216 



SCIENCE 



[N. 8. Vol. XXXIV. No. 



The scope of the work may be appreciated 

 from the chapter headings, which include a 

 discussion of the Darwinian theory, the na- 

 ture of the evidence, the fossil record, the 

 problem and the evidence in regard to seed 

 plants, evolution of ferns, club-mosses, horse- 

 tails and sphenophylls. There is a handy 

 glossary for the non-botanical reader, and a 

 brief bibliography. 



We may close this brief notice by quoting 

 a paragraph from the author's " conclusions " 

 (p. 29) : 



The first and most obvious result of our in- 

 quiries is to prove the enormous antiquity of 

 highly-organized plants. If a botanist were set 

 to examine, without prejudice, the structure of 

 those Devonian plants which have come down to us 

 in a fit state for such investigation, it would prob- 

 ably never occur to him that they were any 

 simpler than plants 'of the present day; he would 

 find them different in many ways, but about on 

 the same general level of organization. Within 

 the period from the Devonian age to our own time 

 organization is not shown to have "largely ad- 

 vanced, ' ' though there have been many changes. 

 It is not contended that there has been no ad- 

 vance; the special adaptations of the Flowering 

 Plants to Insect life and in other ways show 

 progress in many directions, corresponding to in- 

 creased complexity in the conditions of life. It 

 must be borne in mind, however, that we know 

 very little as yet about such special adaptations 

 among plants of earlier periods. 



A NEW TEXT-BOOK OF BOTANY 



ISTiNE years ago Professor Dr. Henry 

 Kraemer brought out the first edition of a 

 book under the title of " A Text-book of Bot- 

 any and Pharmacognosy " which the present 

 reviewer was glad to commend as an effort to 

 secure a better botanical foundation for stu- 

 dents of pharmacy. Since then two editions 

 have appeared (190Y, 1908) and now we have 

 a fourth edition (Lippincott, 1910) much en- 

 larged and improved. The plan of the work 

 remains practically the same as in the earlier 

 editions. Part I. is devoted to botany and in- 

 cludes chapters on the firincipal groups of 

 plants, the outer morphology of angiosperms, 

 the inner morphology of the higher plants. 



classification of angiosperms yielding vege- 

 table drugs, and cultivation of medicinal 

 plants. In looking over this portion of the 

 book, which covers more than 400 pages, the 

 botanist is struck with the fact that at last 

 the medical men of America have awakened 

 to the fact that the botanical foundation 

 for their students must be broad and solid. 

 The treatment in this portion of the book 

 is so entirely different from that which has 

 too often been given to medical students 

 that there is no similarity whatever. It is 

 very good indeed and the author is to be con- 

 gratulated upon his interpretation of the 

 methods of the modern study of pharmacy. 



Part II., covering about 300 pages, is de- 

 voted to pharmacognosy and includes two 

 chapters, the first and longest being devoted 

 to crude drugs and the second to powdered 

 drugs and foods. The remaining parts, which 

 include about 50 pages, are devoted to reagents 

 and technique and micro-analysis. 



The author has a keen sense of the need of 

 the particular treatment which he has given 

 the subject, as is shown by his statement that 

 " while there are some teachers who naturally 

 prefer their students to have an independent 

 course in botany before taking up pharma- 

 cognosy, the treatment of this subject in this 

 books is such as to be directly applicable to 

 pharmaceutical work, and will be found use- 

 ful to the student of pharmacy in the college 

 course, as well as of assistance to the pharma- 

 cist and analyst who engages in practical 

 pharmacognostical work." "With this state- 

 ment the present reviewer most heartily 

 agrees. In fact, he has looked over these 

 earlier chapters and has wondered whether 

 the purely botanical portion would not be a 

 most excellent text-book in botanical labora- 

 tories. Certainly in this day when we are 

 trying to relate our sciences more and more 

 to their applications, the treatment here is 

 most suggestive and commendable. 



Dr. Kraemer has introduced an interesting 

 feature in his study of drugs in suggesting 

 simple methods by which the crystalline ex- 

 tracts may be obtained by the student. This, 

 no doubt, will add very greatly to the interest 



