254 
Reviews. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      May.  1894. 
for  such  a  generous  gift  to  the  donors — Howard  B.  French,  Ph.G.,  and  Smith, 
Kline  &  French  Company.  G.  M.  B. 
The  College  Herbarium. — In  addition  to  the  Martindale  Herbarium,  the 
College  already  possesses  the  collections  of  Elias  Durand,  Daniel  B.  Smith  and 
Prof.  John  M.  Maisch  and  numerous  contributions  from  botanical  friends  and 
students.  This  collection  is  now  undergoing  thorough  revision  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Herbarium. 
With  a  laboratory  equipped  for  botanical  and  microscopical  study,  and  with 
such  an  excellent  herbarium  for  comparison,  the  College  will  now  be  enabled 
to  give  a  more  extended  course  of  botanical  instruction  than  heretofore. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
Dictionary  of  the  Active  Principles  of  Plants.  Alkaloids,  Bitter  Princi- 
ples, Glucosides ;  their  sources,  nature  and  chemical  characteristics,  with  tab- 
ular summary,  classification  of  reactions,  and  full  botanical  and  general  indexes. 
By  Charles  E.  Sohn,  F.I.C.,  F.C.S  London  :  Bailliere,  Tindall  &  Cox.  Phil- 
adelphia :  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company.    1894.    Pp.  194. 
This  work  comprises,  in  a  compact  form,  very  valuable  information  concern- 
ing nearly  six  hundred  plant  principles  ;  and,  by  abbreviating  and  classifying, 
the  author  has  succeeded  in  getting  into  a  moderate-sized  volume  a  great  deal 
that  the  pharmacist  is  constantly  wishing  to  know. 
No  work,  since  the  English  translation  of  DragendorfFs  Plant  Analysis 
appeared  ten  years  ago,  comes  so  near  supplying  the  demand  for  classified 
information  concerning  plant  compounds  as  this  does. 
We  may  take  cocaine  as  a  random  illustration  ;  at  a  glance  we  see  its  botanical 
origin,  and  the  geographical  distribution  of  the  plant  from  which  it  is  obtained; 
the  abbreviation  "A"  shows  it  to  be  an  alkaloid  ;  its  chemical  composition  and 
compact  formula  are  next  given  ;  then  certain  physical  properties,  as  melting 
point  and  solubilities  ;  finally,  its  behavior  towards  upward  of  twenty  precipi- 
tants,  and  half  as  many  more  reagents  which  produce  color  tests.  Every  one 
having  to  do  with  the  active  principles  of  plants  will  find  this  book  a  constant 
assistant  in  the  laboratory. 
Formulaire  des  Alcaloides  et  des  Glucosides.  Par  H.  Bocquillon-Limousin. 
Avec  une  introduction  par  G.  Hayem.  Paris  :  J.  B.  Bailliere  et  Fils.  1894. 
i6mo.    Pp.  viii  et  313.    Formulary  of  Alkaloids  and  Glucosides. 
Three  books  of  a  series  by  the  same  author  are  now  before  us  ;  two  are 
reviewed  at  this  time  ;  the  other — a  Formulary  on  Antiseptics  and  Disinfectants 
— was  noticed  in  this  Journal,  1893,  page  647. 
All  are  useful  works,  but  this  volume  on  alkaloids  and  glucosides  appears  to 
especially  comprise  a  large  amount  of  valuable  information,  concentrated  into 
a  very  small  space.  It  is  divided  into  three  parts.  (1)  The  Alkaloids  ;  (2)  the 
Glucosides  ;  (3 )  the  Bitter  Principles  and  Neutral  Bodies.  Each  class  of  com- 
pounds is  first  considered  in  a  general  way  ;  that  is,  defined,  the  history  given, 
classified,  etc.,  and  then  the  individual  principles  are  taken  up  alphabetically. 
