532 
STUDY. 
Thomson's  Dispensatory     .    1150     "        4  months. 
Brande's  Chemistry       .     .    1500    "        5  « 
Turner  and  Liebig    .    .     .    1240    "       4  « 
2  years. 
The  whole  of  these  are  books  of  general  reference. 
Supposing  that  one  hour  would  only  master  six  pages  a  day 
of  Chemical  works  requiring  more  than  ordinary  attention,  then 
180  pages  would  be  read  each  month,  and  2160  pages  in  a  year, 
which  would  include  the  following  : — 
Fownes'  Chemistry    .       .       550  pages. 
Gregory's  Outlines     .       .       560  " 
Royle's  Materia  Medica      .       TOO  « 
Fresenius'  Analysis     •      .       350  " 
2160 
Nothing  now  remains  to  make  this  table  accurate  but  to 
correct  for  pressure  of  time  and  density  of  head. 
It  will  not  be  supposed  for  a  moment  that  the  mere  reading 
of  these  books  will  constitute  a  well-grounded  acquaintance  with 
their  contents,  but  the  list  shows  that  there  is  a  possibility  of 
accomplishing  far  more  than  is  generally  supposed  in  a  very 
limited  space  of  time.  Few,  indeed,  would  have  courage  to 
drag  through  some  of  the  ponderous  volumes  enumerated,  nor 
would  such  a  herculean  task  be  advisable.  Such  calculations 
are  necessarily  imperfect,  though  useful,  as  there  may  be  interfer- 
ing circumstances,  over  which  there  is  no  control.  Sickness 
will  sometimes  throw  its  shadow  over  the  brightest  hopes.  It 
may  be  a  fancy,  but  we  have  always  felt  the  toilsome  nature  of 
unassociated  Chemistry,  and  therefore  suggest  the  following 
plan : — 
Allow  one  hour,  every  other  day,  to  the  consecutive  con- 
tinuous reading  of  one  outline  work,  by  which  means  you  would 
triumph  over  150  pages  a  month,  and  1800  pages  in  the  year. 
It  is  usually  desirable  not  to  pore  over  the  same  manual  too 
often,  after  having  once  carefully  perused  it,  but  to  commence 
another,  which,  though  treating  on  the  same  subject,  is  expressed 
in  different  words.  There  are  few  introductory  treatises  of  more 
than  600  pages  each. 
