898 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[June 2, 1884. 



According to the estimate meutiouetl by Mr. Bowrey 

 in his repjrt to the Oolonial Secretary, dated 14th April, 

 1SS3, the bark operated upon by him appears to have 

 been taktu as containing 5'36 per cent of total alkaloids. 

 The Febrifug.t obtained amounting to 48 per cent con- 

 tained some part that was not alkaloids, so that the 

 anjount of alkaloids actually obtained from the bark in 

 the form of Febrifuge was 4'41 per cent instead of 5'36 

 per cent., the diiference of 0'95 amounting to 17*7 per 

 ceut of the total alkaloid in the bark being due to loss 

 in manufacture. 



Oonsideriog the nature of the process by which the 

 Febrifuge was prepared, such a result would be very 

 good ; but from the same point of view there is reason 

 for regarding it as being too favourable, especially when 

 it is remembered that an imdefined portion of the 

 alkaloids is stated to have been left in the weaker Hquors of 

 extraction, &c., and carried on to another operation. 



According to my own experience in the working of the 

 process, tb.e lo.ss of alkaloid in preparing Febrifuge is necess- 

 arily very much greater than that indicated by the data 

 given in IVIr. Bowrey's report, and as a consequence the 

 yield of the Febrifuge bears a much smaller proportion to the 

 actual amount of alkaloids in the bark. The results of a 

 number of careful experiments on this subject enable me to 

 speak with confidence on this point, and, judging from these 

 results, I should be disposed to regai-d the loss of alkaloid as 

 being at least 30 per cent, of the quantity present in the 

 bark, and possibly much more. 



It will suffice here to mention briefly that the loss of 

 alkaloid in the manufacturing operation is mainly due to two 

 conditions, viz., the imperfect extraction of alkaloids 

 from the bark by treatment with dilute acid, and the sol- 

 ubility of the alkaloids, especially quinine in a large proportion 

 of water. 



If the comparison already made between the com- 

 position of the Febrifuge from Jamaica, and tlie re- 

 lative proportions of the several alkaloids in the Jamaica 

 snccirubra bark analysed by me last year, and the 

 close approximation of the figures affords any ground 

 for the inference that the Febrifuge has been made from 

 bark of the same kind and quantity, it will be worth notice 

 that the total alkaloids found in the sample giving the 

 results above referred to amounted to 7'7U per cent, as 

 against the 6'3G per ceut. take by Mr. Bowrey as the 

 amount contained in the bark he operated upon. In work- 

 ing bark of such kind and contents I should expect the 

 results of an operation on the large scale to be about the 

 same as those obtained iu the Kingston Laboratory, and 

 in that case the loss would be more nearly that which I 

 have above mentioned as being usual when working the 

 said extraction process. — I am, ice, Been. H. P.iOL. 



No. 3 

 New Gaedens to Coloniai, Office. 



Royal Gardens, Kew, 31st March, 18S4. 



Sir, — In reference to my letter to Mr. Wingfield, of 

 March 'JUth, on the subject of the cinchona Febri- 

 fuge prepared by the Government Chemist, Jamaica, 

 from red bark grown iu the Colony, I am desired by Sir 

 Joseph Hooker to suggest that copies of the correspond- 

 ence might be communicated to the Government of Ceylon 

 as it would probably be useful to the Botanical Dejiart- 

 ment of the Colony as a guide iu the event of its being 

 thought desirable to attempt in Ceylon any similar local 

 manufacture of Febrifuge. 



I am to say that Sir Joseph Hooker will himself trans- 

 mit copies of the correspondence to the India Office for 

 the information of the Governments of Bengal and Madras. 

 — I am, &c., W. T. Thiseltox Dyer. 



The Hon. K. H. ilE.vnE, Colonial Office. 



IMPORTANT ANALYSES OF CINCHONA 



BAKK. 

 From the Government of Madras wc have received 

 a valuable paper, in the shape of a letter from Brig- 

 ade-Surgeon G. Bidie, M. B., c.i.E., Superintendent, 

 (lovernnient Central Maseuni, to the Secretary to Gov- 

 ernment, Revenue Department. 

 Dr. Bidie writes : — I have the houor to report to tlie 



Eight Honorable the Governor in Council that the 

 specimens of Cinchona bark, which together with the 

 botanical specimens collected by me in 1882 * were 

 presented to the Pharmaceutical Society, have lately 

 been analysed by Dr. B. H. Paul, and the results pub- 

 hshed with remarks iu the Journal of the Pharmaceutical 

 Society. 



2. As the bark specimens were aU collected from typical 

 trees, the analyses are of much interest, and as it is not 

 probable that Dr. Paul's paper may otherwise reach Gov- 

 ernment, I take the liberty of forwarding a manuscript 

 copy of it for theii' information. 

 Enclosure. 

 Report Oil Attah/sea of ^Specimens of Cinchona Bark. 

 Forwarded from Madras, through Her Majesty's Secret- 

 ary of State for India, to the Pharmaceutical Society. 

 By Benjajiln H. Padl, Ph.D. 



* .See G. O., Revenue Department, Nos 1381, 1381-A, 

 of 8th December 1882. 



