'^FebruaryTi™'}    Microscopic  Examination  of  Vegetable  Drugs.  81 
Just  so  with  the  digitalis,  ergot,  strophanthus,  convallaria,  squill, 
Indian  cannabis,  thyroid  and  suprarenal  glands,  you  cannot  judge 
them  by  appearance,  but  it  is  possible  to  standardize  them  com- 
paratively by  physiological  means.  Uniformity  is  the  important 
slogan.  Therefore  I  would  suggest  that  physiological  standards  be 
introduced  in  the  Pharmacopeia.  True,  the  tests  could  not  be  done 
accurately  by  the  busy  retail  pha-rmaeist,  nor  can  standardization 
of  antitoxin,  or,  in  fact,  one  of  the  common  alkaloidal  assays. 
The  whole  scheme  could  be  accomplished  under  the  same  method 
as  is  now  in  force  in  standardizing  antitoxin.  The  Government  to 
send  out  standards  for  comparison  to  each  manufacturer,  as  often  as 
deemed  necessary,  and  uniformity  would  result  without  the  humili- 
ation manifested  by  one  of  our  leading  Philadelphia  physicians, 
who  was  called  hurriedly  in  consultation  to  see  a  case  of  alarming 
toxic  digitalis  symptoms.  The  physician  who  had  given  the  drug 
said,  "  Let  me  throw  that  stuff  out  the  window."  "  Give  it  to  me," 
said  the  consulting  physician,  "  for  I  can  never  get  any  that  will 
work." 
With  these  suggestions,  some  of  which  I  trust  you  may  think 
of  favorably,  I  must  conclude  this  inadequate  survey  of  a  subject 
which  is  of  vital  importance  to  us  all.  It  only  remains  for  me  to 
thank  you  for  your  courteous  attention. 
THE  PHARMACOPCEIA  AND  THE  MICROSCOPIC  EXAMI- 
NATION OF  VEGETABLE  DRUGS.1 
By  Henry  Kraemer. 
I  have  been  asked  by  the  committee  having  this  meeting  in  charge 
to  discuss  (a)  the  subject  of  the  microscopic  examination  of  vegetable 
drugs,  (b)  the  introduction  of  histological  descriptions  into  the  U.  S. 
Pharmacopoeia,  and  (c)  to  consider  any  of  the  difficulties  which 
stand  in  the  way  of  introducing  such  descriptions  into  the  Pharma- 
copoeia. In  presenting  this  subject  I  have  deemed  it  advisable  to 
treat  it  under  three  heads.    These  are : 
(1)  What  has  been  done  by  some  of  the  other  pharmacopoeias. 
(2)  The  Eighth  Revision  of  the  U.S.P. 
1  Read  before  the  Philadelphia  Branch  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  January  7,  1908. 
