694 
EdHorial. 
{ Am.  Jour.  Pharro. 
October,  1920. 
allied  with  each  of  these  professions  and  coordinating  with  both  in 
their  respective  spheres.  It  performs  a  distinct  duty  to  the  public 
and  must  be  accorded  recognition  as  a  separate  vocation  with  its 
own  problems  peculiar  to  its  field  of  service.  We  cannot  expect 
that  the  leader  in  medicine  shall  understand  or  that  he  will  be 
especially  concerned  with  the  specific  problems  of  pharmacy  nor  can 
we  expect  the  chemist  to  have  the  viewpoint  of  the  pharmacist. 
//  would  be  very  unfortunate  to  all  interests  concerned  to  have  pharma- 
ceutical research  controlled  by  others  than  pharmacists.  The  propositions 
for  pharmaceutic  research  that  have  heretofore  emanated  from 
these  outside  sources  have  but  served  to  demonstrate  the  insufficiency 
of  the  view  and  the  failure  to  comprehend  the  extensive  fields  await- 
ing organized  pharmaceutical  research.  The  plan  of  one  of  the  pro- 
posed pharmaceutic  research  funds  was  limited  to  investigations  of  the 
pharmacologic  actions  of  new  synthetic  chemicals  for  which  thera- 
peutic claims  are  made. 
Any  plan  for  pharmaceutical  research  that  will  have  the  hope 
of  success  must  be  a  comprehensive  scheme  outlined  by  pharmacists 
who  have  a  broad  conception  of  the  possibilities  and  a  vision  that 
will  embrace  every  branch  of  pharmaceutical  activity  and  co- 
ordinate the  contemplated  investigations  with  those  of  allied  pro- 
fessions and  industries.  The  acceptance  of  any  other  than  a  distinct 
and  individual  plan  of  research  for  pharmacy  controlled  and  managed 
by  pharmacists,  must  prove  futile  and  wasteful  of  funds,  time  and 
energy.  Pharmacy  must  energetically  work  out  its  own  solution 
of  the  research  question  and  incidentally  its  own  destiny  as  the 
scientific  progress  and  professional  status  of  our  vocation  will  depend 
in  a  large  measure  upon  the  manner  in  which  this  is  done.  In  Eng- 
land as  well  as  in  the  United  States  the  importance  of  research  is 
being  recognized  and  there  appears  to  be  a  growing  sentiment  that 
the  pharmaceutical  and  drug  trade  organizations  must  form  their 
own  research  association.  Current  literature  amply  demonstrates 
the  need  and  the  pages  of  the  American  JournaIv  of  Pharmacy 
alone  furnish  numerous  problems  that  call  for  further  scientific  in- 
vestigation. G.  M.  B. 
