THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 



133 



arrangement could be made by which 

 they would receive' benefits of little less 

 value than those which they would con- 

 fer. 



So far as our own department is con- 

 cerned, it might, with the approval of the 

 curators, state its view of the scope and 

 objects of the museum as follows, divid- 

 ing the subject under a commercial and 

 a scientific heading. 



Commercially the great object is to 

 have a sufficient representation of every 

 article of pharmaceutical interest known 

 to commerce, or which, from a knowledge 

 of its properties, is deemed liable to enter 

 commerce in future, provided, of course, 

 that it be capable of exhibit in permanent 

 form. Such a representation should in- 

 clude samples of every variety and grade, 

 the labels, or notes included in the con- 

 tainers, giving accurate comparative data 

 as to value, samples of all articles used 

 as substitutes or adulterants, with sam- 

 ples of the article so adulterated, and all 

 these duplicated for each distinct form in 

 which the article is used. Every dealer 

 connected with the drug trade in any de- 

 partment, ever}' manufacturer, and every 

 pharmacist should look upon the Museum 

 of the College of Pharmacy of the City 

 of New York as a place where he can 

 have answered every question that -may 

 arise in his business which is capable of a 

 reply by means of a comparison of speci- 

 mens. Such an aim is certainly ambi- 

 tious, but it is by no means Utopian. It 

 not only can be accomplished, but un- 

 questionably will be so in course of time, 

 and it is hoped that this time may be rea- 

 sonably hastened by such efforts as that 

 here made. There is of course, but one 

 means by which this object can be readily 

 accomplished, and that is by dealers in 

 specialties, as in rubbers, sponges, var- 

 nish-resins, spices and oils, contributing 

 full exhibits in their respective lines. The 

 writer observes with confidence, that the 



chief obstacle in the way of this result is 

 the feeling on the part of dealers that 

 their respective products are too common- 

 place to prove of value in such a collec- 

 tion, this idea originating in the fact that 

 to them they are common-place, merely 

 because they are daily handled in their 

 business. For no other reason than this, 

 there are scores of standard articles not 

 properly represented upon our shelves. 

 These dealers are not lacking in generos- 

 ity, as is proven by the fact that they are 

 always ready to contribute those articles 

 which, by unusual size, beauty or curios- 

 ity, possess to them the greatest value, 

 and the donation of which costs them a 

 real sacrifice, but which for these very 

 reasons, are not the representative types 

 which give its value to a commercial 

 representation. It is intended at an 

 early day to compile a list of our princi- 

 pal desiderata, for distribution where 

 they are likely to bring returns. 



In its scientific aspect it is desired to 

 make the museum instructive in two 

 principal directions, namely, to students 

 and to investigators. The student should 

 find prominently displayed types illus- 

 trating the characteristics of the natural 

 orders, at least of those orders most richly 

 contributing to the materia medica, as 

 well as of the individual drugs pertain- 

 ing thereto, associated with which there 

 should be some method for graphically 

 indicating the distribution. This object 

 requires a great amount of space, with 

 special facilities and contrivances for dis- 

 play, and its accomplishment is not to be 

 anticipated in the near future. But the 

 assistance of investigators is a result as 

 ready of accomplishment, upon a grow- 

 ing scale, as it is important. Indeed, a 

 long step in this direction has already 

 been taken, and the fruits have begun to 

 be put into practical use. The first requi- 

 site as a basis for scientific investigation 

 is a perfect and complete authentication 



