296 
Correspondence. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pkarru. 
X       June,  1901. 
would  not  be  the  work  of  more  or  less  immature  men,  but  that  of 
men  who  have  already  learned  to  work  to  the  best  advantage.  Dr. 
Lyons'  suggestions  seem  particularly  good.  If  we  could  bring  about 
such  a  condition  of  things,  so  that  by  law,  or  better,  by  public  opin- 
ion, all  medicinal  substances  to  be  deemed  worthy  ot  recognition 
by  physicians  must  come  up  to  the  standard  set  by  the  laboratory, 
we  would  have  done  much  for  pharmacy.  Make  the  stamp  of  the 
laboratory  of  sufficient  value,  so  that  manufacturers  will  be  glad  to 
have  it  on  their  goods,  and  those  who  are  now  putting  out  inferior 
artxles,  not  bearing  the  stamp  of  the  laboratory,  would  be  stigma- 
tized or  driven  from  competition.  This  would,  of  course,  be  only  a 
part  of  the  work  of  the  laboratory.  Original  investigations  along 
practical  lines  should  receive  equal  attention. 
Nashville,  Tenn.  Edsel  A.  Ruddiman. 
Dear  Sir  : — Replying  to  your  recent  favor  ;  there  is  no  ques- 
tion but  what  a  pharmaceutical  research  laboratory  under  proper 
control  and  direction,  whose  work  should  be  restricted  to  supplying 
data  for  the  Committee  of  Revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  and  for 
working  out  improved  formulas  and  methods  of  manipulation  for 
semi-official  products  such  as  are  included  in  the  National 
Formulary,  might  be  of  great  value  to  the  profession  of  pharmacy 
and  add  very  largely  to  the  reputation  of  American  Pharmacy  as 
compared  with  its  past  record. 
To  be  of  value  a  strong  committee  should  be  selected,  consisting 
of  chairman  and  able  members  of  the  Committee  of  Revision  of 
the  Pharmacopoeia,  the  President,  Permanent  Secretary,  Chairman  of 
the  scientific  section  and  of  the  dispensing  section  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  and  all  work  done  should  first  have  the 
sanction  of  this  body. 
It  would  seem  that  the  establishment  of  such  a  laboratory  in 
connection  with  some  government  institution  at  Washington,  as  the 
laboratory  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  would  be  more  eco- 
nomical and  advantageous  than  to  equip  and  conduct  an  entirely 
independent  institution.  If  all  the  expenses  were  borne,  it  might 
be  feasible  to  make  some  such  arrangement  and  it  might  not. 
Boston,  Mass.  E.  L.  Patch. 
Dear  Sir: — Replying  to  your  request  for  further  comments  on 
the  proposed  Procter  Memorial,  I  will  say  that  a  careful  reading  of 
