178 PHARMACEUTICAL INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS AT VIENNA. 
State and Pharmaceutists in consonance with the present scientific and social 
status of the apothecaries, and is this intervention for the advantage of the 
State, the community, or pharmacy P” had decided unanimously to answer 
“ No.” The existing regulations which might have been useful a hundred 
years ago, when pharmaceutists were mere tradesmen, had ceased to be 
applicable now that pharmacy was a scientific profession. The extent and 
importance of the qualifications now required for the practice of pharmacy 
were such, that medical men, with their other studies, could no longer keep 
pace with the pharmaceutist, and were, therefore, unable to decide correctly 
in reference to pharmaceutical affairs. It was degrading to the members of 
an honourable profession to be put under the supervision, and made subject 
to the control of members of another profession. If the Government thought 
that pharmaceutists were not sufficiently educated to be intrusted with the 
management of their own affairs, they should demand a higher qualification. 
They would all agree that pharmaceutists had an equal claim with physicians 
and lawyers to the right of managing their own affairs, and to the protection 
of their professional privileges. 
The question being put, the members present, as with one voice, answered, 
“ No, not at all.” 
With regard to the fourth question, “What should be done to effect 
the greatest possible uniformity in the strength and composition of remedies 
that are used in all countries ?”—Mr. Waldheim, of Vienna, gave the ex¬ 
planation he had promised at the previous meeting. He stated that the 
Pharmaceutical Society of Paris was at present engaged in preparing a 
small work which would contain the remedies most generally used in all 
countries, and especially the most important and powerful remedies, such 
as hydrocyanic acid, tincture of opium, Fowler’s solution, the mineral 
acids, etc. etc. The formulae for the preparation of these medicines would 
be given according to the principal Pharmacopoeias, as for instance, the 
English, French, German, etc., and questions would be put as to the reasons 
for having different forms and for preferring any one of these to the others. 
This work would shortly be ready for publication, and would then be sent 
to the different pharmaceutical corporations with a request that it might be 
circulated among medical men and pharmaceutists, and their remarks made 
on blank pages with which it would be interleaved. It was anticipated 
that two objects would be attained by the use of this work. In the first 
place, it would show at a glance what differences exist in different countries 
in medicines having the same or similar names, and dispensers would be 
enabled to prepare correctly prescriptions written in foreign countries, thus 
securing to the public the supply of medicines such as the physician in¬ 
tended to prescribe. And then in the second place, the way would be 
prepared for the adoption of the most approved formula for each medi¬ 
cine which it might be expected would ultimately supersede the others. 
Mr. Waldheim concluded by proposing that the thanks of the Congress be 
presented to the Societe de Pharmacie of Paris for undertaking this work, 
and that they be encouraged to proceed with their undertaking and complete 
the work as soon as possible. 
This proposition was immediately assented to with acclamation. 
The fifth question, “ What are the best methods of assaying the organic 
alkaloids in drugs P ” was not discussed, because no investigations on the 
subject had been undertaken as the basis of communication to the Congress. 
Mr. Kobinet observed that some of the Pharmacopoeias already contained 
methods for assaying active drugs; and although it was desirable, if possible, 
to improve these methods, this could only be effected by a series of carefully 
conducted experiments. 
