several other States, they had charge of the entertainment features at the Springfield meeting, and everything went off with a hum. The banquet at the St. Nicholas Hotel was largely attended by druggists, travelers, and their wives, and a thoroughly good time was enjoyed. There were many cabaret features, and the speeches were severely limited to five minutes.

PRACTICAL

MEETINGS.

* *

The travelers made one constructive suggestion to the pharmaceutical association, and that was that more attention be paid to subjects of work-a-day interest to druggists in general. There should be papers and discussions on practical merchandising problems of financial importance to every druggist in the State. This, the travelers thought, would not only assist in increasing the membership, but would bring out a larger attendance at the annual gatherings.

The newspaper to be published during the coming year by the association will doubtless prove of great value in building up the organization, but the time will undoubtedly come when every State association will have to employ a paid organizer. This has been done in Iowa and perhaps certain other States as well. If we mistake not, the membership of the Iowa association was practically doubled the first year an organizer was employed, and a live, virile society has been worked up that could be secured in no other manner.

In order to give particular value to the proceedings at the Springfield meeting this year, there were several addresses of a special type. James H. Beal gave an address on anti-narcotic legislation in general and the Harrison law in particular. Thomas H. Potts talked on "Price Maintenance." Harry B. Mason discussed "Modern Merchandising Methods." Dr. H. M. Whelpley was also in attendance and addressed the convention on two or three occasions.

prove the book by special vote will probably cause no disturbance," continues Professor Remington. "In some States it may be necessary; in others, the question has never been raised. It is a precautionary measure by the States to obviate the possibility of some one questioning the constitutionality of the Pharmacopoeia."

The new National Formulary will also be ready for distribution in July, with the following schedule of prices: Muslin, plain, $2.50; buckram, plain, $2.75; buckram, interleaved, $4.00. The book has been completely revised and is larger than preceding editions. The Midland Publishing Co., Columbus, Ohio, has been appointed general sales agent, and the following sub-agencies are announced: The Baker-Taylor Company, New York City; the Chicago Medical Book Company, Chicago; L. S. Mathews Company, St. Louis, Mo.; and the Pacific Drug Review, San Francisco and Portland.

THE PROPRIETARY ASSOCIATION

OF AMERICA.

*

The manufacturers of proprietary remedies, realizing that they are facing antagonism from several different quarters, have been engaged for a number of months in what the Pharmaceutical Era designates as "getting their house in order." A year ago it was decided to exclude from membership in the national association manufacturers who did not. comply with the standard of ethics officially adopted; and at the annual convention, held in New York in May of this year, it was reported that 1078 preparations had been submitted for examination.

The committee has had time to act on 611 of these, such matters as alcoholic and narcotic drug content, claims in advertising matter, and the wording of circulars, labels, etc., being considered. In some cases manufacturers were reprimanded for making too extravagant claims for their preparations, and in 37 cases the remedies themselves were only passed provisionally. The ultimate aim is to rob outside criticism of a part of its sting.

At the annual convention the following officers were elected: President, Frank A. Blair, of Foley & Company, Chicago; first vicepresident, W. H. Gove, of the Lydia E. Pinkham Company, Lynn, Mass.; second vicepresident, Allen F. Moore, of the Caldwell

Pepsin Syrup Company, Monticello, N. Y.; secretary-treasurer, Charles P. Tyrrell, of the Syracuse Medical Company, Syracuse, N. Y.

THE CANA

*

A similar organization is the DIAN PROPRIETARY Proprietary Articles Trade ASSOCIATION. Association of Canada, but the problems faced in the Dominion seem to be of a different character. Much attention was given at the twentieth annual convention, held in Montreal, to what the association considers unfair methods adopted recently by certain wholesale druggists. It is said that jobbers have been ignoring price lists supplied by manufacturers, and that they have entered into agreements to mark up prices on the one hand, and on the other to discourage the sale of goods that do not net them a satisfactory profit.

The association decided to combat such action by giving detailed consideration to the idea of establishing depots, or selling agencies, throughout the Dominion. "Patent" medicine sales constitute about 50 per cent of the volume of Canada's wholesale drug business, it is stated, and the issue involved is an important, not to say vital, one. It was pointed out that the cost of distribution in the manner suggested would not exceed 5 per cent.

