Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
April,  1911.  / 
Medicated  Gauzes. 
ing  with  273  Gm.  of  gauze  and  a  formula  based  upon  10  parts  in 
100  of  finished  product,  30.33  parts  of  medicament  would  be  re- 
quired. With  the  proposed  method  of  27.3  parts  would  be  required, 
an  amount  easily  and  evenly  calculated  and.  weighed.  Furthermore, 
if  analytical  methods  are  to  be  applied,  it  is  much  easier  to  remove 
the  added  material  and  figure  upon  a  "fixed  remainder  than  upon 
an  uncertain  total  weight.  In  the  German  "  Erganzungsbuch  "  a 
formula  is  given  which  calls  for  no  parts  of  iodoform  to  1000 
parts  of  gauze.  There  has,  apparently,  been  an  attempt  to  har- 
monize the  two  methods  by  the  addition  of  an  extra  10  parts  in  the 
amount  of  iodoform  directed,  apparently,  in  order  to  make  the 
finished  product  exactly  10  per  cent.  This  is,  of  course,  not  the 
result.  We  often  see  the  kitten  chasing  his  tail.  But  scientific 
authority  rarely  gives  us  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  a  similar 
endeavor  upon  its  part. 
A  few  formulas  for  gauzes  were  given  in  a  previous  edition  of 
the  National  Formulary,  but  were  omitted  in  the  last  revision,  prob- 
ably because,  as  there  directed,  they  could  not  be  satisfactorily  pre- 
pared by  the  pharmacist.  Then,  too,  they  were  not  of  the  character 
demanded  by  modern  practice.  The  writer  believes  that  some  of 
the  submitted  formulas  might  be  admitted  into  that  work  with 
advantage.  It  has  been  argued  again  and  again  that  official  recog- 
nition would  be  a  mistake,  because  the  pharmacist  lacks  the  facili- 
ties, and  it  has  been  hinted  that  he  has  not  the  intelligence  and 
training  necessary  for  the  careful  preparation  of  surgical  dressings. 
These  arguments,  to  say  the  least,  are  not  very  complimentary  to 
the  ingenuity  and  ability  of  the  American  pharmacist,  especially  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  his  brethren  in  Germany,  Austria,  Switzer- 
land, Belgium,  the  Netherlands  and  Italy,  prepare  such  products 
from  formulas  in  their  respective  pharmacopoeias. 
