Am,  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
•Sept.,  1884.  j 
Editorials. 
493 
EDITORIAL  DEPARTMENT. 
Opposition  to  the  Philadelphia  Pharmacy  Law.— Some  years  ago 
a  violent  but  unsuccessful  onslaught  was  made  by  certain  individuals  against 
the  pharmacy  law  of  1872,  the  principal  feature  being  the  bold  assertion — 
without  proof— that  the  law  was  gotten  up  for  the  sole  benefit  of  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy  ;  the  circular  that  was  then  issued,  was  last 
year  used  by  the  same  anonymous  parties,  to  help  defeat  the  State  Phar- 
macy Bill  then  pending  before  the  Legislature.  At  the  present  time  a 
circular  without  any  signature  is  being  distributed,  which  is  exceedingly 
solicitous  about  the  welfare  of  College,  in  expressing  the  fear  that  this 
institution  would  be  injured  by  the  continued  enforcement  of  the  law  in 
question.  Now  which  of  the  two  great  unknown  is  correct  in  his  asser- 
tions ?  It  is  not  worth  the  while  to  follow  and  refute  the  crude  statements 
advanced,  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  battling  against  the  so-called 
"  cutters,"  it  should  be  said  that  these  individuals  have  sprung  up  "  under 
the  incubus  of  the  pharmacy  law,"— how?  the  circular  unfortunately  omits 
to  state.  If  as  the  unknown  individual  states,  the  pharmacy  law  is  uncon- 
stitutional, the  easiest  way  to  get  rid  of  it  would  be  to  contest  it  before  the 
courts,  which,  however,  was  to  some  extent,  unsuccessfully  tried  about  ten 
years  ago. 
It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  present  circular  has  been  written  rather  in 
opposition  to  the  new  Pharmacy  Board,  than  to  the  law ;  but  as  long  as  the 
Board,  which  consists  of  Messrs.  J.  J.  Ottinger,  J.  L.  Supplee,  H.  P.  John, 
J.  F.  Hays,  Secretary,  and  Dr.  L.  Wolff,  President,  continue  to  enforce  the 
law  according  to  its  letter  and  its  intentions,  we  presume  it  must  be  con- 
sidered far  easier  to  repeal  the  law,  than  to  overthrow  the  legal  status  of 
the  Board,  which  will  probably  sooner  or  later  be  superseded  by  a  State 
Board  of  Pharmacy. 
Poisons  in  Medicines.— A  curious  case  of  poisoning,  resulting  in  the 
death  of  one  person  and  the  narrow  escape  of  four  others,  occurred  in 
Philadelphia,  August  1,  merely  as  the  result  of  "  a  good  joke."  A  box  con- 
taining about  50  or  60  granules  of  strychnine,  ^  grain  each,  was  passed 
around  at  the  supper  table  each  one  of  the  five  persons  taking  according  to 
their  foolhardy  fancy,  with  the  result  stated.  It  appears  that  a  physician 
had  prescribed  these  granules  for  a  former  boarder,  who  on  removing,  left 
the  box  behind  with  what  remained  of  the  one  hundred  granules  originally 
prescribed.  The  box  was  properly  labeled,  though  the  word  poison  did  not 
appear  on  the  lid. 
We  do  not  regard  it  as  judicious  to  prescribe  large  quantities  of  deadly 
poisons;  even  in  case  they  have  to  be  used  for  a  certain  period,  it  would 
certainly  be  better  to  renew  the  medicine  frequently  in  small  quantities 
than  to  run  the  risk  of  accident  or  as  in  this  case,  of  senseless  rashness  or 
practical  joking,  which  is  possible,  in  case  the  dangerous  medicine  be  pleas- 
ant in  taste  and  of  in  viting  appearance,  or  even  harmless  looking  like  sugar 
granules. 