WILHELM BODEMANN'S BIRTHDAY.

*

a

A birthday party may mean much or little. When man is 70 years old and the occasion represents a celebration arranged by friends who really want to pay a tribute of well-merited affection and respect, it means much.

There can never be but one Wilhelm Bodemann, and Mr. Bodemann can never have but one seventieth birthday—although his friends hopefully proclaim that they expect to help celebrate his hundredth; so on the evening of the ninth of June the Sage of Hyde Park was asked to lend his presence to the occasion, which he did with appropriate modesty and appreciation. The Chicago Veteran Druggists' Association took a leading part in the festivities, President Theophilus Schmid presiding at the dinner, and O. G. Hottinger acting as toastmaster. Mr. Bodemann was presented with a solid gold fountain pen. I. M. Light and Thos. Potts were among the speak

ers, and letters and telegrams were read from scores of absent well-wishers.

"I enjoy good health, a wealth of friends, and a happy home-what can I want more?" demands Herr Bodemann.

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DRUG CLERKS.

*

We learn from the national

organ of the clerks' association that 284 delegates were registered at the sixth annual convention, held in Chicago in June. If this showing is indicative of membership in proportion to that usually enjoyed by organizations somewhat similar in character, it may be deduced that the clerks' association has attained a size that warrants it some consideration. However, no statement was made as to what the membership actually is.

The principal issues discussed were shorter hours, Sunday closing, "perpetual" registration, the appointment of drug clerks on boards. of pharmacy, the abolition of the assistant pharmacist title, price protection, and the Har

rison law.

The officers elected for the coming year are: President, P. F. Coffey, Chicago; first vicepresident, Henry J. Steining, Lafayette, Ind. ; second vice-president, Frederick J. Killabee, St. Louis, Mo.; third vice-president, J. A. Orr, Philadelphia, Pa.; secretary and treasurer, P. A. Mandabach, Chicago; national organizer, J. F. Miser; and editor-director of publicity, Paul J. Mandabach.

A NEW METHOD!

Two men, one about 25 and the other about 35, walked into John G. Warczak's drug store, in Chicago, stated that they were special revenue officers, and had come to inspect Mr. Warczak's stock of narcotics. One of them drew back his coat and permitted the druggist to get a fleeting glimpse of some sort of a badge.

After checking up the supplies on hand, they informed Mr. Warczak that his stock exceeded requirements and that they would have to take a part of it to the Federal building. They wrapped up $16 worth of morphine and codeine tablets and half an ounce of cocaine, shook hands with the druggist, and went out.

"This," says the C. R. D. A. News, "is the latest improved way of separating the drug

gist from his narcotics." The two men were not revenue officers, and they have not yet been apprehended. Watch out for them!

CIGAR PRICES MAY ADVANCE.

Theorizing, we are told, won't lower the price of leaf tobacco, the increased charge for labor and service, the added cost of transportation, the price of boxes, or the disposition of the tobacco beetle to lay eggs! And because all these factors as well as a few others are pressing themselves upon the attention of manufacturers, we are cautioned not to be surprised if cigar values take unto themselves a slight enhancement.

And the manufacturer faces a hard problem. Cigar prices have been somewhat rigidly "set" for years; and precedent is one of the hardest things in the world to overcome. Some manufacturers, doubtless, will reduce the quality of their goods rather than face the music. But there are those who won't; those who will maintain grade and charge for it.

The importance of glycerin to the nations at war in Europe is reflected by the regulations adopted in England. It may be used in drug stores only in cases where it is essential as a drug and for no other purpose whatever. It cannot be employed in the manufacture of toilet or cosmetic preparations, nor can it be sold over the counter. A number of manufacturers of proprietary preparations have found it necessary to employ a sticker setting forth the fact that some other ingredient has been substituted for glycerin.

The Manufacturing Perfumers' Association is planning to have the week beginning July 24 devoted to window and inside displays of toilet goods and to be known as "Summer Comfort Week." Talcums, soaps, complexion creams, and allied products are to be pushed aggressively.

