Editorial.  307 
work.  But  even  a  greater  work  was  done  by  him  on  the  U.  S. 
Pharmacopoeia.  To  wholly  grasp  the  dilemma  and  appreciate  the 
position  of  the  pharmacists  of  the  United  States  in  regard  to  the 
revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  and  the  needs  of  reform,  one  must 
consult  the  Proceedings  of  the  A, Ph. A.  for  1876  and  1877.1  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  in  enieavoring  to  solve  the  difficulties,  one  of  our  fore- 
most pharmacists  said  of  his  own  plan  and  efforts  (Proc,  1 877,  p.  531): 
"The  design  and  plan  which  was  presented  to  the  Association  last 
year  has  been  entirely  and,  I  was  going  to  say,  ignominiously  de- 
feated. *  *  *  The  American  Medical  Association  has  distinctly 
refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  subject,  and  now  we  are  in 
the  condition  we  were  in  before  the  broaching  of  the  subject.  The 
subject  was  entirely  mine  ;  brought  up  entirely  by  me,  originally 
in  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  so  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
it  has  been  entirely  defeated  and  entirely  frustrated.  *  *  *  The 
whole  subject  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  seemed  to  me  to  require  recon- 
struction and  reform,  and  I  undertook  that  subject  with  hesitation, 
but  yet  earnestly  and  carefully  and  with  the  least  possible  personality, 
and  proposed  a  method  of  reform  and  a  plan  for  discussion.  This 
soon  brought  upon  me  and  my  propositions  an  amount  of  abuse  of 
a  character  so  personal  and  so  intemperate  as  to  be  extremely 
disagreeable,  and  therefore,  I  am  now  ready  to  leave  the  matter 
and  turn  my  attention  to  something  better  than  setting  up  for 
a  reformer,  even  though  still  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  the 
reform." 
It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  Dr.  Rice  was  asked  to 
serve  as  chairman  on  the  Special  Committee  of  the  A.Ph.A.  on 
Revision  of  the  U.S.P.  In  the  following  year  he  organized  the 
committee,  distributed  the  work  among  members  and  others,  and 
was  ready  to  report  at  the  meeting  in  1878  (see  Proc,  p.  668)  a 
developed  and  successful  plan.  The  work  completely  broke  down  his 
health,  and  he  asked  to  be  relieved  therefrom.  This  was  done,  and 
it  was  then  that  Professor  Maisch  said  (see  Proc,  p.  879)  that  "  it  is 
principally  due  to  that  energy  and  wonderful  talent  of  organizing 
possessed  by  Mr.  Rice  that  it  [the  work  on  the  Pharmacopoeia. — 
Ed.]  has  reached  its  present  advancement."  In  closing  his  report, 
Dr.  Rice  said,  in  his  customary  manner:  "  The  chairman  is  grateful 
Am.  Jour.  Phariu. 
June,  1901. 
JSee  Proc.  A.Ph.A.,  1876,  pp.  629-650;  1877,  pp.  53^-539.  552-557- 
