1 86  Book  Reviews.  {A^Jp°rif;ffrm 
The  class  titles  of  many  of  the  preparations  sound  quite  strange 
to  an  American  pharmacist ;  as  they  not  infrequently  indicate  the 
therapeutic  uses,  or  the  method  of  administering  the  several  prepar- 
ations. We  find  it  rather  unusual  to  see  formulae  for  baths,  enemas, 
lotions,  spray  solutions,  injections  and  snuffs  in  a  book  that  partakes 
of  the  nature  of  a  pharmacopoeia,  and  comparatively  few  American 
pharmacists  would  be  able  to  give  an  adequate  description  of  the 
general  composition,  nature,  or  the  uses  of  a  "  Linctus."  Another 
characteristically  British  feature  is  to  be  seen  in  the  comparatively 
large  number  of  formulae  for  such  preparations  as  confections,  de- 
coctions, and  infusions.  Still  another  illustration  of  British  conser- 
vatism is  to  be  found  in  the  monograph  on  capsules,  which  embodies 
detailed  and  really  valuable  directions  for  making  the  well-known 
elastic  capsules  and  incidentally  asserts  that :  "A  capsule  of  American 
origin,  sometimes  used,  is  cylindrical  or  cup-shaped,  and  closed  by  a 
lid  of  the  same  material,  which  fits  tightly  over  the  end  of  the  cap- 
sule;  it  is  not  suitable  for  liquids." 
The  very  varied  uses  to  which  these  empty  capsules  are  adapted, 
in  the  hands  of  the  American  pharmacist,  evidence  the  fact  that  our 
English  cousins  are  not  as  yet  familiar  with  the  possibilities  of  this 
particular  form  of  dose  administration. 
Apart,  however,  from  a  comparatively  few  distinctive  features  that 
serve  to  reflect  some  of  the  more  characteristic  features  of  British 
pharmacy,  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Codex  contains  much  valuable 
information  and  an  innumerable  number  of  practical  suggestions 
that  should  be  of  great  use  to  the  pharmacist  in  this  country, 
particularly  at  this  time. 
One  of  the  more  evidently  commendable  features,  in  this  connec- 
tion, is  to  be  found  in  the  pharmacological  notes  that  include  just 
the  sort  of  information  tint  is  useful  to  the  pharmacist.  This 
information  is  doubly  useful  in  that  it  acts  as  a  deterrent  feature 
to  the  all-too-widespread  habit  of  counter  prescribing,  and  at 
the  same  time  enables  the  pharmacist  to  make  intelligent  sugges- 
tions to  the  physician  who  is  in  search  of  a  substance  that  will  take 
the  place  of  one  not  fully  suited  to  the  particular  case  that  he 
happens  to  have  in  mind. 
The  pharmacology  of  the  book  has  been  contributed  by  Dr. 
W.  E.  Dixon,  Professor  of  Pharmacology,  Kings  College,  London,  a 
widely  recognized  authority  on  the  subject,  whose  name  alone  will 
