The Extra Pharmacopœia of Martindale and Westcott, Vol. II, 19th Edn.

must be the constant companion of very many of our readers. The amount of information compressed within its relatively small compass is amazing; it contains in general supplementary information in materia medica to Vol. I, microscopical, chemical, and biochemical methods of diagnosis, analysis and assay, and is a volume of extreme value to medical practitioners, pharmacists, analysts, and others. In his preface to the present edition Dr. Martindale complains of the overwhelming bulk and character of the medico-scientific literature of to-day, and in some instances he prefers more established and tried older methods than more recent and dubious ones. Nevertheless, the book has undergone ruthless pruning in order to keep down its compass, whilst large sections of new matter have been added. The volume, in brief remains what it always was, one absolutely essential to the physician and laboratory worker, for nowhere else will he find so much information in so small a compass. Yet we would entirely agree with Dr. Martindale's criticism of present-day medico-scientific literature; there is far too much of it. A research worker who publishes twelve papers a year should be penalised; quality and not quantity of research output is what is wanted, whilst a stringent censorship of medical journals is badly wanted in this respect. The nineteenth edition of this well known work reflects the very great strides which have been made in chemical, pharmaceutical, and medical research during the four years since the previous edition. Yet, " we are inclined