Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  | 
Feb.,  1884.  j 
Reviews,  etc. 
127 
the  Conference,  and  the  interest  taken  by  its  members,  which  is  shown  by 
the  carefully  prepared  papers  and  by  the  discussions  on  topics  in  accord 
with  the  objects  of  the  organization. 
The  Extra  Pharmacopoeia  of  Unofficial  Drugs  and  Chemical  and  Pharma- 
ceutical Preparations.  By  Wm.  Martindale,  F.C.S.,  late  Examiner  of 
the  Pharmaceutical  Society  and  late  Teacher  of  Pharmacy  and  Demon- 
strator of  Materia  Medica  at  University  College.  With  references  to  their 
use  abstracted  from  the  medical  journals  and  a  Therapeutic  Index  of 
Diseases  and  Symptoms.  By  W.  Wynn  Westcott,  M.B.  Lond.,  Deputy 
Coroner  for  Central  Middlesex.  Second  Edition.  London  :  H.  K.  Lewis, 
1884.    16mo,  pp.  330. 
As  the  title  indicates,  this  little  work  is  intended  as  a  supplement  to  the 
British  Pharmacopoeia.  Considering  that  this  standard  was  published  in 
1867,  and  that  since  that  time  only  a  few  formulas  have  been  added  by  the 
general  Council,  under  whose  authority  the  Pharmacopoeia  is  issued,  it  is 
evident  that  such  a  supplement  must  have  been  very  much  needed.  That 
such  was  the  case  was  shown  by  the  exhaustion  of  the  first  edition  within 
a  few  weeks.  The  second  edition  now  before  us  is  enlarged  by  the  addition 
of  a  number  of  new  drugs,  chemicals,  formulas,  and  references  to  thera- 
peutic uses,  and  of  a  therapeutic  index. 
The  drugs  and  chemicals  are  given  in  the  alphabetical  order  of  their 
Latin  names.  In  a  few  cases  incorrect  old  names  have  been  retained, 
though  their  recognized  correct  titles  are  given  as  synonyms,  and  this  fact 
is  pointed  out  in  the  text.  Thus  chrysarobin  appears  in  the  list  as  "  Acidum 
chrysophanicum,"  and  butylchloral  hydrate  as  "  Crotonchloral  hydras." 
The  alkaloid  "caffeina"  is  mentioned  a  second  time  as  "  theine,"  under 
its  English  title  like  the  alkaloid  theobromine.  Drugs  and  chemicals  recog- 
nized by  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  are  introduced  only  in  case  new  prepa- 
rations of  the  same  are  given.  With  the  exception  of  these  pharmacopoeial 
drugs,  all  are  briefly  described  by  their  most  prominent  characters.  Then 
follow  formulas  for  the  various  galenical  and  extemporaneous  preparations 
into  which  the  drug  enters,  and  finally,  under  the  heading  of  "  References," 
the  uses  which  are  made  of  the  same  with  references  to  the  works  or  jour- 
nals where  these  applications  have  been  described.  From  the  fact  that  a 
number  of  eclectic  preparations  have  been  admitted  by  the  author  under 
their  commercial  incorrect  names,  though  they  have  been  properly  charac- 
terized as  the  powdered  extractive,  etc.,  it  would  appear  that  these  reme- 
dies are  more  employed  in  some  parts  of  Great  Britain  than  they  are  in 
some  sections  of  the  United  States. 
It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  the  ''Extra  Pharmacopoeia" 
covers  a  good  deal  of  ground  interesting  to  the  pharmacist  and  to  the  phy- 
sician, and  will  be  useful  as  a  handy  work  of  reference  concerning  the 
leading  facts,  established,  or  at  least  reported,  of  non-pharmacopoeial  drugs. 
Such  always  have  been  and  will  continue  to  be  prescribed  ;  but  it  is  to  be 
regretted,  that  in  the  place  of  definite  chemicals  and  of  mixtures  of  known 
composition,  preparations  are  largely  used,  which  are  introduced  under  a 
chemical  name,  but  of  which  little  else  is  known.  For  this,  however,  the 
authors  are  not  responsible,  and  they  have  selected  of  these  only  a  limited 
