New-York tribune., 1905-08-20
MEDICINAL STANDARDS
Latest ReUisions. additions, Subtrac
tions and alterations an Strength.

The relation which the physci1u and lri.-ss..
sustain TO the public is so important that -,
interest must attach 70 the notifications that an.
made from time TO tiTae in the catalogue OF .B5
stances used for remedial purposes In near
Iy every civilized country there is such a Lie.
known as the ''pharmacoposia-' II Is prepare,
under official auspices and amended occa sfona1rv
That of the United States has just been revised
for the eighth time. and the code takes efect
on September l. Nearly five years have been as-
voted TO its preparation, the convention which
authorized 1t having sat in 1890 This fact aIons
viii afford hint of the scientific value of tbs
labor involved in the report recently issued T
hrst American Ist-that Of Is2t-was compiled u.
der the direction OF the medical profession ex-
cIusiyeIy Nearly half OF the States have now
made the United States Pharmacopoeia their lezal
standard and the Marine Hospital Service, the
national bureau that looks out for the public
health. has also sanctioned IT, Hence there is
wider representation now than formerly in tAs
bodies which make alterations in the code
one of the most instructive features ct tae nev
volume is the numoer OF additions made 70 TIE
standards Of 1sep There are 1I7 of them. A few
Of the remedies Co which formal approval IS th1s
given are fresh acquisitions % the Os the
profession Such is the ease with anupyrine. ca
calne and the anutoNIn OF diphtheria- Another
grour-a much larger oue-incildes new forms oS
old medicines, such as csmphoric acid and grana
lated opium. Now and then dTuG-aconitne Tor
INSTANCES merely restored TO Jne list. havin.
been dropped for some good reason twenty
thirty years ago. Occasionally an old drug appears
under. a new name. ~Gamoir' merely replaces
-catecnu" Finally, there axe several substances
which have long had Industrial or domestic az
plications but have never figured as medicines
This remark apples TO ge-aJinv peraE Elne anu soIas
other additions now mace
No less than Is articles axe dismissed from
the pharrnac)poea- In some cases. no doubt taey
are dropped, because they are no longer REGARDED
as valuable. They nave already become o1st'1'S
Absinthe is one. For other omissions tneIe IS
different but perfectly inte.uslole. cause "haS
was formerly known as ''alCoacl Geacoratun IS
dropped simply because the strength o. .d4-oh'i Is
now brought up 20 that Of tne other HnIo ana tAs
edeodora1urn" no longer mas any use 'AFn4ca
flowers are needless because 'arnica' alone IS S1'-
dcent- \ compound n which coicnlclm ''''
played a Fart Is discarded. but one BASED - The
seed of cochjcum is retained.
Another group of chanses relates 70 the s'i''-'H
of a few drugs. The full hst or substances 90 ne
use of which oaiciaI sanction IS given contains u
ward of eight hundred items Regarding JAe vast
majority of these no alteration Is proposed v'r-
q score are now to be more concentrated tHaa
before The tincJuTes Of rEu1arb- cinnamon ,aP7'-
cum. cantharIIes ana lew other veil known
drugs viii hereafter need 10 be twice aS strong s
before in order to conform 10 the ne" Standard.
The strength of the ticcJlres OF dislt---S, sel-
seniurn hyoscyanus and some Others viii N tl-
future be only Jwo-thirds that formerly Teq4-i11-
reduction in the case OF aconlte Is Inoie t'---
spicuous. bcIns In the ratio Of 80 70 l. I'm the
case OF twenty Eight more drugs. The standard o.
strength mas hitherto been varied fom CDs cause
OF another 1t is definitely >Aed
IL is said that the changes have been made 50
that the preparations OF this country wiu DC uni
form with those OF Europe. They have been made
at the suggestion of an Internal tOuaI congress IN
Brussels in 1872, and the United States Is the AIst
country 10 act o'i tnose Esc,lt!IL 10 - -
American loLrlsJ sam no'F taNe with En te t-4ioge
the prescT ssIon OF mis- own pHysciils and rev1 ne
is getting eNacuy VEiJ ne ousnt 10 nave II a for
to remember, 200, that che 'phtrIaacop-e-@ i
oaiy incIdentaiiy tor alp the randoHl re-
tan purehSser- Inc alterations now In7ee IN @ tns
strength of those Few artices Therefore, viii anec
anu il is doubtful whether evea The uainit.atei
limited portion OF the last revision had been
,,6y Mhst q seems GEMS to be new fscsgEe Of me new ed
each drug IS sDeclneG- The committee IN
structed TO give average doses Tor adults oUt
tiOn which imposed thar duty Jne comut-ce was
pbysicisr the i3IItr s51od fs<I frss r, yy.,l fbs
limit SIven whenever III MS JUdSinenr IL VS. ac-
No advance in Pharmaceutical science in the last
fifteen or twenty years has been more conspicuous
tnan the discovery and adoption OF methods OF ,es
ing the purity and strength OF drugs vast amount
of disappointment has been experienced by skilled
prat ttloneTS Over failures 20 paJed re-
Quantities would sometimes work beautifully. some
times they would not The taGlt there was nlqca
e;tI rfor ~, % - ~ - l|+. - -tlt H. -
have lately been applied than nifty in
portant preparations. IL has not Yet been possible
20 find suitable tests for all drugs. but the gains
already made afford occasion for profound con
graduation
over no question considered by the COMMITTEES on
revision has a wider difference of opinion existed
among outsiders than the wisdom OF giving orictal
Endorsement to patent medicines. For the present
that action has not been taken Some future re-
vision may admit a limited number OF proprietary
preparations but the ''pharmacopCeia" that g0ss
into force next month shuts them all out IL Is q
We'll known fact that physicians advise patients %
bug these things at times but fatal accidents Occ
now and then in consequence. The druggists Wne
hanCle such goods discover the fact eventually. ana
the doctors who sanction them may DO SO. TOO II
is a time hOnCred principle OF the medical profes-
sion that there must be secrets about the drugs
IL preScTtbcS Physicians must have full kDOwledse
of the constituents and properties % the articls
they recommend. The revisers OF the United stats
PharmacOpPia'' have felt under an obligation 70
maintain that principle.