532  Needs  of  the  Business  Pharmacist.      { ^vembe^igo^1 
our  scientific  investigators.  What  hope  is  there  of  securing  due 
recognition  of  the  applied  science  of  pharmacy  when  the  perhaps 
more  fascinating  field  of  pure  science  attracts  most  of  our  most 
capable  workers  ? 
THE  SCIENTIFIC  CHARIOT  IS  BEING  DRIVEN  TOO  FAST. 
We  are  tending  too  much  toward  the  ultra  scientific  in  the  work 
of  this  section,  thus  creating  a  wide  gap  between  the  great  body  of 
pharmacists  and  the  few  to  whom  they  should  look  for  guidance  and 
assistance.  We  are  going  ahead  too  fast  for  the  business  pharma- 
cist and  assuming  too  much  interest  on  his  part  in  scientific  studies 
to  the  neglect  of  the  latest  advances  in  galenical  pharmacy. 
The  new  Pharmacopoeia  strikingly  illustrates  the  truth  of  these 
statements.  Its  chemistry,  its  botany,  its  pharmacology  show  that 
the  revisers  have  closely  studied  the  latest  advances  in  those  sciences, 
so  that  little  exception  can  be  taken  to  that  portion  of  the  work,  but 
it  does  not  reflect  progress  in  galenical  pharmacy.  It  even  exhibits 
a  tendency  to  follow  a  section  of  the  medical  profession  in  taking 
part  of  its  pharmacy  from  the  advertising  publications  of  certain 
proprietary  remedy  manufacturers.  It  may  be  argued  that  this  is 
only  a  reflection  of  existing  conditions  in  pharmacy,  but  even  so  the 
wisdom  of  giving  it  official  sanction  is  doubtful  in  these  days  of 
exactitude  in  science.  The  inevitable  tendency  will  be  to  concen- 
trate the  whole  of  the  scientific  part  of  pharmacy  in  the  hands  of 
the  manufacturers,  thus  diverting  the  interests  of  pharmacists  from 
pharmaceutical  research. 
WHAT  AMERICAN  PHARMACY  NEEDS  TO-DAY 
is  a  revival  of  interest  in  strictly  pharmaceutical  problems.  True, 
we  have  a  section  devoted  to  practical  pharmacy,  but  the  average 
pharmacist  lacks  the  necessary  time  and  training  to  pursue  scientific 
problems  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  This  work  can  only  be  per- 
formed properly  by  those  interested  in  the  work  of  this  section. 
There  are  many  problems  awaiting  solution  which  this  section  could 
consider  without  in  any  way  compromising  the  dignity  which  rightly 
surrounds  it.  A  glance  at  the  literature  of  pharmacy  during  the 
last  few  years  shows  that  progress  in  pharmacy  is  practically  at  a 
standstill  in  this  country.  The  era  of  proprietary  specializing  may 
have  something  to  do  with  this  state  of  affairs,  but  it  is  undoubtedly 
