Excerpt from Materia Medica, or Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 1: Part 1 Several different plans for the execution of the following work were contemplated and discussed a and the author finally Selected that which the publisher seemed to prefer, viz: the plan Of a systematic arrange ment, i. E. 'a' regular classification, under which all the Operations and effects that pertain to a whole class are to be stated, explained and enforced in the form Of a proem to the class; instead of doing it in con nexion with each individual article. Again, the several articles were to be distributed into groups subordinate to the class, and every thing peen liar-to each group was to be said in connexion with the group, and not in connexion with each individual article; while only'the peculiarities of each article, when it happened to have any, were to be mentioned under the individual article. Upon this plan all the individual articles were to have been fully treated Of in their respective classes and of course were to have been mentioned only in one single place, viz: immediately fol lowing the proem to the class into which they were reduced. Under this method, nothing but the peculiarities of the article in comparison with other articles of the same group, would have remained to be said under the individual article itself; and in many instances this would have been scarcely any thing. What medicinal peculiarities, in comparison with each other, that can be specifically described, have Sulphate of Potassa, Sulphate of Soda, Sulphate of Magnesia, Tartrate Of Potassa and Soda, etc? Again, what medicinal peculiarities have a large number of the simple bitter Tonics in comparison with each other? If this plan had been adhered to, it would have been the briefest of any that was contemplated. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.