Designed For the Consultation Boom, Etc., Etc., By G. P. Hachenberg, M.d.,

A work of practical utility to all engaged in the preparation of medicine, or in the treatment of diseases; its contents so arranged as to be available to meet almost any emergency in the practice of medicine, and in rating the efficacy of drugs.

In the preliminary observations of the book is presented a consideration of the nature of prescriptions, and of the action of medicine, giving the modern views thereon. Individual drugs, or their combination in a prescription are only to be administered in the treatment of diseases on their established properties, and curative powers ascertained by experience.

It is on this line they are presented to the consultant of the book. The book is mainly a work of compilation, which is implied by its name and character.

In the preliminary observations the following subjects are taken into consideration:

1. On prescription writing.

2. Classification of prescriptions.

3. On the general character of prescriptions.

4. The art of combining remedies.

5. On synergistics.

6. Antagonism of drugs.

7. Mode of administering medicines.

8. On the forces of medicine.

9. Chemical changes of medicine in the stomach.

10. The time for the administration of certain medicines.

11. Avenues of introduction of medicines.

12. Chemical alterations which medicines undergo.

13. Solubility of medicines within the system.

14. Medicines changed in the blood, and their effects on the blood.

15. Medicines passing through the system unchanged.

16. Deposit of drugs in the system through assimilation.

17. On the total and partial consumption of medicines.

18. On the absorption of medicines.

19. Election of organs of medicines.

20. On the dual action of medicines.

21. Medicines tolerated by force of habit.

22. On craving.

23. Accumulation of action.

24. Medical diseases.

25. Counter indication of remedies.

26. Untoward effects of medicines.

27. Pathological synchronous action.

28. Morbid complications of diseases that should not always be interfered with.

29. Isomerics.

30. Homogeneous and heterogeneous treatment of diseases.

31. Rectal medication.

32. Atomization of liquids.

33. Hypodermic medication.

34. Electricity.

35. Massage.

36. Action of different medicines on the mental faculties.

37. Route of elimination of medicines.

38. Manner of elimination.

39. Period of elimination.

40. Elimination of the urates.

41. Elimination of medicines by the mammary glands.

42. Elimination by cathartics.

43. Poisoning.

44. General rules to be observed in the practice of medicine.

In the therapeutics of the work there is a full list of officinal and non-officinal drugs, and medical remedies. The list contains 2857 standard remedies, embracing largely modern therapeutics in condensed form, and is alphabetically arranged for convenience for ready reference. Special care was taken to include in the work the recently discovered antipyretics, analgesics and other new remedies. The innumerable elegant medical preparations that are now in market, and no doubt many of them are of great use, are not referred to, except in prescriptions where a remedy of this kind is specially recommended by some reliable authority. However, the properties of these preparations are found in the therapeutics of the book in the primary form of the drugs out of which they are prepared. Each remedy in this list is represented in its Latin and English nomenclature, with its dosage, properties, employment, force, and genitive construction for prescription writing. The force of each remedy given in the list is a system to enable either physician or pharmacist to see at a glance with what freedom he can resort to any drug. If this feature of the list is of importance to the practitioner to see thereby the character of either a drug or a prescription, it is equally so to the dispensing druggist and hospital steward.

The practitioner may estimate the many thousand authenticated prescriptions it contains the most important part of the book. They have been carefully gleaned from many medical works (both foreign and domestic) of recent publication, and, in particular, through the channel of the medical press, - a number of medical journals having for years past, extended a liberal courtesy to the author to favor the work. These prescriptions are classified to meet the treatment of all well known diseases of the human body, their different stages and complications, as also to meet the requirements of their symptomological treatment. The headings of nearly all these prescriptions are usually given as represented by their authors, which accounts for the many synonyms. The diseases are mostly arranged in classes, on anatomical and pathological bases, and in alphabetical order. Every disease and leading symptom of the disease is headed with a list of "Remedies recommended," in English terms and alphabetically arranged. These remedies recommended, have been carefully considered, and will be consulted, I trust, with interest to the physician. After this list follows the "Formulary of selected remedies" for the disease, its different stages, symptoms and complications. What is characteristic of the work, as a consultation book is that for one feature of a disease we often have the authenticated treatment of different reliable authorities. By this arrangement the medical consultant has not only the best opinion of others, but he can accept that which he may consider best suited for the case on hand. A good and suitable prescription is always readily recognized, therefore the intelligent, busy and conscientious practitioner will see the importance of the arrangement. These authorities may come to his aid in intricate and alarming cases, thus lessening the weight of his own responsibility and affording, perhaps, not infrequently, a grateful relief.