PREFACE. 



vii 



scopiG structure are tedious and uninteresting, and however carefully 

 drawn up, must often fail to convey the true meaning which would be 

 pasily made evident by the pencil. The reader who wishes for illustra- 

 tions of the minute structure of drugs may consult the works named in 

 the foot-note.^ 



The next division includes the important subject of Chemical Com- 

 position, in which the authors have striven to point out to the reader 

 familiar with chemistry what are the constituents of greatest interest 

 in each particular drug — what the characters of the less common of 

 those constituents — and by whom and at what date the chief investi- 

 gations have been made. A knowledge of the name and date provides 

 a clue to the original memoir, which may usually be found, either in 

 extenso or in abstract, in more than one periodical. It has been no 

 part of the authors' plan to supersede reference to standard works on 

 chemistry, or to describe the chemical character of substances^ which 

 may be easily ascertained from those sources of information which 

 should be within the reach of every pharmaceutical inquirer. 



In the section devoted to Production and Commerce, the authors 

 have given such statistics and other trade information as they could 

 obtain frouj reliable sources ; but they regret that this section is of 

 very unequal value. Duties have been abolished, and a general and 

 continuous simplification of tariffs and trade regulations has ensued. 

 The details, therefore^ that used to be observed regarding the com- 

 merce in drugs, exists no longer in anything like their former state of 

 completeness : hence the fragmentary nature of much of the informa- 

 tion recorded under this head. 



The medicinal uses of each particular drug are only slightly men- 

 tioned, it being felt that the science of therapeutics lies within the 

 province of the physician, and may be wisely relinquished to his care. 

 At the same time it may be remarked that the authors would have 

 rejoiced had they been able to give more definite information as to 

 the technical or economic uses of some of the substances they have 

 described. 



^ Berg, Anatomischer Atlas zur pharmazeutlschen Waarenkumle^ Berlin. 1865. 4to., 

 with 50 plates. 



Fluckiger, Gnuidlaytuder pharmnceiitlschen Waarenhmfe, Elnhitnng in das Studium 

 der Pharmacognosies Berlin, 1873, 



Planclion, Traite pratique, de la ditermmation des drogues simpler d'origine v^jdiahy 

 Paris, 1874. 



Luerasen, Medlcinisch-Pharmaceuiische Botanik, Leipzig (in progress). 



s 



For further iiiforiBation, see Fluckiger, Pharmaceutlsche Chenik, Berlin, 1S79. 



