Am.  Jour.  Ptiarm. 
July.  1894. 
Reviews. 
365 
Pflanzenfamilien),  who  adopts  the  name  Leitneriacece,  and  places  it  between 
Myricacecz  and  Salicacecz.  Recent  histological  studies  would  indicate  its  close 
relationship  to  the  polypetalous  orders  Dipterocarpece  and  Hamamelidece. 
The  peculiar  lightness  and  softness  of  the  Missouri  cork -wood  and  its  slight 
porosity,  suggest  that  it  should  find  application  in  the  arts.  It  may  prove  a 
useful  substitute  for  cork  in  the  manufacture  of  bottle  stoppers  for  chloroform, 
and  for  gummy  substances,  which  cause  cork  to  tear  badly  after  a  little  use. 
G.  M.  B. 
Analyses  of  Twelve  Thotisand  Prescriptions.  By  William  Martindale. 
London,  1894.    H.  K.  Lewis.    Pp.  504. 
The  anticipated  revision  of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  has  induced  Mr.  Wm. 
Martindale,  joint  author  of  the  Extra  Pharmacopoeia,  to  publish  the  results  of 
"Analyses  of  Twelve  Thousand  Prescriptions,"  in  the  hope  that  they  may 
serve  to  indicate  the  current  of  British  medical  practice  during  the  past  ten 
years.  The  prescriptions  analyzed  were  the  last  dispensed  antecedent  to  May 
1,  1894,  in  six  pharmacies  in  typical  positions  in  the  United  Kingdom — 2,000 
at  each  centre— Aberdeen,  Bournemouth,  Carlisle,  Cork,  Oxford  and  London. 
The  basis  of  the  compilation  was  the  index  of  the  Extra  Pharmacopoeia,  and 
official  and  unofficial  drugs  and  preparations  were  noted. 
The  seven  highest  of  the  series  were  :  Spirit  of  chloroform,  1,117  times; 
tincture  of  nux  vomica,  991  ;  glycerin,  875  ;  sodium  bicarbonate,  807  ;  syrup  of 
orange,  796  ;  aromatic  spirit  of  ammonia,  675,  and  quinine  sulphate,  598.  The 
lowest  point  touched  in  the  official  preparations  was  by  extract  of  cannabis 
indica,  ammoniated  mercury  and  lemon  juice,  each  of  which  occurred  30  times  ; 
215  official  articles  and  84  unofficial  were  noted.  Other  than  tests  and  those  re- 
quired for  making  official  compounds,  126  official  products  were  not  once 
prescribed.  Amongst  these  latter  it  is  singular  to  our  American  eyes  to  note 
the  presence  of  solution  of  magnesium  citrate  and  solution  of  morphine  sul- 
phate. Solution  of  morphine  acetate  was  prescribed  46  times  ;  opium  was 
called  for  52  times  ;  morphine  acetate,  19  times  ;  morphine  hydrochlorate,  59 
times,  and  the  solution  of  the  last  named,  172  times.  Whilst  especial  prefer- 
ence is  shown  for  the  hydrochlorate  salt  of  morphine,  the  sulphate  being  but 
once  dispensed,  in  the  quinine  salts  the  preference,  by  far,  is  for  the  sulphate  ; 
it  being  ordered  598  times  as  against  18  times  for  the  hydrochlorate,  15  for  the 
hydrobromafe,  19  for  the  salicylate  and  22  for  the  valerinate. 
The  practice  of  reviewing  prescription  files  has  been  followed  in  a  number 
of  cases  in  this  country  in  the  past,  notably  by  Albert  E.  Ebert,  of  Chicago, 
who,  in  1886,  analyzed  some  15,000  prescriptions  ;  and  it  has  a  certain  value  in 
indicating  the  trend  of  medical  practice.  But,  undue  stress  should  not  be  laid 
upon  the  value  of  such  tables.  They  are  indicative  only,  in  the  largest  and 
best  sense,  when  they  embrace  returns  from  the  prescription  files,  not  of  a  few 
cities  for  a  few  months,  but  of  all  the  prominent  centres  of  population,  for  a 
term  of  years.  It  is  obvious  that  the  obtaining  of  such  data  would  involve 
enormous  labor,  but  it  is  seemingly  the  only  way  to  obtain  information  that 
would  be  thoroughly  representative  of  the  medical  practice  of  the  whole 
country.  J.  W.  England. 
Recipes  for  the  Manufacture  of  Flavoring  Extracts,  Handkerchief  Ex- 
tracts, Toilet  Water,  Cologne,  Bay  Rum,  etc.  By  Charles  E.  Hires.  Pub- 
lished by  the  Charles  E.  Hires  Company,  Philadelphia,  1894.    Pp.  46. 
