefore, proposed to 

 employ the closely related word "offi- 

 cial" in the sense of "phannacopoeial," 

 and to use the word ''officinal" only in 

 the general sense "kept in a drug store," 

 which is, indeed, in accordance with its 

 o: iginal meaning and origin. Those 

 who object to the use of " official " in 

 the sense of " pharmacopceial " say that 

 officialis means "governmental ; pertain- 

 ing to an office or official, etc." That it 

 is, therefore, correct to say, for instance: 

 " The official preparations for the recep- 

 tion of the President are completed," but 

 incorrect to say : " He made all the offi- 

 cial preparations in his own laboratory." 

 There is, however, no danger of any mis- 

 understanding in these two sentences , 

 indeed, much less danger than would be 

 in many sentences containing the word 

 " officinal." 



Professor Husemann, in his letter, 

 brings within the space of his discussion 

 the terms " medicamenta magistralia," 

 and " formulae magistrales." He shows, 

 himself, that while the word officinalis* 

 was, in more recent times, applied to 

 drugs and preparations of an authorita- 

 tive character or origin, it was formerly 

 used in its broader sense "what is at any 

 time to be had in a drug store," in which 

 sense it was the opposite of magistralis 

 (magistral, or magisterial), or that which 

 is not kept ready made, but has to be 

 prepared or compounded extemporane- 

 ously. It will be noticed that there is a 

 much better logical correspondence be- 

 tween the terms. 



Medicamenta magistralia — medicines 

 whose composition is fixed or prescribed 

 by the viagister (a person), that is the 

 dliending physician, and 



A/edicame?ita officialia = medicines 

 whose composition is fixed or prescribed 

 by an official (a person), that is the Com- 

 mittee of Revision as a body — 

 than there would be between the former 

 and medicamenta officinalia, which term 

 refers to the shop and not to the person of 

 authority. 



* Professor Husemann did not find this word in Du 

 Canoe's Glossarium Mediae et Infince Latinitatis. It is, 

 however, contained in the latest edition (bv Favre; Niort 

 1883-87), Vol. VI, p. 37. 



As to the word " unofficinal," this 

 means properly " not peitaining to, not 

 kept by or dealt in by a pharmacist." It 

 used in this strictly literal sense, how- 

 ever, its scope or applicability will be- 

 come more and more contracted in the 

 course of time, as it may eventually 

 become difficult to mention articles to- 

 which the word may justlv apply. It 

 should be abandoned altogether. " Un- 

 official" much better expresses the idea 

 sought to be conveyed by it. A few 

 examples will show the use and meaning 

 of the several words: Fleming's tincture 

 ure of Aconite is not official (or "Un- 

 official;" not "unofficinal,") but it is 

 officinal. Tinctura Opii Deodorati is 

 official, and ought to be everywhere 

 officinal. 



Concerning the right of any person, or 

 body of men, to coin a new word, or to 

 use one already in existence, for the pur- 

 pose of expressing a new idea, or remov- 

 ing an ambiguity, there can be no question, 

 provided only that the selected word be 

 appropriate and in harmony with the 

 genius of the language. Of course, its 

 acceptance by the public at large, or by 

 the profession, for the use or benefit of 

 which it was coined or selected, cannot be 

 enforced. Yet, if it is found to answer 

 its purpose, and if its superiority over the 

 term formerly used in place of it is recog- 

 nized, it will gradually and surely come 

 into general use. 



The judgment of the writer is that the 

 employment of the word "official" in the 

 sense of "pharmacopoeial" is justifiable 

 on linguistic grounds, and that it is, 

 moreover, fully justified by the condition 

 of pharmacy in this country, where a 

 clear distinction between "all sorts of 

 medicines," and "pharmacopoeial" medi- 

 cines" has become necessary. Of course, 

 the Committee of Revision, "which hoped 

 to settle the controversy by an "official" 

 vote, according to which the word " of- 

 ficial " was hereafter to be used in place 

 of "officinal." when applied to phar- 

 macopoeial preparations or directions 

 (see U. S. Pharm., 1890, p. xxxvi.), did 

 not mean thereby to encroach upon the 

 ordinary meaning of the word, which 

 appears, for instance, on the title page of 

 the Pharmacopoeia in the sentence : 

 " Official from January 1, 1890." 



