Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
February,  1900.  J 
Reviews. 
93 
tions  of  plants  and  animals,  we  may  expect  an  abundance  of  speculation  and 
a  multiplicity  of  theories  regarding  this  subject.  Even  after  a  savant  like  Pas- 
teur has  illuminated  such  a  subject  as  fermentation,  we  have  seen,  as  was  pointed 
out  in  last  month's  editorial,  that  the  exact  relationship  between  micro-organ- 
isms and  fermentation  is  a  more  complicated  and  interesting  one  than  at  first 
supposed.  The  same  will,  no  doubt,  prove  true  in  the  study  of  micro-organisms 
and  diseases  of  animals  and  plants. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
A  Manual  of  Organic  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacognosy.  By 
Lucius  B.  Sayre,  B.S.,  Ph.M.,  Dean  of  the  School  of  Pharmacy,  Professor  of 
Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacy  in  the  University  of  Kansas.  Second  edition, 
revised,  with  Histology  and  Microtechnique,  by  Wm.  C.  Stevens,  Professor  of 
Botany  in  the  University  of  Kansas.  With  374  illustrations.  Philadelphia  : 
P.  Blakiston's  Son  &  Co.  1899. 
The  plan  of  this  work  is  a  comprehensive  one,  the  intent  of  the  author  evi- 
dently being  to  give  the  greatest  possible  amount  of  information  in  the  least 
possible  space.  The  scope  of  the  work  is  lessened  from  that  of  the  first  edition 
by  dropping  out  the  chapters  on  "Morphology"  and  "Organic  Remedies 
Formed  by  Synthesis."  The  first  of  these  could  be  well  spared,  as  it  was  too 
much  abridged  to  be  of  special  value,  but  the  dropping  out  of  the  latter  is  a 
decided  loss.  The  book  is  designed  for  the  use  of  students  making  a  systematic 
study  of  organic  drugs,  but  several  features  make  it  of  value  as  a  reference 
book. 
In  the  fore  part  of  the  book  is  a  "Conspectus,"  in  which  the  drugs  are 
elaborately  classified,  and  in  the  back  part  a  "  synopsis  "  of  Natural  Orders, 
arranged  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  studied  in  the  body  of  the  book.  The 
number  of  drugs  studied  is  628  ;  those  official  are,  of  course,  given  the  greater 
prominence,  and  are  printed  in  larger  type,  so  that  one  may  know  at  a  glance 
which  are  official.  In  the  study  of  individual  drugs,  one  gets  in  a  condensed 
form  a  large  amount  of  information,  all  of  the  important  facts,  excepting, 
perhaps,  their  history,  being  given  in  plain,  concise  language.  A  desirable 
feature  is  the  dosage,  which  is  given,  not  only  of  crude  drugs,  but  of  all  offi- 
cial preparations.  The  large  number  of  illustrations  throughout  the  book, 
both  macroscopic  and  microscopic,  are  excellent  and  true  to  the  subject.  Part 
III  is  an  interesting  chapter  on  "  Insects  Injurious  to  Drugs." 
The  chapters  on  "  Elements  of  Plant  Histology  and  Microtechnique"  are  very 
instructive.  The  proper  use  of  the  microscope  and  microtome  is  stated  in  a 
way  that  can  be  readily  understood  by  the  student. 
In  the  chapters  on  Histology  there  is  a  commendable  lack  of  extreme  tech- 
nicalities, that  are  too  much  in  evidence  in  some  recent  works  on  this  subject, 
intended  for  the  use  of  students  in  colleges  of  pharmacy. 
After  enumerating  the  many  excellent  qualities  of  this  book,  one  feels  like 
passing  over  the  fact  that  it  contains  some  errors.  For  example,  on  page  123, 
under  "  Source  of  Coca,"  is  this  phrase  :  "  The  bush  bearing  coca  bean  is  exten- 
sively cultivated,"  etc.  Students  are  apt  to  get  "  Coca  "  and  "  Cacao  "  mixed 
in  their  minds,  and  this  phrase  tends  to  add  to  the  confusion.    The  per  cent. 
