EDITORIAL. 
89 
at  page  202,  vol.  XX.  of  this  Journal.  There  is  nothing  said  in  it  about 
quack  medicines.    Section  1st  says  : 
''All  drug's",  &c  &c,  "shall  be  examined  and  appraised,  as  well  in  reference  to 
their  quality,  purity,  and  fitness  for  medical  purposes,  as  to  their  value  and 
identity  specified  in  the  invoice." 
And  section  2d  : 
"  That  all  medicinal  preparations,  whether  chemical  or  otherwise,  usually  im- 
ported with  the  name  of  the  manufacturer,  shall  have  the  true  name  of  the  manu- 
facturer and  the  place  where  they  are  prepared  permanently  and  legibly  aifixed 
to  each  parcel  by  stamp  or  otherwise;  and  all  medicinal  preparations  imported 
without  such  names  affixed  as  aforesaid  shall  be  adjudged  to  be  forfeited." 
And  section  3d : 
"That  if  on  examination  any  drugs,  medicines,  medicinal  preparations,  whether 
chemical  or  otherwise,  including  medicinal  essential  oils,  are  found  in  theopinion 
of  the  examiner  to  be  so  far  adulterated  or  in  any  manner  deteriorated  so  as  to 
render  them  inferior  in  strength  and  purity  to  the  standard  established  by  theUnited 
States, Edinburgh,  London, French  and  German  Pharmacopoeias  and  dispensatories, 
and  thereby  improper,  unsafe,  or  dangerous  to  be  used  for  medicinal  purposes,  a 
return  to  that  effect  shall  be  made  on  the  invoice,  and  the  articles  so  noted  shall 
not  pass  the  Custom  House,  unless,"  &c. 
Now,  did  the  inspector  try  the  medicines  in  question  by  the  last  section  ? 
Did  he  find  them  spurious,  or  deteriorated,  or  adulterated,  any  more  than 
the  Harlem  Oil  and  German  pills  and  other  quackeries,  which  no  doubt  he 
lias  passed  without  a  question  ?  No,  they  were  not  in  the  category  of 
examinable  drugs  in  the  sense  intended  by  section  3d  of  the  law,  but  came 
under  the  range  of  patented  medicines  put  up  in  stamped  and  labelled  pack- 
ages ;  and  until  the  law  is  altered  so  as  to  exclude  this  class  of  medicines, 
by  a  clearly  expressed  clause,  (and  the  signers  of  the  certificate  would 
cheerfully  advocate  it,  if  it  can  be  constitutionally  done,)  we  believe  it  will 
remain  the  duty  of  the  examiners  to  pass  them. 
A  consistent  and  well  known  course  of  twenty  years  should  acquit  us  of 
harboring  any  favors  for  quackery,  foreign  or  domestic  ;  albeit  that  Ave  ma}r 
do  an  act  of  justice  to  the  agent  of  a  quack;  and  whilst  the  personal  expe- 
diency of  giving  the  opinion  in  this  instance,  in  view  of  the  course  since 
pursued  by  the  Inspector  in  reference  to  the  document,  may  be  questioned, 
its  justness  cannot  be  disproved. 
American  Medical  Association  vs.  Colleges  of  Dentistry  and  Phar- 
macy.— We  have  received  a  copy  of  the  report  of  the  committee  on  amend- 
ments to  the  Constitution,  etc.  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  to 
which  the  resolution  of  Prof.  George  B.  Wood  was  referred,  which  is  as 
follows : 
"  Resolved,  That  colleges  exclusively  of  dentistry  and  pharmacy  are  not 
recognised,  by  this  Association,  as  among  the  bodies  authorised  to  send 
delegates  to  its  meetings." 
The  question  for  the  committee  to  decide  was,  whether  the  constitution 
of  the  association  was  so  worded  as  to  open  the  door  of  admission  to  dele- 
gates from  dental  and  pharmaceutical  colleges,  and  they  arrive  at  the  conclu- 
