DRUG PUBLICATIONS.

The up-to-date druggist should carefully peruse the various drug publications or trade journals containing the market changes; and this not only applies to prices, but to the advertising and reading pages as well. There are a number of first-class drug journals published in this country that contain invaluable information to the progressive and up-to-date druggist. To keep in touch with events of interest to the pharmaceutical profession it is necessary to take several or these publications. Many new remedies are advertised that are not familiar to the average dealer, and by carefully examining both the advertising and price-list pages he will become familiar with the goods. The drug journals certainly deserve the support of those engaged in the retail drug business as well as the manufacturers and jobbers who sell to the drug trade.

ASSOCIATIONS.

The dealer should also support his local, state and national associations, and the money expended will come back a thousand fold. The National Association of Retail Druggists has brought grand results to the drug trade by eliminating to a great extent the demoralization of prices which for a time threatened to disrupt the drug business and certainly made it unprofitable in some sections.

Manufacturers and jobbers have shown a desire to co-operate with the various associations to bring about a betterment of conditions. Some dealers do not seem to appreciate the importance of signing the various agreements, and the jobbers frequently offend customers by not supplying goods that are sold on the serial-number plan, owing to the fact that the dealer has omitted a very important condition.

The jobber is really benefited very little directly by the increased detail work necessitated by this plan, except that whatever is of benefit to the trade at large is naturally to his interest. Any plan that will better the condition of the retailer will prove of value to the jobber, their interests being mutual. It goes without saying that every progressive druggist, not already a member, should join the American Pharmaceutical Association without delay-the Association that stands for everything that is best in the pharmaceutical profession.

Concerning the various associations I wish to state that the wholesale druggists as a rule are thoroughly in accord with the objects of such organizations, and cheerfully contribute their share both in money ani advertising, as is evidenced by a perusal of the various proceedings.

I will call particular attention to the "Salesman's Card" issued by some of the local associations. Without any desire to criticise the Card it appears to me that some of the so-called agreements therein are somewhat one-sided, and that the jobber's interests have not been carefully considered. An agreement to be binding should obligate both parties thereto,

and it has been suggested that a clause could be inserted similar to the following:

"In consideration of the promises herein set forth the members of this Association hereby agree to purchase their supplies of such goods as the wholesale druggists carry in stock from them, everything being equal."

They are not expected to do so to their disadvantage in regard to prices, terms and quality; but the jobbers who co-operate with the local Associations by signing the aggreement before receiving the Salesman's Card should have the preference. If the jobbers are willing to protect the interests of the legitimate dealers, the latter should in turn give their business whenever possible to the jobbers.

In my opinion the careful and conscientious buyer (and this usually means the proprietor of a retail drug store), should adopt a few rules, and as an illustration, suggest the following:

Keep a complete stock-book.

Take advantage of a quantity whenever possible, especially on staples. Order in ample time to avoid running-out of goods should there be a slight delay in transit.

Patronize the traveling salesman as much as possible, and have confidence in his representations.

Don't deal with a house unless you are fully convinced that it will not take advantage of whatever confidence you may repose in it, as this is one of the necessary requisites for mutually satisfactory business relations.

Make quality the prime consideration, and do not compare prices without comparing quality.

Take advantage of all cash discounts, and make your remittances whenever possible direct to the jobber in ample time to reach him before the expiration of the discount period.

Make claims immediately upon receipt of invoice, either in regard to prices, errors, or terms on which the goods were purchased.

If you are interested in the welfare of the salesman, don't burden him with collections and claims, as his success depends upon the amount of goods he sells.

Don't hold the jobber responsible for everything that goes wrong, irrespective of whether he is to blame or not.

Don't make an arbitrary claim and threaten to " stop buying" if it is not

allowed.

Don't order items you are unfamiliar with that are not ordinarily carried in stock by wholesale druggists and then get mad because the order is not filled complete.

Try to make your business transactions agreeable to both parties, and show your jobber that you appreciate his efforts to serve you as much as he appreciates your patronage.

Select a source of supply where you can secure accuracy, completeness and just treatment.

Before writing a caustic letter of complaint to your jobber, place yourself in his position and try to think how you would feel if you would receive such a letter.

Don't fail to properly introduce yourself when opening an account with a house you have never dealt with, especially if you have only recently started in business and have no established credit rating.

Answer all business communications promptly, and extend the same courtesy in this respect to others that you exact from them.

Join your national, state and local associations, and encourage the officers by your attendance at the meetings.

Subscribe for at least several drug journals and keep fully posted on the market changes.

File all price-lists, catalogues and quotation sheets, where they can be quickly referred to.

In conclusion, I will state that every legitimate jobbing house in the country is desirous of serving its patrons to the very best advantage; and while some may have facilities not possessed by others, all are anxious to do their utmost to gain the approval of customers. This condition is not due to pure philanthropy, but is brought about by a realization of the fact that in order to increase their business and make a success of it they must serve the trade in a satisfactory manner.

I might go on indefinitely from a jobber's view-point in calling attention. to various methods that could be employed advantageously by the retail druggist or buyer, but I feel that I have already taken entirely too much time with my remarks. The above is merely an outline of what retail dealers should do, from the view-point of one who has been engaged in the wholesale drug business, and conceding that there are two sides to every question. I have not touched upon what the wholesale druggist should do in return, but I am confident that the "buyers for a retail drugstore" can do justice to the other side of the subject.

