/ 
'^"^  ocT"i88i^"""  1    International  PharmaGeutical  Congress.  517 
the  preparations,  appropriate  methods  of  testing  them  and  the  way  of 
keeping  them  sliould  also  be  indicated." 
Mr.  James  T.  Sliinn,  of  Pliihidelphia,  suggested  the  propriety  of  making 
all  preparations  of  the  most  powerful  medicines,  such  as  opium,  arsenious 
acid,  etc.,  of  uniform  strength  in  all  i)harmacopoeias  and  the  adoption  in 
all  formuhe  of  parts  by  weight,  in  place  of  measures  of  cai)acity  and  deti»- 
pite  weigh  t  o 
Mr.  L.  Myers  Connor,  of  Dallas,  Texas,  suggested  the  harmonization  of 
the  pharmacopeias  of  Great  Britain  and  of  the  United  States. 
Prof.  Emlen  Painter,  of  San  Francisco,  proposed  the  adoption  of  the 
metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  and  the  designation  of  all  phar- 
macopoeial  quantities  by  weight. 
On  resuming  business  after  luncheon,  Mr.  Madsen  opened  the  discussion 
by  referring  to  the  importance  of  the  (piestion  and  to  the  action  taken  by 
the  Fourth  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  as  well  as  by  the  International  Med- 
ical Congresses,  held  in  Brussels  at  1875  and  at  Geneva  in  1879.  The  com- 
mittee of  physicians  and  pharmacists  appointed  at  Geneva  had  accom- 
plished nothing — owing  to  the  impossibility  of  settling  such  matters  in 
writing— except  establishing  the  fact  that  a  perfect  concord  of  opinion  on 
this  matter  exists  between  doctors  and  pharmaceutists,  and  that  the  wish 
to  see  the  creation  of  a  universal  pharmacoptt4a  has  l)ecome  stronger  and 
stronger.  From  a  practical  point  of  view,  we  ought  to  begin  in  a  small 
way,  and  this  thought  is  realized  in  reducing  the  question  from  that  of  a 
universal  pharmacopoeia  to  that  of  an  "  equalization  of  official  pharmaceu- 
tical preparations  containing  potent  drugs."  The  speaker  considered  con- 
ferring together,  from  time  to  time,  by  word  of  mouth,  to  be  absolutely 
necessary  in  order  to  get  the  work  finished,  and  proposed  the  following 
resolution  : 
"That  this  Congress  invites  the  Pharmacopoeia  authorities  of  all  coun- 
tries to  send  a  delegate  to  a  Commission,  meeting  in  a  central  European 
bity,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  steps  to  equalize  the  strength  of  pharma- 
ceutical preparations  containing  potent  drugs  and,  if  possible,  also  of 
obtaining  uniformity  in  other  respects  between  the  pharmacopoeias  of 
various  countries." 
Mr.  Martenson,  St.  Petersburg,  explained  the  reasons  why  the  work  of 
the  International  Pharmacopoeia,  which  was  commenced  at  St.  Petersburg, 
was  not  completed.  The  committee,  after  a  large  amount  of  correspond- 
ence, drew  up  a  proof  of  the  Pliarmacopoeia  as  far  as  the  letter  O,  but 
unfortunately  that  work  was  all  lost  through  a  mistake  of  the  Secretary, 
Mr.  Jordan,  who,  when  suffering  from  the  illness  of  which  he  had  since 
died,  destroyed  the  MS. 
Mr.  Poehl,  St.  Petersburg,  said  the  Russian  Government  was  prepared 
to  take  steps  for  the  preparation  of  an  International  Pharmacopoeia  and  for 
the  appointment  of  a  conmiission  to  carry  out  this  object. 
Mr.  Mehu,  Paris,  referring  to  the  Universal  PharmacoiJOiia  prepared  in 
JParis,  said  that  a  translation  was  to  have  been  made  into  Latin  by  Mr. 
Jordan,  and  it  was  quite  possible  that  that  translation  or  a  part  of  it  might 
Jiave  been  burnt.  The  Pharmacopoeia  itself  was  intact  and  was  now  pro- 
•sducible. 
M.  Petit,  Paris,  said  it  was  his  opinion  that  pharmacy  ought  to  occupy 
I 
