430 DR MACLAGAN ON THE BEBEERU TREE OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



more particularly from the statements made by Mr RODIE as to its power of act- 

 ing as a febrifuge remedy. 



In his printed letter he states, that the solution of the alkali in the state of 

 sulphate of bebeerine was concentrated, and exhibited in intermittent fever, and 

 proved to possess the medicinal qualities of quinine, apparently in a very eminent 

 degree, whilst he conceives it to have less tendency to produce determination to 

 the head, or irritation of the stomach. He further says, " Reasoning from ana- 

 logy, we see that quinine is more febrifuge than cinchonine in the proportion in 

 which it is less crystallizable ; and therefore bebeerine, being still less crystalliz- 

 able than the latter substance, might be expected, by that rule, to be still more 

 febrifuge ; and the result of the experience we have had of bebeerine, seems to 

 warrant the conclusion." 



I am not at all disposed to agree with the analogical conclusions to whicli 

 Mr RODIE has come, and which were adopted by Sir ANDREW HALLIDAY, in a 

 short notice which he published of Mr RODIE' s discovery. (Edinburgh Medical and 

 Surgical Journal, vol. xliv.). Neither am I sanguine enough to expect, that this 

 is ever likely to take the place of sulphate of quinine as an antiperiodic remedy. 

 At the same time, however, I think that I am in possession of sufficient evidence 

 that bebeerine is endowed with powerful febrifuge virtues ; and, considering that 

 the tree is large, and a native of one of our own colonies, it may yet be found a 

 good substitute for quinine, when dear or not easily procurable. 



One object which I have constantly had in view in my experiments has been 

 to make out a good process for preparing salts of the alkalies, and I have already 

 obtained results which encourage me to make further trials. It is unnecessary 

 to detail the variety of attempts which I have made to accomplish this object 

 and at the same time get rid of the employment of alcohol in the manufac- 

 ture, which, in Great Britain at least, would much tend to increase the expense. 

 Through the zeal of Mr BROWN, superintendent of the chemical establishment of 

 Mr J. F. MACFARLANE of this city, I have been enabled to procure, by a modifica- 

 tion of the process for sulphate of quinine in the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia, a 

 sulphate containing both the alkalies in a state of considerable purity, though not 

 altogether free from traces of tannin. The best product, in point of quantity, ob- 

 tained in one trial, was two and a half ounces of this mixed sulphate from ten 

 pounds of the bark. My own experiments have likewise indicated, as an average 

 product, about two and a half ounces, or a little more, from this quantity of 

 bark. 



Compared with the productiveness of yellow cinchona in the manufacture of 

 sulphate of quinine, which may be said to yield on an average from two and a 

 half to three per cent, of the salt in crystals, the productiveness of the bebeeru 

 bark is much less, being at most about one and a half of sulphate per cent. I 

 have no doubt, however, that the amount of product may be increased by future 



