For therapeutic purposes I have employed the fermentation Lactic acid and the flesh Lactic acid, but have been unable to perceive any difference in their effects. I generally use the fermentation Lactic acid.

Lactic acid appears as a limpid, syrupy fluid, which mingles with water, alcohol, and ether in all proportions. I generally prescribe the 4th centesimal dilution.

In the employment of Lactic acid in disease neither my second nor my third axiom has proved a reliable guide. My first axiom alone, in spite of many failures, has gained my confidence, which, as I believe, has borne fruit. It is an excellent remedy in:

Catarrh bronch. chron.—I have had three successes and no failures. But I should state that the diagnosis must be very accurately made. Thus, for instance, emphysema catarrh must be excluded.

Pneumonia chronica.—It is my favourite remedy here. I owe to it many fine results, even in cases where baths, climatic treatment, &c., failed. I had five successes, two failures. Very decrepit, desperate cases are excluded.

It is, however, not my only biochemical remedy for this process. Hereafter I may take an opportunity to give more details regarding my treatment.

Catarrh. pharyng. chron. was improved in several cases, whether they were cured I cannot say.

Catarrh. cavi tymp. with rushing noises.- Catarrh. tubæ Eustach.-In these affections it is the most efficacious medicine I know, though some cases were cured by other remedies.

Gonorrhoea secundaria.-Many cases were very favourably affected by Lactic acid. I should mention that this remedy cannot cure cicatrised strictures.

In a case of cystitis and one of endometritis it failed. In several cases of tuberculous processes it had no effect. With this I close for the present my communications. The remedies I have spoken of above, and characterised so as to allow others to test them, are such as can be easily procured, as they can be readily obtained. I would particularly advise a trial of Leucin in vesical affections and nephritic pro

cesses; Lactic acid in chronic bronchial catarrh (without emphysema) and in chronic pneumonia (not tubercular). I would advise no one to form a judgment respecting the power of any of these medicines before testing it on three cases of the appropriate disease, because some accident may cause a more unfavourable result than I have obtained. I may repeat that the communication of failures will be as thankfully received by me as of successes. In cases of failure I would beg for the greatest possible accuracy in diagnosis.

Should any one hesitate about giving such high dilutions as I have used, he may employ larger doses, e.g. the 1st centesimal dilution. The question of the dose is a secondary one, and may easily be determined with respect to this series of medicines. For the present I leave it quite open. Whilst these sheets were going through the press I have met with a case that rather goes against my usual dosage. In a case of typhus the temperature rapidly declined under Urea 1, after this medicine had been given in the 4th dilution without effect.

186

REVIEWS.

British Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. 3rd Edit. London: Published for the British Homœopathic Society, 1883.

THE first edition of the British Homœopathic Pharmacopœia, so well edited by Dr. Madden, having met a want, it became the duty of the British Homœopathic Society on that edition being out of print to issue a second edition. Owing to the serious illness of Dr. Madden, Dr. Drury took his place as convener of the committee. And in due course this new edition, containing the necessary corrections and alterations that were required, appeared, and meeting with a ready sale was after a time out of print. The Society again appointed Dr. Drury convener of a committee to issue a third edition, which is the one now under consideration.

The editor acknowledges gratefully the valuable help received from Mr. John Wyborn, of the firm of E. Gould and Son, also the services of Drs. Hughes and Burnett, as well as those of others. Owing to the large share Mr. Wyborn had in the preparation of the book it was felt to be but fair to place the publication in the hands of his firm. The result is a handsome volume in the same binding as its predecessors, but much larger than they were, thus this edition contains 456 pages as against 396 in the second edition. The number of new medicines added is not so large, but fuller particulars given as to the characters and tests, while adding to the bulk greatly, increase the value of the book. The description of articles employed in chemical testing and of test solutions for volumetric estimations, whilst filling some pages, will not be undervalued by those who have to refer to them.

Had it been possible to have made some alterations without causing a large amount of confusion and inconvenience they probably would have been made, but where use has familiarised certain things or practices it is often well to let them stand, if they are not of vital moment, than by a radical change to get rid of them at too high a cost. When a change could be made without inconvenience of this kind. it was done, thus the table of doses, which was allowed to remain in the second edition contrary to the wish of the Convener and many of the Committee to avoid some possible inconvenience, has in this edition been got rid of.

Various corrections have been made, of which a few may be noticed. The specific gravity of Phosphoric acid is now given as 1.058 instead of 1·055.

The average loss of moisture requiring fresh calculations is changed in different places, thus we have the average loss of moisture of Bryonia 80 instead of 81. Chamomilla 75 instead of 73. Conium 75 instead of 79. Hypericum 59 instead of 56. Mezereum not given before is now marked 66.

Changes have been made that will facilitate reference. Thus, Atropine comes in alphabetical order instead of following Belladonna. Strychninum and its compounds which are given in this edition also take their place in alphabetical order instead of following Nux vomica.

Corrected names are given. Thus, Acidum oxalicum stands as Oxalic acid as its present name instead of Dihydric oxalate. Kali bromatum now stands instead of Kali bromidum; the synonyms when necessary are corrected.

A new form of preparation, described at p. 39, called Tincture triturations is given.

We have lately seen a very convenient form for dispensing triturations, which we think deserves to be made "official" by notice in our Pharmacopoeia. It is that of compressed tablets made by one of Wyeth's machines. These tablets weigh about two grains, and contain nothing besides the trituration, no moisture even being required to prepare them. We believe they were first introduced by Messrs. Walker and Marten. Those who know the difficulties patients ex

perience in respect of the quantity of trituration to be taken at each dose, will appreciate the convenience of these tablets, one of which constitutes a dose.

The dynamisation at which tinctures from insoluble substances may be used are reduced as far as safety will allow, Ferrum metallicum we read " Proper forms for dispensing1x to 3 triturations only, 4 and upwards tincture. Tincture triturations pilules or globules." In the last edition it was 5 and upwards. It is hoped that this concession to the wishes of chemists will satisfy them, and that when asked for tinctures of insoluble substances in a lower strength they will steadily refuse to dispense them.

The characters and tests, both in body of book and in appendix, have been considerably extended.

Since the issue of the last edition some medicines that it was thought would have proved more useful, and have found their way from the appendix to the body of the book, have not fulfilled their early promise, experience having shown that they were less valuable than those who recommended them thought; thus Chimaphila and Iberis still remain in the appendix, while Acidum picricum, Ailanthus, Curare, Lycopus, Physostigma, Plumbum carbonicum, and Tarentula, move up to the body of the book. Cinnamon, and Brucea antidysenterica, now described under the name of Augusturia spuria, are samples of medecines removed from the body of the book to the appendix.

Additions are made to the appendix, Acidum salicylicum, Calotropis gigantea, and others are introduced.

Jaborandi is curtailed in the description to what is essential. Similar changes are found elsewhere.

Cautions as to the explosive character of Acidum picricum are given.

Cosmoline disappears altogether from the book. It was too similar in the termination of its name and in its commercial characters as well, to a class of advertised remedies that cannot be looked on with any favour by the profession, their composition being unknown.

The corrections made in the articles on Phosphorus and Sulphur will, it is hoped, correct all misapprehension about