EDITORIAL. 
385 
When  we  state  that  the  first  part  of  the  American  Dispensatory  describes 
a  very  large  number  of  our  indigenous  plants,  most  foreign  drugs  in  use  in 
regular  practice,  besides  a  large  number  of  non-metallic  and  metallic  min- 
eral substances,  the  reader  will  understand  its  voluminous  character. 
The  merit  of  this  portion  of  the  book,  as  a  work  for  general  reference, 
is  considerable.  The  descriptions  of  indigenous  plants  are  chiefly  from 
Gray  or  Wood,  the  author  having  apparently  given  himself  little  trouble  in 
investigating  botanical  authorities,  or  by  actual  observation.  The  history 
and  properties  of  drugs  are  generally  described  in  plain,  untechnical  lan- 
guage, well  suited  to  a  large  number  of  those  to  whom  the  book  is  ad- 
dressed. The  reader  will  be  struck  with  the  sparseness  of  chemical  obser- 
vations in  reference  to  our  indigenous  plants.  Nearly  all  that  are  quoted 
by  Br.  King  have  been  the  work  of  Graduates  of  the  Philadelphia  College 
of  Pharmacy  during  the  past  thirty  years.  Although  every  year  adds 
some  light  on  this  subject,  and  the  transactions  of  the  American  Pharma- 
ceutical Association  are  taking  this  direction,  yet  it  is  time  that  the  "Ec- 
lectics" themselves  should  aid  in  the  work.  So  far  they  have  expended 
their  exertions  in  getting  up  "  concentrated  preparations  "  and  "  resin- 
oids,"  which,  in  but  few  instances,  have  any  claim  to  be  considered  pure 
proximate  principles.  Dr.  King  has  relied  chiefly  onPereira  and  Christison 
as  authorities  in  describing  the  foreign  Materia  Medica,  and  Darby's  edi- 
tion of  Wittstein's  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry  has  proved  a  perfect  god-send 
in  the  line  of  rationales  in  chemical  processes.  Among  the  journals  we 
observe  that  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  and  the  Pharmaceutical 
Journal  have  contributed  largely  to  his  aid.  With  unlimited  space  for  quo- 
tations, and  with  considerable  ingenuity  in  working  up  contributions  from 
various  sources,  Dr.  King  has  made  a  very  readable  book,  embracing  a  wide 
range  of  information  ;  but  viewed  as  a  scientific  work  of  reference  for  in- 
vestigators on  the  Materia  Medica,  its  inaccuracies  are  so  numerous,  and 
its  patch  work  character  so  unmistakable,  that  it  will  have  no  scientific 
authority,  except  so  far  as  each  individual  quotation  is  concerned. 
We  have  already  alluded  to  the  want  of  homogeneousness  in  the  compo- 
sition of  the  work.  This  will  be  particularly  noted  at  the  article  Cinchona, 
which  occupies  sixty-six  pages,  and  which  is  attributed,  by  the  author,  to 
Prof.  E.  S.  Wayne.  On  looking  closely  into  this  chapter,  it  will  be  found 
to  consist  chiefly  of  copious,  well  selected  extracts  from  Weddell,  Howard, 
Pereira,  Winckler,  Pasteur,  Leers,  Riegel,  and  others,  which  are  thrown 
together  as  though  they  were  intended  to  be  employed  in  elaborating  an 
article  on  the  subject.  If  we  may  hazard  an  opinion  in  regard  to  the  mat- 
ter, it  is  that  Mr.  Wayne  so  intended  his  paper,  whereas  Dr.  King  has 
published  it  in  extenso.  In  no  other  way  can  we  account  for  the  devotion 
of  sixty-four  pages  to  the  botanical,  commercial  and  chemical  history  of  a 
single  drug,  Cinchona,  the  latter  carried  out  to  the  minutest  details. 
The  therapeutical  portions  of  the  articles  contain  many  that  may  be 
called  eclectic  ideas.    There  is  no  doubt  that  a  large  number  of  practition- 
