228 
Book  Reviews. 
<  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I       May,  1913. 
shrunk  and  dried  up;  the  stomach  was  quite  empty,  but  not  deprived  of  its 
villous  coat. — Hist,  de  I'Academ.,  1748,  p.  84. 
In  those  days  of  heroic  medication  it  was  naturally  concluded 
that  a  drug  that  could  thus  kill  a  turkey  must  be  a  good  medicine 
to  cure  a  human  being,  a  process  of  reasoning  not  yet  altogether 
obsolete. 
After  much  discussion  with  his  professional  friends,  Withering 
records  his  opening  experiences,  as  follows : 
In  the  summer  of  the  year  1776,  I  ordered  a  quantity  of  the  leaves  to  be 
dried,  and  as  it  then  became  possible  to  ascertain  its  doses,  it  was  gradually 
adopted  by  the  medical  practitioners  in  the  circle  of  my  acquaintance. 
Having  stated  that  the  cases  he  cites  were  "  proven  from  my 
own.  experience,"  Withering  closes  his  historical  Preface  by  the 
admirable  and  conservative  summing  up  of  the  whole  matter  as 
follows : 
After  all,  in  spite  of  opinion,  prejudice,  or  error,  time  will  fix  the  real 
value  upon  this  discovery,  and  determine  whether  I  have  imposed  upon 
myself  and  others,  or  contributed  to  the  benefit  of  science  and  mankind. 
Between  1776  and  1785  the  Digitalis  discussion  became  very 
pronounced,  and  even  acrimonious.  The  entire  English  medical 
profession  became  more  or  less  involved,  some  considering  the  drug 
too  poisonous  to  use,  but  the  majority  pushing  it  to  the  limit,  and 
lauding  its  therapeutic  qualities. 
BOOK  REVIEWS. 
The  Qualitative  Analysis  of  Medicinal  Preparations. 
By  H.  C.  Fuller,  B.S.,  Chief  Analyst  of  Institute  of  Industrial 
Research,  Washington,  D.  C.  First  Edition.  First  Thousand. 
John  Wiley  &  Sons,  N.  Y.    12  mo. — vi+132  pages.   Cloth  $1.50  net. 
The  almost  unlimited  possibilities  in  the  matter  of  composition  of 
medicinal  preparations  makes  it  a  difficult  task  to  attempt  to  out- 
line any  systematic  procedure  for  the  recognition  of  the  hundreds 
of  active  principles  of  drugs,  of  which  a  number  may  be  present  in 
the  same  preparation.  Mr.  Fuller,  the  author  of  the  book  whose 
title  is  given  above,  has  had  abundant  experience  in  the  line  of  ex- 
amination of  such  preparations  to  qualify  him  for  the  task  which 
he  has  attempted,  but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  usefulness  of  the 
