Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
February,  1909.  j 
The  Assay  of  Drugs. 
59 
Second,  that  it  inhibits  or  destroys  the  action  of  the  enzyme  react- 
ing with  the  Wilkinson-Peters  test  much  more  rapidly  than  it  affects 
the  enzyme  reacting  with  the  Dupouy  test. 
Third,  that  eventually  it  destroys  the  action  of  both  of  these 
enzymes  and  causes  the  milk  to  react  the  same  as  boiled  or  sterilized 
milk. ' 
Further  experiments  are  being  undertaken  to  ascertain  the  in- 
fluence of  other  preservatives  upon  these  enzymes. 
THE  ASSAY  OF  DRUGS.* 
By  C.  E.  Parker. 
A  spirit  of  progress,  a  quickened  sense  of  responsibility  is  mani- 
fest among  practitioners  of  that  branch  of  medicine  dealing  with  the 
provision  of  agents  for  the  prevention,  alleviation  and  cure  of  disease 
which  we  call  pharmacy.  The  whole  prestige  and  distinction  of 
the  pharmacist,  which  differentiates  him  from  the  common  merchant, 
is  contingent  upon  his  fidelity  to  that  obligation  to  use  certain  pro- 
fessed attainments  for  the  benefit  of  others  which  is  the  essence  of 
professionalism.  If  he  for  gain  promotes  the  use  of  drugs  regard- 
less of  the  discipline  of  his  profession  and  of  the  public  welfare, 
he  becomes  a  mere  drug-seller.  The  old-time  apothecary  who  per- 
sonally conducted  practically  all  the  details  from  growing  drugs  to 
dispensing  prescriptions  could  not  easily  forget  his  professional 
responsibility.  But  the  commercial  development  of  applied  phar- 
macy has  now  become  so  complex,  and  drugs  pass  through  the  hands 
of  so  many  people  who  have  no  personal  or  professional  relations 
with  the  sick  for  whose  benefit  they  are  destined,  or  whose  interest 
in  pharmacy  proper  is  subordinate  to  other  affairs,  that  there  is  a 
strong  tendency  to  divide  and  dissipate  responsibility. 
The  professional  status  of  the  retail  pharmacist  depends  upon  his 
success  in  arresting  and  reversing  this  tendency.  Power  and 
authority  naturally  accrue  to  those  who  are  efficient  in  the  discharge 
of  responsibility  and  depart  from  those  who  fail  to  "  make  good." 
The  pharmacy  laws  of  our  country,  which  have  been  in  a  large 
degree  shaped  by  the  influence  of  pharmacists,  are  theoretically  the 
*  Read  at  the  meeting  of  the  City  of  Washington  Branch  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  December  14,  1908. 
