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[J. F. I.
Changes, we are further told, in the functions of the body are due to the chemical reactions between the drugs and the tissues. " Physical changes also result, and it is often difficult to separate the purely physical from the purely chemical." It might be difficult to define exactly what is a physical and what a chemical change. Some distinguished chemists are of the opinion that this is a distinction without a difference.
Turning to the text of the work, it is found to give large space to the chemistry of drugs and to the tests and reactions relating to them. In fact, the proportion of space given to general chemistry is much larger than that devoted to the explanation of the relations between the chemical composition and the physiologic effect. There is a very large amount of information oi1 the structure of the several classes of organic compounds. From an artistic point of view, the reviewer considers that most of the formulas take up too much room.
The author makes a distinction between " catalysts " and " enzyms," stating that the latter are all destroyed at IOO ยฐ, and many of them at 6o ยฐ. It seems to be intended that on the difference between enzyms and catalysts is based this difference of action of heat, but as the word "catalyst" is not in the index, and no further statement is given in connection with the section on enzyms, it is not certain upon what Dr. McGuigan bases it. It seems to be an unnecessary distinction, if the author reserves the term " catalyst" for inorganic bodies.
HENRY LEFFMANN.
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