72 
Editorial. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I    February,  1920. 
protecting  against  fraud  and  the  punishment  of  violations  without 
the  need  for  unnecessary  exhibitions  of  bureaucratic  authority. 
Congress  in  each  of  its  conservation  and  prohibition  enactments 
and  Hkewise  in  the  wording  of  the  Eighteenth  Amendment,  rec- 
ognized the  need  for  distilled  spirits  and  wines  for  medicinal  purposes 
and  exempted  such  and  made  special  provisions  for  a  less  tax  thereon 
as  being  used  for  non-beverage  purpose.  It  is  inconceivable  that, 
in  the  light  of  such  action  and  in  this  enlightened  country,  restric- 
tions such  as  this  law  and  the  regulations  provide  should  hamper  the 
legitimate  practices  of  medicine  and  pharmacy. 
The  procuring  of  the  necessary  supplies  of  alcohol  by  the  phar- 
macist must  at  timesprove  a  hardship  and  may  even  imperil  the  lives 
of  many  people.  Before  his  order  for  this  essential  ingredient  in 
many  of  his  preparations  can  be  filled,  he  must  make  application 
in  triplicate  and  an  additional  copy  must  be  made  of  the  application 
for  each  carrier  through  whose  hands  the  shipment  must  pass  and 
after  he  has  made  affidavit  thereto  and  obtained  the  approval  of 
the  prohibition  director  of  his  district  he  may  send  these  with  his 
order  to  the  vendor.  If  the  pharmacist  is  situated  in  the  same  city 
as  the  prohibition  district  officer  or  in  a  nearby  city  such  a  procedure 
may  not  entail  any  great  delay.  If,  however,  his  business  is  located 
in  a  community  some  distance  away  from  the  office  of  the  district 
prohibition  officer,  several  days  may  elapse  before  his  application 
can  be  honored  and  reach  the  source  of  his  supply.  In  the  event  of 
an  epidemic,  such  as  the  recent  experiences  with  influenza,  he  may 
find  his  stock  of  necessary  medicines  exhausted  and  the  immediate 
renewal  impossible  because  of  the  delay  in  securing  supplies  of  al- 
cohol. 
As  we  have  studied  the  recent  laws  and  the  regulations  of  the 
Federal  Departments  we  have  been  compelled  at  times,  against  our 
will,  to  criticise  the  lack  of  knowledge  of  fundamental  facts  and  the 
inconsistencies  and  incongruities  that  have  been  incorporated  therein. 
The  Volstead  Act  and  ''Regulations  60"  are  no  exceptions  and  contain 
much  that  is  false,  inconsistent  and  subject  to  criticism. 
A  great  need  of  the  time  is  that  Congress  in  the  framing  of  enact- 
ments should  accept  the  advice  of  reliable,  experienced  manufac- 
turers, business  men  and  the  professions  concerned  in  the  legislation 
rather  than  the  baseless  opinion  and  guidance  of  fanatics  and  radicals 
and  their  hired  propagandists.  Many  recent  enactments  and  de- 
partmental regulations  contain  statements  that  are  not  in  accord 
