THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 187 



(2) By individual efFort— writing to Members of Congress and Senators, 

 stating the facts and asking for favorable action, and by showing the public 

 the superiority of the new system over the old. Enlightened senti- 

 ment IN THIS COUNTRY IS OVERWHELMINGLY IN FAVOR OF THE ADOP- 

 TION AND USE OF THIS SYSTEM, not Only among scholars and scientists, 

 but among tradespeople and manufacturers, but it is safe to say that a ma- 

 jority of our congressmen do not know this fact and will not realize it till 

 organized societies and individuals make it a part of their duty to force 

 Congress to remember the Metric System. Uncle Sam has fallen 

 asleep over his weights and measures, while his neighbors are stealing a 

 march on him. 



Fatal Poisoning by Oil of Wintergreen. 



Dr. B. Pillsbury reports, in the Medical Record (Dr. Cir.), a case of fatal 

 poisoning by oil of wintergreen. A man of middle age took by mistake 

 for whisky two ounces of the oil. His daughter gave him mustard as an 

 emetic, the whites of a dozen raw eggs, milk and very little water. The 

 patient resided in the country ; it was nearly five hours after the taking 

 of the oil when he was first seen by the physician. He was then perspir- 

 ing profusely, complained of feeling "on fire" inside and the skin was 

 very hot. The diarrhoea continued, and in forty-one hours after the oil 

 of wintergreen had been taken death occurred from exhaustion. — Pharm. 

 Era. 



♦ ♦>♦ 



Book Review. 



Plant Structures. A Second Book of Botany. By John M. Coulter, 



A.M., Ph.D., Head of Department of Botany, University of Chicago. 



D. Appleton and Company. 1900. 



This second volume in botany of the Twentieth Century Text- Books 

 by Professor Coulter forms a companion to his " Plant Relations." The 

 author has presented, in a singularly felicitous manner, the general struc- 

 tures in the plant world. Starting with the algse, the successive groups 

 of plants are described in terms of physiology and structure. Many 

 of the dry-as-dust details are eliminated, yet much technical knowledge 

 remains. As in the former work, the illustrative features predominate. 

 After describing the different groups of plants, the morphology of the 

 higher gymnosperms is presented, briefly, and chapters on plant physi- 

 ology and ecology added. 



The work makes a worthy addition to the large number of the newer 

 text-books— authentic and terse, well illustrated and well gotten up by 

 the publisher. J- 



