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STRAY ITEMS AND COMMENTS.

The A. Ph. A. meets at Hot Springs, the week beginning September 7. Headquarters are at the Arlington Hotel.

The Offer List Number of MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST will appear in October. This is the twentysecond annual publication of information of great practical value to the retail trade.

Eight Friendly Physicians is one of the inducements which an advertiser offers in advertising a store for sale. We take it for granted that he means that the eight practitioners are friendly to the pharmacist and not necessarily on lovable terms with each other. Should Sulphate of Morphine be Colored, as a measure of safety? This is the title of an interesting paper read by Dr. John B. Bond, of Little Rock, Ark., before the Mo. Ph. A., at Sweet Springs (Brownsville), in June, 1885. The paper was published in the proceedings of the organization for that year.

Will You Try It? The Michigan Tradesman says that a Michigan druggist who believes in public honesty has this sign in his store, over a box with compartments for postage stamps,

"Help yourself and make your own change, if you cannot make change call a clerk."

After two weeks operation he found he was four cents ahead of the game.

If so, you

Just Plain Coffee, labeled refined coffee, and advertised as a special brand, to be used by those who cannot drink unrefined coffee, brought the firm to grief that placed it on the market. The department of agriculture brought suit, and reports the result as judgement No. 4, under the Pure Food and Drugs Act. Are you certain that your labels are honest? need not fear the board of food and drug inspection. Semi-Annual Meetings of the state pharmaceutical associations may be all right in some sections of the 'country. The vast majority of these organizations, however, find difficulty in securing a representative attendance of retail druggists once a year. Perhaps the time will come when the pharmacists of this country will be sufficiently alive to the practical value of a good state meeting to maintain two successful conventions in each state per year.

No Heartaches in Texas.-The State Pharmaceutical Association allows prizes only for social considerations. We are informed by Secretary Walker that this policy makes the association decidedly more popular. He adds: "It always gives offense to some of the members who fail to be recognized in the distributional prizes given for papers." We have attended some state association meetings where there were aching hearts, if not weeping eyes, on account of disappointments when the prizes for amusement events were distributed. Perhaps in Texas they do not take the entertainment contests so seriously.

New York City at the N. A. R. D.-Last year, the New York City delegation was cut down in size when it came to recognition at the convention on account of back dues not being paid. Since the meeting, the account has been balanced and now the New York pharmacists demand that the N. A. R. D. convention of 1908 shall recognize a delegation based on the amount of dues paid for 1908 plus the back dues paid this year for 1907. On the face of it, the demand looks reasonable, but it has been intimated that politics may enter into the consideration, when the subject comes up for adjustment at Atlantic City, September 14.

The Law Evidently Did Not Work. We have previously made reference to the practice among the San Francisco pharmacists of giving physicians a percentage on prescriptions. The California State Medical Journal does not deny the practice, but seems to think that it is of a comparatively recent origin and that the pharmacists started the game. The proceedings of the A. Ph. A. for 1885, page 544, reports a discussion in which Emlen Painter, of San Francisco, took part, which shows that the practice dates back into the early seventies. Mr. Painter refers to a law making the acceptance of a commission on prescriptions a misdemeanor. Evidently the law did not work.

Be Careful How You Recommend a Medicine Sold Over the Counter.-A New York druggist was fined because his clerk sold and recommended a medicine which failed to accomplish what was promised. The appelate division of the Supreme Court of New York state upholds the decision. Of course, this is not necessarily law for other states but it does mean that it is wise for druggists to be careful about recommending or endorsing medicines sold over the counter. Let the customer assume the responsibility. The government contends that the word, "cure," should not be used on patent medicine labels and now it seems that it should be used only with caution when conversing with a customer.

What is Bay Rum? This question could be asked with considerable propriety before the advent of the Pure Food and Drugs Act. Since the national law, adopting the U. S. P. and N. F. as standards, bay rum has become spiritus myrciæ of the appendix to the National Formulary and must conform to the description given in that authority and the alcohol per cent must be stated on the label. Some manufacturers ob

jected to this classification but now they are having

more trouble and of a different kind with the internal revenue department which has declared that bay rum is alcohol and as such when coming from Porto Rica must pay duty the same as grain alcohol. As usual, the druggist comes in to bear the brunt of the controversy and must pay the expense, no matter which department of the government wins out.

