A questionnaire recently sent out by a committee on the revision of the Pharmacopeia stirred up the difficult question of diachylon ointment. We answered by saying that we did not employ it, which was technically true, but like answers to most formal questions, was not the exact truth. We employ, and much to our advantage, various substitutes made with lead plaster. One of the first of these, introduced into dermatologic practice by Piffard, is made by melting together lead plaster and petrolatum.
The original diachylon ointment is difficult to prepare, while the foregoing requires some care but no particular skill to produce a smooth, odorless salve. The smell of the original diachylon ointment was something to remember.
One evening in Philadelphia the question of a dermatologist having an exclusive druggist arose, and was objected to on obvious grounds. The late Louis A. Duhring, however, flung in the remark: "Who makes