Am.. Jon  r.  rharm.  "I 
.  April,  1883.  | 
Editorial, 
219 
also  into  French.  It  treats  of  all  the  reagents  which  up  to  date  have  been 
proposed,  4f>  pages,  then  of  the  behavior  of  the  difTerent  plant  products,  2% 
pages,  and  is  preceded  by  an  exhaustive  list  of  over  one  hundred  booJis, 
pamphlets  and  articles  bearing  on  the  subject." 
"  This  reminds  me  that  as  yet,  we  have  not  a  single  hand-book  or  treatise 
on  practical  microscopy  as  applied  to  the  requirements  of  pharmacy,  neither 
in  the  English,  French,  nor  German  languages.  All  that  we  possess  is  a 
short  pamphlet  of  84  pages,  by  Prof.  Mark  W.  Harrington,  Ann  Arbor, 
on  the  identification  and  microscopical  examination  of  crude  drugs,  etc.  ; 
,  and  a  series  of  very  thorou^^h  articles  on  the  microscopical  examination  of 
single  drugs,  by  Hy.  Pocklington,  wliich  appeared  in  the  London  "Phar- 
maceutical Journal  and  Transactions  for  1872,  '73  and  '74,"  What  we  want 
is  a  manual  of  microscopical  manipulation,  not  a  mere  outline  (such  we 
have),  but  which  goes  very  much  in  detail  and  not  only  takes  up  drugs  by 
classes  (roots,  barks,  leaves,  etc.,)  but  shows  with  every  drug  separately 
how  to  treat  it  previous  to  section-cutting,  and  how  to  apply  reagents  to 
differentiate  i'n  the  best  way  the  structure,  etc.  Prof.  Harrington  has  com- 
pleted a  more  extended  work  than  his  pamphlet,  which  covers  much  of 
the  ground  here  proposed,  but  it  still  exists  only  as  manuscript,  and  will 
very  likely  remain  in  his  desk  for  a  long  time.  Plenty  of  stray  notices  will 
be  found  in  Berg,  Schacht,  Wigand,  Sachs,  Vogl,  Nageli,  Dippel,  Hager, 
Fluckiger,  Planchon,  and  others,  not  to  mention  treatises  on  the  use  of  the 
microscope  in  medicine  nor  the  various  microscopical  journals  and  articles, 
but  in  order  to  get  at  them  we  have  to  tate  so  many  things  into  the  bar- 
gain which  we  do  not  feel  much  interested  in. 
I  should  think  that  Mr.  E.  B.  Stuart,  Chicago,  or  Mrs.  Louisa  Reed 
Stowell,  Ann  Arbor  (Mich.),  would  be  eminently  fitted  for  writing  such  a, 
manual. 
H.  M.  Wilder." 
National  Retail  Druggists'  Association.— The  organization  of  such 
an  association  is  contemplated,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  annexed  circular^ 
which  has  just  been  issued,  and  which  also  explains  the  objects  sought  to 
be  attained : 
The  time  seeming  propitious,  and  the  state  of  trade  demanding  it,  we,, 
the  undersigned,  deem  it  wise  to  issue  a  call  for  a  convention  to  meet  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  Monday,  Sept.  10,  1883  (being  the  day  previous  to  the 
meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association),  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  a  National  Trade  Association  of  Retail  Druggists.  The  object  of 
this  Association  will  be  to  discuss  and  take  action  upon  the  many  and  grow- 
ing evils  that  affect  the  retail  trade.  Among  others  may  be  specified,  relief 
from  ruinous  competition  in  proprietary  articles  and  its  antidote  the  retail 
rebate  plan;  relief  from  burdensome  and  unjust  taxation ;  the  preventing  of 
our  business  being  diverted  into  the  hands  of  grocers  and  dry  goods  dealers, 
questions  of  vital  importance. 
If  this  organization  shall  receive  the  hearty  and  generous  support  of  the 
twenty-five  thousand  retail  druggists  in  the  country  it  cannot  fail  to  be  of 
the  greatest  benefit  to  each  and  every  one,  the  meie  fact  of  obtaining  pro- 
tection in  obtaining  marked  prices  on  proprietary  articles  appealing  to  all, 
and  if  construed  as  representing  the  sentiments  of  the  retailers  collectively, 
must  of  necessity  wield  a  vast  influence. 
It  is  not  intended  that  this  Association  shall  at  all  interfere  with  the 
American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  whose  functions  are  almost  exclu- 
sively scientific,  but  to  work  entirely  in  harmony  with  it.  The  time  and 
place  designated  have  been  selected  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  was  desirable 
in  many  instances  that  the  same  delegates  might  represent  State  and  local 
associations  in  both  the  American  and  the  one  in  question.  State,  county 
and  local  associations  are  earnestly  requested  to  send  delegates  as  follows:: 
