Correspondence. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharru. 
\     March,  1909. 
us  hope  that  this  valuable  book  will  be  translated  into  English,  so  it 
will  have  a  still  larger  circulation. 
Schelenz's  "  History  of  Pharmacy  "  ought  to  be  a  reference  book, 
if  not  a  text-book,  in  our  pharmaceutical  schools,  and  although  this 
is  an  age  of  commercialism,  nevertheless  pharmaceutical  history 
should  be  included  in  the  curriculum  of  our  colleges. 
Otto  Raubenheimer. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
DISCUSSION  ON  FORMULAS  FOR  MEDICINES  WHICH  MAY  BE  DISPENSED 
BY  PHARMACISTS. 
[In  a  lecture  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Wiley,  delivered  recently  at  the  Philadelphia 
College  of  Pharmacy  (see  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  February, 
1909),  he  says:  "The  pharmacist  must  in  some  cases  exercise  the  functions 
of  a  physician  and  the  physician  to  some  extent  those  of  the  pharmacist," 
and  following  in  the  line  of  the  suggestion  made  by  Dr.  McCormack  a  year 
ago  he  stated  "  that  for  the  minor  diseases,  for  which  the  druggist  may 
safely  prescribe,  it  would  be  sufficient  for  the  medical  fraternity  in  each  local- 
ity to  agree  with  the  druggist  in  regard  to  remedies  which  should  be  given 
for  simple  colds  and  other  minor  diseases." 
Inasmuch  as  this  suggestion  has  been  made  on  two  different  occasions 
it  seems  desirable  to  take  it  up  and  discuss  it.  It  is  proposed  to  take  up  the 
discussion  of  this  subject  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  in  March  and  it 
is  hoped  that  the  following  communications  which  have  been  received  will 
stimulate  the  discussion  of  this  subject.] 
To  the  Editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
In  his  lecture  published  in  your  February  number  Dr.  H.  W. 
Wiley  touched  upon  some  of  the  most  serious  difficulties  which  at 
present  beset  the  pharmacist  in  his  struggle  for  existence.  He 
referred  to  the  extremely  unsatisfactory  standards  of  education  for 
pharmacy,  "  the  great  evil  of  the  patent  medicine  habit,"  the  shaken 
faith  in  the  virtue  of  drugs,  the  spread  of  various  forms  of  drugless 
treatment  of  disease,  and  the  contentions  between  physicians  and 
pharmacists. 
Dr.  Wiley's  prediction  that  the  preliminary  education  required 
for  pharmacy  will  advance  until  the  degree  of  A.B.  or  its  equivalent 
is  demanded  is  too  optimistic.  High  school  graduation  is  required 
in  all  other  countries  and  South  Dakota  has  shown  that  it  is  attain- 
