EDITORIAL.  279 
I 
During  two  days,  surrounded  by  testimonials  of  the  highest  respect,  we 
assisted  at  the  deliberations  of  this  first  meeting,  and  at  the  social  gather- 
ings which  were  its  inevitable  consequence.  On  the  16th  of  September 
the  International  Congress  opened  its  sessions.  The  preliminary  proceed- 
ings, viz.,  the  verification  of  credentials  and  the  election  of  the  officers 
were  directed  by  the  venerable  Dean,  Dr.  Bley. 
M.  Dittrich,  the  learned  pharmaceutical  chemist  of  Prague,  was  elected 
President,  and  M.  Robinet,  Vice  President.  The  meeting  accepted  the 
proposition  of  the  President  to  take  for  Secretaries  the  editors  of  the  three 
principal  Journals  of  Pharmacy  published  in  Germany,  M.M.  Klinger  of 
Vienna,  Casselmann  of  St.  Petersburgh,  and  Dr.  Vorweck  of  Spire. 
This  first  meeting,  in  a  City  of  Northern  Germany,  of  an  International 
Congress  of  Pharmaceutists,  appears  to  the  French  Delegates  an  event  of 
considerable  importance,  and  calculated  to  exercise  a  great  influence  *m 
the  future  of  the  profession,  and  to  preserve  among  them  a  grateful  recol- 
lection of  the  zealous  men  who  there  met  together. 
The  report  gives  a  complete  list  of  all  the  members  of  the  Congress : 
three  from  France,  nine  from  Russia,  one  from  Sweden,  three  from  Austria, 
three  from  Northern  Germany,  three  from  Southern  Germany,  three  from 
Hamburgh  and  Altona,  three  from  Berlin  and  one  from  Saxony. 
These  delegates  represented  twelve  Pharmaceutical  Associations.  The 
reporters  attributed  much  of  the  success  of  the  meeting  to  the  devotedness 
of  M.  Herzog,  of  Brunswick,  who  acted  as  commissary  general,  and  to 
Dr.  Bjorklund,  of  St.  Petersburg,  who  had  travelled  over  a  great  part  of 
Europe  to  make  known  the  objeet  of  the  Congress,  and  cause  the  appoint- 
ment of  delegates. 
A  programme  had  been  prepared  by  MM.  Bley,  Rieckher  and  Giezeler, 
representatives  of  the  General  Union  of  German  Apothecaries. 
Immediately  after  the  installation  of  officers,  the  delegates  formed  them- 
selves in  sections  in  accordance  with  the  programme,  and  retired  to  or- 
ganize them  by  the  appointment  of  chairmen  and  reporters. 
On  the  17th,  in  the  morning,  every  one  was  ready.  The  meeting  com- 
menced by  reading  the  reports  and  propositions  from  the  sections.  The 
reporters  do  not  go  into  details  in  considering  rapidly  the  actions  of  the 
Congress,  and,  notwithstanding  the  difference  in  usages  and  laws,  they  found 
among  their  foreign  associates  the  same  feelings,  the  same  wishes,  the  same 
eares  that  have  been  expressed  many  a  time  at  home.  For  instance,  it 
was  unanimously  considered  that  the  best  means  of  elevating  and  sustain- 
ing the  scientific  position  of  the  pharmaceutist,  was  to  become  more  and  more 
exacting  in  the  requirements  from  students  before  they  enter  their  career 
of  practice  ;  that  it  would  be  proper  to  appoint  apothecaries  in  larger  pro- 
portion to  public  positions,  suoh  as  in  the  institutions  of  sanitary  police, 
medieal  or  pharmaceutical,  and  that  they  should  be  placed  on  the  same 
footing  with  Doctors  of  Medicine  ;  that  it  is  necessary  in  sustaining  pro- 
fessional dignity  to  discountenance  all  secret  remedies,  to  suppress  special 
homoepathic  and  veterinary  pharmacies.,  etc. 
