A Textbook of Pharmacognosy. 5th ed. BY GEORGE EDWARD TREASE. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1949. 811 pp. Illustrated. 14 × 22 cm. Price $8

A Textbook of Pharmacognosy. 5th ed. BY GEORGE EDWARD TREASE. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1949. 811 pp. Illustrated. 14 × 22 cm. Price $8

SCIENTIFIC EDITION 115 drug packages. Public sales and auctions of drugs have been brought up t o date. There is a very good chapter on drug cultiva...

106KB Sizes 22 Downloads 383 Views

SCIENTIFIC EDITION

115

drug packages. Public sales and auctions of drugs have been brought up t o date. There is a very good chapter on drug cultivation which is more helpful t o the English student of pharmacy than the American. We are attracted by the chapter of 26 pages on “The Constituents of Drugs.” This seems almost necessary in view of the fact that pharmacognosy very often is given before the student has had organic chemistry and the author has described these plant substances in a way t h a t the student can understand, even though he has not had organic chemistry. However, the information in this chapter must not be left until after the student has completed the study of the drugs but should be used in connection with the study of the drugs containing such active substances. The chapter on “Extraction of Drugs” is very appropriate because, from it, students will get a better understanding of the relation of the substance extracted t o its plant source and such terms as alkaloids, volatile oils, etc., will mean much more t o him. The chapter on powdered drugs includes a scheme A Textbook of Phurmacognosy. 5th ed. By GEORGE for the identification of a drug. A chapter on cell EDWARDTREASE.Williams & Wilkins, Baltistructure and one on cell contents are helpful in more, 1949. 811 pp. Illustrated. 14 x 22 cm. courses with time enough for such topics. Price S. Authors do not agree as t o whether textile fibers The planning of a textbook requires the inforrna- should be considered a part of pharmacognosy but tion of a well-trained student combined with years the author discusses these items which are of value of teaching by the author. We believe Professor since our pharmacopeias describe in detail items Trease has fulfilled these two requirements. He containing these fibers such as sutures, bandages, starts out with an excellent though brief history of and surgical dressings. The many illustrations showing the commercial pharmacognosy and descriptions of some important herbals, the latter considered by some as supple- preparation of the drug add much t o the value of the book as a text. ments t o pharmacognosies. The over-all picture is that of a n excellent text.The commerce of crude drugs in London is dealt ZUFALL. with in an excellent way with illustrations of various CHALMERS

pharmacy. Furthermore, a large portion of the book is devoted t o a commentary on official preparations and would presumably be used in conjunction with courses taught during years later than the first course. All of these facts scarcely justify the authors’ apprehension concerning the “rudimentary’lnature of the students’ background at the time of admission t o the study of pharmacy. The first portion of the book, titled “Theoretical Pharmacy,” is devoted t o those fundamental procedures and principles which are referred t o by the authors as the “mechanics of pharmacy.” The book would seem t o meet the need of some teachers as a text for the first course in pharmacy and as a text or reference book in other courses. Other readers, however, will feel that the authors have attempted t o cover a n excessive amount of material in the pages allotted. The usefulness as a text would undoubtedly be increased by the inclusion of chapter reference lists and suggestions for collateral reading. -JOSEPH B. SPROWLS.

U. S. P. Convention to Adopt New Constitution and By-Laws HE 1950 U.S. P. Convention must act

on proposed changes in its Constitution a n d By-Laws when it meets in Washington, D. C., on May 9,1950. Far-reaching changes in these documents were proposed a t an adjourned meeting of the 1940 Convention held in Cleveland] Ohio, April 7, 1942. At that time only the By-Laws could be acted upon. Action on the Constitution had to await the next decennial convention. In order to give pharmacists an opportunity to study the proposed revision of the Constitution and By-Laws submitted a t the 1942 meeting and subsequently reviewed by competent

authority, we are printing the proposals in full in the succeeding pages. Those who study the provisions of these documents should bear in mind that we are printing the Constitution and By-Laws as they would read if adopted with all proposed amendments. To compare these revised documents with the present Constitution and By-Laws, the reader is referred to the original documents as printed on pages xliv to lix, inclusive, of the U. S. P. XIII. It is also possible to obtain a copy of the proposed Constitution and By-Laws showing the changes line by line a n d paragraph by paragraph from Dr. Adley B. Nichols, Secretary of the U. S. P. Convention, 46 Park Avenue,