2io  The  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  and  {km£y%s7)*rm- 
•sentative  body  of  the  organized  medical  profession  does  now  and  hereby 
relieve  the  '  National  Convention  for  Revising  the  Pharmacopoeia'  from 
any  farther  acts  of  ownership,  control  or  management  of  the  Phar- 
macopoeia." (p.  31  of  pamphlet.)  The  second  topic  broached  is  the 
advocacy  of  certain  changes  in  the  plan  of  the  work  and  in  the  fre- 
quency of  its  publication  ;  (pp.  43,  44.)  changes  which,  if  shown  to  be 
really  desirable  improvements,  have  evidently  no  relation  whatever  to 
their  parentage,  and  may  as  readily  and  effectually  be  accomplished  by 
ithe  present  organization  as  by  its  hypothetical  successor. 
The  first  project  certainly  presents  a  somewhat  startling  character, 
and  It  is  difficult  to  seize  fully  the  argument  by  which  it  is  attempted 
to  be  justified.  The  general  proposition  appears  to  be  that  the  National 
Convention,  though  sufficiently  well  adapted  for  the  purpose  of  its 
creation  some  sixty  years  ago,  by  reason  of  the  special  ability  of  the 
few  men  who  continuously  executed  the  prescribed  task  of  revision, 
yet  as  these  few  eminent  men  have  passed  from  their  field  of  action, 
the  National  Convention  has  practically  outlived  its  usefulness,  and 
may  now  as  well  be  decently  buried.  If  it  be  true  that  the  vitality 
<of  an  organization  is  thus  to  be  assimilated  to  the  longevity  of  an 
individual,  what  better  guarantee  has  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion to  offer  that  its  usefulness  could  outlive  the  alloted  term  of  three- 
score years.  For  "  if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  four-score  years, 
yet  is  their  strength  labor  and  sorrow  ;  for  it  is  soon  cut  off,  and  we 
fly  away." 
"  It  will  be  noticed,"  says  the  author,  "  that  this  decennial  Conven- 
tion for  this  express  purpose  long  antedates  this  Association,  and  it  is  proba- 
ble that  if  this  Association  had  been  in  existence  in  1820,  or  any  similar 
National  Association,  it  would  have  had  charge  of  the  Pharmacopoeia." 
(p.  4.)  Possibly  so.  What  then  ?  If  this  Association  had  preceded 
;the  decennial  Convention,  "  it  is  probable  "  it  would  have  rendered  it 
superfluous  ;  therefore^  not  having  preceded,  it  should  now  supersede 
the  Convention  1  "  As  it  stands  now,  this  Association  is  very  nearly  a 
duplicate  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  Convention  ;  so  nearly  so  that  one  or 
the  other  seems  unnecessary."  If  this  striking  similarity  really  exists, 
it  does  not  appear  doubtful  which  of  the  two  should,  and  which  of  the 
two  must,  "  its  quietus  make,"  and  gracefully  or  otherwise  retire  from 
the  field.  If  "  this  Association  is  so  nearly  a  duplicate  of  the  Phar- 
macopoeia Convention,"  which  was  long  before  organized  "  for  this 
* 
