404 
Notices of Books. 
[J ul y» 
as far as we are aware, proves mortal, not merely to children and 
debilitated persons, but to about 20 per cent of the sufferers. 
Nor, in presence of the fadts recorded by Dr. Coues, can we 
pronounce the skunk, “ when unmolested, perfectly harmless.” 
Passing from facffs to matters of opinion, we must protest 
against the exaggerated view taken by the author of the interval 
between man and the anthropoid apes. Not satisfied with giving 
to the former, as did Cuvier, the rank of a separate order, Dr. 
Nicholson even questions whether the human species “ should 
not have the value of a distincff sub-kingdom, whilst there can 
be little hesitation in giving Man, at any rate, a class to himself.” 
As a deficiency, we may point out that the information given 
concerning the sense-organs of the vertebrate animals is some- 
what meagre. 
But passing over what to us, at least, appear as shortcomings, 
we hold that it would be difficult indeed to find a work which 
gives, in so brief a compass, so luminous and philosophical a 
view of the whole animal kingdom. To any earnest student 
entering upon the science of Biology the “ General Introduction ’ ’ 
alone must be a boon of the highest order. 
A Key to Organic Materia Medica, &c. By Dr. John Muter, 
M.A., F.C.S., Director of the South London School of 
Pharmacy. Second Edition. London : Simpkin and Mar- 
shall. 1878. 
The book before us is another proof that the training of phar- 
macists is becoming daily more thoroughly scientific. The first 
edition of this work appeared about four years ago, and was in- 
tended principally as a guide for the students frequenting Dr. 
Muter’s School of Pharmacy, at Kennington Cross. The 
present issue, however, has been so enlarged and improved that 
it has become available for study to all classes of pharmaceutical 
students, whether under Dr. Muter’s tuition or not. The pro- 
duces described are given in their botanical and zoological order, 
beginning with Aconite and ending with Castoreum ; the source, 
method of gathering, description, uses, chemistry, and phar- 
macology of each being described in succincff but sufficiently 
detailed terms. Dr. Muter is evidently alive to the fact that 
most pharmaceutical students of necessity consume large quan- 
tities of midnight oil, for his book is printed in large clear type. 
In the Appendix is given an account of Dr. Muter’s method of 
mounting, observing, measuring, and classifying the starches, 
which will be found equally useful to the vegetable physiologist 
and the pharmacist. The Index is a model of its kind, and is 
due to the pen of Mr. Joseph Ince, who deserves for it a vote of 
thanks from the Index Society. 
