Am.  JoCR.  Ph  vkm.  j 
July  1.  187:].  J 
Editorial. 
which  we  believe  were  not  heeded  by  the  majority  of  those  physicians  who  are 
given  to  that  censurable  habit. 
It  has  often  been  stated  by  pharmacists  that  the  large  majority  of  fluid  ex- 
tracts in  the  market  are  not  nearly  up  to  the  strength  required  by  the  Pharma- 
copoeia ;  yet  some  physicians  will  insist  that  A  or  B's  fluid  extract  be  used  for 
his  prescriptions,  while  others  prefer  0  aud  D's  make,  thus  frequently  compel- 
ling the  pharmacist  to  keep  on  hand  five  or  six  different  products  bearing  the 
same  name.  Commercial  sugar  coated  pills  are  often  of  the  same  stamp.  We 
have  seen  so-called  three-  grain  qninia  pills  which  after  the  removal  of  the  sugar- 
weighed  only  two  grains,  a  difference  which  cannot  be  accounted  for  by  the 
loss  of  the  water  of  crystallization.  We  have  known  so-called  five-grain  Do- 
ver's powder  pills  weigh  barely  five  grains  with  the  sugar  covering.  The  unre- 
liability and  variation  of  the  alcoholic  beverages  yclept  elixirs  is  such  as  to 
have  forced  several  societies  to  adopt  special  formulas  for  their  guidance,  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  the  countless  trash  that  may  be  found  in  the  market,  and  to 
offer  to  physicians  preparations  of  a  definite  strength. 
We  are  aware  that  physicians  are  not  alone  to  blame,  nor  do  we  mean  to  in- 
clude all  physicians  in  this  category.  When  we  heard  a  pharmacist  say  that, 
he  bought  tinctures  for  less  than  he  could  make  them,  we  told  him  frankly  that 
we  would  not  trust  him  in  pharmaceutical  matters.  The  aim  of  pharmaceuti- 
cal researches  in  this  country  has  been  to  simplify  the  processes,  so  that  even 
a  moderate  amount  of  skill  may  succeed  in  making  the  galenical  preparations 
as  uniform  in  strength  as  possible,  and  to  leave  no  excuse  to  pharmacists  for 
purchasing,  and  to  physicians  for  prescribing,  a  favorite  manufacturer's  prod- 
ucts. There  is  no  reason  why  every  pharmacist  should  not.  as  many  do,  make 
all  those  preparations  of  the  quality  of  which  they  cannot  readily  assure  them- 
selves, and  there  are  many  reasons  why  all  physicians  should  prescribe  them  as 
made  by  the  officinal  processes  by  the  dispensing  pharmacists  themselves. 
Our  contemporary  we  trust  wiil  aid  us  in  arriving  at  such  a  happy  result, 
consisting  in  a  strict  uniformity  of  all  officinal  preparations,  which  may  be 
somewhat  modified  only  by  the  relative  skill  of  the  operator. 
Botanical  Gardens  have  frequently  been  alluded  to  in  this  journal,  and 
their  importance  to  the  pharmaceutical  student  has  often  been  pointed  out. 
We  take  pleasure,  therefore,  in  stating  that  the  city  of  Baltimore  appears  to  be 
in  a  fair  way  of  adding  one  to  the  number  already  established  in  various  sec- 
tions of  the  globe.  About  three  years  ago  a  movement  was  made  by  several 
wealthy  citizens  to  build  a  conservatory  in  Druid  hill  park.  Owing  to  the  ill 
health  of  M r.  Bartlett,  who  appears  to  have  been  particularly  active  for  the 
furtherance  of  this  enterprise,  it  was  suspended  until  by  the  united  action  of 
the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy  and  the  Maryland  Academy  of  .Sciences 
the  project  was  revived,  and  an  offer  of  sixty  acres  of  ground  made  by  the  Park 
Commissioners,  if  the  required  sum.  estimated  at  $50,000,  could  be  secured. 
The  offer  has  been  accepted  ;  in  a  short  time  $25,000  have  been  raised  by  sub- 
scription, and  plans  and  estimates  for  the  necessary  buildings  have  already 
been  ordered,  while  it  was  agreed  to  place  the  scientific  control  in  the  hands  of 
the  Academy  of  Sciences. 
