556 
International  Congresses. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X  November,  1897. 
vacation  in  the  heated  term  for  a  relief;  if  he  can  combine  mental 
and  physical  recreation  by  associating  with  his  fellows  and  kindred 
spirits,  and  thus  gaining  by  social  intercourse  and  rational  pursuits 
the  much  needed  rest,  he  has  enlarged  his  horoscope  and  becomes 
much  better  qualified  to  deal  with  the  perplexing  problems  which 
threaten  his  existence,  and  has  taken  the  preliminary  steps  toward 
that  organization  and  united  effort  which  will  make  him  a  power  in 
the  community,  instead  of  a  disorganized  mass  of  disjointed  entities. 
Eight  International  Pharmaceutical  Congresses  have  come  and 
gone,  and  while  it  can  be  truly  said  that  not  one  has  reached  the 
ideal,  it  must  be  remembered  that  great  difficulties  have  stood  in 
the  way.  Some  of  these  have  already  been  noted.  Such  gather- 
ings suffer  greatly  from  the  impossibility  of  organizing  them  com- 
pletely until  the  first  day  of  the  meeting,  for  it  can  never  be  told  in 
advance  with  certainty  how  many  foreign  delegates  can  be  present. 
Necessary  delays  in  travel  and  many  other  contingencies  prevent  the 
local  committees  from  arranging  satisfactory  programmes  for  each 
day.  There  is  a  difficulty  of  finding,  even  in  a  large  city,  competent 
interpreters  who  have  a  knowledge  of  the  technical  subjects  dis- 
cussed ;  then  again,  no  one  person  has  ever  been  found  who  has  a 
complete  knowledge  of  the  abilities  and  capacities  of  each  delegate, 
and  hence  it  must  follow  that  committees  are  not  always  appointed 
which  embrace  the  best  available  material;  in  short,  all  of  the 
responsible  organizing  authorities  are  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
selecting  those  whom  they  know  and  whom  they  believe  to  possess 
the  necessary  qualifications.  Hence  it  will  always  be  found  that 
each  pharmaceutical  congress  must  suffer  from  what  is  called  "  local 
flavoring."  In  conclusion,  the  writer  does  not  share  in  the  belief 
that  international  gatherings  should  be  discontinued.  The  faults 
are  capable,  in  a  large  measure,  of  being  corrected  or  minimized 
when  they  are  fully  recognized,  and  greater  experience  will  lead  to 
their  elimination,  but  one  valuable  consideration  stands  out  promi- 
nently which  overshadows  the  minor  faults.  Pharmacy  is  recog- 
nized officially  by  European  Governments  as  a  profession,  and,  as  in 
the  case  of  pharmacy  laws  which  are  admittedly  imperfect,  it  must 
be  said  that  the  steady  advancement  in  the  recognition  by  the  peo- 
ple of  the  important  relations  which  the  pharmacist  sustains  toward 
them  is  one  of  the  greatest  value.  Is  it  not  possible  we  have  had 
too  much  criticism  of  the  detail  in  judging  such  gatherings,  and  too 
little  real  appreciation  accorded  to  the  greater  results  accomplished  ? 
