262 
royle's manual op materia medica, etc. 
other object which influenced him was in a measure to do 
away with the difficulties arising to students from attend- 
ance upon lectures on Materia Medica, during the first 
course, "before they have become acquainted with Chemis- 
try," and while they are ignorant of Botany, and have 
just begun their attendance on Physiology, preparatory to 
a study of the nature and treatment of disease. 
The work may be divided into eight parts, each of which 
is distinctly set forth. These are — Operations of Pharmacy, 
Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Mineral xMateria Medica, Vege- 
table Materia Medica, Medicinal Plants from Ranuncula- 
cese to Fungi, Products of Fermentation, Animal Materia 
Medica, and Physiological and Therapeutical arrange- 
ment of the Materia Medica. All of these will afford 
material for comment, and the expression of such remarks 
as may be suggested by the text. 
Under the head of "Operations of Pharmacy," is contain- 
ed a brief summary of the operations employed, in the pre- 
paration of medicinal substances for use in the appropriate 
form. Such a chapter must be useful, by familiarizing the 
mind of the student at the outset, with the various modes of 
preparation, and the terms by which they are expressed. 
In few other works not strictly pharmaceutical are they 
contained. In connection with this information is present- 
ed the subject of crystallization, with the primitive forms 
of crystals, sufficiently extensive for beginners, and which 
may be advantageously followed by the study of the lumi- 
nous chapter on this topic, in Pereira's large work. 
The chapter on pharmaceutic chemistry is excellent, as it 
is a clear and distinct exposition of the information pertain- 
ing to Elements, Chemical Analysis, Synthesis, Proxi- 
mate and Ultimate Principles, Combinations, the Atomic 
Theory, Theory of Volumes, Nomenclature, and lastly the 
employment of Symbols. This last is most important to 
students, from the universality of their use and the con- 
venience arising from their employment. With the excep- 
