Chapter I. 

 PHARMACY 



Pharmacy is the science and art of preparing, compounding 

 and dispensing drugs. The objects of pharmacy are so obvious that 

 they need not be pointed out in this place. In order to have uni- 

 formity in the preparations obtained from the different shops, prac- 

 tically all civilized countries have standards, established by law, to 

 which the drugs and their preparations must conform. 



Phaemacopoeia. The books in which these standards are 

 given are usually called pharmacopoeias. The first pharmacopoeia 

 of the United States was published in 1820 and is revised every ten 

 years by a committee of physicians and pharmacists. The prepar- 

 ations made according to this book are called official. The present 

 Ninth Decennial revision appeared in August and became official in 

 September 1916. The pharmacopoeia gives, first, the Latin title 

 of the drug, followed by the English name, official abbreviation and 

 synonyms. A short concise definition of the drug is given. This 

 is followed by the characteristics and tests by which the identity 

 and purity of the drug may be recognized and finally in what 

 doses (human) it may be administered. 



Since the pharmacopoeia is intended as a concise standard work 

 of reference, it does not include all the material used in medicine nor 

 does it go into detail concerning the drugs treated. Consequently 

 in various countries other books have come into use, namely, dis- 

 pensatories. 



Dispensatories are commentaries on the pharmacopoeia. 

 They contain all that the pharmacopoeia states regarding official 

 drugs and much added information. They also treat of other 

 drugs not mentioned in the pharmacopoeia. There are three in 

 the U. S.: — The- National, United States and King's dispensatories. 



In addition to the above books, there is the National Formu- 

 lary, which contains formulae not included in the pharmacopoeia, 

 but 'of sufficient im'portance to. render standardization desirable. 

 It is published by the American Pharmaceutical Association. Prep- 

 arations made according to this book are generally designated as, 

 N.F, 



