302 
Reviews,  etc. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       May,  1884. 
readily  understood  that  this  plan  has  its  decided  advantages  for  the  physi- 
cian, enabling  him  to  consult  in  one  place  all  that  relates  to  one  drug ;  and 
while  we  appreciate  the  arguments  that  have  been,  and  may  be  advanced, 
from  the  position  of  a  pharmacist,  in  favor  of  such  an  arrangement,  we  con- 
fess our  preference  for  that  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  which  brings  at  least  the 
preparations  together  in  classes,  and  affords  an  opportunity  of  giving 
instructions  as  to  the  mode  of  preparation,  preservation,  etc.,  applicable  to 
all.  Such  instructions  are  given,  together  with  other  practical  and  critical 
remarks,  under  the  heads  of  Emulsiones,  Extracta,  Liquores,  etc. 
The  drugs  proper  are  treated  of  as  follows  :  1.  Origin,  giving  the  botanical 
name  and  natural  order  of  the  plant;  2.  Habitat,  giving  the  name  of  the 
country,  or  continent  where  indigenous;  3.  Parts  used,  mentioning  root, 
rhizome,  etc. ,  as  the  case  may  be  ;  4.  Description,  omitted  for  pharmacopceial 
drugs,  but  reference  is  made  to  the  page  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  occasionally 
with  brief,  pertinent  remarks,  or  in  the  case  of  cinchona,  opium  and  simi- 
lar important  drugs,  with  more  extended  general  remarks.  These  are 
followed,  if  required,  by  a  list  and  characters  of  the  commercial  varieties, 
brief  directions  for  the  application  of  tests,  and  by  an  enumeration  of  the 
medicinally  valuable  or  pharmaceutically  important  principles.  Each 
article  usually  closes  with  an  account  of  the  medical  uses  and  the  dose. 
Xon-pharmacopceial  drugs  are  considered  in  precisely  the  same  manner, 
except  that  a  brief  description  of  the  characteristic  appearance  is  given 
similar  to  those  of  the  Pharmacopoeia.  For  chemicals  the  first  three  sub- 
headings mentioned  above  are  necessarily  omitted,  and  as  in  the  Pharma- 
copoeia, no  process  for  preparing  them  is  given  ;  but  for  non-pharmacopoeial 
chemicals  which  may  readily  be  prepared  by  the  pharmacist,  a  more  or 
less  detailed  process  has  generally  been  given. 
The  formulas  for  pharmacopceial  preparations  are  in  many  cases  given 
only  so  far  as  is  necessary  to  render  the  "parts"  as  given  in  the  Pharma- 
copoeia, in  definite  weights  convenient  for  use ;  but  for  non-pharma- 
copoeial preparations  convenient  working  formulas  are  given.  Since  these 
preparations  always  follow  the  drug,  remarks  on  the  medical  uses  are 
unnecessary  ;  but  the  dose  is  given  for  each  both  in  metric  and  apothecaries' 
weight  or  measure. 
Concerning  the  scope  of  the  work,  it  may  be  briefly  said  that  not  only 
the  drugs  and  preparations  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  but  also  those  in  current 
use  are  considered  in  the  manner  indicated ;  and  from  what  has  been  stated 
above,  it  is  obvious  that  the  practical  usefulness  of  the  book,  to  the  pharma- 
cist in  his  laboratory,  along  side  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  and  to  the  phy- 
sician for  rapid  consultation,  is  its  prominent  feature.  Concerning  the 
value  of  the  latter  purpose,  we  cannot  offer  an  opinion ;  but  in  regard  to 
the  former  it  will  be  found  to  be  a  valuable  "  companion  "  as  outlined  above, 
and  in  the  numerous  practical  hints  and  critical  remarks,  as  well  as  in  most 
of  the  547  wood  cuts,  representing  drugs  and  their  anatomical  structure. 
The  last  100  pages  preceding  the  index  are  devoted  to  instructions  in  the 
practical  use  of  the  microscope,  to  the  microscopical  structure  of  plants,  to 
the.  administration  of  medicines,  extemporaneous  prescriptions,  signs, 
abbreviations,  doses,  measures,  weights,  etc 
