196 
Book  Reviews. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1906. 
with  301  illustrations.  Cloth,  $4.25,  net.  Philadelphia  and  New- 
York:  Lea  Brothers  &  Co.  1906. 
Caspari's  Pharmacy  has  been  written  with  the  view  of  affording 
to  students  and  pharmacists  a  kind  of  commentary  on  the  Pharma- 
copoeia. The  subjects  considered  are  grouped  under  three  distinct 
headings.  Part  I  comprises  general  pharmacy,  which  includes  the 
study  of  weights  and  measures,  specific  gravity,  the  application  and 
control  of  heat,  mechanical  subdivision  of  drugs  and  methods  of 
solution  and  separation,  together  with  a  classification  and  descrip- 
tion of  the  various  plant  products  and  solvents  used  in  pharmacy. 
Part  II  treats  of  practical  pharmacy,  or  the  study  of  official  galenical 
preparations  and  the  consideration  of  operations  of  the  dispensing 
counter.  This  is  one  of  the  most  original  and  valuable  portions  of 
the  book.  Part  III  is  devoted  to  the  study  of  pharmaceutical  chem- 
istry or  the  chemistry  of  the  inorganic  and  organic  substances  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia.  There  is  also  a  chapter  on  the  animal  products 
used  in  pharmacy. 
This  work  by  Caspari  contains  a  large  amount  of  information 
which  is  of  great  value  to  both  students  and  pharmacists.  The 
chemistry  of  the  book  is  particularly  strong.  Some  statements  in 
the  book  might  be  questioned  in  the  light  of  recent  researches,  as 
under  the  assay  of  ipecac,  where  it  is  stated  "  It  is  possible  to  sepa- 
rate the  cephaeline  from  the  emetine  .  .  .  but  for  purposes  of 
valuation  of  the  drug  this  more  tedious  method  is  quite  unneces- 
sary." The  researches  of  Paul  and  Cownley  (see  this  Journal, 
Vol.  73,  p.  116)  would  seem  to  show  that  this  is  as  necessary  as  the 
separation  of  strychnine  in  the  assay  of  nux  vomica  as  now  directed 
by  the  Pharmacopoeia.  There  are  a  number  of  typographical  errors, 
as  the  misspelling  of  the  Latin  botanical  name  of  the  plants  yielding 
strophanthin  (p.  789).  The  words  "  natural  order  "  occur  where  the 
term  "family"  should  be  used  in  a  number  of  cases  (pp.  734,  737,  etc.). 
Materia  Medica,  Pharmacy  and  Therapeutics.  Revised  in 
accordance  with  the  new  U.S.P.,  including  the  physiological  action 
of  drugs,  special  therapeutics  of  disease,  official  and  practical  pharm- 
acy, minute  directions  for  prescription  writing,  incompatibility,  etc. 
By  Samuel  O.  L.  Potter.  Tenth  edition.  Octavo.  Cloth,  $5.00; 
leather  or  half  morocco,  $6.00  net.  Philadelphia :  P.  Blakiston's 
Son  &  Co.,  1 01 2  Walnut  Street. 
