1 66  Well  Known  Synthetic  Chemicals.  I^aSS™' 
from  various  sections  of  the  country,  that  antipyrine  is  being 
employed  for  the  same  purpose.  Exactly  why  some  of  these  changes 
have  been  made  is  not  clearly  apparent,  because  none  of  the  substi- 
tutes are  as  cheap  as  acetanilide  ;  although  the  price  of  each  has 
been  materially  reduced  within  the  past  few  years.  This  is  due 
largely  to  the  fact  that  the  patents  covering  these  chemicals  have 
lapsed,  and  the  price  has  fallen  in  the  case  of  acetphenetidin  (phe- 
nacetine)  from  $16  to  $i  per  pound,  and  antipyrine  from  about  $22 
to  32.40  per  pound,  both  in  bulk.  The  price  of  acetanilide  in  quan- 
tity at  this  writing  is  25  cents  per  pound.  Another  probable  reason 
for  replacing  acetanilide  by  acetphenetidin  is  because  the  latter  is 
supposed  to  have  a  less  deleterious  effect  upon  the  human  system 
than  the  former,  but  this  is  at  present  an  open  question.  No  one 
has  thus  far  ventured  to  give  this  as  an  excuse  for  using  antipyrine, 
because  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  latter  is  the  most  dangerous 
of  these  three  medicinal  agents.  Two  other  potent  factors,  how- 
ever, should  be  considered  in  this  connection.  These  are:  (first), 
that  the  deleterious  effects  of  neither  acetphenetidin  nor  antipyrine 
have  been  given  any  publicity,  and  the  public  therefore  has  little 
knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  the  words  acetphenetidin  and  anti- 
pyrine, should  their  presence  be  declared  upon  the  label ;  (second), 
it  was  expected  that  both  of  these  chemicals  could  be  used  indis- 
criminately in  medicines  without  the  necessity  of  declaring  their 
presence  upon  the  label.  Acetphenetidin,  however,  according  to  the 
rules  and  regulations  made  under  the  Pure  Food  and  Drugs  Act, 
must  be  set  forth  on  the  label. 
The  use  of  harmful  preservatives  in  food  products  is  forbidden. 
The  exact  status  of  the  harmful  nature  of  certain  preservatives  is 
at  present  not  definitely  settled.  Among  the  most  conspicuous  pre- 
servatives used  during  recent  years  are  the  synthetic  chemicals 
known  as  salicylic  acid  and  benzoic  acid  and  their  salts.  The  ex- 
perimental results  obtained  in  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry  in  connec- 
tion with  salicylic  acid  and  the  salicylates  have  just  been  published 
in  Bulletin  34,  Part  2,  from  which  part  of  the  general  conclusions 
are  herewith  quoted : 
"  There  has  been  a  general  consensus  of  opinion  among  scientific 
men,  including  the  medical  profession,  that  salicylic  acid  and  its 
compounds  are  very  harmful,  and  the  prejudice  against  this  particu- 
lar form  of  preservative  is  perhaps  greater  than  against  any  other 
