THE  AMEEICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
GLYCERIN  IN  MEDICINES. 
Dr.  Franklin  Martin,  member  of  the  advisory  commission  and 
chairman  of  the  general  medical  board  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense,  issues  the  following  statement : 
During  the  past  several  weeks  there  has  been  considerable  discussion 
throughout  medical  and  pharmaceutical  circles  relative  to  the  conservation  of 
alcohol,  glycerin,  and  sugar  as  applied  to  medicinal  products. 
Governmental  and  other  authorities  interested,  realizing  that  careful  con- 
sideration should  be  given  the  subject,  recently  met  and  debated  the  advis- 
ability and  necessity  of  conservation  measures  from  the  standpoint  of  medical 
needs.  In  view  of  the  importance  of  alcohol,  sugar,  and  glycerin  in  the  manu- 
facture of  pharmaceutical  preparations  and  of  the  limited  possibilities  for  the 
conservation  of  alcohol  and  sugar  therein,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  refrain 
at  this  time  from  recommending  conservation  of  sugar  and  alcohol  in  so  far 
as  their  use  in  pharmaceutical  preparations  is  concerned. 
The  amount  of  glycerin  used  in  medicine  when  compared  to  the  avail- 
able supply  was  found  to  be  relatively  large,  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  investigate  formulas,  manufacturing  processes,  etc.,  requiring  glycerine  and 
to  submit  plans  for  the  curtailment  of  the  quantity  now  used  in  case  future 
developments  should  make  it  necessary  to  adopt  conservation  measures  in 
relation  to  medicines. 
Economy  in  the  use  of  such  expensive  solvents  as  alcohol  and 
glycerin  must  at  all  times  claim  the  attention  of  pharmacists.  Under 
the  war  conditions  now  confronting  us,  conservation  becomes  a 
patriotic  duty  as  well  as  a  national  obligation.  Medicines,  how- 
ever, and  especially  the  standard  legal  formulas  of  the  Pharmacopoeia 
and  the  National  Formulary,  should  be  the  very  last  products  call- 
ing for  changes  and  only  under  the  most  exacting  conditions  should 
legal  standards  be  diminished. 
