^"■j-l.r.s«'""-}  Editorial.  233 
to  give  the  medicine  in  such  doses.  2.  In  Great  Britain  it  is  now  customary 
tor  the  physician  to  sign  his  name  after,  and  on  the  same  line  with  the  order 
for  such  an  unusual  quanti'y.  3.  In  this  country  we  have  now  the  action  of  the 
Medical  and  Pharmaceutical  Societies,  of  Richmond,  Va  ,  in  the  adoption  of  the 
letters  P.  C.  [pr^eter  consuetudinem) and  4,  in  Camden,  N.  J.,  the  adoption  of  the 
letters  first  proposed  by  the  Richmond  Pharmaceutical  Association,  ^  R.  {quantum 
rectum),  by  which  to  indicate  the  correctness  of  the  dose.  To  these  marks  must  be 
added,  5.  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Kemble,  as  indicated  above. 
In  the  prescription  as  printed  above,  the  first  four  of  the  adopted  signs  would  be 
used  thus  : 
1.  Tr.  aconiti  rad.,    .  •  .  .  f^iss  (!) 
2.  Tr.  aconiti  rad.,         ....     f^iss  (J.  Smith,  M.  D.) 
3.  P.  C.  Tr  aconiti  rad.,      .  .  .  f^iss 
4.  /?.  Tr.  aconiti  rad,,  .  .  .  f^iss 
All  will  fulfill  the  intention  for  which  they  have  been  adopted  j  but  in  order  to  be 
of  good  use,  such  a  custom  should  be  followed  not  locally,  but  uniformly  through- 
out the  entire  country.  The  approaching  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceuti- 
cal Association  offers  an  excellent  opportunity  for  bringing  this  important  matter  at 
once  to  the  notice  of  the  pharmacists  throughout  the  country,  and  of  taking  the 
proper  measures  to  lay  it  before  the  American  Medical  Association,  so  that  by  the 
action  of  the  two  National  Associations  representing  the  professions  immediately  in- 
terested, the  desirable  uniformity  could  be  secured. 
But,  suppose  that  the  two  bodies  mentioned,  should  agree  upon  a  suitable  sign  for 
this  purpose,  the  question  is  not  yet  solved,  as  to  what  must  be  regarded  as  an  unusual 
dose.  Is  every  individual  physician  or  every  pharmacist  to  be  the  juc'ge  in  this  mat- 
ter? Standard  authorities  cannot  be  referred  to,  unless  a  special  one  should  be  se- 
lected, because  they  frequently  differ  in  the  amounts,  and  in  the  majority  of  books, 
the  maximum  doses  are  not  specially  indicated.  It  would,  therefore,  be  necessary^ 
that  such  a  table  of  maximum  doses  be  framed.  We  consider  it  as  one  of  the  gravest 
short  comings  of  our  "Pharmacopoeia,"  that  it  does  not  contain  a  posological  table, 
indicating  not  only  the  single  maximum  dose,  but,  on  account  of  the  cumulative  ac- 
tion of  many  medicines,  also  the  maximum  quantity  for  twenty-four  hours  of  dan- 
gerous remedies,  that  a  physician  may  prescribe  for  an  adult  and  a  pharmacist  be 
justified  in  putting  up,  without  the  mark  of  correctness. 
Such  a  posological  table  is  necessary  both  for  the  physician  and  the  pharmacist.;, 
it  need  not  embrace  the  entire  Materia  Medica,  but  only  those  articles  which  in  over- 
doses would  be  absolutely  injurious.  We  are  well  aware  of  the  objections  that  may 
be  advanced  against  such  a  table;  but  without  any  guide,  the  danger  to  the  patient 
and  the  annoyances  to  both  professions  must  obviously  be  far  greater  than  with  one 
that  has  been  judiciously  devised. 
In  connection  with  this  subject,  it  is  but  proper  to  refer  to  the  neglect  of  many 
physicians  of  writing  upon  every  prescription  the  name  of  the  patient  and  indicating 
approximately  his  or  her  age.  This  can  be  well  done  by  a  careful  and  judicious 
medical  attendant  and  would  serve  the  additional  purpose  of  preventing  mistakes  in 
giving  to  patients  the  medicine  intended  for  another  member  of  the  family,  in  case 
two  or  more  should  be  prostrated  by  sickness.    Mr.  Jones'  babe  5  Mr.  Jones'  child 
