364 
Editorial. 
{'  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1878. 
"  The  above  is  an  act  passed  at  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania. 
"  The  title  of  the  act  is  clear  enough,  and  the  premises  such  where  careful  legisla- 
tion would  be  desirable.  We  think,  however,  that  the  author  of  the  bill  has  failed 
in  the  present  case  to  cover  the  ground  judiciously. 
"  Leaving  it  to  the  naturalist  to  decide  whether  the  potato  beetle  is  an  animal,  and 
if  so,  a  nvild  or  domestic  animal  5  we  see  in  the  present  act  no  clause  which  ex- 
tends protection  to  dogs,  sheep,  hogs,  etc.,  which  are  not  uoild  animals,  while  the 
question  of  what  is  a  "  wild  animal,11  is  left  open  to  the  judicial  construction  of  any 
alderman  or  justice  of  the  peace."  B. 
Diploma  Selling — We  have  repeatedly  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  diploma 
venders  in  North  America  and  Europe  are  reaping  a  harvest  by  selecting  high-sound- 
ing titles  for  their  imaginary  institutions,  or  such  which  closely  resemble  those  of 
well-known  institutions  of  unquestioned  respectability.  The  arrangements  for  ac- 
commodating dupes  with  all  sorts  of  scientific  honors  and  titles  are  usually  made 
secretly,  and  it  is  not  often  the  case  that  the  agents  who,  for  a  valuable  considera- 
tion, lend  their  helping  hand  to  the  transaction  of  a  business  that  shuns  the  light, 
receive  the  merited  stamp  before  they  have  even  begun  to  embark  in  the  new  enter- 
prise. It  affords  us  pleasure,  therefore,  to  republish  the  following  letter  from  the 
"  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Journal"  for  April,  in  the  hope  that  the  writer  of  the 
letter  may  reap  all  the  benefit,  which  his  benevolence  and  kindness  deserve: 
"  Berlin,  10th  of  January,  1878. 
"  To  the  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Cincinnati  : 
"  I  herewith  take  the  liberty  to  inquire  if  you  are  inclined  to  confer  the  degree  of  a  Doctor  in  absence 
on  qualified  and  respectable  parties.  I  could  labor  for  you  with  the  best  success,  if  you  would  elect  me 
as  a  delegate  for  Europe.  I  have  acted  till  now  in  this  capacity  for  qualified  persons  for  the  American 
University  of  Philadelphia,  American  University  of  New  Jersey,  and  Nova  Anglica  University,  Man- 
chester, New  England,  but  would  prefer  to  work  for  an  university  of  your  well-known  reputation.  I  would 
endeavor  to  arrange  matters  in  such  a  manner  that  the  good  name  of  your  university  will  not  suffer,  as  I 
will  confer  the  degree  of  a  doctor  only  to  such  parties  as  are  entitled  by  their  previous  studies.  I  require 
diplomas  as  a  Doctor  of  Medicine  and  a  Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery.  Therefore,  if  the  laws  of  your 
country  allow  that  you  grant  the  degree  of  a  Doctor  in  absence,  I  beg  you  to  inform  me  at  what  price  you 
would  confer  the  promotion,  that  is,  how  much  the  fee  for  each  diploma  will  be. 
"With  the  assurance  that  the  good  name  of  your  university  will  be  preserved,  and  that  I  will  further 
your  interest  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  I  look  for  an  early  reply.    I  remain,  yours,  respectfully, 
"  Dr.  H   Rumlkr,  M.  D.,  Hollmannstrasse  No.  40,  Berlin." 
The  introduction  of  the  metric  system  into  the  United  States  has  been  very 
materially  furthered  by  an  order,  dated  April  27,  1878,  which,  with  the  approval  of 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  has  been  issued  by  John  M.  Woodworth,  Surgeon- 
General,  United  States  Marine-Hospital  Service.  The  medical  officers  of  this  ser- 
vice will  hereafter  be  required  to  discard  the  apothecaries1  weights  and  measures, 
and  to  express  quantities  by  weight  only  in  "  grammes"  and  "centigrammes,"  and 
quantities  by  measure  in  "  cubic  centimetres."1  To  facilitate  compliance  with  this 
important  order  a  pamphlet  has  been  published  containing  rules  for  converting  the 
old  into  metric  values,  suggestions  for  writing  metric  prescriptions,  a  metric 
posological  table,  etc.,  which  have  been  prepared  with  commendable  care,  by  the 
Chief  Clerk  and  Acting  Medical  Purveyor,  Prof.  Oscar  Oldberg,  Phar.D.  We 
copy  from  the  rules  and  explanations  the  following  : 
1  We  regret  that  the  Surgeon-General  has  not  sanctioned  the  simpler  orthography  adopted  by  the 
American  Metric  Bureau. 
