PROOF.
[Distributed to the Council and the Members of the League.]
< ' .' /^_»—*—i
C. 532. M. 183.1925 in
C. H. 350.
Geneva, September I4th, 1925.
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Second International Conference
ON THE
STANDARDISATION OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS
REPORT by Dr H. H. DALE
The Second International Conference on the Standardisation of Biological Products was held at Geneva on August 3ist to September 3rd, 1925, the following being the members :
President : Dr. H. H. DALE.
Professor CUSHNY, DIXON, EDMUNDS, HEYMANS, KNAFFL-LENZ (Secretary),
KOLLE,
KROGH, MACLEOD,
MAGNUS,
Professor MEYER,
POULSSON,
REID HUNT,
ROST,
STRAUB,
TIFFENEAU,
TRENDELENBURG,
VOEGTLIN.
Professor HEYMANS Jnr. also attended.
FIRST MEETING HELD ON AUGUST 31 AT 9.45 A.M.
The Conference opened on August 3ist at 9.45 a.m., and Dr. Rajchman, Medical Director of the Health Section, welcomed the members in the name of the Secretary-General of the League of Nations and in that of Professor Madsen, President of the Health Committee.
Dr. Rajchman explained the policy of the Health Committee as being simply to facilitate co-operation between the different countries. He informed the Conference that Sir Arthur Salter, Director of the Economic Section and Financial Adviser to the Secretariat, would address the members of the Conference on the following day on certain economic and financial activities of the League of Nations.
Dr. Dale, on behalf of himself and his colleagues, thanked the Medical Director and his collaborators for the efficiency and enthusiasm which they had shown in making the arrangements for the work of the Conference, and undertook to send to the President of the Health Committee, Dr. Madsen, a message of sympathy and of regret that he had found it impossible to be present at the Conference.
PITUITARY EXTRACT
Professor Voegtlin then introduced the discussion of the standardisation of pituitary extracts, on the basis of the memorandum which he had presented to the Conference. In " subsequent discussion, the Conference agreed to accept the recommendation of the dry standard preparation, which had been brought before the previous Conference at Edinburgh by Professor Voegtlin, and had since been officially adopted by the United State Pharmacopoeia, Edition X. Some discussion took place concerning the accuracy and praticability of the method of biological assay, in relation to the standard, by means of the guinea-pig's uterus. It was agreed that, when this method is used, a subsidiary control should be applied to exclude the action of non-specific stimulant substances.
Professor Meyer drew attention to the method recommended by Professor Pick of testing the extract for its anti-diuretic action on the unansesthetised dog. Professor Magnus spoke in favour of this method also.
The methods for determining the pressor activity of the extract having been discussed, the question was raised as to the strength or strengths of extracts, in terms of the standard, which should be recommended for official adoption. The suggestion of two different strengths
S. des N. 5o *pr. (A) 9/25. Imp. J. de G.