The Board of Health of Fremont, Ohio, has decreed that ice-cream vending wagons and push carts must desist from disposing of their wares as heretofore, and as a result all peddlers of this class have gone out of business.

THE SAUNTERER

So strongly has the importance of service been preached to the druggist by pharmaceutical association speakers, trade journal writers, and lay publication contributors, that he is occasionally obsessed by the idea. that he must do everything in his power to satisfy the wants of a patron.

Not long ago I needed some blades for a razor which is not commonly carried in this section of the country. Happening into a

drug store kept by an acquaintance of mine I asked him casually if he had them, informing him at the same time that I knew of only one store in town where they were sold.

He replied that he did not have them, but would send his messenger boy to one of the local wholesalers and procure them for me. I told him not to bother as I was shortly going to be near the store where they were on sale and would get a package myself. He insisted, however, so I told him to go ahead.

That night he called me up to say that he had been unable to locate a supply, but that he would surely have them for me the next day. I was without a usable blade, but owing to his evident anxiety to be of service I again told him to go ahead.

The next day it was the same story, and in order to get a shave I had to go to a barber shop a time-consuming procedure which is irksome to me. On the third day he got me the blades.

As a result of the transaction the druggist was out the time his messenger had spent in useless search, and I was inclined to be dissatisfied because I had had to hang around a barber shop an hour each of the three days before the blades finally were delivered.

Too much "service" was the cause of my near-dissatisfaction. The druggist in an honest-and commendable-endeavor to save me trouble had in reality put me to some little inconvenience. It would, perhaps, have been better had he let the matter drop after I told him that I knew a place where the blades could be procured. I would have appreciated his desire to help, and we both would have been saved considerable bother.

it.

It is as bad to overdo a thing as to underdo

EDITORIAL

THE SUPREME COURT AND THE HARRISON LAW.

The Harrison antinarcotic law, in operation since a year ago last March, has met with what is considered in some quarters to be a serious setback. In a decision handed down in June, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the "possession" clause applied only to those who might legally register under the act, and not to those who are not permitted to register. A producer, an importer, a manufacturer, a physician, a druggist, a dentist, a veterinarian, and a few others—these may register. Other people may not, and it is not unlawful for these "other people" to have narcotic drugs in their possession.

An addict may have morphine or cocaine in his possession; there is no law preventing it or making it a crime. It is held by wellinformed attorneys that State laws which cover this point are swept aside and nullified by the Supreme Court decision.

Is the point a vital one? It would seem that it is. Moreover it would seem that this same principle might be applied to the possession of alcoholic liquors in States with airtight prohibition laws. Possession may no longer be taken as presumptive evidence of guilt.

It is said that the present session of Congress will be asked to repair the breach caused by this decision, although how this may be done is not yet known, a number of schemes having been suggested.

The first draft of the Harrison bill, we are told, was a stamp-tax proposition; stamps were to be placed on the proscribed drugs when they were sold, and only original packages could be disposed of. This idea was abandoned because of the inconvenience it would cause, but it may be deemed advisable to return to it, particularly in view of the fact that the drug trade has been so patient, not to say pliable. It is thought that after the past year's experience with the Harrison law, as interpreted by the Revenue Department, druggists, at least, will stand for almost anything.

At any rate, it is the general opinion that

some radical change must be made in the law, for as it stands now after being emasculated by the Supreme Court decision it is undeniably too weak to serve fully the purpose for which it was intended.

It is interesting to note that "Mr. Justice Hughes and Mr. Justice Pitney dissented." This dissenting on the part of Justice Hughes must have been among the last of his judicial acts before he resigned from the bench to become a candidate for the highest office in the gift of the American people.

OUR REVISED STANDARDS.

Druggists should take particular pride in the fact that the two books on which their professionalism is based are standards in every sense of the word and invested with the authority of law. Nothing could more firmly fix the status of pharmacy.

The revision of these two books, therefore, becomes a matter of some importance of more importance now than ever before, for the present editions are the first to appear since the Food and Drugs act came into effect. This fact was fully appreciated by the revision committees of both the Pharmacopoeia and the National Formulary.

