El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-19
Some Drug Trade Secrets
To Be Technical, Some Not Generally Known
Pharmaceutical Facts.

r lively interest is being shown in
the forthcoming -decenniaa revision
sA of the United States Pharmaco-
peia. The doctors, the druggists, the
pharmaceutical associations, the gov
ernment-in short every one of the
many interests that bear a close rela-
ton to drugs from the time they are
in their raw state until they pass DOWN
the throat of the patient-aI2 all TAX
ing much interest in the revision. Even
congress has had the matter brought
before it through a bill which proposes
that the Pharmacopeia shall be made
property of the government, to be re-
vised under it's control. 1t IS said that
the drug manufacturers are in favor
of such a law, but that all other in
terests are heartily against it.
The ninth decennial convention for
revising the Pharmacopoeia will in a
manner legislate for congress, since
that body has said in the pure food
poeia and the United States DISPENSE
tory shall be the official standard OF
preparations under the pure food law.
And here an interesting point has been
raised.
One state has held in it's highest
courts that the official drug book at
the time of the enactment of the law
remains the official book On the other
hand another state has held through
its courts that the book in force at the
hour of Interpretation is TO govern. So
far as is known the federal courts
have not passed upon the subject, but
most authorities are acting on the
principle that the time of interpreta-
ton and not the time of enactment will
serve to fix the standard.
Many Pharmacists in Z. s.
There are about 0.0OO pharmacists
in the United States. and they prepare
about one million prescriptions every
day in the year The ordinary range
of prescription writing takes in sew
eral thousand drugs and proprietary
combinations. The highest number of
substances resorted to in the import
ant drug store is about 10000, although
there are $4,000 drugs and compounds
known to the pharmaceutical world.
In q record of the preparation of IT.
000 preparations it was found that 1777
different drugs were used, and that
the average number in each prescrip-
ton was %. Opinions vary widely as
to how many drugs a physician really
needs TO prescribe De Osler once
said that nux yomica and hope were
the only two really essential things. but
of course he was using a hyperbole to
drive home an argument against the
excessive list Of medical preparations.
Some physicians think that a hundred
drugs are sufficient to quell the whole
gamut Of human ills, while others COM
plain that the Pharmacopoeia is not
comprehensive enough when 1t contains
only a thousand official preparations.
Preparing Drugs.
The preparation of drugs constitutes
one of the most Interesting things in
all human activity. The minute care
that is required in the preparation OF
the heroic remedies grips the atten-
ton of the layman as firmly as the
wonders of astronomy or geology.
Drug manufacturers ransack the whole
world for new ideas in healing ma
terials. Medical science owes it's use
of strophanus, one of the most valuable
of the heroic drugs. to the study Of a
poisoned arrow from Africa. In the
preparation of this drug its strength
must frequently be tested. and in this
test live frog is used. The standard
IS the amount it requires 70 kill frog
Weighing a certain number of ounces.
The hundredth-thousandth part of a
grain will determine the issue between
life and death for the frog
Ergot is nothing more than a fungus
growing on rye, and is gathered
throughout the rye fields of Europe.
The only known way TO satisfactorily
test the strength OF ergot is a paint a
ROSTERS comb with it. 1t is makes d
certain shade Of black the preparation