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has a somewhat peculiar history. When I was in charge of 
the Klein Letaba Gold Fields Hospital in Central Transvaal— 
one of the very worst districts for malarial bilious fever in South 
Africa—I had some beans belonging to this same tree given to 
me which came from a man who had obtained them when travel- 
ling through the low veld from Delagoa Bay to the gold fields. 
‘The man’s story of the beans was interesting. He was an old 
prospector, accustomed to low country fever, and he stated that 
when he was passing through the Lebombo Flats he had a violent 
attack of bilious fever and was laid up at a Kaffir kraal. 
men just put in one-third of their time. The remainder they 
took out in fever. After trying the beans and bark I came to 
again, and found that Kaffirs had been told by a native doctor 
at the trees, which were growing in a mealie field, were be- 
witched, and had better, therefore, be destroyed. This was done, 
with the result of a further disappointment. It was a pity that 
it could not be traced, for it would be a very valuable remedy 
or the types of fever we get in southern tropical Africa. I have 
tried in London to analyse the bark with the assistance of a good 
chemist, but we could make nothing of it.’’* 
_A small quantity of this bark was sent to the Royal Botanic 
ee ens, Kew, and a part was forwarded to me with the request 
~~ that a4 would investigate it as far as possible, the botanical 
examination having been undertaken at Kew. The investiga- 