New York.-Complaint Must State in What Particular the Article Sold is Deficient.-A complaint was filed in the Municipal Court, Borough of Manhattan, N. Y., by the State Board of Pharmacy, against Andrew

Davey, charging him with having violated the pharmacy laws by selling borax which was not of the standard strength, quality and purity established by the United States Pharmacopoeia. The complaint gave no section of law which had been violated neither did it set forth in what respect the article sold failed to comply with the law regulating its sale. A demurrer to the complaint was sustained in the Municipal Court and on appeal the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the lower court on the ground that the complaint failed to state cause of action.

State Board of Pharmacy vs. Davey, 107 N. Y. Sup. (N. Y.) 46.

Pure Spice Dealers Need Not be Alarmed.-The Rev. Charles A. Mitchell of the Stella Purity League of Oklahoma, finds in the use of spices an explanation for the alarming extent to which divorce proceedings are spreading at the present time. If he is practical he will advocate the use of low grade spices in the place of the pure article; but his views are so exceptional that his teachings will not affect the wholesale and retail drug trade, which is now earnestly pushing the pure spices. According to the doctor, "To say that but one marriage in eight is happy is stating the case very mildly. I have the authority of an eminent Western physician for saying that fifty per cent of married people hate each other. Of the remaining fifty per cent half are indifferent, and of the twentyfive per cent left, half are tending toward indifference. So, you see, that leaves only one marriage in eight where the conditions of happiness that should prevail in all marriages are actually present. The ordinary man, living on highly seasoned food-pepper, spices, chili sauce, etc., can not be good if he wants to be."

How Would it Work in Missouri?-We refer to the action of a prominent local organization in New York state which makes precedent for a new policy in conducting the entertainment and defraying the expenses of state association meetings. The Pharmaceutical Era of April 30 has the following to say editorially: "Manhattan Pharmaceutical Association, in voting a contribution towards the payment of the expenses of the New York State Pharmaceutical Association's forthcoming convention, gave unqualified endorsement to the principle that the pharmaceutical locals should pay the cost of holding the annual gatherings, instead of the manufacturers and wholesalers. The proposition when discussed met the same warm support that characterized its reception when favorably acted upon by the Kings County Association. So far there has not been a dissenting voice. The wisdom of the new policy is so apparent and the course is so plainly just that no serious opposition is probable. The Manhattan Ph. A. members were even more liberally inclined than their treasury warranted, which was gratifying evidence of their enthusiastic endorsement of the plan to stop a practice that has never been favored by many members and which has placed the contributors to the funds in a position at once annoying and expensive."

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Origin of the Word "Sundae."-The word seems to be a fatherless child, but on account of its popularity, many are ready to accept the responsibility for its parentage. At one time, Grand Rapids was supposed to be the birthplace; now, New Orleans claims the distinction. The story, however, is always the same and to the effect that a druggist ran out of carbonated water on a hot Sunday, but had a good supply of ice cream and, as a last resort, dispensed ice cream and syrup without the carbonated water. The customers smacked their lips and said it was good. Sunday passed, but during the week, his customers wanted more of that Sunday mixture, as the story goes. Then came the sign painter with his usual ability to misspell words and wrote the sign about the Sunday fountain dish, spelling the word "Sundae." From this point the development of the word is easy and reminds us of the origin of the word "quiz" which is such a bugbear to pharmacy students. It was a London gambling-house keeper who bet that he could have all London puzzled about a meaningless word within twenty-four hours' time. The next morning the sidewalks, bill-boards and walls of houses displayed the letters q-u-i-z and the Englishmen were puzzled and asking each other what it meant. The combination of letters is now a word of frequent use in colleges of pharmacy, even though an effort is made to call the old time "quizzes" "reviews."

The Avertising Rates in the MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST were advanced July 1, 1908. This change was made to bring the prices up to the minimum schedule in keeping with the circulation and influence of the journal.

