24 INTRODUCTION 



ciples of anatomy, chemistry, physiology, etc., as for their 

 immediate use in the work on pharmacology. 



It has been the author's aim to try to develop experimen- 

 tally a knowledge of the general principles of pharmacolog- 

 ical reactions, rather than to lay great emphasis on a vast 

 array of details regarding the specific action of a long list of 

 substances. There are more than 100,000 known organic 

 preparations, with many more theoretically possible. In ad- 

 dition to this there are some 3,000 or 4,000 inorganic sub- 

 stances, salts, etc. A very large proportion of these bodies 

 might be studied separately and individually so far as their 

 pharmacological properties and reactions are concerned. 

 And if we attempt to have our students make a fairly in- 

 tensive study of only the one-thousandth part of all this 

 vast array of chemical substances, the task is still so great 

 that perhaps no human mind can grasp and carry within 

 the memory at any one time the almost limitless extent of 

 the specific details of the pharmacological reactions of 

 which even this comparatively small number of drugs may 

 theoretically be capable. And notwithstanding the more 

 or less abortive attempts of nearly all recent writers and 

 examining boards, to limit as far as possible the number of 

 drugs which the student must study, the task of selection is 

 still largely one for the individual instructor. 



The experiments listed herein are, as a rule, arranged 

 with reference to individual drugs. The simplest and 

 easiest experiments on any given substance are usually 

 placed at the beginning of the section dealing with that 

 body. Being keenly aware of the difficulty often experi- 

 enced in obtaining suitable experimental material the 

 author has included a large number of experiments on frogs 

 and turtles, the supply of which is less liable to variation 

 than is that of the vastly more desirable mammalian ma- 

 terial. Generally a number of experiments are given on 

 each drug, especially if it be one of importance. It is in- 

 tended that these experiments be assigned to the students 



