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Drug Information Sources -Annual Updates The following references are listed to call pharmacists' attention to new editions, publishers, prices and changes. Essentially, these references follow the format and content of previous editions and have been reviewed in recent years. Note will be taken only when a major change has been made in the new edition of a particular reference. American Drug Index 1978, Norman F. Billups, J.B. Lippincott Company, East Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105, 1978, 728 pages, $15.00. This reference, now in its 22d year, continues to serve as an importan t resource for identifying drug 'products via brand and/or generic terms. Drugs of Choice 1978-1979, Walter Modell, editor, The C .V. Mosby Company, 11830 Westline Industrial Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63141, 824 pages, $29 .50. Aimed primarily at the physician, Drugs of Choice is intended to provide " exper t opinion designed to provide the American physician with a comprehensive source of clear, concise, authoritative, and practical answers to . . . the drug of choice for an actual therapeutic problem ." Not all drugs are mentioned in this book . The editor notes that a major change in this edition is deletion of the drug index, and refers to the several other compendia available . USAN and the USP Dictionary of Drug Names-1978, U.'S. Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc., 12601 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, Maryland 20852, 339 pages, $18.50 . Quantity discounts. This new 16th edition supercedes the 1977 volume and is cumulated from June IS, 1961, when the U.S. This department is coordinated by APhA staff member Glo.ria N. Francke, PharmD.

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Adopted Names program began, through June 15,1978. In addition to inclusion of 68 new U.S. Adopted Names released during 1977 and SO new U.s. Adopted Names released in 1978, the edition reflects changes affecting information given in previously published entries. Compendium of Pharmaceutical Specialties, 13th Edition, Gerald N. Rotenberg, Editor, published by the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, 175 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1P8, Canada, 1978, xii + 922 pages, $27.00. CPS 1978 continues to be a useful reference. An exhaustive review appeared in ]. Am. Pharm. Assoc. NS 17:514 (Aug.) 1977. Unique to this edition is a change in the format of the product recognition section which has been converted to a systematic classification of dosage forms (i.e ., by color, size, shape, etc.). Side Effects of Drugs Annual 1978, M.N.G . Dukes, Editor, Excerpta Medica, The Netherlands, distributed in U.s. by Elsevier/North-Holland, 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, New York 10017, 450 pages, $44.95 . This 1978 annual provides for the first time full-chapter reviews on two major topics : "Thirty Years of Lithium in Psychiatry," and "Drugs Used in the Management of Gallstones." Also, selected topics dealt with in special detail in this volume include: once-a-day antidepressants; clozapine and agranulocytosis; diflunisal; althesin; baclofen; topical corticosteroid-antibiotic mixtures; cimetidine; fixed combinations in asthma; procainamide; long-term anti-anginal treatment; beta-aescin; diuretics in pregnancy; overuse of antibiotics; metronidazole and its analogs; co-trimoxazole and the blood; levamisole as an immunostimulant; interferon; pertussis vaccine; haemolytic transfusion reactions; intravenous col-

loids; future of clioquinol; high doses of vitamin C; corticosteroids in pregnancy; oral contraception and the cervix; thyroid substitution and breast cancer; risks of biguanides; allergy to insulin; gemfibrozil; combined anti-cancer therapy; homoeopathy; laetrile; suture materials; disulfiram. Drug Information Sources, A World-Wide Annotated Survey, J.P. Revill, Editor, Gothard House Publications Ltd., Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1AJ England, 1978, 98 pages, $12.00. According to the author, an information scientist with Beecham Pharmaceuticals (England), this reference guide was compiled "to assist information officers, market research executives, pharmacists and others interested in basic source material relating to prescription pharmaceutical products on a worldwide basis ." Contents are classified according to international, regional and country sources, with a breakdown by organizations and publications for each. Although a useful reference for libraries, the title of this book does not reflect its contents . It is actually a guide to information sources on Faculty Position-Industrial Phannacy School of Phannacy and Phannacal Sciences, Purdue University The Department of Indus trial and Physica l Pharmacy has a new ly created position in the area of industrial pharmacy w hi ch may be staffed at the assistant or associate professor level. The pos iti on w ill be known as the Schering-Plough Foundation Chair ofIn d ustrial Pharmacy. The primary responsibiliti es of the ind ivid ual wi ll be teaching and research in the fundamentals of parenteral product des ign , produ ct manufacture and contro l. App li cants should possess an unde rgradu ate degree from an acc red ited school or co llege of pharmacy or engineering in the U. S. or Can ada and a PhD in pharmaceutica l science. Industrial or other experi ence in the parenteral or sterile produ cts area is des irable but not mandatory. The a ppropri ate edu cational backgro und and experience should be combined w ith an interest in pharmace utical edu cation and a commitment to establish an acti ve research program. The fac ulty member will have s hared teaching res ponsibilities in the industrial pharmacy area. Immediate parti ci pation in the gradu ate and research program of the department will be available and expected . The appli cant should provide a curriculum vitae, descripti on of research interests , transscri pts and three letters of reference. Applications should be sent to Dr. Gilbert S. Banker, Head , Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences. Purdue University , West Lafayette, IN 47907 .

