Ara^o0vU:-,?76a"°-}  Reviews,  etc.  525 
It  will  be  further  observed  that,  as  in  the  table  published  in  the  former  circular,  Philadelphia  occupies 
an  exceptionally  favorable  position.  With  the  exception  of  London,  whose  rate  of  mortality  is  nearly 
identical,  Philadelphia  presents  a  considerably  lower  rate  than  any  other  of  the  great  cities,  while,  in 
comparison  with  its  nearest  neighbors,  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  its  superiority  is  both  striking  and  sug- 
gestive. 
In  calculating  the  rate  of  mortality  in  Philadelphia  during  the  past  twenty  weeks,  the  population  has. 
been  estimated  at  900,000.  Those  who  have  carefully  studied  the  movement  of  its  population,  expect, 
however,  that,  in  consequence  of  the  large  influx  of  visitors,  this  estimate  is  below  rather  than  above  the 
mean  daily  population.  It  must  further  be  borne  in  mind  that,  while  a  considerable  portion  of  its  more 
favored  classes  were,  as  usual,  absent  from  Philadelphia  during  the  summer  months,  the  lower  classes, 
among  whom  the  mortality  is  always  greater  at  this  season  of  year,  were  largely  reinforced.  If,  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  it  be  considered  that  a  comparatively  large  amount  of  sickness  mighj;  have  been  expecbed 
among  the  vast  throngs  of  unacclimated  visitors  reaching  the  city  after  long  and  hurried  journeys,  and 
exposed  to  excitement  and  excessive  fatigue,  the  full  significance  of  the  remarkable  table  above  given 
will,  it  is  hoped,  be  appreciated  by  all.  As  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  the  maintenance  of  pub- 
lic health,  is  the  purity  of  the  water  supply,  it  is  with  great  satisfaction  that  we  learn  from  the  official 
report  furnished  by  Dr.  Charles  M.  Cresson,  the  distinguished  analytical  chemist,  that  the  purity  of  the 
water  supplied  from  the  Schuylkill  River  to  the  Exposition  Grounds  and  the  neighborhood  is  fully  up  to 
the  standard  of  the  past  four  years. 
As  the  summer  months,  during  which  time  alone  any  fears  could  be  entertained  for  the  development  of 
wide-spread  disease,  have  passed  with  such  gratifying  results,  it  is  not  premature  to  express  the  feeling  of 
thankfulness  and  congratulation  that  during  this  important  year  Philadelphia  has  been  favored  with  the 
same  exceptionally  low  rate  of  mortality  she  has  so  long  enjoyed. 
WILLIAM  PEPPER,  Medical  Director. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
Chemistry:  General,  Medical  and  Pharmaceutical,  including  the  Chemistry  of  the 
"  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.11  A  manual  on  the  general  principles  of  the  science  and 
their  applications  in  medicine  and  pharmacy.  By  John  Attfield,  Ph.D.,  F.C.S., 
etc.    Seventh  edition.    Philadelphia  :  Henry  C.  Lea,  1876.     nmo,  pp.  668. 
Since  1871,  when  the  first  American  edition  of  this  work  v\ as  published,  two  more 
editions  have  been  issued  in  this  country,  the  volume  before  us  being  the  third, 
leaving  four  editions  which  appeared  in  England  between  the  years  1867  and 
1875.  The  favor  with  which  this  work  has  been  received  in  both  countries  is  alone 
proof  of  its  great  utility  ;  and,  after  having  used  it  as  a  text-book  in  the  laboratory 
of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  during  the  last  five  years,  we  can  speak, 
from  our  own  experience  and  testify  to  its  intrinsic  value  in  the  practical  instruction 
of  the  student.  The  more  we  have  used  it,  the  more  we  were  pleased  with  it,  and  on 
the  appearance  of  anew  revised  and  enlarged  edition,  we  take  occasion  to  again 
cordially  recommend  it,  believing  that  for  the  practical  instruction  of  pharmaceuti- 
cal students  in  chemistry  it  has  no  superior  in  the  English  language. 
This  seventh  edition  is  considerably  enlarged  and  improved,  and  is  embellished 
with  eighty-seven  illustrations,  each  one  being  of  practical  utility  in  aiding  the 
student  in  the  performance  of  investigations.  On  page  386  we  notice  an  omission 
to  notice  an  improvement  introduced  in  the  last  "  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.1'  It  is 
stated  there,  that  in  the  process  for  preparing  resina  podophylli  no  acid  was  ordered. 
This  was  correct  for  the  former  "  Pharmacopoeia,11  but  not  for  the  present  one. 
Chemia  Coartata,  or  the  key  to  modern  chemistry.  By  A.  W.  Kollmyer,  A.M.? 
M  D.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics  at  the  University  of 
Bishop's  College}  Professor  of  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacy  at  the  Montreal 
College  of  Pharmacy,  and  late  Professor  of  Chemistry,  etc.  Philadelphia  :  Lind- 
say &  Blakiston.    pp.  m.    Price,  cloth,  $2.25. 
The  author  intends  this  work  as  a  useful  aid  to  those  who,  from  business  occupa- 
tion or  from  any  other  circumstance,  may  not  have  sufficient  time  at  their  disposal 
to  consult  more  voluminous  works,  and  it  has  therefore  been  his  main  object  to 
compress  into  as  small  a  space  as  possible  everything  connected  with  chemistry  that 
deserves  attention,  and  to  give  no  more  explanatory  matter  than  is  actually  re- 
quired. This  aim  has  been  well  carried  out,  the  text  leaving  nothing  to  desire  in 
regard  to  briefness  and,  at  the  same  time,  sufficient  clearness,  to  enable  the  ad- 
vanced student  to  comprehend  the  intention  of  the  author.    The  information  given 
