288  U.S.P.  National  Convention.     '  {Amj5iSarm' 
character,  and  it  will  doubtless  be  necessary  for  the  next  committee  to  make  a 
wise  selection  of  synthetic  remedies  and  introduce  them  into  the  next  revision. 
"  Other  interesting  subjects  connected  with  the  seventh  revision  will  be  pre- 
sented to  this  Convention  through  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  Revision  on 
General  Principles,  and  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  enlarge  further  upon  the 
special  subjects  connected  with  the  revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia.  But  there 
are  some  facts  connected  with  the  publication  and  sale  of  the  book  which 
should  be  mentioned. 
"  When  the  manuscript  copy  of  the  seventh  revision  was  nearly  ready  for 
the  printer's  hands,  bids  were  solicited  from  various  publishing  houses  for  the 
composition,  printing  and  binding  of  the  book,  and  also  for  putting  it  upon 
the  market.  When  the  bids  were  opened,  it  was  found  that  it  would  be  more 
advantageous  to  give  the  contract  for  making  the  book  to  one  publishing  house 
and  to  put  the  sale  of  the  work  in  the  hands  of  a  distributing  book  concern. 
This  plan  has  proved  most  satisfactory ;  a  system  of  checks  was  devised 
whereby  the  committee  could  at  any  time  ascertain  exactly  how  the  work  of 
manufacture  and  sale  was  progressing.  The  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  of 
Philadelphia,  manufactured  the  book  and  P.  Blakiston's  Son  &  Co.  became  the 
agents  for  the  sale. 
"  On  November  25,  1899,  a  very  destructive  fire  occurred  at  J.  B.  Iyippincott 
Company.  The  stereotyped  plates  of  the  work  were  deposited  in  the.  fire-proof 
vaults  of  this  establishment.  The  Sub-committee  on  Finance  deemed  it  a  wise 
business  transaction  to  specially  insure  these  plates  against  loss  by  fire,  and 
for  a  comparatively  trifling  sum  the  insurance  was  effected.  Notwithstanding, 
the  fact  that  nearly  all  of  the  plates  in  the  fire-proof  vaults  were  entirely  pro- 
tected when  the  fire  came,  it  happened  through  a  strange  accident  that  the 
plates  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  were  entirely  destroyed.  It  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  explain  how  this  occurred. 
"An  overzealous  fireman,  believing  that  he  could  stay  the  destructive 
action  of  the  flames  by  forcing  a  stream  of  water  on  the  debris  after  the  walls 
had  fallen,  drilled  a  hole  with  considerable  labor  through  a  brick  wall,  imagin- 
ing that  he  could  insert  a  branch  pipe,  and  thus  be  of  great  assistance.  He 
unfortunately  broke  a  hole  into  the  fire-proof  vault  containing  the  Pharma- 
copoeia plates.  The  flames  soon  drove  him  away,  and  sufficient  heat  entered 
the  vault  to  melt  the  plates  almost  solidly  together.  As  soon  as  these  facts 
were  determined,  the  sub-committee  made  application  to  the  insurance  com- 
pany, proved  the  loss,  and  after  considerable  negotiations  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing the  entire  amount  of  the  insurance  money. 
"The  selling  agents,  by  good  business  management,  were  enabled  to  fill  all 
orders  for  the  book  without  delay ;  a  contract  was  executed  for  reproducing 
the  plates  and  the  book  has  been  continually  supplied  without  loss  and  is  now 
being  sold  as  usual.  The  action  of  the  sub-committee  saved  in  this  case  the 
sum  of  $1,500. 
"  This  statement  would  be  incomplete  if  reference  were  not  made  to  the 
deaths  of  seven  members  of  the  Committee  of  Revision  during  the  last  ten 
years,  as  follows  :  Prof.  P.  Wendover  Bedford,  of  New  York  ;  Prof.  Charles 
O.  Curtman,  of  St.  Louis ;  Dr.  John  Godfrey,  of  New  York  ;  Dr.  John  M. 
Maisch,  of  Philadelphia ;  Prof.  George  F.  H.  Markoe,  of  Boston  ;  Alfred  B. 
Taylor,  of  Philadelphia  ;  Dr.  Thomas  F.  Wood,  of  Wilmington,  N.  C. 
