Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
February,  1902.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
It  is  our  purpose,  in  this  short  paper,  to  bring  before  you  some  of  ■ 
the  happenings  of  this  past  year  that  are  especially  interesting  to 
us  as  pharmacists.  It  would,  of  course,  be  futile  tor  us  to  attempt 
to  review  even  a  single  branch  of  research  thoroughly,  so  we  will 
content  ourselves  by  looking  about  and  picking  out  for  review  just 
a  few  of  the  more  prominent  and  interesting  facts  in  two  subjects 
or  classes  that  we  as  pharmacists  are,  or  should  be,  particularly 
interested  in.  These  are,  in  the  first  place,  the  bibliography  of  phar- 
macy, especially  the  pharmacopoeias  and  their  accompanying  books 
or  commentaries,  and  then  just  a  passing  glance  at  some  of  the  new 
drugs,  or  new  uses  for  old  drugs.  In  attempting  so  wide  a  field  we 
will  be  compelled  to  ignore  almost  entirely  the  great  amount  of 
valuable  information  that  has  appeared  during  the  year  in  the  phar- 
maceutical journals,  and  can  only  mention  briefly  the  lines  that  have 
been  more  thoroughly  cultivated  by  the  various  contributors. 
Numerous  papers  have  appeared  on  the  subject  of  standardizing 
drugs  and  preparations,  and  many  ingenious  methods  have  been 
brought  forward  to  simplify  the  necessary  processes,  and  to  increase 
the  accuracy  of  the  ultimate  results.  In  this  connection  we  should 
like  to  call  particular  attention  to  a  paper  by  Linde  (Apothkr.  Zeitg.r 
1901),  in  which,  under  the  able  direction  of  Professor  Beckurts,  the 
author  gives  a  summary  of  the  methods  of  extraction,  and  the 
menstrua  or  solvents  proposed  by  various  authorities  for  assay- 
processes.  The  review  includes  processes  for  sixteen  specific  drugs,, 
and  numerous  reviews  of  general  methods.  Seventy-eight  separate 
papers  by  sixty-five  different  authors  are  included  in  this  review. 
The  use  of  the  microscope  has  been  the  theme  of  many  interesting 
papers.  The  value  of  this  instrument  in  recognizing  drugs  or  their 
adulterations  is  now  generally  recognized,  especially  in  Germany^ 
where  the  national  pharmacopoeia  includes  many  more  or  less 
accurate  descriptions  of  drugs  in  the  powdered  state.  It  is  from 
Germany  too  that  we  would  naturally  expect  the  greatest  advances 
along  this  line.  During  the  year  two  very  important  books  on  this 
subject  have  come  from  the  German  press :  "  Die  Mikroskopische 
Analyse  der  Drogenpulver,"  by  Prof.  Dr.  L.  Koch,  and  a  second 
edition  of  "  Schimpers  Anleitung  zur  Untersuchung  der  Vegetabil- 
ischen  Nahrungs  und  Genussmittel." 
Adulterations  have  of  course  been  the  constant  care  of  a  host  ot 
watchdogs  in  the  pharmaceutical  profession,  and  the  reports  from 
