AVehVl;m^M'}  Granulated  Effervescing  Vichy  Salt  59 
undermining  the  general  health,  no  doubt  in  many  cases  where  there 
was  a  strong  predisposition,  with  irritation  already  existing  on  the 
lungs,  it  awoke  this  predisposition  into  activity  and  developed  the 
<lisease." 
Men  may  thus  traffic  in  human  life,  rear  temples  of  human  blood, 
and  grow  rich  on  the  wages  of  human  deception ;  but,  as  sure  as 
there  is  justice  in  Heaven,  so  sure  will  Divine  retribution  overtake 
those  legalized  murderers. 
I  would,  however,  be  doing  a  great  injustice  to  a  very  large  portion 
of  educated  pharmacists  to  intimate  that  they  entertained  any  sym- 
pathy for  this  nefarious  business.  They  recognize  the  evil,  deplore 
it,  and  find  the  remedy  beyond  their  reach.  Circumstances  compel 
them  to  violate  their  strict  sense  of  right — circumstances  they  cannot 
escape  without  yielding  the  business  to  men  void  of  principle,  who, 
incompetent  for  the  duties  of  legitimate  trade,  would  become  the 
ready  aiders  and  abettors  of  quacks.  Then,  however  wrong  in  the 
abstract  the  selling  of  patent  medicines  may  appear,  there  are  but 
few  druggists  so  situated  as  to  be  able  to  exclude  them  from  their 
business.  "  What  cannot  be  remedied  must  be  endured,"  but  it 
nevertheless  is  the  duty  to  discourage,  as  far  as  possible,  the  use  of 
patent  medicines  and  proprietary  formulas.  Proper  State  legislation 
would  greatly  modify  the  evil,  and  this  remedy  is  badly  needed.  The 
correct  formula  for  each  should  be  furnished,  and  a  competent  board 
appointed  to  determine  its  merit,  with  authority  to  exclude  all  pos- 
sessed of  objectionable  constituents,  or  liable  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances to  do  harm.  Let  us  have  such  legislation.  No  legal  enact- 
ment is  worse  needed — none  could  do  more  good. 
Hoping  that  this  subject  may  receive  the  attention  due  it  from  the 
pharmacist  and  physician,  I  will  not  dwell  longer  on  this  disagree- 
able subject. 
GRANULATED  EFFERVESCING  VICHY  SALT. 
By  Chas.  L.  Mitchell. 
For  the  past  few  years  the  attention  of  pharmacists  has  been  drawn 
to  a  class  of  preparations  known  by  the  name  of  Gran.  Eff.  Powders. 
They  are  principally  of  English  manufacture,  although  some  few  are 
made  in  this  country,  and  are  intended  to  be  used  as  substitutes  for 
the  mineral  waters  so  much  in  vogue,  and  to  possess  the  advantages  of 
small  bulk  and  stability.    The  Gran.  Eff.  Vichy  Salt,  or  Vichy  Pow- 
