320 
SELECTED ARTICLES. 
merce, and which are commonly prescribed by physicians. 
These we conceive to be the two great' objects of a Phar- 
macopoeia, which will be more or less perfect in the ratio 
of the completeness with which they are fulfilled. It is not 
as a means of advancing botanical or chemical science. It 
is not as an arena for the display of learning, in deciding diffi- 
cult questions in natural history or medical literature. It is 
for the practical and useful purpose of requiring the employ- 
ment of pure and constant medicines, in curing the diseases 
of his subjects, that his Majesty, William the IV., has sanc- 
tioned the present work. Now let us see whether the London 
College have justified the confidence of the king and council. 
The preface tells us not to be in the least surprised at the 
Pharmacopoeia of 1824 being now a little antiquated; that 
the College of Physicians had magnanimously determined to 
refurbish it, but found it a tough job — because "juste perpen- 
dere" was an act they were unaccustomed to. They were 
very desirous of obtaining the assistance of the Dublin and 
Edinburgh Colleges in framing a "Pharmacopoeia Britannica;" 
but really, the distance was so considerable, that they were 
obliged to postpone this desirable consummation, until some 
further improvements are effected in the steam carriage. 
They are, according to their own account, very excellent 
chemists; and have added notes to the greater number of 
chemicals, by which the student or physician will be enabled 
to ascertain their purity. Having mentioned that there were 
some chemicals which they were willing to buy from manu- 
facturers, they proceed to state — " licet ex his qusedam nostro 
more prsecipere maluimus, quam curae ant incuriae, aliorum 
permittere." Now, this we consider to be a very fair chal- 
lenge-, it is as much as to say — here we stand, with visors up, 
and lance in rest, ready for all comers; and we understand 
that one of their knight-errants has already broken a lance 
with a London reviewer; and yet, we — true Irishmen — are 
so heedless and headstrong as to be willing 
" To try conclusions with these Janissaries, 
And shew them what a pharmaceutic war is." 
