46 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL, 



appears to us a failure in its practical workings, 

 owing to indefinite characterization, by refer- 

 ence to taste only of the headings. If a drug 

 is both bitter and aromatic, we have to look for 

 it both in Class I. and Class III. A bifurcating 

 key is here required, or better, we might take 

 a combination of characters for each heading. 

 On the whole, this key, while elaborate and 

 very full, and subject to great improvement by 

 a few trifling changes, we must regard as in- 

 ferior to that of Maisch's text-book. Prof. 

 Sayre very sensibly omits all attempt to classi- 

 fy volatile oils, except by indicating their 

 sources. 



The arrangement of the matter of the second 

 part is, first, a brief description of the ordinal 

 characters, followed by a list of the drugs be- 

 longing to that order, those official in heavy- 

 faced capitals ; then the drugs are taken up 

 separately, the official names and synonyms in 

 the important languages presented, the defini- 

 tion, botanical characteristics, sources, related, 

 and similar articles, description of drugs, with 

 the more important characters printed in heav- 

 ier type, accompanied generally by a picture of 

 the plant and of the drug, gross and structural, 

 important constituents, actions and uses, and a 

 synopsis of the official preparations. The doses 

 of the drugs are given, but not of the prepara- 

 tions, though the strengths of the latter are 

 stated. An unfortunate feature, as in Part I., 

 is the illustrations. They are not at all uni- 

 form in effect. While the method followed has 

 given exceptionally good results in some cases, 

 yet in many others they are very unsatisfactory, 

 and this is more particularly true from a 

 scientific than from an artistic point of view. 



Valuable a contribution as is Part II., there 

 is an evident unfamiliarity with, or disregard 

 of, the commercial aspects of drugs. For in- 

 stance, the important distinctions between 

 Cassia vera and C. lignea, and the subject of 

 Batavian Cassia, a correct understanding of 

 which is a great aid in the economy of the drug 

 store, are entirely omitted. The distinctions 

 between Goto and Paracoto are not clear, and 

 in the facts concerning commercial occurrence 

 are reversed. Mace is not, as described, a 

 "membrane," neither does it "invest the 

 kernel." Moreover, nothing is said about 

 Wild Mace, now so extensively used as an adul- 

 terant that it is possible that it constitutes the 

 larger part of commercial Mace. "Reddish 

 brown" boldo leaves are old and worth- 

 less. The description of Piper longum is 

 only partly true, according to the variety under 



consideration, and the individual parts are not 

 "berries." The part rubbed off from Piper 

 album is not correctly described as an " epider- 

 mis." The important characteristics distin- 

 guishing true from false cubebs is not given. 



Appendix "A" is a valuable contribution on 

 the subject of insects injurious to drugs. 



Appendix "B" is no less important, it being 

 an account of the contributions of organic 

 chemistry to materia medica. 



Appendix "C" treats of "Pharmacal Micro- 

 scopy" in such a fragmentary and superficial 

 way that it will scarcely be found of service to 



any one in these days. 



H. H. Rusby. 



Pharmacy. 



Einfuhrung in die Maassanalyse. — M. Vogt- 

 herr. Fur junge Pharmaceuten zum Unterricht 

 und zum Selbststudium. Uuter Beriicksichtig- 

 ung des Arzneibuches fur das deutsche Reich 

 und der Erganzung desselben durch die stan- 

 dige Commission fiir die Bearbeitung dieses 

 Arzneibuches. 2. Aufl. Newied: Heuser's 

 Verlag. 



Pharmaceutist Haandboog for /S95.— E. P. 

 F.Peterson. Kjobenhaven: F Host & Sons. 



Photo-Micrography, 



See also Bacteriology. 



Photo-Micrography — H. van Heurick. Eng. 

 Ed. Re-edited and augmented by the author 

 from the 4th French edition and translated by 

 Wynne E. Baxter. With Illus. London: Crosby, 

 Lockwood & Son. 



Photography. 



Deutsches Photographen Kalender. — K. 

 Schwier. Taschenbuch und Almanach fiir 

 1895. 14. Jahr Weimar. 



Physics. 



Manual of Physico — Chemical Measurement is- 

 — W. Ostwald. Translated by James Walker. 

 London and New York: Macmillan. 



A Laboratory Manual of Physics and Applied 

 Electricty. — E. L. Nichols. 2 vols. London 

 and New York: Macmillan. 



Anfangsgrilnde der Physik mil Einschluss 

 der chemie und Mathematischen Geographic — 

 K. Koppe. 20. Aufl. Ausgabe B in 2 Lehrgau. 

 gen. Fiir hohere Lehranstalten nach den 

 preuss. Lehrplanen von 1892. Bearbeitet von 

 A. Husmann. II. Th,: Hauptlehrgang. Essen: 

 G. D. Baedeker. 



Elementi di Fisica ad Uso delle Scuole secon- 

 darie. — F. Cintolesi. Livorno. 



