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PRICES CURRENT.

Prices are based upon quotations for original packages at port of entry or place of manufacture, plus a reasonable advance for breaking bulk and freight to interior points.

Prices quoted are for quantities usually bought by retail druggists. For larger quantities, prices are somewhat lower.

Containers are extra unless otherwise specified.

Advanced during the past month.

† Declined during the past month.

INDEX TO PRICES CURRENT.

Only leading classes of articles are listed in the Index.

For those not mentioned here, see general list under name of article required.
Drugs and Chemicals, pages 1 to 16 inclusive.
Proprietary Articles, pages 17 to 59 inclusive.

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of product must be the paramount issue in remedial agents, and quality is determined by observing clinical results.

Fifty-four years devoted to the manufacture of Pharmaceuticals with modern and scientific equipment insure quality.

Such are the claims made by Sharp & Dohme and generally endorsed
by the pharmaceutical and medical professions.

¶ Quality in Medicament, Accuracy of Dosage, Certainty of Physio-
logical Action insure

Desirable Clinical Results.

¶You will please your physician patrons by increasing your stock of
Sharp & Dohme's Quality Products.

SHARP Q DOHME

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When writing advertisers, please mention the "Midland Druggist and Pharmaceutical Review."

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Including Pharmaceutical Review, 26 volumes: Pharmaceutical Archives, 6 volumes;
The Midland Druggist, 10 volumes.

No. 9.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES.

United States, $1.00; Canada, $1.35 per annum.

Foreign countries in Postal Union, $1.50 per annum. Remittances with subscription.

Published on the 1st of each month by The Midland Publishing Company, Columbus, Ohio.
Entered at the Postomoe at Columbus, Ohio, as second class matter.

EDITORIAL NOTICE.

The opinions and policies of this publication are given expression in its editorial columns. Our remaining columns are open to contributions upon any topic of pharmaceutical interest, it being understood that the views there expressed are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily imply editorial endorsement.

THE DRUG MARKET.

THE drug market in this country is now in a situation such as never before has been

experienced. The sudden precipitation of a war involving nearly half of the civilized world is the cause of the present excitement and uncertainty.

With respect to the stocks of foreign drugs, chemicals and proprietary preparations held in this country, the event came at a time when importers, manufacturers and jobbers were badly prepared.

The movement of drugs and chemicals during the midsummer months is usually at the minimum. The general depression in trade throughout the country accentuates this condition this year, so it happened that importers had allowed their stocks to go to a low ebb.

Another cause is the fact that in the case of most of the botanic drugs importers have been waiting for the new crops, which are just about due, allowing their stocks of old crops to become practically exhausted. As far as central Europe is concerned, and many of our botanic drugs are derived from there, the new crop will never materialize, that is for the coming year.

Such were the conditions confronting the trade when the several declarations of war were announced. Immediately afterward came the further difficulty of the almost complete tying up of all means of transportation. The result was an immediate

and heavy advance in the prices asked for all foreign commodities. Indeed there has been no basic price for many items, the condition being simply how much the purchaser desired to pay for accommodation.

The early excitement is now beginning somewhat to subside and quotations are now being made; nevertheless, the strong advances made in the beginning are almost without exception still maintained. It is very probable as the means of transportation become available, there will be a reduction in some cases, but there are many others in which we may not expect a reduction, but rather, still further increases in value. It is even highly probable that the medical profession of the United States will for some considerable period have to do absolutely without a number of medicinal agents which have been in quite extensive use.

Fortunately the holdings in this country have been so small and so widely scattered that speculation has been almost wholly prevented, and any effort to gather in and control any particular item has not been successful.

Because of the excessive prices now being asked, we would think it the part of wisdom for the trade to purchase only as needed and wait further developments.

In this connection there has been called to our attention the resolutions passed by the N. A. R. D. at its convention in Philadelphia which resolutions were given to the public press and in which that body condemned importers, manufacturers and jobbers for taking advantage of the situation and placing exorbitant prices on many products. We very much doubt the wisdom of this resolution, particularly do we question the advisability of having made it public. As far as we have been able to learn we believe most of the advances if not all, are fully justified, and in the main we expect before reductions come a still further advance. Therefore, we question the fairness of this resolution, but more than that, it seems to us highly inadvisable from the fact that the general public is not given to closely differentiating between the manufacturer, the jobber and the retailer, and when the public learns through the druggists themselves of alleged unwarranted and excessive prices, the burden of public condemnation is sure to fall more heavily upon the retailer than any other branch of the trade.

THE HARRISON BILL.

THE Harrison Anti-Narcotic Bill has at last passed the Senate, after having been

changed in a few minor particulars from the form in which it passed the House. It is believed that the changes made will be readily concurred in by the House without the formality of a joint session of the committees. Therefore, it is almost safe to assume that it will become law in its present form.

Elsewhere in this issue will be found the full text of the bill as it passed the Senate and we do not expect to see any further changes.

