Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1910. 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
257 
prove  to  be  of  value  in  the  coming  revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia 
of  the  United  States. 
Among  the  more  interesting  features,  bearing  upon  the  revision 
of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  were  the  discussion  of  the  report  of  the 
A.  Ph.  A.  Committee  on  the  U.S. P.  in  the  Section  on  Scientific 
papers  and  the  symposium  on  foreign  pharmacopoeias  in  the  Section 
on  Practical  Pharmacy  and  Dispensing. 
These  two  events  will  probably  be  recognized  by  those  present 
as  being  the  more  interesting,  certainly  the  more  influential,  events 
of  the  week  and  it  is  unfortunate  indeed  that  it  will  be  impossible 
to  reflect,  in  the  printed  report  of  the  proceedings,  the  spirit  and 
the  earnestness  manifested  by  those  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
discussion. 
The  United  States  Pharmacopceial  Convention,  held  in  Wash- 
ington, May  10.  11,  and  12,  1910,  will  undoubtedly  be  recorded 
in  history  as  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  matters  pharmacopceial 
though  the  ultimate  outcome,  at  the  present  time,  is  quite  prob- 
lematical. 
It  is  perhaps  unfortunate  that  the  general  medical  practitioner 
and  the  teachers  of  clinical  medicine  and  applied  therapeutics  in 
medical  schools  are  not  more  liberally  represented  on  the  General 
Committee  of  Revision,  though  on  the  other  hand  it  is  a  matter 
for  congratulation  to  note  that  the  new  thought  in  pharmacal 
therapy,  as  represented  by  experimental  pharmacology,  is  well 
represented ;  no  less  than  six  members  of  the  General  Committee 
of  Revision  being  directly  interested  in  this  line  of  work. 
Altogether  it  is  fair  to  assert  that  the  General  Committee 
of  Revision,  despite  the  hit  or  miss  fashion  in  which  it  was  neces- 
sarily selected,  is  unusually  well  balanced  and  is  fully  representative 
of  the  interest  manifested  by  the  members  or  delegates  present. 
Forecasting  the  possible  outcome  of  the  present  revision  an 
article  on  the  U.S. P.  (Drug.  Circ,  1910,  w.  54,  p.  224)  concludes: 
"  It  would  appear  that  we  have  once  more  come  to  the  parting 
of  the  ways,  and  that  the  delegates  gathered  at  the  decennial 
meeting  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopceial  Convention,  on  May 
10th  of  this  year,  must  decide  whether  or  not  the  United  States 
Pharmacopoeia  IX  is  to  reflect  the  bright  light  of  the  morrow 
or  the  dim  after-glow  of  the  waning  day.  In  other  words,  they 
must  decide  between  the  acceptance  of  knowledge,  science  and 
truth,  or  the  retention  of  speculation,  empiricism,  and  self-de- 
