688 



PHARMACY. 



offer to supply to societies, at cost price, printed 

 blanks to facilitate the work. This will be a 

 collective investigation of great importance. 

 The committee also desire to obtain from so- 

 cieties, and presumably also from individuals, 

 expressions regarding the question of weights 

 or measures in the pharmacopoeial formulas. 



Associations. The thirty-sixth annual meeting 

 of the American Pharmaceutical Association 

 was held in Detroit, Mich., on September 3-7, 

 under the presidency of John U. Lloyd. Dele- 

 gates from five alumni associations, eight col- 

 leges, and five local and twenty State associa- 

 tions were formally recognized. The scientific 

 section was presided over by James M. Good, 

 and the following papers were presented : " Ar- 

 tificial Salicylic Acid," by Albert B. Prescott 

 and Erwin E. Ewell; " Calycanthus Seed," by 

 K. G. Eccles; "The Masking of Quinine," by 

 Luther F. Stevens ; " Adulterating Peppermint 

 Oil," by Alviso C.Stevens; ''Acacia Catechu and 

 Uncaria Gambier," by Henry Trimble ; " No- 

 menclature of Phamaceutical Preparations," 

 by C. S. Hallberg; " The Loco Weed," by L. E. 

 Sayre; "Artificial and Natural Mineral Waters," 

 by Enno Sanders; " Phosphomolybdic Acid 

 for the Quantitative Estimation of Alkaloids," 

 by II. W. Snow ; " Is the Precipitated Sulphate 

 of Iron of Constant Composition ? and does 

 it contain the same Proportion of Water of 

 Crystallization as the Large Crystals," by 

 Henry Trimble; "Pepsin Testing," by Frank 

 A. Thompson; "Notes on the Morphiomet- 

 ric Assay of Opium," by Joseph F. Geisler ; 

 "Sponges," by Kosa Upson ; " Assay of Pow- 

 dered Ipecacuanha," by John E. Pennington ; 

 " A New Method of preparing Mercurous 

 Iodide," by Edward Soetje ; "Arsenic in Me- 

 dicinal Bismuth Salts," by E. E. Hawkes; and 

 " Cream of Tartar," by Charles V. Boetcher. 

 This section discussed very fully the recently 

 issued "National Formulary " published under 

 the auspices of the association. It was the 

 result of the labors of a committee appointed 

 in 1885 to prepare a list of unofficinal prepara- 

 tions, so that when a prescription calling for a 

 compound generally recognized but not in the 

 " United States Pharmacopoaia," was presented 

 to the druggist a reliable and uniform article of 

 standard quality could be made. The volume 

 which contains 435 titles was published in July, 

 and means tending toward its periodical re- 

 vision were discussed, but it was decided to 

 leave the matter open. 



The commercial section discussed, nnder the 

 chairmanship of A. II. Hoilister, various trade 

 measures, notably a resolution calling on the 

 National Wholesale Druggists' Association to 

 abolish the rebate system, and the questions 

 " Is substitution going on?" and "Should we 

 practice substitution?" referring to the treat- 

 ment of drugs by the jobbers, also the very 

 important "liquor question." Earnest protest 

 was made against the present laws which, it 

 was claimed, "placed the pharmacy and the 

 grog-shop on the same level." The education 



and legislative sections held brief meetings at 

 which pertinent topics were considered. The 

 special object of the legislative section was to 

 consider how best " to secure a uniform stand- 

 ard of requirement for graduation through the 

 States, so that the certificates of all State 

 boards of pharmacy will be received as prima- 

 facie evidence of competency." 



At the business meeting 154 new members 

 were admitted, and at the close of the sessions 

 the total membership was 1,411. The finan- 

 cial condition of the Association was found to 

 be excellent. The receipts were $12,656.19 

 and expenditures $10,280.42, showing a cash 

 balance, and $11,347.82 were invested in Unit- 

 ed States bonds. Considerable discussion as 

 to the next place of meeting prevailed, but 

 ultimately San Francisco, Cal., was chosen and 

 the date left to the council. Maurice W. Alex- 

 ander, of St. Louis, Mo., was elected president, 

 and John M. Maisch, of Philadelphia, Pa., con- 

 tinued as secretary. Various local associations 

 were organized during the year, among which 

 was that of the drug clerks of Newark. 



Trade Associations. The fourteenth annual 

 meeting of the National Wholesale Druggists' 

 Association, under the presidency of E. Waldo 

 Cutter, was held at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., 

 beginning on September 11 and continued 

 for three days. The proposition of extending 

 the rebate plan to the retailers was discussed 

 and its impracticability decided upon. The 

 committee on legislation reported its failure to 

 secure the repeal of the excise tax on all spirits, 

 and urged that efforts be made toward the 

 total repeal of all revenue taxes; also the re- 

 peal of the tax on spirits to 50 per cent, and 

 the removal of the druggists' license tax. The 

 committee on proprietary goods reported that 

 the annual sales of these goods by the members 

 of the association was estimated at $37,500,- 

 000. Reports of the committees on fraternal 

 relations ; on paints, oils, and glass ; on Paris 

 green ; on transportation ; on boxes and cart- 

 age; and on commercial travelers were pre- 

 sented and referred to the board of control. 

 A deficiency of $465.93 in the Druggists' Mutual 

 Fire Insurance Company was shown, and con- 

 cerning it a resolution was passed from which 

 the following is taken : 



" An important feature of this company is 

 its advance premium fund. This fund, of 

 $100,000, is intended to furnish the company 

 with substantial assets; and in addition to the 

 premiums paid on policies, it is fair to suppose, 

 with the care exercised in the selection of risks, 

 that prosperity will follow. 



"Of this fund $55,0 "0 has been subscribed 

 and paid. It is earnestly hoped that the mem- 

 bers of the National Wholesale Druggists' As- 

 sociation, who have not already subscribed to 

 this fund, will avail themselves of the oppor- 

 tunity now offered. These certificates are is- 

 sued in sums of $500 or more 30 per cent, 

 payable at time of subscription, and the bal- 

 ance payable in monthly installments of 10 per 



