So much has been written on this subject that a new paper may seem superfluous. The reasons which have impelled this paper are the following:
1. My desk is continually flooded with medicaments sent by manufacturing pharmacists, and delivered by detail men who talk quasi-scientifically, and just as glibly as they did when I began to practice twenty-five years ago.
2. In mingling with other physicians I find many such mixtures and new preparations used in practice, the only excuse being the recommendations contained in literature accompanying the preparations.
3. Many such preparations are used by physicians without any knowledge of their contents or action. There can be no doubt that this use of the preparations is attended by dangers which I hope to make plain.
4. With few exceptions the preparations sent about as samples are mixtures. Now, every intelligent physician knows that if our use of drugs is