404  The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope.  {Amigus{Sa7rm' 
influence  of  the  microscope  in  the  training  of  the  pharmacist.  The 
use  of  the  microscope  does  for  him — as  it  does  for  all — an  infinite 
amount  of  good  that  must  not  be  overlooked.  It  makes  better  ob- 
servers of  all.  The  early  workers  with  the  microscope  often  re- 
marked that  it  enabled  the  worker  to  see  with  the  naked  eye  after- 
wards structures  that  were  invisible  to  him  before  he  used  the  instru- 
ment. By  means  of  the  simple  lens  one  is  enabled  frequently  to 
make  out  those  characteristics  of  a  drug  that  he  has  seen  with  the 
compound  microscope.  Finally,  with  the  naked  eye  alone,  one  can, 
by  experience,  obtain  results  in  determining  the  quality  of  drugs 
that  are  based  on  structure  and  not  on  ephemeral  external  charac- 
ters. 
RESULTS  OF  THE  USE  OF  THE  MICROSCOPE. 
We  must  not  be  discouraged  by  reason  of  the  sceptic  and  his 
oft-repeated  question  :  "  What  is  the  use?"  The  sceptic  is  as  use- 
ful in  treating  this  subject  as  he  is  in  other  problems.  In  the  ap- 
plied sciences  this  question  is  ever  before  the  student.  The  pure 
scientist,  in  his  pure  science,  need  pay  no  attention  to  the  query. 
But  the  business  and  professional  man  feels  it  necessary  to  devote 
his  energies  to  those  things  only  that  will  bring  forth  useful  fruits. 
There  is,  however,an  insurmountable  difficulty  in  following  the  applied 
sciences  ;  one  cannot  predict  what  scientific  fact  or  discovery  will  be 
the  basis  or  part  of  a  principle  in  the  construction  of  some  useful 
invention.  Hence  we  find  it  necessary  to  take  in  more  than  we  can 
use  practically,  and  are  silenced  for  the  time  sometimes  by  the  ques- 
tion :  "  What  is  the  use?"  Nevertheless,  we  are  safe  in  recording 
some  of  the  results  that  accrue  to  the  educated  pharmacist  from  his 
use  of  the  microscope.  The  benefits  are  two-fold,  viz.:  to  the  phar- 
macist and  to  the  public. 
(i)  To  the  Pharmacist. — The  pharmacist  is  able  to  dispense  drugs, 
foods  and  spices,  the  purity  of  which  he  can  guarantee.  This 
means  to  him  and  for  him  : 
(a)  The  most  efficient  of  co-operative  work  with  the  physician. 
{b)  The  building  up  of  a  good  pharmacy,  the  name  of  which  shall 
endure. 
(c)  The  establishment  of  confidence  in  him  by  the  best  physi- 
cians and  the  public.  To  have  a  good  custom  one  must  sell  good 
drugs. 
