The advantages of galenicals containing a definite proportion of active principle over those that vary in strength with every sample of drug employed are now fully recognised, and several such have been admitted into the Pharmacopœia. With regard to galenicals, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. have extended the standardisation by total alkaloid assay, and have never adopted the basis of total extractive, regarding it as misleading and useless. Total alkaloid estimations have been adopted in so far as they secured definite standards of truly representative activity, but the firm has not been content to rely on this means alone. As the result of extensive research, they are able to offer many other standardised preparations in addition to the official ones. Those galenicals which are known to be extremely variable in their character and action, and by their nature do not admit of exact control by chemical means, have been the subject of physiological research. Not being satisfied with the methods hitherto available, special processes of standardisation have been developed which give more complete control over the finished products. This subject is still one of continuous research. The standards adopted have been chosen after the examination of very many different samples of drugs, and represent the average of the amounts of active principle found in preparations made from good specimens. Thus the dose remains the same as that of the older preparation, but the prescriber is certain of always obtaining the proper effect instead of one varying from time to time with the particular batch of extract of tincture used, and the advantage of this certainty, both to the reputation of the prescriber and the health of the patient, can hardly be over-estimated. [Sidenote: Prolonged scientific research] [Sidenote: ‘Ergotoxine’]