- CORTEX ALSTONI^. 421 



forces in question the moment the drop flattens down by its gravity 

 upon the surface of the water. The adhesion of the liquid surf\icc 

 tends to spread out the drop into a iilm, the cohesive force of the 

 particles of the drop strives to prevent that extension, and the 

 resultant of these forces is a figure which Mr. Tomlinson believes to 

 be definite for every independent liquid. The figure thus produced 

 is named the cohesion-figure. 



So far as our experience goes, the processes hitherto recommence.! 

 for testing olive oil (and there are several that we have not mentioned) 

 are only available in cases where the adulteration is considerable, and 

 are quite insufficient for discovering a small admixture of other oils. 

 How little they are appreciated, may be inferred from the fact that the 

 Chamber of Commerce of Nice' offered a reward of 15,000 francs 

 (jeCOO) for a simple and easy process for making evident an admixture 

 with olive oil of 5 per cent, at least of any seed-oil. 



APOCYNEJE. 



CORTEX ALSTONI^. 



Cortex Alstonice scholaris ; DitaBarJc;^ Alstonia Bark 



Botanical Ovigm-AUonia' scholaris R.Brown {Echites scholaris 

 L.), a handsome forest tree, 50 to 90 feet in height, common throughout 

 the Indian Peninsula from the sub-Himalayan region to Ceylon ana 

 Burma; found also in the Philippines, Java, Timor and Eastern Australia, 

 hkewise in Tropical Africa. It has oblong obovate leaves m whorls ot 

 5 to 7, and slender pendulous pods a foot or more m length. 



m;.^^.,, Q„,.„„i.r„^„ „,.^ cnr.f.nnnrna aiterallv seven-leaf), occur- 



rtistory— JSaptachliada and sapiapanut v"^^^'^"^ " ; ':^^^^„ 



ring in early Sanskrit epic poetry and also in Susruta, are ancient nam^^^ 

 of Alstonia (Dr. Rice). Rheede^ in 1G78 and Rumphms^m 1741 dcscnbed 

 and figured the tree, and mentioned the use made of its barK by inc 

 native practitioners. Rumphius also explained the j^y^^j;'; , 

 scholaris as referring to slabs of the close-gramed wood ^^'f ^^^^^^"'^^ 

 as school-slates, the letters being traced upon them in ^'-^^f ; /^^^.^^^ ^ 

 properties of the bark were favourably spoken of by b aham n n 



further recommended by Dr. 



'harmaco}^ 



>/ 



nam, ib(j8. i i f D 



Description-The drug, as presented to one of ^^ J'f 7^.^^;^^':^,^;^ 

 son and by Mr. Brou|hton^f Ootacanmnd cons^ste of ^^ c^^^^^^^^ 



Gibson and by 



ftagmcnte of bark, \ to f an inch thick of a spongy t*""'";;-';;' ^ 

 Wakin, with a .^U.colrse f-turc. _ The cxtc™ s,„f.^^^^^^^ 



uneven 



,h a short, coarse iractuiu. -^"- — - . .,i 



rough, dal-k grey or brownish, sometimes witl 



4 



/ Annaks de CMmie et de Physique, l^'''^*''^ ''^L'^w ia Src<l in Beatlcy 



March, 1869. 309. ^"';S?p ~ ' K Pi part 25 (1877). 



i«laSo?S;'''^ "'"' '' ''" '"' '" '""^ •'^°iV/r««Va^a?.an:c«., i. tab. 45. 



- ' So named iu honour of Charles Alston. » ^IfirfloZ xii (ISSSJ 422. 



Professor of Botany and Materia Medica " i^/^«'-'«- ■^''«'^"- ^"- ^'"^ ' 



