Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  .890. 
Reviews. 
635 
ogist.  The  work  is  divided  into  four  parts,  of  which  the  first  discusses  general 
therapeutic  considerations,  viz.,  the  modes  of  action  and  of  administering 
drugs  ;  the  dosage,  absorption  and  duration  of  action  of  drugs  ;  idiosyncrasy  ; 
indications  and  contraindications  ;  and*  the  combination  of  drugs  for  a  joint 
effect.  The  second  part  treats  of  the  various  drugs,  both  officinal  and  unoffi- 
cial, which  are  arranged  in  alphabetical  order  of  their  English  names,  the 
salts  being  found  under  the  names  of  their  acids  (bromide,  carbonate,  nitrate, 
etc.),  except  the  preparations  of  iron,  mercury,  etc.,  which  are  considered  in 
close  succession.  Under  each  head  is  usually  found  a  brief  characterization  of 
the  drug,  its  therapeutic  properties  and  uses,  and  its  administration,  mention- 
ing among  the  preparations  also  those  of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia.  Of  the 
more  important  drugs,  the  physiological  action  is  also  discussed,  more  or  less 
extendedly  as  their  importance  seemed  to  require,  and  in  connection  therewith 
treatment  of  poisoning,  untoward  effects,  etc.  In  the  third  part,  remedial  mea- 
sures other  than  drugs  are  described,  such  as  acupuncture,  cold,  heat,  venesec- 
tion, etc. ;  also  different  foods  for  the  sick,  and  diet  lists  for  infants.  Electricity, 
which  would  be  looked  for  in  this  part  of  the  work,  has  not  found  a  place  here, 
because  its  application  in  therapeutics  has  outgrown  any  work  save  one 
devoted  to  that  subject  alone.  Part  IV  is  headed  "  Diseases,"  and  discusses  the 
remedial  and  other  measures  available  under  varying  conditions.  Several 
prominent  physicians  have  contributed  a  number  of  articles  on  diseases  to 
which  they  have  given  special  attention.  A  table  of  doses,  an  index  of  drugs 
and  remedial  measures,  and  an  index  of  diseases  and  their  treatment  form  the 
concluding  portion  of  the  book. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing,  the  field  covered  by  the  work  is  a  large 
one,  which  has  been  well  covered  through  the  terseness  and  clearness  of  the 
statements.  The  care  bestowed  upon  the  book  is  also  shown  in  the  proof- 
reading, typographical  errors  being  very  few  in  number.  Typography  and  the 
make-up  in  general  are  inviting. 
Ointments  and  Oleates,  especially  in  diseases  of  the  skin.  By  John  V. 
Shoemaker,  A.M.,  M.D  ,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica,  Pharmacology,  Thera- 
peutics and  Clinical  Medicine,  and  Clinical  Professor  of  Diseases  of  the  Skin  in 
the  Medico-Chirurgical  College  of  Philadelphia,  etc.  Second  edition  revised 
and  enlarged.  Philadelphia  and  London  :  F.  A.  Davis,  Publisher.  1890.  i2mo. 
pp.  298.    Price,  cloth,  $1.50. 
This  work  is  divided  into  two  parts,  treating  respectively  of  Ointments  and 
of  Oleates.  Each  part  opens  with  a  comprehensive  historical  sketch  of  the 
introduction  and  use  of  the  class  of  preparations,  and  of  their  application  in 
diseases  of  the  skin.  More  particularly  are  these  subjects  discussed  in  an 
elaborate  manner  in  connection  with  the  oleates,  in  the  more  general  introduc- 
tion of  which,  some  twelve  years  ago,  the  author  had  specially  interested  him- 
self, while  Dr.  Lawrence  Wolff  was  experimenting  upon  their  production,  for 
pharmaceutical  purposes,  from  the  materials  then  accessible  in  the  market. 
The  book  necessarily  contains  a  large  number  of  formulas,  and  Part  I  has  been 
materially  enlarged,  as  compared  with  the  first  edition,  by  the  admission  of  the 
ointments  recognized  in  the  pharmacopoeias  of  several  European  and  American 
countries  and  by  other  authorities.  During  the  printing  of  the  book,  the  new 
(third)  edition  of  the  German  pharmacopoeia  made  its  appearance,  but  has, 
