6o 
Book  Reviews. 
[Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
<-     January,  191 8. 
common  of  the  organic  compounds  of  pharmaceutical  interest  (in- 
cluding alkaloids,  glucosides,  the  official  synthetics  and  the  scaled 
iron  compounds),  detection  of  poisons,  urinalysis,  preparation  of 
reagents.  This  portion  should  appeal  to  the 'everyday  worker  who 
does  any  chemical  testing  whatsoever. 
The  author  claims  only  to  have  authority  to  use  for  comment 
the  U.  S.  P.  VIII,  but  gives  a  number  of  tests  based  on  the  U.  S.  P. 
IX,  giving  due  credit  therefor.  The  paper  and  typography  of  the 
book  are  good,  but  there  is  abundant  evidence  of  carelessness  in 
proof-reading,  an  exceptionally  large  number  of  errors  appearing  on 
its  pages.  Fortunately,  most  of  them  are  of  minor  importance  and 
are  so  apparent  as  not  to  lead  the  experienced  chemist  far  astray, 
but  some  of  them  might  give  students,  for  whom  the  book  is 
avowedly  intended,  considerable  trouble.  On  page  52  the  equation 
given  under  test  83  belongs  under  test  84,  and  a  correctly  written 
one  should  appear  under  test  83 ;  on  page  57,  section  63,  in  the 
second  part  of  Division  B  something  has  been  omitted  (probably 
"add  (NH4)2S"),  as  Co  and  Ni  chlorides  are  water-soluble;  the 
last  two  parts  of  the  same  division  should  read  "  Solution  =  Ni " 
and  "Ppt  =  Mn,"  to  make  the  statements  accord  with  those  given 
under  27  and  28  on  page  58;  near  the  middle  of  page  117  the 
word  "  cuprous  "  is  used  where  "  copious  "  was  probably  intended. 
It  seems  strange,  to  say  the  least,  that  a  newly  revised  book  should 
take  so  little  cognizance  of  the  work  done  by  chemists  during  the 
last  thirty  years  as  to  limit  the  number  of  known  elements  to  "  about 
seventy-four"  (page  3),  to  still  consider  that  acids  "are  hydroxids 
of  the  non-metals  "  (page  8),  and  to  so  carefully  omit  any  reference 
to  the  existence  of  ions  and  the  part  they  play  in  analytical  reactions. 
However,  the  book  is  well  worth  a  place  on  the  busy  chemist's  or 
pharmacist's  laboratory  table. 
,  F.  P.  Stroup. 
Medical  Bacteriology,  by  John  A.  Roddy,  M.D.,  P.  Blakis- 
ton's  Son  &  Co.,  Publishers,  Philadelphia,  Pa.    Price,  $2.50. 
The  rapidity  with  which  the  modern  science  of  bacteriology  has 
been  developed  has  been  such  that  many  of  those  practicing  medi- 
cine, veterinary  medicine,  dentistry  and  pharmacy  are  but  poorly 
equipped  with  a  knowledge  of  this  science,  which  is  playing  an  in- 
creasingly important  role  in  the  diagnosis,  cure  and  prevention  of 