PUBLIC EXPRESSIONS.

Read This Before You Write.

Contributions on subjects of interest to the pharmaceutical profession are always welcome. Write upon but one side of the sheet and spell out in full the names of medicines; never use abbreviations. The editor pays no attention to anonymous communications.

ness.

A Suggestion to Wholesale and Manufacturing | Establishments.—I sold out my business last October (1907), and sent to several pharmaceutical journals a marked copy of our local paper, also sent a letter to my wholesale houses with whom I had frequent busiThis was done to save all those concerns the item of postage and other expensive mailing of catalogues. Yet every day brings a lot of stuff which is utterly wasted, and the expensive catalogues, etc., all lost. Why do not these houses have a book in which those that die or go out of business are noted, and the mailing lists corrected regularly? It seems to me that all subscribers to Bradstreet's and other mercantile agencies ought to get such lists from them. Being of an economical disposition I do not like to see such waste. The only party benefited is the postoffice department of the United States.-[G. C. B.

Can Patent Medicines be Sold by Others Than Registered Pharmacists in Missouri?—A. Brandenberger, of Jefferson City, president of the State Board of Pharmacy, raises this interesting question and asks the druggists of the state to settle it, if necessary, by a test case. Mr. Brandenberger writes as follows:

I wish to state that I have tried to find some legal rulings on the words "patent medicines" and "proprietary medicine," but did not succeed, the general usage of the two seem to be synonymous. If a differerence can be established between the meaning of patent medicines and proprietary medicines and as the pharmacy law only exempts proprietary medicines (see chapter 23, section 3046 RS 1899) then it will be necessary to have a registered pharmacist in charge of a store where patent medicines are sold. This is of sufficient importance to the registered pharmacist to make a test case and find out just what the law exempts in the above named section and I would like to have the readers of this article give their opinion of the difference between a proprietary medicine and a patent medicine.

Chemists to Pure Food Commissions, Manufacting Pharmacists, and State Boards of Health.-The new Pharmacy and Pure Food Laws in the different states and the National Pure Food Law have created a demand for trained pharmacists and chemists never before experienced in this country. Previous to ten or fifteen years ago almost any one could register as pharmacist, especially in the Middle and Western States, and there was very little demand for manufacturing chemists or chemists to Pure Food Commissions or State Boards of Health.

Now this is all changed. Every state has strict laws governing the registration for the practice of pharmacy, and almost every state has enacted new pure food laws and created State Boards of Health. The pharmacist and chemist, therefore, has a great and important work to perform and their training must be thorough, practical and of such nature as to give a good, broad, general education. The responsibility is great and the preparation must be satisfactory.

It is hard for old time pharmacists or druggists to see how these new conditions make greater demands upon pharmacists and chemists. They think that if young men serve a certain apprenticeship in stores and manufactories that this will suffice for preparation. Public sentiment and a broader education of the people demand more. The time has come when the pharmacists and chemists must be educated men. The day of apprenticeship is past, even in the drug business. It is true that a young man who clerks in a drug store three or four years acquires a certain knowledge of drugs, and will learn much of the commercial part of the business. But what he gets this way he acquires at a remarkable sacrifice of time and money, for he earns very little money during the time, and he by no means has the knowledge of drugs or the education he would have had if he had taken his course in some good college of pharmacy. The same is true of the chemist. The practical courses of pharmacy and chemistry offered now in special colleges not only make pharmacists and chemists, but they afford general educational culture. The commercial part of the business can be acquired in a very short time if the man has the general and technical education the business requires.-[O. H. LONGWELL, Des Moines, Ia.

The Side Lines of the Drug Business.--How often the poor drug clerk gets a "jacking-up" for handling side lines. But my experience has taught me that the pure, simple pharmacy of theory is not the hard, truthful practice of success. No more are the theories of true pharmacy to be inculcated in the minds of our future pharmacists, to be made a success of, than is it possible to run the blockade of business and turn the tide of trade from the competitor's door without advertising.

