ANoVemberPi9iT' }  International  Pharmacopceial  Bureau.  499 
Not  only  should  he  have  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  articles 
which  enter  into  a  pharmacopoeia,  but  he  should  have  the  ability  to 
secure  results  through  the  employment  of  able  assistants.  So  many 
international  projects  have  failed  in  times  past  through  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  scope  of  the  Congress  by  promoting  immaterial  side-lines 
that  the  original  purpose  was  lost  in  the  distance;  but  the  detection 
of  adulterations  and  the  collection  of  information  about  fraud  should 
constitute  an  important  part  of  the  work. 
Science  has  made  prodigious  strides  and  specialization  is  abso- 
lutely necessary.  It  should  be  the  function  of  the  abstractor  to  col- 
lect known  facts  without  prejudice.  As  the  learned  author  says, 
"  The  abstractor  should  not  be  a  critic."  He  should  collect  the  facts 
and  present  them  in  various  languages  to  the  National  Pharmacopoeial 
Commissions  in  each  country.  Criticisms  should  be  left  to  the  jour- 
nals, individuals  or  pharmaceutical  bodies  where  they  properly 
belong. 
An  international  nomenclature  has  been  advocated  of  late  years 
and  it  is  "  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished/'  For  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  worthy  object,  the  adoption  of  an  international  lan- 
guage seems  to  be  necessary.  When  Esperanto  or  some  other  inter- 
national language  comes  into  general  use,  the  Bureau  might  sanction 
an  Esperanto  equivalent  for  their  medicaments. 
More  important  would  be  the  unification  of  standards  and  distin- 
guishing tests  for  chemical  substances.  If  the  various  nations  of 
Europe,  America,  and  Asia  could  establish  a  minimum  standard  for 
purity  in  chemicals,  it  would  result  in  great  benefit  to  the  whole 
world.  The  adoption  by  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  in  1903 
of  what  has  come  to  be  known  as  the  "  purity  rubric  "  has  been  on 
trial  with  most  satisfactory  results  for  ten  years.  By  this  is  meant  a 
minimum  standard  for  purity  inserted  in  the  text  of  the  official 
medicament,  thus :  Potassii  Iodidum — "  It  should  contain  not  less 
than  99  per  cent,  of  pure  Potassium  Iodide  (KI  =  166.02)."  It 
will  be  observed  that  this  does  not  mean  that  absolute  purity  is  de- 
barred. A  chemical  manufacturer  may  make  a  product  which  is 
purer  than  the  official  rubric  and  may  secure  more  sale  for  his  product 
by  offering  a  purer  article  if  he  wishes  to ;  but  he  cannot  sell  for 
medicinal  purposes  any  chemical  which  does  not  reach  the  minimum 
standard  for  purity.  Impurity  in  this  case  refers  to  innocuous  sub- 
stances, which,  broadly  stated,  mean  traces  of  other  products  the 
presence  of  which  would  interfere  in  no  case  with  the  medicinal 
