496 
Reviews. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I  September,  1896. 
pared  oils  for  the  natural  ones — a  question,  by  the  way,  which  would  require 
years  of  research  work  before  it  could  be  intelligently  answered. 
The  papers  presented  to  this  Section  were  not  as  numerous  as  in  some  pre- 
vious years,  and  while  no  one  of  them  was  entitled  to  be  considered  of  a  high 
order  of  merit,  still  the  average  was  good,  and  probably  this  tended  to  insure 
the  large  attendance  and  the  full  discussion  at  the  meetings  of  this  Section. 
The  Committee  on  Research  produced  as  much  in  the  way  of  results  as  could 
reasonably  be  expected  of  it  in  one  short  year,  and  it  will  probably  become  a 
very  valuable  part  of  this  Section. 
Much  credit  is  due  Professor  Prescott  for  the  able  manner  in  which  he  has 
pushed  this  work. 
The  Section  on  Education  and  Legislation  had  less  than  a  dozen  papers 
presented  to  it,  many  of  which  were  devoted  to  discussing  the  duties  of 
State  Boards  of  Pharmacy.  Professor  Beal,  in  his  report  as  Secretary,  made 
the  rather  sweeping  assertion  that  a  State  is  as  well  off  without  as  with  a  State 
Board  of  Pharmacy,  unless  the  latter  has  the  sympathy  and  support  of  a  State 
Pharmaceutical  Association.  Taken  as  a  whole,  the  meeting  was  an  eminently 
successful  one,  and  the  entertainment  provided  by  the  Canadians  contributed 
in  no  small  degree  to  this  end. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
LBS  Aixaloides  des  Quinquinas.  Par  E.  Leger,  avec  une  preface  de 
M.  E.  Jungfleisch.    Paris  :    Societe*  d'Editions  Scientifiques.    1896.    Pp.  278. 
The  literature  of  the  alkaloids  has  become  so  extensive,  that  an  author  who 
takes  up  a  group  of  them  and  gives  the  subject  the  comprehensive  treatment 
which  Mr.  Leger  has  in  this  volume  deserves  the  gratitude  of  all  those  who 
have  to  do  with  the  study  of  plant  principles. 
The  first  chapter  treats  of  the  cinchona  barks,  their  origin,  history,  chemical 
composition,  and  classifies  the  alkaloids  derived  from  them.  Chapter  II  con- 
siders the  group  of  the  alkaloids  in  general.  In  Chapters  III  to  XIII,  inclu- 
sive, each  alkaloid  is  taken  up  and  considered  separately,  and  its  composition, 
identification  and  separation  detailed. 
The  last  chapter  is  devoted  to  the  chemical  constitution  of  the  alkaloids  of 
the  group. 
In  treating  of  this  part  of  the  subject  the  author  limits  himself  to  a  considera- 
tion of  quinine,  quinidine,  cinchonine  and  cinchonidine,  and  he  makes  out 
that  much  has  been  done  towards  establishing  the  chemical  constitution  of 
these  compounds. 
Finally,  the  value  of  the  book  is  very  much  enhanced  by  some  thirty  pages 
of  a  bibliographical  index.  We  regret  very  much  that  in  compiling  this  the 
author  has  limited  himself  to  the  French  and  German  literature  of  the  subject. 
Only  such  English  references  as  have  been  abstracted  into  journals  in  those 
languages  has  found  a  place,  and  all  titles  have  been  translated  into  the  French 
language. 
Notwithstanding  this  drawback  in  its  bibliography,  the  work  as  a  whole  is  a 
most  valuable  one,  and  we  should  be  glad  to  see  it  translated  into  the  English 
language  in  order  that  its  circulation  might  be  extended  as  far  as  possible. 
