328 
Current  Literature. 
/Am.  Jour.  Phann. 
\       July,  1913. 
The  Committee  on  Drug  Deterioration  appointed  by  the  joint 
meeting  of  the  Detroit  Retail  Druggists  Association  and  Wayne 
County  Medical  Society  would  respectfully  report : 
Recent  investigations  of  the  fluidextracts  show  that  with  few 
exceptions  they  retain  their  potency  for  a  number  of  years  when 
kept  under  proper  conditions;  that  is,  without  access  to  air,  or 
exposure  to  light. 
With  such  drugs  as  hydrogen  peroxid  in  which  the  absolute 
limit  of  potency  is  eighteen  months,  and  the  probable  limit  from 
six  to  twelve  months,  we  would  recommend  that  the  manufacturers 
state  on  the  label  the  date  of  manufacture  as  well  as  the  limit  of 
potency. 
We  would  recommend  that  the  practice  of  keeping  all  liquid 
preparations,  such  as  tinctures  and  fluidextracts  which  deteriorate 
on  exposure  to  light,  preferably  in  light-proof  cupboards,  or  in 
amber-colored  bottles  not  exposed  to  direct  sunlight,  with  the 
usual  precautions  of  a  tight-fitting  and  air-proof  stopper,  be  made 
universal. 
We  would  also  recommend  that  the  subject  of  drug,  de- 
terioration be  made  one  of  the  leading  topics  for  discussion  in  all 
the  state  and  national  pharmaceutical  and  medical  societies  in  the 
meetings  of  the  near  future. — Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  June  7,  1913,  p.  1810. 
1 
BLAMING  THE  DRUGGIST. 
When  some  years  ago  the  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry 
investigated  Lactopeptine  it  was  claimed  that  "  Lactopeptine  con- 
tains the  five  active  agents  of  digestion — pepsin,  diastase  (veg. 
ptyalin),  pancreatin,  lactic  acid  and  hydrochloric  acid — combined 
in  the  proper  proportion  to  insure  the  best  results."  The  Council's 
examination  indicated  that  Lactopeptine  contained  more  than  90 
per  cent,  of  milk  sugar.  The  amount  of  pepsin  was  somewhat 
less  than  10  per  cent,  of  official  pepsin.  The  amount  of  lactic  acid 
was  found  to  be  3  per  cent.  Neither  diastase  nor  pancreatin  could 
be  found  and  hydrochloric  acid  was  present  in  mere  traces  only. 
Examination  of  another  specimen  not  only  failed  to  show  the 
presence  of  diastase  and  pancreatin  but  also  failed  to  show  any 
appreciable  amount  of  pepsin. 
What  have  the  promoters  of  Lactopeptine  done  to  offset  this 
report?  The  November,  1912,  "Doctor's  Factotum,"  an  advertising 
sheet,  contains  the  following: 
