During the many years that the compiler has had the management of the
publishing department of Messrs. Boericke & Tafel--long to look back
over, yet short to live--so many inquiries came in for "literature," or,
in the form, "where can I find something about" this, that, or the
other, remedy, that finally I became convinced that there might be a
niche in the great world's already over-crowded library for a book
containing, in part, at least, the information desired by my numerous
correspondents. This determined, and the great publishing house willing
to back the enterprise, came the task of collecting the material. The
work once begun, it was soon found that it is much easier to plan such a
volume than to carry out the plan, for it involved no inconsiderable
amount of delving in dusty piles of old journals to discover the sought
for matter, which, when brought to light, had to be scanned closely to
determine whether it was of a nature to justify this literary
resurrection. However, in the odd hours of time that could be bestowed
the work was finally completed and--the result is before you, kindly
reader.
That this collection of papers has many gems is, I believe, not to be
questioned; that some better papers on the remedies than those herein
presented may exist is also probable; that it may contain some that are
of doubtful value is not to be denied, and even some that have no right
in such a book may have crept in. But what it is, it is; take the good
and, in the current phrase of the hour, "forget" the rest.
The part born by the editor, beyond delving for and selecting the
remedies, will be found scattered through the book in bracketed small
type, and consists simply in announcing who the writer of the paper was
and where it may be found; no attempt has been made at editing any of
the papers, or commenting on them, beyond a little cutting out of a
little verbosity here and there, or of matter not bearing on the use of
the remedy.
The material was drawn from journals of all "schools," wherever a paper
could be found that seemed to contain something not to be found in
medical-book literature, and to be honestly written.
The new remedies of the laboratory have been purposely ignored because
they do not come in the scheme of this book, they having a literature of
their own that, not infrequently, may be had "free on request" to the
laboratories. Only remedies (with a few exceptions) such as nature gives
us are included in this work.
And now the task completed naught remains but for the compiler to
subscribe himself,