Purdu e University is an Eq ual A ccess-

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drugs-pharmacy organizations and publications around the world. -Gloria N. Francke APhA Staff Toxicologic Emergencies: A Handbook in Problem Solving, Lewis R. Goldfrank and Robert Kirstein, Appleton-Century-Crofts, 292 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017,1978,180 pages, $9.75. The treatment of poisoning is presented in a unique and interesting way in this handbook. Following a short overview of general poisoning treatment, 20 cases are presented. Each case includes initial data about the patient along with questions posed by the authors. For example, a chapter entitled "The Drunk!" presents an alcoholic who is brought to the emergency room following a methanol overdose. Among questions posed by the authors is: what are the etiologies for metabolic acidosis in the alcoholic? The authors do a good job of relating general information in the discussion sections to the presented pa tien t. Each of the presented cases previously appeared in the authors' monthly column, "Toxicologic Emergencies," in the journal Hospital Physician. In general, the book is clinically oriented, covers a broad range of ingested agents, is concise, up-to-date and reads well. It would serve as an excellent general introduction to the treatment of poisoning for pharmacists, physicians or nurses and is highly recommended for that purpose. It would not, however, be useful as a primary reference text which a pharmacist would consult for information on toxicity and treatment of a specific ingested agent or product. This book would best serve as a learning tool and a supplement to traditional toxicology reference texts. - Gary M. Oderda University of Maryland Baltimore, Maryland Perspectives on Medicines in Society, edited by Albert I. Wertheimer and Patricia J. Bush, Drug Intelligence Publications, Inc., Hamilton, Illinois 62341, 1977,592 pages, $25.00. This is a collection of 23 discrete chapters by 28 authors examining 56

drugs and drug use primarily in the U.S. The papaers deal with a wide variety of issues from historical, social, economic, legal, political and other viewpoints . All of the articles were prepared especially for this volume, although several authors have drawn liberally on their previously published materials. The editors specifically sought diverse perspectives on drug use, and achieved their goal. The contributions range from an analytic presentation of drug utilization data by Rabin, through an excellent review of compliance by Sackett and Haynes, to an anecdotal discussion of drug use review by Maronde. Also included are more personal views on drug-related issues, such as Anita Johnson (formerly with the Ralph Nader affiliated Health Research Group, now with the Environmental Defense Fund) on drug safety, and Robert Manning (of Eli Lilly) on industry-pharmacy relationships. Especially good are Bush's treatment of the psychosocial aspects of drug use, Spector's review of the nonmedical uses of drugs, and Muller's chapter on third-party payment mechanisms. While a compilation such as this provides access to well-written individual contributions, integration and a sense of cohesiveness are elusive. Thus, problems of inconsistent style, redundancy and sometimes conflicting informa tion are presen t in this book, as are a few pedestrian chapters. On balance, however, the benefits of this volume well exceed the risks. -David A. Knapp University of Maryland Baltimore, Maryland Practical Clinical Pharmacy, by Walker, Charles A., and Foxx, John R., Stratton International Medical Book Corporation, 381 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10016, 1977, 142 pages, $16.95. This is intended to be the first of an annual series of symposia on clinical pharmacy for health care practitioners, particularly the practicing pharmacist. The book consists of three major sections entitled, "The Clinical Curricula," "The Role and Liabilities of a Clinical Pharmacist,"

and "Other Health Professionals' View of Clinical Pharmacy." The first thing that strikes one when reviewing this book is that it is not a book about practical clinical pharmacy. It is a collection of symposia papers, some of which are shallow in content and which often do not relate to the others. The chapter by Charles Walton, "Objectives of Clinical Curricula," is well written and worth reading. Other chapters, however, are decidedly disappointing and offer little which is new or useful to the pharmacist, whether he or she is practicing or in academia. A chapter on "The Clinical Pharmacist's Role in Research and Therapeutics" is a collection of research data with respect to drug disposition in various diseases and some detail of drug activity in circadian rhythm. It is unclear how all this relates to the title of the chapter except that it is stated that clinical pharmacists should be well-versed in this area and presumably could participate in some of the research. A new term is coined-" clinical chronopharmacy." This should delight everyone who has tried for many years to define "clinical pharmacy." The book cannot be recommended as a useful addition to the bookshelf and it is most certainly inappropriately named. -Fred ]. Salter Medical College of Virginia Richmond, Virginia

American Pharmaceutical Association - Bobks, 475, 511 ; Co ntemporary Pharm acy Pra ctice , 47 8 Automated Systems Company- Un i-Dose, 509 Center for Health Studies-Symposium, 515 Croda- Emulsifying wa x, 469 Lederle Laboratories- Sympos ium , 470-71 Moncreiffe, Charles, and Associates (Agency)- Marketing, 476 Pharmacists Insurance Trust- Insurance, 516A- B, 51 7 Philips Roxane Laboratories- KCI- 20 mEq , fo urth cove r Purdue University- Position, 519 Purepac Pharmaceutical Co.-Generic drug s, third cover Quality Topical Supply- Rug kit , 516 Rorer, William H., Inc.- Ascriptin , second cove r, 465 Smith Kline & French- Product liability protection , 466 University of Oklahoma- Position , 499

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