March 1, 1873.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
G97 
astonished at nine to hear that the child was dead, for 
there was nothing the matter with him to cause death. 
At the conclusion of the examination the prisoner was 
committed on a charge of wilful murder in each case. 
In answer to the usual question as to whether she had 
anything to say, prisoner replied in the negative. During 
the hearing of the case the prisoner complained that the 
person to whom she had intrusted her defence was not 
fulfilling his duty. The Bench assured her that she 
would he provided with an able counsel. Her case comes 
on at the assizes. During the proceedings prisoner has 
not shown much anxiety, and she has only put one ques¬ 
tion—a question of time—through the whole exami¬ 
nation. 
Ic'oitfo. 
The Owens College Junior Course oe Practical 
Chemistry. By Henry E. Roscoe, B.A., F.R.S., 
Professor of Chemistry in Owens College, Manchester, 
and Francis Jones, Chemical Master in the Grammar 
School, Manchester. Macmillan and Co. 1872. 
This little book of 171 pages is evidently intended to 
he used along with Professor Roscoe’s popular ‘ Lessons 
in Elementary Chemistry.’ It is indeed a partial em¬ 
bodiment of such experiments as would fitly illustrate 
the course of reading given in the larger volume. 
The first forty pages (Part I.) contain directions for 
the preparation of the gases, and their chief compounds, of 
iodine, bromine, and caustic soda. The apparatus to be 
employed and the mode of fitting them up are described 
with a minuteness and clearness which will recommend 
themselves to teacher and pupil alike; and that nothing 
may be wanting to give a clear conception of the mean¬ 
ing of the author, the description is occasionally illus¬ 
trated by the judicious insertion of a well-executed wood- 
cut. Every chemical change in this part of the book is 
represented by an equation, the value of which to the 
young student is augmented by the addition of a second 
equation showing what are the reacting proportions by 
weight, thus— 
2P + 0 5 = P 2 0 5 
62 -1- 80 - 142. 
This is one step in the right direction: another (in 
respect of gases) would be the introduction of a third 
equation, pointing out the reacting volumes. These double 
(and triple) equations will doubtless be more extensively 
employed both in text-books and in class-teaching than 
they have been hitherto. They may be introduced to 
the young student as soon as he has been told that the 
different forms of matter unite in definite proportions to 
form chemical compounds, and they should be held before 
him until his mind is so saturated with facts illustrative 
of this, that they may rapidly crystallize into those 
general expressions which are the primary forms ena¬ 
bling us to classify and explain the multifarious and some¬ 
times apparently contradictory aspects presented to us 
by experiment ; expressions which are only too fre¬ 
quently the uncertain result of a slow process of painful 
elaboration. 
We presume that the equations employed in the ‘Junior 
Course ’ are intended to be nothing more than short re¬ 
presentations of chemical changes, without any reference 
to theoretical considerations. But even supposing this 
to be so, we venture to think that greater uniformity 
in the representations would make the book more valu¬ 
able to the young people for whom it is intended ; who, 
are only too apt to see difficulties where there are none, 
especially the "more painstaking among them. For 
example on page 6 we find— 
II 2 + 0 = H 2 0 
.and on page 11— 2H + 0 = H 2 0 ; 
a difference which is sure to be puzzling to a student 
who is anxious to apply his knowledge of molecules, 
and of the functions of figures according as they precede or 
follow the symbol of an element in the free state. The 
equation previously quoted would be a still greater 
puzzle. We trust to see these defects remedied in the 
next edition. 
The rest of the book is devoted to qualitative analysis. 
In fourteen pages which treat of the blowpipe is found 
an exceedingly good introduction to the employment of 
this useful but somewhat neglected instrument. How 
to use the blowpipe is clearly indicated ; and no intelli¬ 
gent boy can fail to obtain the different blowpipe flames 
and to understand their properties, and the properties of 
the different parts of the Bunsen flame, after carefully 
reading the two or three pages in which they are de¬ 
scribed, and following the plain directions given therein. 
If we mistake not, this will be the most popular part of 
the book with those who use it, and the author has done 
well to give it such prominence. Then come tables of 
directions for the Preliminary examination of single 
salts, soluble or insoluble, followed by the reactions of 
the commoner metals grouped in the ordinary way ac¬ 
cording to their analytical relations, and by schemes for 
the separation of the metals. As far as possible the acids 
are grouped similarly. Notice of the organic acids is 
restricted to eight, two or three of which we should 
have thought of minor importance as compared with 
others that are omitted. 
The least satisfactory part of the book is that which 
gives tests for organic alkaloids and certain other organic 
bodies,—the list of bodies might be, and we think should 
be, extended. 
On the whole we congratulate Mr. Jones on his work, 
and think it so good that we could well wish there were 
more of it. We hope, however, not to be told in a subse¬ 
quent edition as we are in this, that “ certain metals 
such as zinc yield hydrogen gas when they are acted on 
by acids.” 
Professor Roscoe’s three injunctions (given in the pre¬ 
face) should be taken to heart by every young chemist. 
1. Be sure you understand the theoretical explana¬ 
tion, as well as the practical part of the experiment. 
2. Keep careful notes of each day’s laboratory work. 
3. Learn to work neatly. 
Holes aitii Queries. 
[329.]—LIQ. AMMONIAT. VALERIANS. —‘H* 
D. W.’ speaks from personal knowledge of Mr. B.’s pre¬ 
paration, and had some difficulty about dose. “ L. 
writes to say, that the following formula for such a pre¬ 
paration is given at page 637, in M. Ferrand’s ‘Aide 
Memoire,’ 
“valerianate d’ammoniaque (Pierlot): 
Pr. Eau dist., .. 
Ac. Valerianique.6 
Carbonate d’Amm. q.s. 
Jusqu’a saturation ; ajoutez, 
Extrait de Valeriane.2 
F. dissoudre, filtrez.—6 a 30 gouttes ct plus en 
potion,” etc. 
M. Ferrand previously states :—“-il cst necessairo 
d’employer du carbonate provenant de I’urine, plutot que 
de la fabrication du gaz.”—L. 
If the prescription in which liq. ammon. valerianai 
appeared hailed from Southsea, it would, I believe, be a 
solution of the salt in aq., strength about 3 grains in 
each dose. I remember meeting with precisely the 
same difficulty, and was fortunately able to ascertain, 
beyond any question, that the above was intended.—* 
Alpha. 
