THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



21 



We will now turn our attention to 

 classification according to specific top- 

 ics or the covering of one of the de- 

 tails. Drugs of vegetable origin may- 

 be classified according to the botanical 

 family in which the plant yielding the 

 drug is placed. This classification by 

 families in many cases will give val- 

 uable information as to the constitu- 

 ents and action for in quite a few in- 

 stances drugs in the same family have 

 similar constituents and actions. An- 

 other method of classification is by 

 habitats, although this is not of as great 

 importance as other classifications. In 

 the medical course the therapeutic 

 classification is almost entirely em- 

 ployed, because the object in view is 

 the intelligent application of drugs in 

 the treatment of disease. This, of 

 course, is not the particular object in 

 view in the study of materia medica in 

 the pharmacy school, but nevertheless 

 it is important enough for our pur- 

 poses to warrant a classification ac- 

 cording to therapeutic uses or accord- 

 ing to action. 



The various topics most worthy of 

 classification are as follows: 



1. As to botanical families. 



2. As to habitats. 



3. As to actions. 



4. As to therapeutic uses. 



5. Standardized drugs. 

 5. As to synonyms. 



7. As to constituents. 

 By many students the terms action 

 and therapeutic use are thought to be 

 synonymous. This, of course, is not 

 the case, although the therapeutic use 

 is dependent upon the action of the 

 drug and it might be well to differen- 

 tiate between the terms and illustrate 

 with a typical example. Selecting the 



drug ergot for purpose of illustration, 

 we find that this drug acts upon the 

 involuntary muscular tissues causing 

 contraction of these; therefore ergot in 

 point of action is a stimulant or con- 

 strictor of the unstriped muscle fibers. 

 This action of ergot is the cause of the 

 therapeutic effects, as we note ergot is 

 employed as a vaso-constrictor and 

 ecbolic, both of which uses are due to 

 the constriction of the unstriped mus- 

 cular tissue. Action corresponds to 

 cause and therapeutic use corresponds 

 to effects of this cause. 



Besides making separate lists or 

 classifications, we may prepare a com- 

 plete synopsis combining the individual 

 items of information so that we may 

 have a complete resume, omitting su- 

 perfluous words and combining the 

 most material in the least space. Cul- 

 breth's volume on Materia Medica, the 

 reference book recommended in this 

 school, presents an excellent outline 

 form for the vegetable drugs of the ma- 

 teria medica. Any student may con- 

 struct his own outline in much less 

 time than is usually employed in re- 

 copying his lecture-notes and will ob- 

 tain all the advantages claimed for the 

 recopying method, together with the 

 great advantage of having the princi- 

 ples set forth in distinct form and not 

 hidden amid unnecessary words. I ap- 

 pend a blank form of outline especially 

 adapted to our needs so that my ex- 

 planation may be clearly understood. 



Off. 

 Title 



Family 



Habitat ConstUuent 



Uses 



Prepara- 

 tions 

 and Doses 



I know that it is usual practice 

 among our students to recopy their 



