Amk£ch  i3^*™1*}     Assay  Processes  of  U.S. P.  IX. 
in 
ASSAY  PROCESSES  OF  THE  U.  S.  P.  IX.1 
By  Philip  Ashee,  Ph.G.,  M.D. 
About  ten  days  ago,  when  requested  by  the  chairman  of  your 
program  committee  to  read  a  paper  at  this  meeting  in  lieu  of  the 
appointed  speaker,  who  found  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  have 
his  subject  ready  for  the  occasion,  I  little  realized  what  it  meant  to 
prepare  a  paper  of  this  magnitude  upon  such  short  notice.  Never- 
theless I  have  prepared  a  few  observations  relating  to  the  assay 
processes  of  the  new  U.  S.  P.  Owing  to  the  short  time  at  my  dis- 
posal, your  indulgence  is  asked  for  any  omissions  that  may  occur 
in  this  paper.  Before  taking  up  the  subject  of  the  evening,  a  few 
remarks  will  be  apropos  concerning  the  Pure  Food  and  Drugs  Act, 
and  also  Pharmacy. 
It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the  Pure  Food  and  Drugs 
Act  owes  its  existence  to  the  efforts  of  the  energetic  members  of 
the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  In  1901  a  committee  of 
the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  reported  that  the  govern- 
ment had  established  a  pharmaceutical  laboratory  in  connection  with 
the  Department  of  Agriculture.  From  that  time  until  the  final 
passage  of  the  bill  which  has  placed  this  law  among  the  national 
statutes,  the  A.  Ph.  A.  has  been  persistent  in  its  efforts  towards  this 
end.  It  can  be  said  without  fear  of  gainsay  that  no  legislation 
has  ever  been  enacted  that  has  done  so  much  good  for  the  conser- 
vation of  the  public  health  as  this  law.  The  people  of  this  country 
owe  much  to  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  for  its  un- 
tiring efforts  in  their  behalf.  The  passage  of  this  law  has  given 
rise  to  the  establishment  of  food  and  drug  laboratories  throughout 
the  country  and  this  has  resulted  in  the  employment  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  chemists. 
Pharmacy  is  not  only  the  mother  of  medicine,  but  chemistry 
owes  it  a  debt  as  well.  Those  familiar  with  the  early  history  of 
chemistry  are  well  aware  that  many  of  the  men  who  have  given 
their  best  efforts  to  the  development  of  the  science  of  chemistry  had 
their  thoughts  in  the  domain  of  this  science  awakened  in  the  simple 
apothecary  shop. 
1  Read  before  the  Louisiana  Branch  of  the  American  Chemical  Society, 
December  15,  1916. 
