8  The  Food  and  Drugs  Act.  { A?iSSS&f«Km- 
for  technical  purposes.  This  is  so  clearly  brought  out  in  the  law 
itself,  it  appears  to  me,  as  to  need  no  further  elucidation,  yet  some 
questions  have  been  raised  respecting  a  discrimination.  As  a  mere 
suggestion  I  would  say  that  when  substances  are  used  both 
for  medicinal  and  technical  purposes,  it  would  be  advisable  to  state 
upon  the  label  the  fact  that  they  are  to  be  used  "  for  technical  pur_ 
poses,"  when  so  intended,  or  to  attach  some  other  word  so  as  to 
show  clearly  that  they  are  not  to  be  used  as  drugs.  In  regard  to 
certain  kind  of  substances,  the  law  presents  a  double  attitude.  An 
illustration  of  this  is  in  the  case  of  alcoholic  products.  When  these 
are  used  as  beverages  it  is  not  necessary  to  state  upon  the  label  the 
quantity  of  alcohol  which  they  contain.  If,  however,  prescribed  as 
remedies  or  drugs,  tonics,  or  otherwise,  the  label  must  bear  the 
required  statement. 
A  question  arises  here  of  some  importance  in  regard  to  these 
bodies.  If  the  physician  prescribes  wine  as  a  tonic  the  patient  may 
purchase  this  wine  either  of  a  liquor  dealer  or  a  druggist,  and  the 
same  is  true,  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  malt  extract  which  may  be 
sold  as  indicated  above  or  over  the  bar.  When  is  an  article  pur- 
chased as  above  to  be  considered  as  a  beverage  and  when  a  medi- 
cine ?  Here  is  a  question  of  such  nice  legal  bearings  that  I  am 
unable  to  give  any  opinion.  Theoretically  any  such  package 
should  bear  the  percentage  of  alcohol  therein  contained  ;  practically 
it  would  be  rather  difficult  to  enforce  such  a  regulation. 
The  most  striking  feature  of  the  Food  and  Drugs  Act  is  that  relat- 
ing to  the  practical  exemption  from  supervision,  as  to  standards, 
of  the  so-called  proprietary  remedies.  Just  why  the  U.S.P.  and  N.F. 
remedies  should  be  subjected  to  such  a  rigid  standard  and  prac- 
tically the  same  mixtures  be  allowed  to  go  uninspected,  when  in 
the  guise  of  a  patent  medicine,  is  a  question  of  importance.  This 
is  no  more  strange,  however,  than  the  laws  regulating  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  and  pharmacy.  Those  who  are  legitimately 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  these  professions  are  required  to  take 
a  long  course  in  preparatory  training  and  to  secure  a  license 
after  examination  before  State  and  Municipal  Boards  in  medi- 
cine and  pharmacy,  and  even  then  they  are  required  to  practice 
their  professions  under  the  strict  supervision  of  the  law.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  quack  doctor  or  the  proprietor  of  a  fake  remedy 
may  practice  medicine  through  the  public  press  and  dispense  drugs 
