EDITORIAL. 
495 
Cinchona  bark,  different  kinds  of  rhubarb,  the  rarer  kinds  of  jalap,  of  rare 
illustrated  works  on  Natural  History,  of  microscopical  specimens,  of 
chemical  and  pharmaceutical  apparatus,  &c.  The  Association,  which  has 
been  in  existence  only  four  or  five  years,  consists  of  608  members,  and  has 
in  the  Treasury  the  sum  of  6140  guilders  ($2947.) 
The  Committee  of  the  North  German  Apothecaries7  Association  has 
published  the  following  programme  of  the  annual  meeting,  which  was  to 
be  held  at  Brunswick  : 
Monday,  Sept.  11th. — Reporting  of  members  to  receive  their  cards  ;  in 
the  evening  social  entertainment. 
Tuesday,  Sept.  12th.— 9  o'clock,  A.  M.,  general  meeting;  2  P.M.,  fest- 
ive dinner  ;  evening,  concert. 
Wednesday,  Sept.  13th. — 8  o'clock,  A.  M.,  conference  of  the  directors  ; 
10  o'clock,  general  meeting  ;  2  P.  M.,  dinner  ;  evening,  theatre. 
Thursday,  Sept.  14th. — Excursion  to  Harzburg. 
Friday,  Sept.  15th. — Commencement  of  the  International  Congress  of 
the  deputies  of  the  different  Pharmaceutical  Associations. 
Materia  Medica,  for  the  use  of  Students.    By  John  B.  Biddle,  M.  D.,  Prof. 
of  Materia  Medica  in  Jefferson  Medical  College,  &c.  With  illustrations. 
Philadelphia,  Lindsay  &  Blakiston,  1865,  pp.  359,  octavo. 
This  work,  which  originally  appeared  as  a  "  Review  of  Materia  Medica," 
has,  in  this  new  edition,  been  enlarged  and  the  title  changed.  It  has  been 
adapted  to  the  new  Pharmacopoeia,  and  many  of  the  articles  have  been  re- 
written. It  is  intended  as  a  guide  book  to  the  course  of  lectures  delivered 
by  the  Author  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  and,  without  taking  the 
place  of  the  Dispensatory,  will  be  found  to  be  a  good  text  book  to  the  student 
who  desires  to  closely  follow  his  teacher.  The  work  is  well  arranged, 
well  printed,  and  carefully  corrected.  Had  the  space  allowed  it  would 
have  been  well  to  include  notices  of  a  larger  number  of  our  extensive  in- 
digenous plants,  very  many  of  which  are  noticed  and  figured. 
Stimulants  and  Narcotics,  their  mutual  relations  ;  with  special  researches  on 
the  action  of  Alcohol,  Ether,  and  Chloroform  on  the  vital  organism.  By 
Francis  E.*  Anstie,  M.  D.,  M»  R.  C.  P.,  Assistant  Physician  to  West- 
minster Hospital,  lecturer  on  Materia  Medica,  &c.  Philadelphia,  Lind- 
say &  Blakiston,  1865,  pp.  414. 
It  is  not  much  to  say  that  this  book  has  involved  a  very  large  amount 
of  thought  and  experimental  investigation,  indicating  a  thoroughness  which 
places  it  along  side  of  Headland  and  other  similar  books.  The  author 
says,  "■  in  order  that  we  may  start  fairly  in  the  inquiry  which  is  before 
us,  let  us  understand  what  are  the  acknowledged  elements  of  the  problem 
to  be  solved.  They  are  simplv  the  existence  of  two  classes  of  physiologi- 
cal agents,  respectively  known  as  Stimulants  and  Narcotics  (or  Sedatives), 
