AmApriir;i9osarm'}    American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  189 
dread  disease,  and  graphically  portrayed  the  sufferings,  more  hor- 
rible than  death,  that  are  in  store  for  a  trusting  woman  who  is 
unfortunate  enough  to  be  wedded  to  a  man  with  a  latent  or  chronic 
gonorrhea,  the  result,  all  too  frequently,  of  the  improper  treatment 
accorded  him  at  the  hands  of  the  retail  druggist. 
In  concluding  his  remarks  he  asked  whether,  with  such  an  array 
of  conditions  that  are  possible  as  the  sequelae  of  an  improperly 
treated  case  of  gonorrhea,  any  number  of  men  would  be  willing  to 
stultify  themselves  by  risking  the  happiness,  health  and  even  the 
lives  of  innocent  persons  for  the  meager  profit  that  might  accrue 
from  the  illegal  prescribing  for  diseases  of  this  type. 
Dr.  George  E.  de  Schweinitz,  in  speaking  of  "  Gonorrheal  Oph- 
thalmia and  its  Relation  to  Total  and  Partial  Blindness/''  said  that 
the  pharmacist  no  less  than  the  physician  must  on  occasion  assume 
the  role  of  instructor,  to  prevent  the  unnecessary  spread  of  disease, 
and  to  do  this  he  must  himself  possess  or  seek  the  necessary 
information. 
The  doctor  then  briefly  reviewed  the  various  types  of  purulent 
infections  of  the  eye  and  called  particular  attention  to  the  really 
serious  nature  of  this  condition. 
He  particularly  warned  retail  druggists  to  refrain  from  selling  eye 
lotions  for  sore  eyes  in  the  newborn,  as  this  condition  is  almost 
invariably  due  to  a  gonorrheal  infection  of  the  mother,  and,  unless 
properly  treated,  is  sure  to  result  in  total  blindness. 
In  conclusion,  he  begged  his  hearers  to  bear  the  ever-present 
possibility  of  gonorrheal  infection  of  the  eye  and  the  resulting 
blindness  in  mind,  and  not  to  contribute,  either  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, to  the  increase  of  this  really  horrible  affliction. 
Dr.  Thomas  Neilson  spoke  of  "  The  More  Remote  Complications 
of  Gonorrhea  in  the  Male,"  and  referred  particularly  to  the  diffi- 
culty of  effecting  a  cure  in  a  patient  who  had  been  improperly 
treated  and  was  suffering  from  latent  or  chronic  gonorrhea. 
He  emphasized  the  fact  that  a  patient  thus  afflicted  was  particu- 
larly dangerous  in  that  he  was  a  prolific  source  of  infection  to 
others,  without  himself  being  aware  of  the  damage  he  was  doing. 
Dr.  Neilson  also  referred  at  some  length  to  the  possible  compli- 
cations that  may  result  from  autoreinfection,  and  in  conclusion 
assured  those  present  that  gonorrhea  is  indeed  one  of  the  most 
serious  infections  to  which  mankind  is  liable,  and,  while  it  is  true 
that  the  gonococcus  itself  is  not  so  deadly,  the  frequency  of  mixed 
