THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 



1892, 216). Derris elliptica , now growing 

 in the Economic House at Kew, yields 

 the Malayan fish poison known as "Aker 

 Tuber" (Kew Bulletin, 1892,216). From 

 the account given of Natal aloes and of 

 the plants supposed to yield this product 

 (Kew Bulletin, 1890, 163), it appears that 

 it differs in some important respects from 

 the more commonly known Cape aloes. 

 The discovery of the plant, also in the 

 Kew collection, yielding the true star 

 anise of commerce is noticed (Kew Bul- 

 letin, 1888, 173). The manufacture of 

 quinine in India, and the wide distribu- 

 tion at a nominal price of this valuable 

 medicinal agent amongst the natives 

 (Kew Bulletin, 1890, 29), is one of the 

 most important services which European 

 rule has rendered to the Indian Empire. 

 Paraguay jaborandi (Pilocarpus) is dis- 

 cussed (Kew Bulletin, 1891, 179) from 

 materials sent to this country by Her 

 Majesty's charge d'affaires at Buenos 

 Ay res in 1881. The origin of myrrh 

 and frankincense is discussed in consider- 

 able detail (Kew Bulletin, 1896, 86), 

 while the first authentic information re- 

 specting the district whence Siam ben- 

 zoin or gum benjamin of commerce is 

 obtained is the subject of another article 

 (Kew Bulletin, 1895, 154). Next to gum 

 benjamin, Siam gamboge is the most 

 interesting of Siamese products (Kew 

 Bulletin, 1895, 139). The peculiar Ai 

 camphor prepared in China from a 

 shrubby composite, a species of Blumea, 

 is described (with a plate) from informa- 

 tion supplied by Dr. Augustine Henry 

 (Kew Bulletifi, 1895, 275). The plants 

 yielding the leaves known as coca, and 

 the drug cocaine, with their character- 

 istics, are discussed (Kew Bulletin, 1889, 

 1), with the suggestion that a plant long 

 cultivated at Kew (Erythroxylon coca, 

 var novo granatense~) might be suited for 



cultivation at a lower elevation than the 

 type. The little-known iboga root of 

 the Gaboon and bocca of the Congo, 

 possessing tonic properties, is traced to 

 Tabernanthe iboga, Bail!. (Kew Bulletin, 

 1895, 37); the tree yielding the ipoh 

 poison of the Malay peninsula is identi- 

 fied with that yielding the upas poison 

 of Java (Kew Bulletin, 1891, 24), but the 

 remarkable point is brought out that 

 while, in Java, the upas tree (Antiatis 

 toxicaria) furnishes a very effective arrow 

 poison, in the Malay peninsula the juice 

 of what is regarded as an identical spe- 

 cies is apparently innocuous, and the de- 

 fect is remedied by the use of arsenic. 



Fluid Extract Horse=ChestnutSeed. — 



The fluid extract is prepared from the 

 seed of iEsculus hippocastanum, and 

 Arbault (Rev. de Therap. med.chir., No. 

 5, 1896) believes he has found in this 

 remedy a specific for the pains of hemorr- 

 hoids. In twenty-one cases in which it 

 had been used, not once did it fail, and 

 the attacks could even be cut short at 

 their commencement, when it was taken 

 as soon as the first symptoms showed 

 themselves. The remedy appears to 

 exert a direct, intense, vascular -contract- 

 ing power on the venous circulation of 

 the small pelvis. Its administration 

 causes a mild feeling of warmth in the 

 stomach, unaccompanied by pain, diz- 

 ziness or constipation. The only disa- 

 greeable symptoms noted were the re- 

 establishment of the menses in two 

 women ten days after this stoppage. In 

 cases of excessive hemorrhage, this ex- 

 tract may be combined with fluid extract 

 of hamamelis. 



Comparative Value of Antiseptics. — 



Dr. Th. Bokorny (Science, No. 

 CXXXVII, p. 250) gives the results of 

 a study of the antiseptic action of various 



