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medicines; for with what propriety could be introduced any of those works, in most of which may be found combinations of no active virtues, and in all peculiar preparations, inapplicable to the estab lished modes of practice in our own country? From the consideration of these difficulties, and the conviction of the necessity of a work of this nature, the Massachusetts Medical Society determined to assume the most correct of them as a basis, on which should be constructed a pharmacopæia, similar in form and arrangement of the articles, but differing in some degree, in the nature of the substances, the proportions of ingredients and the modes of combination.

Its execution, it seems, was referred to a committee,* who were empowered to collate the different works on pharmacy, published by the European colleges of physicians, to embody them in a scientifick manner, and to publish the result of their labours, sanctioned by the name of the corporation. The objects of the society are completed in the volume before

The necessity of a scientifick pharmacopeia, which should fix the language and regulate the preparation and combination of the various articles of the materia medica, has long been experienced by the physicians, and acknowledged by the apothecaries of the New England states. From the want of such a standard, the former, in their prescriptions, have been governed by no determinate rules of pharmacy, and assisted by no certain principles of medicochemical nomenclature; and the latter, in their preparations, guided, perhaps, more by names than the laws of pharmaceutical combination, have afforded medicines of different ingredients, and of varied degrees of strength, from the synonimes of the medical colleges of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. The result of this confusion in the terms, and this uncertainty in the composition of medicinal preparations is often mortifying to the physician, embarrassing to the apothecary, and even sometimes dangerous to the patient. The evils, therefore, necessarily resulting from this unsystematick,and unscientifick mode of practice called loudly for reform, but in what way or by whom was the innovation to be effected? It is obvious, that this important revolution depended not on the will of any persons, considered as simple individuals; for who among us would feel himself obliged, independent of a conviction of his immediate interest, to submit to the requisitions of an authority gratuitously assumed, and unsanctioned by prescriptive right? nor on the adoption in its fullest extent of any European pharmacopæia as the only stand ard, by which physicians were to be governed in the prescription, and apothecaries in the composition of C. Warren.

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The principle, as it appears in the preface, upon which the committee proceeded in the execution of their task, was the naturalization of a foreign pharmacopæia, and, in taking that of Edinburgh as a standard, they could not have made a more judicious selection for propriety of arrangement, correctness of medico-chemical nomenclature, or accuracy of phar maceutical combination. In the prosecution of their designs, were we to form a judgment of their labours by the useful alterations and valuable additions they have

• Doctors James Jackson and John

introduced, they must have advanced with slow and cautious steps. Their ends were not accomplished without a long series of laborious investigation, unaided by the faculty at large, and unassisted by the members of that as sociation, whose interest and reputation were necessarily involved in the character of the work. The plan on which they proceeded in the execution is detailed in the preface, and is contained in the four following inquiries.

1. Respecting the virtues of each article in the list of the materia medica, in the Edinburgh Pharmacopeia.

2. Respecting articles admitted into other pharmacopeias, or employed in this country, which are not found in the Edinburgh Pharmacopeia.

3. Respecting the merit of the preparations and compositions in the Edinburgh Pharmacopeia, compared with those, which are similar in other pharmaceutical works.

4. Respecting the merit of such preparations and compounds as are not admitted into the Edinburgh Pharmacopeia, but are found either in similar works, or in common use in this country.

Proceeding, therefore, on these principles, their objects could not be attained without much time, much accurate experiment, cautious examination, and laborious and long continued research. In consequence of this investigation, we observe, with much satisfaction, the omission of several combinations of doubtful efficacy, and the insertion of others of superiour activity and greater simplicity of composition.

One principal object undoubtedly in the promotion of this pharmacopeia was the consideration,

that it night be regarded as the repository of all the medicines of domestick origin, whose activity had been demonstrated by experi ment, or whose virtues were too positive to be mistaken. But a long series of attentive observation and of patient investigation is requisite to fix the character and determine the powers of any article of the materia medica. The medicines of our own country, unfortunately, have, in few instances, been submitted to a course of experiments, the results of which would place them beyond dispute in their appropriate station. Were all the medicines to be admitted, which are daily used by the physicians of this country, particularly of the interiour, whose materia medica is derived more from the objects of botany than of chemistry, the catalogue of simples' would be swelled to an almost immeasurable extent, and the work itself be degraded, from a regular pharmacopeia, to the character of a mere popular herbal. Hence the catalogue of American medicines is short, and this partial notice is founded on the correct principle, that the history of most of them is very imperfect, and that only such articles as have an established reputation are entitled to admission into a work of this sort.'*

