238 
Reviews. 
/  Am.  Jour.  Pharrru 
l       May,  1900. 
Storax  is  yielded  by  Liquidambar  orientalis,  Mill.,  and  by  L.  sty- 
raciflora,  L. 
We  find,  further,  that  in  looking  at  the  definitions  and  descriptions 
of  the  drugs  in  the  U.S.P.  a  more  liberal  interpretation  must  be 
given  the  subject  from  a  practical  point  of  view.  Under  Crocus,  for 
instance,  only  the  stigmas  are  supposed  to  be  present  in  the  com- 
mercial article.  The  article  on  the  market,  even  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  does  not  possess  ioo  per  cent,  of  stigmas. 
The  amount  of  foreign  material  that  ought  to  be  allowed  in  the 
best  commercial  specimens  must  be  carefully  borne  in  mind  by  the 
practical  pharmacist  (see  Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1900,  p.  123). 
Quite  a  number  of  cases  might  be  mentioned  where,  in  addition 
to  the  drug  as  specified  by  the  U.S. P.,  other  parts  of  the  plant  from 
which  it  is  derived  are  generally  present,  as  in  Belladonnas  folia 
(includes  stems,  petioles,  flowers  and  fruits),  Matico  (includes  fruits), 
Caryophyllus  (includes  some  stems),  etc.  In  some  other  cases  other 
plants  are  present,  as  in  Chondrus  (a  number  of  algae).  Prof.  D.  M. 
R.  Culbreth  has  shown  (Proc.  A.  Ph.  A.,  1898,  p.  765)  in  a  number 
of  vegetable  drugs  the  inferiorities  with  per  cents  that  are  contained 
in  the  drugs  upon  the  market,  viz.,  cimicifuga,  hydrastis,  podo- 
phyllum, geranium,  senega,  wild  cherry,  black  haw,  veratrum  viride, 
poke  root,  wild  ginger,  angelica  and  sassafras  bark. 
There  are  a  number  of  groups  ot  drugs  to  which  rather  stringent 
definitions,  descriptions  and  limits  of  admixture  may  be  applied,  as 
in  seeds,  fruits,  roots,  barks  and  flowers.  In  other  cases,  the  diffi- 
culty of  giving  specific  definitions  is  very  clear,  as  for  example  in 
the  case  of  leaves  and  herbs,  rhizomes  and  plant  exudations.  To 
say  that  certain  drugs  consist  "chiefly"  of  certain  parts  covers  the 
ground  a  little  better,  e.g.,  Crocus,  chiefly  of  stigmas;  chondrus, 
chiefly  of  Chondrus  crispus,  etc.  It  would  be  better,  however,  if 
as  in  the  case  of  crocus  the  percentage  of  stigmas  present  in  the 
commercial  product  were  given. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
Die  Mikroskopische  Analyse  der  Drogenpulver.  Ein  Atlas 
fur  Apotheker,  Drogisten  und  Studirende  der  Pharmacie  von  Dr. 
Ludwig  Koch,  ao.  Professor  der  Botanik  an  der  Universitat  Heidel- 
berg. Erster  Band:  Die  Rinden  und  Holzer.  Berlin:  Verlag  von 
Gebriider  Borntraeger.    Preis,  3  Mk.  50  Pfg. 
