The  International  Exposition. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
t       July,  1876. 
^cc  root  and  liquorice  from  Italy,  a  number  of  indigenous  drugs,  etc  ,  are  observed. 
These  variations  in  the  arrangement  are  partly  due  to  the  prominence  assumed  by 
such  articles  as  products  of  the  soil  of  some  of  the  countries,  partly  to  the  fact  that 
many  exhibitors  have  brought  forward  and  displayed  in  their  cases  goods  belonging 
to  several  groups;  and,  to  a  considerable  extent,  they  are  due  to  the  desire  of  dis- 
playing most  effectively  the  products  of  one  country  as  an  unbroken  whole.  The 
latter  is  particularly  noticeable  in  the  exhibits  of  several  British  colonies,  Egypt,  and 
some  other  countries,  where  articles  of  food  form  an  important  portion  of  the  dis- 
play in  their  respective  departments  in  the  Main  Building. 
It  is  not  our  purpose  in  these  "  Notes"  to  give  a  list  of  the  exhibitors  or  enume- 
rate all  the  objects  of  interest  to  the  pharmacist  and  druggist,  nor  is  it  the  intention 
of  going  much  into  detail,  or  of  attempting  to  minutely  discuss  the  merits  of  all.  The 
latter  is  possible  only  for  the  members  of  the  juries  of  the  different  classes,  who  are 
afforded  ample  opportunities  for  closely  inspecting,  and,  if  necessary,  testing  every- 
thing which  has  been  entered  for  competition.  Visitors  are  not  permitted  to  handle 
the  specimens  ;  but  we  are  under  obligations  to  many  private  exhibitors  as  well  as 
foreign  commissioners  for  courtesies  extended  to  us.  The  main  object  of  these 
;<  Notes  "  will  be  to  convey  to  the  readers  of  the  "  Journal "  a  general  idea  of  the 
•  main  character  of  the  Exhibition,  as  far  as  it  relates  to  articles  more  directly  relating 
to  the  drug  and  apothecary  business. 
In  a  country  like  the  United  States,  where  proprietary  medicines  are  largely  con- 
sumed by  the  public,  the  almost  total  absence  of  these  preparations  is  quite  noteworthy. 
Since  the  admission  of  nostrums  to  the  Exposition  was  wisely  prohibited  by  the 
Commission,  it  seems  strange  that  an  extensively  sold  cherry  pectoral  and  other 
preparations  by  the  same  manufacturer  should  have  been  permitted  to  occupy  a 
space  here.  If  we  except  one  or  two  minor  nostrums,  and  perhaps  also  the  largely 
represented  class  of  proprietary  elixirs,  which,  in  character,  are  about  intermediate 
between  legitimate  pharmaceutical  preparations  and  nostrums,  we  find  nothing  in 
the  American  department  to  mar  the  pleasing  effect  of  the  exhibits  in  this  line ; 
even  the  numerous  hair  dyes  and  invigorators  are  noticeable  from  their  almost  com- 
plete absence.  From  some  of  the  foreign  countries,  however,  quite  a  number  of 
such  specialties  have  been  sent,  yet  mostly  in  such  small  numbers,  and  often  so  un- 
sightly in  external  appearance,  as  to  attract  little  notice.  To  this  there  are,  however, 
some  exceptions,  and,  to  judge  from  the  display  of  a  foreign  cherry  cordial,  it  may 
may  be  presumed  that  this  nostrum  is  of  some  importance  in  its  native  country,  and 
there,  probably,  takes  the  place  of  the  numerous  bitters  and  tonics  which,  in  this 
country,  furnish  the  necessary  alcohol,  in  the  scarcely  disguised  garb  of  medicine, 
to  those  who  do  not  consume  alcoholic  liquids  as  beverages. 
What  naturally  attracts  the  prominent  attention  of  the  pharmacist  and  druggist, 
is  the  display  of  drugs,  in  which,  however,  some  countries  are  insufficiently  repre- 
sented ;  others  compensate  for  this  shortcoming  by  exhibiting  the  medicinal  resources 
to  advantage,  and  in  a  manner  inviting  to  closer  study.  We  have  noticed  but  few 
exhibits — one  in  the  U.  S.  Department,  and  one  or  two  in  the  enclosure  of  foreign 
countries,  which  show  commercial  drugs  from  foreign  countries  without  any 
additional  preparation  or  purification.  Alexandria  senna,  West  Indian  canella 
alba  and  similar  articles,  in  our  opinion,  show  neither  the  resources  nor  the  industry 
