224  Obituary.  {^Apru.Ss""'' 
dies,  the  process  for  the  manufacture  of  which  is  protected  by  patents ;  but 
we  submit  that  the  case  is  entirely  different,  since  these  do  not  pretend  to  be 
pharmacopoeial  preparations. 
Prof.  Wall's  work  commence?^  with  general  considerations  about  prescriptions 
and  pharmacopoeial  (called  otficicd )  and  non-pharmacopceial  (called  officinal) 
preparations ;  then  follow>=  a  chapter  on  weights  and  measures,  speaking  a  good 
word  for  decimal  numeratiijn  and  systems.  The  third  chapter,  on  language, 
treats  in  a  very  clear  way  ( )f  the  grammatical  construction  of  prescriptions, 
and  of  the  various  terms  and  abbreviations  emploj'ed  including  words  and 
phrases  which  may  be  considered  obsolete  in  the  United  States.  The  conclu- 
ding chapter  on  extemporaneous  prescriptions  is  replete  with  sound  advice  and 
practical  suggestious,  and  a  good  index  aids  in  consulting  the  work  which  we 
heartily  recommend  to  both  physicians  and  pharmacists. 
Flora  Peoriana.    The   vegetation  in  the  climate  of  Middle   Illinois.  Bv 
Frederick  Brendel.    Peoria,  111. :  J.  W.  Franks  &  Sons,  1887.  8vo.  pp.  89. 
This  excellent  monogi'aph  on  the  Hora  of  a  small  portion  of  Illinois  is  the 
result  of  35  years  of  observation,  and  constitutes  a  very  valuable  contribution 
to  phyto-geography.  We  have  noticed  the  same  work  in  this  Jom^nal,  1883,  p. 
57,  when  five  years  ago,  it  appeared  as  a  reprint  h'om  the  transactions  of  the  Hun- 
garian Museum  at  Budapest.  Close  and  careful  observation,  protracted  study 
and  critical  deductions  are  evident  tlwoughout  the  entire  work. 
Report  on  the  Flora  of  Western  and  Southern  Texas.  By  Dr.  V.  Havard,  U.  S.  A. 
This  reprint  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  U.  S.  Xational  Museum,  vol.  viii., 
is  a  valuable  contribution  towards  our  knowledge  of  the  distribution  of  plants 
in  a  portion  of  Texas.  It  takes  into  consideration  the  typographical,  climatic 
and  other  conditions  favoring  the  homes  of  plants  or  interfering  with  their 
vigorous  development,  and  under  "  Economic  Notes  "  gives  very  valuable  in- 
formation, of  the  uses  to  which  many  plants  are  put,  or  of  then-  deleterious 
influence  upon  man  or  various  animals. 
OBITUAEY. 
Joseph  Zentmayer,  the  well-known  optician,  died  in  this  city  March  29th, 
after  a  lingering  illness,  at  the  age  of  62  years.  He  was  born  in  Mannheim, 
Germany,  March  27th,  1826,  where  he  also  learned  his  trade  as  a  maker  of 
mathematical  and  astronomical  instruments.  He  came  to  this  country  in 
1848,  and  five  years  later  established  himself  in  Philadelphia  as  a  manufac- 
turer of  instruments  of  precision.  In  1855  he  made  his  first  microscopes  for 
the  Academ}^  of  Natural  Sciences  and  for  Dr.  Paul  B.  Goddard  and  others 
of  its  members,  and  henceforth  he  devoted  his  time  and  energy  towards  the 
perfection  of  this  instrument  with  such  success,  that  the  Zentmayer  micro- 
scopes soon  enjoyed  a  world-wide  reputation.  These  instruments  have 
made  his  name  familiar  to  the  pharmacists,  and  to  photographers  it  became 
known  through  the  Zentmayer  objective,  a  novel  combination  of  lenses, 
particularly  useful  for  very  high  objects.  The  deceased  was  a  member  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society,  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  etc., 
and  an  honorary  member  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science. 
