Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-14

manufacture and sell any Of the $4,000
compounds known to organic chemistry,
and may allege for them what curative
powers he will, and because, too, Of this
unlimited opportunity for fraud among
the older drugs, it becomes a matter Of no
surprise to learn that at the present time
among the great number Of firms manu-
featuring remedial agencies there is the
greatest conceivable diversity in science,
sincerity and wisdom.
What is interesting, and in a present
day and very literal sense vitality interest
ing, is the extent TO which scientific method
may possibly be applied in the making OF
these substances; for to writer and reader
alike there will come a time, and lucky
he be If IT comes but once, when from a
vial or through a needle he will take in
them the issue between life and death.
Whether II be hypnotic, stimulaut, anti
pyretic, antiseptic, antitoxin, or what not,
If it be insincerely or ignorantly or care
lessly made, the earth may cover a mis-
take but for which he might be walking
among men in the sunlight.
Owing TO the limitations of space the sub
ject is best exposed In a few facts that
are highly significant and Illuminating, and
this may be accomplished by observing a
little Of the practice of some one firm that
is typical Of the best. This firm may be
hight Messrs. Method and Efficiency. 1t
avails but little to lose ones self in their
warrens of offices, or to penetrate the build
ings where those marvellous machine-auto-
nations are turning out the millions Of pills
and tablets, or even into others where the
medicinal agents are being manufactured,
magnifcently, in gross To the briefest
glance Of knowledge It is apparent that this
business, from top 10 bottom, as much as
may be. is governed throughout by Method
and Efficiency. The matter that is really
interesting and significant Is not how they
do things here. but how they get at things,
what they find II humanity possible TO do
to insure the virtue OF those little pOtencies
that in the form Of pill or tablet or
powder or elixir are on the way TO all Of
us, rich and poor alike. Into the labora-
tories, then, it is necessary TO go, for IT
is there that the method and efficiency Of
the firm begin and end. To illustrate this
there is the preparation Of the old and
standard drugs.
Drugs from All Lands.
These drugs come from the uttermost
parts Of the earth-from the dark forests
Of Brazil from the frozen Siberian steppcs,
from the banks Of the "gray-green, greasy
Limpopo river, all set about with fever
trees" or from "silken samarkand;" but
! almost everywhere they are gathered by
] barbarOus peoples, the lowest Of earth 8
denizens. II IS small wonder then, that
with any one plant there should be a varia-
ton among its Individual specimens In the
proportion Of the active medical agent it
contains But when We add 10 this the
fact that, IN general terms, the percentage
OF the active ingredient depends on the
amount Of sunshine Il enjoys, on the time
Of the year II is gathered, even on the time
OF the day on the amount OF moisture, the
elevation, the character Of the soil, and a
dozen other factors, II becomes almost a
necessity Of thought that the amount Of
medicine" in that plant must vary from
a maximum % nothing al all
Such crude drugs. are now assayed for
their percentage VI medicinal activity, and