420 
Reviews. 
(Am,  Jour.  Pnarrn. 
{        Aug.,  1891. 
are  taken  up  ;  Part  II  treats  of  chemistry,  and  the  following  two  parts  of 
materia  medica  and  of  pharmacy.  It  is  obvious  that,  in  the  limited  space  at 
hand,  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  enter  into  details,  and  the  statements  had, 
therefore,  to  be  made  in  as  concise  a  form  as  the  nature  of  each  subject  would 
admit.  As  a  rule,  the  author  has  well  succeeded  in  compressing  definitions 
into  a  few  words  without  sacrificing  clearness,  and  the  deductions  are  generally 
drawn  in  such  a  clear  and  convincing  manner  as  to  be  easily  grasped  by  the 
student.  In  the  materia  medica  descriptions,  we  think  that  the  most  import- 
ant characteristics  deserve  to  be  more  prominently  pointed  out.  The  work  will, 
doubtless,  be  of  much  utility  and  help  to  those  who  are  endeavoring  to  acquaint 
themselves  with  the  rudiments  of  science  before  entering  a  college  in  pur- 
suance of  their  studies,  or  who  may  not  be  able  to  seek  instruction  outside  of 
that  obtainable  in  active  business.  The  latter  will  find  in  the  book  a  useful 
guide  for  intelligently  comprehending  the  material  and  the  processes  in  daily 
use.  In  the  preface  the  author  gives  some  timelj*  advice  in  regard  to  the 
object  of  stud}',  and,  while  the  baneful  influence  of  the  habit  which  considers 
memorizing  as  equivalent  to  study,  should  be  denounced  on  all  suitable  occa- 
sions, we  quote  with  pleasure  the  following,  as  bearing  on  this  question  :  "  To 
the  student  I  wish  to  say  that  the  mere  memorization  of  facts  and  theories, 
however  valuable  these  ma}7  be  when  properly  used,  should,  by  no  means,  be 
your  main  object.  It  should  be  your  constant  aim  to  clear^  understand  what 
you  read,  to  develop  your  faculties  of  observation  and  reasoning,  and  to  be  able 
to  rightly  use  what  you  learn.  Only  by  using  it  and  adding  to  it  can  you 
make  it  your  own." 
Pharmacographia  Indica. — A  History  of  the  principal  Drugs  of  Vegetable 
Origin  met  with  in  India.  By  Wm.  Dymock,  Brigade-Surgeon,  retired,  etc.; 
C.  J.  H.  Warden,  Surgeon-Major,  Bengal  Army,  etc.;  and  D.  Hooper,  Quinolo- 
gist,  etc.    London  :  Kegan  Paul,  Trench,  Triibner  &  Co.  1891. 
Part  IV  of  this  work,  now  before  us,  completes  its  second  volume,  and  besides 
several  orders  of  minor  importance  treats  of  the  drugs  procured  from  the 
orders  of  Sapotacese,  Styracese,  Apocynacese,  Asclepiadese,  Loganiacese,  Gen- 
tianaceae,  Convolvulaceae  and  Solanaceae.  This  part  is  characterized  by  all 
the  excellencies  upon  which  we  have  commented  in  connection  with  the  pre- 
ceding parts  on  their  publication.  Among  the  plants  a  number  are  noticed 
which  are  either  indigenous  or  spontaneous  in  North  America,  like  chicory, 
taraxacum,  Sonchus  oleraceus,  Anagallis  arvensis,  dulcamara,  stramonium, 
etc.;  while  others  are  cultivated  either  for  ornament  or  other  purposes,  like 
Tagetes  erecta,  calendula,  jessamine,  oleander,  Ipomsea  Bona-nox,  capsicum, 
tobacco  and  others.  Far  more  numerous  are  those  plants  which  are  either 
indigenous  to  India  or  have  become  naturalized  there  from  other  tropical 
countries. 
Contributions  from  the  U.  S.  National  Herbarium.  Published  by  authority 
of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
The  fourth  number  of  vol.  1  of  these  "Contributions"  contains  a  list  of 
plants  collected  by  Dr.  E.  Palmer  in  1890  in  Western  Mexico  and  Arizona, 
embracing  a  number  of  new  species  of  which  eleven  are  represented  upon 
well-executed  plates. 
