64 
Editorial 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
February,  19 19. 
scientific  investigation  and  discoveries.  In  a  measure  it  is  their 
own  fault,  that  the  world  at  large  is  not  better  acquainted  with 
the  achievements  that  should  rightly  be  accredited  to  pharmacy. 
The  classic  investigation  of  Liebig  on  the  organic  compounds  of 
cyanogen  and  the  accompanying  isolation  of  the  glucoside  amygdalin 
and  the  ferment  emulsin  and  the  determination  that  the  reaction 
between  these  was  the  source  of  benzaldehyde  in  oil  of  bitter  almonds, 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  contributions  of  this  great 
scientist.  Is  it  unfair  to  surmise  that  this  problem  was  suggested  to 
him  during  his  early  experience  as  an  assistant  to  an  apothecary  ? 
From  the  pharmacists  of  every  civilized  country  have  emanated 
many  contributions  detailing  able  researches.  These  have  come 
from  many  sources  including  the  laboratories  of  the  schools  of 
pharmacy,  those  of  the  manufacturers  and  the  dispensaries  of  indi- 
vidual druggists.  The  literature  of  pharmacy  includes  many  such 
contributions  that  are  of  inestimable  value  in  the  practice  of  this 
time.  There  is  no  lack  of  evidence  that  scientific  pharmacy  has 
kept  abreast  of  scientific  medicine  and  chemistry  and  further  that 
American  pharmacists  have  contributed  a  fair  share  to  this  progress, 
although  at  times  the  investigations  have  been  carried  on  under  very 
adverse  circumstances  and  without  the  aid  of  an  endowment  such 
as  has  amply  provided  for  medical  research. 
In  the  past,  the  tendency  among  the  more  favored  endowed 
research  branches,  such  as  medicine  and  chemistry,  has  been  to 
ignore  the  claims  of  pharmacy  for  a  distinct  recognition  as  a  proper 
field  for  systematic  researches  and  to  seek  endowments  that  would 
permit  of  the  study  and  development  of  this  branch  of  modern 
medical  service.  The  writer  recalls  his  efforts  when  president  of 
the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  to  interest  certain  endow- 
ments in  the  cooperative  work  that  pharmacy  could  perform  and 
would  perform  in  scientific  investigations  for  the  betterment  of 
mankind,  if  the  opportunity  was  afforded  either  for  an  independent 
endowment  or  for  a  share  in  the  funds  assigned  for  medical  in- 
vestigation. The  claim  then  made  that  the  medical  endowment  was 
in  a  position  to  take  up  independently  any  phase  of  pharmaceutical 
investigation  was  not  then  justified  by  the  facts  and  has  not  since 
been  demonstrated. 
The  work  of  the  pharmacist  and  the  service  he  renders  to  man- 
kind is  distinctly  different  from  that  of  the  physician,  surgeon  or 
chemist.    It  is  true  that  with  these,  as  well  as  with  some  other 
