44  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {A^nuaryPi9osrm" 
Another  very  practical  feature  of  this  question  is  that  a  reputa- 
tion for  ability,  and  proper  espionage  in  the  application  of  these 
tests  protects  the  retailer  from  imposition  on  the  part  of  jobbers 
and  manufacturers,  who  may  be  unscrupulous  enough  to  take  advan- 
tage of  a  condition  of  laxity  or  ignorance ;  the  return  of  goods  on 
the  verified  grounds  of  non-conformity  with  legal  standards  is  bound 
to  make  even  the  man  who  obeys  the  law  as  a  matter  of  legal  neces- 
sity, and  not  as  a  matter  of  abstract  right,  cautious  about  his  deal- 
ings with  one  who  is  known  to  be  an  able  stickler  for  the  quality  of 
the  goods  he  buys. 
Equally  important  with  other  phases  of  this  question  is  the  direct 
financial  returns  that  come  from  ability  and  application  on  the  part 
of  the  retailer.  We  have  frequently  seen  the  professional  reputation 
that  is  a  very  important  essential  of  a  successful  pharmacist's  busi- 
ness seriously  impaired  by  the  inability  or  disinclination  to  effectively 
meet  responsibilities  of  the  character  under  discussion ;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  have  noted  direct  pecuniary  returns  and  enhanced  pro- 
fessional standing  for  one  who  was  particular,  even  in  the  case  of 
such  a  simple  matter  as  the  tests  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  a  pure 
vegetable  oil  soap. 
Mr.  Charles  E.  Vanderkleed  read  a  paper  by  Dr.  A.  R.  L.  Dohme 
and  Dr.  Herman  Engelhardt,  entitled  "  The  U.S  P.  Eighth  Revision 
and  its  Relation  to  Some  Drugs  and  Chemicals."  This  paper  dis- 
cusses at  some  length  the  changes  that  have  been  made  in  the  eighth 
edition  of  the  U.S. P.,  in  the  recently  published  corrections,  and  the 
authors  also  point  out  a  number  of  instances  in  which  the  standards 
that  have  been  established  are  not  being  complied  with  by  the  drugs 
on  the  market. 
Among  the  substances  that  have  been  found  to  deviate  from  the 
established  standards  they  enumerate  :  acetphenetidin,  acid  boric, 
asafetida,  cerium  oxalate,  copaiba,  jalap  and  a  number  of  the  volatile 
oils. 
Prof.  Henry  Kraemer,  in  discussing  the  papers  that  had  been  pre- 
sented, called  particular  attention  to  the  need  for  retail  druggists 
adapting  themselves  to  changing  conditions.  Referring  to  the 
optical  rotation  of  essential  oils  differing  from  the  standards  that 
had  been  established,  he  thought  that  it  would  be  readily  possible 
for  this  factor  to  be  materially  changed  by  a  number  of  conditions* 
or  the  presence  of  materials,  not  necessarily  contaminations,  readily 
overlooked. 
