ALOE 13 



"The Socotrine aloes of ancient times is not now found 

 in trade, and according to Squire, (Companion to the 

 British Pharm., 16th ed., London, 1894), exists only as 

 museum specimens. It was derived from a species of 

 aloe indigenous to Socotra, rediscovered in 1878, and 

 named Aloe Perryi by Baker, after Commodore Wick- 

 ham Perry, (not the Commodore Perry of Lake Erie 

 fame), who for the purpose of identification carried a 

 specimen of the plant from the Island of Socotra to 

 England. 



"The description of commercial Socotrine aloes may 

 be found in any modern work on pharmacognosy; also 

 see in this connection the article by Dr. A. R. L. Dohme 

 in the Druggists' Circular, 1897. The Zanzibar (hepatic) 

 variety is brought to us in monkey skins of a capacity 

 varying from 20 to 30 or 40 pounds. A writer in the 

 London Chemist and Druggist says on this point, that 

 this peculiar mode of wrapping the parcels suggested 

 itself on account of the abundance of these animals in 

 Zanzibar, and the ease with which they can be killed. 



"Barbadoes aloes is no longer manufactured in Bar- 

 bados, (Ckem. and Druggist, 1897, Vol. 51, p. 465), its 

 place in trade being taken mainly by Curasao aloes. 



"Curasao aloes has suffered a gradual decline in price, 

 falling from 11 cents a pound in 1883 to 3 cents and less 

 even at present, (1898), owing to excessive shipments 

 made during this interval; but, as Dr. Dohme has 

 shown (Amer. Journ. Pharm., Aug., 1898, p. 398), 

 that this species is rich in aloin (18.5 per cent., against 

 7.5 per cent, of Socotrine and 4.5 per cent, of cape 

 aloes), Curasao aloes may have a future, notwithstand- 

 ing the disagreeable odor which it possesses, provided 

 aloin is demonstrated to be the only active principle of 



