JI Practical Handbook of Medical Chemistry. By John E. Bowman,
Fellow of the Chemical Society, Demonstrator of Chemistry in
King’s College, London, and Author of “ Practical Chemistry.”
Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard, 1850.
The little work whose title heads this notice fills the vacancy
that seemed to be left in the “ Introduction to Practical Chemistry”
by the same author, which was brought to the notice of our readers
about a year ago. To the student of medicine and the practitioner
this will prove particularly acceptable, by supplying him, in a clear
and compendious form, with information too rarely obtained from
his teachers, especially in relation to the analysis of urine, blood
and the detection of poisons in organic mixtures, and which most
frequently he obtains only through the assistance of others, who
have more leisure or more experience than himself. The work
is divided into five parts: Part I. is of Urine. The first Chapter
contains an account of healthy urine, and its various constituents,
Chapter 2. The Qualitative Analysis of Healthy urine. Chapter
3. Average composition of Healthy urine. Chapter 4. Morbid
urine, and the various extraneous matters met with in it. Chapter
5, is on the Qualitative examination of urine suspected to contain
either an unnatural proportion of some one or more of the usual
ingredients, or some abnormal matter. The various abnormal
substances are detailed, and plain directions given for their detec-
tion. Chapter 6, is on the Examination of Morbid urine, the
nature of which is unknown. Chapters 7 and 8, relate to the
qualitative analysis of diabetic and albuminous urine. Part II.
relates to Calculi and their concretions, both urinary and biliary.
Part III. is on the blood—its quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Part IV. describes Milk, Mucus Pus, Bone, etc.; and Part V.
and last treats of the detection of poisons in organic mixtures, etc.‘
of the former of which the most common are detailed, in connec-
tion with their tests; to which is added the method of examining
an organic mixture suspected to contain some mineral poison, the
nature of which is unknown. From this list of the contents of the
work, our readers will be enabled to form an estimate of the amount
of useful matter contained in it. We commend it most cordially
to their sedulous examination as a reliable handbook, more especi-
ally to those whose locations do not admit of ready appeal to
others more conversant with these important aids to diagnosis.