^eptember.ST0'}    International  Pharmaceutical  Congress.  465 
enable  the  pharinacien  to  ascertain  their  strength  or  purity,  whilst  they  actually 
vary  both  in  strength  and  purity  in  commercial  samples  bearing  the  same  label. 
He  suggested,  therefore,  for  the  protection  of  the  public,  and  for  the  safeguard- 
ing of  the  reputation  of  the  prescriber  and  dispenser,  that  there  should  be  espe- 
cial depots  for  new  remedies  established  by  pharmacists  at  certain  centres  ;  that 
the  specially  distinctive  reactions  of  each  new  remedy  should  be  published  on 
the  label  as  well  as  in  the  brochure  relating  to  the  remedy  ;  that  laboratories 
should  be  established  by  pharmaciens  in  certain  centres  for  the  analysis  of  new 
remedies  ;  that  a  permanent  committee  for  the  study  of  new  medicinal  pro- 
ducts should  be  established,  the  members  of  which  should  be  selected  by  differ- 
ent Governments  from  the  members  of  the  academies  of  medicine  or  pharma- 
copoeia committees  ;  that  there  should  be  an  official  verification  of  serums  and 
various  glandular  juices,  etc.  ;  that  the  nomenclature  of  new  medicaments 
should  be  revised  ;  that  there  should  be  an  annual  supplement  to  the  Pharma- 
copoeia published  in  every  country.  These  suggestions  were  offered  to  the 
Congress  for  universal  application,  and  in  the  discussion  which  followed,  a  reso- 
lution, "  that  trade-mark  property  should  not  be  created  in  medicaments,"  was 
offered  by  M.  Petit,  and  adopted  by  the  Congress. 
The  discussion  of  Mr.  Fayn's  paper  was  resumed  on  Tuesday,  and  a  resolution 
to  the  effect  that  the  chief  pharmaceutical  associations  in  each  country  should 
be  recommended  to  appoint  authorized  committees  to  carry  out  the  work  sug- 
gested by  the  author,  was  also  adopted. 
In  Section  I  the  consideration  of  the  subject  of  specialties  was  again  taken 
up.  The  first  paper  read  was  by  Professor  Remington,  of  Philadelphia,  on 
"  Pharmacopceial  Revision  ;  Its  Influence  on  the  Relations  of  Pharmacists  and 
Physicians."  The  author  especially  advocated  the  endeavor  to  differentiate  the 
practice  of  pharmacy  and  that  of  medicine  as  being  the  most  effectual  means 
of  promoting  the  true  interests  of  pharmacy  and  of  those  engaged  in  its  prac- 
tice. On  the  basis  of  progress  made  in  that  direction  by  securing  the  respect 
and  co-operation  of  the  best  members  of  the  medical  profession,  the  practice  of 
pharmacy  would  attain  a  position  more  compatible  with  the  professional  nature 
of  the  duties  its  followers  have  to  perform,  and  they  would  be  likely  to  find 
themselves  acknowledged  as  welcome  co-operators  in  the  work  of  pharmaco- 
poeia revision. 
Mr.  Wren,  Professor  Tichborne  and  Dr.  McWalter  made  some  remarks,  and 
Mr.  Wootton  posed  as  the  advocate  of  secret  remedies,  supporting  his  argu- 
ment by  reference  to  the  tradition  that  the  only  remedy  from  which  the  late 
Lord  Beaconsfield  could  obtain  relief  was  a  secret  preparation.  On  that 
ground  he  contended  that  the  Congress  would,  in  his  opinion,  be  allowing  zeal 
to  outrun  discretion  if  it  gave  its  sanction  to  a  recommendation  that  medical 
men  should  abstain  from  prescribing  secret  remedies,  and  when  the  purport  of 
his  remarks  became  known  to  the  meeting  by  translation  into  the  French  lan- 
guage, considerable  amusement  was  evinced. 
In  replying  to  the  several  speakers,  Professor  Remington  said  he  would  con- 
fine himself  to  the  expression  of  his  opinion  that  whatever  might  be  Mr.  Woot- 
ton's  faith  in  the  virtues  of  secret  remedies,  it  was  important  for  the  interests 
of  pharmacy  throughout  the  world  to  place  on  record  an  enunciation  of  the  prin- 
ciple that  if  any  progress  was  to  be  made,  it  was  above  all  indispensable  to  get 
away  from  secrecy  in  the  preparation  of  medicines.    To  adduce  the  use  of  an 
