47G 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 10 , 1870, 
It will be seen from this epitome and extract that we J 
have here a complete vade mecum on all subjects con¬ 
nected with the physiology and pharmaceutical pro¬ 
perties of the vegetable kingdom. The size of the volume 
is so convenient that it ought to be in the hands of every 
student and every practitioner. 
The Manual is now so well known that we need dilate 
no further on its merits, more than to welcome this 
second edition. If wo may venture a hint to all writers 
of similar works, we would ask why it is necessary to 
muddle the brains of a student by describing at length 
half-a-dozen old worn-out systems of classification, which 
have now fallen entirely into disuse, and might well be 
consigned to oblivion. 
The Natural History of Commerce, with a Copious 
List of Commercial Terms and their Synonyms in 
Several Languages. By John Yeats, LL.D., F.R.G.S., 
F.G.S., etc., assisted by several Scientific Gentlemen, 
pp. xvi. 436. Illustrated with Mcyen’s Botanical- 
Geographical Map. London, Cassell, Potter and Gal- 
pin. 1870. 
The subject of technical education is one of great im¬ 
portance, and though a book like the one before us is not 
calculated to aid those intending to practise pharmacy in 
the acquisition of technical knowledge of a high standard 
as is now with them a legal necessity, yet the dissemina¬ 
tion of such information as it contains amongst the less 
specially educated classes is a matter of interest to all, 
and the well-being of the country at large is affected for 
better or for worse as its rate of diffusion is greater or less. 
On the Continent trade education is well looked to by 
the respective governments, and books are published 
with the specific object of enlightening the future mer¬ 
chant or artisan on the characters and properties of the 
substances which ho will have to trade in or manipulate. 
The author in his Introduction, speaking of the technical 
schools of Leipzig, Antwerp, Berlin and Amsterdam, 
says:— 
“In them the future Dutch or German merchant is 
taught to look beyond the limits of the Zollverein, and to 
regard the world at large as a vast storehouse, with the 
contents of which he must make himself familiar. At 
school he studies the sources of supply for the goods he 
must hereafter deal in. A counting-house, he is told, 
is a place in which he will be expected to use his know¬ 
ledge, and not to seek it. He is first made acquainted 
with the laws and conditions of soil and climate, and 
then brought into contact with specimens of produce 
from the different kingdoms of naturethese he is re¬ 
quired to examine and describe methodically.” 
The book is divided into four parts, viz.:—I. Geo¬ 
graphy of the Home Country, the adjacent Continent, 
our Colonial Dependencies and Foreign Trade Connec¬ 
tions (pp. 1-125) ; II. Commercial Products of the Ve¬ 
getable Kingdom (pp. 128-255) ; III. Commercial Pro¬ 
ducts of the Animal Kingdom (pp. 257-348); and IV. 
Raw Mineral Produce (pp. 349-385). These, again, are 
subdivided into other divisions. 
In Part I. there is much useful information on the 
geographical aspect of the question, which will, doubt¬ 
less, prove of great use. We should have been sorry 
indeed it all reference to the geography of the sub¬ 
ject had been omitted. The dearth of such knowledge is 
great; even amongst those who have received a fair edu¬ 
cation, it is often exceedingly vague. After giving some 
account of the home products, the foreign produce is 
treated of, and the flora and fauna of the zonal, divisions 
indicated. From the fact that this part received the 
revision of Professor Hughes, its accuracy may be re¬ 
lied on. 
In Part II., to which wo shall more especially address 
ourselves, wo have the subject subdivided into two parts ^ 
Food Plants and Industrial and Medicinal Plants ; 
the former distributed under seven classes, and the latter 
under ten. 
Amongst the cereals wo fail to find any good account 
of rice, though it is imported in vast quantities into this 
country for home and foreign consumption. There is a 
poor account of Bengal rice, none of its many varieties 
being mentioned. No mention is made of Madras, of 
Rangoon, of Necransie (called Arracan after being* 
cleaned), of Bassein, or of Siam rices. 
In the account of Cemtonia siliqua we read “supposed 
to be tho locust bean on which St. John the Baptist fed.” 
This should have received greater qualification by the 
word “ erroneously ” being inserted before the word “ sup¬ 
posed,” as, without doubt, tho animal locust is meant; it 
being to this day a delicacy with native tribes where it 
is found. 
Cctnm coccinen is stated, with a query, to be the source 
of Tous-les-mois ; as it is a fibrous and not a tuberous rooted 
plant, this cannot be the case: it is most likely C. 
edulis. 
Hebradendron cambogioid'es of Graham is given instead 
of Garcinia morella as the source of gamboge. 
Under the “ Gums and Gum-resins” there is no men¬ 
tion of myrrh, galbanum or ammoniacum. Olibanum, 
in spite of the researches of Carter, Birdwood and 
others, is still said to come from Basic cilia serruta. Under 
“ Medicinal Barks ” the Countess of Chinchon is quoted 
as the “ Countess of Cinchona,” though if it were true, 
the case of Gin v. Chin would be unknown. The source 
of red bark is stated to be “not yet ascertained.” A re¬ 
ference to any work on materia meclica will, however, 
show that C. sneeirnbra , Pavon, ms., is the plant yielding 
it. Id crania excelsa is not mentioned; Quassia amara es¬ 
capes with the statement “ is a valuable febrifuge;” but 
the seeds of Sim aba Cedron, truly an interesting object, 
though seen only in our museums, has nearly twelve lines 
devoted to it. Again, Chondrus Crispins is mentioned, but 
why is Cetraria islandica left out ? 
Gambier and Cutch are both put down to the account 
of Acacia Catechu , but Gambier is obtained from a rubiace- 
ous plant, Uncaria Garnbir. In several places only one 
plant is mentioned as producing a certain substance, 
whereas there are several. Ilex Paraguagensis is the only 
source of mate given; Mr. Miers has mentioned eight, 
Gutta percha is mentioned as from one plant Isonandra 
gutta; but the researches of Do Yriese, Reinwarut, 
Motley and others, now that least a dozen afford it. 
Some of the substances are badly arranged; mustard 
and the oil of illicium (though their Natural Orders are 
indicate 1) are grouped under “ Umbelliferous Plants with 
Aromatic Fruits.” Under essential oils, oil of illicium is 
not mentioned* 
We have thus freely criticized this part, because there 
are many good points in the book, and there is no reason 
why a certain standard of excellence having been attained 
in a portion of it, the whole should not be all one could 
desire. It requires careful revisal, and the recent litera¬ 
ture of the subject to be well attended to. A nice power 
of discrimination is required to judge between necessary 
and unnecessary matter, for however interesting a sub¬ 
stance may bo, if it does not actually occur in commerce, 
it should be unhesitatingly excluded. More attention 
should have been paid to state the commercial varieties, 
and short terse descriptions of each article given, so as to 
enable the student to compare it with the substance itself, 
and thus strengthen him in the habit of “ describing 
methodically.” 
Our space will not allow us to go into detail with Part 
III. We must say, however, that it is capitally arranged, 
and contains a large amount of interesting information, 
given in a very readable style. 
We cannot close our notice without directing attention, 
to the very valuable Appendix. It consists of nearly 400 
names of substances and their synonyms, in 24 languages. 
It will doubtless prove a great boon, and we should like 
to see it enlarged and published in a sepiirate form. 
The book deserves success. It is well got up, and the 
i type and paper are good. 
