Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-11-10
MUST HANDLE PURE DRUGS.
Warning Sent Out by the State Board o.
Pharmacy.

fnarhacy.
Madison. Wis, Nov. 5-TSpecial. L
The state board of pharmacy did not COW
er the whole ground of the purpose of the
new pharmacy law at it's meeting in Mil
waukee Wednesday. There are other
things besides the sale of patent medi-
cines, compounded under a secret formula,
which the law is intended to regulate, and
to which the attention OF druggists is to
be called. In an interview on this sub
ject State Chemist A. S. Mitchell of the
state dairy and food department says:
"The warning to druggists issued joint
ly by the state boards of health and
pharmacy is timely, but as the warning re-
fers only to section 6 of this law, pertain
inc solely to patent medicines, | wish to
direct the attention of druggists to the
main sections of the law and the policy of
this department towards its enforcement.
Sections 2 and refer to the sale of
adulterated drugs and prescribe standards
for their purity which are in conform
ance with those of the United States
Pharmacopoeia, and are as follows:
6" The term drug, as USED in this act,
shall include all medicine for internal or
external use, antiseptics, disinfectants
and cosmetics. The term food" as
used herein, shall include all articles used
for food or drink by man, whether SIM
pie mixed or compound.
can article shall be deemed to be
adulterated within the meaning of this
act: (a) In the case of drugs: First, if,
when sold under or by name recognized
in the United States Pharmacopoea, it
differs from the standard of strength,
quality or purity laid down in the latest
current edition thereof; second, if, when
sold under or by name not recognized
in the PharmacopOela, but which is
found in the Pharmacopoeia of some 9TH
er country, the national fOrmulary or
other standard work on materia medica,
it differs materially from the standard
Of strength, quality or purity laid down
in the latest current edition of such
work; third, if its strength, quality or
purity falls below the professed stand
ard under which it is Sold
'.When the state board of pharmacy
pronounces a candidate competent to per-
form the duties of a pharmacist by grant
ing him a certificate upon examination,
he is by that act recognized as RESPONSE
BILE for his acts as a pharmacist. He is
examined with reference to the manufac-
ture, compromising and examination of
drugs and chemicals and upon his knowl-
edge of their tests as prescribed in the
pharmacopoeia. The fact that his license
is directed by law to be posted in a con-
spicuouS place emphasizes this fact, as it
thereby serves as guaranty to patrons
of his competency and for the reliability
of his goods. Under these circumstances
sponsible for the goods sold by them.
1t is the intention of this department to
enforce this section as far as possible in
the spirit of the law; to make examina-
ton of bulk drugs and chemicals as sold
in the stores, and where marked varia-
lions from recognized standards are
found, the violators will be prosecuted
without previous warning. 1t is to be
hoped that this will serve to direct the
attention of druggists to the bulk goods
and chemicals upon their shelves, as many
samples which have been examined by
us of goods purchased here and in Mil
waukee have proved to be badly adulter-
ated.
ITO the casual reader of the warming
issued by the state boards Of health and
pharmacy it would seem that under the
Interpretation given to section 6, relating
to patent medicines. the state board of
health did not propose to allow the use of
anodynes of any character or amount in
cough medicine. Obviously this is not
the intention of the law and probably not
that of the state board of health. Ano-
dyneS such as paregOric would seem 4 tit
and proper substance for use in cough
medicines and similar compounds. The
intention of this department with refer
ence to this clause is to take such as are.
in the opinion of the state board of
health, fragrant violations of this law. as
solutions of morphine sold under the pre-
tense of being cures for the opium and
morphine habit. catarrh cures containing
cocaine and similar injurious mixtures,
and to notify druggists Of their harm
full character. In this case, druggists
have no knowledge of the formulae or
the contents of the packages in
question and their professional skill does
not afford them a ready means Of know
ing whether the poisons contained there
in are in injurious amounts or not;
e !,
by the wording of the law, made the sole
judge upon this point. If, after a suit
able publication and warning Of the in
furious character of the condemned arti-
cles, the sale of these goods is persisted
in, the parties selling them will be
promptly prosecuted.
In this manner it is hoped to obtain
the co-opera ton of the druggists of the
state in the enforcement of this law. and
we feel that the druggists are willing and
anxious to raise the standard of quality
of their goods, providing the law is rigidly
enforced -