Am"jine^9ihoarm"}     U-  $-  Pharmacopceial  Convention.  271 
vision  also  presented  in  printed  form  the  general  principles  to 
be  followed  in  revising  -the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  IX.  As  these 
principles  had  been  formulated  by  the  members  of  the  outgoing 
Committee  of  Revision  they  received  the  endorsement  of  the  Con- 
vention, though  not  without  some  discussion.  As  we  have  not 
sufficient  space  to  print  all  of  the  general  principles  accepted  it 
may  suffice  to  call  attention  to  some  of  the  more  important  of 
them. 
Scope  of  the  Pharmacopoeia. — We  recommend  that  the  Committee  of 
Revision  be  authorized  to  admit  into  the  Pharmacopoeia  any  medicinal 
substance  of  known  origin ;  but  no  substance  or  combination  of  substances 
shall  be  introduced  if  the  composition  or  mode  of  manufacture  thereof 
be  kept  secret,  or  if  it  be  controlled  by  unlimited  proprietary  or  patent  rights. 
Substances  used  only  for  technical  purposes  should  not  be  admitted  to  the 
next  Pharmacopoeia,  and  a  statement  should  be  placed  in  the  preface  to  the 
effect  that  standards  of  purity  and  strength,  prescribed  in  the  text  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia,  are  intended  solely  to  apply  to  substances  which  are  used 
for  medicinal  purposes  or  in  determining  the  purity  and  identity  of  the  same. 
Synonyms. — We  recommend  that  the  list  of  synonyms  should  be  en- 
larged for  the  next  revision,  and  the  synonyms  printed  in  the  text  of 
the  Pharmacopoeia,  immediately  after  the  English  name  of  the  substance. 
A  statement  should  be  made  in  the  preface  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  that 
substances  labeled  with  synonym,  must  comply  with  the  same  standards, 
tests  and  requirements  as  are  demanded  for  the  official  article  under  any 
name. 
Purity  and  Strength  of  Pharmacopceial  Articles. — We  recommend 
that  the  Committee  be  instructed  to  revise  as  carefully  as  possible  the 
limits  of  purity  and  strength  of  the  pharmacopceial  chemicals  and  prepara- 
tions for  which  limiting  tests  are  or  may  be  given.  While  no  concession 
should  be  made  towards  a  diminution  of  medicinal  value,  allowance  should 
be  made  for  unavoidable,  innocuous  impurities  or  variations  due  to  the 
particular  source  or  mode  of  preparation,  or  to  the  keeping  qualities  of 
the  several  articles. 
The  "  Purity  Rubric,"  which  limits  the  percentage  of  innocuous  im- 
purities, as  introduced  into  the  Eighth  Revision,  should  be  continued,  and 
tests  and  requirements  should  be  appended  to  each  article  carrying  a 
"Purity  Rubric." 
In  the  case  of  crude  drugs  and  natural  products,  the  limits  of  admissible 
impurities  should  be  placed  at  such  a  figure  as  to  exclude  any  that  would 
not  be  accepted  by  other  countries. 
International  Standards. — The  International  Conference  for  the  Unifi- 
cation of  Formulas  for  Potent  Remedies  performed  a  signal  service  for  all 
countries  by  recommending  the  various  pharmacopoeias  of  the  world  to 
adopt  certain  standards  for  potent  medicines.  It  is  recommended  that  the 
next  Committee  of  Revision  adopt  these  standards,  but  it  is  believed  that 
