EDITORIAL. 
237 
Medical  Lexicon.  A  Dictionary  of  Medical  Science;  containing  a  concise 
explanation  of  the  various  subjects  and  terms  of  Anatomy,  Physiology, 
Pathology,  Hygiene,  Therapeutics,  Pharmacology,  Pharmacy,  Surgery, 
Obstetrics,  Medical  Jurisprudence  and  Dentistry:  notices  of  climate  and 
mineral  waters,  formula  for  officinal,  empyrical  and  dietetic  prepara- 
tions, with  the  accentuation  and  etymology  of  the  terms  ;  and  the  French 
and  other  synonymes,  so  as  to  constitute  a  French  as  well  as  an  English 
Medical  Lexicon.  By  Robley  Dunglison,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  &e.  Tho- 
roughly revised  and  very  greatly  modified  and  augmented.  Philadel- 
phia: Blanchard  &  Lea,  1865  ;  pp.  1047  octavo. 
On  another  occasion  (January,  1858)  we  have  noticed  this  work,  so  long 
before  the  medical  reader,  and  then  much  improved  on  previous  editions. 
There  is,  perhaps,  no  class  of  books  more  liable  to  contain  errors  than 
dictionaries  of  science,  where  the  scope  is  so  great  as  to  embody  such  a 
vast  variety  of  subjects.    The  compiler,  unless  his  erudition  is  very  great, 
is  so  dependent  on  published  statements  of  facts,  or  substances,  or  princi- 
ples, with  which  he  is  not  familiar,  that  he  is  not  always  able  to  correct 
the  errors  or  supply  the  omissions  of  others,  and  thus  occurs  a  fruitful 
source  of  deficiency.    Besides  these,  which  are  incident  to  the  first  edition, 
are  those  which  arise  out  of  an  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the  progress 
of  knowledge  in  its  transition  state  in  the  Journals  and  before  it  has  been 
digested  and  made  a  part  of  regular  treatises.    The  revisor  of  such  a 
work  as  that  before  us,  needs  to  be  constantly  on  the  alert  to  gather  facts 
as  they  are  developed,  and  to  modify  the  statements  in  his  pages  to  corres- 
pond with  this  progress  in  each  department,  always,  however,  subject  to  his 
judgment  of  its  truthfulness.     Hence,  the  author  of  a  dictionary  of  the 
medical  sciences  must  be,  at  least  theoretically,  an  anatomist,  a  physiolo- 
gist, a  surgeon,  a  therapeutist,  an  obstetrician,  a  pharmacologist,  a  chem- 
ist, a  botanist,  a  pharmaceutist,  and,  above  all,  a  practitioner  of  medicine. 
Added  to  this,  his  classical  knowledge  must  be  extensive  and  critical; 
his  acquaintance  with  language  varied  and  exact ;  and  his  industry  and 
perseverance  perennial  and  untiring.    Among  those  who  have  undertaken 
this  department,  we  know  of  no  one  better  fitted  by  his  extensive  reading, 
classical  attainments  and  experience  as  an  author,  than  Dr.  Dunglison  ; 
and,  in  preparing  this  last  edition  for  the  press,  ho  has  given  more  than 
usual  time  and  attention  to  the  general  details,  and  more  especially  to  the 
etymology  and  accentuation  of  the  terms.    In  regard  to  the  latter,  how- 
ever, no  general  division  of  the  words  into  syllables,  as  in  Thomas'  Medi- 
cal Dictionary,  has  been  attempted,  nor  any  imitation  of  the  sounds  by 
which  it  can  claim  to  be  a  pronouncing  dictionary.    In  glancing  over 
many  of  the  pages,  we  find  some  instances  of  omissions  to  give  late 
information  on  pharmacological  subjects,  especially  of  their  chemistry  and 
composition,  and  we  would  have  been  pleased  to  find  a  more  general  in- 
troduction of  common  names  in  the  alphabetical  order  ;  as  for  instance, 
<'  Calabar  bean"  and  "  coca,"  the  most  familiar  terms  to  express  these 
