'^ju^'igig.^'  }       The  Razi'  Material  Situation. 
357 
Sterile  tethelin  solution  can  be  prepared  by  adding  sterile  tethe- 
lin  to  cooled  sterile  water. 
It  is  not  advisable  to  employ  tethelin  in  admixture  with  oxidiz- 
ing or  alkaline  substances  or  substances  containing  free  iodine  or 
which  are  capable  of  generating  free  iodine. 
Hypodermic  use  of  tethelin  appears  to  yield  the  maximum  ac- 
tivity of  the  substance. 
Because  of  the  extreme  sensitiveness  of  tethelin  to  moisture,  air, 
common  wound  dressings  and  digestive  ferments  and  because  of 
the  exposure  to  these  agents  to  which  tethelin  is  subjected  when 
employed  by  mouth  or  locally  in  any  form,  its  use  locally  or  by 
mouth  is  to  be  recommended  only  as  an  adjunct  to  its  hypoder- 
mic use. 
Research  Laboratory,, 
H.  K.  Mux  ford  Co., 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
THE  RAW  MATERIAL  SITUATION.1 
I 
Br  Christian  Bellstltx. 
I  had  the  privilege  of  addressing  last  year's  convention  of  your 
association  on  the  same  subject  your  committee  has  requested  me  to 
discuss  today — the  raw  material  situation.  In  the  meantime  a  great 
deal  of  water  has  passed  under  the  bridge,  but  I  confess  frankly  that 
if  it  seemed  difficult  then  to  attempt  to  forecast  the  immediate 
future,  it  is  little  if  any  less  so  now.  A  year  ago  the  answer  to  the 
question,  What  about  the  future?  was  apt  to  be,  Tell  me  how  long 
the  war  is  going  to  last  and  I  will  tell  you  what  I  think  will  happen 
after  it  is  over.  -  Well,  the  war  came  to  an  end  rather  suddenly 
about  six  months  ago,  if  we  may  believe  all  we  are  told,  but  the 
perplexities  of  business  tdid  not  end  with  it  by  any  means — thev 
merely  changed  about  after  the  manner  of  the  kaleidoscope;  and 
what  lies  beyond  the  mists  just  ahead  is  still  a  matter  largely  of 
conjecture.  I  think  however  that  from  our  experiences  since  last 
fall,  we  can  draw  a  few  conclusions  which  will  be  both  safe  and  of 
some  practical  value,  and  one  or  two  of  these  seem  to  be  directlv  in 
point  of  our  subject. 
As  we  all  know,  one  of  the  conspicuous  commercial  develop- 
