For fifteen years the Publisher has handled so-called home medical works; during that time he has had occasion to examine practically all the home medical works published.  He has been impressed with the utter uselessness of many, perhaps most, of these books because the simple home remedies were lacking.

A few years ago he conceived the idea of gathering together the “Mothers’ Remedies” of the world.  This one feature of this book he claims as distinctly his own.  Letters were sent by him to Mothers in every state and territory of the United States, and to Canada and other countries, asking for tried and tested “Mothers’ Remedies.”  The appeal was met with prompt replies, and between one thousand and two thousand valuable remedies were collected in this way.

Through courtesy to these Mothers who helped to make this book possible, the book was named “Mothers’ remedies.”

Dr. T. J. Ritter, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a graduate of the regular School of Medicine at the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and later one of the medical staff of the University, consented to furnish the necessary material to complete the Medical Department.  Dr. Ritter, in over thirty years of actual practice, has met with all the exigencies of both city and country practice which have brought to him the ripe experience of what would be called a “physician’s life-time.”  His success has been, in part, due to his honesty, kindliness and conscientiousness, as well as to his thorough training and natural adaptability to the profession.

Besides writing the Causes, Symptoms, Preventives, Nursing, Diet, Physicians’ Treatment, etc., he has examined each and every one of the Mothers’ Remedies and added, when possible, the reason why that remedy is valuable.  In short, he supplied in his remarks following each Mother’s Remedy the Medical virtue or active principle of the ingredients.  This lifts each Mother’s Remedy into the realm of science,—­in fact, to the level of a Doctor’s Prescription.

In writing his part, Dr. Ritter consulted, personally or through their works, considerably over one hundred of the acknowledged Medical Specialists of the world.  Thus he has brought to you the latest discoveries of modern science,—­the Medical knowledge of the world’s great specialists.

Dr. Ritter, therefore, wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to the following:  On the subject of Theory and Practice, to Dr. Wm. Osler, Oxford University, England; Dr. James M. Andres, Ph.  D., Medico-Chirurgical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. Hughes Dayton, Vanderbilt Clinic-College of Physicians and Surgeons; Dr. Hobart A. Hare, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. Temple S. Hoyne, Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, Ill.; Dr. A. E. Small, Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, Ill.; Dr. C. G. Raue, Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. John King, Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio.  On the subject of