6oo 
Reviews. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\   December,  1899. 
duce  such  of  the  newer  remedies  as  fulfil  certain  conditions."  It  must  be 
admitted  by  all  who  are  cognizant  of  the  progress  in  medicine  during  this  cen- 
tury that  some  of  our  commonest  vegetable  drugs  are  recognized  to  be  of 
greater  value  to-day  than  ever  before  ;  and  that,  while  some  newer  plants  have 
been  introduced,  the  development  of  synthetic  chemistry  has  given  us  a 
host  of  remedies,  some  of  which  are  of  exceedingly  great  medicinal  import- 
ance, and  apparently  are  deserving  of  pharmacopceial  recognition. 
In  the  third  recommendation  the  Committee  is  "  instructed  to  extend  the 
principle  of  standardization  to  as  many  of  the  potent  drugs  and  preparations 
made  from  them  as  may  be  found  possible,  but  that  no  physiological  tests  be 
introduced  at  the  next  Revision."  Ten  3^ears  ago  the  subject  of  chemical 
standardization  was  being  considered  to  some  extent.  The  researches  of  a 
large  number  of  investigators  since  that  time  have  shown  that  concordant  results 
may  be  obtained  in  the  examination  of  certain  drugs  from  the  employment  of 
similar  methods  of  procedure,  etc.  We  believe  that  the  time  is  ripe  for  ex- 
tending the  principle  of  chemical  standardization  to  other  potent  drugs 
than  those  recognized  in  the  U.S. P.  of  1890.  In  regard  to  the  matter 
of  standardization  by  any  other  than  chemical  methods,  it  would  seem  that 
the  time  is  hardly  ripe  for  such  action.  It  is  well  for  us  to  bear  in  mind,  in 
the  consideration  of  this  matter  of  standardization,  as  well  as  other  problems, 
that  the  National  Convention  and  Committee  on  Revision  are  to  consider 
that  the  research  and  practice  of  to-day  is  always  a  step  in  advance  of  the 
knowledge  that  is  accepted.  There  always  must  be  the  experimental  or 
"  scouting  "  party  in  search  for  new  truths,  and  these  are  the  results  that  are 
apt  to  be  upon  every  tongue,  and  in  every  office  and  shop,  and  ofttimes  upper- 
most in  the  minds  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  daily  practice  of  the  professions. 
But  these  things  with  their  reports  neither  represent  truth  nor  definite  knowl- 
edge, nor  anything  that  is  certain  and  ought  to  be  made  pharmacopceial.  This 
distinction  can  only  be  given  these  reports  when  this  knowledge  has  been 
shaped  into  something  definite  and  certain,  and  has  been  repeatedly  confirmed 
by  others. 
While,  therefore,  we  cannot  expect  the  Pharmacopoeia  at  present  to  be  a 
popular  book  in  one  sense,  it  is  difficult  to  say  what  the  next  ten  years  will  develop. 
We  are  making  remarkable  progress  in  this  country  in  educational  work  in  both 
pharmacy  and  medicine,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  Convention  must  act  on  these 
problems,  so  ably  presented  by  Dr.  Charles  Rice,  with  more  than  usual  wisdom 
and  foresight,  conservatism  and  liberality,  in  the  interests  of  the  professions,  as 
well  as  arts  of  medicine  and  pharmacy. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
In dex  Catalogue  of  the  Library  of  the  Surgeon-Generae's  Office, 
UNITED  States  Army.  Authors  and  subjects.  Second  series,  Vol.  IV.  D — 
Emulsions.    Washington  :  Government  Printing  Office. 
This  is  the  fourth  volume  of  the  second  series  of  the  Index-Catalogue  of  the 
Library  of  the  Surgeon-General,  and  includes  9.628  author-titles,  8,829  subject- 
titles  of  separate  books  and  pamphlets,  and  28,-516  titles  of  articles  in  periodicals. 
Proceedings  of  the  Indiana  Academy  ok  Science,  1898.  Editor, 
George  VV.  Benton. 
