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PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



A CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN NEEDED INVES- 

 TIGATIONS IN PHARMACOLOGY. 



By John S. Wright. 



(Abstract.) 



Under this title the term pharmacology is not used in its restricted 

 sense, meaning pharmacodynamics only, but is employed to embrace the 

 botany, chemistry and physiological action of drugs. The suggestions 

 for needed investigations are the result of a critical study of the records 

 of about four hundred drugs used in medicine at present. 



In order to arrive at some general conclusions concerning existing 

 knowledge of the commonly used organic drugs, those studied were re- 

 viewed, marked and classified in eight groups based on the extent to 

 which they have been investigated, botanic-ally, chemically and physiolog- 

 ic-illy, as follows: 



CLASSES BASED ON THE EXTENT OF CHEMICAL KNOWLEDGE. 



1. Drugs whose chemical constituents and active principles are regarded 



as well known — 276, or approximately 70 per cent. 



2. Drugs whose chemical constituents and active principles are but par- 



tially determined — 100, or approximately 25 per cent. 



3. Drugs whose chemical constituents and active principles are undeter- 



mined — 25, or approximately 6 per cent. 



CLASSES BASED ON THE EXTENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION. 



4. Drugs whose physiological action is well known, or which have been 



subjects of systematic investigations — 175, or approximately 43 

 per cent. 



