Practical Materia Medica and Prescription Writing.

Abstract

This book, devoted to the teaching of prescription writing, is divided into three parts. The first contains an alphabetical list of drugs, giving the data required for prescribing them and numerous illustrative prescriptions. The latter strike one as unnecessarily complex in a number of instances, the majority of them having four or more ingredients. The second part takes up the principles of prescribing. The use of the metric system is advocated. The necessity for the medical student to be familiar with the use of Latin in prescription writing is stressed. The third part gives reproductions of actual prescriptions illustrating common errors and of the same prescription written as it should be. There is also an appendix giving problems in prescription writing. The whole book is a serious attempt to teach prescription writing in the conventional manner. One may regret that not more attention is given to the general principles underlying