542 
Reviezvs. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pliarni. 
X    October,  1895. 
The  National  Association  should  have  led  in  this  matter,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  Kentucky  Association,  with  the  good  of  all  at  heart,  will  do  as  the 
originators  of  the  Formulary  did — offer  it  to  the  American  Association  next  year, 
and  thereby  enable  every  pharmacist  in  the  United  States  to  secure  copies  at  a 
very  low  price  ;  for  by  printing  one  large  edition,  a  much  better  rate  can  be 
secured  than  by  each  State  Association  undertaking  to  print  its  own. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
Chemistry  of  Urine. — A  practical  guide  to  the  analytical  examination  of 
diabetic,  albuminous  and  gouty  urine.  By  Alfred  H.  Allen,  F.I.C.,  F.C.S. 
Philadelphia  :  P.  Blakiston,  Son  &  Co.  1895. 
There  have  been  many  books  on  the  chemistry  of  urine  written  by  physicians, 
but  few  by  the  members  of  other  professions.  Now,  however,  we  have  one  by  a 
chemist  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  who  writes  not  of  what  others  have  said 
so  much  as  of  his  own  experience  in  his  laboratory  with  a  great  variety  of 
samples. 
Mr.  Allen  is  well  known  by  his  valuable  volumes  on  Commercial  Organic 
Analysis,  and  the  present  work  of  212  pages  is  in  binding  uniform  with  them. 
The  scope  of  the  work  can  best  be  comprehended  by  the  following  quotation 
from  the  preface:  "  While  attempting  to  bring  the  majority  of  the  tests  and 
processes  within  the  scope  of  every -day  clinical  diagnosis,  or  of  the  reports  re- 
quired for  life  assurance,  I  have  also  described  other  methods  which  cannot  be 
applied  except  by  those  accustomed  to  analytical  work,  and  who  are  possessed 
of  the  appliances  of  a  well-appointed  laboratory. 
"  While  desiring  to  give  special  prominence  to  the  methods  of  examining 
diabetic,  albuminous  and  gouty  urine,  it  appeared  undesirable  to  omit  all  refer- 
ence to  subjects  of  collateral  interest,  such  as  the  proportions  of  urea  and  total 
nitrogen  in  urine,  the  recent  researches  on  creatinine  and  on  xanthine  deriva- 
tives, and  the  behavior  of  urinary  coloring  matters." 
The  author  has  adhered  to  a  rule  in  regard  to  spelling,  which  should  be  uni- 
versally adopted,  as  follows:  "  The  term  'albumen  '  should  be  limited  to  its 
original  signification,  namely,  the  white  of  egg,  the  word  '  albumin  '  being 
applied  to  the  most  characteristic  constituent  thereof,  and  extended  to  other 
analagous  substances  contained  in  blood-serum,  etc." 
The  following  are  the  leading  sections  of  the  work:  General  composition  of 
urine,  preliminary  examination  of  urine,  diabetic  urine,  albuminous  urine,  the 
nitrogenized  constituents  of  urine,  coloring  matters  of  urine,  and  appendix. 
Acetonuria  is  included  in  the  section  on  diabetic  urine,  and  the  author,  after 
quoting  a  number  of  tests,  recommends  the  one  in  which  iodoform  is  formed  by 
the  addition  of  potassium  hydrate  and  solution  of  iodine. 
A  number  of  processes  are  given  for  the  detection  and  estimation  of  glucose, 
and  we  note  with  satisfaction  that  it  is  recommended  to  remove  phosphates, 
uric  acid,  xanthine,  creatinine  and  albumin,  before  applying  the  tests  for  glu- 
cose or  attempting  to  estimate  it;  this  is  a  precaution  which  is  not  sufficiently 
emphasized  in  the  works  which  have  heretofore  been  written  on  the  subject. 
The  phe^d-hydrazine  test  has  received  full  consideration,  the  following  state- 
ment being  made  in  regard  to  it:    "As  all  the  methods  of  detecting  sugar  in 
