ATanuaryPi908.m'}     American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  45 
Professor  Kraemer  also  referred  to  a  number  of  changes  in  drugs 
and  other  substances  that  had  come  under  his  observation,  evidently 
caused  by  the  growth  of  micro-organisms  or  other  of  the  lower 
vegetable  forms  of  life.  Taking  all  of  these  possible  factors  into 
consideration  the  wonder  was  that  the  Pharmacopoeia  has  come  as 
near  being  right  as  it  has. 
Prof.  Joseph  P.  Remington,  speaking  as  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Revision,  said  that  the  experiences  that  have  been  gained 
during  the  past  year  will  be  of  incalculable  value  to  the  committee 
in  its  future  work.  He  laid  considerable  stress  on  the  need  for 
standards  being  such  as  are  attainable  and  not  too  high.  Essential 
oils  he  believed  to  be  the  most  frequently  adulterated  of  all  medicinal 
substances. 
Dr.  F.  E.  Stewart,  discussing  the  question  of  standards,  said  that 
he  quite  agreed  with  Professor  Remington  that  standards  for  medi- 
cinal substances  should  be  reasonable  and  attainable.  For  scientific 
progress  in  therapeutics  doses  must  be  founded  on  something  sub- 
stantial, and  this  could  only  be  secured  by  having  reasonably  high 
standards  that  are  guarded  and  complied  with  by  pharmacists. 
He  believed,  however,  that  pharmacists  should  go  a  step  further 
than  apply  the  tests  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  to  the  materials  that  they 
themselves  dispense.  Having  equipped  themselves  to  do  this  work 
they  should  acquaint  physicians  with  the  need  for  such  control  and 
advise  them  to  send  their  prescriptions  to  pharmacists  who  are  in 
position  to  guarantee  the  genuineness  and  purity  of  the  materials 
that  they  dispense. 
Mr.  M.  I.  Wilbert  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  manufacturers 
could  not  be  expected  to  guarantee  their  products  after  the  original 
package  had  been  broken  and  that  the  retailer,  whether  he  wanted 
to  or  not,  would  be  obliged  to  assume  responsibility  for  all  substances 
sold  or  dispensed  other  than  those  sold  in  the  original  package. 
He  also  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  manufacturers  and  dealers 
are  selling  essential  oils  and  other  substances  that  are  guaranteed 
to  be  compounded,  or  fit  only  for  technical  use,  and  that  some  retail 
druggists  are  buying  these  products  for  use  in  their  prescription 
departments. 
Dr.  A.  W.  Miller,  in  discussing  the  labelling  of  adulterated  or 
impure  substances,  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  at  least  one 
manufacturer  of  magnesium  carbonate  labelled  his  product  as  being 
