94 
Reviews. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
(.    Februar5-,  ]900. 
of  oil  of  lemon  in  Spir.  Aurantii  Comp.  is  stated  to  be  20  per  cent.;  it  is  5  per 
cent.  Spiritus  Anisi  is  omitted  under  official  preparations  of  Oleum  Anisi. 
Under  Physostigma,  reference  is  made  to  the  "Curved  radicle."  The  radicle 
does  not  exist  in  the  embryo,  and  recent  works  on  botany  refer  to  the  organ 
by  its  proper  name  of  Caulicle.  "  Extractum  Phytolaccse  Fluidum  "  is  placed 
under  the  fruit,  instead  of  the  root.  The  habitat  of  "  Sandarac  "  is  given  North 
America,  instead  of  Af?'ica.  Digitalis  is  said  to  be  most  commonly  adulte- 
rated with  mullein,  a  most  improbable  adulterant,  and  never  found,  at  least  in 
recent  years. 
The  acridity  of  Rhus  Toxicodendron  is  stated  to  be  due  to  toxicodeudric  acid. 
Extended  research,  made  three  or  four  years  ago  by  Professors  Pfaff  and  Balch, 
of  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  showed  the  poisonous  principle  to  be  an  oil, 
to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  toxicodendrol. 
It  may  be  said  that  errors  occur  in  most  books,  but  it  is  also  to  be  said  that 
a  book  specially  designed  for  students  is  valuable  in  inverse  ratio  to  the  num- 
ber of  errors. 
Notwithstanding  this,  however,  the  work  is  a  valuable  one,  and  will  be  largely 
used  as  a  text  and  reference  book. 
C.  F.  Nixon. 
Leominster,  Mass. 
Proceedings  oe  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  at  the 
forty-seventh  annual  meeting,  held  at  Put-in-Bay,  O.,  September,  1899 
An  abstract  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  forty-seventh  annual  meeting  of  the 
A.  Ph.  A.  has  already  been  given  in  the  October  issue  of  this  Journae.  The 
Proceedings  as  published  contain,  in  addition,  the  Report  on  the  Progress  of 
Pharmacy,  the  Constitution,  By-Laws  and  Roll  of  Members.  The  most  valua- 
ble part  of  the  book,  outside  of  some  of  the  original  papers,  lies  in  the  Report 
on  Progress  of  Pharmacy.  The  Proceedings  have  been  brought  out  again  on  good 
time,  which  reflects  creditably  on  the  Secretary.  It  is  unfortunate,  however, 
that  the  matter  of  indexing  is  not  so  sufficiently  complete  as  to  render  the  vol- 
ume as  valuable  as  it  otherwise  would  be.  No  mention  is  made  in  the  index  of 
the  improved  formula  for  solution  of  magnesium  citrate,  given  on  p.  75,  or  of  the 
improved  formulae  for  syrup  of  tolu,  on  pp.  75,  76,  or  of  the  improvements  on 
other  pharmaceutical  preparations,  etc.,  as  contained  in  the  valuable  report  of 
the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Practical  Pharmacy.  The  same  criticism  of 
failing  to  index  them  applies  to  papers  enumerated  and  abstracted  from  the 
Proceedings  of  the  different  State  Associations,  on  pp.  784-794,  as  well  as  to  the 
names  of  deceased  members  of  whom  obituary  notices  are  given  in  the  Report 
of  the  Committee  on  Membership.  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  the  value 
of  a  good  book  lies  in  a  comprehensive  and  working  index.  The  editing  of 
such  a  work  is  not  a  small  task,  and  when  one  considers  the  limited  time  in 
publishing  the  book,  it  appears  remarkably  free  from  mistakes,  and  we  find 
that  nearly  all  of  the  unimportant  things  have  been  omitted,  while  the  im- 
portant matter  has  been  condensed  as  much  as  possible.  It  is  questionable, 
however,  if  the  discussions  should  not  be  even  more  condensed.  Such  a 
procedure,  it  is  true,  would  tend  to  rob  the  Proceedings  of  much  of  their  Value, 
^particularly  to  those  members  who  do  not  for  various  reasons  attend  the 
meetings. 