The life of pharmacy is its practice, as the essence of competition is advertising. The theory of the past has faded gradually away. The realities of the drug business have come through sixteen and eighteen long hours of devotion to its services, and the mental and physical strain that accompany it. The pharmacy wherein the practice does not show the fangs of competitive strife in its various side lines, are as a class few and far between. There are scarcely any pharmacies whose success has been marked but what depends upon the various avenues of its side lines. Let us take a few that have come and gone and see today's pharmacy as it has grown, step by step. The old drug store with its hard wood floor, made of four

inch stuff, the counters erected by the village carpenter, the narrow window with its numerous panes, the open shelving and gum labeled bottles, the show cases of the slanting top, that opens up to smash the unfortunate finger as the lid seeks its proper resting place, all speaks of the long ago-of the pharmacy that practice has brought out of its embryotic state.

The pharmacy where the floor reeks of tobacco spit around the "old family" stove, where the ash box is loaded to the brim, and which soon calls for another "star tobacco" box, and fresh clean ashes. You have been there, you can see the paintings. The heavy counters glued to the floor with spikes, whose back portions are filled with numerous dirt catchers, the window filled with the broken pieces of boxes left from the unpacking, the glass untainted by clean water and the brush, these are the reflections of a few years back. The business stands, of purer pharmacy, where prescriptions came and men were made, whose knowledge has come out to us, in great relief against the scene. Out of these conditions arose the masters of the art, expounders of useful future to the young. The step of patent medicine came to life, the surgeons calls, brought out the lines that have today become prominent as "side lines." The surgical dressing followed in the wake of the prescription. The needs of accessories became established. Necessary disinfectants brought out the use of other numerous side lines. The call of competition gave us writing tablets, envelopes, combs, brushes, etc.; rubber goods and dressings, until today we find a pharmacy conversion that brings a great contrast.

A pharmacy where the floor answers to the sound of tileing, where rubber mats ease the tension of the weary clerk's walk, or the linoleum, fresh and clean, greets the customers; the ornamental shelving with its elegant shelf ware, the massive prescription case where light and water and all conveniences are at hand; the floor cases of solid glass, whose art of silent salesmanship calls forth the efforts of the decorator; the large clear plate glass window, the queen of local advertising, a silent salesman whose price cannot be even estimated. These changes all tell of the side lines of pharmacy. The call for these various lines of goods, calls for better displays, better methods of conducting the successful field. The soda fountain, wherein fortunes are spent, answer the call of the side line. We pass from the embryotic to paints, wall paper, sporting goods, soda fountains, school supplies, musical instruments, post cards, etc. These are some of them. To each practical druggist comes the opportunity for more work. It is up to him to weed out the poor and retain the good side lines, and then advertise, not only by your general store appearance, not only by your windows and printers' ink, but by personal effort, by courtesy, by right living, and having as your motto: "Nothing Succeeds Like Success."-[J. EARL TAYLOR, Ph. G., Gridley, Ill.

Unjust Gains are equal to a loss.-[HESIOD.

C. V. D. A.

Report of the European Section of the Chicago Veteran Druggists' Association, Munich, Bavaria, May 4, 1908.

Fratelli:-On May 1, 1908, the European section of the C. V. D. A. convened in the City of Munich. Bavaria, in the great hall of the world renowned Hofbraeu-haus among thousands of cheering people. The chairman, Henry Biroth, took notice of everything that occurred on that memorable occasion and relates it as follows:

President Henry Biroth occupying the chair, John Blocki, corThe guests of honor: Don Carlos, of responding secretary. Spain; Wm. Hasselbach, artist painter, former partner of Wilhelm Bodemann; Mr. Diehl, of Chicago, merchant; University professors and students and others too numerous to mention.

The meeting was called to order, the steins filled to the brim with the finest amber liquid and one-two-three-emptied to the health of our Chicago brethren. After several salamanders were rubbed and all present imbued with the spirit of joviality and good fellowship, the chairman requested Bro. John Blocki to occupy the chair. After having made a few appropriate remarks alluding to the coming election of officers of the parent association, he suggested in flowing language, that the founder of the C. V. D. A., Bro. T. N. Jamieson, be elected by acclamation president of the association for the coming year.

