Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1889. 
Obituary. 
543 
Ueber  die  Verbreitung  Chemischer  Verbindungen  in  der  Pflanzenwelt.    Von.  Ed. 
Schar.  8vo.,  pp.  31. 
On  the  distribution  of  chemical  compounds  in  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
This  is  a  reprint  from  the  Swiss  Weekly  Journal  of  Pharmacy  of  a  lecture  de- 
livered by  Professor  Schaer  some  months  ago.  The  subject  is  a  very  interesting, 
and  at  the  same  time  a  very  important  one,  and  is  presented  by  the  author  in 
a  very  comprehensive  manner.  After  an  introduction  and  the  consideration 
of  widely  distributed  compounds  (inorganic  substances,  carbohydrates,  acids 
and  coloring  matters),  the  special  principles  receive  attention,  and  the 
following  groups  are  pointed  out :  alkaloids,  fat  acids,  aromatic  acids,  phe- 
nols, kinones  and  ketones,  volatile  oils,  special  coloring  matters  and  glucosides 
and  bitter  principles. 
La  Pharmacie  &  Montpellier  depuis  son  origin  jusqu'a  la  revolution  Etude  his- 
torique  d'apres  des  documents  originaux.  Par  A.  P.  Marty,  pharmacien  de 
Ire  classe.   Montpellier:  Gustave  Firmin,  1889.   8vo.  Pp.  115. 
Pharmacy  in  Montpellier  from  its  origin  to  the  revolution.  Historical  study 
based  upon  original  documents. 
After  a  brief  historical  introduction  on  the  origin  of  pharmacy  the  author 
proceeds  to  the  local  history  of  pharmacy  in  Montpellier,  and  quotes  the  oldest 
known  document  relating  to  it  which  was  issued  in  the  Latin  language  in  1340 
and  is  entitled:  De  visitandis  appothecariis.  The  chief  vicissitudes  of  phar- 
macy are  then  described,  how  it  became  complete^  dependent  upon  the  medi- 
cal profession,  but  during  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  sought  to 
gain  its  autonomy,  until  after  having  been  under  the  supervision  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Medicin,  it  finally  succeeded  to  gain  a  foothold  distinct  from  its  older 
sister.  A  powerful  impulse  was  given  to  the  movement  by  the  revolution  and 
on  December  18th,  1790,  apothecaries  were  admitted  to  the  Public  Health 
Commission. 
Etude  surles  differents  procedes  employ  ts  dans  la  determination  de  V  astigmatism  e. 
Par  Emilien  Grimal,  Licencie'  es-sciences  physiques  et  chimiques,  etc.  Mont- 
pellier :  Gustave  Firmin,  1889.   8vo.  Pp.  82. 
On  the  different  methods  employed  for  the  determination  of  astigmatism. 
The  methods  proposed  by  different  German,  French  and  English  physicians 
are  described  and  compared,  likewise  the  various  apparatus  that  have  been 
used  for  this  purpose  and  which  have  become  known  as  astigmatoscopes,  opto- 
meters and  ophthalmometers. 
OBITUARY. 
Dr.  Anton  Geuther,  professor  of  chemistry  at  the  University  of  Jena,  died 
there  August  25th  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  born  in  Neu- 
stadt,  Saxe-Coburg,  graduated  1855  in  Gottingen,  and  since  1863  labored  at 
Jena.  He  was  the  author  of  a  valuable  "  Lehrbuch  "  of  chemistry,  and  of 
numerous  papers  on  chemical  subjects,  which  originally  appeared  in  Liebig's 
Annalen  and  in  Berichte,  and  comprise  many  compounds  of  pharmaceutical 
interest,  like  chromium  compounds,  various  sulphites  and  sulphides,  lead 
oxides,  ethers,  chloroform,  iodoform,  bitter  principle  of  calamus,  &c. 
