576 
Reviews^  etc. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec.  1875. 
En  Raekke  Drikkenjandsundersogelser  et  for  sag  i  retning  af  en  Drikke^uandsstatistik.  Af 
August  Fleury.  Med  et  forord  af  Dr.  E.  Hornemann.  Kjobenhavn  :  A.  F. 
Host  &  Son.    1875.    Svo,  pp.  41. 
A  Series  of  Examinations  of  Drinkwater,  and  an  Attempt  at  a  Statistic  of  Drink- 
water. 
The  author  was  a  Danish  pharmacist  who,  after  having  studied  under  S.  M. 
Jorgensen,  Jul.  Thomsen  and  others,  went  to  finish  his  education  under  Pettenkofer 
at  Munich,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  25  years.  After  a  critical  review  of  the 
water  analyses  as  usually  conducted  in  the  various  States  of  Europe,  he  insists  upon 
the  necessity  of  a  uniform  system,  and  suggests  that  in  all  cases,  not  only  the  water 
which  is  being  used,  but  likewise  the  water  which  may  be  used  hereafter,  should  be 
frequently  analyzed,  with  regard  to  the  hygienic  conditions  of  the  locality  as  well  as 
the  chemical  composition.  The  constituents  to  be  determined  are  ammonia,  nitric, 
carbonic,  hydrochloric  and  sulphuric  acids,  carburetted  hydrogen  and  the  amount  of 
residue  left  on  evaporation  ;  besides  which,  the  appearance  of  the  sediments  under 
the  microscope,  depth  of  well,  etc.,  should  be  noted.  Forty  different  waters  of 
Copenhagen  had  been  thus  examined  by  the  author,  who  then  considers  the  methods 
for  estimating  the  quality  of  drinkwater,  in  which  more  than  o"oi3  gram  of  nitric 
acid  in  the  litre  (the  amount  contained  in  rainwater)  would  indicate  a  contamination 
with  organic  matter,  while  muriatic  and  sulphuric  acids  in  larger  quantities  would 
point  towards  a  contamination  with  sewage.  Permanganate  of  potassium  alone  is 
not  a  reliable  criterion  for  the  quality  of  drinkwater. 
The  Cholera  Epidemic  of  1873  f  the  United  States.    Washington:  Government 
Printing  Office.    1875.    8vo,  pp.  1,025. 
The  main  portion  of  the  volume  before  us  consists  of  a  history  of  the  cholera 
epidemic  of  1873  United  States,  by  Eli  McClellan,  M.  D,,  Assistant  Surgeon 
U.  S.  A.  j  a  history  of  the  travels  of  Asiatic  cholera,  by  John  C.  Peters,  M.  D.  and 
Eli  McClellan,  M.  D.,  and  a  bibliography  of  cholera,  by  John  S.  Billings,  M.  D. 
These  are  preceded  by  some  considerations  on  the  introduction  of  epidemic  cholera 
through  the  agency  of  the  mercantile  marine,  and  suggestions  of  measures  of  pre- 
vention, by  John  M.  Woodworth,  M.  D.,  Supervising  Surgeon  of  the  U.  S.  Mer- 
chant Marine  Hospital  Service. 
Medicinal  Plants  5  being  3.  Description  of  the  Principal  Plants  Employed  in  Medi- 
cine, and  an  Account  of  their  Properties  and  Uses.  By  Robert  Bentley,  F.  L.  S., 
and  Henry  Trimen,  M.  B.,  F.  L.  S.  Philadelphia  :  Lindsay  &  Blakiston.  Large 
8vo.    Part  I.    Price,  $2.00. 
On  page  384  of  the  present  volume,  we  have  noticed,  from  proof-sheets  received, 
the  above  work,  of  which  part  ist  is  now  before  us,  which  contains  plates  and  de- 
scriptions of  Solanum  dulcamara^  Digitalis  purpurea^  Mentha  ^iridis^  M.  piperita , 
Mallotus  philippensis^  Croton  eluteria,  Cr.  tiglium  and  Stillingia  syl'vatica.  The 
plates  are  faithfully  executed  and  handsomely  colored,  and  the  letter-press  is  all 
that  can  be  desired. 
