The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-08
MEDICAL MEN IN SESSION.
Second Day of the Annual Meeting of
the Therapeutic Society.

The opening session Of the second day
of the meeting Of the Therapeutic Society
was held this morning. beginning at 10
o'clock. at the National Rifles ArmOTy-
The business consisted Of the reading Of
papers and a discussion OF the subjects
presented.
DR. Francis p. Morgan read paper en-
titled, Suggestions Concerning the Use Of
the Metric System IN Prescription Writ
ing. Dr. Morgan noted the many err
Tors, some of which result seriously. in
the preparation of prescriptions by drug
gists- There were many serious results.
he claimed from the mixing of improper
quantities of ingredients, due to the com
Plications Of the system IN vogue. He re
ferred to the fact that physicians had pre-
yiousIy acted favorably upon the sugges-
ton 10 use the metric system in prescrip-
ton writing, but that the practice had
been abandoned, owing to the ignorance
Of drug clerks as to the system He urged
that physicians continue to use the metric
system. and enforce upon druggists the
necessity OF having clerks who were edu-
Gated in the metric tables Il one drug
gist, he claimed did not have clerks who
were versed in the system. there were
other druggists who were progressive
enough TO have such clerks, and all drug
gists would soon be compelled to have
clerks who GiC understand the metric fig
Ures- The paper was referred to the jul
dicial council for consideration,
In his raper on The Relations of the
Pharmacist to the Physician. and the Re
Iati0uS Of Pharmacy TO MateTia MediCa
and Drug Therapeutics Dr. f b Stew
art, Of New York, recommended the estab-
nShment Of q National Bureau OF M3teTla
MediCa under the auspices of the Gov
eminent DIT. Stewart called attention to
the condition Of affairs threatening pro-
gress in materia medica- and gave an ac-
count Of his efforts to secure the interest
Of Government officials in the project He
had conferred with Prof Spencer +. Baird,
Of the Smithsonian Institution. and with
the heads OF various medical departments
of the army. navy, and Marine Hospital
Service, the Army Medical Museum the
National Board of Health etc General
endorsement OF the project was accorded,
but the lack of an available appropriation
for the purpose, he learned, prevented any
definite action
The objects Of the bureau, as stated by
DR. Stewart, are to establish the staTEi-
ards of the materia medica preparations
on the market and keep them under ana
lytiCai and phdTmaCOdynamiC ObSeTVd-
ton, to act as the medium of cOmmunica-
ton between the scientific workers in the
laboratories, hospitals, and clinics enGag-
ed in the investigation Of new mateTid
Tnedica products and those engaged in
manufacturing and marketing them. To
collect knowledge Of materfa medica prod
UCts, reduce it to law. embOdy 1t in a Sys-
TEN. and publish it for the benefit Of sci
ence- The suggestions made by DIT Stew
art were favOrabIy considered in a discus
sion which followed, and were finally re-
ferred to the judicial council.
Athird paper was read by DIR. Robert
Reyburn of the Freedman's SZ--cital of
this city. on the subject Of ''IneTTness Of
Petroleum Compounds When Given Me
diciuaIIy.
A meeting of the judicial council was
held Immediately after the adjournment
of the session