MINUTES

OF THE

SECTION ON SCIENTIFIC PAPERS.

FIRST SESSION-THURSDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 6, 1906.

The Section was called to order by Chairman Charles E. Caspari, of St. Louis, at 10: 20 a. m., in the palm-room, on the top floor of the hotel. The Chairman noted the absence of both his colleagues on the Committee, Messrs. Daniel Base, of Baltimore (Secretary), and H. V. Arny, of Cleveland, and requested Mr. M. I. Wilbert, of Philadelphia, to act as Secretary.

Mr. W. A. Puckner, of Chicago, was called to the Chair while Mr. Caspari read his address:

Gentlemen: The by-laws of the American Pharmaceutical Association provide that the Chairman of each Section shall make a short annual address upon some subject of interest to the Section and this address frequently assumes the form of a series of recommendations which are adopted by the Section, and that ends it. In fewer instances the Chairmen of this Section have elected to speak on some more or less scientific subject, which, it has been thought, would be of interest to the Section. It is eminently proper that the Chairman should make any recommendations which he may see fit, but it seems to me that in order for recommendations to be effective, they should emanate from the Section itself and not from its Chairman. Therefore, I have no recommendations to make.

Mr. Gane, last year, in his address as Chairman of this Section referred to the great advances which have been made in recent years by the application of physical methods to chemical research. This is notably true of the application of electricity to chemical synthesis. The use of the electric current in the manufacture of inorganic products is pretty generally known, but this is perhaps not true of its application in the manufacture of organic compounds. Great advances have been made in this direction in the last few years and I shall endeavor to describe briefly some of the results obtained.

It may not be out of place to recall to your attention some of the fundamental principles of electrolysis. Every aqueous solution will either conduct a current or it will not. A substance whose aqueous solution will conduct a current is called an electrolyte; all other substances are non-electrolytes. Absolutely pure water will not conduct a current, but the moment a small quantity of some acid, base or salt is dissolved in the water, the

solution will conduct. Now, what is the explanation of this fact? It is assumed that whenever an acid, base or salt or any electrolyte is dissolved in water, the molecule of the electrolyte is dissociated, that is, it is split up into atoms or groups of atoms with positive and negative electric charges upon them, which are called ions. Thus, when sulphuric acid is dissolved in water, the acid is dissociated into two H ions and one SO ion, the former being charged positively and the latter negatively, the amounts of the two charges being the same. Since pure water will not conduct a current and water containing an electrolyte in solution will, the property of conduction must depend on the presence of the ions. The electric current has nothing to do with decomposing the molecule of the electrolyte. The act of solution effects that dissociation and the electric current merely controls or directs the movement of the ions. As soon as sulphuric acid is dissolved in water, there are present H ions charged positively and SO ions charged negatively. Now, when an electric current is passed through the solution, it causes all the H ions to move in the direction of the current to the negative pole or electrode, the cathode, while the SO, ions are driven to the positive pole or electrode, the anode, where the current enters the solution. As soon as a H ion reaches the cathode its electric charge is neutralized, the ion becomes an atom of hydrogen, the atoms of hydrogen form molecules of hydrogen and we see the gas escaping in bubbles from the cathode. The SO, ions, when they reach the anode, lose their electric charge and react with the water, thus H2O + SO1 = H2SO, +0. The oxygen thus formed bubbles up at the anode as a gas, while the sulphuric acid formed is again dissociated and the process is repeated. So we see that the electrolysis of water or its decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen depends entirely upon the presence in the water of ions produced from some electrolyte. The case becomes more complicated if several electrolytes are present, when the different atoms liberated at the poles may react with each other or if some non-electrolyte is present which could be reduced by the hydrogen at the cathode or oxidized by the oxygen at the anode, these two gases being in the nascent state at the time.

Electrical energy may be employed in three different ways in organic chemistry, in electrolytic reactions, in electrothermic reactions, and in electric-discharge reactions. By electrolytic reactions are understood those in which the electric current acts directly in the decomposition of compounds which may or may not be electrolytes or conductors of electricity. Electrolytes are acids, bases or salts, and they themselves furnish the ions for the passage of the current, while if an organic compound is not an electrolyte, some other ions must be present for accomplishing the electrolysis. Usually some inorganic acid base or salt is used in solution for this purpose, though a similar organic compound will frequently answer just as well. In this case the passage of the current does not itself affect the organic electrolyte. It is only when the ions, driven to the electrodes discharge themselves that the role of the organic body begins. The carbon compound reacts with the discharged ions, and thus becomes a depolarizer, and it is then that the organic substance enters into chemical reaction. Depolarizers may be anodic, acting where the current enters the solution, or cathodic, acting where the current leaves the solution. The phenomena of electrolysis of organic compounds are therefore divided into two classesprimary reactions, where the compound is an electrolyte, forming ions, which re-arrange themselves, and secondary reactions, which are produced by depolarizers. The depolarizers are cathodic, in which case the reaction is always one of reduction, since the hydrogen ions and metallic ions are discharged at the cathode, and anodic, when they depolarize at the anode, in which case the reaction may be one of oxidation, or may be more complicated since the individual variety of the anions is so great.

In electrothermic reactions the electrical energy is converted into heat energy, and the increased temperature thus obtained accomplishes the chemical reaction. The conversion of the electrical energy into heat energy is effected by offering resistance to the