44 
Book  Reviews. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharna. 
*■    January,  19 17. 
even  the  primary  cortex.  Another  inaccuracy  is  noted  on  page  363, 
where  lycopodium  is  in  the  following  quoted  sentence  twice  referred 
to  as  a  seed:  "  In  making  emulsion  of  lycopodium,  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  triturate  the  seed  dry,  with  some  pressure,  in  order  to  rup- 
ture the  hard  seed  envelope." 
The  tendency  among  the  modern  authors  on  pharmacy  is  to  dif- 
ferentiate more  clearly  and  sharply  between  :the  various  classes  of 
medicinal  preparations.  In  this  book  the  differentiation  has  not  been 
as  clearly  drawn  and  distinct  as  could  reasonably  have  been  expected. 
An  example  of  this  is  seen  in  the  consideration  of  "  Ampuls  "  in  the 
chapter  entitled  "  Compressed  Tablets  and  Tablet  Triturates."  The 
method  of  preparation  of  ampules  and  the  finished  products  bear  no 
relation  or  similarity  to  tablets  and  their  manufacture.  Moreover, 
the  extensive  use  of  ampules  for  exhibiting  all  forms  of  medicine 
warrants  a  separate  chapter  devoted  to  that  subject.  Similarly,  we 
note  that  in  the  chapter  on  "  Pills  "  there  is  introduced  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  pill  making  and  coating  a  description  of  the  methods  and 
machinery  employed  in  manufacturing  soft  elastic  capsules  and 
gelatin  globules  or  pearls  for  encapsulating  liquids.  Would  it  not 
have  been  a  better  classification  to  have  treated  Suppositories  in 
the  chapter  devoted  to  "  Ointments,  Cerates  and  Allied  Prepara- 
tions "  rather  than  with  Plasters  ?  Possibly  the  importance  of  Sup- 
positories as  a  distinct  dosage  form  should  have  necessitated  a  sepa- 
rate chapter  on  that  subject. 
The  various  classes  of  official  preparations  are,  as  a  rule,  com- 
mendably  treated  and  the  tabulations  commonly  used  for  their  pres- 
entation, while  concise,  are  clear  expositions.  The  chapter  on 
Syrups  is  an  excellent  example  of  such  tabulation. 
"  The  Prescription "  is  very  quickly  dispensed  in  a  chapter  of 
less  than  fourteen  pages,  of  which  three  pages  are  devoted  to  sample 
prescriptions  and  three  pages  to  abbreviations  and  terms  used  in 
prescription  writing.  The  subject  of  incompatibility,  so  closely  re- 
lated to  the  pharmacists'  important  duty  of  compounding  prescrip- 
tions, is  treated  in  a  prior  chapter  on  "  Mixtures,"  which  is  largely 
devoted  to  the  consideration  of  the  official  mixtures. 
There  is  much  to  commend  in  this  volume  and  comparatively 
little  of  importance  to  criticize  adversely.  The  defects  pointed  out 
are,  after  all,  only  minor  ones  that  can  be  readily  corrected  in  a 
future  edition  and  will  detract  very  little  from  its  serviceableness  as 
