Am.  Jour.  Pharm.j 
February,  19 17.  * 
Martin  I.  Wilbert. 
59 
country  best  qualified  to  do  it  from  every  standpoint,  that  portion  of 
this  monumental  work  referring  to  foreign  pharmacopoeias  being 
particularly  well  done.  Indeed,  Dr.  Wilbert's  knowledge  of  foreign 
pharmacopoeias  was  very  comprehensive.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  is 
another  man  in  this  country  who  possessed  such  a  wide  and  varied 
knowledge  on  this  subject  as  he  did. 
He  was  always  willing  and  ready  to  start  something  that  might 
be  for  the  general  good  and  make  for  progress.  He  had  hardly  be- 
come settled  in  Washington  before  he  saw  the  need  for  the  organi- 
zation of  a  local  branch  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association 
in  that  city.  To  see  the  need  was  for  him  to  act.  He  possessed 
more  initiative  than  a  dozen  ordinary  men  despite  the  fact  that  his 
health  was  never  very  robust.  From  childhood  his  health  had  never 
been  rugged.  Yet  in  spite  of  this  handicap  he  was  always  un- 
daunted; no  amount  of  work  ever  fazed  him.  He  was  a  most  tre- 
mendous worker.  If,  as  Carlyle  says,  "genius  is  a  capacity  for  hard 
work,"  then  Dr.  Wilbert  was  most  certainly  a  genius.  He  was 
never  idle  for  a  moment.  The  Branch  in  Washington  was  promptly 
gotten  under  way  and  he  was  made  secretary.  Under  the  stimu- 
lus of  his  remarkable  energy  this  branch  has  done  work  that  the 
parent  organization  need  never  be  ashamed  of. 
I  believe  it  was  in  1902  that  he  became  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Pharmaceutical  Association.  From  the  very  beginning  of  his 
membership  he  became  very  active.  He  was  full  of  enthusiasm  over 
this  new  outlet  for  his  energy  and  activity.  He  never  attended  a 
meeting  without  having  one  or  more  papers  to  read.  A  perusal  of 
past  proceedings  shows  that  in  debate  and  discussion  he  made  him- 
self a  power  to  be  reckoned  with.  His  wide  range  of  information 
and  the  thoroughness  with  which  he  accomplished  every  task  that 
was  set  before  him  was  appreciated  by  all.  In  committee  work  he 
was  an  exceedingly  able  worker  and  counselor.  When  the  Com- 
mission on  Proprietary  Medicines  was  formed  it  was  immediately 
appreciated  when  Dr.  Wilbert's  name  appeared  among  those  ap- 
pointed, that  the  most  logical  choice  had  been  made.  His  unques- 
tioned fitness  for  this  work  was  undoubtedly  of  transcendent  value 
to  the  A.  Ph.  A.  because  of  the  rich  experience  he  obtained  as  a 
member  of  the  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry  of  the  x\merican 
Medical  Association.  As  an  instance  of  how  one  opportunity  leads 
to  another,  I  may  say  that  when  the  sentiment  of  the  Association  for 
some  method  of  formulating  Standards  of  Unofficial  Drugs  had  crys- 
