AnASust,^£m'}    American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  437 
removal  of  the  internal  revenue  tax  on  alcohol,  the  large  majority  of  those 
present  were  evidently  in  favor  of  it  and  adopted  a  resolution  requesting  the 
legislative  section  to  take  such  action  in  reference  to  the  abolition  of  this  tax 
as  the  sentiment  of  the  Association  indicates. 
A  communication  from  Mr.  T.  D.  Crawford,  of  North  Carolina,  relative  to  the 
indiscriminate  sale  of  narcotics,  was  referred  to  the  Section  on  Legislation. 
The  rebate  plan  intended  to  prevent  the  underselling  of  proprietary  articles 
was  discussed  at  some  length,  and  after  consideration  by  a  committee,  the  out- 
lines of  a  plan  were  approved  by  which  it  is  presumed  the  cutting  of  prices  can 
be  prevented. 
The  section  elected  Leo  Eliel,  of  South  Bend,  Ind.,  chairman,  and  F.  B. 
Kilmer,  of  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  secretary. 
A  Special  Session,  called  for  the  consideration  of  the  report  of  the  committee 
on  the  revision  of  the  TJ.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  convened  on  Tuesday  evening  at 
9.15.  The  report  which,  makes  recommendations  relating  to  the  principles 
and  general  features  of  the  revision,  was  accepted  and  the  recommendations 
taken  up  seriatim.  Pending  the  consideration  of  the  first  recommendation,  a 
paper  was  read  by  Prof.  Bedford  strongly  advocating  the  retention  in  the 
pharmacopceial  formulas  of  parts  by  weight.  A  lengthy  discussion  followed, 
most  of  the  speakers  favoring  the  measuring  of  liquors  in  making  preparations  ; 
incidentally  the  process  of  percolation  was  alluded  to,  and  Mr.  Ebert  contended 
that  the  old  process  of  maceration  would  yield  more  uniform  and  reliable 
results  in  the  hands  of  most  pharmacists  than  displacement. 
The  admission  into  the  pharmacopoeia  of  synthetical  remedies,  the  authority 
of  the  National  Formulary,  liquid  extracts  differing  in  strength  from  those  at 
present  recognized,  etc.,  formed  the  subjects  of  the  remaining  recommendations, 
which  were  adopted  in  the  following  manner : 
1.  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Association  that  in  the  next  revision  of  the 
U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  all  preparations— at  least  those  for  internal  use,  which 
are  usually  prescribed  and  administered  by  measure,  be  ordered  to  be  made 
by  weight  and  measure  as  in  the  former  pharmacopoeias ;  but  that  the  Com- 
mittee of  Revision  shall  be  at  liberty  to  use  the  system  of  parts  by  weight  in 
all  other  cases,  and  that  they  may  use  any  other  system  as  long  as  the  measures 
or  weights  are  commensurate  with  each  other,  and  of  such  a  character  that  the 
strength  of  the  product  or  of  any  given  fraction  thereof  can  be  readily  ascer- 
tained without  tedious  calculations. 
2.  The  Pharmacopoeia  should  be  relieved  of  all  antiquated  or  little  used 
material,  such  as  a  number  of  crude  drugs,  galenical  preparations  (simple  and 
compound  pills)  etc. ;  all  of  which  could  be  safely  turned  over  to  the  pharma- 
ceutical profession. 
3.  In  view  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  recognizing  such  important  medicinal 
chemicals  as  antipyrine,  sulfonal,  etc.,  the  Association  considers  that  the 
existence  of  a  patent  does  not  in  itself  constitute  a  bar  against  the  reception  of 
any  medicinal  agent  in  the  pharmacopoeia ;  but  it  is  suggested  that  the  revisers 
act  with  great  care  and  circumspection,  so  that  no  patented  substances  except 
those  of  established  worth,  and  irreplaceable  by  other  remedies,  be  recognized, 
and  that  such  compounds  be  recognized  by  descriptive  chemical  names  and 
not  by  therapeutic  names. 
4.  Regarding  tests  of  identity  and  purity,  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Association 
