190 
EDITORIAL. 
organic  chemistry  which  can  be  given  to  day,  is,  that  it  is  the  chemistry 
of  the  compounds  of  carbon.  The  department  of  organic  chemistry  has 
grown  out  of  ordinary  chemistry  solely  because  of  the  fact  that  the  compounds 
of  carbon  with  hydrogen,  oxygen,  and  nitrogen  are  more  numerous,  and  often 
of  more  complex  composition  than  the  compounds  found  by  any  of  the 
other  elements.  These  compounds  of  carbon  with  hydrogen,  and  with 
the  other  elements,  are  all  definite  chemical  compounds,  conforming  to  the 
law  of  multiple  proportions  ;  but  they  count  by  thousands,  and  the  mere 
enumeration  of  their  names  and  properties  would  fill  a  volume."  Under 
carbonic  acid,  respiration,  fermentation  and  ventilation  are  brought  in,  and 
under  carbonic  oxide,  the  whole  subject  of  flame,  combustion,  lamps,  fur. 
naces,  blowpipes,  etc. 
The  alkaline  metals  sodium,  potassium,  and  the  ammonia  salts  are  in 
the  next  group,  including  alkalimetry,  the  soda  manufacture,  saltpetre 
refining,  glass,  etc. 
Silver  is  classed  with  lithium,  rubidium,  caesium,  and  thallium,  in  which 
chapter  spectrum,  analysis  and  photography  are  treated  of,  and  that  prop- 
erty or  tendency  of  elements  to  combine  with  one,  two,  three  or  more 
volumes  of  hydrogen,  which  is  now  understood  by  the  generic  term 
quantivalence,  and  the  specific  terms  univalence,  bivalence,  trivalence,  etc. 
Calcium,  strontium,  barium  and  lead  are  a  group — magnesium,  zinc  and 
cadmium,  another;  aluminium,  glucinum,  chromium,  manganese,  iron, 
cobalt,  nickel  and  uranium  are  brought  together  as  the  sesqui-oxide  group, 
having  certain  properties  in  common  but  varying  in  others.  The  alums 
are  here  brought  in. 
Copper  and  mercury;  titanium  and  tin,  molybdenum,  vanadium  and 
tungstenum  ;  and  finally  gold  and  the  platinum  metals,  with  some  concluding 
remarks  on  atomic  weights,  specific  heat  and  chemical  manipulations  in 
the  form  of  an  appendix. 
The  book  is  handsomely  printed  and  carefully  proof-read,  and  is  a  very 
creditable  addition  to  our  chemical  literature. 
An  introduction  to  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry,  by  John  Attfield,  Ph.  D., 
F.  C.  S.,  Prof,  of  Practical  Chemistry  to  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of 
Great  Britain.     London  :    John  Van  Voorst  ;  pp.  477,  12  mo. 
This  is  a  period  fruitful  in  books  on  chemistry.    Formerly  these  works, 
appearing  at  long  intervals,  embraced  the  whole  scope  of  the  science,  but 
now-a-days  we  have  them  adapted  to  manufacturing,  physiology,  toxicolo- 
gy, analysis,  medicine  and  pharmacy.     In  the  instance  before  us  the 
object  of  the  author  is  to  teach  general  chemistry  practically  with  a  view 
to  its  use  by  the  pharmaceutical  student,  quite  a  different  sense  from  that 
of  "Wittstein's  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry/'  which  teaches  the  best  processes, 
in  tli8  authoi's  opinion,  for  preparing  Pharmaceutical  Chemicals,  and  in 
