450  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.     { AseptS'e?fiam' 
<(  Professor  Wm.  Procter's  Prescription  File,  1 847-1848,"  by  H.  M. 
Whelpley;  "  Death  and  Dr.  Hornbrook,"  and  "  Justus  von  Liebig," 
by  Ed.  Kremers ;  "  Early  Pharmacy  in  New  France,"  by  Ed. 
Kremers  and  Helen  Sherman. 
Section  on  Commercial  Interests. 
The  meeting  of  the  section  on  Commercial  Interests  was  held  on 
Tuesday  afternoon  with  Thomas  V.  Wooten,  the  chairman,  in  the 
chair.  The  address  of  the  chairman  was  read,  and  gave  rise  to  an 
interesting  discussion.  The  paragraphs  of  Mr.  Wooten's  address 
that  occasioned  considerable  comment  were : 
"  Recognition  of  the  necessity  of  doing  a  larger  volume  of  busi- 
ness has  induced  some  pharmacists  to  deliberately  take  up  price 
cutting  as  a  means  of  accomplishing  the  desired  object.  It  is  not  to 
be  denied  that  in  those  rare  instances  where  the  cutter's  methods  are 
not  immediately  adopted  by  his  druggist-neighbors  (who  generally 
outdo  him  in  giving  away  profits),  this  plan  succeeds  for  the  indi- 
vidual druggist  who  inaugurates  it.  But  is  not  this  success  gained 
at  ruinous  cost  to  the  great  body  of  those  engaged  in  our  calling, 
and  is  that  true  success  which  consigns  our  brother  craftsmen  (as 
deserving  of  success  as  we)  to  partial  if  not  complete  failure  in  order 
that  we  may  profit  thereby?  It  ought  to  be  laid  upon  the  conscience 
of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  to  condemn  the  prac- 
tice of  demoralizing  prices,  when  this  is  done  for  the  specific  purpose 
of  gaining  an  advantage  over  one's  fellow  pharmacists,  as  utterly 
wrong  in  principle  and  wholly  subversive  of  the  association  spirit." 
"  In  studying  the  subject  of  the  Association's  duty  to  commercial 
pharmacy,  I  have  been  struck  with  the  richness  of  this  field  of  use- 
fulness, as  well  as  the  fewness  of  those  engaged  in  converting  the  rich 
ore  of  opportunity  into  the  coin  of  common  advantage.  What  we 
need — what  we  must  have  if  the  A.  Ph.  A.  means  to  fulfill  its  whole 
mission — is  a  greater  number  of  workers  in  this  field — unselfish  men 
willing  to  devote  their  time  and  talents  that  the  welfare  of  all  may 
be  advanced.  To  this  end  pains  should  be  taken  to  publish  near  and 
far,  by  means  of  facts,  not  words  alone,  that  the  Association  is  not 
more  interested  in  the  work  of  any  other  section  than  in  that  of  the 
section  on  Commercial  Interests,  and  that  it  earnestly  desires  to  make, 
and  intends  to  make,  this  section  serve  to  the  fullest  extent  possible 
the  interests  of  every  retail  pharmacist  in  America." 
