Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-02
WANT LEGISLATION
COMMISSIONERS OF PHARMACY
MAKE ANNUAL REPORT.
More Thorough Training for Druggists
Advocated-Ask Limited
Sale of PoisonS.

The commissioners of pharmacy today
submitted to the District Commissioners
theiI annual report for the year ended June
30 last. The report shows that during the
year forty-s.x applicants, having the requi'
site diplomas were registered without eX-
animation At the quarterly examinations
reid by the Commissioners during the year
there We're in all forty-eisht applicants eN-
ahmed. of whom eleven attained a sa;isfac-
tory grade. The papers of many of these
cGndida ties. the report says, show clearly
the reed of more careful scrutiny OF their
preliminary attachments.
With reference 10 the legislation proposed
by the Commissioners during the last Con-
gress. the board of pharmacy says:
"One of the proposed items, which at
first aroused considerable opposition, is that
ali applicants for licenSure shall have grad
peted from reputable college or school of
pharmacy in order to be eligible for eXam-
nation by the local board Your attention
is called to the fact that such require
ment has been enacted by the legisla lure
and signed by the governor of New YORK
and becomes effective January l, 1905. 1t
seems highly probable that the state of
Pennsylvania will soon have similar law.
1T is an almost universal rule that the
ply stefan must have graduated from
reputable school before he can be licensed
to practice. 1t is obvious that the phar-
macist. who stands between the physician
and his patient, needs no less careful and
thorough training both technical and prac-
teal While il is true. as has been alleged,
that many of the older pharmacists of ;he
day are not graduates. 1T is still more true
and capable of statistical proof that grad
yates are today more and more in demand.
Sale Of Poisons.
Another item of great importance in
this proposed bill, is that with regard to
the sale of poisons. Legislation, per Sc,
cannot be expected to prevent suicide but
much can be done to increase the difficulty
with which the would-be suicide procures
the means of his undoing. The coroner
ports seventy cases of selfdestruction in
the past year, of these twenty-three were
by poison Chief among the drugs used in
this way ere opium and cocaine, with their
derivatives; some idea of the appalling in
crease in the use of these drugs may be
gained from the statistics of imports.
In 1901 the value of the cocaine salts
imported was Sl7694S; for nine months of
1903 the figures rose to S199, S26. Crude
opium. 1901, i9l ,44S pounds: for nine months
of 1853, 33S937 pounds. Smoking opium,
1901, 1899 pounds; 1902 163,441 pounds,
for nine months of 1903, 140,864 pounds
Morphine salts, 1901 J0,69S ounces; for
nine months of 1903. 1867 ounces
These figures are, of course, for the
country at large, but there is no reason to
believe that conditions in the District of
Columbia are not different.
We would respectfully urge that Senate
bill 41I7 be pushed with the utmost vigor
at the opening of the next session of Con-
gress. and pledge our earnest endeavors in
its behalf When II is known that part of
the opposition to this bill comes from the
manufacturers of proprietary articles con-
tanning opium and cocaine, you will under
stand why we feel that such opposition
should be ignored as coming from question
able sources and through demands inimical
to the public good
The report is signed by Frank G. Henry.
president. Henry A. Johnston secretary;
Francis p. Morgan, NJ. d., treasurer; MUIR
ray Gait Motter. NJ. D.; Fred r IIafel-
finger.