Ao?tT'i872EM'}  Reviews  and  Bibliographical  Notices.  479 
Semen  Myristicce  (Synon  :  Nux  moschata).  Myristicae  fragrantis  Houttuyn 
{M.  moschatae  Thunbg.)  nncleus  seminis. 
The  fixed  and  volatile  oils  have  received  particular  attention,  their  behavior 
to  strong  alcohol  and  bisulphide  of  carbon  is  stated,  and  the  reactions  with  sul- 
phuric and  nitric  acids  and  a  number  of  other  reagents  are  well  described. 
The  Galenical  preparations  are  usually  made  to  represent  5,  10  or  20  per  ct. 
of  the  drugs.  Where  liquids  are  employed,  the  drugs  are  exhausted  by  mace- 
ration for  a  week  and  then  expressed;  the  liquid  retained  in  the  press-cake  is 
not  made  up  by  the  addition  of  more  menstruum. 
Acetum  Scillae  contains  10  per  cent,  of  alcohol.  The  tinctures  are  mostly 
made  with  Spiritus  dilutus,  which  contains  69  to  70  volumetric  per  cent,  of  an- 
hydrous alcohol.  Tinctura  aloes,  asae  fcetidae,  benzoes,  cantharidum,  castorei? 
guaiaci  and  myrrhae  are  made  with  alcohol  sp.  gr.  0*834.  All  the  spirits  are 
distilled,  with  the  exception  of  Spiritus  camphoratus,  saponatus  and  sinapis, 
the  latter  being  a  solution  of  1  p.  essential  oil  of  mustard  in  49  alcohol. 
The  chemicals  are  merely  described  in  their  physical  and  chemical  charac- 
ters, and  tests  for  their  purity  or  standard  quality  have  been  given.  Formulas 
are  introduced  only  in  exceptional  cases,  where  different  processes  will  lead  to 
different  results;  for  instance,  for  Bismutum  nitricum,  Calcium  phosphoricum, 
Ferrum  phosphoricum,  Ferrum  sulfuricum  (precipitated  by  alcohol),  Plumbum 
jodatum  (precipitated  from  boiling  solutions),  &c. 
The  tables  which  follow  the  text  are  the  same  as  in  the  first  edition  and 
mentioned  on  page  207  of  our  volume  for  1867.  In  addition  thereto,  a  table 
has  been  introduced,  giving  the  preparation  of  the  normal  solutions  of  oxalic 
acid  and  caustic  soda,  for  alkalimetric  and  acidimetric  purposes  ;  also  a  table 
giving  the  specific  gravity,  at  15°  0.,  of  mixtures  of  alcohol  and  water  as  as- 
certained by  Yon  Baumhauer.  The  latter  table  differs  materially  from  the  one 
published  on  page  349  of  this  Journal,  for  1860. 
The  nomenclature  adopted  is  similar  to  that  in  use  in  Germany  and  Eastern 
Europe,  and  is  consistently  carried  out  according  to  modern  chemical  princi- 
ples, wherever  significant  technical  terras  (alumen,  borax,  &c.)  could  not  be 
employed;  thus  we  have  Ammonium  carbonicum,  Calcium  phosphoricum, 
Kalmm  chloricum,  Natrmra  nitricum,  &c. 
The  articles  are  treated  of  in  alphabetical  order,  and  no  separation,  as  in  our 
pharmacopoeia,  into  a  list  of  materia  medica  and  preparations  is  attempted, 
whereby  the  convenience  of  consulting  the  work  is  greatly  enhanced. 
The  work  speaks  well  for  the  patient  labors  of  the  Swiss  Pharmaceutical 
Society,  and  its  appearance  throughout  is  creditable  to  the  publishers. 
The  Journal  of  the  Gynaecological  Society  of  Boston.  A  Monthly  Journal  de- 
voted to  the  advancement  of  the  knowledge  of  the  diseases  of  women.  Edited 
by  Winslow  Lewis,  M.D.,  Horatio  R.  Storer,  M.D.,  George  H.  Bixley,  M.D. 
Yol.  vi,  January  to  July,  1872.  Boston  :  James  Campbell,  Publisher.  8vo, 
pp.  480.    Price,  $2  50,  in  cloth. 
We  have  received  Yolume  vi  of  this  valuable  Journal,  which,  like  the  preced- 
ing volumes,  may  be  obtained,  handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  at  the  publication 
price. 
