544 
Book  Reviews. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  19 18. 
phates.  Negative  results  were  obtained  for  lead,  mercury,  silver, 
bismuth,  copper,  cadmium,  arsenic,  strontium,  tin,  chromium,  cerium, 
nickel,  zinc,  cobalt,  barium,  antimony,  lithium  and  nitrates. 
C.  H.  Rogers. 
BOOK  REVIEWS. 
Pharmaceutical  Botany.  By  Heber  W.  Youngken,  Ph.G., 
A.M.,  M.S.,  Ph.D.  Second  Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged  with 
195  Illustrations.  Publishers  P.  Blakiston's  Son  &  Co.  Philadel- 
phia. 
This  book  has  been  written  by  a  teacher  of  pharmacognosy  who 
appreciates  that  with  the  adoption  of  pharmacognostic  standards  for 
many  of  the  drugs  in  the  U.S. P.  and  N.F.,  that  pharmacognosy  is 
to  assume  a  still  more  important  role  in  the  curricula  of  pharmacy 
schools.  Furthermore,  that  for  the  student  of  pharmacy  to  master 
the  intricate  subject  of  pharmacognosy,  a  "rather  extended  founda- 
tion in  structural  botany  stands  out  preeminently  as  the  most  needed 
requirement."  So  this  book  has  been  especially  prepared  to  meet 
the  needs  of  pharmacy  students. 
The  subject  matters  presented  in  this  comparatively  small  volume 
of  386  pages  are  such  as  are  necessary  for  the  studies  of  the  under- 
graduate and  the  more  detailed  studies  of  the  structures  of  indi- 
vidual drugs  have  not  been  generally  attempted.  Very  properly 
such  are  left  to  the  special  treatises  to  be  considered  in  postgraduate 
studies.  The  attempt  throughout  this  work  appears  to  lay  a  thor- 
cugR  foundation  for  the  student  who  is  limited  by  the  time  allotted 
to  this  branch  of  pharmaceutical  education,  so  that  he  nevertheless 
may  acquire  an  intelligent  understanding  of  the  official  standards. 
The  division  of  the  subject  and  the  systematic  arrangement  in 
chapters  is  admirable.  The  definitions,  descriptions  and  statements 
are  clearly,  accurately,  concisely,  and  not  too  technically  stated,  so 
that  the  readability  is  maintained  and  a  subject  that  is  prone  to  be 
looked  upon  as  dry  is  presented  in  an  inviting  form. 
In  a  subject  so  voluminous  and  intricate  as  pharmacognostical 
botany,  it  is  impossible  to  give  to  the  pharmacy  student  in  the  time 
allowed  in  the  school  course  more  than  the  foundation  and  the  plan 
of  teaching  the  fundamental  plant  structures  by  taking  up  the  life 
history  of  a  type  appears  to  be  a  wise  method  of  obtaining  the  best 
results. 
