Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1887. 
Reviews,  etc. 
Ill 
of  Prof.  Korczynski  in  Cracow,  with  the  view  of  determining  the  effect  of  the 
salt,  under  various  conditions,  upon  the  stools  and  upon  the  functions  of  the 
stomach,  with  the  clinical  deductions  based  upon  the  previous  observations. 
The  proper  application  of  this  salt  is  then  discussed ;  it  is  compared  in  com- 
position and  effect  with  the  natural  spring-water,  and  the  manner  is  shown  in 
which  the  use  of  the  two  may  be  advantageously  combined. 
The  process  for  preparing  this  new  Karlsbad  spring  salt  was  elaborated  by 
Professors  Ludwig  and  Mauthner  in  1880,  and  is  now  conducted  under  the 
supervision  of  Dr.  Sipocz  in  the  manner  briefly  described  in  Amer.  Journ. 
Phar.  1882,  p.  408.  The  sprudel-water  is  boiled,  the  precipitate  (consisting  of 
silica,  alumina,  and  the  carbonates  of  calcium,  magnesium,  iron  and  mangan- 
ium)  is  filtered  off,  the  filtrate  evaporated,  and  the  saline  residue, still  containing 
several  per  cent,  of  water,  is  saturated  with  carbonic  acid  gas  derived  from  the 
spring.  The  average  composition,  which  is  stated  to  vary  not  over  two  per  cent, 
for  the  principal  constituents,  is  as  follows:  sodium  sulphate  43*25,  sodium 
hydrocarbonate  36*29,  sodium  chloride  16-81,  potassium  sulphate  3-06,  lithium 
hydrocarbonate  0*39,  sodium  fluoride  0*09,  sodium  borate  0*07,  silicic  anhydride 
0*03,  ferric  oxide  0'01  (see  also  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.  1882,  p.  408 ;  1883,  p.  130). 
American  Medical  Plants,  an  illustrated  and  descriptive  guide  to  American 
plants.  By  C.  F.  Millspaugh,  M.  D.  New  York  and  Philadelphia :  Boericke 
&  Tafel,  Fascicle  V  (Nos.  21  to  25).   Price  $5. 
The  indigenous  North  American  plants  described  in  this  fascicle  areAesculus 
glabra,  Ambrosia  artemisisefolia,  Argemone  mexicana,  Arissema  Dracontium, 
Collinsonia  canadensis,  Chamselirium  luteum,  Euphorbia  hypericifolia,  Heli- 
anthemum  canadense,  Humulus  Lupulus,  Hydrophyllum  virginicum,  Lach- 
nanthes  tinctoria,  Lactuca  canadensis,  Leptandra  virginica,  Lilium  superbum, 
Lycopus  virginicus,  Penthorum  sedoides,  Ptelea  trifoliata,  Polygonum  acre 
and  Ranunculus  sceleratus.  The  following  plants  are  naturalized,  adventive 
or  cultivated:  Anagallis  arvensis,  Artemisia  Absinthium,  Artem.  vulgaris,. 
Chenopodium  anthelminticum,  Convolvulus  arvensis,  Euphorbia  Lathyris, 
Hypericum  perforatum,  Phaseolus  vulgaris,  Salix  purpurea,  Sinapis  alba  and 
Solanum  nigrum.  The  plates  are  well  executed,  and  the  characters  of  the 
plants  are  usually  fully  indicated ;  of  Chenopodium  and  perhaps  of  one  or  two 
other  plants,  a  more  characteristic  figure  would  have  been  acceptable. 
Of  the  more  important  inaccuracies  in  the  text  the  following  deserve  to  be 
mentioned :  Oleum  hyperici  is  not  a  constituent  of  St.  John's  wort,  but  an 
oleoinfusion  colored  red  by  the  coloring  matter  probably  contained  in  the 
black  dots.  The  root  of  Artemisia  vulgaris  has  been  repeatedly  analyzed  since 
1826 ;  but  a  new  analysis  is  desirable.  Thridace  is  not  lactucarium,  but  is  an 
extract  obtained  by  expressing  cultivated  lettuce.  Although  we  have  shown, 
twenty  years  ago,  that  an  efficient  lactucarium  may  be  prepared  from  Lactuca 
canadensis,  and  W.  Hiland  Flowers  in  1879  proved  this  to  have  the  same 
constituents  as  European  lactucarium,  we  are  not  aware  that  the  American 
plant  is  utilized  for  preparing  lactucarium. 
The  Blue  and  Gold  Handbook  of  the  University  of  California.   W.  J.  Baktnett, 
1887,  General  Manager,  San  Francisco;  Pavot,  Upham  &  Co.,  8°,  pp.  124. 
