A January  iqoq111'}  Act  °f  T^4^j  Importation  Regulations.  29 
crude  drugs  such  as  coca  leaves,  colchicum  seed,  etc.,  which  often 
fall  below  U.  S.  P.  requirements,  although  manufacturers  can  use 
such  material  for  the  manufacture  of  active  preparations  provided 
they  can  obtain  the  crude  material  at  a  satisfactory  price. 
The  conditions  of  the  importations  of  drugs  have  radically  changed 
since  the  enactment  of  the  law  of  1848  and  the  Food  and  Drugs  Act 
now  regulates  the  interstate  sale  of  drugs,  and  most  of  the  States 
having  adopted  the  National  Law  as  their  own  and  so  the  sale  of 
adulterated  or  even  of  inferior  drugs  and  medicinal  preparations  is 
made  very  difficult,  and  as  the  possibility  for  their  sale  ceases  the 
importation  of  inferior  drugs  will  cease  also  as  a  matter  of  course. 
The  drug  trade,  in  order  to  compete  with  its  foreign  rivals  in  acquir- 
ing foreign  trade,  must  not  be  hampered  and  restricted,  and  must 
be  able  to  draw  upon  all  the  resources  open  to  it  to  obtain  crude 
products  and  raw  materials  for  manufacturing  purposes  of  whatever 
quality  it  can  use  to  advantage.  The  Food  and  Drugs  Act  offers 
most  efficient  protection  to  the  consumer  against  wilful  adulteration 
and  misbranding. 
Having  charge  of  the  importations  of  Messrs.  Lehn  &  Fink,  I 
have  had  sufficient  experience  to  know  that  the  importers  of  drugs 
can  carry  out  most  of  the  requirements  of  the  Food  and  Drugs  Act, 
and  that  it  is  possible  to  overcome  gradually  all  the  difficulties  now 
and  then  arising  from  the  fact  that  the  requirements  of  our  law 
are  not  fully  understood  by  the  shippers  of  products  in  foreign  coun- 
tries, with  the  exception  of  that  part  of  Section  7  which  requires  a 
statement  of  strength,  quality  and  purity  to  appear  upon  the  con- 
tainers. It  is  often  impossible  to  put  this  statement  on  all  containers, 
such  as  hogsheads,  barrels,  bales,  crates,  etc.,  which  are  not  intended 
for  sale  to  the  consumer  in  the  condition  in  which  they  are  imported. 
It  is  difficult  and  often  impossible  to  put  this  statement  upon  such 
packages  for  the  reason  that  the  sellers  of  the  drugs  from  which 
we  buy  them  are  often  located  in  remote  districts.  They  have  no 
facilities  for  carrying  out  purity  tests,  nor  have  they  any  knowledge 
of  chemistry  to  fix  the  standard  of  the  product  which  we  purchase 
and  which  they  are  making  ready  for  shipment.  Because  of  this 
fact  we  cannot  now  buy  drugs  requiring  any  assay  from  first  hands, 
from  the  producers,  and  are  compelled  to  secure  supplies  from  second 
and  third  hands,  from  dealers  in  the  large  trade  centres  who  have 
the  facilities  for  making  the  required  assay,  and  who  can  classify 
and  purify  the  products  which  they  receive  from  first  hands  in  their 
