92 
Book  Reviews. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\    February,  1909 
for  homemade  ales,  beers  and  pops  as  well  as  for  aerated  waters, 
effervescent  salines,  syrups,  etc.  The  author  doffs  his  hat  to  the 
superiority  of  American  soda  water  syrups  and  admits  that  "  Ameri- 
can drinks  are  as  far  ahead  of  English  as  a  glass  of  a  good  vintage 
of  champagne  is  above  a  glass  of  the  gooseberry  article,  and  it 
might  be  profitable  to  take  a  lesson  or  two  from  transatlantic  expe- 
rience.'' This  judgment  is  fully  explained  and  confirmed  by  the 
unsatisfactory  formulas  for  fruit  syrups  that  follow.  Many  of 
these  are  composed  of  artificial  essences,  artificial  colorings,  and 
artificial  acids  instead  of  the  American  standards  for  pure  fruit 
juices  and  pure  fruit  syrups. 
Chapter  VI  is  entitled  "  Culinary  and  Household  Requisites."  and 
the  variety  of  formulas  classified  under  this  heading  is  surprising. 
It  includes  such  subjects  as  "  ketchups,"  sausage  colorings  and  fla- 
vorings, baking  powders,  artificial  fruit  essences,  potted  meats, 
sauces,  pickles,  furniture,  stove  and  metal  polishes,  pest  extermina- 
tors, etc.  That  these  are  offered  as  "  pharmaceutical  "  would  indi- 
cate that  British  pharmacists  in  the  rural  districts  are  probably 
quite  as  much  general  storekeepers  as  are  the  country  druggists  in 
America.  Among  food  preservatives,  benzoic  acid  and  sodium 
benzoate  are  not  mentioned,  although  their  use  for  this  purpose,  at 
least  in  America,  has  been  very  extensive. 
Horticultural  and  agricultural  preparations  are  covered  in  a 
chapter.  Fungoid  diseases  of  fruits  and  crops  and  insect  enemies 
are  liberally  dealt  with  in  the  formulas.  Likewise  grafting  waxes, 
weed  killers,  cattle  powders,  sheep  dips,  veterinary  remedies,  poultry 
yand  bird  foods  and  medicines  are  some  of  the  topics  considered. 
Chapter  VIII  treats  in  an  interesting  way  of  the  history  of  writ- 
ing materials  with  numerous  recipes  for  all  kinds. of  inks.  The  next 
chapter  is  given  to  varnishes,  polishes  and  stains  and  should  be  of 
special  value  to  dealers  in  such  products  and  also  to  wood  and  metal 
workers.  It  is  noticeable  that  all  the  formulas  for  lacquers  are  for 
shellac  combinations  and  that  the  pyroxylin  lacquer  now  extensively 
used  by  metal-ware  manufacturers  is  not  mentioned. 
Photographic  chemicals  and  materials  are  treated  in  a  separate 
chapter  and  the  various  methods  for  preparing  gelatin  plates  are 
outlined  and  numerous  formulas  for  developing,  fixing,  mounting, 
etc.,  are  given. 
Products  that  from  their  character  and  use  are  not  readilv  clas- 
sified are  grouped  in  a  "  miscellaneous  "  chapter  and  here  we  find 
