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Book  Reviews. 
/Am.  Tour.  Pharm. 
<•    February,  19 19. 
sanitary  or  public  health  activities  carried  on  by  any  executive  bureau 
agency  or  office,  especially  created  for  or  concerned  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  war,  shall  be  exercised  under  the  supervision  and  control 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,"  all  civil  public  health  activities 
carried  on  by  any  Federal  department,  sanitary  work  in  connection 
with  ship-yards,  supervision  of  all  medical  and  sanitary  matters  in 
industrial  plants  having  contracts  with  Ordnance  Department,  codes 
for  protection  for  health  workers  in  war  industries,  were  placed 
under  the  Public  Health  Service. 
The  report  is  a  comprehensive  volume  of  373  pages,  embracing 
eight  sections  together  with  recommendations  of  the  Surgeon-General 
and  a  financial  statement  with  statistical  report. 
The  Scientific  Research  Division  has  been  exceedingly  active,  as 
shown  in  the  report  by  investigation  of  epidemics,  causation  and  con- 
trol in  different  parts  of  the  country.  The  division  of  Pharmacol- 
ogy has  demonstrated  a  new  and  perhaps  ideal  standard  for  the 
biological  assay  of  the  active  principle,  derived  from  the  posterior 
lobe  of  the  pituitary  gland.  The  new  standard,  potassium  chloride, 
has  the  great  advantage  of  permanency  and  chemical  uniformity  and 
if  adopted  by  manufacturers  would  undoubtedly  lead  to  the  market- 
ing of  pituitary  preparations  of  constant  physiological  activity  and 
therapeutic  value. 
An  investigation  of  vaccine  virus  causing  tetanus  in  a  few  cases, 
demonstrated  the  possibility  of  ivory  points  being  contaminated 
with  tetanus  spores.  A  recommendation  for  an  order  prohibiting 
the  use  of  points  for  dispensing  vaccine  virus  was  the  result.  Also 
a  standardized  technique  for  testing  vaccine  virus  for  anaerobic 
contaminations  has  been  worked  out. 
Rules  and  standards  for  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  "  Arsphena- 
mine,"  heretofore  known  under  the  trade  names  of  "  Salvarsan," 
"  606,"  "  Arsenobenzol "  and  "  Arsaminol,"  were  prescribed  by  the 
service  and  promulgated  by  the  Federal  Trade  Commission.  This 
work  alone  is  to  be  highly  commended,  as  it  permits  the  American 
product  being  used  extensively  and  replacing  the  former  foreign 
products. 
Domestic  Interstate  Quarantine  embraces  the  second  part  and 
deals  especially  with  various  water  supplies  used  in  interstate  com- 
merce, and  results  of  vaccination  against  small-^ox,  typhoid  and 
para-typhoid  fever.  The  creation,  on  July  9,  in  the  Public  Health 
Service,  of  a  Division  of  Venereal  Diseases  for  controlling  these  dis- 
