452  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  {^ptemberifwoa" 
Belgium,  France,  Italy,  Russia  and  Switzerland)  are  represented  by 
at  least  two  delegates  officially  recognized  by  their  governments. 
The  other  countries  should,  when  possible,  send  their  representa- 
tives. The  governments  of  the  principal  States  will  thus  show 
from  the  first  that  they  are  favorable  to  this  unification. 
(2)  The  conference  will  not  attain  its  object  unless  it  prepares  a 
detailed  program  in  advance.  The  fundamental  principles,  as  also 
the  proposals  of  the  Belgian  government,  carefully  studied  and  pre- 
pared, should  be  communicated  beforehand  to  the  administrators  of 
medical  affairs  of  the  countries  taking  part  in  the  conference. 
Moreover,  the  latter  should  be  asked  to  consider  these  principles  and 
contribute  their  opinions. 
(3)  All  academies  of  medicine  and  all  pharmaceutical  societies 
should  be  asked  to  send  a  representative.  It  is  desirable  that  these 
associations  on  their  part  discuss  and  study  the  scheme. 
(4)  The  question  cannot  be  solved  by  an  improvised  meeting  of 
delegates  little  acquainted  with  it.  It  is  only  a  carefully-thought- 
out  scheme,  discussed  in  a  conference  constituted  as  suggested, 
which  could  attain  the  end  that  all  the  world  so  earnestly  desires. 
THE  STUDY  OF  PHARMACY. 
Paul  Jacob  submitted  a  report  on  the  preliminary  education  and 
compulsory  examinations  therein  requisite  before  beginning  the 
study  of  pharmacy.  His  conclusions  were  that  there  was  a  univer- 
sal tendency  in  Europe  to  get  the  equivalent  of  the  Bachelor  of 
Arts  grade,  and  while  a  certain  importance  is  attached  to  the  study 
of  Latin,  the  tendency  is  to  do  away  with  the  dead  languages. 
STANDARDIZATION  METHODS. 
The  committee  appointed  at  the  last  Congress  to  consider  the 
subject  of  unification  of  assay  processes  had  nothing  to  report,  save 
that  the  subject  was  a  difficult  one  of  solution.  Anton  Altan,  of 
Bucharest,  submitted  a  long  monograph  on  the  narcotic  extracts  and 
their  assay.  The  preparations  dealt  with  were  extracts  of  aconite, 
belladonna,  henbane,  digitalis,  colocynth,  cannabis  indica,  opium, 
ergot  and  nux  vomica.  He  reviewed  the  methods  of  assay  suggested 
by  E.  Dieterich,  Kremel,  Dunstan  and  Short,  Kunz,  Beckurts,  Ran- 
wez,  Duyk,  and  others,  as  well  as  the  pharmacopoeial  methods, 
