6o 
Pharmacognosy  and  the  U.S.P. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Phann 
\    February,  1910. 
method  as  it  is  of  selecting  men  to  carry  on  the  work  of  revision 
who  comprehend  the  scope  and  intent  of  a  pharmacopoeia/'  for  even 
with  the  most  perfect  system  there  is  yet  a  possibility  that  the  best 
will  not  be  attained. 
In  view  of  the  large  amount  of  work  which  the  Subcommittee  on 
Pharmacognosy  will  have  to  do  in  the  next  revision  this  committee 
should  be  increased  and  empowered  to  employ  assistance  for  carry- 
ing on  certain  detail  work.  Of  the  subjects  to  which  special  con- 
sideration should  be  given,  the  following  may  be  mentioned :  the 
definitions  both  in  relation  to  commercial  varieties  and  botanic 
species,  with  the  object  of  making  them  more  exact  and  at  the  same 
time  more  easily  understood ;  the  microscopic  structure  of  the  drugs, 
with  the  view  of  aiding  identification ;  special  tests  and  standards 
for  assisting  in  the  determination  of  quality ;  and  finally  the  question 
of  the  inclusion  of  powdered  drugs  with  adequate  descriptions  and 
tests.  In  order  to  carry  on  this  work  in  a  thorough  manner  it  is 
desirable  that  the  Subcommittee  on  Pharmacognosy  be  closely  allied 
with  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  and  the  Botanical  Society  of 
America.  Again,  it  is  desirable  that  this  committee  be  in  close  touch 
with  the  large  crude  drug  dealers  and  importers,  for  they  could 
undoubtedly  supply  much  information  that  cannot  be  gotten  in  any 
other  way  and  would  be  in  a  position  to  procure  material  for  the 
use  of  the  committee.  Furthermore,  the  Subcommittee  on  Assays 
should  co-operate  very  closely  with  the  Subcommittee  on  Pharma- 
cognosy, and  the  latter  should  not  only  furnish  the  drugs  to  be 
assayed  but  provide,  where  possible,  microscopical  or  other  suitable 
tests  for  the  identity  of  the  proximate  principles  obtained  in  the 
assays. 
But  already  I  hear  objections  to  the  development  of  this  work 
along  modern  lines.  The  first  is  that  if  there  is  an  increase  in  the 
number  of  vegetable  drugs  or  an  extension  of  the  space  devoted  to 
their  consideration,  the  Pharmacopoeia  will  be  less  popular  with 
physicians.  To  this  I  merely  wish  to  reply  that  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  work  will  be  more  popular  with  physicians  in  that 
they  will  be  assured  of  greater  uniformity  and  efficiency  in  the 
official  preparations. 
The  other  objection  that  will  be  brought  forward  is  that  the 
pharmacist  will  not  be  able  to  apply  the  information  given.  While 
this  may  be  true  to  a  certain  extent,  it  is  not  an  objection  which 
should  be  allowed  to  hinder  progress,  and  it  is  one  which  is  met  in 
