Materia Medica and Therapeutics.

A thorough knowledge of the physiological and therapeutic action of drugs, is very important to any physician. Too many ignore this fact and fail where the better therapeutist, whose knowledge of drugs is less limited succeeds. To become fully familiar with our whole materia medica is almost a life study. For this reason the best drugs and their most important action only are given, thus enabling the reader to become familiar with those medicines, upon which his, success depends.

There are hundreds of drugs that are good or of some benefit in many conditions, but what we want is the drug that does the work best and that fully meets the indications. The aim of the author has been to give the cream of our materia medica in a manner easily comprehended.

Certain drugs that are only indicated in a certain condition and are of no value outside of that are omitted except in the chapter of general information.

Although single drug administration is favored by many it is very often impossible to adhere to this rule. A few drugs, if indicated and if not antagonistic in their action to the other drug or drugs, certainly are not out of place and often assist in a more prompt cure of the conditions present. In chronic troubles especially, this often becomes necessary. A thorough knowledge of the physiological and therapeutic action of drugs, indications and contra-indications, will guard against mistakes.

The following abbreviations will be used in this work, viz.:—Syn. refers us to synonyms; P. E. to part employed; N. O. to natural order; N. H. to natural habitat; Prop. to properties in which latter the most active properties, where possible, are mentioned first.

The Materia Medica and Clinical Therapeutics, 1905, was written by Fred J. Petersen, M.D.