Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-10
DRUGS UNDERGO
ADULTERATION
Pharmaceutical Association of
Pennsylvania Will Drop Mem
bers Who Violate Laws

The present condition of high prices
in dyes. drugs and chemicals is bring
ing with it Il certain amount of adul-
teration which is to be expected, and
against which careful and progressive
pharmacists are guarding.
When coal tar dyes are so high in
price that it is rumored a large firm
OF wallpaper printers expect to sell
their stock of coal tar colors at the
present high prices, close down their
plant and retire from business, as by
so doing they can make a greater
profit than in years of wallpaper
printing, and when it is realized that
many drugs have risen proportionately
IN price, the temptation to adulterate
is understood.
Fortunately for the Pennsylvania
public this State has a prerequisite
law which require that every pharma-
ciSt shall be a graduate of a reputable
college of pharmacy before he is
granted q certificate which entities
him to carry on and manage a retail
drug store, thus ensuring his fitness
Tor protecting the public from many
forms of fraud. This advantage is
shared by but few communities
DR.. krusen of the Health Depart
ment of Philadelphia found several
drug stores in that city where adul-
terated drugs have been used in filing
prescriptions. The State Pharmaceu-
tiCal Examining Board has also been
investigating the subject and it Is be-
lieved that the few instances found
were cases of pharmacists who pur-
chased their supplies from sources
other than the regular wholesale or
chemical supply houses.
There are drug peddlers going about
with plausible tales of stocks of drugs
purchased at auction. etc, but the
wise pharmacist who. through his
membership in progressive associa-
tions like the Pennsylvania Pharma-
ceutical Association, is on his guard.
tests sample before purchasing, this
being n matter of only a few minutes
time for a skilled pharmacist and
some interesting results have been re-
Gently reported.
One pharmacist, upon being offered
some thymol iodide, now $12 a pound,
suspiciously low price, tested sam
pie with his microscope and found it to
contain a large amount of lycopo-
dunn, vegetable powder worth 80
cents a pound, at present. Another
found salol adulterated with corn
starch and still another found aspirin
adulterated with powdered bone ash.
While none of these are harmful adul-
terants they all depreciate the value
of the drug by lowering its medicinal
activity.
The Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical
Association did pioneer work in show
ing up and checking adulterations in
drugs through the committee on drug
markets, whose report is presented an
nually at the meetings and then pub
lished in the Proceedings for the bene-
fit of the members. This committee
is composed of leaders in the profess
sions of chemistry and pharmacy and
their work is known all over the
United States. Last years work of
the committee covered over 500 ana
lyses of drugs of all kinds of which
but n very small proportion were found
adulterated and these were all re-
jected by the large wholesale houses
and manufacturing establishments
all of whom maintain expensive analy-
tical laboratories.
No pharmacist who purchases his
supplies from reliable and Trustworthy
sources need fear the character of his
drugs and chemicals. but the careless
or INSCRIPTIONS pharmacist, of whom
fortunately there are not many, can
hope for no sympathy from his more
conscientious brethren. The officers
OF the Pennsylvania Pharmeutical AS
sociation have stated that if any men,
ber of this body is found guilty of hav-
ing violated his professional trust by
wilfully adulterating or substituting,
he will be publicly expelled from
membership at the approaching meet
ing at Reading.