tempts to realise the time and labour, and the prodigious patience, to say nothing of the numerous kinds of technical aptitude, that they represent. These illustrations are the feature of the book, and they do equal credit to the skill and the taste of the author and his assistant; all the familiar British birds are here, from the ousel cock so black of hue to the wren with little quill, as well as many that are not so familiar, as the buzzard, the raven, the grey goose, the grebe, and the dipper. The admirable series that portrays the seven ages (more or less) of the buzzard are quite perfect.

In their literary and other aspects the sketches are simple, careful, and unlaboured, and are replete in observation and information at first hand.

(3) Of this little volume about half is concerned with animals, and the rest with "other matters" relating to India-stories woven round familiar Indian types, sketches of social and ethnological and philological interest, brief flights to the borderland of politics and economics, etc.

A charming little essay on the coconut-tree may be selected as illustrating to perfection not only the author's happy knack of finding tongues in trees and good in everything, but also the quickness and diversity of his fancy and his easy grace of expression. Here, starting from a familiar commodity of the sweet-shop, he suggests an Oriental sea-shore with its background of palms swaying in the saltladen breeze, and, like the old traveller Ludovico di Varthema, tells in a few significant words how Cocos nucifera is still the tree of life to the village

modest civilisation issuing so readily from one benign tree. After the same fashion the author hangs upon the betel-nut-palm and other common natural objects piquant discourses, full of sage hints and quaint diversions, on social and ceremonial attitudes characteristic of the East. On the other hand the essay on Indian poverty goes, but with the same humane touch, into the etiology of certain prevalent diseases of the body

kindly shade, bringing from the won

derful earth unfailing gifts of food, oil, wine, fuel, timber, and fibre for spinning, besides buildingmaterial and domestic utensils almost ready-made. In an age of mechanical crafts, so confident of its "progress" as to forget that a polity not surely rooted in agriculture is at its best an interesting pathological specimen and at its worst an unholy chaos, it is a joy indeed to find a popular writer who can reveal so clearly the paraphernalia of a

politic, and criticises with severity but without rancour the arrogance of the complacent zealots who aspire to cure them.

The essays on animals are full of humorous suggestions. The best are those which recount the author's own observations and reflections upon living creatures, although those in which by an ingenious blend of adroit jest and teleological version of fact the author-ably supported by the

artist brings out chiefly the comical aspects of animal life may, perhaps, be more appreciated by the general reader.

A chapter on cures for snake-bite is intended to illustrate the play of vernacular superstition rather than to explain the rational basis of European methods of treatment, but since the history of acquired immunity to snake-poison and of the attendant discovery of antivenine is outlined, it is a pity, perhaps, that the names of Sewall and Calmette were not mentioned among the great original dramatis personae.

THE NEW ISSUE OF THE BRITISH

PHARMACOPEIA.

THE publication of a new issue of the British

Pharmacopoeia is an event of considerable importance to the medical as well as to the pharmaceutical world. It reflects, so far as is compatible with official recognition, the changes that have taken place in the opinion of physicians as to what drugs and preparations are of sufficient importance to be included in it, and the opinion of pharmacists as to how such drugs are to be defined and such preparations of them to be made. Though the Medical Act of 1858 requires that the General Medical Council shall cause the British Pharmacopoeia to be published, it is well known that the labour of revision, in so far as it relates to the monographs and appendices in the work, has been carried out, practically in its entirety, by the Committee of Reference in Pharmacy to which somewhat scanty acknowledgment is made in the preface. That to pharmacists alone this most responsible part of the revision can safely be entrusted has long been officially recognised in most countries in which a pharmacopoeia is published, and the opinion has been freely expressed that the time has now arrived when British pharmacists should occupy a more satisfactory position in the revision of future issues of the British Pharmacopoeia,

Such of the articles and preparations of the Indian and Colonial Addendum of 1900 as were deserving of retention have now been embodied in the text, but it is observable that a large proportion has been dropped; of those retained the following alone are used to some extent in this country couch grass, arnica flowers, black catechu, cotton-root bark, grindelia, ghatti gum, rhizome and resin of Indian podophyllum, and black haw bark.

The additions to the Pharmacopoeia are not numerous, there being only forty-three. The most important of these are acetone, acetylsalicylic acid, picric acid, adrenalin, barbitone (diethylbarbituric acid, also known as veronal), benzamine lactate (beta-eucaine lactate), calcium lactate, cantharidin, chloral formamide, cresol, diamorphine hydrochloride (diacetylmorphine hydrochloride), ethyl chloride, guaiacol, guaiacol carbonate, hexamine (hexamethylenetetramine), ipomoea root (the so-called Mexican scammony root from which scammony resin may now be obtained), solution of adrenalin hydrochloride,

solution of formaldehyde, solution of formaldehyde with soap, methyl salicylate, methylsulphonal, phenolphthalein, resorcin, acid sodium phosphate, strontium bromide, and theobromine and sodium salicylate (diuretin). The number of new synthetic drugs is therefore remarkably small, and affords an indication of the opinion of the medical profession of the permanent value of the host of such remedies that have been introduced during recent years.

