royle's manual of materia medica, etc. [263 
tion of a paper on the subject by Dr. Bridges, in a former 
number of this Journal, no other short, easy, and intelligible 
summary of all the points involved in the construction of 
this Berzelian language of Chemistry has appeared. 
In treating of the Inorganic kingdom, the author has adopted 
a simple but useful arrangement. Commencing with the at- 
mosphere, he proceeds to take up its elements, and in turn 
those of water ; after which follow in succession the various 
simple products and their combinations. In this way are dis- 
cussed the whole Inorganic Materia Medica. At the conclusion 
of each body or substance, are given its modes of application 
to the purposes of medicine, and the preparations, either simple 
or combined, resulting from pharmaceutic science. The im- 
portant addition of tests, incompatibles, and adulterations, is 
sufficiently made, to aid in the study of this class of articles, or 
to assist the experimenter when reference is needed. Each ar- 
ticle is headed by the names used in the Pharmacopoeias of the 
three British colleges, and in passing, we may remark that the 
pharmacy of Great Britain still labours under the difficulties of 
a diverse system of pharmaceutic momenclature, which must 
exist until some single standard of general authority shall 
prevail. 
The consideration of the Vegetable Materia Medica is pre- 
mised by a chapter on Botany. It includes descriptive and 
organic Botany, classification, vegetable Physiology, and 
as appropriately associated with these, the chemical elements, 
geographical source, medical properties of families of plants, and 
the mode of collecting and drying vegetable substances. This 
portion of the work might be appropriately extended. As it 
is, however, an outline is presented of the divisions mentioned, 
which will answer the purpose of an introduction to the sub- 
ject, and at the same time inculcate its importance to the 
pharmaceutist and physician. 
We have always thought that habit, and the difficulty of 
obtaining ready access to books from which leading element- 
ary knowledge could be obtained, are the causes that Medical 
