Am.  Jour.  Pharuj.  1 
January,  1899.  / 
Reviews. 
43 
REVIEWvS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
A  Text-Book  of  Medicai,  and  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry.  By  Elias 
H.  Bartjey,  B.S.,  M.D.,  Ph.G.  Fifth  edition,  revised  and  enlarged.  P.  Blakis- 
ton's  Son  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1898. 
The  contents  of  this  book  are  divided  into  five  parts.  In  Part  I  are  presented 
such  fundamental  facts  in  chemical  physics  as  are  necessary  for  a  proper 
understanding  of  the  descriptive  parts  of  the  book,  and  of  the  theories  and  uses 
of  thermometers,  hydrometers,  the  spectroscope,  medical  batteries,  etc.  Part 
II  is  a  well  arranged  and  full  treatise  on  theoretical  chemistry.  Part  III  treats 
of  the  inorganic  chemistry  of  the  most  important  elements  used  in  medicine. 
Part  IV  deals  with  organic  chemistry,  poisons  and  their  antidotes,  and  incom- 
patibilities. Part  V  is  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  ferments,  nutri- 
tion, foods  and  diet,  digestion,  the  examination  of  milk,  gastric  contents, 
vomit,  feces,  urine,  urinary  sediments,  and  other  matters  of  physiological  and 
clinical  chemistry.  The  book  also  contains  an  appendix,  in  which  are  given 
the  rules  for  the  spelling  and  pronunciation  of  chemical  terms  adopted  by  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and,  in  addition,  tables 
of  weights,  measures,  specific  gravities  and  solubilities.  A  glossary  of  uncom- 
mon chemical  terms  and  an  index  complete  the  volume. 
In  preparing  the  present  edition  the  author  has  revised  the  text  of  the  fourth 
edition  and  rewritten  some  portions  of  it,  especially  the  parts  on  organic  chem- 
istry and  physiological  and  clinical  chemistry. 
The  first  edition  of  this  book  appeared  in  1885.  It  was  designed  especially 
as  a  text-book  for  medical  students  during  their  attendance  upon  lectures.  But 
since  the  title  now  points  to  a  proposed  use  of  the  book  in  another  and  dis- 
tinctly different  field  from  that  of  a  guide  to  the  student  of  medicine,  the  work 
comes  before  us  under  conditions  which  necessitate  the  viewing  of  it  from  two 
different  standpoints. 
We  think  the  book  is  a  desirable  one  for  the  medical  student,  for  it  puts  in 
his  hands  a  store  of  well-selected  matter  which  should  be  taught  in  the  lec- 
tures on  chemistry  in  the  medical  schools,  and  which  the  physician  should 
thoroughly  understand  before  beginning  practice.  In  treating  the  subjects,  the 
author  has  kept  in  mind  the  exigencies  requiring  a  knowledge  of  chemical 
facts  which  are  likely  to  arise  in  medical  practice,  so  that  throughout  the  book 
we  find  much  good  advice  to  the  practitioner  ;  notable  instances  of  this  are  in 
regard  to  the  treatment  of  acute  poisoning,  and  the  physician's  duty  in  cases  of 
criminal  poisoning.  In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  say  that 
we  would  like  to  see  the  books  on  poisons  recognize  the  fact  that  petroleum 
benzin  is  occasionally  an  accidental  or  intentional  inebriant  nowadays,  and 
designate  proper  antidotes  to  it.  We  think  the  statement,  on  page  327,  to  the 
effect  that  solutions  of  volatile  oils  in  alcohol  in  the  proportion  of  1  in  5  are 
termed  essences,  while  those  in  the  proportion  of  1  in  50  are  called  spirits,  may 
perplex  the  student,  since  it  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  authority  of  the 
United  States  Pharmacopoeia,  which  gives  the  terms  essence  and  spirit  as 
synonyms  ;  and,  beside,  none  of  these  official  preparations  are  prepared  in 
the  proportions  named.  And,  again,  we  think  the  subject  of  Fowler's  solution 
is  dismissed,  on  page  192,  without  sufficient  consideration  of  its  composition 
and  arsenical  strength  to  afford  the  student  the  knowledge  he  should  have  of 
this  medicine. 