There have been many changes made in both the U. S. P. and the N. F. With reference to the Pharmacopoeia, two of these have received quite a degree of publicity: the substitution of the term milliliter for cubic centimeter, and the deletion of whisky and brandy.

"Mil" is a more accurate term than "Cc.," although as far as the actual practice of pharmacy is concerned the discrepancy is trifling: less than half a drop in a quart of water. But, as Professor Scoville says in an article elsewhere in this issue of the BULLETIN, a revision of the U. S. P. is now almost as much of an international as a national affair. The British Pharmacopoeia uses the term "mil" exclusively. Moreover, in this country the U. S. Bureau of Standards adopted it, abolishing the old term; and its use has been approved by the International Committee on Weights and Measures. The revision committee, therefore, had little choice, and it must be conceded that it acted wisely.

The deletion of whisky and brandy was wholly due, we are told, to a failure to agree

on standards. "Straight" or "blended" which should be set up as the standard? The problem is an intricate one, and one which is sure to come up again when the Pharmacopoeia undergoes the next revision.

A little surprise was experienced in some quarters when it was learned the old, familiar Elix. I. Q. & S. had been deleted. This is due, it has been stated, to the fact that it was found impracticable to adopt a satisfactory formula. In the early stages of revision a formula was sanctioned, but before the work was completed this proved objectionable. So elixir of phosphates of iron, quinine and strychnine was left out of the book-a fact, however, which will in no sense decrease the use of this valuable preparation by the medical profession.

The ninth revision of the Pharmacopoeia contains what may be termed "official abbreviations." There is now a certain way in which each title ought to be contracted-which imposes, among other things, just that much more of a burden on students. But all this must be expected. Pharmacy is becoming more scientific each year, and must therefore become more definite. This spirit is reflected in the new Pharmacopoeia in many ways.

Coming now to the National Formulary, it is noted that the metric system is used exclusively throughout, as it is in the Pharmacopoeia; and the term "mils," of course, supersedes the discarded "cubic centimeters."

The alcoholic strength of many preparations has been reduced, the aim being to have just enough alcohol in the formula to serve the purpose for which it is intended. With the Harrison law in mind, the narcotic content of a number of preparations has been reduced. also.

Morphine has been omitted entirely from the formula of Syrup White Pine Compound. However, another syrup has been added to the list-Syrup of White Pine with Morphine.

In keeping with the restrictions imposed by the Pure Food and Drugs act, saccharin has been eliminated.

There are more fluidextracts in the new book than there were in the old, and a new class, "fluidglycerites," has been added. Assay processes have been incorporated when practicable. Other features of the new N. F. are mentioned in an article by Mr. Hilton elsewhere in this issue of the BULLETIN.

Taken altogether, both the new Pharma

copoeia and the new N. F. will be found very satisfactory. They mark a distinct advance in the progress of our calling.

READ THEM!

One of the features of the BULLETIN this month is a group of papers under the general title of "Salesmanship," and we feel fortunate in being able to present three papers on this subject which contain so little sawdust.

Read the articles-all three of them! They will prove helpful.

Salesmanship is a big word-and it covers much more than a circus tent does; almost as much as the blue dome itself does. Do not expect ever to find a suitable definition of it, or to master fully all its branches; that, possibly. would be to attain the ultimate.

But there is no reason in the world why the merest tyro should not attempt to master a few fundamental principles and to base on them a few primary practices. There is nothing difficult about this.

There is no set system.

There is a science of music, but there are a million "tunes!"

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY? Mr. Leo. A. Kane, 42 Triangle, Buffalo, N. Y., says he would like to see the following theme discussed in the BULLETIN: "Advocating the use of telephones and delivery service." What have our readers got to say on this subject? Let us hear from you.

Again the enforcement of the Goldwater ordinance, New York, has been held in abeyance, the court granting a further extension of time for the filing of briefs. It is stated that a decision will not be handed down by the Appellate Court until fall or early winter, and that meanwhile, by virtue of an attorney's agreement, no attempt will be made by the Health Board to put the measure in op

eration.

At Bluffton, Indiana, the drug stores are not open Sundays from 12 to 2 in the afternoon, and close on that day at 7 in the evening. Bluffton, Indiana, is the home of President Stout of the N. A. R. D.