IPECACUANHA 175 



of 6,000 specimens, the cultivation seems from some 

 cause to have been impractical. Arthur Meyer con- 

 cludes from a study of the anatomy of the leaf, that the 

 plant, while preferring dark locations, requires at least 

 a certain amount of light, and suggests that cultivation 

 may succeed better in moist woodlands in the direct 

 shade of single trees. 



In 1894, Dr. A. R. L. Dohme presented to the Amer- 

 ican Pharmaceutical Association (Proceedings) a val- 

 uable contribution to the chemistry of ipecac, under 

 the title "The Relative Alkaloidal Value of Two Kinds 

 of Ipecac Root." He established, by processes given 

 in detail, that, contrary to the general opinion, "the 

 upper part of the root, which frequently is in part a 

 stem, contains more alkaloid than the lower or annu- 

 lated part." (Research Laboratory of Sharp & Dohme.) 

 From the interesting discussion we reproduce as fol- 

 lows: 



"MR. CASPARI: This paper simply goes to show, 

 Mr. Chairman, that it is not always best to buy that 

 which commands a fancy price in the market. Here 

 we have evidence of a root commanding in the market 

 a high price being of less value than a commercially in- 

 ferior grade, and the determination of the value must 

 depend upon their alkaloidal percentage. 



"DR. DOHME: I would say in regard to the ipecac 

 root that comes into the market in various forms under 

 different commercial names that the true or 'fancy' 

 root is made up of the part that is found below the 

 ground, while the so-called 'wiry' root is both stem and 

 root, and is made up of the part at the surface and 

 above the ground; the 'wiry' root is the cheaper, the 

 'fancy' root being sometimes twice as high. Then there 



