Am.  Jour.  Pharm.l 
March,  1913.  J 
Book  Reviews. 
141 
embodied  in  the  several  laws  regulating  the  sale  of  poisons  and 
narcotics. 
Table  showing  the  requirements  embodied  in  the  laws  designed 
to  restrict  the  sale  and  use  of  cocaine  and  narcotics. 
Table  showing  the  requirements  relating  to  poisons  and  narcotics 
embodied  in  the  several  food  and  drug  laws. 
Table  showing  the  requirements  embodied  in  laws  designed  to 
restrict  occupational  intoxications. 
The  tables  are  followed  by  abstracts  and  references  to  Federal, 
State  and  Municipal  laws  and  regulations  relating  to  the  subject 
matter  -of  the  Bulletin.  The  abstracts,  in  turn,  are  arranged  uni- 
formly under  the  headings :  Sale  and  use  of  poisons :  Sale  and 
use  of  cocaine  and  narcotics :  Drugs  to  be  announced  on  label : 
Poisons  in  articles  of  commerce :  Occupational  intoxications :  Methyl 
alcohol :  Sale  and  use  of  intoxicating  liquors :  Practice  of  Phar- 
macy :  and :  Standards  for  drugs.  All  of  the  contained  material 
is  reviewed  in  a  comparative  way  in  an  analytical  index  of  18 
double  column  pages.  As  pointed  out  in  the  introductory  paragraphs 
of  this  Bulletin  the  health  and  life  destroying  influences  of  poison- 
ous substances  are  a  more  potent  factor  in  undermining  the  public 
health  than  is  generally  appreciated  or  even  suspected,  despite  the 
more  than  8,000  deaths  annually  reported  as  being  directly  due  to 
the  ingestion  or  inhalation  of  poisonous  substances.  The  material 
presented  in  the  278  pages  of  the  pamphlet  under  discussion  should 
be  the  cause  for  a  public  awakening  to  the  possible  dangers  from 
the  promiscuous  sale  and  use  .of  poisonous  substances  and  the  Bulle- 
tin should  serve  to  direct  the  attention  of  druggists  generally  to  the 
shortcomings  evidenced  in  the  several  State  laws,  and  lead  them  to 
insist  that  the  safeguards  for  the  protection  of  the  health  and  lives 
of  the  public  should  be  improved  and  strengthened  and  having  done 
this  they  should  insist  that  the  laws  be  strictly  enforced  so  that 
every  death  due  to  the  ingestion  or  use  of  a  poisonous  substance  be 
thoroughly  investigated  and  the  blame  fixed  on  the  person  or 
persons  whose  laxity  in  selling  or  handling  the  poisonous  compounds 
is  at  fault. 
Copies  of  this  Bulletin,  to  the  limit  of  the  edition,  for  free  dis- 
tribution, may  be  obtained  by  addressing' the  "Surgeon  General, 
U.  S.  Public  Health  Service,  Washington,  D.  C."  Additional  copies 
of  the  publication  may  be  procured  from  the  "  Superintendent  of 
Documents,  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington,  D.  C.,"  at 
25  cents  per  copy. 
