june,-^?95b.^^^'''"' }  Revision  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.  385 
agents  has  once  been  clearly  outlined,  it  should  be  the  province 
and  privilege  of  the  pharmacists  and  chemists  to  decide  upon  such 
additions  and  inclusions  of  materials  used  as  ingredients  as  will 
make  it  possible  and  practicable  to  prepare  the  medicine  of  proper 
uniformity,  quality  and  potency.  These  are  the  basic  and  funda- 
mental prerogatives,  and  a  workable  plan  should  be  devised  to 
maintain  their  integrity. 
The  work  of  making  a  pharmacopoeia  is  big  enougn  and  im- 
portant enough  to  enlist  the  constructive  effort  of  every  worker, 
be  he  physician,  pharmacist  or  chemist,  and  by  having  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  respective  responsibilities  and  duties  and  an  intelU- 
gent  allotment  of  the  details  of  the  work  much  lost  motion  may  be 
saved  and  a  unanimity  of  eJffort  developed  which  will  not  only 
expedite  the  progress  of  the  work,  but  will  develop  a  common  in- 
terest of  thought  and  action  between  physicians,  pharmacists  and 
chemists  who  are  co-laborers  in  the  important  field  of  work  which 
has  for  its  ultimate  object  the  alleviation  of  human  suffering  and 
the  prevention  and  cure  of  disease. 
In  the  early  part  of  191 6,  the  preliminary  work  of  revision  was 
practically  finished.  The  manuscript  was  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  printer  and  the  great  task  of  editing,  proof  reading  and  finally 
correcting  the  copy,  proceeded  rapidly  to  completion.  Galley  proofs 
were  sent  to  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  and  page 
proofs  to  all  members  of  the  General  Committee  of  Revision,  the 
majority  of  whom  co-operated  splendidly  in  this  important  labor. 
Comments  and  corrections  were  systematically  compiled  by  the 
General  Chairman  and  carefully  considered  in  preparing  the  final 
page  proof.  Foundry  proofs  were  sent  only  to  the  General  Chair- 
man. The  work  was  at  last  completed  in  the  summer  of  1916 
and  the  time  of  making  the  U.  S.  P.  IX  official  was  fixed  for  Sep- 
tember ist  of  that  year. 
It  has  been  stated  and  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  insufficient 
time  was  given  from  the  time  when  the  books  were  actually  avail- 
able in  the  furthermost  parts  of  the  great  geographic  territory  to 
which  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  applies  and  the  date  when 
the  work  became  official.  Six  months  is  not  too  long  a  time  for  the 
interests  involved  to  make  the  necessary  changes  in  labels  and  stocks 
and  to  minimize  the  confusion  always  attendant  upon  such  a  period 
of  change.  The  Convention  should  adopt  a  definite  resolution  upon 
this  point. 
