Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
October,  1899. 
}    American  PJiarmaceutical  Association.  493 
science  and  profession  as  it  is  a  commercial  calling,  and  its  advance  always  has 
been  and  always  must  be  in  the  channels  of  scientific  research." 
The  remaining  portion  of  the  President's  address  was  devoted  to  the  consid- 
eration of  the  work  of  the  Association  through  its  various  sections  and  officers. 
Referring  to  the  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures,  he  said:  "Feeling 
confident  that  it  is  in  the  direction  of  advancement  and  progress  to  have  a  uni- 
form system  of  weights  and  measures  all  over  the  civilized  world,  and  believ- 
ing that  no  other  system  equals  the  metric  system  in  simplicity  and  practical 
value,  I  advise  the  continued  efforts  of  this  Association  to  have  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  adopt  it  as  the  official  system  of  weights  and  measures  of 
the  country.  The  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  has  long  since  adopted  it,  and  it  would 
hence  not  be  a  radical  departure  to  have  the  system  generally  adopted  ;  cer- 
tainly not  as  far  as  the  pharmacist  is  concerned.  In  order  that  this  suggestion 
may  bear  direct  fruit,  I  would  urge  that  our  Committee  on  Weights  and  Measures, 
which,  I  think,  embraces  a  member  from  each  State  of  the  United  States  where 
we  have  membership,  make  a  determined  effort  at  the  next  session  of  Con- 
gress, by  either  appearing  before  them  in  a  body  or  by  a  central  committee  as 
large  and  influential  as  possible,  and  again  present  before  the  Committee  on 
Weights  and  Measures  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  of  the  Senate  and 
urge  the  necessity  of  making  a  move  in  this  direction  at  this  favorable  oppor- 
tunity— the  beginning  of  a  new  centur}^. 
"  The  change  will  surely  come  about  sooner  or  later,  and  we,  being  among  the 
principal  users  of  weights  and  measures,  should  certainly  be  active  in  its  ac- 
complishment, especially  as  our  Association  is  and  has  been  practically  a  unit 
in  favor  of  its  adoption. 
"At  the  last  annual  meeting  a  resolution  relative  to  the  introduction  of  the 
metric  system  in  medical  schools  was  adopted,  and  the  General  Secretary  was 
instructed  to  forward  a  copy  of  the  resolution  and  the  committee  report  to  the 
various  medical  colleges.  In  November  last  the  Secretary  sent  copies,  as  di- 
rected, to  235  medical  schools,  but  replies  from  only  four  have  come  to  hand, 
namely,  the  Woman's  Medical  College  of  New  York,  the  Yale  University  Medi- 
cal School,  the  Missouri  Medical  College  and  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medi- 
cine. Of  these  only  the  last-named  was  enthusiastic  in  tone,  and  promised  to 
bring  the  matter  up  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Association  of  American  Col- 
leges." 
The  President's  address  was  referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of  Messrs. 
Henry  M.  Whitney,  of  Massachusetts  ;  John  F.  Patton,  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
Prof.  Edward  Kremers,  of  Wisconsin. 
Professor  Good  then  reported  the  names  of  the  delegates  in  attendance. 
Recess  was  then  taken  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  members  of  the  Nominat- 
ing Committee  for  officers  for  the  ensuing  year. 
The  general  session  on  Tuesday  morning  was  devoted  mainly  to  the  reading 
of  the  reports  of  officers  and  committees.  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Kennedy,  in  the  report 
of  the  Committee  on  Membership,  stated  that  the  number  of  active  members 
of  the  Association  was  1,306  ;  number  elected  during  the  past  year,  85  ;  the 
number  lost  during  the  past  year  from  one  cause  or  another,  161,  thus  making 
the  total  membership  at  the  present  time  1,323,  of  whom  1,220  are  active,  91  life 
and  12  honorary  members.  In  the  report  Mr.  Kennedy  also  referred  to  his  clos- 
ing twenty-five  years  of  service  as  Secretary  of  the  Council  and  of  the  Committee 
