1951 in Review

1951 in Review

JOURNAL OF THE A MERICAN PHAR MACEUTICAL A SSOCIATION 1951 Few recent years have been a s cr owded with as m.uch professiona l and government activit...

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JOURNAL OF THE A MERICAN PHAR MACEUTICAL A SSOCIATION

1951 Few recent years have been a s cr owded with as m.uch professiona l and government activity in pharmacy as has been the year just ending. This review, summarizing both professional and Association progress, highlights the major actions. For more detailed references, readers are referred to the cumulative index, on page 789. T he year 1951 wi tnessed professional as well as economic developments in American pharmacy which hold signlficant.,i,tnplications for the future. On the professional side, there was a continuing trend in t he directiO.n of developing more and better exclusive profe's sional pharmacies. This trend was obseryed to a much greater extent'n the Wester n states, : 'and especially along the Pacific coast than in the East. Paradoxically. the vrest Coast, als
A . P H . A. Convention

The annual convention of the ASSOCIATION was held in Buffalo, New York, August 26 to 31, and was attended by the largest group of active members in the ASSOCIATION'S 99-year history. Speakers at the general sessions included Major General George E. Armstrong, Surgeon General, U. S. Army; Major General Harry G. Armstrong, Surgeon General, U. S. Air Force; Rear Adm. C. J. Brown, Deputy Surgeon General, U. S. Navy; Surgeon General Leonard Scheele, U. S. Public Health Service; Kenneth Perry, vice-president and general counsel of Johnson and Johnson; and Col. \Villiam L. Wilson, assistant administrator, Health and Welfare Office, Federal Civil Defense Administration , were also featured speakers . A complete review of the many actions of the convention appeared in the September and October issues of THIS JOURNAL. Meetings of the Council were held both preceding and following the convention of the AssocIA TION and just prior to the end of the calendar year. Resolutions passed at the convention and revision of the By-laws of the AssoCIATION were given careful consideration. Matters of policy and planning and the impending Centennial Convention program were uppermost in the minds of the Council members. The week of August 17, 1952, was chosen as the time for the Centennial Convention to be held in Philadelphia while Salt . Lake City, in August, was selected for the 1953 convention. Professional relations with American medicine. dentistry and veterinary medicine were never better and many of the problems resul ting from the prescribing and dispensing of newer drugs were solved by the pUblication of literature and meetings of representatives of the professions sponsored or participated in by t he A. P H. A. Vol. XII, No. 12

PRACTICAL PHARMACY EDITION

Under the new by-laws adopted at the Buffalo convention, the House of Delegates will operate under a new procedure for the nomination of officers of the ASSOCIATION and it will be possible to establish additional local branches of the ASSOCIATlON in various parts of the country. Membership both active and associate (student membership) reached an all-time high as the ASSOCIATION enters upon its 100th year of service to the profession. A. PH. A. District Meetings

Two major district meetings of the ASSOCIATION were held during 1951, for the purpose of bringing A. PH . A. activities closer to the pharmacists living distantly from the ASSOCIATION 'S headquarters. The first, for pharmacists in the midwestern area, was held in Detroit in April, and was attended by more than 200 pharmacists from seven states. The second, in November, was held in Los Angeles for pharmacists in the far west. More than 500 pharmacists and pharmacy students registered for the two-day meeting, to hear addresses by President Francke and other ASSOCIATION leaders. Important panel discussions were held on the newly passed Durham-Humphrey bill and on Civil Deft:'nse. As a direct result of the intense interest in these two district meetings, more are planned for 1052, the centennial year of the A. PH. A. National PharITlacy Week

October 21 to 27 marked the observance of National Pharmacy Week, with interest at an all-time high in view of the special window display contest and otht:'r new innovations. This year the first prize in the display competition was $500, and the theme for the week centered on the pharmacist's place in community health. Student branches, colleges, and local branches contributed enthusiastically to the observance. The complete report on the 1951 Pharmacy week will appear in an early issue during 1952, following the meeting of the judging committee early in January. (Continued on next page)

December, 1951

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1951 in Review •••• • • • •••• • • from page 757

