Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1884. 
Rtvietvs,  etc. 
301 
sible.  The  additions  made  by  Professor  Power  are  in  Section  xiv,  on  the 
quantitative  examination  of  the  alkaloids,  in  which  Professor  Fliickiger's 
method  of  assay  has  been  given  more  in  detail  and  supplemented  by  an 
illustration  of  the  apparatus  serviceable  for  the  purpose.  In  addition  to 
this  Dr.  Squibb's  process  has  been  rendered  so  as  to  comprise  the  improve- 
ments recently  made  by  its  author,  and  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  process 
for  assay,  which  is  that  of  Professor  De  Vrij,  has  been  likewise  embodied, 
together  with  his  estimation  of  quinine.  When  we  also  state  that  the  excel- 
lent plates  of  the  original  work  have  been  specially  imported  for  this  edition, 
that  new  observations  and  investigations  made  on  the  cinchonas  since  the 
publication  of  the  German  work,  have  been  embodied  in  this  edition,  and 
that  the  publishers  have  done  ample  justice  to  the  character  and  importance 
of  the  monograph,  it  will  be  seen  that  those  interested  in  the  study  of  cin- 
chona barks  may  be  congratulated  in  having  made  a  work  of  this  kind 
accessible  to  them,  and  this  at  a  cost  which  is  only  about  one-half  that  at 
which  the  original  can  be  imported,  since  through  the  liberality  of  the 
German  publishing  house  the  plates  were  obtained  without  necessitating 
the  expense  of  making  new  engravings. 
A  Companion  to  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia;  being  a  Commentary 
on  the  latest  edition  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  and  containing  the  descriptions, 
properties,  uses  and  doses  of  all  official  and  numerous  unofficial  drugs  and 
preparations  in  current  use  in  the  United  States,  together  with  practical 
hints,  working  formulas,  etc.,  designed  as  a  ready  reference  book  for  Phar- 
macists, Physicians  and  Students.  With  over  650  original  illustrations.  By 
Oscar  Oldberg,  Phar.  D.,  member  of  the  Committe  of  Revision,  etc.,  and 
Otto  A.  Wall,  M.  D.,  Ph.G.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica,  Therapeutics 
and  Pharmacy  in  the  Missouri  Medical  College,  etc.  New  York  :  Wm. 
Wood  &.Co.,  1844.    8vo,  pp.  1,216.    Price,  muslin  binding,  $6.75. 
A  work  intended  as  a  companion  to  the  Pharmacopoeia  if  prepared  with 
proper  care,  should  be  practical  and  concise,  and  such  a  work  is  presented 
in  the  volume  now  before  us.  To  give  an  idea  of  its  aims  and  objects,  it  is 
necessary  to  first  explain  the  manner  of  its  arrangement.  It  would  natu- 
rally be  expected  that  the  arrangement  should  be  such  as  to  require  the  use 
of  the  index  as  little  as  possible,  and  that  the  j)osition  of  each  article  in 
common  use  should  be  easily  determined  by  those  who  are  likely  to  consult 
the  book.  This  has  been  accomplished  in  the  following  manner:  The 
crude  drugs  and  the  chemicals  follow  one  another  in  alphabetical  order, 
the  nomenclature  being  that  adopted  by  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  or  for 
the  non-pharmacopoeial  articles,  modelled  in  accordance  with  this  national 
authority.  All  these  are  indicated  by  broad-faced  type,  which  is  readily 
distinguished  at  a  glance  from  the  rest ;  the  various  preparations  made  of 
each  drug  are  then  arranged  again  in  alphabetical  order  without  regard  to 
whether  they  have  found  a  place  in  the  pharmacopoeia  or  not.  By  trans- 
posing the  names  of  these  preparations  as  commonly  written,  the  alphabet- 
ical arrangement  of  the  whole  work  remains  nearly  undisturbed.  For 
instance,  under  the  drug  Opium  about  thirty  preparations  are  considered 
under  the  titles  of  opii  acetum,  opii  acetum  crocatum,  opii  con  feet io,  opii 
emplastrum,  opii  enema,  opii  et  camphoric  piluhe,  etc.,  closing  with  opii 
tinctura  pectoralis,  opii  vinum  and  opium  denarcotisatum.    It  will  be 
