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rendered very difficult. This difficulty is exaggerated since 
the position of any given name in the bibliography 
quoted in the text is not determined alphabetically, but 
by the date of the corresponding paper. This chrono- 
logical arrangement of the bibliographies may possibly 
render them more valuable as entities, but certainly 
renders them more unwieldy for the purpose of their 
true function, viz. their reference to the text. 
The volume is exceedingly well printed and provided 
amply with illustrations, often of preparations made by 
the authors, the execution of which leaves little to be 
desired. The book will certainly rank as a standard 
work of reference, and if the high efficiency of the 
present volume be maintained by its successors will 
certainly be accorded an emphatic welcome by all 
pathologists. The authors and the publishers are dis- 
tinctly to be congratulated upon what can only be the 
result of labour at once skilful and unremitting. 
The second work under notice is a posthumous one. 
As all interested in pharmacy in France know, M. Beau- 
regard died some months before the publication of his 
“Matiére médicale zoologique.” Up to the very last, 
however, he took the keenest interest in it, and it is 
pathetic to note from the introduction that the proof 
sheets were corrected by the author upon the sick bed 
from which he was never to rise. The author is well 
known for his researches upon pharmaceutical subjects ; 
these have, further, been in large measure directed to 
products of animal origin. Especially should his work 
upon the animal vesicants and upon the animal perfumes 
find mention here. 
The volume which is the object of this review is a 
compendious book of reference upon all substances used, 
not only in pharmacy, but also in perfumery, which owe 
their origin to the animal kingdom. It must be at once 
observed that the information in the book is for the most 
part zoological, and that the chemistry of the products 
in question is not entered into at all fully. In many 
instances there is little to be said from the chemical side, 
but it is well to remark that from the chemical standpoint 
the book cannot be considered as comprising all that is 
known. Cod liver oil and musk are to some extent 
exceptions. Under cod liver oil the author gives an 
account of Gautier’s work on the alkaloids contained in 
this substance, but no mention is made of Hegerdahl’s 
researches on the chemical composition of the fatty con- 
stituents of the oil. Under musk an interesting para- 
graph is added upon artificial musks ; nine synthetic 
substances, mostly butyltoluene derivatives, are men- 
tioned which approach more or less closely to musk in 
smell. These substances, however, all differ from the 
natural musk (the preputial secretion from a variety of 
reindeer) in being less lasting. The extraordinary way 
in which musk keeps its smell renders this substance 
very valuable. The trade in this commodity is con- 
siderable, and in France is certainly increasing ; In 1895, 
686 catties (604 grammes) were imported into France 
and 465 into London. At the present time musk fetches 
about 1oo/. a kilogramme. 
Amongst other substances which are treated very 
exhaustively from the zoological side may be mentioned 
spermaceti, the crystalline fat derived from the head of 
the sperm whale, and the rare substance ambergris. 
NO. I711, VOL. 66] 
NATURE 
[AuGcusT 14, 1902 
The literature of ambergris is very small, and M. 
Beauregard has certainly added very considerably to it. 
It appears that this interesting substance is an intestinal 
concretion occurring in certain whales. Ambergris is 
not employed in medicine, but is very much prized in 
perfumery on account of the property it possesses, 
although itself odourless, of reinforcing the scent of 
other substances. The chief market for ambergris is 
apparently at Boston, and some idea of its value may be 
formed from the fact that it sometimes fetches as much as 
280/. the kilogramme. 
The vesicant insects, Cantharis vesicatoria and its 
immediate allies, are, as was to be expected, treated very 
fully. The book concludes with a chapter devoted to the 
sponges. 
From the above somewhat disjointed review it will be 
seen that M. Beauregard has for his last work produced 
a valuable addition to the literature of a subject con- 
cerning which not much has been written. We are 
afraid the limited number of readers to which the book 
will appeal will render the sale of it relatively small ; be 
this as it may, the gratitude of those interested in the 
subject is due to the author for having collected in a 
most readable volume the scattered work of many 
observers, among which must be mentioned his own. 
The German custom of celebrating the birthdays of 
professors by publishing a collection of papers by their 
collaborators and pupils has many advantages. The 
collection of monographs published to celebrate the 
sixtieth birthday of Prof. Max Jaffé by his former 
collaborators and pupils, although not quite so com- 
pendious as many of its forerunners, nevertheless con- 
tains an interesting collection of papers. The subject- 
matter may roughly be divided into three parts. The 
first series of papers is chiefly devoted to clinical 
medicine, and is written, for the most part, by old 
collaborators of Prof. Jaffé who have become famous as 
clinicians. Amongst these may be mentioned Prof. 
Leyden, who contributes an article upon the therapeutics 
of oxygen, and Prof. Nothnagel, from whose pen comes 
a most useful essay upon intestinal hemorrhage. 
The second series of papers, the shortest in the book, 
comprises three essays upon pathological, morbid ana- 
tomical and embryological subjects. 
The third part of the book, occupying more than half 
its entire bulk, is essentially experimental. The first 
essay seems to be an entirely chemical one. Dr. 
Salkowski contributes an article upon the chemical 
composition of hydrocephalus fluid; he draws attention 
to the fact that the fluid is different in acute and chronic 
cases in so far as concerns its content of potash salts. He 
regards the excess in potash salts of acute hydrocephalus 
fluid as due to the fever which accompanies the acute 
variety. Normal urine contains, according to this author, 
only 21 per cent. of the sum of potash and soda salts as 
potash salts, whereas in fever urine 87 per cent. of this 
sum consists of potash salts. 
An interesting piece of work by Dr. Rudolf Cohn, on the 
glycocol-store of the organism, comes from the Laboratory 
of Experimental Pharmacology and Medical Chemistry 
at Kénigsberg. It is a contribution to the study of inter- 
mediate tissue change. The work consists essentially 
of a repetition, by other methods, of that of Hugo 
