5o 
Reviews. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
I    January,  1&98. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
An  Epitome  of  the  History  of  Medicine.  By  Roswell  Park,  A.M., 
M.D.  The  F.  A.  Davis  Company,  Philadelphia,  New  York  and  Chicago.  1897. 
The  author  believes  that  the  history  of  medicine  has  been  sadly  neglected  in 
our  medical  schools,  and  that  much  of  "what  not  to  do  "  might  be  learned  by 
a  more  careful  study  of  this  subject.  "  The  history  of  medicine,"  he  says,  "  is 
really  a  history  of  human  error  and  human  discovery.  During  the  past  2,000 
years  it  is  hard  to  say  which  has  prevailed." 
After  a  preliminary  history  of  the  very  earliest  times,  the  subject  is  divided 
according  to  the  arrangement  of  Renouard  as  follows  : 
Age  of  Foundation. — (1)  the  Primitive  Period,  or  that  of  Instinct,  begin- 
ning with  myth,  and  ending  with  the  destruction  of  Troy,  11 84  years  before 
Christ. 
(2)  The  Sacred  or  Mystic  Period,  ending  with  the  dispersion  of  the  Pythago- 
rean Society,  500  years  before  Christ. 
(3)  The  Philosophic  Period,  terminating  with  the  foundation  of  the  Alexan- 
drian library,  320  years  before  Christ. 
(4)  The  Anatomic  Period,  ending  with  the  death  of  Galen,  about  A.  D.  200. 
The  Second  Age,  or  that  of  Transition,  is  divided  into  a  fifth,  or 
'Greek  Period,  ending  at  the  burning  of  the  Alexandrian  library,  A.D.  640,  and 
a  sixth,  Arabic  Period,  ending  with  the  revival  of  letters,  A.  D.  1400. 
The  Third  Age,  or  that  of  Renovation,  includes  the  seventh  or  Eru- 
dite Period,  comprising  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries  ;  and  eighth,  or 
Reform  Period,  comprising  the  seventeenth,  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  cen- 
turies. 
With  such  a  groundwork,  a  very  readable  book  has  been  produced.  A  final 
chapter  of  some  ten  pages  is  devoted  to  "An  Epitome  of  the  History  of  Den- 
tistry." 
The  text  is  enlivened  and  the  whole  book  much  improved  by  fifty-six  excel- 
lent figures,  mostly  of  prominent  physicians,  beginning  with  Esoulapius,  and 
ending  with  Lord  Lister. 
The  book  is  written  in  excellent  style,  and  tends  to  hold  the  attention  of  the 
reader  throughout.  It  contains  a  large  amount  of  matter  admirably  condensed, 
and  we  only  notice  one  omission,  namely,  pharmacy  ;  no  reference  whatever 
is  made  to  this  important  part  of  medicine,  except  in  the  quoted  title  of  some 
book  or  paper.  Will  any  one  admit  that  the  history  of  medicine  in  any  age 
can  be  complete  without  some  reference  to  pharmacy? 
Introduction  to  Electrochemical  Experiments.  By  Dr.  Felix  Oettel. 
Translated  by  Edgar  F.  Smith.    P.  Blakiston,  Son  &  Co.,  Philadelphia.  1897. 
The  purpose  of  this  volume  is  to  furnish  technical  chemists  and  all  others  in- 
terested in  the  applications  of  electricity  to  chemical  manufacture  with  a  con- 
cise guide,  containing  in  a  compact  form  all  that  is  essential  for  the  comprehen- 
sion and  solution  of  problems  arising  in  this  comparatively  new  field  of  chemi- 
cal investigation.  The  subject  is  considered  under  the  following  headings: 
(1)  Source,  Measurement  and  Regulation  of  Current ;  (2)  Arrangement  of  Ex- 
periments ;  (3)  Phenomena  Observed  in  Electrolysis  ;  (4)  Preliminary  Experi- 
ments of  an  Electrolytic  Process  ;  (5)  Calculation  of  Necessary  Power,  Choice 
of  Dynamo;  (6)  Practical  Part;  (7)  Tables. 
