286 INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1862. 



1861. to do so. Every specimen should be most clearly and legibly 

 Labefs. labelled ; but even in this we may have an excess. I have seen 



a nice series of jars from one of our colonies, the contents of 

 which were almost completely hidden by the amplitude of the 

 paper labels pasted round the glass. Labels, indeed, should 

 give their information briefly, fuller details being reserved for 

 catalogues, of which I will now speak. 



Importance of Catalogues. These are very desirable for all considerable 

 catalogues. co u ect i ons O f raw materials. In the Exhibitions of 1851 and 

 1855 there were several catalogues of particular departments, 

 which could be had by those who felt interested to apply for 

 them, though some, printed abroad, were difficult to obtain. 

 The colonies of Algeria and British Guiana published very good 

 catalogues, which may still be usefully referred to for informa- 

 tion regarding the products of those countries in 1855. On the 

 other hand, the products of Guatemala, New Granada, and 

 Paraguay (and to some extent those of Mexico) were greatly 

 diminished in interest from the impossibility of obtaining the 

 information which well drawn-up lists would easily have 

 afforded. 



MINOR NOTES ON THE MATERIA MEDIOA OF 

 THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION. 



(Arzneistoffe der Weltausstellung.') 



1862. CONTRAYERVA ROOT. It has long been known to pharmacolo- 

 gists that this drug, as found in the shops, is not derived from Dor- 

 stenia Contrajerva, Linn., but that it is usually the root of another 

 species, D. brasilicnsis, Lam. The Exhibition, however, contains 

 two specimens of contrayerva root which are ascribed and, I 

 have no doubt, correctly, to D. Contrajerva. One of them has 

 been forwarded by M. Belanger, of the Botanical Garden of St. 

 Pierre, Martinique, the other by Mr. Devenish, of Trinidad. 

 Dr. Criiger, the Colonial Botanist of Trinidad, states that the 

 drug is in great repute among the Spaniards of the island as an 

 alexiteric. Contrayerva root has become nearly obsolete in 

 European medical practice, and, indeed, almost of necessity, for 

 it is very scarce, and the little that can be found is usually old 



