508  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {A^c'tober.Ii9oai!m" 
A  paper  on  "A  New  Economic  Order  in  Pharmacy"  was  read  by 
Harry  B.  Mason.  Having  first  treated  of  the  historic  evolution  of 
industry  the  author  said  that  "  the  final  goal  towards  which  industry 
has  been  moving  throughout  all  the  centuries  is  an  era  of  co-operation 
and  combination  of  effort.  ...  In  the  field  of  production  we 
already  have  in  the  trust  a  long  stride  towards  the  final  goal,  while 
in  the  field  of  distribution  the  rapid  growth  and  success  of  the  de- 
partment store  proves  the  inevitable  tendency." 
While  individualism  is  a  more  dominant  tactor  in  the  professions, 
the  author  is  nevertheless  of  the  opinion  that  the  co-operative  move- 
ment has  already  reached  them,  and  a  number  of  examples  illus- 
trating this  tendency  in  law,  medicine,  and  dentistry  were  given. 
That  this  tendency  has  reached  pharmacy  is  shown  by  the  "company 
pharmacy"  in  England  and  Scotland  and  to  a  certain  extent  in 
several  of  our  larger  cities  in  this  country  by  the  corporations  own- 
ing a  number  of  stores. 
In  conclusion  the  author  took  a  hopeful  view  of  this  tendency  in 
pharmacy.  He  pointed  out  the  economic  advantages  which  would 
probably  arise  in  this  country  from  a  system  of  co-operation,  and 
said  that  while  the  professional  status  of  the  calling  might  be  tem- 
porarily lowered,  the  day  of  the  trained  pharmaceutical  specialist 
would  finally  make  its  arrival. 
A  paper  entitled  "  On  Teaching  Microscopy,  Botany,  Physi- 
ology, Pharmacodynamics  and  Urine  Analysis  in  Colleges  of 
Pharmacy  "  was  presented  by  Albert  Schneider.  Having  empha- 
sized the  importance  of  the  study  of  microscopy,  micro-tech- 
nique and  botany,  the  author  gave  as  his  opinion  that  the  course 
in  physiology  should  be  more  thorough  than  the  average  high- 
school  course  and  that  as  this  course  is  simply  a  preparation 
for  the  course  in  pharmacodynamics,  special  attention  should  be 
given  to  the  functional  activities  of  organs  in  order  that  the  physi- 
ological action  of  drugs  may  be  understood.  The  course  in  general 
pharmacodynamics  should  follow,  but  therapeutics  should  be  almost 
entirely  omitted  as  it  belongs  more  especially  to  the  domain  of  the 
physician.  The  author  also  said  that  the  subject  of  urine  analysis 
has  no  bearing  upon  pharmacy  whatever,  it  being  distinctly  medical 
in  character,  and  that  therefore  the  course  in  this  branch,  if  given 
at  all,  should  embrace  the  usually  recognized  chemical  tests  for 
normal  and  abnormal  urine. 
