Am.  Jour.  Pharm.l 
September,  1899.  J 
Reviews. 
441 
done  and  the  fact  that  it  has  been  brought  up  to  the  date  of  publication,  are 
shown  in  ma»y  instances,  of  which  we  mention  one.  Under  the  con- 
stituents of  American  peppermint  oil  where  in  addition  to  the  fifteen  con- 
stituents of  this  oil,  already  noted  by  Power  and  Kleber  in  1894,  two 
other  principles  are  added,  viz. :  Amyl  alcohol  and  dimethyl  sulphide 
[S(CH3)2].  The  fact,  too,  that  so  much  comparative  information  is  given  as,  for 
instance,  in  the  treatment  of  the  properties  of  the  different  peppermint  oils  of 
America,  England,  Japan,  Saxony,  Germany,  France,  Italy,  Bohemia,  Chili 
and  Peru,  renders  the  work  of  inestimable  value  to  the  student,  manufac- 
turer and  dealer  in  essential  oils. 
Part  IV  contains  an  index  of  plant  names,  oils  and  their  constituents,  which  ren- 
ders the  work  convenient  for  reference  and  all  that  is  to  be  desired  in  this  respect. 
The  binding  and  printing  of  the  book  are  in  accord  with  the  contents  of  the 
book,  and  we  have  not  seen  a  work  recently  which  we  consider  of  such  scien- 
tific and  practical  value,  and  one  which  was  needed  so  much  by  every  one  who 
has  anything  to  do  with  the  essential  oils  or  the  plants  yielding  them. 
We  are  confident  that  this  volume  will  be  much  appreciated  by  the  botanist 
and  chemist,  as  well  as  by  the  manufacturer  and  merchant,  and  recognized  as  a 
repository  of  everything  pertaining  to  the  scientific  as  well  as  practical  and 
commercial  knowledge  of  the  essential  oils. 
An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Materia  Medica,  being  a  short 
account  of  the  more  important  crude  drugs  of  vegetable  and  animal  origin. 
Designed  for  students  of  pharmacy  and  medicine.  By  Henry  G.  Greenish, 
F.I.C.,  F.L.S.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacy  to  the  Pharmaceu- 
tical Society  of  Great  Britain.  With  213  illustrations.  Philadelphia  :  P.  Blak- 
iston's  Son  &  Co.,  1012  Walnut  Street.    Price,  $5.25  net.  1899. 
This  book  reminds  us  very  much  of  the  materia  medicas  heretofore  pub- 
lished. Several  features  are,  however,  worthy  of  note.  It  has  been  gotten  up 
for  students  by  one  who  has  evidently  gone  to  the  trade  centres  for  informa- 
tion, and  who  has  carefully  sifted  the  literature  and  studied  the  drugs  de- 
scribed. This  really  makes  it  that  the  work  speaks  with  something  of  author- 
ity on  the  sources,  descriptions,  constituents,  uses  and  varieties  of  the  drugs 
described.  There  is  another  valuable  feature  of  the  book  in  that  the  author 
credits  the  illustrations,  when  taken  from  other  works,  to  the  authors  of  them. 
Not  only  is  this  done  in  the  preface,  but  the  name  of  the  author  accompanies 
the  illustration.  The  book  is  a  valuable  one,  and  notwithstanding  its  high  price 
will  doubtless  have  a  large  sale  in  this  country  among  the  students  of  pharmacy 
and  medicine,  for  whom  it  was  designed. 
The  Botanists  of  Philadelphia  and  Their  Work.  By  John  W.  Harsh- 
berger,  Ph.D.,  Instructor  in  Botany,  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
An  introductory  account  is  given  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  botany  in  the 
region  comprised  within  a  radius  of  sixty  miles  of  Philadelphia.  Especial  em- 
phasis is  laid  upon  the  history  of  botany  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  American 
Philosophical  Society  in  connection  with  other  learned  societies.  A  brief 
sketch  is  given  of  the  region  and  its  floral  districts. 
The  biographical  portion  of  the  book  concerns  itself  with  the  lives  of  the 
botanists  prominent  as  collectors  or  authors.    The  only  complete  account  of 
