236 
EDITORIAL. 
of  the  leading  articles  of  the  Materia  Medica  will  show  that  Dr.  Wood 
has  brought  the  subjects  fully  up  to  the  time  of  revision. 
The  most  laborious  part  of  the  revision  refers  to  the  second — or  pharma- 
ceutical part — which  the  new  Pharmacopoeias  have  required  to  be  greatly 
changed,  both  in  arrangement  and  detail.  In  the  preliminary  notice  of 
this  portion  of  the  book,  it  will  be  observed  that  percolation  has  been 
more  fully  dilated  upon  than  heretofore,  as  the  principal  means  of  extrac- 
tion of  our  Pharmacopoeia.  Owing  to  the  adoption  of  avoirdupois  weight 
in  the  British  Pharmacopoeia,  all  the  recipes  from  that  work  employ  that 
weight.  To  avoid  the  great  liability  to  confusion  thus  engendered,  Dr. 
Wood  has  indicated  in  almost  every  case  the  kind  of  weight  to  be  used. 
A  great  number  of  formulae  for  fluid  extracts  and  other  preparations  have 
been  introduced  in  various  parts  of  the  work,  besides  those  of  the  Pharma- 
copoeia, which  will  be  found  noted  in  the  index. 
The  changes  and  additions  are  so  numerous  that,  in  the  short  time  and 
small  space  at  our  disposal,  we  have  not  attempted  to  exhibit  them  ;  con- 
sidering that  the  work  will  soon  be  in  the  hands  of  a  large  number  of 
pharmaceutists,  who,  by  a  direct  examination,  can  satisfy  themselves. 
The  additions  to  part  third  amount  to  about  thirty  pages  of  small  type, 
among  which  the  author  has  particularly  specified  the  articles  on  anilin, 
Calabar  bean,  carbolic  acid,  coal  tar,  peroxide  of  hydrogen,  petroleum, 
propylamin,  sorghum,  thallium,  upas,  &c.  It  has  been  his  aim  to  bring 
into  this  part  everything  of  any  decided  interest  worthy  of  notice  in  a 
Dispensatory  outside  of  the  officinal  lists,  and  the  reader  will  find  it  much 
extended. 
The  table  of  chemical  equivalents  has  been  carefully  revised  and  ex- 
tended, and  those  relating  to  specific  gravity  have  been  revised  and  ex- 
tended under  the  care  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Pile,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  familiarity 
with  all  matters  relating  to  this  branch  of  the  subject  is  well  known.  We 
understand  the  nominal  retail  price  of  the  Dispensatory  is  ten  dollars,  on 
which  a  liberal  discount  is  made  by  the  publishers. 
We  cannot  conclude  this  notice  better  than  by  giving  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  Preface :  "  Finally,  it  may  be  permitted  to  the  surviving 
author  to  say  that,  considering  his  advanced  age,  it  is  hardly  probable 
that  he  will  live  to  see,  or  at  least  participate  in;  another  revision ;  and 
under  these  circumstances,  to  express  his  warm  thanks  to  the  members 
of  the  Medical  and  Pharmaceutical  Professions,  who  have  in  so  many  ways 
evinced  a  kind  regard  for  him  personally,  and  a  disposition  to  judge 
favorably  if  not  partially  of  his  works." 
Report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the  Insane  for  the  year  1864.  By 
Thomas  S.  Kirkbride,  M.  D.,  Physician-in-Chief.    Published  by  order 
of  the  Board  of  Managers.    Philada.,  1865  ;  pp.  66. 
The  reception  of  the  annual  report  of  this  excellent  Institution  is 
acknowledged. 
