Laboratory manual for principles and processes of pharmacy. By Henry M. Burlage, Joseph B. Burt, and L. Wait Rising. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York. 2nd ed., 1949. xvii + 271pp. 19 × 28cm. Price $ 3

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 1949
• Weight: 115 KB
• Volume: 38
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0095-9553
• DOI: 10.1002/jps.3030381116

✦ Synopsis

This is the usual laboratory manual designed to be used in pharmacy courses in "principles and processes." The first half of the book is a set of directions and the remainder consists of tear sheets to be filled in by the student, concerning the operation in question.

In general, the reviewer believes that this manual represents the approach desired by those who use the textbook this manual is designed to accompany. The classical content of such courses will be found here. There are certain weaknesses, however. For example, the pharmaceutical literature of recent years is filled with evidence that prescription tolerances found in many pharmacies are far too broad. Many people believe that a portion of the blame for this state of affairs resides in the colleges. Unless the exercises on weighing and measuring in this book are greatly supplemented by the instructor, the critics may have justification for their beliefs.

Many will question the section on osmotically balanced solutions for oversimplification. Although the authors are not as exact in their methods as a physical chemist would prefer them t o be, the reviewer believes that, relative to the biological significance of these solutions, such simplification is desirable. I t is unfortunate, however, that the authors use -0.80' as the factor for the freezing point of tears, since there is such mounting evidence that, osmotically, tears are substantially equivalent to plasma.