1036 
America, and is now distributed throughout the Tropics, being common 
as a hedge plant in the Philippines. The native names are tuba, casla, 
tava-tava, tawa-tawa. It is widely used in the Philippines as a purgative ; 
in fact many natives do not distinguish between the seed of this plant and 
the castor bean. As a matter of fact, the oil is strongly purgative, and 
the seeds are even more so, so that one of the latter is an ample dose, and 
three will cause dangerous symptoms. The oil is present in the seeds 
to the extent of about 25 per cent, and in the latter I have found a 
substance which behaves like a toxalbumin. If it proves to be such, 
Dr. Strong has kindly consented to take up its study. Robert and 
Siegel #* claimed to have found such a substance in Jatropha curcus 
fruits. 
I have made arrangements with Dr. W. E. Musgrave, of the Biological 
Laboratory, whereby he will make a study of these purging oils. We 
hope to be able in the future to state what substances are the active 
principles of these oils. It has been noted previously that they are 
rather uncertain in their action, behaving as if an accidental mixture 
might cause the purging. 
* Bull. of Pham. (1893). 
