Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1908. 
Book  Reviews, 
i85 
hensive,  and,  for  the  physician  particularly,  quite  practical,  as  they 
contain  numerous  and  varied  suggestions  for  prescribing  and  dis- 
pensing the  several  articles. 
One  rather  interesting  feature,  and  one  that  has  resulted  in  con- 
siderable controversy  and  criticism,  is  the  attempt  that  has  been 
made  to  give  brief  but  descriptive  titles  to  substances  of  definite 
composition  which  are  exploited  under  a  variety  of  trade  names. 
In  addition  to  giving  the  true  chemical  name,  as  a  synonym,  refer- 
ence is  usually  made  to  the  trade-protected  titles  in  foot-notes  to 
the  respective  monographs.  Thus,  under  Formamina  or  Formamine 
we  have,  as  synonyms,  Hexamethylenamina  and  Hexamethylenetetra- 
mine,  and,  in  a  foot-note,  the  statement :  "  Formamine  is  also  known 
under  the  following  trade  names :  Aminoform,  Ammonio-formalde- 
hyde,  Ammonaldehyde,  Cystamine,  Cystogen,  Formin,  Metramine, 
Urisol,  Uritone,  Urotropine  and  Vesalvine. 
While  this  is  one  of  the  more  familiar  examples  of  the  unnecessary 
duplication  of  names  for  the  same  article,  we  must  remember  that, 
owing  to  the  more  conservative  nature  of  the  British  patent  laws, 
pharmacists  in  Great  Britain  are  much  more  harrassed  by  the  multi- 
plicity of  trade  names  for  well-known  articles  than  we,  in  the  United 
States. 
Whether  or  not  the  Codex  Committee  will  be  successful  in  estab- 
lishing and  maintaining  the  position  that  they  have  taken  in  this 
connection  remains  to  be  seen.  The  innovation  certainly  offers  a 
means  for  fighting  quackery  and  allied  practices  by  supplying  accu- 
rate information  respecting  drugs  and  medicines  in  common  use,  and, 
by  removing  the  veil  of  secrecy,  demonstrating  that  fancy  names 
are  all  too  frequently  the  means  of  extorting  exorbitant  prices  for 
comparatively  simple  substances. 
Formulae  for  galenical  preparations  are  unusually  numerous  and 
comprise  fully  two-thirds  of  the  total  number  of  articles  included 
in  the  book.  With  few  exceptions,  the  preparations  are  directed  to 
be  made  to  parts  by  weight  or  volume,  leaving  the  choice  of  the 
system  of  weights  and  measures  used  to  the  pharmacist,  though  the 
Committee  distinctly  recommends  the  use  of  metric  weights  and 
measures  as  being  more  in  keeping  with  the  object  of  the  book  and 
the  scientific  needs  of  the  profession. 
The  number  and  the  nature  of  the  formulae  contained  in  the  book 
also  serve  to  illustrate  the  characteristic  differences  that  exist 
between  American  and  British  pharmacy. 
