574 
EDITORIAL. 
when  more  real  science  becomes  commingled  with  iheir  recorded  obser- 
vations. 
The  third  portion  of  the  work,  on  pharmacy,  is  arranged  as  in  the 
United  States  Dispensatory,  with  a  preliminary  chapter  on  the  generalities 
of  practical  pharmacy.  Eclectic  pharmacy  is  largely  indebted  to  William 
S.  Merrell,  a  druggist  of  Cincinnati,  who  has  contributed  a  chapter  to 
Dr.  King's  work,  on  the  "  Composition  of  Vegetables  and  their  proximate 
principles/'  &c,  page  994-1004,  and  another  on  the  «  fluid  extracts,"  at 
page  1067,  in  which  he  has  given  correct  views  of  the  selection  and  adaption 
of  menstruae,  the  means  of  extraction,  etc.;  which  are  the  more  necessary, 
as  a  large  number  of  those  who  prepare  eclectic  medicines  are  inexperi- 
enced. 
In  glancing  over  this  part  of  the  book,,  one  might  easily  think  he  was 
looking  at  the  United  States  Dispensatory,  but  he  is  soon  disabused  of  the 
error,  by  meeting  with  such  names  as  the  following :  Extractum  Caulophylli 
Hydroalcolialicum,  Exiractum  Pteleoe  Hydroalc:  Ferri  et  Salicinice  tartras, 
Lot io  Hydrastis  et  Aconiti,  pilulce  Podophyllini  Comp:  Pulv :  Leptandrini 
Comp  :  Troschisci  Dioscoreini,  &c.  &c.  In  fact,  the  pharmacy  of  eclecticism 
proper,  is  strictly  galenical ;  the  exact  chemical  preparations  are  nearly  all 
those  of  our  shops.  Such  preparations  as  Ferri  et  morphia  citras,  Ferri  et 
salicinice  tartras,  Ferri  et  quinice  tartras,  which  are  brought  forward  as  the 
discoveries  of  Prof.  J.  Milton  Sanders,  are,  like  the  citrate  of  iron  and 
quinine  of  our  own  shops,  inexact  and  empirical  preparations,  especially 
when  made  by  the  directions  given  ;  and  it  is  a  little  to  be  wondered  at,  that 
so  odd  and  ill  assorted  a  combination  as  tartrate  of  iron  and  morphia 
should  have  found  the  prominent  place  Dr.  King  has  given  it,  with  so 
special  a  parade  of  the  claims  of  the  discoverer. 
The  galenical  preparations,  extracts,  syrups,  tinctures,  etc.,  peculiar  to 
the  eclectic  dispensatory,  are  mostly  well  constructed  preparations,  contain- 
ing the  virtues  of  the  ingredients  used ;  and  we  have  no  doubt  that  many 
of  them  are  valuable  agents.  An  account  of  one  of  these,  Leptandrin, 
we  have  copied  at  page  505,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 
It  would  afford  us  much  pleasure  to  extract  a  number  of  other  articles 
from  the  Eclectic  Dispensatory,  that  would  give  a  better  idea  of  the  peculiar 
views  and  opinions  of  this  sect  of  practitioners ;  but  the  length  of  this 
article  admonishes  us  to  stop  ;  yet  we  cannot  close  without  adjudging  to  Dr. 
King  the  merit  of  having  improved  on  the  works  of  his  predecessors,  in 
giving  perspicuity  and  order  to  the  vast  mass  of  material  collected  under 
the  name  of  botanical  medicine,  and  for  his  determination  to  oppose  the 
wholesale  quackery  of  eclectic  chemical  institutes.  The  eclectics  have 
opened  a  wide  field  for  the  rational  therapeutist,  and  the  organic  chemist ; 
and  vve  hope  that  physicians  and  apothecaries  will  not  be  repelled  by  a 
false  pride  or  an  unjust  feeling  of  contempt,  from  reaping  the  harvest  which 
will  accrue  to  observation  and  experiment.  Although  the  Eclectics  have 
"  stolen  our  thunder ;;  largely,  they  have  also  thundered  a  little  themselves ; 
