31 8  International  Congresses.  {Amju°yy«£.ariD' 
Mr.  Dittrich,  of  Prague,  was  elected  President  and  Mr.  Robinet,  of 
Paris,  Vice-President. 
The  following  conclusions  were  the  result  of  the  deliberations  on 
the  before-stated  respective  questions  submitted  to  the  Congress  : 
(1)  By  obligatory  higher  preliminary  education  and  an  adequate  professional 
education  consisting  of  three  to  three  and  a  half  years'  apprenticeship  (two  to 
two  and  a  half  years  for  young  men  of  superior  preliminary  education),  of  three 
years'  service  as  assistant,  and  three  terms  of  university  or  college  study.  The 
requirements  at  the  State  examination  for  obtaining  the  license  as  apothecary 
should  be  raised,  particularly  in  inorganic  and  organic  chemical  analysis. 
(2)  By  the  same  measures  as  proposed  in  the  reply  to  the  first  question. 
(3)  No  definite  conclusion  was  obtained. 
(4)  Repression  of  the  nostrum  trade  and  the  dispensing  of  medicines  by 
medical  practitioners. 
(5)  This  question  was  answered  in  the  negative.  Experience  demonstrates 
the  fact  that  free  competition  has  p-oved  of  rather  detrimental  consequences, 
nor  is  it  conducive  to  cheapening  the  prices  of  medicines. 
(6)  At  the  periodical  revision  of  the  various  pharmacopoeias  a  uniformity  of 
the  formulae  should  be  gradually  attempted. 
(7)  The  desirability  of  the  adoption  of  metric  units  was  generally  conceded, 
and  the  opinion  prevailed  that  it  should  be  made  obligatory  by  governmental 
ordinances.  The  introduction  would  not  cause  any  considerable  difficulty  or 
inconvenience. 
(8)  Generally  consented  as  best  and  even  necessary. 
(9)  The  discussion  of  this  question  was  a  very  animated  one.  The  nostrum 
industry  was  declared  unethical  and  discreditable.  No  government  ought  to 
permit  this  trade,  detrimental  to  public  and  private  health,  nor  protect  by 
patent  or  trade-mark  rights  alleged  or  empirical  medical  discoveries  when  intro- 
duced as  secret  remedies  or  specialties.  The  pretended  formulae  of  the  con- 
stituents of  nostrums  are  mostly  vague  or  incorrect,  and  the  certificates  for 
their  efficiency  fraudulent  or  obtained  by  bribes.  The  nostrum  trade  is  based 
upon  false  pretenses,  deceit  and  popular  credulity,  and  should  be  repressed  by 
all  means. 
Cosmetics  should  be  placed  under  the  control  of  the  health  authorities. 
Even  the  French  delegates  endorsed  these  sentiments,  stating 
that  the  French  pharmaceutical  associations  recently  had  expelled 
from  membership  all  makers  of  specialties,  and  that  the  great 
majority  of  French  pharmacists  discountenanced  nostrums. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  Congress  a  standing  committee  for 
selecting  place  and  time  and  initiating  the  proper  arrangements  for 
holding  a  second  Congress  after  the  lapse  of  three  years,  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  the  presidents  of  the  five  principal  phar- 
maceutical societies  of  the  Continent, 
The  two  pharmaceutical  societies  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Ameri- 
