Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
September,  1910.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
445 
C.  N.  Branin,  in  commenting  on  the  paper  by  Dr.  Barton, 
points  out  that  every  drug  mentioned  by  the  latter  has  been  largely 
used  by  physicians  with  real  or  fancied  results.  He  suggests  that 
there  should  be  no  tearing  down  without  building  up  and  it 
would  be  well,  therefore,  if  iconoclasts  would,  at  the  same  time 
that  they  are  criticising  old  time  remedies,  suggest  effective  sub- 
stitutes (/.  Am.  M.  Ass.,  1910,  v.  55,  p.  520). 
Ph.  Germ.  V.  and  Post-Graduate  Instruction. — A  news 
item  points  out  that  the  tests  in  the  forthcoming  new  edition  of 
the  German  Pharmacopoeia  are  so  novel  that  the  Prussian  Govern- 
ment has  instituted  courses  for  instructing  the  inspectors  of  phar- 
macies in  the  new  analytical  methods. 
It  is  also  proposed  to  institute  special  post-graduate  courses 
at  various  universities  for  the  benefit  of  owners  as  well  as  of 
pharmaceutical  assistants.  It  is  pointed  out  that  the  rapid  strides 
made  during  the  past  year  in  analytical  chemistry  render  it  prac- 
tically necessary  for  the  pharmacist  to  receive  proper  tuition  in 
this  respect  to  enable  him  to  apply  the  knowledge  thus  acquired 
to  the  best  advantage  in  his  own  interests  (Chem.  and  Drug., 
London,  July  30,  1910,  p.  137). 
Nomenclature. — G.  Grossmann,  in  discussing  the  nomenclature 
of  the  German  Pharmacopoeia,  points  out  that  despite  the  fact  that 
this  book  has  been  repeatedly  revised  it  still  contains  a  very  large 
number  of  incomplete  and  misleading  names.  He  asserts  that  the 
book  should  above  all  be  practical  and  designed  to  facilitate  the 
everyday  work  of  the  apothecary  and,  above  all,  it  should  be  in 
harmony  with  the  usages  of  the  time  for  which  it  is  intended. 
Many  of  the  points  that  he  calls  attention  to  are  equally  applicable 
to  our  own  U.S. P.  (Ber.  d.  Dcut.  Pharm.  Gesellsch.  Berlin,  1910, 
v.  20,  pp.  266-277). 
Synthetic  Remedies  as  Official  Substances  is  the  heading 
for  a  timely  editorial  in  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal  (London,  19 10, 
v.  30,  p.  753).  In  the  pharmacopoeias  of  all  countries  the  nomen- 
clature of  synthetic  remedies  has  proven  to  be  a  stumbling  block 
for  one  reason  or  another.  In  most  cases  the  systematic  names 
are  out  of  the  question  while  the  name  that  has  been  given  them 
by  the  manufacturer,  even  in  the  countries  where  they  can  be  used, 
are  so  well  known  to  the  laity  that  their  use  is  a  doubtful  ad- 
vantage. In  addition  to  antipyrin,  phenacetine,  salol,  and  sulphonal, 
which  have  been  included  in  all  of  the  newer  pharmacopoeias,  the 
