The Belgian Minister to the Secretary of State.
Washington, January 19, 1906.
Mr. Secretary of State: In connection with a communication addressed to the Department of State by the legation of the King on February 2, 1903, I have the honor to inclose herewith five copies of the draft agreement intended to give diplomatic sanction to the resolutions adopted by the conference which met at Brussels September 15 to 20, 1902, with a view to the unification of the formula for heroic medicines.
As you will observe, Mr. Secretary of State, certain changes have been made in the draft, the text of which accompanied the legation’s note of February 2, 1903.
With reference to the table embodied in Article I, note is made of a decision rendered by the committee empowered by the conference to determine the percentage of alkaloid in certain medicines, the decision fixing at 0.05 per cent, instead of 0.025 per cent, the said percentage for the tincture of aconite.
The provisions of Article V, relative to ratifications, have been omitted. In virtue of the representations made on this subject by various countries, the Belgian Government thinks that it would be preferable not to insist upon ratification, but to fix a date for putting the agreement in force.
To this end it has fixed upon the 1st of July, 1906. It is understood, however, that the provisions of articles 1, 2, and 3 shall not become obligatory for each of the States until the publication of a new edition of a supplement of its pharmacopœia.
[Page 81]Finally, the reservations formulated by certain Governments are the subject of a draft of a procès verbal, the signature of which is to follow that of the draft agreement. This procès verbal will be signed, like the principal act, by the representatives of the adhering States, and the signatures shall be preceded by the official title of the signers.
I should be gratified if your excellency would kindly advise me if the inclosed text meets with no objection on the part of the Government of the United States.
The choice of a date for the signature of this international act is necessarily subordinate to the approval of the project by the interested powers.
I avail, etc.,