218  Research  in  Manufacturing  Pharmacy.    { Am  May^'ifo4arm' 
ticularly  to  the  retail  pharmacist,  and  will,  no  doubt,  accomplish 
much  in  causing  him  to  test  his  purchases. 
The  pages  of  this  Journal,  as  well  as  other  pharmaceutical  and 
technical  journals,  contain  many  papers  contributed  by  the  research 
workers  of  various  manufacturing  houses.  In  many  instances  these 
workers  are  graduates  of  colleges  or  universities.  These  papers  do 
not  necessarily  always  contain  all  the  information  that  might  be  given. 
They  have  been,  nevertheless,  beneficial  in  every  way  to  the  authors, 
and  the  latter  are  deserving  of  the  thanks  of  the  readers.  I  have 
heard  it  said  that  some  manufacturers  do  not  care  to  have  their  labo- 
ratory workers  publish  the  results  of  their  findings  of  market  con- 
ditions, and  that  those  who  want  this  information  can  find  it  out  for 
themselves.  It  should  be  said  that  if  others  want  the  information  for 
commercial  purposes,  they  certainly  must  find  it  out  for  themselves 
whether  anything  is  published  or  not.  In  other  words,  in  commerce 
nothing  can  take  the  place  of  a  man's  own  knowledge  of  a  subject 
or  a  specimen,  and  no  other  person's  analysis  of  another  lot  will 
help  him. 
There  are  three  benefits  that  come  from  publication  of  research 
work : 
(1)  The  first  benefit  is  to  the  research  worker  himself.  In  going 
over  his  work  and  marshalling  his  facts  he  is  compelled  to  check  his 
results,  find  out  his  errors  and  perfect  his  methods. 
(2)  The  next  benefit  is  one  as  it  affects  the  race  and  serves  to 
develop  a  literature,  consisting  of  records  of  man's  experience  in  the 
progress  of  civilization. 
(3)  The  last  benefit  is  one  as  it  affects  the  community  and  serves 
to  protect  the  public  by  the  enlightenment  of  the  physician  and 
pharmacist. 
Investigations  on  the  nature  and  quality  of  drugs  are  giving  us 
new  methods  for  their  valuation.  Experience  is  showing  the  physi- 
cian that  he  must  depend  upon  the  intelligent  pharmacist  for  his 
medicaments  of  standard  quality.  Furthermore,  the  retail  pharma- 
cist is  responsible  for  the  quality  of  the  medicines  he  dispenses  and 
the  drugs  he  sells,  and  by  testing  his  purchases  he  not  only  protects 
himself  against  the  unscrupulous  dealer,  but  also  co-operates  in  so 
doing  with  the  honest  wholesaler.  There  are  mistakes  made  by  the 
latter  which  require  correction  just  as  much  as  the  mistakes  of  the 
physician,  and  we  thus  cannot  fail  to  see  the  dual  responsibility  of 
the  retail  pharmacist. 
