The stated Pharmaceutical Meeting of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy was held on Tuesday afternoon, February 19th, with M. I. Wilbert, Ph.M., in the chair.

Prof. Charles H. La Wall was the first speaker on the program, and presented a paper on “The Food and Drugs Act in its Relation to Public Health.” (See p. 107.) The author reviewed conditions leading up to the passage of the United States Food and Drugs Act of June, 1906, and in considering the detailed provisions of the law, paid particular attention to the section on misbranding.

Mr. Thomas H. Potts called attention to a form of deception in which it is made to appear that the serial number placed by manufacturers on packages is a Government guarantee number.

Prof. Henry Kraemer said that there is a need for more workers along this line. He referred to the work which has been done by Dr. Wiley, and said that he deserved great credit not only for his efforts in securing the adoption of the Pure Food and Drugs Act, but also for standing out so many years against the moneyed interests represented by unscrupulous manufacturers.

The subject of drug legislation was brought up and Mr. Wilbert said that pharmacists were making a mistake in not taking an active part in it. He stated that in Vermont the druggists had hesitated in the matter, and that the grocers of that State had succeeded in having a law enacted which may prove inimical to the interests of pharmacists. He then called attention to the bill introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature which is practically that of the Wholesale Grocers’ Association, and does not exempt physicians’ prescriptions and the preparations of the United States Pharmacopoeia and National Formulary in those portions of the bill which relate to labelling. Mr. Wilbert further stated that this bill is being introduced in the legislatures in a number of States, while the bill formulated by the Ladies’ Home Journal has now been introduced by twenty State legislatures. It was also mentioned that a bill drafted by the National Wholesale Druggists’ Association is being introduced in some States, and that still another draft is that of the Proprietors’ Association.

Mr. Potts spoke of the meeting in Chicago of the representatives of the National Association of Retail Druggists, the National Wholesale Druggists’ Association and the Proprietors’ Association, and said that an attempt was made to have a law drafted which would require both physicians and retail druggists to use labels giving details as to the composition of medicines prescribed and dispensed. He then remarked that retail druggists are not opposed to legislation which is fair, but that they are not in favor of hasty legislation, which, as proposed in some instances, would drive retail druggists out of business.

A paper on “Sunday Closing: A Means of Elevating Pharmacy,” by Clarence H. Campbell, a local druggist, was read in the absence of the author by George B. Weidemann, P.D. The paper contained the statement that at the recent conventions of the National Association of Retail Druggists held in St. Louis and Atlanta, resolutions were unanimously adopted favoring Sunday closing, and that helpful suggestions had been made as to the ways and means of bringing about this end. The writer was of the opinion that the long hours without proportionate compensation has an influence in keeping young men from taking up pharmacy in the first place, or of pursuing it after qualifying for the work. Mr. Campbell also considered some of the arguments that have already been advanced in some of the previous issues of this Journal as to the necessity of reasonable rest and recreation in broadening the horizon of the pharmacist.

Mr. Thomas H. Potts also presented a communication on the subject of Sunday closing and shorter hours. After considering the need of a more liberal spirit on the part of pharmacists and the necessity for an improvement in the number of hours that the pharmacist is on duty, Mr. Potts said that he fully admitted that the public must be taken into consideration, but maintained that they can be educated, and very readily, to acquiesce in this movement if concerted action be taken by druggists.

Mr. Potts further remarked that in his opinion there is only one possible plan to adopt and that is to agitate this question on every favorable opportunity. He said that since the agitation begun last fall by the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, a great many retailers have closed their stores on Sunday afternoons, and in conversation with some of them he was informed that they like the plan so well that they could not be induced to return to the old conditions.

R. W. Cuthbert, chairman of the committee appointed by the college to help forward the shorter-hour movement, reported that he was encouraged by the results that had already been attained.