274 
Progress  in  Pharmacy . 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
June,  1907. 
worded  decree  is  suggestive  at  least  of  "  Much  ado  about  nothing," 
there  is  underlying  it  all  the  promise  of  something  better,  and  a 
more  hopeful  outlook  for  the  future. 
The  written  or  understood  agreements  that  have  been  entered 
into  between  retail  pharmacists  and  manufacturers  of  some  of  the 
more  objectionable  nostrums  made  for  popular  consumption  have 
not  been  generally  considered  to  be  a  credit  to  American  Pharmacy 
and  the  tacit  understanding  known  as  the  Tri-partite  plan  has  cer- 
tainly been  in  restriction  of  trade,  so  far  as  the  retail  druggist  was 
concerned. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  being,  by  a  decree  of  the  court,  divorced 
from  his  obligations  to  manufacturers  the  retail  pharmacist  will 
more  fully  live  up  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience  and  will 
endeavor  to  educate,  shield  and  protect  his  customers  in  matters  of 
health  and  hygiene. 
Sunday  Closing  is  receiving  considerable  attention  both  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  In  Germany,  despite  the  opposition  of  the 
police  authorities,  the  apothecaries  are  gradually  enlarging  on  their 
Sunday  rest  privileges,  and  in  quite  a  number  of  cities  and  towns 
they  have  received  permission  from  the  police  authorities  to  close 
their  shops  alternately,  providing  they  display  a  sign  indicating  the 
pharmacies  that  are  open.  In  France  the  pharmacists  are  making 
even  more  rapid  progress  in  this  direction.  The  pharmacists  of  one 
section  of  Versailles  have  arranged  to  alternate :  seven  out  of  the 
eight  pharmacists  closing  each  Sunday  and  feast  day,  for  the  entire 
day.  Daily  closing  at  9  p.m.  has  also  been  arranged  for.  {Chem. 
and  Drug.,  March  16,  1907,  page  405.) 
A  rather  novel  arrangement  has  been  entered  into  by  the  phar- 
macists of  Auxerre,  the  chief  town  of  the  department  of  Yonne. 
The  ten  pharmacists  of  this  town  have  agreed  to  close  every  Sunday 
and  have  established  a  central  dispensary  where  medicaments  can 
be  secured  for  cases  of  emergency.  Each  pharmacist,  in  turn,  takes 
charge  every  tenth  Sunday. 
Opsonins. — In  medical  journals  much  space  is  being  devoted  to 
the  publication  of  reports  on  the  development  and  the  use  of  opsonic 
therapy.  "  The  Review  of  the  Opsonins  and  Bacterial  Vaccines," 
published  in  this  Journal  for  March,  1907  (page  141)  should  be 
carefully  read  and  re-read  by  every  pharmacist.  This  article  con- 
stitutes an  excellent  and  really  interesting  presentation  of  the  theory 
