Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-21
Some Things You Want I'd Know
The Drug Trade.

Lively interest is helms shown In the
forthcoming decenniar revision OF the
United States Pharmacopoeia. The d%octors.
the druggists, the Pharmaceutical assocla-
tons the government-in short every one
OF the many interests that bear a close re-
iaton to drugs from the tine they are In
their raw state until they pass down the
throat OF the patient-are all taking much
interest in the revision. Even congress
has had the matter brought before IL
through a bill which proposes that the
Pharmacopoeia shall be made a property
OF the government. to be revised under its
control. II is said that the drug manufac-
turers are in favor of such a law, but that
all other interests are heartily against It.
The ninth decennial convention for revis-
Ing the Pharmacopoeia will in a manner
legislate for congress, since that body has
said IN the pure food law that the United
states Pharmacopoeia and the United
States Dispensatory shall he the official
standard OF preparations under the pure
food law. And here an interesting point
has been raised. one state has held in its
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 It's courts
that the book in force at the hour Of inter
probation is to govern. Sc far as is known
the federal courts have not passed upon
the subject, but most authorities are acting
on the principal that the time OF interpreta-
ton and not the time OF enactment will
serve to fix the standard.
There are about 10000 pharmacists I'm the
ITnfNnA GlnNAG oAH Nhnr $500 49,
100000 prescriptions every day in the year.
The ordinary range OF prescription writing
takes in several thousand drugs and pro-
~prietary combinations The highest num-
Der Of substances resorted to in the i'm
portant drug store is about 10000. although
there are $1,000 drugs and compounds
known to the pharmaceutical world. In a
record Of the preparation OF 1900 pre-
scriptions it was found that 1,717 different
drugs we're used. and that the average
number in each prescription was 81. Opin-
ions vary widely as to how many drugs
a physician really needs to prescribe. DR..
Osler once said that nux vomica and hope
were the only two really essential things,
but, or course, he was using a hyperbole
TO drive home an arBument against the
excessive list OF medical preparations.
Some physicians think that 100 drugs are
sufficient TO quell tho whole gamut OF
human ills, while others complain that the
Pharmacopoeia Is not comprehensive
enough when 1t contains only 1000 official
preparations.
TIL 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 attention OF the layman as
firmly as the wonders Of astronomy or
geology. Drug manufacturer ransack the
whole world for new ideas in healing ma
terials, Medical science owes its 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 stength must fequently be
tested, and in this test a live frog is used.
The standard is the amount 1t requires to
kill a 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 to paint a ROSTERS comb with
it. If 1t makes a cerain shade Of black
the preparation Is or the required strength,
Every manufacturer of ergot has a coop
full of ROSTERS to aid him in his tests OF
strength. In the case of d~igitalis 1t is lit
orally tried on the dog" A dog is anes-
thetlzed and given a dose of the medicine.
His heart is then cut out and placed in a
gauge. II the expansion fill the gauge
properly, the drug is known to have the
proper strength.
Andrenain comes from the suprarenaI
gland OF animals. a little gland attached
to the kidneys. 1t is ont OF the most power-
full of drugs, one millionth OF a grain for
every two pounds of body weight having a
vast effect on the human system. Pepsin,
which is the prepared Innings Of pig stom-
achs, will digest from three to four thou
sand times its own weight in hardboiled
Eggs. In one factory there is half an acre
Of glass in the drying closets that is COW
cred over with pepsin all the time.
II Darwin had lived to the present day
he would have had much stronger proof
OF his theory or the close relationship be-
tween man and monkey. He would have