The omissions, 166, are far more numerous, the following being the most important of the drugs discarded arnica rhizome, bismuth oxide, gamboge, cantharis (now replaced by cantharidin), coca leaves (now replaced by cocaine and its hydrochloride), saffron, galbanum, jaborandi leaves (now replaced by pilocarpine nitrate), hops, mezereon bark, calabar beans (now replaced by physostigmine sulphate), elder flowers, sarsaparilla, scammony and mustard. As a general rule the preparations of discarded drugs have also been omitted; of other preparations reference may be made to the class of concentrated liquors, all of which have been deleted.

Alterations in strength are not numerous, nor are they, with a few exceptions, important; many of them have been necessitated by the endeavour to comply with the recommendations of the Brussels International Conference, an endeavour which has for practical purposes been effectively accomplished. The greatest change has been in tincture of strophanthus, which is now four times as strong as it used to be, and the most far-reaching that of tincture of opium, which has been increased in strength by one-third.

Perhaps the most conspicuous change in the Pharmacopoeia is the omission (except from the doses) of all imperial weights and measures. The dual system of the issue of 1898, which was a constant source of trouble, has therefore been abolished, and the formulæ are in general now arranged to produce 100 or 1000 parts by weight or volume. The percentage composition is thus evident at a glance, and considering the present extensive use of metric weights and measures no inconvenience should arise from the change. The use of the term "millilitre" instead of "cubic centimetre," appears strange at first, but it must be admitted that the millilitre, though not in general use, is the more strictly correct designation. "Mil," "decimil," and "centimil," convenient contractions that have been recognised by the Board of Trade, are used in stating the doses. A "drop" is no longer a vague and variable quantity; in accordance with the International Agreement the external diameter of the dropping tube is to be exactly 3 millimetres, 20 such drops of water at 15° being equivalent to 1 millilitre.

Volumetric solutions are now designated as N/1, N/10, etc., in agreement with common usage. The directions for preparing these solutions have been omitted from the appendices, the statement only of the strength corresponding to the designation being made. No fewer than twenty-five volumetric solutions are employed in

the present Pharmacopoeia as compared with eight in the last, Temperatures are expressed in degrees centigrade, and the atomic weights adopted are those agreed upon for 1914 by the International Committee.

When the monographs are scrutinised it is seen that scarcely any have escaped alteration of some kind, and that most have been notably improved. | The verbosity of the last Pharmacopoeia has been replaced by a terseness that is sometimes almost harsh. Whenever possible the monograph contains in the first few lines a definite statement of the minimum permissible percentage of pure substance, alkaloid, etc., and a means is given by which this may be ascertained. Particular attention is devoted to the proportion of those dangerous impurities, lead and arsenic, that may not be exceeded. No fewer that fifty-six such lead and ninety-one arsenic limits have thus been introduced; the methods for determining them given in the appendices, and are those originally introduced by Mr. C. A. Hill and now in general use in pharmaceutical laboratories.

The monographs for the volatile oils, fixed oils, fats, etc., have also undergone thorough revision. In most of them the limits of specific gravity, optical rotation, and refractive index are stated; determinations of acid value, saponification value, iodine value, ester content, and alcohol content are frequently given, in addition to which the assay for a particular constituent, such as cineol, cinnamic aldehyde, etc., is also introduced where desirable.

The monographs of crude drugs and galenical preparations have undergone a similar thorough revision. In the former the most conspicuous change has been the extension of the microscopical characters; these are fully described whenever the information is important for the identification of the drug, and in many cases the microscopical characters of the powder are also given. The principle of standardisation has been extended, and the assay processes of the last Pharmacopoeia have been revised in the light of recent investigations.

Allusion has been already made to some of the additions and alterations in the appendices. The articles and reagents used in chemical testing are, with few exceptions, defined as those "of the British Pharmacopoeia" or "of commerce, pure.' Appendix xvii. consists of a list of abbreviated Latin names introduced as the result of a communication from the chairman of the United States Pharmacopoeial Convention; this is a distinctly novel feature. No suggestion is made that either pharmacists or physicians should employ these abbreviations, and it remains to be seen whether the introduction will have any practical value.

Looking at the Pharmacopoeia as a whole, it is evident that the general principle on which the revision has been carried out has been that of substituting practical for theoretical or academical standards. Many of the methods adopted have already been subjected to prolonged trial in pharmaceutical laboratories, and the limits fixed are

those which have been found to be practically attainable. The reports that have from time to time been issued show that most of the suggestions and data for these improvements have emanated from the Committee of Reference in Pharmacy, and to this body full credit should be given for the revision it has accomplished successfully.

