Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
December,  1917.  J 
of  Pharmacopceial  Standards. 
575 
In  the  ninth  revision  of  the  U.  S.  P.,  innovations  were  intro- 
duced, such  as  the  chapters  on  Biological  Assays,  Sterilization  and 
Diagnostical  Reagents  and  Clinical  Tests.  It  would  be  no  greater 
innovation  for  the  tenth  revision  to  have  chapters  such  as  appear 
in  homeopathic  pharmacopoeias  on  the  Cleansing  of  Utensils, 
Vehicles,  Selection  of  Medicinal  Substances,  Preparation  of  Po- 
tencies or  Dilutions.  The  various  classes  of  preparations  used  by 
the  homeopaths,  such  as  triturations,  tinctures,  solutions,  etc.,  very 
likely  could  be  treated  by  general  formulas  after  the  plan  adopted 
in  the  ninth  revision  of  the  U.  S.  P.  in  fluid  extracts  and  tinctures. 
A  subcommittee  on  homeopathic  standards  of  the  Committee  of 
Revision  could  readily  provide  for  this  part  of  the  revision. 
The  Homeopathic  Pharmacopoeia  of  the  United  States  already 
gives  evidence  in  a  number  of  its  monographs  of  the  desire  for  a 
uniformity  of  standards.  Unfortunately  some  of  these  references 
to  the  U.  S.  P.  are  incorrect  as  they  fail  to  note  the  changes  of  the 
recent  revisions.  Notable  examples  of  these  are  seen  in  the  para- 
graphs on  Ferrum  Carbonatum,  Ferrum  Iodatum  and  Ferrum 
Muriaticum. 
Many  changes  in  the  titles  and  nomenclature  used  in  the  homeo- 
pathic pharmacopoeia  would  be  necessary  and  the  correction  of  the 
inaccuracies  in  the  botany  and  chemistry  of  the  monographs,  some 
of  which  have  already  been  pointed  out,2  would  be  greatly  to  the 
advantage  of  the  users  of  such  drugs. 
The  covering  of  the  needs  of  homeopathy  for  legal  standards  by 
including  such  in  the  U.  S.  P.,  I  do  not  believe  will  present  any 
difficulties  that  will  be  insurmountable.  If  such  a  merger  in  its 
entirety  be  not  at  present  considered  as  feasible,  then  there  should  at 
least  be  a  joint  harmonizing  committee  representing  the  committees 
of  revision  of  both  pharmacopoeias  and  this  harmonizing  committee 
should  be  charged  with  the  duty  of  providing  uniform  standards  for 
such  drugs  and  preparations  as  are  commonly  used  in  both  schools. 
2  Journal  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  Feb.,  1915,  p.  208. 
