66 
Editorial. 
/Am.  Tour.  Pharm. 
*•   February,  19 19. 
operative  study  of  the  chemistry  and  pharmacology  of  synthetic 
organic  chemicals,  designed  for  medical  use."  Such  an  institute 
would  very  likely  copy  the  methods  used  so  successfully  by  the  Ger- 
man manufacturers  of  synthetics  for  the  determining  of  the  actions 
and  medical  uses  and  likewise  the  commercializing  of  many  of 
their  chemical  productions.  No  matter  what  are  the  interests  back 
of  this  proposed  research  endowment,  it  should  be  encouraged  to 
proceed  along  the  lines  stated.  Possibly  a  means  may  be  found  by 
which  pharmacists  engaged  in  research  may  cooperate  with  this 
scheme  of  "  cooperative  study  "  and  certainly  such  cooperation  is  to 
be  desired  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  interests  concerned. 
This  movement  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  recognizes 
the  importance  of  investigation  and  research  studies  as  applied  to 
but  one  group  of  medicinal  products  and  but  a  narrow  branch  of  the 
large  subject  of  pharmaceutical  research.  For  this  one  section  of 
the  broader  general  research  that  should  be  covered  by  pharmacy,  it 
is  surmised  that  an  endowment  of  millions  of  dollars  is  essential. 
This  action  serves  to  accentuate  the  necessity  for  a  crystallization 
of  the  sentiment  in  favor  of  an  endowed  institution  for  pharma- 
ceutical research  that  shall  not  be  limited  to  only  one  phase  of 
the  possibility,  but  shall  cover  the  entire  field  of  necessity  for  com- 
prehensive research  within  the  limitations  that  should  very  rightly 
be  assigned  to  pharmacy. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  in 
Indianapolis  in  191 6,  the  proposition  to  inaugurate  "An  American 
Pharmaceutical  Research  Fund"  was  discussed  with  the  thought 
that  there  was  a  possibility  of  uniting  the  various  interests  that 
might  be  concerned  in  such  a  movement  in  a  combined  effort  that 
would  yield  ample  endowment  for  the  researches  in  the  field  of 
pharmacy  that  are  so  essential  to  the  public  welfare  and  to  the 
progress  of  science.  The  result  was  the  establishment  of  the 
American  Pharmaceutical  Association  Research  Fund  with  a  com- 
mittee of  the  association  appointed  to  supervise  the  work.  Doubt- 
less this  committee  will  do  everything  that  is  within  its  power  and 
the  limited  funds  at  its  command  to  stimulate  research  work  in 
pharmacy  and  we  may  expect  results  from  their  efforts.  But  has 
not  the  association  by  its  limited  view  of  the  possibilities  limited  and 
curtailed  in  advance  the  results  that  are  possible. 
May  our  preachments  for  a  broader  view  among  pharmacists 
themselves  be  not  in  vain. 
G.  M.  B. 
