Am.  Jour.  Pnarm. ) 
September,  1906.  J 
Criticisms  of  the  US. P. 
407 
APPROXIMATE  MEASURES  OBJECTED  TO. 
A  point  of  doubtful  propriety  is  the  sanctioning  of  the  use  of  the 
teaspoonful,  dessertspoonful  and  tablespoonful  as  I,  2  and  4  fluid 
drachms  and  4  c.c,  8  c.c.  and  16  c.c.  respectively.  Though  com- 
monly used,  the  remarkable  inequality  in  the  size  of  these  con- 
tainers is  too  well  known  to  require  further  comment.  [Am.  Med., 
Aug.  19,  1905,  page  295.) 
POSSIBLE  DANGER  IN  ASSAY  PROCESSES. 
The  assaying  of  oil  of  rosemary  for  the  percentage  of  borneol  may 
be  an  exceedingly  simple  task  for  some  pharmacists,  but  we  doubt 
if  many  of  them  are  able  to  manage  reflux  condensers,  acetilization 
flasks,  etc.,  or  would  know  how  to  determine  whether  the  first  fractional 
distillate  were  dextro-  or  levo-gyrate.  Evidently,  the  average  druggist 
cannot  follow  such  assay  processes  for  essential  oils,  nor,  if  he 
could,  would  such  ability  be  of  much  use  to  him.  He  does  not  make 
his  own  essential  oils  and  seldom  buys  them  in  large  enough  quan- 
tities to  make  the  assays,  except  under  legal  compulsion,  profitable. 
However,  it  may  be  possible  that  the  fact  that  such  processes  are 
given  in  the  Pharmacopoeia  will  make  dairy  and  food  chemists  think 
that  druggists  ought  to  know  all  about  them  and  ought  to  test  their 
essential  oils  in  the  way  indicated.  On  discovering  that  such  is  not 
the  case,  it  is  conceivable  that  some  of  them  may  make  this  an  ex- 
cuse for  trying  to  force  the  care  of  drugs  out  of  the  hands  of  boards 
of  pharmacy  and  into  those  of  food  commissioners.  This  is  but  a 
conjecture,  it  is  true,  but  the  ancient  rights  and  privileges  of  drug- 
gists are  being  crowded  upon  so  hard  of  late  that  we  should  guard 
them  at  all  possible  points  of  attack.  On  the  other  hand,  it  might 
be  said  that  if  the  druggist  did  not  take  the  initiative  in  establish- 
ing standards  and  tests,  they  would  be  regarded  as  derelict  to  their 
duty,  and  agricultural  departments  would  have  another  excuse  for 
further  encroach  upon  their  grounds.  {The  Drug.  Circ,  1905,  p.  263.) 
ASSAY  PROCESSES  COMMENDED. 
The  most  striking  innovation  in  the  new  Pharmacopoeia  is  the  in- 
creased number  of  assays  demanded  ;  assays  not  only  of  crude  drugs, 
fluid  extracts  and  tinctures,  but  also  of  essential  oils.    It  has  long 
een  a  source  of  astonishment  that  these  were  not  demanded  before, 
