286 
Reviews  and  Bibliographical  Notices.  { 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
June  1, 1873. 
ture;  in  fact,  aside  from  the  morphological  relation  of  the  drugs,  the  structure 
alone  will  in  the  future,  probably,  furnish  the  only  true  scientific  basis  for  the 
correct  classification  of  drugs.  The  cinchona  barks  alone  are  sufficient  to 
demonstrate  the  necessity  of  such  a  system,  afler  the  patient  and  important 
labors  of  Weddell,  Delondre,  Howard,  Berg  and  others,  which  will  doubtless 
be  gradually  perfected,  since  the  cultivation  of  numerous  species  of  cinchona 
in  different  parts  of  the  world  make  it  possible  now  to  study  the  bark  of  each 
species  during  different  periods  of  its  growth,  instead  of  the  commercial  bark, 
which  was  hitherto  mostly  of  uncertain  origin  or  an  evident  mixture  of  the 
barks  of  various  species. 
Individuals  of  the  same  species  resemble  each  other  closely  in  their  interna! 
structure,  though  they  may  differ  widely  in  regard  to  their  external  properties, 
in  consequence  of  locality  of  growth  or  cultivation,  exposure  to  sunlight, 
moisture,  &c,  and  of  terrestrial  and  climatic  conditions  generally.  This 
external  variation  and  internal  resemblance  extend  likewise  to  most  morpho- 
logical parts  of  plants,  under  the  same  conditions  which  promote  or  retard  the 
healthy  development  of  the  plants,  and  are  further  influenced  by  the  treatment 
which  such  parts  may  undergo  in  their  preparation  for  the  market.  On  the 
other  hand,  similar  parts  of  different  allied  species  of  plants  frequently  resem- 
ble each  other  in  their  physical  properties,  so  that  the  surest  method  to  distin- 
guish them  is  ultimately  found  in  their  structural  differences. 
Such  considerations  determined  the  practical  application  of  physiological 
botany  to  pharmaceutical  materia  medica,  and  out  of  the  field  of  the  former, 
it  is  particularly  phytotomy  or  vegetable  anatomy,  and  to  a  certain  extent  also 
vegetable  physiology,  which  are  of  importance  to  the  student  of  pharmacog- 
nosy;  and  to  make  these  disciplines  more  accessible  to  the  latter,  awaken  his 
interest  and  induce  him  to  individual  researches,  are  among  the  nearer  objects 
of  the  work  before  us,  in  its  ultimate  endeavor  at  collecting,  sifting  and  mould- 
ing into  a  harmonious  whole  the  investigations  and  results  obtained  in  those 
collateral  branches  which  really  furnish  the  foundation  upon  which  the  claims 
of  pharmacognosy  as  a  science  rest. 
The  object  in  view  has  been  attained  by  the  author  in  a  masterly  manner,  and 
prominent  among  the  attractive  features  of  his  treatise  are  the  simplicity  and 
lucidness  of  his  statements,  the  clearness  of  his  logical  deductions,  the  admir- 
ably executed  illustrations,  and  the  interest  for  his  subject  which  he  infuses 
into  the  reader. 
The  scope  of  the  work  is  shown  by  the  headings  of  the  chapters,  which  are 
as  follow  :  Object  of  pharmacognosy,  treatment  of  the  material  (mother-plants, 
geographical  distribution,  culture,  collection,  history,  &c),  aids  of  study  (cabi~ 
nets,  literature),  morphological  relations  (roots,  tubers,  bulbs,  &c),  internal 
structure,  tissues,  intercellular  spaces,  chemical  constitution  of  cell  walls,  solid 
contents,  liquid  contents  of  cells,  microchemical  reagents. 
Third  and  Fourth  Annual  Reports  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Indiana,  made 
during  the  Years  1871  and  1872.  By  B.  T.  Cox,  State  Geologist,  assisted  by 
Prof.  John  Collett,  Prof.  B.  C.  Hobbs,  Prof.  R.  B.  Warder  and  Dr.  G.  M. 
Levette.  Indianapolis :  R.  J.  Bright,  State  Printer,  1872.  8vo,  pp.  488, 
with  4  maps  in  separate  cover. 