AT

SYNTHETIC DRUGS IN GREAT BRITAIN. T the commencement of the war, the sudden cessation of all supplies of synthetic drugs from German sources rendered it probable that the stocks in hand in this country would not be sufficient to meet the demand until such time as the English manufacturers could adapt themselves to the altered conditions. Early in September, therefore, the Admiralty asked the Imperial College of Science and Technology to prepare for them 30 lb. of phenacetine, 50 lb. of hexamethylenetetramine, and 1 lb. of B-eucaine. For the past five months the staff and research students of the Organic Department of the college have been engaged in carrying out this request, with the result that the required quanti

ties have now been forwarded to the Naval Hospitals at Haslar, Chatham, and Plymouth.

With the exception of salvarsan, which is being made by Messrs. Borroughs and Wellcome, and aspirin, which is now being made by Messrs. Boots, Ltd., no synthetic drugs have been manufactured previously in this country. As regards drugs from natural sources, however, it is probable that English firms have always produced very much more than the German firms.

PHENACETINE is a product of the Baeyer firm at Elberfeld and has never been made before in this country. It is probable that all the phenacetine in commerce emanates from this firm, although it is understood that the immediate needs of this country are now being met by the importation of considerable quantities of this drug from the

United States of America.

After numerous experiments, the method found most suitable to the conditions prevailing in a scientific laboratory was that shown by the series :

of this drug is a comparatively simple matter, involving the treatment of a solution of formaldehyde with ammonia. It is understood that the compound is now being prepared in considerable quantities in this country.

the council; and the society should now take the further step of converting the favour to a right. Among the scientific societies in which this equality of sexes exists already are the Royal Anthropological Institute, British Astronomical Association, Institute of Chemistry, Entomological Society, Geologists' Association, Linnean Society, London Mathematical Society, Royal Meteorological Society, Royal Micro

paration of the drug is a long and tedious process, and many initial difficulties had to be overcome before the correct conditions were found. Ultimately the following general scheme was worked out, and found to give satisfactory results:

to

Ar the anniversary meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society, to be held on February 12, the question of the admission of women will again be brought forward; and it will be proposed that the council take all necessary steps to render their election possible. Whatever arguments may, from selfish motives, be used against the admission of women to membership of professional corporations, no logical reason can be found for excluding women from societies which exist purely for the advancement of scientific knowledge. In astronomy women have shown aptitude for observation and exceptional powers of description. So long ago as 1828 the Royal Astronomical Society awarded its gold medal Caroline Herschel for the help she had given her brother (her work as an original discoverer was overlooked at that time); and the society has already two lady honorary members, namely, Lady Huggins, elected in 1903, and Miss A. J. Cannon, of Harvard College Observatory, elected last year. Other wellknown names of women who have done notable work for astronomy are Mrs. Somerville, Mrs. Roberts (Mdme. Klumpke), Miss Agnes M. Clerke, Mrs. Maunder, and Mdme. E. Chandon (Paris Observatory). Women have for some time attended meetings of the Royal Astronomical Society by invitation of

Royal Geographical Society, Royal Society of Arts, Royal Statistical Society, and the Zoological Society. The Royal Astronomical Society will thus be in good company if it decides that the time has come for the removal of the barriers by which women have been denied the privilege of being proposed for fellowship. on equal terms with men.

DR. J. A. MURRAY has been appointed acting director of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

LORD FISHER of KilverSTONE and Vice-Admiral Sir Edmond J. W. Slade have been elected honorary members of the Institution of Petroleum Technologists.

IT is with much regret that we have to announce the death on Saturday, January 23, after a brief illness, of Mr. F. W. Rudler, for many years curator of the Museum of Practical Geology at Jermyn Street.

It is announced in the issue of Science for January 15 that the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research will receive 40,000l. under the will of the late Mr. Henry Rutherford, for cancer research work.

PROF. ARTHUR KEITH has been granted leave of absence for six weeks by the Royal College of Surgeons for the purpose of delivering a course of five lectures on anthropology at the Western Research University, Cleveland, Ohio.

THE anniversary of the birth of Sir Francis Galton, Tuesday, February 16, will be celebrated as usual by a dinner and lecture. This year Prof. J. Arthur Thomson has undertaken to deliver an address dealing with some aspects of war and eugenics.

THE annual meetings of the Institution of Naval Architects will be held on Wednesday, March 24, and the following day, in the hall of the Royal Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi, W.C. The Marquis of Bristol, R.N., president, will occupy the chair.

WE learn with regret through a message received from the council of the Imperial Society of Naturalists, Moscow, of the death, at sixty-eight years of age, of Dr. Nicolas Oumoff, president of the society, and professor of physics in the Imperial University of Moscow.

THE gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society has been awarded by the council to Prof. A. Fowler for his spectroscopic investigations of sun-spots, stars, and comets, and for his successful interpretation of cosmic phenomena by means of experiments in the laboratory. The presentation of the medal will be made at the annual general meeting of the society on February 12.