THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
JUNE,  1896. 
THE  PHARMACOPCEIAL  STANDARD.1  — 
By  J.  U.  IvI,oyd. 
In  introducing  this  subject,  I  realize  that  I  am  stepping  on  rather 
dangerous  ground,  because  whoever  presumes  to  touch  upon  the 
matter  in  a  spirit  of  a  somewhat  adverse  criticism,  is  sure  to  be 
severely  scolded,  and,  as  I  admit,  for  good  reasons. 
Experts  have  given  their  time  freely  to  the  construction  of  that 
monumental  work,  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  and  as  a  result,  stand- 
ards of  unexceptional  value  were  established.  It  seems  evident  that 
the  aim  was  to  make  the  work  as  precise  and  thorough  as  possible, 
and  this  herculean  task  was  indeed  performed  to  the  credit  of  the 
committee  and  the  admiration  of  the  pharmaceutical  world  at  large. 
It  might,  therefore,  had  not  new  questions  been  interjected,  be  con- 
sidered as  insisting  on  a  backward  course,  if  the  feasibility  of  main- 
taining the  pharmacopoeial  standard  is  questioned.  Still,  in  my 
surroundings  at  least,  conditions  have  arisen  which  have  developed 
the  curious  fact  that  the  very  precision  and  thoroughness  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia  may  furnish  a  source  of  hardship  to  those  whom  it 
was  intended  to  aid,  on  account  of  its  being  looked  upon  as  the 
legal  code  by  persons  who  are  appointed  to  enforce  laws  regulating 
the  purity  of  drugs.  In  my  opinion,  a  vital  oversight  was,  there- 
fore made,  in  not  qualifying  a  large  number  of  these  exacting 
descriptions,  which  in  many  cases,  as  I  see  the  matter  now,  were 
from  one  side  too  precise  and  in  others  were  applicable  only  to  pre- 
parations at  one  point  of  their  existence  and  at  no  other.  Hence, 
1  Thanks  are  hereby  extended  to  Dr.  Sigmond  Waldbott  for  detail  assistance. 
J.  U.  Iv. 
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