The contents of the volume under review, are comprehended in the three following divisions. 1. Materia Medica. 2. Preparations and compositions. 3. Tables, the first of which indicates the proportions of opium, antimony, and quicksilver, in some important combinations; the second, a posological and prosodial table, denotes the quantities to be exhib

* Preface.

ited of the various articles of the materia medica, either in their simple form, or in a state of combination, and their established modes of pronunciation; and the two last are appropriated as general indices of ancient and systematick names. These tables are valuable additions to the work, and are well calculated to facilitate the acquisition of the principles of the new medical nomenclature, founded on the discoveries of modern chemistry, and happily applied to the elucidation of the complex operations of pharmaceutical combination. On opening the leaves of this book, the first circumstance, which would attract the notice, and perhaps excite the surprise of a foreign physician is its English dress, which by the pedantick correctness of European colleges might be considered as heterodox in medicine. But it must be remembered that the modes of education in our country render this necessary. To be useful it must of course be intelligible, and this is to be effected only by writing in plain English, for unfortunately for the mysticism of the medical profession, the Latin and Greek, to our apothecaries, are truly dead languages. The directions, therefore, for the preparations and compositions of the various articles of the materia medica are given in English, the technical terms being super added with their translations. By this mode all ambiguity is avoided, and the compounder of medicine will hereafter never have occasion to screen his ignorance of his art under the wilful misinterpretation of a Latin direction.

In short, the character of the pharmacopæia of the M. M. S. may be delineated in a sentence. It is encumbered by no superfluous compounds, and its utility is

diminished by no important omission; its size is sufficiently extended to present to the practitioner a complete body of medicinal agents, while it is sufficiently contracted to exclude a long catalogue of ineffective medicines, whose only office is to obstruct the physician in his practice, and embarrass the apothecary in his pharmaceu tical compositions. If then our view of the merits of this work be correct, we may be indulged in the hope, that, in future, its nomenclature will be adopted by the physicians not only of the society, and of the town, but by those of the country, and its directions most strictly followed by the apothecaries.

We may be allowed to anticipate the period, when the confused and imperfect nomenclature, which now disgraces the medical profession, shall have given way to the scientifick principles of regular pharmacopeias, and one uniform standard be adopted throughout New England, and perhaps the United States. We stop for a moment to award the tribute of praise to its mechanical execution. Its very correct typography, and clean impression do much credit to the printers, and demonstrates, that with care and assiduity that branch of the mechanick art will rapidly approach the style of execution, by which the objects of the typographick art in the old world are characterised.

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tract on practical religion, will be disappointed. The subject is good, but it is treated with such diffuseness, that almost any other title would as well suit the book, as the one which it bears. The form of method, however, is given to the work, which is divided into nine chapters, of which the following are the contents :

Chap. 1. General observations on the importance of resignation. 2. Resignation considered as it regards the renunciation of objects. 3. Resignation considered, as it regards the exercises of the heart and mind in meeting the events of divine providence. 4. A serious question concerning resignation examined. 5. Counterfeit resignation exposed. 6. The influence of resig. nation upon the passions. 7. The influence of resignation on disposition and character. 8. The influence of resignation on devotion. 9. The influence of resignation on the sentiments of mortality.

These chapters contain indeed some excellent thoughts on piety and morals; but they are nearly lost in verbosity and metaphor. We have never seen a book of this devotional cast composed in so figurative a style. It tends to bewilder the serious christian, whilst it excites a smile in the literary lounger.

What particular system of the ology our author espouses, it is difficult,and perhaps not important to ascertain. His third chapter, which is the best, having something in it like reasoning, professes to refute a doctrine, which is said to be orthodox; whilst, in every part of his book, he uses Trinitarian and Calvinistick phrases with apparent complacency. Else where he seems to be a disciple of Swedenborg; for he says, 'sexual attachments often originate in mystery,' and talks of persons being visited by celestial spirits,'