Hospital Pharmacy Development of the ASSOCIATION'S activities in hospital pharmacy continued to progress from the standpoint of providing services to the nation's hospital pharmacists as well as in organizational work. The ' American Society of Hospital Pharmacists showed a membership of approximately 1,700 as compared with less than 1,000 in 1947 when the Division of Hospital Pharmacy was established. Important contributions to the development of Hospital Pharmacy are the final approval of the Minimum Standards for Pharmacies in Hospitals; the development of a hospital pharmacy curriculum, syllabus, and internship program. Participation of the A. PH. A. in the Hospital Pharmacy Institutes of the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Hospital Associa·· tion continued. . Nine students in internship programs in leading schools and hospitals completed the requiremen ts for the Master of Science degree during 1951. The A. S. H. P. approved the "Proposed Standard for Internships in Hospital Pharmacy." Another factor indicative of the trend in hospital pharmacy education and training was the Joint Meeting of the Conference of Teachers of Pharmacy and representatives of the Society. Other accomplishments include co-sponsorship of two institutes; making available the Model Hospital Pharmacy to seven major meetings throughout the country; and the report of the A. S. H. P.'s Committee on Narcotic Regulations, as well as other Society activities.

Major DeveloplTlel1 Selected by Science Service

Antibiotics such as aureomycin and terramycin, added to the food of poultry and pigs with vitamin B 12 , incre'ased their rate of growth. A chemical missing link joining animal and plant life at the very beginning of evolution was suggested by discovery of a pigment, protopor· phyrin isomer 9, which gives rise to both the hemoglobin of animal blood and the chlorophyll of green plants. A new blood type, Jka, the tenth human character for which the manner of inheritance is known, was discovered. Infected wounds, particularly chest wounds, tuberculous abscesses and diabetic gangrene, are cleaned up and heal faster when treated with two chemicals from ' hemolytic streptococci, streptokinase and streptodornase, For reducing high blood pressure, the following chemicals were reported: a synthetic, Amphenone B, acting through pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands; sulfhydryl containing compounds such as BAL; methionium halides; Protoveratrine; two phthalazine compounds; and alkyl-sugar derivatives which promote diuresis, A new hip-lift or hip-roll method of giving artificial respiration more effectively was developed. (See page 775 of this issue,)

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS The Supreme Court ruling on fair trade was only one government development affecting pharmacy during the year. Civil defense and the armed forces also played a big role. C ivil D efense

Civilian Defense activities gained momentum at the very start of the year, with the publication of a special booklet, Health Services and Special Weapons Defense. A complete review of this important manual appeared in the January issue of THIS JOURNAL. In addition to the publication of this manual, ' the Federal Civil Defense Administration published special booklets on protection against atomic attack and biological warfare, as well as a special chart of (Continued o n Page 760) ,

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From Mexico came news that the tropical yam-like root can be used in the manufacture of cortisone Vo l. XII, N o. 12

Science and Medicine in 1 951 A new synthetic pain-killing drug, more powerful and longer acting than morphine and only three steps chemically from belng synthetic morphine, was announced under the trade name, Dromoran. Acetylmethadol, related to pain-relieving methadon, was reported successful in treating morphine addicts and promising as pain reliever in first aid treatment. Success in growing poliomyelitis virus on tissue cultures outside the body was achieved, giving hope that weakened strains thus developed could be used for a vaccine. Cholesterol, important body chemical, was synthesized .

New clues to earliest man werejound in a Stone Age Iranian cave. This skull may be 75,000 years old.

Atomic research went jorward "with this reactor which produces more fissionable material than it consumes

Two cyclotron produced chemicals, radioactive gallium and astatine, or element 87, were reported promising new weapons against cancer. Thyroid gland cancer responded to treatment with male hormone for the first time in medical history. Measuring amoun ts of two chemicals in blood, inhibitors of rennin and chymotrypsin, gave an index for response to treatment of luekemia and cancer. Cancer control by removal of both adrenal glands could be undertaken successfully for the first time because cortisone is available to protect patients from death due to adrenal failure. The first blood vessel bank was established. A new family of B vitamins, called lipoic acids was discovered and one of them, alpha lipoic acid, was isola ted. December, 1951

