— 135 ~ 



said t o contain as much as 9 per cent, of quinine an 

 the other varieties from 5 to 7 per cent. A specimen 

 presented to the museum some months since by Mr 

 Whiffen yielded 7| per cent, of pure sulphate of 

 quinine. If imported in large quantity this bark 

 would of course be an exceedingly valuable one. There 

 were also upon the table several different varieties of 

 cuprea bark, including specimens from M. Arnaud, 

 Dr Hesse, Mr J. E, Howard, and Dr Paul, of the 

 barks from which they had severally obtained a new 

 alkaloid. There were also specimens, presented by 

 Mr H. G. Greenish, of the tea as used by the Tartars 

 It consisted of hard cakes. There were also some seeds 

 of Nigella Damascena, which had been offered in 

 commerce for the seeds of N. sativa, from which, 

 however, they differed in their containing a different 

 essential oil. A specimen of the root of Apocynum 

 andrososmifolium from Professor Maisch, of Philadel- 

 phia, was of some interest. For many years this root 

 has been replaced in New York pharmacies by 

 Apocynum canndbinum, and even in the museum of 

 this Society the specimens presented under the forme 1 

 name belonged to the latter species. 



Dr Parker said that, perhaps, the best way for 

 him to deal with the drugs would be to take them 

 according to what the Malagasy considered to be their 

 uses. First, there were some which were supposed to 

 be beneficial in bronchitic and catarrhal affections. 

 Of these, perhaps the most curious v/as the large 