The mentioning of Bro. Jamieson's name created such tremendous enthusiasm that the temporary chairman found it difficult to restore order, in fact, he broke his gavel and several litrestonemugs before same could be accomplished. Even King Gambrinus arose from his throne, took off his golden crown, raised it on high and said: "Here is to the founder of the C. V. D. A., Brother Jamieson. Hoch soll er leben. Dreimal hoch." Amidst great cheering of all present the suggestion met with unanimous approval.

After vacating the seat in favor of the permanent chairman, Bro. Blocki suggested that the parent association elect Bro. Forsyth, vice-president for the ensuing year. This suggestion met with the same hearty approval and enthusiasm as the preceding one.

The suggesting of names for the other officers now being in order, Bro. Blocki, in his modest way, started in with advocating his appointment as corresponding secretary for life, but fortunately he was ruled out of order by old King Gambrinus, who once more arose and turning to him said: "Brother Blocki, I have observed your unlimited capacity and devotiou to the good cause and in appreciation of same I herewith raise you to the honor of Sir Knight and Special Banner-bearer in my realm. and henceforth thou shalt be known among all my people as: Johannes Gambrinus Rex.

And looking round with searching eyes he once more said: "I do not see my old chum, Wilhelm Doppelbraeu, whose international reputation as 'hell-raiser' has reached my ears? He has served you well and faithfully in his capacity. Extend my salutions to him."

The inspiration of "Us Germans" continued to flow until the cock crowed and no other business being before the meeting it was adjourned to convene in Chicago, on June 21, 1908.

Pluck wins. It always wins
Though days be slow

And nights be dark 'twixt days that
Come and go.

Still pluck will win. Its average is sure.

He gains the prize who can the most endure, Who faces issues, he who never shirks,

Who waits, and watches and who always works.

We have more trouble hunting trouble than we do after we've found it.-[The Lantern.

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("It is evident that if metric weights and measures are used, much greater accuracy will be insured.”)

The Itinerant Venders Law of Missouri (87) is sufficiently explicit to cover the cases which you mention. We suggest that you make an effort to have it enforced. We reproduce the sections as given in the Missouri statutes.

SEC. 8861. Certain Persons Declared to be Peddlers.-Whoever shall deal in the selling of patents, patent rights, patent or other medicines, lightning rods, goods, wares or merchandise, except pianos, organs, sewing machines, books, charts, maps and stationery, agricultural and horticultural products, including milk, butter, eggs and cheese, by going about from place to place to sell the same, is declared to be a peddler. (R. S. 1889, § 7211, amended.)

SEC. 8516. Itinerant Venders of Drugs, etc., to Pay LicensePenalty. Any itinerant vender of any drug, nostrum, ointment or appliance of any kind, intended for the treatment of disease or injury, or who shall by writing or printing, or any other method, publicly profess to cure or treat diseases, injuries or deformities by any drug, nostrum, manipulation or other expedient, shall pay to the state a license of one hundred dollars per month, to be collected as provided for by law, as all other licenses are now collected, and any person violating the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. (R. S. 1889, § 6880-g.)

Swedish Safety Matches (88).—According to Hen. ley's Twentieth Century Book of Recipes, Formulas and Processes, most chemists agree that the greatest improvement of note in the manufacture of matches is that of Landstrom, of Jonkoping, in Sweden. It consists in dividing the ingredients of the match mixture into two separate compositions, one being placed on the ends of the splints, as usual, and the other, which contains the phosphorus, being spread in a thin layer

upon the end or lid of the box. The following are the compositions used:

(a) For the splints: Chlorate of potassium, 6 parts; sulphuret of antimony, 2 to 3 parts; glue, 1 part. (b) For the friction surface: Amorphous phosphorus, 10 parts; sulphuret of antimony or peroxide of manganese, 8 parts; glue, 3 to 6 parts; spread thinly upon the surface, which has been previously made rough by a coating of glue and sand. By thus dividing the composition the danger of fire arising from ignition of the matches by accidental friction is avoided, as neither the portion on the splint nor that on the box can be ignited by rubbing against an unprepared surface. Again, by using the innocuous red or amorphous phosphorus, the danger of poisoning is entirely prevented.

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