STANDARDS FOR MEDICINES— COOK 441 



recognized as standardized. In the English colonies, the Pharma- 

 copoeias of London and of Edinburgh were employed, but soon after 

 the establishment of the Republic the possibility of having a national 

 pharmacopoeia for the United States of America was recognized and 

 given serious consideration. What is often spoken of as the 'Tirst 

 American Pharmacopoeia" was a small book or formulary compiled 

 in 1778 by Dr. William Brown for use in the hospitals of the United 

 States Army. The limited scope of this publication accounted for 

 the failure to have its use extended into general medical practice. 

 However, the physicians in general practice were ambitious to estab- 

 lish their own standards, and in 1787 a committee of the College of 

 Physicians in Philadelphia was appointed for this purpose. There is 

 no record of any report from that committee. 



In 1805 the Massachusetts Medical Society was responsible for 

 the issuance of what became known as the Massachusetts Pharma- 

 copoeia, but this had only a local use and also was limited in its 

 scope. In the main, the Massachusetts publication was based upon 

 the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia. The subject continued to be agi- 

 tated, and various medical centers prepared prehminary compilations 

 embodying local or native plants, the Medical Society of South 

 Carolina having done this as early as 1798. The stimuli resulting 

 from the appearance of the pharmacopoeia sanctioned by the Medical 

 Society of Massachusetts was the nucleus for increased interest, and 

 in 1815 the physicians and surgeons of New York had organized for 

 the preparation of their own pharmacopoeia. This appeared in 1816. 



To one man is universally give the credit for the inspiration and 

 the organizing ability which brought into existence the first edition 

 of our national pharmacopoeia. That man was Dr. Lyman Spalding. 

 He had long recognized the importance of this step and is known to 

 have discussed the question with Dr. Barton, of Philadelphia, while 

 visiting in that city in 1805. Dr. Barton was a professor of materia 

 medica and editor of the Medical and Physical Journal. His bo- 

 tanical gardens had at that time acquired world fame and in these 

 gardens he had particularly cultivated native medicinal plants. 

 Dr. Spalding presented a well-formulated plan to his New York 

 colleagues in January of 1817, and a committee was appointed to 

 assist him in developing the program. This committee met and 

 invited medical organizations in America and abroad to offer sug- 

 gestions and to lend their support. In accordance with their plan, 

 sectional conventions were called to consider the proposal to establish 

 a pharmacopoeia and each to send plans and outlines. Two of these 

 sectional conventions met; one in Boston and the second in Phila- 

 delphia. A third colled as a "Southern Convention" failed to secure 

 a quorum, but arranged for delegates to attend the Washington 

 convention as did also those invited to form a "Western Convention." 



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