190 
EDITORIAL. 
from  the  Colleges  of  Physicians,  of  Surgeons,  and^of  Apothecaries,  (not 
Pharmaceutists,)  and  from  the  Universities,  together  with  six  members 
named  by  the  Queen,  with  advice  of  the  Privy  Council.  The  first  meet- 
ing of  this  body  was  held  at  the  Hall  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians 
of  London,  Nov.  23,  and  elected  Sir  Benjamin  Brodie,  President.  At  this 
meeting  Dr.  Christison,  Sir  James  Clark  and  Dr.  Apjohn  were  appointed 
to  recommend  a  committee  for  preparing  the  National  Pharmacopoeia. 
At  the  adjourned  meeting  held  Nov.  24,  they  made  the  following  Report, 
viz  : 
"  The  Committee  beg  to  suggest, — 1st.  That  the  following  gentlemen  be  ap- 
pointed a  Committee  to  prepare  and  publish  the  National  Pharmacopoeia,  with 
ail  convenient  speed  : — Dr.  Christison,  Dr.  Thomas  Watson,  Sir  James  Clark, 
Bart.,  Mr.  Green,  Dr.  Apjohn,  Mr.  Syme,  Dr.  Williams,  Dr.  Andrew  Wood,  Mr. 
Nussey  and  Dr.  Leet,  with  power  to  add  to  their  number,  Dr  Christison  to  be 
convener.  2d.  That  this  Committee  shall  have  full  power  to  communicate 
with  the  three  Colleges  of  Physicians,  and  to  request  their  co-operation  in  pre- 
paring the  Pharmacopoeia,  and  to  beg  them  for  that  purpose  to  appoint  fellows 
of  the  several  Colleges,  to  be  associated  with  the  Committee  of  the  General 
Medical  Council.  3d.  That  the  Committee  shall  have  power  to  communicate 
with  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  for  the  same  purpose.  4th.  That  the  Com- 
mittee shall  have  power  to  appoint  a  chemist  or  chemists,  to  carry  on  such 
chemical  and  pharmaceutical  researches  as  may  be  found  necessary,  and  to  pay 
these  gentlemen  such  remuneration  as  the  Committee  of  the  General  Council 
may]think  advisable.  5th.  That  a  sum  of  £500  be  voted  by  the  General  Council 
from  the  registration  fees  of  existing  practitioners,  in  order  to  defray  the  cost 
of  preparing  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  printing 
The  Report  was  adopted.  It  was  moved  by  Mr.  Lawrence,  seconded  by  Mr. 
Teale,  and  resolved — That  it  be  an  instruction  to  the  Pharmacopoeia  Committee, 
that  the  Pharmacopoeia  be  published  in  the  English  language,  with  the  list  of 
the  Materia  Medica  and  compounds  in  the  Latin  language." 
It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  record  this  great  advance  in  English  Medical 
reform.  If  the  Act  does  nothing  else  but  effect  a  fusion  of  the  Pharma- 
copoeias into  one  homogeneous  formulary,  it  will  deserve  to  be  valued. 
We  wish  the  committee  entire  success  in  their  great  undertaking,  and  are 
glad  to  find  that  they  have  not  rejected  the  very  valuable  aid  of  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society. 
Revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  in  1860. — At  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  to  be  held  March  28th,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  appoint  a  committee  to  revise  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  as 
has  been  done  in  the  two  last  revisions  of  that  work  in  1839  and  1849. 
As  the  composition  of  the  committee  should  be  carefully  considered,  to 
insure  a  valuable  report,  it  is  desirable  that  members  should  reflect  on 
the  subject  before  the  meeting  convenes. 
Correction. — The  Editors  of  the  "  Journal  of  Materia  Medica,"  &c, 
have  attributed  an  article  on  Ammonio  Ferric  Alum  to  our  pen,  which  is 
due  to  that  of  W.  Hodgson,  Jr.,  of  Philadelphia.  The  error  has  arisen 
from  the  article  in  question  having  been  inserted  in  the  editorial  depart- 
ment. 
