Pharmacopoeia

An International Pharmacopoeia.—Attempts have been made by international pharmaceutical and medical conferences to settle a basis on which an international pharmacopoeia could be prepared, but so far without result. (See PHARMACY.) On the other hand, a project for an imperial pharmacopoeia which should be adapted to the general and local requirements of all parts of the British Empire has met with better success. With the aid of the medical and pharmaceutical authorities in each of the seventy administrative divisions of the British Empire an Indian and Colonial addendum to the British Pharmacopoeia of 1898 was compiled and published in 190o in which each article receives official sanction in the countries indicated in the monographs.

Several unofficial universal pharmacopoeias have been pub

lished in England and in France, which serve to show the com parative strength of parallel preparations in different countries. The greatest stumbling-blocks in the way of uniformity are the tinctures and extracts in which the same name does not always indicate the same thing; thus, extract of aconite signifies an extract of the root in the pharmacopoeias of the United States, Japan and Russia, extract of the leaves in the Danish and Portu guese, inspissated juice of the fresh leaves in the Greek, and al coholic extract of the root in that of Spain and Italy, and alcoholic extract of the dried leaves in the Chilean pharmacopoeia. It

appears probable, however, that the growth of pharmaceutical chemistry will indicate, in time, which of those in use form the most active and trustworthy preparations, while the general adop tion of the metric system will lead to clearer approximation of strength than hitherto. Homeopathic and eclectic practitioners as well as dentists have also their special pharmacopoeias.

See Martindale and Westcott, Extra Pharmacopoeia, 18th ed. 1924-25, 19th ed. vol. i. 1928; British Pharmaceutical Codex, London, 1923 ; British Pharmacopoeia, London, 1914; Squire's Companion to the British Pharmacopoeia, 19th ed. London, 1916 ; Codex medicamentarius Sallieus: Pharmacopee francaise, Paris, 192o; Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America loth decennial revision Philadelphia, 1925 ; Deutsches Arzneibuch 6th ed. Berlin 1926. (E. M. Ho.)