THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
JANUARY,  1903. 
THE  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 
FOR  THE  UNIFICATION  OF  THE  FORMULAE  OF 
POTENT  MEDICAMENTS. 
(HELD  AT  BRUSSELS,  SEPTEMBER   1 5 -20,  1902.) 
By  Frederick  B.  Power. 
A  comparatively  short  period  of  time  has  elapsed  since  Dr. 
Frederick  Hoffmann,  of  Berlin,  contributed  to  this  Journal  (July-Sep- 
tember, 1 901)  a  very  complete  and  interesting  series  of  papers,  en- 
titled, "  The  International  Pharmaceutical  Congresses,"  which  afford 
a  comprehensive  history  of  these  organizations  from  the  time  of  their 
inception — at  the  meeting  of  a  French  pharmaceutical  society  held 
at  Strasburg,  in  1864 — to  the  Congress  at  Paris  in  1900,  which  was 
the  ninth  of  those  inaugurated  during  the  intervening  years.  In  his 
presentation  of  the  subject,  Dr.  Hoffmann  has  reviewed  in  a  thor- 
ough and  systematic  manner  the  motives  and  guiding  principles  of 
these  congresses  and  the  scope  of  their  deliberations.  He  has  also 
clearly  shown  that,  as  hitherto  constituted,  they  had  failed  to 
accomplish  the  purpose  intended,  and  had  been  unproductive  of 
any  very  definite  or  substantial  results.1 
In  view  of  these  facts,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  as  supplementary 
to  the  above-mentioned  papers,  it  has  seemed  desirable  that  a  some- 
what complete  account  should  be  recorded  of  the  Conference 
1  Compare  also  the  report  of  Professor  Remington  on  the  International 
Pharmaceutical  Congress  held  at  Brussels  in  1897  (Proc.  Amer.  Phar.  Assoc., 
1898,  pp.  103- [08. ) 
[Editor's  Note. — A  group  photograph  of  the  delegates  to  the  International 
Conference  was  made  to  accompany  this  article,  but  the  copies  were  delayed 
en  route  from  England,  and  will  be  inserted  in  a  later  issue.] 
(1) 
