426 
Book  Reviews. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
v    September,  19 17. 
possibilities  in  this  direction.  Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that 
improvements  in  agriculture  are  leading  to  the  cultivation  of  land 
upon  which  wild  drug -..plants  were  growing  and  to  keep  up  this 
supply  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  cultivate  them.  The  medical 
profession  for  a  long  time  was  prejudiced  against  the  use  of  culti- 
vated medicinal  plants  as  it  was  felt  that  the  activity  and  potency  of 
cultivated  drug  plants  was  very  inferior  to  that  of  the  wild  plants. 
But  chemical  and  biological  assay  have  shown  that  such  prejudice 
has  no  basis  in  fact  and  is  rapidly  becoming  a  thing  of  the  past. 
Where  such  inferiority  may  exist  or  appear  it  is  undoubtedly  due 
to  improper  and  unsuitable  methods  of  cultivation.  Careful  obser- 
vation and  experimentation  will  bring  about  the  best  conditions 
for  cultivation,  when  without  doubt  the  active  constituents  will  show 
an  increase.  It  is  also  worth  while  that  in  the  cultivation  of  these 
plants  they  can  be  collected  at  any  given  period  of  their  development 
and  also  that  they  can  be  gathered  free  from  admixture  (The 
Pharm,  Jour.,  May  5,  1917,  p.  375). 
BOOK  REVIEWS. 
Year  Book  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association 
1915.  Chicago,  Ills:  Published  by  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association  1917. 
With  the  exception  of  the  inclusion  of  the  Constitution,  By-laws, 
roll  of  Members,  this  volume  is  devoted  to  the  report  on  the  Prog- 
ress in  Pharmacy.  The  latter  is  the  work  of  Professor  Arny,  Dr. 
Koch  and  a  corps  of  collaborators.  The  work  has  been  very  well 
done,  the  abstracts  being  very  succinct  and  yet  containing  the  es- 
sentials of  the  articles  relating  to  pharmacy  and  pharmaceutical  prod- 
ucts and  preparations.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  any  of  the 
members  of  the  Association  could  consider  for  an  instant  the  possi- 
bility of  doing  away  with  this  valuable  publication.  If  it  is  true 
that  is  chiefly  used  by  teachers  and  those  engaged  in  research  work 
this  only  proves  the  value  of  the  Progress  of  Pharmacy  that  every 
one  engaged  in  the  practice  of  pharmacy  should  utilize  it.  It  con- 
tains everything  pertaining  to  the  improvements  in  the  preparation 
of  medicaments  and  a  great  deal  more.  If  the  American  Pharma- 
ceutical Association  stands  for  anything,  its  members  should  will- 
