41 4  Revision  of  Dispensing  Pharmacies.  {^v^^wf: 
While  there  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  such  a  bureau  of  con- 
trol, it,  of  itself,  would  not,  and,  under  the  most  ideal  system  of 
administration,  could  not  control  the  efficiency  and  purity  of  medi- 
cines as  dispensed  to  the  sick  and  the  ailing  on  physicians'  prescrip- 
tions. It  is  quite  probable  that  the  members  of  the  House  of 
Delegates  of  the  American  Medical  Association  appreciated  this 
fact,  for,  as  is  now  well  known,  that  august  body,  after  considerable 
discussion,  refused  to  concur  in  the  recommendations  of  a  special 
committee  to  endorse  the  inauguration  and  proposed  objects  of  the 
"  National  Bureau  of  Medicines  and  Foods." 
The  objects  of  the  proposed  bureau,  as  enumerated  in  the  report  of 
the  committee  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  are  as  follows : 
(1)  To  relieve  physicians,  pharmacists  and  the  public  of  all  doubt 
as  to  the  composition  or  standards  of  identity,  purity,  quality  and 
strength  of  such  drugs,  medicines  and  foodstuffs  as  may  be  sub- 
mitted to  and  be  found  acceptable  by  a  competent  board  of  ten 
experts. 
(2)  To  furnish  to  physicians  and  pharmacists,  and  to  others  who 
may  be  interested,  accurate  and  reliable  information  concerning 
articles  submitted  to  the  bureau  for  its  supervision. 
(3)  To  certify  to  the  standards  of  identity,  purity,  quality  and 
strength  of  such  articles  as  may  be  determined  to  be  worthy  by  the 
board  of  experts  and  of  no  others. 
(4)  To  relieve  the  physicians,  in  the  manner  outlined,  of  the  doubt 
and  uncertainty  as  to  the  nature,  composition  or  reliability  of  the 
medicines  which  they  are  requested  by  representatives  of  various 
houses  to  prescribe  or  to  employ. 
From  this  statement  of  the  objects  of  the  bureau,  it  will  readily  be 
seen  that  there  is  absolutely  no  provision  for  following  up  the  vari- 
ous drugs  and  preparations  that  have  received  the  endorsement  of 
its  board,  nor  is  there  any  limitation  as  to  where  or  how  the  various 
preparations  are  to  be  handled  or  dispensed. 
As  is  well  known,  many  drugs  and  chemicals,  and  nearly  all 
galenic  preparations,  deteriorate  on  keeping.  This  deterioration  is, 
perhaps,  not  so  much  due  to  the  element  of  time  alone  as  it  is  to 
general  atmospheric  conditions  and  the  lack  of  technical  knowledge 
or  care  in  storing  the  various  substances. 
This  question  of  drug  deterioration,  while  it  is  a  matter  that  is 
generally  recognized,  has  received  but  comparatively  little  attention 
