Am.  Jonr.  Pharm. 
April,  1907. 
Rene  iv  a  I  of  Prescriptions. 
173 
tigation  must  take  place  hand  in  hand.  Progress  will  not  be  rapid, 
for  even  when  the  main  methods  of  attack  have  been  developed  it 
will  mean  endless  individual  work ;  but  this  will  be  readily  accom- 
plished by  science,  through  the  co-operation  of  numerous  voluntary 
workers  and  the  help  obtainable  from  modern  institutions. 
"  Organic  synthesis  is  not  yet  eighty  years  old,  for  it  commenced 
in  1828,  when  Wohler  synthesized  urea.  Will  it  rule  over  the 
province  of  the  natural  proteins  and  ferments  on  its  hundredth 
birthday  ?  No  definite  answer  can  be  given,  but  it  is  certain  that 
the  question  will  never  disappear  from  the  domain  of  organic  chem- 
istry, and  its  solution  would  be  a  powerful  advance  for  general 
biology,  for  medicine,  and  for  many  economic  problems." 
A  RETROSPECT  OF  DISCUSSIONS  ON  THE  RENEWAL 
OF  PRESCRIPTIONS.1 
By  John  K.  Thum,  Ph.G. 
The  renewal  of  the  prescription,  like  the  ownership,  has  long  been 
a  source  of  much  discussion  among  physicians  as  well  as  among 
pharmacists.  Just  forty  years  ago  a  number  of  papers,  bearing  on 
this  subject,  appeared  in  the  medical  and  pharmaceutical  journals  of 
this  country,  and,  among  others,  the  East  River  Medical  Association 
of  New  York  even  went  so  far  as  to  propose  legislation  to  regulate 
and  control  the  renewal  of  all  prescriptions. 
At  the  sixteenth  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  held  in  Philadelphia  in  September,  1868,  the  members 
present  discussed  a  communication  from  the  East  River  Medical 
Association  of  New  York,  and  appointed  a  committee  of  five  mem- 
bers to  draft  suitable  resolutions  regarding  the  renewal  of  prescrip- 
tions. 
In  the  course  of  the  discussion  leading  up  to  the  appointing  of 
this  committee,  Dr.  Squibb  expressed  the  opinion  that  "  this  Asso- 
ciation may  pass  any  rule  it  pleases  in  regard  to  the  matter,  but  it 
cannot  bind  common  usage.  A  physician  who  gives  a  fluid  ounce 
of  syrup  of  rhubarb,  and  asks  that  that  prescription  shall  never  be 
repeated,  prescribes  to  that  pharmacist  that  he  shall  never  sell  any 
1  Abstract  of  paper  read  at  the  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  Branch  of  the 
American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  March  5,  1907. 
