Am.  Jour.  Fharm.  \ 
March,  1894.  / 
Pharmacal  Prerogative. 
137 
followed  from  here  if  desired,  or  evaporate  in  a  tared  capsule  to  14 
grams  and  proceed  from  this  point  as  directed  in  the  Pharmacopoeia 
of  1890  from  a  corresponding  point. 
It  is  very  desirable,  if  not  necessary,  to  investigate  the  purity  of 
the  morphine  by  means  of  the  lime  water  test. 
As  a  check  to  the  gravimetric  method  it  is  recommended  to 
triturate  the  morphine  with  a  volumetric  acid  solution. 
Laboratory  Smith,  Kline  &  French  Co. 
PHARMACAL  PREROGATIVE. 
By  William  B.  Thompson. 
The  French  pharmacal  authorities  appear  to  exercise  a  more 
liberal  view  of  the  prerogatives  of  the  pharmacist  than  is  accorded 
in  America.  The  commission  to  whom  is  entrusted  the  additions  to, 
or  the  revision  of,  the  French  Codex  had  under  consideration  the 
preparation  of  a  table  of  maximum  doses  of  the  habitually  prescribed 
medicines  for  the  use  of  apothecaries.  The  limitations  of  this  table 
were  never  to  be  exceeded  except  upon  the  written  order  of  a  doc- 
tor. A  purpose  like  this  bears  upon  its  face  a  recognition  of  the 
fact  that  the  science  of  dosage  is  not  only  an  essential  part  of  the 
general  or  complete  education  of  the  pharmacist,  but  that  under 
certain  proper  conditions  he  may  exercise  this  knowledge  for  the 
benefit  (?)  of  those  patrons  who  are  willing  to  prescribe  for  themselves, 
as  it  were.  This  does  not  necessarily  involve  the  function  of  diag- 
nosis, and  should  not  be  implicated  with  it,  but  it  simply  induces 
the  apothecary  to  invest  himself  with  the  knowledge  requisite  for 
the  exercise,  and  also  gives  him  an  official  sanction.  We  all  know 
that  among  American  pharmacists  a  disposition  to  instruct  in  regard 
to  dose,  and  other  uses  of  medicine  ;  in  other  words,  to  enter  the 
domain  of  applied  medicine,  has  resulted  in  straining  somewhat  the 
ethical  relation  with  the  physician  and  provoked  retaliatory  mea- 
sure. Through  this  both  have  suffered,  and  a  breach  been  created. 
It  is  safe,  as  well  as  true,  to  say  that  in  leading  or  representative 
pharmacies  there  is  a  studied  avoidance  of  what  may  be  deemed  to  be 
prescribing,  but  on  the  other  hand  let  me  ask  what  would  be  the 
measure  of  estimation  in  which  the  knowledge  of  the  pharmacist 
would  be  held  if  he  should  be  compelled  to  avow  an  ignorance  on 