Final steps in synthesizing cortisone from four substances abundant in nature, ergosterol, diosgenin, stigmasterol, and cholesterol, were accomplished. Practical method of making cortisone from a wild Mexican plant root instead of from ox bile was developed. Ailments for which cortisone was reported effective: the eye diseases, phlycetnular keratoconjunctivitis, sympathetic ophthalmia, and blindness from growth of fibrous tissue in scarring wounds; toxemia of pregnancy; sarcoidosis; swelling of the larynx; severe, exhausting asthma, schizophrenia, and acute skin diseases. Cortisone and ACTH were reported capable of retarding the chest disease, chronic berylliosis; conquering rheumatic heart disease; saving lives in one kind of anemia and the blood disorder, thrombocytopenic purpura; and acting like a tonic for old people before operations or to get them out of bed faster after painful injuries. Tomatoes can be made to yield sex hormones and may become plentiful, cheap source 9f cortisone. First total synthesis of a complete steroid was announced. The adrenal gland hormone, compound F, of potential value as an anti-arthritic, was synthesized. A new, apparently safe sleeping medicine, 3methyl-pentyne-ol-3, was announced.

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J OURN AL

OF THE AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION

National Developments • • • • • • • • • • • • • from page 758

home first-aid items. This chart appeared in the October ' issue of THIS J OlJRNAL. Following passage of the act establishing the FCDA, es.rly in January; Millard F. Caldwell, ex-governor of Florirla, was confirmed by the Senate as Civil Defense Administrator. Following that, new impetns developed in the entire matter of effective civilian defense. A special conference dealing with mepical aspects of civil defense was held at the headquarters of the American Medical Association in Chicago early in Noyember. The AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION; the American Hospital Association and the 'Association of State and Territorial Health Officers were all represented, and the groundwork was laid for active cooperation on the part of all these professional groups in future civil defense planning. ArlYled Forces Changes in person,nel in the leadership of the medical departments of the various services were numerous. Currently, these men head up their departments: Rear Admiral LamontPugh, Surgeon General, U. S. Navy; Major General George E . Armstrong, Surgeon General, U. S. Army; Major General Harry G. Armstrong, Surgeon General, U. S. Air Force. On September 25, Col. Robert Lee Black was sworn in for a four-year term as chief of the Army's Medical Service Corps, succeeding Col. Othmar F. Goriup, who through Army service routine had completed his four year assignment as head of the corps. On the same day, Lt. Col. Henry D. Roth was sworn in as chief of the Pharmacy, Supply and Administration Section of the Corps.

Selective Service In view of the bitterness of the Korean fighting, man power considerations headed the list of government activities during the year. Special aptitude tests were inaugurated, to ascertain a student's fitl1ess for collpge training; student deferments were announced, to permit a continuous flow of trained youth into industry and the professions. Complete coverage of these selective service rulings and their impact on pharmacy appeared in each issue of THIS JOlJRNAL, in the special d~partment, National Defense and Security. The Universal . Military training and Service Act and the amepded Seleiftive Service law recognize pharmacy ;in~ng th¢~ .health professions for which the President of the United States may promulgate special rulings in order to serve the national health, safety and interest. Fair Trade On May 31 in the now famous Schwegmann case decision, the U. S. Supreme Court..ruled the nonsigner clause in the Miller-Tydings Act unconstitutional, thus impairiIfg the Fair Trade structure as conceived under .,the state acts supplemented by the Miller-Tydings law. The immediate result of this decision was a flurry of price cutting in various parts of the country, notably in New York. At the year's end, both the N. A. R. D. and the American Fair Trade Council had introduced separate bills to correct the unfavorable results of the Supreme Court decision, and the drug industry as a whole placed itself on record through the National Drug Trade Conference as supporting the N. A. R. D. bill known as H.R. 5767. An excellent analysis of the Fair Trade situation was given by Kenneth Perry in the October issue of THIS J OlJRNAL.

During 1951, military & civil defense officials learned much regarding the atom bomb and ejJective protection against it. U. S. airborne troops were used in special tests near Las Vegas, Nevada, to ascertain the value of newer weapons, as well as the safety margins of atomic warfare. The photo at right is from the official U. S. Army series taken during the tests.

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Vol. XII; No. 12