n6 
Reviews. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t    February,  1897. 
Chrysanthemum  leucanthemum,  Aster  ericoides,  A.  cordifolius,  Antennaria 
plantaginifolia,  Gnaphalium  polycephalum,  Krigeron  Canadense  and  Lobelia 
inflata.  Two  other  plants,  Symplocarpus  fcetidus  and  Claytonia  virginica, 
were  found,  which  showed  the  floral  organs  well  developed  and  only  awaiting 
a  suitable  time  in  which  to  bloom. 
On  December  31,  the  following  were  found  in  blossom  :  Taraxacum  officinale, 
Stellaria  media,  Veronica  Buxbaumii,  Lamium  amplexicaule  and  Symplocarpus 
foetidus. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
Einfuhrung  in  das  Studium  der  Alkaloide,  mit  besonderer  Beriick- 
sichtigung  der  vegetabilischen  Alkaloide  und  der  Ptomaine.  Von  Dr.  Icilio 
Guareschi,  O.  6.  Professor  an  der  konigl.  Universitat  Turin,  und  Director  des 
pharmaceutisch-chemischen  und  toxicologischen  Instituts.  Mit  Genehmigung 
des  Verfassers  in  deutscher  Bearbeitung  herausgegeben  von  Dr.  Hermann 
Kunz-Krause,  dozent  fur  allgemeine  und  pharmaceutische  Chemie  an  der 
Universitat  Lausanne.  Erste  Halfte.  Berlin,  1896.  R.  Gaertner's  Verlags- 
buchhandlung,  Hermann  Heyfelder. 
In  publishing  a  German  translation  of  Guareschi's  "  Introduzione  alio  Studio 
degli  Alcaloidi,"  Dr.  Kunz-Krause  has  made  available  to  a  large  number  of 
readers  what  would  otherwise  be  a  sealed  book.  The  first  half  is  now  obtain- 
able, and  the  second  half  will  appear  during  the  year  1897.  After  a  brief  intro- 
duction, the  work  very  properly  begins  with  a  historical  review,  in  which  the 
development  of  the  alkaloids  is  shown  to  have  been  the  work  of  chemists  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Beginning  with  the  discovery  of  morphine,  by  Sertiirner, 
in  1805,  this  historical  summary  is  divided  by  the  author  into  six  periods,  as 
follows  : 
Period  1. — Discovery  of  numerous  vegetable  alkaloids,  1806-1835. 
Period  2. — Investigation  of  the  coal-tar  bases  (aniline),  1834-1848. 
Period  3. — Discovery  of  pyridine  and  quinoline  bases. 
Period  4. — Synthesis  of  the  oxy-ethylene  bases  and  of  the  paraconiines  ;  the- 
ory of  the  constitution  of  pyridine  and  quinoline. 
Period  5. — Discovery  of  ptomaine  and  leucomaine. 
Period  6. — Synthesis  of  a  large  number  of  basic  pyridine  and  quinoline 
derivatives,  and  the  investigation  of  the  constitution  of  the  natural  alkaloids. 
The  history  is  followed  by  a  brief  description  of  the  properties  of  the  various 
organic  bases  and  a  discussion  of  their  structural  relations.  Several  pages  are 
devoted  to  the  alkaloidal  reagents,  and  the  behavior  of  each  towards  the  alka- 
loids is  explained.  Following  this  is  a  short  summary  on  classification  and 
nomenclature,  in  which  the  great  body  of  the  book  is  divided  into  five  sections, 
as  follows  :  I,  Bases  of  the  Open  Chain  Series  ;  II,  Bases  of  the  Closed  Chain 
Series  ;  III,  Metal  Amines  ;  IV,  Alkaloids  in  the  Narrower  Sense ;  V,  Pto- 
maines and  Leucomaines.  The  present  volume  is  largely  occupied  by  the  first 
two  sections,  and  consequently  embraces  most  of  the  synthetic  organic  bases, 
as  well  as  those  natural  alkaloids  whose  structure  has  been  established. 
The  whole  book  is  very  systematically  arranged,  and  furnishes  abundant 
material  for  prolonged  study  by  everyone  who  is  interested  in  this  important 
