Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
November,  1901.  J 
Reviews. 
569 
cally  only  in  the  starch-bearing  parenchyma  cells  of  the  rhizome 
and  the  rootlets.  The  alkaloids  are  found  most  abundantly  in  the 
older  parts  of  the  rhizome,  attaining  the  minimum  at  the  root  cap. 
The  stem  contains  some  alkaloid,  also  in  the  starch-bearing  paren- 
chyma, but  the  bulb  scales  and  the  leaves  contain  only  traces. 
This  is  out  of  harmony  with  the  previous  investigations  of  Borcon, 
who  claimed  that  the  alkaloid  was  chiefly  found  in  the  cell  walls  of 
the  epidermis — an  error  in  judgment,  due  to  the  use  of  concentrated 
sulphuric  acid  as  the  reagent. — (Dr.  Rinquist,  Ph.  Post,  1901,  117.) 
H.  V.  A. 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
Practical  Text-Book  of  Plant  Physiology.  By  Daniel  Trembly 
Macdougal.  With  149  illustrations.  London  and  Bombay :  Long- 
mans, Green  &  Co. 
This  work  is  intended  to  bring  together  the  facts  and  theories 
regarding  plant  physiology  so  that  the  student  may  profitably  pursue 
such  investigation.  The  author  has  not  only  drawn  from  his  own 
resources  but  has  obtained  the  fortunate  cooperation  of  a  number 
of  well-known  American  botanists  in  the  preparation  of  certain 
parts  of  the  book.  The  following  is  a  synopsis  of  the  contents  of 
the  work:  (1)  Nature  and  relations  of  an  organism;  (2)  relation  of 
plants  to  mechanical  forces;  (3)  influence  of  chemicals  upon  plants; 
(4)  relation  of  plants  to  water;  (5)  relation  of  plants  to  gravitation; 
(6)  relation  of  plants  to  temperature  ;  (7)  relation  of  plants  to  elec- 
tricity and  other  forms  of  energy;  (8)  relation  of  plants  to  light; 
(9)  composition  of  the  body;  (10)  exchanges  and  movements  of 
fluids,  (11)  nutritive  metabolism;  (12)  respiration,  fermentation, 
and  digestion;  (13)  growth;  (14)  reproduction ;  (15)  an  appendix 
of  tables;  (16)  an  index. 
It  is  extremely  fortunate  that  the  author  has  collaborated  the 
results  of  the  various  investigators  in  physiological  botany  and 
brought  them  together  in  such  a  small  volume.  One  of  the  most 
wholesome  lessons  to  be  learned  from  a  careful  perusal  of  the  book 
is  the  extensive  theorizing  that  is  done  in  this  branch  of  botany  on 
more  or  less  isolated  experiments  and  the  careful  work  that  is  neces- 
sary in  order  to  develop  the  science  of  plant  physiology.  For  in- 
stance, in  the  portion  on  "  the  influence  of  chemicals  on  the  toxicity 
