36 PHARMACOPEIAL DRUGS 



work "Arcana Naturae," recorded some chemical ex- 

 periments that he had made with this root, which he 

 calls "radix indica, rays columba." He also introduced 

 illustrations of crystals observed in the study of this 

 drug. Contemporaneously with this physicist, J. C. 

 Semmedus (592) (probably in 1689 or shortly before), 

 mentions Calumba in his writings as occurring among 

 drugs originating from India. This author's work has 

 become more prominent in a later edition (1722). 



Valmont-Bomare (656c) in the 1764 edition of his 

 dictionary describes "calumbe" as the root of an un- 

 known tree brought to us from India. He adds that in 

 Bengal this root is considered a specific in cases of 

 colics, indigestion, and against the effects of "mort-du- 

 chien," which is the old French name for colchicum. 



Not, however, until in close succession appeared the 

 treatises on calumba root by Gaubius (257a), 1771, 

 Cartheuser (129), 1773, and Percival (499), 1773, was 

 there much general distribution of knowledge con- 

 cerning this drug. In this connection it is perhaps of 

 interest to note that in a previous translation (dated 

 1755) of Cartheuser's Materia Medica, calumba root is 

 not to be found. 



Through Percival's recommendation especially, the 

 drug rapidly gained entrance into European Materia 

 Medicas, and since about 1776 we find a record of it in 

 many of the Pharmacopeias of European countries. 

 However, the geographical and botanical origin of cal- 

 umba root as yet remained a mystery. The Portu- 

 guese, as already stated, having had a monopoly of the 

 trade in this article, seem to have been careful not to 

 disclose its origin, and made it a custom to carry it to 

 India, and then to export it to Europe from Indian in- 



