36  Notes  from  Research  Laboratory.    { Ajan^y 
store,  Tenth  and  Market  Streets.  The  founder  of  this  firm  was 
Clayton  French  who  in  1840  entered  the  drug  business  as  an  appren- 
tice with  a  Dr.  Edward  S.  Wilcox.  This  firm  was  disbanded  in 
1890  on  the  death  of  its  founder,  but  in  the  meantime  its  extensive 
cement  and  plaster  department  which  was  started  in  1852  at  Cal- 
lowhill  Street  and  York  Ave.,  had  been  erected  in  1883  into  a  sep- 
arate business  of  Samuel  H.  French  &  Co.  This  has  since  devel- 
oped into  a  very  extensive  cement,  plaster  and  dry  color  firm,  now 
under  the  leadership  of  Howard  B.  French,  a  son  of  Samuel  H. 
French  of  the  original  French,  Richards  &  Co.  firm. 
In  conclusion  I  wish  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  various 
friends  for  furnishing  special  information  and  the  loan  of  papers, 
books  and  pictures  of  early  chemical  establishments.  I  would  spe- 
cially mention  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Bower,  Mr.  Wm.  C.  Carnell,  Mr.  Thos. 
S.  Harrison,  Dr.  Ewing  Jordan,  the  Librarian  of  the  University  Club, 
and  Mr.  Spofford,  the  Assistant  Librarian  of  the  Historical  Society, 
Mr.  Howard  B.  French,  Prof.  Henry  Kraemer  of  the  Philadelphia 
College  of  Pharmacy,  and  Mr.  Martin  I.  Wilbert,  formerly  in  this 
city  but  now  in  Washington,  D.  C.  The  last  named  published  a 
valuable  paper  in  the  Franklin  Institute  Journal  for  May,  1904,  on 
"  Early  Chemical  Manufactures,"  from  which  I  have  quoted  in  the 
preparation  of  this  paper. 
NOTES  FROM  THE  RESEARCH  LABORATORY,  PARKE, 
DAVIS  &  COMPANY. 
Specific  Therapy  in  Diseases  of  the  Thyroid  Gland. 
The  study  of  the  ductless  glands  comprises  one  of  the  most  fas- 
cinating fields  of  medical  research  and  investigations  of  recent  years 
have  afforded  some  startling  revelations  of  the  importance  of  the 
internal  secretions  in  controlling  physical  and  mental  development, 
metabolism  and  the  vital  body  functions.  A  practical  aspect  of  this 
line  of  experimentation  in  the  application  of  such  knowledge  to  the 
specific  treatment  of  diseases  correlated  with  disturbed  glandular 
functions.  The  thyroid  gland,  in  particular,  is  interesting  in  this 
connection  because  specific  measures  have  been  developed  for  the 
treatment  of  diseased  conditions  associated  both  with  deficient  func- 
tionating and  with  excess  secretion. 
The  three  classical  types  of  disease  due  to  decreased  thyroid 
