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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,

Edward Pollock Anshutz.

1011 Arch St., Philadelphia, January 2, 1900.