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and of communing with spirits and angels with the greatest familiarity. Enemies, however, as we are, to controversial divinity, we should not quarrel with Mr. Messinger, respecting his creed, provided he had written with discrim ination and arrangement. would have pardoned the peculiar. ity of his thoughts, or his attachment to a favourite reformer, if he had clothed the first with neatness, and vindicated the last with But his strength and clearness. repetitions weary, his obscurity perplexes, and his affectation disgusts us. He borrows much of his eloquence from texts in the sacred writings, of all others the most difficult of interpretation; he sometimes attempts to bring into affinity the most heterogeneous ob→ jects, and he often composes the same sentence of both obsolete and new fangled terms. he speaks of the aged peasant,' vigils of philosophy,' slumberous nostrums of self-righteous→ ness,' 'perspectives of the dying,'

When

translucent tears,' sullen morosity,' &c. &c., and when he uses such words as 'transiency,' 'prayerful,' and very often the Divinity' for God, we cannot but lament, that Mr. Messinger had not either been early made acquainted with Campbell and Blair, or confided his Sentiments' for correction to a judicious friend. Of the almost innumerable errours of the press we say nothing.

Yet it must be acknowledged, that Mr. Messinger has a claim to the benignity of the publick, which no living author, in this country, can present. Whilst we are just in the cause of letters, we bow to the dispensations of providence, and would cherish a sacred respect for inevitable sufferings. His preface, addressed to the patrons of

the work,' will be read with a lively sensibility and a generous compassion.

For more than two years the Author has been deprived of sight, and left to the awful and sublime perception of total darkness. Through the vicissitudes of excruciating pain, and tiresome de. bility, and through repeated scenes of alarming sickness in his family, he has personally supplied the pulpit, and produced by the aid of an amanuensis the following work. The greatest part of it has been studied when the springs of life were so far exhausted, that he had

reason to apprehend a speedy removal to that world, where the hope of the hypocrite shall perish, but the resigned soul shall enjoy with rapture the pure effulgence of eternal day."

The generous patronage, which the work has received, is gratefully acknowledged. Should its merit be insufficient to remunerate the liberality of the patrons, they will resort to the consciousness of being promptly disposed to encourage industry, and to befriend the honest exertions of a fellow mortal. The author is forbidden to aspire after scientifick distinction. While Homer, Milton, and Saunderson, inherit the heights of fame, his greatest desire is to be found in a humble attitude at the feet of Jesus. Should he ever be assured that his labours have been in strumental in dissolving the dream of security, in diminishing the empire of despondency, and in planting the smile of resignation amidst the tears of the orphan and bereaved pilgrim, he will obtain a rich reward.

"Thus with the year
Seasons return; but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of ev'n or morn,
Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's rose,
Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine;
But clouds instead, and ever during dark
Surrounds me, from the cheerful ways of men
Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair
Presented with an universal blank

Of nature's works, to me expung'd and ras'd,
And wisdem at one entrance quite shut out.
So much the rather thou, celestial light,
Shine inward, and the mind thro' all her powers
Irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence
Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell
Of things invisible to mortal sight."

MILTON.

It gives us pleasure to add, that, admidst all the excentricity and extravagance of the book, we find many a fine sentiment tenderly and handsomely expressed, some

bold and beautiful allusions, and here and there a just and elevated idea of God's moral government. So that although we cannot praise the learning or judgment of our author, we do not deny that he possesses imagination and talents; and if we have no respect for his taste, we have much for his piety.

As a specimen of Mr. Messinger's manner, we select a passage from the part of the work, in which its author is inquiring if resignation implies a willingness to re

ceive the sentence of condemnation in any possible case.'

'But whence are we to know that it is the will of God, that any christian will ever receive sentence of condemnation, or that he must be willing to meet that dreadful destiny? In what alcove of celestial records has he deposited such counsel and purpose? On. what mountain of Zion has he made proclamation, that some of the trophies of the Redeemer's blood must be banished forever from his presence; and that all, who are purchased at so great a price, and whose knowledge of Christ is life eternal, must be willing to meet the event? Hath it not been declared, that the will of God determines the perseverance of the saint? My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.' Hence it is undeniable, that the christian's willingness to receive sentence of condemnation has no agreement with the divine will. It will not facilitate an escape from this difficulty to say, we are willing on supposition it should be God's will and for his glory. This amounts to no more, than a conjecture of what we should do, presumptuously supposing a case that implied mutability of the divine purpose. And it is no more an exercise of resig nation, than Peter's peremptory avowal of unabating attachment to the Redeemer was an actual adherence to him, when accosted by the damsel. The exercise is less than a dream. For, do we dream of conquest, of rearing cities, and of swaying the sceptre of empire; the actual realization of these things is possible. Whereas by asserting that

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