222 
Reviews  and  Bibliographical  Notices. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
I      April,  1887. 
The  two  volumes  embrace  the  subjects  of  the  first  and  second  years  exami- 
nations of  the  French  pharmaceutical  student,  and  in  their  necessarily  con- 
densed form  are  well  adapted  for  reviewing  the  studies  covering  such  a 
large  field.  There  are  about  270  good  illustrations,  most  of  them  being 
useful  for  explaining  the  subjects  in  connection  with  which  they  have  been 
used. 
Hand  Book  of  Materia  3Iedica,  Pharmacy  and  Therapeutics,  including  the 
physiological  action  of  drugs,  the  special  therapeutics  of  disease,  official 
and  extemporaneous  pharmacy,  and  minute  directions  for  prescription 
writing.  By  S.  O.  L.  Potter,  M.A.,  M.D.,  Professor  of  the  Theory  and 
Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  Cooper  Medical  College  of  San  Francisco,  etc. 
Philadelphia  :  P.  Blackiston,  Son  &  Co.    1887.  8vo,  pp.  828.    Price  $3. 
This  work  has  been  written  for  the  use  of  physicians,  and  will  doubtless 
prove  of  value  owing  to  its  condensed  form  and  the  general  correctness  of  the 
statements  relating  to  physiological  action  and  therapeutic  application. 
The  first  part  contains  upon  nearly  400  pages  an  enumeration  of  pharma- 
copoeial  and  other  drugs  arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  giving  under  each 
head  the  Latin  and  English  names,  the  derivation,  and  a  brief  description,, 
usually  condensed  from  the  Pharmacopoeia,  the  most  striking  characters  be- 
ingpreferably  given;  these  are  followed  by  the  constituents,  the  preparations, 
physiological  action  and  therapeutics.  It  is  particularly  in  the  constituents 
that  quite  a  number  of  inaccuracies  occur.  Jalapin  is  said  (p.350)  to  be  prob- 
ably identical  with  convolvulin,  which  is  insoluble  in  ether,  and  the  ether 
soluble  resin  of  jalap  is  called  jalapin  (p.  238)  although  it  is  re-precipitated 
from  its  alkali  solution  by  acids.  Oil  of  juniper,  a  hydrocarbon,  is  stated 
(p.  240)  to  consist  of  terpenes  and  camphors ;  kamala  is  said  to  contain 
starch ;  the  terpene  valerene  of  oil  of  valerian  (p.  384)  to  be  produced  by  oxi- 
dation; olive  oil  (p.  273)  to  contain  the  stearopten  palmitin;  the  crystal- 
line lactucerin  (p.  244)  to  resemble  caoutchouc,  etc.  The  first  part  closes 
with  a  well-written  chapter  on  the  classification  of  medicines. 
The  second  part  is  on  pharmacy  and  prescription  writing.  The  pharma- 
ceutical operations,  the  different  classes  of  pharmacopceial  preparations,  and 
weights  and  measures  are  briefly  explained,  followed  by  a  chapter  on  pre- 
scriptions, in  which  a  great  deal  of  good  advice  is  given,  notably  in  the  par- 
agraphs on  prescription  writing  and  prescription  blanks.  The  succeeding 
paragraph  on  renewals  opens  well,  but  a  few  lines  further  on  the  author  en- 
ters upon  the  war-path  against  the  "  average  druggist,"  and  finally  pictures 
the  good  results  for  the  pockets  of  the  patient  and  of  the  physician,  and  the 
loss  to  their  "  enemies,"  if  the  physician  was  to  carry  a  small  stock  of  ready- 
made  medicines.  The  second  part  concludes  with  the  consideration  of  in- 
compatibles  and  of  the  various  forms  of  extemporaneous  preparations. 
Part  III  is  devoted  to  special  therapeutics,  the  diseases  being  considered 
in  alphabetical  order ;  and  an  appendix  contains  a  list  of  Latin  words  and 
phrases,  genitive  case  endings,  various  formulas,  treatment  of  poisoning, 
differential  diagnosis,  clinical  examination  of  urine,  and  other  useful  infor- 
mation.   A  carefully  prepared  index  facilitates  the  use  of  the  book. 
