280 



1861. 



1862. 



Medical 

 Value. 



Botanical 

 Source. 



ANACAHUITE WOOD. 



Berlin, have hitherto had, as I am informed by Dr. C. G. 

 Mitscherlich, no satisfactory results. The details of the cases 

 have not, however, yet been published. [N. Eepert. f. Pharm., 

 x., 306.] 



OKIGIN OF ANACAHUITE WOOD. 



(Anacahuitholz, sein Ursprung). ' 



IT is now about two years since the name of this drug 

 appeared in the German pharmaceutical journals as a new 

 remedy for consumption. Shortly subsequent to this period 

 large quantities of Anacahuite wood were imported from Tam- 

 pico, and extensive trials were made in Germany in order to de- 

 termine whether the good effects which the wood was stated to 

 produce in Mexico could be realized in Europe also. Chemical 

 analysis 1 was also resorted to in order to discover whether it 

 possessed constituents that could in any way explain its alleged 

 beneficial action. The results of all this labour were by no 

 means favourable to the new drug ; its valuable effects in 

 phthisis could not be observed ; analysis did not indicate that it 

 possessed any important medicinal properties, and as a natural 

 conclusion, anacahuite wood was thrown aside as a remedy of 

 no value. 



One question however remained, and that was : What plant is 

 it which yields this drug ? Upon this point until recently no in- 

 formation could be obtained. Dr. Otto Berg, of Berlin, Dr. 

 Berthold Seemann, of London, and myself, 2 consulted all the 

 authorities at our disposal, but without arriving at any 

 positive conclusion. I also put myself in communication with 

 Lieutenant-Colonel Cumberlege, our consul at Tampico, but his 

 sudden death which occurred soon after, prevented my deriving 

 the information I hoped he would be able to afford. Dr. Seemann, 

 however, made a fortunate suggestion ; he pointed out that ac- 

 cording to Dr. Torrey, Cordia Boissieri, A. De C., is called by the 



1 Buchner, Ueber das Anacahuite-Tiolz, in Neues Repertorium fur Phar- 

 macie, Bd. x. (1861) p. 97 ; also Miiller, in Vierteljahresschrift fur Prakt. 

 Pharm., Bd. x. p. 519. 



9 Pharm. Journ., and Trans. 2nd Series, vol. ii. p. 407. vol. iii. 

 p. 164. 





