184 Kansas Academy of S device. 



Contributions of the Drug Laboratory of the University of 

 Kansas in the Enforcement of the Food and Drugs Law. 



G. N. Watson. 



In looking over the various state and national government reports on 

 the analytical work of the food and drug laboratories and on the enforce- 

 ment of the laws relative to this branch of service, we cannot fail to be 

 impressed with the enormous amount of work that has been done and re- 

 sults accomplished during a decade of the food and drugs administration. 

 During the ten years succeeding the passing of the food and drugs act of 

 1906, the Federal government made 6,000 prosecutions, had 40,000 hear- 

 ings of manufacturers and examined 750,000 shipments of domestic and 

 imported food and drugs. 



One consequence of the enactment of the food and drugs act was the 

 encouragement of similar legislation in many of the states. Among the 

 pioneers in that work was the state of Kansas. 



The Kansas drug regulations were largely copied from the Federal 

 Act relating to drugs. 



Regulation 36 of the Kansas drug law, relating to medicinal prepara- 

 tions, reads as follows: (1) Any official medicinal preparation for which 

 a test is provided in the United States Pharmacopoeia shall conform in 

 quality, purity and strength to tests laid down therein. (2) Any official 

 medicinal preparation for which no test is provided in the United States 

 Pharmacopoeia and National Formulary, shall conform to the prepara- 

 tion of product made from the official ingredients and by the process of 

 the official formula for that preparation. 



Regulation 5 (a) relating to the standards for drugs reads thus: A 

 drug bearing a name recognized in the United States Pharmacopoeia 

 or National Formulary, shall be required to conform in strength, quality 

 and purity to the standards prescribed or indicated for a drug of the 

 same name recognized in the United States Pharmacopoeia or National 

 Fonnulary, official at the time of sale or when dispensed; provided that 

 in case of homeopathic or eclectic di'ugs the same shall be required to 

 conform to their accepted standards. 



Regulation 5 (6) relative to proprietary medicinal preparations reads 

 as follows: Proprietary medicinal preparations and similar medicinal 

 products are required to conform in composition to the freshly prepared 

 nondeteriorated article, and to conform to the claims made for the prep- 

 aration as to therapeutic properties, quality and strength. 



It is the latter clause, known as the Shei'ley Amendment to Section 8 

 of the Federal Drugs Law, relating to false statements of curative prop- 

 erties of proprietary medicines, that has resulted in some of the most 

 interesting and important court decisions in the enforcement of the 

 Fedei'al Drugs Act. 



Although provided with the necessary regulations, Kansas has never 

 enforced this part of her drugs law but seemingly has been content to 

 leave such enforcement entirely with the Federal authorities. 



Among the proprietary medicines condemned by the United States 



