372 
REVIEWS. 
Such a recognized guide would be likely to be advantageous to the practitioners of the 
veterinary art. If the present volume does not claim this position by right, doubtless 
it will ultimately attain it by the general consent of the profession. Whether or not it 
contains the best possible formulae for the medicines commonly used, or likely to be re¬ 
quired, we are not competent to judge, but in general design and arrangement it is all 
that can be desired for such a purpose. 
We shall convey the best idea of the book by saying that it closely resembles the 
British Pharmacopoeia; indeed, a large proportion of the matter is taken from that 
source. The contents are arranged in the same manner, the substances occurring in the 
alphabetical order of their Latin names. To each article the English synonym is 
given, together with the composition, mode of preparation, characters, and tests. After 
every substance is a list of the preparations in which it occurs. These lists, however, are 
not very carefully compiled. Thus, after Ferrum, no mention is made of Pilula 
Hydrargyri et Ferri, which is the only pill in the book; while, under the head Hydrar¬ 
gyrum, we find “ Pilula Hydrargyri Subchloridi et Ferri,” yet the pill-mass is made with 
metallic mercury, and not calomel. Again, under Opium is named Tinct. Opii iEtherea, 
but no form for such tincture is given. In the case of articles which also occur in the 
British Pharmacopoeia, the descriptions or processes are copied almost literally from that 
work. This renders much of the matter familiar to the pharmaceutical reader; never¬ 
theless, considerable differences are necessarily observable. The reduced number of pre¬ 
parations is very notable. There are only six infusions, five extracts, two syrups, one 
plaster, and one decoction ; but the list of lotions, liniments, liquors, tinctures, and oint¬ 
ments is a goodly one. Many of these are special formulse, and will probably be of 
practical use to our readers. Only one pill is included, but the number of masses is 
comprehensive. The medicinal actions and uses of the substances, with the doses and 
modes of application, are fully given, and will prove a valuable feature. The weights 
and measures used are those of the British Pharmacopoeia, but the drachm is frequently 
mentioned throughout the work. Unfortunately this weight is no even part of an 
ounce, and does not correspond in any way with the drachm by measure, although many 
persons who use it believe to the contrary. In a few cases we find that parts are or¬ 
dered in the place of definite quantities. Thus, Spiritus Camphorse is to be made with 
one part of camphor and four parts of spirit; consequently, the liquid must be weighed, 
■which will certainly be inconvenient. 
In the treatment of the materia medica, a great deal of explanation has been intro¬ 
duced, more especially in the chemical portion. The new notation is exclusively em¬ 
ployed throughout the work. The formulae of compounds are given wherever it is pos¬ 
sible, and the decompositions which occur in all the processes are generally well described, 
and represented by equations. The modus operandi of the chemical tests is also suc¬ 
cinctly and clearly stated. This will render the book a valuable manual to veterinary 
students. 
The author would have done well, however, to have bestowed more pains on the cor¬ 
rection of the proof sheets. By this means several errors might have been excluded, 
which will tend to embarrass the tyro. Thus, the decompositions occurring in iodide and 
sulphate of copper are not correctly given, and a typographical error under white preci¬ 
pitate will render the equation confusing to the student. 
In a few instances, also, there is an attempt to make things easy at the expense of 
accuracy, which ought to be deprecated. Thus in the preparation of Ferri Carbonas 
Saccharata, the decomposition occurring between sulphate of iron and carbonate of am¬ 
monia is represented as 
Fe 4 S 0 4 + (N H 4 ) 2 C 0 3 =Fe C O s +(N H 4 ) 2 S 0 4 . 
Now this is not strictly true, and does not account for a phenomenon which the student 
may observe in performing the process,—namely, the escape of carbonic acid gas. More¬ 
over, if the pupil turns to the article Ammoniae Carbonas, he will find the composition 
of carbonate of ammonia given as 2 NH 4 HC0 3 + NH 4 NH 2 C 0 2 , which is quite 
irreconcilable with the formula in the above equation. A teacher has no right to save 
himself the trouble of a more difficult explanation by substituting the formula of one 
body for that of another. We cannot specially blame Mr. Tuson in this matter, however, 
for other writers have followed a similar course. 
On the whole, we congratulate Mr. Tuson upon the success of his work, for we hon- 
