Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
April,  19 1 8.  J 
Editorial. 
235 
and  other  public  utilities.  It  becomes  the  duty  of  every  patriotic 
citizen  to  uphold  the  administration  and  to  cooperate  in  this  im- 
portant work  of  conservation  in  every  practicable  way.  It  is  doubt- 
ful if  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States  are  yet 
fully  alive  to  the  gravity  of  the  situation  and  the  necessity  for  in- 
tensified energy  along  every  line  and  for  consistent  conservation 
of  all  of  our  resources. 
From  the  very  beginning  of  the  war,  the  thoughtful  reader  was 
impressed  by  the  efforts  being  put  forth  by  the  European  nations 
engaged  in  warfare  to  conserve  their  medical  supplies.  Especially 
in  the  pharmaceutical  literature  of  the  central  powers,  then  avail- 
able, was  noted  the  frequency  with  which  the  word  "  ersatz  "  was 
used  and  the  numerous  substitutes  suggested  for  drugs  and  vehicles 
commonly  used  for  medicines.  In  Great  Britain  the  need  for  con- 
serving certain  food  products  and  war  materials,  was  considered  of 
sufficient  importance  to  justify  the  modification  of  a  number  of 
formulas  of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia,  and  the  suspension  of  others. 
The  importance  of  providing  ample  supplies  of  medicines  for 
the  needs  alike  of  the  government  forces  and  for  the  civilian  popula- 
tion seems  to  have  been  largely  overlooked.  Despite  the  publicity 
given  to  the  growing  scarcity  and  enormous  advances  in  the  prices 
of  some  of  the  most  important  medicaments,  the  national  authorities 
have  not  made  any  survey  of  the  needs  of  the  nation  for  medicines 
nor  of  the  available  supplies  in  the  country.  Surveys  of  fuel,  foods, 
metals,  certain  chemical  products  and  agricultural  needs,  etc.,  have 
from  time  to  time  been  made.  The  schedule  of  food  products  ac- 
companying the  queries  submitted  to  dealers  in  these  commodities 
covered  more  than  100  different  foods  and  presumably  the  infor- 
mation gained  was,  at  least  in  part,  the  basis  for  the  food  conserva- 
tion promulgations. 
That  a  real  shortage  in  many  drugs  already  exists  is  apparent 
and  this  is  prone  to  become  more  pronounced  as  the  war  continues. 
Competent  members  of  the  drug  trade  should  be  empowered  at 
once  to  make  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  medicinal  needs  of  the 
nation,  the  supplies  in  hand  and  to  advise  the  administration  as  to 
the  best  methods  of  conserving  supplies  and  obtaining  additional  or 
what  alternatives  may  be  possible  for  some  articles  that  may  be  no 
longer  procurable. 
Following  the  example  of  the  English  pharmacists,  several  com- 