There has not been time as yet to carefully analyze the bill so as to present its requirements in concrete form, but for the benefit of those who desire a plain statement of requirements, we offer the following:

Every druggist, both wholesale and retail, will have to register with the Collector of Internal Revenue for his district, and pay a special license fee of $1.

In placing orders for opium, coca leaves, any of their alkaloids, salts or derivatives, or any preparations containing any of these items, the order must be made on a form prescribed by the government, which form is to be furnished by the Collector of Internal Revenue. These forms are not to be furnished free by the government, but are to be sold by the Collector, the only restriction as to price being that they are to cost not more than one cent each.

In placing orders, they are to be made in duplicate, one of which is to be kept by the person placing the order; the other forwarded to the manufacturer, jobber or distributor who is expected to furnish the goods.

Both parties to the transaction must preserve these orders for a period of at least two years, and they are at all times subject to the inspection of officers of the law. The Collectors of Internal Revenue are empowered to require a statement of the sales of the items mentioned from any person registered, the statement to cover a period of not to exceed three months.

The usual exemptions from the provisions of the act are made, namely, not more than two grains of opium, one-fourth grain of morphine, one-fourth grain of heroin, one grain of codeine, or any salt or derivative of them in one fluid ounce, or if a solid or semi-solid preparation, in one avoirdupois ounce, and liniments and ointments prepared for external use only, but right here there is a peculiarity in that liniments and ointments containing cocaine are specifically not included in the exemption. Prescriptions from physicians, dentists and veterinarians are exempt.

It will be noted that Senator Pomerene has made a concession, that he was not able to force through his amendment which exempted physicians and nurses from the operation of the law, but that the physician is required to keep a record in a book suitable for such purpose of all cases in which he uses any of the above items, and this book is also subject to inspection by officers of the law.

It is presumed that this law will supersede all rules and regulations now existing. The law is to become effective October 1, 1914, which date is near at hand. We have some doubt as to the practicability of such early operation, the time being rather short to provide the necessary machinery.

We present this as our first discussion of the new law, but it is by no means exhaustive. We will, in subsequent issues, treat it in greater detail.

ELIMINATE THE ILLEGAL DRUGGIST.

N INTERESTING question affecting the scope of pharmacy laws has been raised by one of our readers, namely, the rating in commercial agency directories as druggists of persons who are not druggists and do not operate drug stores as defined in the pharmacy laws.

In Ohio any business house carrying a sign on its front or its windows is amenable to the provisions and restrictions prescribed by the pharmacy law and this same distinction is recognized in every other state either by written or unwritten law.

If the non-druggist has a commercial rating as a druggist, he is favored in many business transactions by manufacturers and jobbers who depend upon the commercial directories for their credit ratings. Further, he is enabled to purchase potent drugs and alkaloids which he should not be permitted to purchase, to say nothing of selling them.

When it comes to the selling end, however, the law can only be enforced against him on actual and positive evidence and this is sometimes rather hard to get. In the case referred to in "Communications" in the last and this present issue of this journal, a druggist in a small town in this State is being constantly harrassed by the operations of a man who shrewdly refrains from using a drug store sign on his place. of business, yet advertises himself by other means as a druggist, while it is generally known that he not only sells drugs but that he also compounds them, and at a price below that at which the legitimate druggist can prepare them.

The State officials are willing to prosecute but are waiting to have an actual sale on which to base their prosecution.

The weakness of the law is apparent when a man may so adroitly circumvent its provisions as to reap the rewards of its violation and yet go unpunished.

The only remedy is to broaden the law to prevent his assuming the name and privileges of a druggist at any place, at any time or in any manner and thus shut off his every source of deception, whether it be advertising on the curtain in town hall, by hand bills or blotters, or in the commercial agency directories.

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A misapprehension in respect to the nature and composition of this ancient proprietary appears to have been prevalent in the trade. The fact that Haarlem oil is essentially a sulphurated linseed oil with turpentine oil, while fully recognized abroad, is disputed here. Three prominent brands, typical, if not of Haarlem oil, then of what is offered for sale in this country as Haarlem oil, have been examined. The importers of each of these three brands stoutly maintain that their article is the only original Haarlem oil and adduce documentary evidence which apparently supports their claims. The prototype is probably lost in antiquity. All that is certain now is that the oil all comes from Holland. It is not even all made in Haarlem, its reputed birthplace. Amsterdam does a thriving business in its manufacture and exportation. The extraordinary literature formerly wrapped around the familiar, skin-capped vial has been interdicted by the authorities. Withal, the remedy is certainly the oldest and probably the most widely employed of all "patent" medicines in the world. It is surprising how often one meets a layman who professes the utmost faith in the curative properties of the oil.

Under the general title "Oleum Terebinthinæ sulfuratum" Hager1 gives the following synonyms of this ancient remedy: "Balsamum sulfuris terebinthinatum. Balsamum Sulfuris Rulandi. Oleum Harlemense. Geschwefeltes Terpentinol.

* Analytical Report Lehn & Fink.

1 Handbuch der Pharmaceutischen Praxis, 1907, II, p. 1023.

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