IHE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



i75 



Perfumery. 

 Die Fabrikation der Parfumeriewaaren. — M. 

 Hauer. Weimer : B. F. Voigt. 

 Pharmacy. 

 Coblentz's Handbook of Pharmacy.— ^^ 

 understand that the first edition is nearly ex- 

 hausted in less than the first month. This is 

 the strongest attestation of the value of the 

 book. 



Photography . 



Beginner's Guide to Photography. — Showing 

 how to buy a camera and how to use it. 5th 

 Ed., revised and enlarged. London: Perken, 

 Son & Rayment. 



Photographische Chemie.—'R. E. Liesegang, 

 Diisseldorf : Ed. Liesegang. 

 A book for beginners. 



Physics. 



Practical Work in General Physics, for use 

 in Schools and Colleges. — W. G. WooUcombe. 

 Oxford : The Clarendon Press. 



This work contains directions for about 50 

 Experiments in general physics. 



Theoretische Physik. — W. Voigt. ErsterBand. 

 Mechanik starrer und nichtstarrer Korper; 

 Warmelehre. Leipzig : Veit u. Co. 



Lehrbuch der Experimental Physik. — Adolph 

 "Wiillner. Erster Band. Allgemeine Physik und 

 Akustik. Leipzig : B G. Triibner. 



Theorie der Gase. — O. E. Meyer, i. Abth. 

 2. Aufi. Breslau : Maruschke u. Berendt. 



Fortschritte der Physik ini Jahre /SSS. — Dar 

 gestellt von der physikal Gesellschaft zu Ber- 

 lin. 44. Jahrg. 2. Abth. Braunschweig : F. 

 Vieweg u. Sohn. 



Therapeutics. 



Die Oele {Oleosa) als Arznei- und Volks- 

 heilmittel. — Therapeutisch-pharmaceut. Mit- 

 theilungen. — A. A Micbaelis. Leipzig-Reud- 

 nitz : R. Michaelis. 



Materia Medica, Pharmacy, Pharmacology 

 and Therapeutics, by W. Hale White, M. D., 

 F. R. C. P. Edited by Reynold W. Wilcox, 

 M. A., M. D., LL.D. Second American edi- 

 tion, thoroughly revised. Pp 66[. P. Blakis- 

 ton Son & Company, Philadelphia. 



We have now for the fiist time a genuine text- 

 book of materia medica, written with an express 

 view to the requirements of pharmacy students. 

 It is true that we have had many text-books of 

 materia medica, so called, but they are all either 

 works on therapeutics, adapted solely or espe- 



cially for medical students, or works treating 

 almost wholly of pharmacognosy. The best of 

 the latter, that of the late Prof. Maisch, is marred 

 rather than improved by the therapeutics which 

 it contains. Pharmacy students require, or are 

 restricted to but a small amount of therapeutics, 

 but that little should be rather the better be- 

 cause of its small amount. The attempt to 

 combine what may be called the rational part 

 of materia medica with pharmacognosy in the 

 same textbook, or in the same teaching coux-se, 

 is rendered very difiicult by the nature of the 

 case. The attempt to adapt a single book treat- 

 ing of the former portion of our subject to the 

 needs of both medic.il and pharmaceutical stu- 

 dents is scarcely less difficult, but Dr. Wilcox 

 has attained a result in this direction quite re- 

 markable in view of the small size of his book. 



As this work has now been adopted as one of 

 the required text-books of our college, it seems 

 desirable to present in The Alumni Journai, 

 an analysis of it, pointing out at the same time 

 its field of usefulness to the student. 



The essentials of knowledge by pharmacy 

 students of the subject of materia medica, ex- 

 clusive of pharmacognosy, may be considered 

 as follows ; 



1. A definite and full knowledge of Latin and 

 English titles and of all synonyms in actual 

 use. 



2. The official definition, as fixing the origin 

 and identity of the article, and also in many 

 special cases information on this subject addi- 

 tional to that contained in the definition. 



3. The geographical source or sources of sup- 

 ply, with frequently special information relat- 

 ing thereto. Not essential, but of considerable 

 importance in this connection, is a general 

 knowledge of the nature of the plaut and of the 

 mode of collection and preparation of the drug. 



4. The constituents which are important in 

 their relation to (a) the medicinal properties and 

 (b) requisite processes of manufacture and dis- 

 pensing. 



5. The general therapeutics, and in some 

 cases special knowledge in this direction, in 

 which we may include general toxicology. 



6. The employment of the article in medicine, 

 which unfortunately has often too little to do 

 with its real medicinal properties, and has, 

 therefore, to be considered separately there- 

 from. 



7. A thorough knowledge of posology. 



Dr. Wilcox's book appears to meet the most 

 of these requirements in a very satisfactory 

 manner. 



