Am.  Jour.  Pharru.  > 
December,  1904.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
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differ  in  the  number  of  monad  which  they  contain,  in  their  arrange- 
ment and  in  their  motion  relative  to  each  other  and  to  the  ether. 
That  on  these  differences,  and  on  these  differences  alone,  depend 
the  various  qualities  of  what  have  hitherto  been  regarded  as  indi- 
visible and  elementary  atoms ;  and  that  while  in  most  cases  these 
atomic  systems  may  maintain  their  equilibrium  for  periods  which, 
compared  with  such  astronomical  processes  as  the  cooling  of  the 
sun  may  seem  almost  eternal,  they  are  not  less  obedient  to  the  law 
of  change  than'the  everlasting  heavens  themselves." 
The  more  general  acceptance  of  this  new  theory  of  matter, 
whether  it  prove  to  be  true  or  false,  marks  a  distinct  step  forward 
into  the  realms  of  the  unknown  that  will,  in  the  very  near  future, 
result  in  practical  explanations  of  many  of  the  hitherto  unsatisfac- 
torily explained  physical  phenomena. 
Ike  Unification  of  Potent  Medicaments. — According  to  a  recently 
published  report  [Schweiz.  Woch.  f.  Chem.  u.  Phar.,  1904,  page 
539),  the  following  governments  have  adopted  the  recommendations 
of  the  International  Conference  at  Brussels,  held  1902,  without 
reserve:  Belgium,  Bulgaria,  Denmark,  France,  Greece,  Holland, 
Hungary,  Italy,  Norway,  Portugal,  Roumania,  Russia,  Spain,  and 
Switzerland.  The  following  have  adopted  the  recommendations, 
with  slight,  but  unimportant,  provisions:  Austria,  Sweden  and 
Great  Britain. 
The  German  Empire,  whose  representatives,  it  will  be  remembered, 
were  not  authorized  to  sign  the  protocol,  has  but  recently  (1900) 
published  a  revision  of  its  pharmacopoeia,  and  does  not  think  the 
necessary  changes  of  sufficient  general  importance  to  be  introduced 
at  this  time,  but  has  signified  its  willingness  to  adopt  them  in  detail 
at  its  next  revision. 
In  the  United  States  the  Pharmacopoeia  is  revised  by  an  inde- 
pendent committee  of  revision,  not  in  any  way  connected  with  the 
government.  This  committee  has  not,  so  far  as  known,  signified 
its  intentions  regarding  the  proposed  unification  of  potent  medica- 
ments. 
Swiss  Phatmacopceia. — At  a  recent  session  of  the  Swiss  Pharma- 
copoeia Revision  Commission  several  important  general  principles 
were  finally  adopted.  After  considerable  discussion  it  was  adopted  to 
use  the  so-called  practical  (O-16)  standard  table  of  atomic  weights 
in  preference  to  the  hydrogen  standard. 
