PHARMACOPOEIA OP THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE MEDICAL SOCIETIES AND COLLEGES. BOSTON: PRINTED BY WELLS AND LILLY. FOR CHARLES EWER, NO. 61 , CORNHILT** Dec. 1820. DISTRICT OP MASSACHUSETTS, TO. WIT: District Clerk's Office. BE itremembered, that on thefifteenth day of December, A,D. 1820, in the Forty-fifth year of the Ladependence of the United States of America, Charles Ewer and Timothy Bedlington of the said District, have deposited in this Office the Title of a Book the Right whereof they claim as Proprietors in the Words following, to wit.* The Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America. 1820,. By the Authority of the Medical Societies and Colleges In Conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, " An Act for the En­ couragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned :" and also to an Act entitled, ** An Act supplementary to an Act, entitled, An Act for the Encouragement of Learn­ ing, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies during the times therein mentioned ; and extending the Benefits thereof" to the Arts of Designing, Engraving and Etching Historical, and other Prints." mo. w. DAVIS, Clerk of tJw District of Massachusetts* Th e Proprietors of ** Th e Pharmacopoeia of the United States" give notice, that having purchased for a large sum, the copy right of the said work, they shall be under the necessity of promptly instituting a suit against any person or persons who may attempt an infraction of the rights conferred on them by law. All persons whom it may concern are cautioned to govern themselves accordingly. IJT the General Medical Convention, held, in the Capitol at Washington, January, 1820— Resolved that LYMAN SPALDING, THOMAS T. HEWSON, ELI IVES, ELISHA DE BUTTS, JACOB BXGELOW, Be constituted a Committee whose duty it shall be to prepare for the Press the National Pharmacopceia agreed on in this Con­ vention. SAMUEL L. MITCHELL, President, THOS. T. HEWSON, Secretary. THE Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America, is now published agreeably to the vote of the General Convention. L. SPALDING, Chairman of the Committee of Pitblicaimi* HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. A s the authority and future usefulness of the Ame­ rican Pharmacopoeia is connected with the manner in which this work has been formed ; and as the extent of its adoption will probably be commensurate with that of the sources, from which it has emanated; it is proper to lay before the public an historical account of its origin, growth, and completion. In January, 1317, Dr. Lyman Spalding submitted to the New York County Medical Society, a project for the formation of a National Pharmacopoeia, by the authority of all the medical societies and medical schools in the United States. The plan proposed was, 1. That a convention should be called in each of the four grand divisions of the United States, to be composed of delegates from all the medical societies and schools. 2. That each district convention should form a Pharmacopoeia, and elect delegates to meet in general convention in the city of Washington, on the first of January, 1820. 3. That the gene­ ral convention should, from the district Pharmaco­ poeias, form the national work. In the county medi­ cal society it was referred to a committee, who, after S HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. having corresponded with several of the leading me­ dical men in each state, reported a set of resolutions, which were submitted to the medical society of the state of New York in February, 1818, and by them adopted and ordered to be carried into execution by a committee appointed for the purpose. The purport of these resolutions was as follows, That it is expedient that a Pharmacopoeia should be formed for the use of the United States. That the several incorporated state medical socie­ ties, the several incorporated colleges of physicians and surgeons, or medical schools; and such medical bodies as constitute a faculty in any incorporated university or college in the United States, should be respectfully invited to unite in the formation of the American Pharmacopoeia; and in case there should be any state or territory in the Union, in which there is no incorporated medical society, medical college, or school; that voluntary associations of physicians and surgeons, in such state or territory, be respectfully invited to unite in this undertaking. That to form an American Pharmacopoeia, it is expedient to divide the United States and territories into four districts, viz. the northern, middle, southern, and western. That a convention be called in each of these dis­ tricts. That each state medical society, college of physi­ cians and surgeons, medical school, faculty of medi­ cine, and voluntary association, as before described* be invited to appoint one or more delegates to meet m a district convention. