104 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 552. 



state licensing bodies to protect the interests of 

 the public and the profession by seeing that the 

 medical laws are properly interpreted and en- 

 forced, and from their intimate knowledge with 

 the medical acts they can often be of service in se- 

 curing or modifying medical legislation. 



It is not the purpose of the Council on Medical 

 Education of the American Medical Association to 

 attempt to arrogate to itself any special powers, 

 nor does it desire either to criticize or interfere 

 in any way with any of the agencies which are 

 already in the field. If its creation is to result 

 in good, it must be the means of obtaining cooper- 

 ation between the medical profession, and the 

 medical schools, the colleges of arts^ the state 

 examining boards, the government services, and 

 all the factors which are interested in elevating 

 and controlling medical edvication. 



By securing cooperation of the various 

 state and national bodies engage in this 

 important work, recognizing the varied in- 

 terests involved in the numerous states of 

 the union, and fostering an intelligent 

 public sentiment, so e-ssential for every 

 great reform, the influence of the associa- 

 tion will be of the most effective character. 



MEDICAL LEGISLATION. 



Chapter VII., Section 3, of the by-laws 

 provides a permanent committee on medical 

 legislation 'to represent before congress 

 and elsewhere the wishes of this association 

 regarding any proposed legislation that in 

 any respect bears on the promotion and 

 preservation of the public health, or on the 

 material or moral welfare of the medical 

 profession. ' This committee was appointed 

 in 1903, and under the leadership of its 

 accomplished and energetic chairman pro- 

 ceeded at once to organize the auxiliary 

 committee provided in the by-laws. This 

 being a permanent committee, its work will 

 be continued from year to year. With the 

 auxiliary comijiittee, representing every 

 state in the union, and the several medical 

 departments of the government service, 

 every representative of the people in con- 

 gress can be reached directly. The impor- 



tance of this work is so apparent that I 

 need only call attention to it at this time, 

 and urge on all members of the association 

 the necessity of aiding and cooperating with 

 the committee at all times. The disregard 

 of the good work of the medical profession 

 in the public service (to say nothing of the 

 indignities offered) on the part of congress 

 is notorious ; and it is only by such concen- 

 trated power of the profession, intelligently 

 directed, that such injustice may be over- 

 come. I commend to your consideration 

 the report of this committee in order that 

 you may appreciate the important work 

 already projected. 



COUNCIL ON PHARMACY AND CHEMISTRY. 



The use of proprietary medicines in the 

 treatment of diseases has become one of the 

 most confusing and demoralizing questions 

 of the day. All proprietary medicines 

 must not be classed as secret nostrums, for 

 there are many honestly made and ethically 

 advertised proprietary preparations that 

 have therapeutic value and that deserve the 

 approval of the medical profession. But 

 there are many preparations offered the 

 profession, Avhich are protected by copy- 

 right or trade-mark, with formulae more 

 or less fictitious, and for which are made 

 extravagant claims, which are in fact secret 

 remedies. These preparations are so ex- 

 ploited by the manufacturer that the 

 physician is persuaded to use them instead 

 of writing a prescription; and since they 

 usually bear popular names and plausible 

 therapeutic claims, they appeal to the fancy 

 of the laity. The field is an enticing one 

 for commercial enterprise since these prep- 

 arations in many instances are simple mix- 

 tures and contain the most inexpensive 

 drugs. The use of such remedies is both 

 unscientific and unjust, alike to physician 

 and to patient. 



The separation of the legitimate pharma- 



