APPENDIX 



Transcription #/; Letter from E. R. Squibb, M.D. of Brook- 

 lyn, N.Y. to his son, E. H. Squibb of Cambridge, Mass., con- 

 cerning four parcels of ''Pareira Bra\a" sent with the letter for 

 taxonomic determination by Professors Goodale and Gray of 

 Harvard University. April 10, 1877. 



E. R. Squibb, M.D. Brooklyn April 10, 1877 



Brooklyn, N.Y. 



E. H. Squibb 

 Cambridge 



M\ dear son. 



By express today I send a parcel containing specimens of the 

 drug called Pareira Brava, which 1 offer for acceptance b>' Drs. 

 Goodale or Gray and I would very much like to have the opinion 

 of one or the other of these gentlemen on a single point which I 



will tr> to make clear, and tr\ to show the importance of in the 

 following outline sketch. 



This drug in common with many others reached France and 

 England through Portugal from South America; and b} its utilit}' 

 in affections of the mucouslinings of the kidneys and bladder it 



became a well established article of the materia medica nearl} two 

 centuries ago. And it has retained that reputation without much 

 modification ever since, and probably will retain it if the identity 

 and integrity of the substance can be protected against cupidity. 

 Its reputation came to us from Great Britain, and the best parcels 

 of the drug have always reached us from either the London, or 

 north German markets, but there always at a high price conipared 

 with that sent for and obtained directly from South America. 

 Hence within the last half century much of it has come direct, and 

 probabl> many different substances have been sent under one 

 name. Under these conditions (overleaf) its reputation can derive 

 and it was in danger o{ being lost through want o{ knowledge in 

 discriminating the character and quality of substances sent under 

 the name ''Pareira Brava". 1 m\self was for many \ears in the 

 obscurity of ignorance in regard to it and almost accidentally 

 became aware of my ignorance. In 1871 1 published a note on the 

 subject in the Proceedings of the American Pharmaceutical Asso- 

 ciation. This was copied into the American journal of Pharmacy 

 for March 1872 and will be found on page 107 of the volume for 

 1872. 



In 1873 Daniel Hanbury reexamined the subject in a paper 

 which will be found in the London Pharm. Journal and Trans, for 

 1873, Vol. IV, p. 81 102. Ihis paper was extensively republished, 



39 



