REVIEWS. 
315 
REVIEWS. 
Die  Pflanzenstoffe  in  chemischer,  pTiysiologiscJier,  pharmaJcolo- 
gischer  und  toxihologischer  Hinsicht.  Fur  Aerzte^  ApotheJcer, 
Chemiker  und  Pharmakologen  bearbeitet  von  Dr.  Aug.  Huse- 
,  mann  (Professor  der  Chemie  an  der  Kantonschule  in  Chur) 
und  Dr.  Theod.  Husemann  (Privatdocent  der  Pharmakologie 
und  Toxicologic  an  der  Universitat  Gottingen).  Berlin,  Julius 
Springer,  1870. 
The  vegetable  compounds  in  their  chemical,  physiological, 
pharmacological  and  toxicological  relations.  For  physicians, 
apothecaries,  chemists  and  pharmacologists. 
We  have  received  the  first  part  of  this  work  (256  pages), 
which  the  authors  hope  to  complete  in  two  more  parts  of  about 
the  same  size.  We  consider  it  of  such  importance  as  to  deserve 
an  extended  notice,  although  we  can  hardly  do  justice  to  the 
great  labor  bestowed  upon  the  subject. 
The  introductory  chapter  treats,  in  a  concise  manner,  on  the 
nourishment  of  plants,  the  changes  which  the  inorganic  food 
undergoes  in  passing  from  cell  to  cell,  on  the  importance  of  the 
proximate  principles  of  plants  in  medicine,  and  their  internal, 
endermatic  and  hypodermic  employment,  on  physiological  and 
pharmacological  observations,  and  on  toxicology.  The  chapter 
concludes  with  the  classification  of  the  vegetable  compounds 
adopted  by  the  authors,  namely,  in  proximate  principles  (alka- 
loids, acids,  neutral  principles)  and  in  mixtures  (volatile  oils, 
resins,  fats). 
The  following  43  pages  contain  the  general  remarks  on  the 
alkaloids,  a  historical  sketch,  their  occurrence  in  certain  natural 
orders,  genera,  species,  and  difi'erent  parts  of  plants,  their  pre- 
paration and  purification,  their  physical  and  chemical  properties, 
forensic  analysis,  physiological  action  and  therapeutical  uses, 
antidotes  and  the  forms  in  which  they  are  usually  exhibited. 
The  different  alkaloids  are  then  considered,  arranged  according 
to  the  natural  orders  in  which  they  occur,  and  the  text  amply  sup- 
plied with  marginal  notes  to  facilitate  the  finding  of  the  differ- 
ent subjects.  For  morphia  (p.  111-145)  we  find  the  following 
subheadings  :  Literature  (chemical,  pharmacological  and  toxico- 
logical), discovery,  occurrence,  preparation,  processes  (Sertiir- 
