Am.  .Jour.  Pharm.  | 
Feb.,  18!)3.  J 
Reviews. 
107 
Charaka-Samhita,  translated  into  English.  Published  by  Abiuash  Chandra 
Kaviratna,  practitioner  of  the  Hindu  System  of  Medicine,  etc.,  Calcutta. 
When  noticing  the  publication  of  the  first  fascicle  on  p.  286  of  our  last 
volume,  a  history  of  this  ancient  work  was  given  as  far  as  known,  and  its 
importance  for  the  study  of  medicine  in  general,  and  of  materia  medica  in  par- 
ticular, was  pointed  out.  Three  fascicles  of  the  English  translation  are  now 
before  us,  containing  seven  lessons  which  treat  of  longevity  ;  of  drugs  and  gruels 
useful  in  curing  diverse  diseases  ;  of  powdered  drugs  and  plasters  ;  of  purga- 
tives and  astringents  ;  of  proper  diet ;  of  food  in  different  seasons,  and  of  the 
inadvisability  of  suppressing  the  urgings  of  nature.  The  explanatory  annota- 
tions, added  by  the  translator,  will  be  especially  appreciated  by  the  reader.  In 
this  form  the  work  is  unquestionably  a  most  valuable  addition  to  the  history  of 
medicine  in  earlier  times,  made  accessible  to  those  who  are  not  conversant  with 
the  ancient  languages  of  Eastern  countries. 
A  System  of  Instruction  in  Qualitative  Chemical  Analysis.  By  Arthur  H. 
Elliott,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physics,  and  Director  of  the  chem- 
ical laboratory  in  the  College  of  Pharmacy  of  the  City  of  New  York.  Published 
by  the  author.  1892.    8vo.    Pp.  120. 
A  very  useful  and  practical  work,  intended,  as  stated  by  the  author  in  the 
preface,  to  be  used  with  the  living  teacher.  It  treats  of  reagents  and  appa- 
ratus ;  of  the  separation  of  metals  into  groups;  of  the  special  tests  for  each 
metal  ;  of  the  separation  and  detection  of  acids  and  their  special  tests  ;  of  the 
preparation  of  solutions,  and  finally  of  several  special  methods.  The  effects  of 
reagents  are  fully  described,  and  many  details  of  manipulation  are  given  and 
explained  which  will  be  appreciated  by  the  students.  The  different  paragraphs 
are  numbered  consecutively  and  conspicuously  with  the  view  of  facilitating 
cross  references. 
Carl  Wilhelm  Scheele.  Nachgelassene  Briefe  und  Aufzeichnungen  heraus- 
gegeben  von  A.  E.  Nordenskiold.  Stockholm  :  P.  A.  Worsted  &  Soner.  1892. 
Large  8vo.    Pp.  xliii  and  491. 
A  publication  of  great  historical  interest  and  importance  is  presented  in  this 
volume.  The  editor,  after  obtaining  some  relief  from  the  scientific  labors 
incidental  to  his  voyages  in  the  polar  regions,  again  took  up  his  researches, 
first  begun  about  thirty  years  ago,  into  the  history  of  Scheele's  life,  and  finally 
succeeded  in  having  copies  made  of  the  various  original  letters,  laboratory 
notes  and  other  papers  preserved  in  the  State's  archives  of  Sweden.  From  the 
photographic  reproductions  of  one  of  the  letters  and  of  several  pages  of  labora- 
tory notes,  it  is  easily  seen  that  for  understanding  the  former  the  chief  difficulty 
lies  in  correctly  interpreting  the  Latin  chemical  terms  and  signs  used  by 
Scheele.  The  latter  were  more  largely  used  by  him  in  his  laboratory  notes, 
which  are  evidently  brief  memoranda  made  at  the  time  the  experiments  were 
executed.  The  Latin  terms  are  explained  in  a  table  occupying  twelve  columns, 
while  in  another  table  of  four  columns  the  most  important  signs  are  translated. 
The  total  number  of  the  documents,  aside  from  the  laboratory  notes,  is  135, 
comprising  notes  made  by  Gahn  on  many  experiments  made  by  Scheele,  and 
letters  written  by  the  latter  to  Retzius,  Gahn,  Bergius,  Bergman,  Hjelm,  Hising 
and  Lavoisier.  These  documents  were  mostly  written  in  German,  but  some 
were  in  Swedish  and  one  or  two  in  French.1  They  are  published  in  full,  with 
