382 
International  Congresses. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I      August,  1901. 
continental  countries.  Mr.  Bratimos,  of  Athens,  advocated  strict 
limitation ;  his  views  were  supported  by  others  ;  Professor  Gode- 
froy,  of  Vienna,  described  the  legal  regulations  in  Austria,  Mr. 
Krohn,  those  of  Norway,  and  Mr.  Bernaco,  those  of  Italy.  Delegates 
from  Holland  thought  it  sufficient  to  exact  limitation  only  by 
stricter  requirements  in  the  professional  qualification  of  the  phar- 
macist. 
The  resolution  was  finally  passed  that  the  Congress  approve  of 
the  principle  that  the  public  interest  of  every  country  requires  a 
limitation  in  the  number  of  pharmacies,  and  that  this  Congress  elect 
a  committee  to  report  to  the  next  Congress  on  the  condition  of  the 
pharmacists  in  the  various  countries  and  to  collect  statistical  and 
other  evidence  of  the  advantages  derived  from  the  limitation  of  the 
number  of  pharmacies. 
A  voluble  and  acrimonious  discussion  was  brought  about  by  the 
question  of  nostrums  and  specialties.  Professor  Zanni,  of  Constan- 
tinople, moved  that  this  Congress  appoint  an  international  commis- 
sion, charging  it  with  the  examination  of  the  prevailing  nostrums 
and  specialties  of  the  market  and  to  discriminate  between  those 
which  may  be  admitted  and  those  which  should  be  prohibited. 
Belgian  and  other  delegates  depreciated  the  nostrum  trade,  while  a 
number  of  Parisian  pharmacists  pleaded  in  favor  of  specialties  and 
proprietaries.  They  called  attention  to  the  great  economic  import- 
ance of  this  ever  increasing  industry,  the  export  of  such  remedies 
from  France  alone  amounting  to,  approximately,  14,000,000  of  francs 
per  annum.  They  also  controverted  the  assumption  that  this  in- 
dustry was  based  indiscriminately  upon  barter  and  gain  without 
any  scientific  and  therapeutical  principles  and  merits.  Such  reme- 
dies were  justified  and  sanctioned  by  their  undeniable  success  and 
popular  confidence  and  approval  and  were  largely  of  recognized 
value  and  advantage  to  both  the  poor  and  the  wealthy. 
Notwithstanding  this  warm  endorsement,  the  following  resolu- 
tion was  passed  with  a  considerable  majority :  "  The  Sixth  Inter- 
national Pharmaceutical  Congress  deems  it  desirable  in  the  public 
interest  that  nostrums  and  pharmaceutical  proprietaries  be  strictly 
prohibited  in  all  countries." 
Attention  was  called  by  Mr.  Limousin,  of  Paris,  to  the  fact  that 
'  twenty  years  ago  a  similar  resolution  had  been  passed  by  the  Con- 
gress at  Brunswick  without  any  appreciable  success  or  effect.  The 
