576 
EDITORIAL. 
the  writing  of  prescriptions,  the  art  of  combining  medicines,  and  the  list  of 
examples  of  prescriptions,  are  intended  more  specially  for  the  medical 
student,  but  embrace  much  of  interest  to  the  student  and  practitioner  of 
Pharmacy.  On  the  whole,  we  have  been  much  pleased  with  this  "  Introduc- 
tion to  Practical  Pharmacy,"  and  believe  it  will  prove  a  valuable  addition  to 
our  pharmaceutical  literature,  and  especially  valuable  to  medical  students 
who  aim  at  learning  more  of  Pharmacy  than  the  ingredients  of  its  formulae. 
There  are  portions  of  the  book  obnoxious  to  criticism,  and  it  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  point  out  errors  which  should  have  been  avoided,  and  improvements 
which  might  have  been  introduced,  but  the  late  period  at  which  the  sheets 
were  placed  in  our  hands,  and  the  limited  space  left  in  this  concluding 
form,  precludes  our  bringing  them  to  notice,  as  it  equally  prevents  us  from 
gratifying  our  readers  by  giving  some  examples  of  the  novelties,  style,  and 
illustrations  of  the  author,  which  we  hope  to  be  able  to  do  in  a  future 
number. 
The  Book  of  Prescriptions,  containing  2,900  Prescriptions,  collected  from 
the  practice  of  the  most  eminent  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  English  and 
foreign,  comprising  also  a  compendious  history  of  the  Materia  Medica  of 
all  countries,  alphabetically  arranged  ;  and  lists  of  the  doses  of  all  officinal 
or  established  preparations.  By  Henry  Beasley,  Philadelphia,  Lindsay 
&  Blakiston,  1855,  pp.  369,  12  mo. 
As  this  book  is  a  reprint  from  the  English,  the  extemporaneous  formula 
are  mostly  those  of  British,  physicians  and  consequently  in  many  instances 
have  reference  to  preparations  of  different  strength  and  composition  from  those 
that  are  employed  here.  They  are  clothed  in  a  full  Latin  garb,  and  should 
the  work  become  popular  among  young  Physicians,  we  may  have  a  return 
to  the  now  nearly  obsolete  practice  of  writing  prescriptions  with  the  direc- 
tion in  Latin,  (or  dog  latin)  abbreviated  in  the  most  approved  style.  The 
prescriptions  are  arranged  under  the  heads  of  the  most  prominent  drug 
they  contain,  which  is  previously  described  in  a  brief  manner.  After 
many  of  the  prescriptions  the  diseases  for  which  they  are  intended  are 
stated,  and  in  most  instances  the  names  of  the  prescribers.  There  are, 
doubtless,  many  practitioners  who  will  find  in  this  book  a  substitute  for 
that  originality  of  thought  and  tact  in  therapeutics,  which  is  a  characteris- 
tic of  the  true  Physician,  and  to  these  we  commend  it.  As  regard  the 
"  getting  up,"  the  paper,  typography  and  binding  are  unexceptionable,  and 
highly  creditable  to  the  publishers. 
Report  on  the  Minerals  and  Mineral  Waters  of  Chile.    By  J.  Lawrence 
Smith,  Prof,  of  Chemistry,  University  of  Louisville.  25  pp.  4to. 
Memoir  on  Meteorites.    By  the  same. 
We  have  only  space  to  acknowledge  the  reception  of  the  above  Memoirs 
from  the  author,  and  to  observe  that  the  first  "  report"  is  on  the  Minerals, 
etc.,  brought  from  South  America  by  the  U.  S.  Naval  Astronomical  Expedi- 
tion sent  to  Chile  several  years,  since  under  Lieut.  Gillis. 
