Am'\pXi9(?9arm'}     Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy.  205 
tions,  in  the  guise  of  sure  cures,  and  that  at  least  some  of  these 
preparations  have  led  to  the  formation  of  drug  habits,  either  general 
or  specific,  and  that  the  retail  druggist,  because  of  his  special  knowl- 
edge and  training,  knew  of  the  uselessness  and  possible  harmfulness 
of  these  compounds,  he,  and  not  the  manufacturer,  will  be  held 
responsible  for  their  sale. 
"  In  this  same  connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  Dr.  Wiley 
makes  practically  the  same  suggestion  regarding  the  possible  de- 
velopment of  a  line  of  household  remedies  that  was  made  by  Dr. 
McCormack  at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, in  New  York,  in  1907. 
"  It  will  be  remembered  that  at  that  time  Dr.  McCormack  dis- 
cussed rather  freely  what  he  considered  to  be  some  of  the  more 
evident  shortcomings  in  the  present-day  make-up  of  the  retail  drug 
business.  Some  of  his  statements  were  objected  to  by  men  who 
either  did  not  grasp,  or  were  not  willing  to  allow  other  members 
of  their  calling  to  grasp,  the  true  object  of  the  address,  and  so  far 
as  the  retail  drug  trade  is  concerned  little  or  nothing  has  been  done 
to  remedy  the  evils  that  were  pointed  out. 
"  In  the  course  of  his  address  Dr.  McCormack  pointed  out 
that,  quite  aside  from  the  moral  wrong  involved  in  the  nostrum 
business,  the  trade  has  only  enriched  the  manufacturer  and  has 
always  been  an  unprofitable  curse  to  the  retail  druggist.  He  also 
pointed  out  the  possibility  of  developing  a  line  of  unobjectionable 
household  remedies  that  might  be  sold  by  the  retail  druggist  with 
profit  to  himself,  and  serve  to  displace  the  frequently  harmful 
nostrums  that  are  now  sold. 
"  At  the  meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  in  Chi- 
cago, the  following  summer  (see  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1908,  pp. 
393-396),  Dr.  McCormack  recommended  that  a  conference  commit- 
tee be  appointed  by  the  American  Medical  Association  and  the 
American  Pharmaceutical  Association  to  consider  the  possibility 
of  bringing  about  reforms  in  connection  with  the  use  of  drugs,  a 
return  to  scientific  prescription  writing,  the  development  of  a  line  of 
unobjectionable  household  remedies,  and  other  matters  of  interest  to 
the  members  of  the  two  professions  and  bearing  on  their  mutual 
duties  to  the  public  at  large. 
"  The  American  Medical  Association  has  provided  for  such  a 
conference  committee  and  such  a  committee  would  undoubtedly  be 
in  position  to  accomplish  much  good  if  the  retail  druggists  of  the 
