1865.] X23 [Wood. 



suspended his chemical studies upon entering the army, and not to 

 have resumed them until after his return to Philadelphia, in 1816. 

 But he must then have recommenced them with great ardor; for 

 near the close of 1819, appeared his "System of Chemistry for the 

 Use of Students of Medicine," an elementary treatise in one octavo 

 volume of somewhat more than six hundred pages. This work was 

 based upon Dr. Thon)pson's treatise, but contains much material in- 

 dustriously gathered from other sources, and, in its arrangement and 

 execution, evinces so many of the characteristic traits of the author 

 as fully to justify its claims to originality. Method, precision, accu- 

 racy, and simplicity, are its prominent features; and though, with 

 the very great modification and vast expansion which chemistry has 

 undergone since it made its appearance, the book, without very ma- 

 terial changes, would not meet the present wants of the student, it 

 was, nevertheless, when published, a good epitome of the science; 

 and had it been favored by the influence of a great name, or high 

 official position, might have been extensively used, and run through 

 numerous editions. As it was, the sale of the book was not such as 

 to make a reprint expedient; and at a later period of life, when the 

 reputation won by Dr. Bache would have insured success, he could 

 never be induced to put forth either a new work on chemistry, or 

 the old one in a modified form. 



His pen, however, was not idle. In 1821, in conjunction with 

 Dr. Hare, he edited the first American edition of lire's Dictionary of 

 Chemistry; in 1823, prepared a supplementary volume to Henry's 

 Chemistry, republished by Robert Desilver; in 1825, edited anony- 

 mously "A System of Pyrotechny," written by Dr. James Cutbush, 

 of the United States Army, who died just as he had completed the 

 manuscript; and in 18o0, contributed to the "Philadelphia Journal 

 of Health" an article on purifying and disinfecting agents, and 

 edited the third edition of Turner's Chemistry. The last-mentioned 

 work was an excellent elementary treatise, and exceedingly popular 

 in the United States as long as the author lived. Dr. Bache edited 

 four successive American editions; and there can be no doubt that 

 he contributed much to its general acceptance in this country, by his 

 most careful and conscientious revisions. It is not improbable that 

 his esteem for Dr. Turnei-'s work united with the repressive influence 

 upon American authorship of the want of an international copyright 

 law, to deter him from a renewed attempt to supply the public wants 

 with a text-book of his own. 