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 7 That each district convention form a Pharmaco­ poeia, or select one in general use, and make therein such alterations and additions as shall adapt it to the present state of medical science. That each district convention be requested to ap­ point one or more delegates, to meet in a general con­ vention, and submit to the same their Pharmaco­ poeias. That it be recommended to each medical society, &c. to defray the expenses of its own delegation, and its proportion of the expenses of the district conven­ tion. That the general convention be held in the city of Washington on the first day of January, A. D. 1820, for the purpose of compiling the American Pharma­ copoeia from those Pharmacopoeias which may be presented by the district conventions. That the general convention adopt a plan for re­ vising the American Pharmacopoeia at the end of every ten years, and that no alteration be made there­ in except at those periods, and then only by the au­ thority aforesaid. That it be recommended to every medical society, &c. to adopt the American Pharmacopoeia, and en­ courage the use of it by all druggists and apothe­ caries. That the general convention sell, for ten years, the copy right of the American Pharmacopoeia. That the general convention defray their expenses out of the proceeds of the sale, and divide the surplus 8 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION'. if any remain, equally among all the societies, &c. t which were represented in the district conventions. That this Society do now appoint David Hosack, M. D.; J. R. B. Rodgers, M. D.; Samuel L. Mit­ chell, M. D.; John Stearns, M. D.; John Watts, jun. M. D.; T. Romeyn Beck, M, D.; Lyman Spald­ ing, M. D. ; Wright Post, M. D. ; and Alexander H. Stevens, M, D. delegates to meet in district conven­ tion, for the purpose of forming a Pharmacopoeia. That the delegates appointed by this Society be a special committee to correspond with all the incorpo­ rated state medical societies, &c. in the Union, and such influential medical men as they may deem proper* That if a majority of the incorporated state medi­ cal societies, incorporated medical colleges, medical schools, and faculties of medicine, in the United States, approve of the formation of an American Pharmacopoeia; that it be undertaken. That when it shall be ascertained that a majority of the societies, &c. approve of the formation of a Pharmacopoeia, the special committee of correspon­ dence of the New York State Medical Society shall give public notice, as well as notice to all incorporat­ ed state medical societies, &c. that an American Phar­ macopoeia will be formed* That in order to fix on times and places for holding the several district conventions, the special committee of correspondence be directed to request the several societies, &c- to name what time and place, in their opinion, would be most convenient for the meeting of HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 9 the convention in their district; and when the forma­ tion of a Pharmacopoeia is agreed on, that the afore­ said committee transmit to each society, &c. the names of the several places in their district, and the times which have been mentioned, and point out what time and place have the most votes, and submit to the se­ veral societies, &c. if such time and place would be most convenient That this society would propose the first day of June, A, D. 1819, and the city of Philadelphia, as a convenient time and place, for the meeting of the con­ vention, in the district known by the name of the middle states. The committee appointed by the New York me­ dical society, on the 4th of March, 1818, issued cir­ culars to the several corporate bodies and individuals designated in their commission* In reply to their first circular, information was received early in November, 1818, that the design of forming a National Pharma­ copoeia had met the approbation of a majority of the medical associations in the United States, and that they had appointed delegates to attend the district conventions. This intelligence was announced in a second circular, inviting the said associations to desig­ nate a time and place for the meeting of each of the district conventions: and in conformity therewith, the following places wrere designated, viz. Boston, Phila^ delphia, Columbia, S. C. and Lexington, Kentucky. The VERMONT medical society at their annual meeting held in October, 1818, approved the forma­ tion of a National Pharmacopoeia, and appointed Se~ 10 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. lah Gridley, M. D. and Erastus Torrey, M. D. their delegates. The NEW HAMPSHIRE medical society approved the formation of a National Pharmacopoeia on the 5th of May, 1819, and appointed the following delegates. Reuben D. Mussey, M. D.; Eben. Learned, M. D.; Matthias Spaulding, M. D.; and John P. Batchel­ der, M. D. The MASSACHUSETTS medical society concurred in the formation of a National Pharmacopoeia on the 2d day of June, 1818. They appointed John C. Warren, M. D.; John Gorham, M. D.; Jacob Bige­ low, M. D.; James Thacher, M. D.; and George C. Shattuck, M. D. their delegates. The RHODE ISLAND Medical society at their an­ nual meeting held on the first of September, 1§18, concurred in the formation of a National Pharmaco­ poeia, and appointed Solomon Drowne, M. D. their delegate. The medical faculty of BROWN University ap­ proved of the formation of a National Pharmacopoeia on the 15th of March, 1819, and appointed William Ingalls, M. D. their delegate. The CONNECTICUT medical society approved the design of forming a National Pharmacopoeia, and on the 15th of October, 1818, appointed Eli Ives, M,D.; and William Tully, M. D. their delegates. The faculty of the medical institution of YALE Col­ lege on the 28th of October, 1818, approved the for­ mation of an American Pharmacopoeia, and appoint­ ed Nathan Smith, M, D.; and Eli Ives, M. D. their delegates.