Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
May,  1882.  j 
Reviews,  etc. 
26^ 
Natural  History  has  appeared,  embracing  the  chapters  on  cultivated  trees^ 
agricultural  products,  flax  and  garden  plants,  remedies  from  garden  plants,, 
and  on  flowers  and  wreaths. 
Homoeopathy;  What  Is  Itf  A  Statement  and  Review  of  its  Doctrines 
and  Practice.  By  A.  B.  Palmer,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Pathology 
and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  the 
University  of  Michigan.  Second  edition.  Detroit:  Geo.  S.  Davis,  1881. 
8vo,  pp.  109. 
A  candid  and  dispassionate  review  of  homoeopathy  will,  doubtless,  be  of 
interest  to  the  medical  practitioner  and  to  every  intelligent  person.  Such 
a  book  we  have  before  us.  It  is  free  from  mere  denunciations  and  ridicule, 
but  pursues  its  searching  inquiries  by  the  guidance  of  the  writings  on  this, 
dogmatic  system  by  its  founder  and  his  followers. 
On  the  Physiological  Actions  of  Drugs  on  the  Secretion  of  Bile.  By  Wil- 
liam Rutherford,  M.D.,  F.R.SS.L.&E.,  Professor  of  the  Institutes  of 
Medicine  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh.    4to,  pp.  130. 
A  very  valuable  contribution  towards  a  correct  perception  of  the  physio- 
logical activity,  in  the  direction  indicated,  of  about  fifty  drugs,  used  either 
alone  or  together  with  others,  the  eflfects  of  which  had  been  previously 
determined.  The  pamphlet  is  a  reprint  from  the  Transactions  of  the  Royal. 
Society  of  Edinburgh,  vol.  xxix. 
New  Index  of  Drugs.    New  York  :  R.  Hillier's  Son  &  Co.  4to. 
It  gives  the  Latin  and  English  names,  the  latter  as  "  pharmaceutical 
{i.  e.  those  adopted  by  the  pharmacopoeia  or  dispensatory)  and  common 
names.    It  resembles  the  works  previously  published  by  Pollock,  Hobbs 
Nickell  and  others,  but  is  less  comprehensive  than  these. 
Beview  of  the  Drug  Trade  of  Neiv  York  for  the  Year  1881.  Prepared  by 
D.  C.  Robbins,  Esq.,  for  the  Twenty-fourth  Annual  Report  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York.    Svo,  pp.  12. 
The  statistical  information  furnished  in  this  "  Review  "  is  of  great  com- 
mercial, economic  and  hygienic  interest.  A  number  of  manufactured 
articles,  which  are  largely  employed,  are  either  not  at  all  or  only  to  a  very 
limited  extent  imported  at  the  present  time,  such  as  tartaric  acid  and 
cream  of  tartar,  ammonium  and  sodium  sulphates,  sodium,  lime  and  lead 
acetates,  potassium  iodide,  refined  borax,  refined  camphor,  chloroform  and 
others.  The  amount  of  opium  imported  has  increased  during  the  past  fis- 
cal year  to  385,060  lbs.,  and  exceeds  the  average  of  the  last  six  years  by  46 
per  cent.  In  addition  to  this,  22,358  oz.  of  morphine  were  imported  or  an 
excess  over  the  six  years'  average  equal  to  144  per  cent.  An  insignificant 
decrease  of  750  lbs.  of  opium  for  smoking  is  noticed,  or  less  than  one  per 
cent,  as  compared  with  tlie  preceding  year.  The  importation  of  cinchona 
barks  was  over  4,000,000  lbs.  and,  though  nearly  equal  to  the  average  was 
considerably  less  tlian  in  the  five  preceding  years,  with  the  exception  of 
1877,  when  only  1,750,000  lbs.  were  imported.  408,851  oz.  of  quinine  were: 
imported,  or  over  95  per  cent,  more  than  the  annual  average  for  six  years. 
