New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-13
UHATISAN "ATERAGE DOSEf"
A QUESTION FOR DOCTORS AND DRUG
GISTS
SHALL. THE 'rH, RMAcoPE1A" ANSWER IT OF
rIc1ALIY2-A LIVELY DISCUSSION.

SHALL. THE "rII ,RMACoPE1N' ANSWER 1T OF
FICIALLY?-A LIVELY DISCUSSION.
Every one who takes physicians prescription
to drug store be filled is likely to be affected
by the fate of a proposition recently made to the
American Medical Association and now under dis
cussion by members of the profession Immediately
concerned There is in existence certain
standard work issued under the auspices OF the
organization just mentioned. and called THE
United States Pharmacopeia.' 1t is a sort OF en-
cyclopaeda briefly describing all the drugs recog-
nizcd and used by the followers of Galen. AT the
annual meeting of the association in Atlanta
few weeks ago DIR. Charles Rice suggested that
the Committee Revision. whose duty ii is period
ically to bring the book up TO date. shall In
troducc an entirely new feature into 1t by stating
The average doses IN connection with each drug
or preparation used internally The doses shall
he designated by a subcommittee who are pract-
TONERS of medicine. and shall be given In such
form as will leave .ull liberty to the prescriber to
exceed the limits given" dozen letters on this
subject printed in The American Druggist and
Pharmaceutical Record" are sufficiently repre-
sentative OF the various shades of opinion.
The drug trade and the most highly educated
pharmacists almost unanimously in favor or
the scheme. 1t would increase the usefulness TO
them of important book OF reference Incl
dentay and trininG extent. perhaps 1t may
increase their traffic the expense Of the doctors
although this is doubtful But by enabling the dis
penser of drugs to act nelligcnty than
now in filling a prescription. 1t might in rare in
stances avert n serious mistake. Even the most
painstaking physicians have sometimes prescribed
larger doses than they intended TO. owing to mo-
mentary distraction while writing out the formal
order on the apothecary DR.. Frank Woodbury.. In
his letter to THE American Druggist and Phar-
maceutica Record by way of illustration, cites
the bundcr Of n friend Of his In prescribing thir-
times much of certain drug as he
meant TO. In consequence. the practitioner had TO
go several miles at night and spend several dis
agreeable quarters OF an hour in treating case
of hyoscya poisoning. and barely saving the
patients life In this case. If the pharmacist had
delayed filing the prescription until he had ascer-
ancd why such an extraordinary d9se mao b pccn
ayerted and the patient spared the risk of her
life. for If aid had not been promptly rendered
fatal result would in all probability have followed.
Occurrences OF this sort. to be sure. are exceed
ngly infrequent but such Is the value set on
human life 10y Christian civilization tnat plan de
signed to prevent them must naturally be re-
cciyed with some favor. The foregoing quotation
really states the argument in support OF Dr. Rices
However. il often happens that a physician pre-
scribcs much larger dose OF poisonous drug
patients system does respond to ordinary doses
as readily as most persons would; He knows
10 whom the prescription is taken may he greatly
puzzled and positively anxious DR. Woodbury. pro
poses that in OF this kind the physician indi
cate that the size Of the dose is Intentional by
placing star opposite the name Of the drug In
~ Vii no ohserved hat DR. RICE So words his prop
ostion : not to limit the practtlorer's freedom.
Among the objections raised against the proposes
book into the domain Of therapeutics or treatment
and thus enters "debatable ground where It's
universally Acknowledgment Dr. Eli NJ Long of
the Buffalo College Of Pharmacy states this point
very succnctly when he refers to "thc impassibty
of making any dose a standard in conformity with
the fundamentally standard character Of the book
fact ttat there is a precedent for the attempt DR.;
in favor of having the Omitted States Pharma-
Sopoea Just as me Germhn fh 1 spOs
provision for indicating wnen the unusual is in
Dr. Long Of Buffalo, just referred TO- believes
that the new feature of the book would be of use
Not member Of the medical profession he says,
ever consults the "Pharmacopocia." He thinks
rather than the body of the work. Charles Schmitt,
Of Baltimore in APPROVING the general idea sue
in the new edition the strength which official drugs
and preparations should have one OF the greatest
been subjected is the varying degree of purity and
srGng[h posSeSfed by Gncre. Spectens oI r
cua,ions Of TIE physician and wrought untold woe
proposes minor extension of the plan so that the
''Pharma copoeia' shall prescribe the maximum IGI
in twenty-four hours. A. b. stevens, Of the Ann
;Arbor school of Pharmacy, recommends the use Of
system of weights in specifying doses;
second proposition. related 10 the first and
cite nearly as much discussion. DR. Rice recon-
mends official recognition in The Pharmacopoeia"
OF what are popularity called patent medicines"
but what are more specifically described as com
pounds or preparations whose composition, proper
ties and mode OF manufacture are known, and
who's, identity. purity and strength can be ascer-
tanned by tests Irrespective of any proprietary
rights that may be connected herewith" That a
vOrcd 10y individual physicians If not by the pro-
fession as whole goes without saying. But wOuld
II be wise and practicable to give the sanction OF
body like the American Medical Association TO the
employment Of such remedies? Among pharmacists
the idea * rather faVOraby received but the prac
tica' execution OF 1t is beset with obvious difficult
ties.
Charles Gu, schmitt, Of Baltimore thinks that the
secure statement Of the physical and chemical
characteristics of the compounds in question as a
means Of identification and as safeguard against
Gdtli"rauOn. But as patented preparations
usually sold In The original packages. properly
scaled and labelled Nj. Schmitt littlc danger
10 be necessary to give the manufacturers name
and ad hess in THE Pharmacopocia" But even If
Ihey wcrs NOT inserted thcre, the makers Of such
compounds would oycrwhclm the Committee OF Re-
vision for the admission Of their products to the
official lists. Could the committee stand up against
such pressure ana pcrsuasion? Would not the cry
Of favoritsm be raised? Mr. Schmitt adds:
Shall there be admitted a dozen anal
Ccsice sOporn IS febrfugcs and antiseptcs and all
ut arbitrarily high price? II only one which
one If two which two? Who will decide upon
the number If limitation is decided on and how will
admitted may be the answer. but which IS the
best in each class, and who can prove it beyond
remedies FOR one or two wears by the medical pro-
fession does not always establish the value of
these compounds as medicines. Doubtless the man
ufacturer or patcntec viii present himself armed
with volumes Of flyora bic testimony of greater or
less value. but-'Samivel. beware Of the viddcrs'"
ALABAMA COAL ~ THE SOUTHWEST.
From The Manufacturers Record