History of the American College of Apothecaries, 1940–1965

Ypelaar. Entries are arranged according to dates when books first appeared, and in cases of posthumous works (e.g. Leonardo, Eustachius) the author is sensibly placed in his period. The result is a stage-by-stage reconstruction of medicine and zoology as they developed through 2,000 years of history. Bibliographically speaking what could be more logical! But Dr. Eales has done more than this. She has interspersed biographical material, even when this is in the form of periodical articles, with the classic texts; which means that her catalogue has taken on the character of a bio-bibliography. On occasions this practice of including what might be called secondary material highlights serious lacunae in the collection, as for instance under Paracelsus where there is a complete absence of any work by him. It might, incidentally, have been a good idea to have had these biographical entries printed in smaller type. Many of the items are extensively annotated especially in respect of illustrations: as Dr. Eales says, 'zoological illustration is of interest to other than zoologists'. One detects, however, a few errors and omissions such as the failure to comment under Aselli's De Lactibus, 1628 (incorrectly transcribed in the catalogue) that the illustrations are reduced black and white copies from the 1627 coloured edition. At the end Dr. Eales has provided indexes of biographies, authors and subjects. Some of the headings in the latter section ('Satires', 'Journals', 'Technique', 'Travels', 'Museums') will be extremely useful to those who for one reason or another have to retrieve historical information. The whole book is beautifully printed. There are many advantages in writing a history of an organization celebrating its first quarter century; its impact upon social and professional practice is apparent, documents are available, and many of its founder members are alive to recall the formative years. The author, Ernst W. Stieb, professor of the History of Pharmacy in the University of Toronto, has made good use of his sources. The idea of increased professionalism in pharmacy, with emphasis upon ethics and service rather than increased sales to the public, had been in many minds in the U.S.A. long before World War II. This idea was fostered by groups set up in a number of States and by the parent body, the American Pharmaceutical Association. In particular, a New York Association for the Advancement of Professional Pharmacy was already in being when at Richmond, Virginia, on 9 May 1940, …