592 
Editorial. 
f  Am.  Jonr.  Pharm. 
1      Nov.,  1885. 
necessity  for  correct  manipulation.  Not  'only  are  full  and  precise  concep- 
tions attained  thereby,  but  such  continued  systematic  exercise  must  result 
in  the  growth  of  the  natural  powers  of  discernment  and  acquisition,  and 
therefore  in  the  culture  of  memory,  as  well  as  in  an  increase  of  actual 
knowledge  in  the  place  of  mere  information  and  memorizing.  Each  object 
handled  intelligently  in  the  manner  indicated  becomes  then  a  fixed  unit, 
and  around  this  other  information  clusters,  which  cannot  be  acquired  by 
the  pharmaceutical  student  from  actual  observations,  such  as  geographical 
distribution,  commercial  relations,  medical  properties,  doses  and  the  like. 
For  the  thorough  study  of  chemicals,  drugs,  and  preparations  so  as  to  be- 
come familiar  with  their  qualities,  the  handling  and  careful  examination 
of  them  is  indispensable.  This  opportunity  should  be  supplied  by  the 
shops.  But  at  the  present  time  crude  drugs  and  crystallized  chemicals  are 
not  as  generally,  as  in  former  years,  kept  on  hand,  but  are  often  purchased 
in  the  crushed  or  powdered  condition  so  as  to  be  readj^  for  immediate  use. 
Even  fluid  extracts,  extracts,  plasters,  and  other  galenical  preparations  are 
not  infrequently  procured  from  the  manufacturer,  and  ihus  the  facilities 
for  home  study,  which  every  student  should  possess,  are  materially  cur- 
tailed. The  examination  of  specimens  displayed  on  the  lecture  counter  is 
in  a  measure,  an  offset  to  the  disadvantage  mentioned  ;  but  there,  obviously, 
sufficient  time  cannot  be  afforded  for  more  than  a  mere  cursory  examina- 
tion. The  cabinets  connected  with  the  Colleges  may,  to  a  certain  extent, 
supply  the  want  to  those  who  have  the  leisure  to  examine  them  at  conven- 
ient hours  during  the  day  ;.but  since  the  specimens  must  be  preserved  in 
sealed  vessels,  the  examination  of  the  contents  cannot  be  as  thorough  as 
would  be  desirable. 
Societies  of  students  organized  for  study  and  mutual  assistance  in  their 
labors  may  accomplish  much  by  the  collection  of  specimens  with  the  view 
of  examining  their  characteristics,  and  even  the  individual  student  should 
jjrocure  for  his  L^tudies  such  specimens  of  officinal  articles  in  their  natural 
condition  as  are  not  accessible  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  the  business 
in  which  he  may  be  engaged.  Such  specimens  need  not  be  bulky,  provided 
they  are  characteristic,  and  with  a  little  exertion  they  may  be  procured. 
We  know  many  instances  where  such  co'lections  have  been  made  by  stu- 
dents, and  have  been  used  to  a  good  purpose,  and  we  think  that  if  obtaina- 
ble at  reasonable  rates,  they  would  be  procured  by  a  goodly  number.  On 
various  occasions  we  have  endeavored  to  interest  parties  in  the  getting  up 
of  small  cabinets  for  students'  use  ;  but  the  labor  connected  with  it,  for 
which  a  suitable  recompense  can  scarcely  be  expected,  seems  to  have  op- 
eriited  against  its  accomplishment.  We  are,  therefore,  pleased  to  learn  that 
in  at  least  one  line  such  cabinets  may  soon  be  obtained,  since  Messrs.  Parke, 
Davis  &  Co.,  of  Detroit,  are  preparing  a  student's  collections  of  vegetable 
Materia  Medica  which  will  be  sold  at  a  reasonable  price.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  of  its  usefulness  to  students,  and  that  it  will  materially  aid  them  in 
their  studies  ;  and  we  hope  that  similar  collections  of  chemicals  and  pharma- 
ceuticals may  soon  become  accessible  in  like  manner,  embracing  either  all 
of  each  class  that  have  been  admitted  into  the  pharmacopoeia,  or  excluding 
the  commonest  ones  that  are  likely  to  be  found  in  every  store. 
