Note 125 — FOREWORD (continued 7)

The evolution of “Phillips’ Phospho-Muriate of Quinine Comp.” from “Phillips’ Wheat Phosphates” may be interesting. Every one knows that therapeutics tends to fashions, and “Phillips’ Wheat Phosphates” appears to have had its inception as the result of the observation that super-refined white flour contains less phosphates than the corresponding amount of wheat. It was assumed that such flour must be deficient in an essential constituent, and the Wheat Phosphates preparation was apparently designed to fill the want. It was exploited for the relief of numerous conditions that were supposed, without satisfactory evidence, to result from this deficiency. When iron, quinin and strychnin mixtures became the vogue a quarter of a century ago, it was only natural to ride on the wave of popularity and the already widely advertised “Wheat Phosphates” was further enhanced—commercially—by the addition of the iron, quinin and strychnin, the amount of alkaloid added being practically negligible. Those who are not familiar with the various phases of the phosphorus, phosphoric acid, lactophosphate, lecithin, nuclein and glycero­phosphate propaganda are referred to a report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry in The Journal A. M. A., Sept. 30, 1916, p. 1033.