288 
EDITORIAL. 
root," another, "Take of Yellow Root," a third, " Take of Orange root," 
and a fourth, " Take of Puccoon root," and they would all mean the same 
thing. Would not the license thus given tend to multiply the difficulty al- 
ready existing ? We think so. We have been a little amused by observing 
within a few days, an attempt to anglicize a prescription by a phy- 
sician, who directed, among other things, " Powder of Conium" and 
"Extract of Hyoscyamus," which are hybrids between pharmaceutical 
English and botanical Latinized Greek. He should have written, « powder 
of Hemlock leaves," and "powder of Henbane leaves." Should the advocates 
for prescription English carry the day, and induce our " most potent, grave 
and reverend seignors" at Harrisburg, to send forth the fiat compelling 
physicians to murder the king's English, we shall have some rich specimens 
of nomenclature ; and in view of such a state of things, we would advise 
our good friends Blanchard & Lea, to get out with all expedition, a good 
dictionary of synonyms. 
But in earnest ; — let every physician as a matter of duty, possess a copy 
of the Pharmacopoeia, and prescribe according to its simple and beautiful 
nomenclature, not running after that of the London, or Edinburgh, or Dub- 
lin, or any other Pharmacopoeia. Let them exercise the same care in wri- 
ting a prescription involving the life of a fellow creature, that they would in 
penning and wording & check or note of hand, involving their own pecuniary 
interest, and our word for it, accidents of the kind in question would be 
" few and far between," and apothecaries would be relieved from a load of 
responsibility not now appreciated by the public. 
Inspection of Drugs. — The want of a tariff of standards for the guid- 
ance of the Drug Examiners under the Act in reference to adulterated 
Drugs and Chemicals, has been felt almost from the first application of 
the law. In many cases no difficulty need arise if the officers have the 
qualifications necessary for the office, but in others, a difference of opinion 
may exist which may be sufficient to render the action of the law unequal 
in its influence on the importer, as it is carried out at one port and an- 
other. In framing the Act, it was hardly to be expected that such stand- 
ards could be given, and it was wiser to try its working, (as has been 
done,) until experience should point out the deficiencies, and then attempt a 
remedy. 
Some members of the New York College of Pharmacy, became so im- 
pressed with the importance of the subject, as to bring it before their 
Board of Trustees, who appointed a committee to investigate the subject. 
The result was, that in a matter so generally concerning the profession, 
they considered that the other Colleges of Pharmacy should take part, 
and accordingly an invitation was extended to the Colleges at Boston, 
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Cincinnati, to send delegates to a Convention 
to be held in New York, on the 24th of April, for the purpose of recom- 
