The author, as he says in the Preface, has tried to present in a condensed form the homoeopathic materia medica for practical use. "The book is in no sense a treatise and must not be considered or judged as such. It is as accurate and reliable a compilation and the fullest collection of verified materia media facts and clinical suggestions as it is possible to obtain within the compass of this volume. It supplements every other work on materia medica, and if used as a ready reminder of the essential facts of our vast symptomatology and as an introduction to the larger books of reference and record of provings, it will fulfill its purpose and prove a useful aid to the student and general practitioner."

About the author: William Boericke, M.D., (b. Austria, 1849) received his education in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated in 1863. He then engaged in the homeopathic pharmaceutical business with the celebrated firm of Boericke & Tafel, in Philadelphia. In 1870 he came to San Francisco and opened for them a branch pharmacy. In 1876 he entered the Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, where he was graduated in 1880. After two years’ study in Europe, he engaged in the practice of his profession. Dr. Boericke was one of the incorporators of the Hahnemann College, of San Francisco, and for four years was professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics. He was a member of the California State Homeopathic Society, and of the American Institute of Homeopathy. He was also the founder of the California Homeopath , which he established in 1882. Dr. Boericke was on the board of trustees of Hahnemann Hospital College. He was married in San Francisco, in 1883, to Miss Kate W. Fay. They had four children.