Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
.May  1,1871.  j 
Editorial. 
235 
macentical  and  medical  degrees,  and  from  these  the  fittest  choice  could  be 
made  for  all  the  positions  on  the  board.  Medicine  and  pharmacy  are  such  en- 
tirely distinct  pursuits  in  a  large  city,  that  it  would  be  a  very  difficult  task  to 
lind  even  two  medical  practitioners  who  know  as  much  of  practical  pharmacy  as 
-does  the  least  informed  druggists'  clerk,  and  without  such  knowledge  the  phy- 
sicians of  the  board  must  be  useless  incumbrances. 
The  Renewal  of  Physicians'  Prescriptions. — A  bill  has  been  before  the 
New  York  Legislature  forbidding  the  renewal  of  prescriptions  without  the 
special  order  of  the  prescriber,  but  was  not  passed  or  likely  to  pass,  according 
to  our  latest  information.  We  are  pleased  to  see  that  the  subject  will  come  up 
for  discussion  before  the  American  Medical  Association  at  its  next  annual 
meeting,  which  will  be  held  in  San  Francisco  in  May,  We  treist  that  the  matter 
■will  be  thoroughly  ventilated,  not  only  upon  theoretical  grounds,  but  likewise 
in  its  practical  bearings.  We  know  several  physicians  of  this  city  who  have 
tested  it  practically,  by  having  upon  their  prescription  blanks  a  notice  printed 
ia  plain  English,  that  the  apothecary  is  to  retain  the  prescription,  but  not  to 
renew  it  except  by  special  order.  As  far  as  we  know,  these  physicians  have  all 
discontinued  the  use  of  such  blanks,  having  probably  found  the  restrictions 
sm  practicable. 
The  title  op  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  we  are  informed  by  the  Medical  News 
•and  Lihrary,  will  hereafter  be  conferred  by  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
upon  graduates  in  Medicine  of  the  University  (or  of  schools  recognized  by  it), 
who  shall  also  have  attended  two  courses  of  the  Auxiliary  Faculty  of  Medicine, 
and  passed  a  successful  examination  by  this  Faculty.  Such  a  candidate  for 
the  honor  must,  in  addition  to  his  knowledge  of  all  the  usual  branches  of  medi- 
cine, be  acquainted  with  at  least  five  branches  of  especially  scientific  learning, 
viz.,  Chemistry  (including  Physics  and  Botany),  Comparative  Anatomy^ 
Zoology,  (neology  and  Mineralogy. 
On  reading  this  announcement,  our  reflections  were  fixed  mainly  upon  two 
points  :  1st,  that  it  be  considered  necessary,  in  order  to  become  a  philosopher, 
to  previously  become  a  physician  ;  2d,  that  a  mere  acquaintance  with  half  a 
tlozen  sciences  be  deemed  sufficient  ground  for  conferring  an  academic  degree. 
If  we  are  not  grossly  mistaken,  history  teaches  us  that  there  have  been  and  are 
now  living  many  philosophers  who  know  very  little  about  medicine  ;  and  it  is 
our  conviction  that  an  acquaintance  with  all  the  the  branches  of  scientific 
learning  ought  to  be  the  aim  of  good  school  education.  We  advocate  the  con- 
ferring of  titles  to  the  meritorious,  but  desire  to  see  them  restricted  to  those 
who  axe  'proficient  in  scientific  learning.  The  field  of  scientific  knowledge  and 
research  has  become  so  vast  that  very  few  scientists  of  the  present  time  will  be 
found  who  could  lay  claim  to  having  mastered  it  altogether.  The  result  of  our 
reflections  is  not  materially  influenced  by  the  announcement  that  the  University 
does  not  intend  conferring  this  degree  as  a  mere  honorary  one,  but  requires 
that  the  candidate  shall  pass  an  examination  for  it. 
Is  Vacciniin  Identical  with  Arbutin? — On  page  297  of  the  last  volume  of 
this  journal,  .M  r.  E.  Claassen  describes  a  bitter  principle  which  he  obtained  from 
