Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
October,  1901.  J 
Pharmaceutical  Associations. 
519 
Committee  on  President's  Address.    The  report  of  the  Secretary 
and  Treasurer,  R.  H.  Walker,  showed  the  finances  and  membership 
of  the  Association  to  be  in  a  healthy  condition. 
The  following  papers  were  read  : 
"Labelling,  Dispensing  and  Delivery  of  Prescriptions."  J.  Pfeiffer  gave  a 
number  of  suggestions  from  his  own  experience. 
"  Miscellaneous  Notes."  W.  R.  Neville  gave  a  number  of  practical  hints  on 
compounding  prescriptions.  An  English  physician  who  prescribes  glycerite  of 
lead  frequently  gave  this  as  the  formula  : 
Iviq.  Plumbi  subacet.  1  dr.;  glycerine,  2  drs.;  lanoline,  4  drs.  This  was  used 
in  proportion,  1  dr.  to  vaseline  2  drs. 
"  Quality  of  Market  Drugs."  T.  R.  Keene  gave  the  following  results  of  the 
examination  of  a  few  drugs  :  Alcohol,  twenty -two  samples  were  examined, 
but  three  came  within  pharmacopoeial  requirements.  Asafetida,  out  of  thirteen 
specimens  investigated,  not  one  contained  more  than  42  per  cent,  of  alcohol 
soluble  matter  ;  some  of  the  highest  priced  gums  were  of  the  worst  quality. 
Castor  oil — twelve  samples  were  examined,  but  one  was  adulterated  (with 
approximately  50  per  cent,  cotton-seed  oil). 
Cream  of  Tartar — Four  specimens  from  drug  stores,  and  seven  from  the 
groceries  were  examined.  Those  coming  from  the  drug  stores  were  all  up  to 
standard,  in  every  respect,  but  those  from  the  groceries,  were  badly  adulte- 
rated ;  two  of  them  contained  only  40  per  cent,  of  cream  of  tartar  and  none 
of  them  over  80  per  cent.  The  principal  article  used  for  cheapening  purposes 
was  starch.  Glycerine — Five  samples  were  examined  ;  all  were  fairly  good. 
Calomel — Nine  different  lots  of  calomel  were  investigated  ;  all  were  satisfac- 
tory. Cocaine — -Nineteen  samples  were  examined  ;  five  of  them,  each  from  a 
different  manufacturer,  were  taken  from  original  packages.  All  of  these  five 
were  as  good  as  is  required.  The  other  fourteen  were  purchased  from  various 
retail  drug  stores.  Four  out  of  these  fourteen  were  all  right,  but  the  other 
ten  were  adulterated  with  acetanilid  from  20  to  60  per  cent. 
Opium — Eight  samples  of  assayed  powdered  opium  all  conformed  to  the 
claims  made  upon  the  labels,  within  the  reasonable  limits  of  errors,  and 
allowance  for  different  processes  of  assay  used. 
Laudanum — Numerous  samples  of  laudanum  have  been  assayed  ;  some 
from  the  jobbing  druggists,  some  from  the  retail  druggists  and  others  from  the 
groceries.  About  half  of  them  were  near  enough  right  to  show  good  inten- 
tions upon  the  part  of  the  maker,  while  the  balance  showed  all  degrees  of 
badness,  down  to  a  dark  colored  liquid  that  took  a  stretch  of  the  imagina- 
tion to  even  give  it  the  name  of  laudanum. 
Many  other  articles  have  been  examined,  more  or  less  closely,  with  results 
that  on  the  average  compare  with  those  spoken  of  above  ;  the  conclusion  is 
that  the  jobbing  druggists,  on  the  whole,  are  supplying  the  retail  trade  with 
drugs  of  as  high  a  grade  as  the  retailer  is  willing  to  pay  for,  and  that  where 
they  send  out  goods  that  are  not  as  good  as  they  should  be  it  is  because  of  the 
continual  demand  made  upon  them  for  articles  that  bear  the  name  regardless 
of  quality.  The  author  concludes  that  just  as  soon  as  the  retailer  asks  for 
higher  class  drugs,  the  jobbers  will  gladly  supply  them. 
