THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PHARMACY ACTS.

363 cases are few. It behoves the sanitary in order to enlarge the Register. The memberauthorities also to take all necessary precautions ship of the Society continues to grow, and now and to ensure that all cases occurring among consists of almost exactly one-half the number of civilians should be at once isolated, but it is not those eligible for membership, which, for a voluntary easy to ensure that all patients are dealt with Society, may be considered satisfactory. Turning in an early stage; it is possible that some of the to the part of the report which deals with cases are of the ambulatory form and so may not the administration of the penal clauses of the be diagnosed. Such difficulties, however, are met Pharmacy Acts, it is seen that the war has not with at all times, and the question arises whether interfered with the activity of the Society’s law the risks now run by civilians in places where department, for over 1000 cases of alleged infringemilitary hospitals are situated are such that ment were investigated and proceedings were preventive inoculation should be strongly advo- instituted in no less than 300 cases, compared cated. Our attention has been drawn to an out- with 239 cases in the previous year. In the break of typhoid and paratyphoid fever which majority of instances the defendants were unhas occurred in Reading, and our correspondent qualified drug-storeproprietors who had been strongly urges preventive inoculation. There usurping the functions of qualified pharmacists. is no doubt of the success that has followed It is clearly the view of the Pharmaceutical Society the inoculation of the troops, but they are that it is just as necessary in war-time as in exposed to much greater danger than are civilians peace-time that the public should be protected from in this country, owing to the possible con- the danger involved by the indiscriminate selling tamination of the water-supply, and in warm of poisons. countries, such as was the case in Gallipoli, by the food becoming infected by flies. It is well known THE TREATMENT OF PELLAGRA WITH SODIC that ordinary precautions as regards cleanliness CITRATE. taken by those in charge of the sick will go a long WE had occasion in 19141 to call attention to way towards prevention of infection, and it is prob- the researches of Dr. G. Alessandrini and Dr. A. ably only in the event of the water- or milk-supply Scala, showing that silica in a colloidal state probecoming contaminated that a serious outbreak is I duced in various animals an intoxication in which likely. As far as the evidence goes at present the clinical picture and pathological lesions correwe should not feel disposed to urge compulsory to those of pellagra. These inoculation-such a proposal might be followed sponded completely I moreover, demonstrated that by causing observers, by an agitation which would be reflected among z, monkeys to drink the opalescent water of pellagrous recruits; but that civilians should be advised to be I districts, which is also drunk by the inhabitants, a inoculated against the enteric group is a proposi- ’, similar intoxication results, They came to the contion that might well be supported. The informaclusion that the cause of this disease was the tion in regard to Reading is the first instance silica, and probably also the silicates, existing in reported to us of an outbreak possibly attributable the drinking water in a state of solution or colloidal to returned soldiers. More evidence would be They added, however, that not all before drastic any steps could be taken by suspension. required which contained silica will cause this intoxiwater the sanitary authority with regard to the general cation, since the silica is capable of forming, like population, but that inoculation might be a prudent the colloids, unstable combinations with the electrostep in those districts in which several cases have lytes, and these combinations may be innocuous. been notified amongst civilians cannot be denied. They said, further, that carbonate of calcium and the alkaline carbonates prevent the toxicity of the silica. in a further THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PHARMACY ACTS. Dr. Alessandrini and Dr. Scala now state communication (Il Policlinico, Practical Section, A SATISFACTORY statement in the annual report Jan. 16th, 1916) that it is not sufficient to assert that of the Pharmaceutical Society, which was pre- their conclusions do not merit consideration simply sented to the Council of the Society at the February because the cause of pellagra is incontrovertibly meeting, points to an increase in the number of connected with the consumption of maize, every names on the Register of chemists and druggists. part of which has been minutely analysed and A contrary experience would not have been experimented upon, without giving the clear, surprising, since such large numbers of pharma- striking, and broad results obtained by them in ceutical apprentices and students have joined the their experiments. Neither is it a valid objection army. But notwithstanding this fact nearly 1000 which has been put forward by Sandwith that in candidates entered for the qualifying examination where pellagra is also found, there are no last year, which is an increase of something like Egypt, of areas silica, for the reason that the water of 15 per cent. on the previous year. It seems reasonthese localities has not been examined, and that it able to assume that one of the causes of this increase has never been denied that argillous strata exist in was the desire on the part of students to obtain which the water lies which afterwards forms into their qualification before joining the colours, and springs and from which they may be contaminated. signs are not wanting that during the present and Besides, it is incredible to them that a desert soil the next few years the number of candidates may that of Egypt should be wanting in silica. like be diminished to a material extent, for there is In their former communication Dr. Alessandrini already a very heavy falling-off in students. A and Dr. Scala referred to ten cases of pellagra diminished Register may therefore be expected, but the reduction is not likely to be of such a cured by intramuscular injections of sodic citrate, serious nature as to cause public inconvenience, 1 c.c. of an aqueous solution of 10 per cent., leaving since the proportion of pharmacists to the popula- the patients in their original surroundings, at their tion is now something like 1 to every 2000, a pro- ordinary occupation, and on their usual scanty diet. They have now collected a further number of cases portion which in some continental countries would from various parts of Italy treated in the same be regarded as excessive. In any case the standard 1 THE of the qualifying examination will not be lowered LANCET, Sept. 12th, 1914, p. 713; April 7th, 1915, p. 794.

such

____