58 TORREYA ' 



distinct value in the treatment of asthma and various diseases of the nasal 

 passages. Through taxonomy, however, a reaHzation of the relationships of 

 plants, we find what may be an important lead. If Ephedra sinica yields 

 ephedrine, isn't it possible or even probable that other species of the same 

 genus may yield the same curative agent? Thus a pharmacological investiga- 

 tion of all species of Ephedra might be indicated, for the sole natural source 

 of Ephedra sinica is northern China, although other species of the genus occur 

 in various parts of Asia, Europe, and North America. It is admitted, now that 

 ephedrine has been synthesized, that further work on representatiA^es of this 

 particular genus may scarcely be worthwhile, but the case serves to illustrate 

 the problem of botanical analogy. 



Take the case of chaulmoogra oil, now extensively and successfully used 

 in the treatment of leprosy. For centuries this oil was used in India for the 

 treatment of leprosy and various skin diseases. For nearly a hundred years 

 the situation was confused because the plant named by Roxburgh as Chaul- 

 moogra odorata Roxb., but never actually described by him, was supposed to 

 be the species that yielded the effective drug ; yet the seeds of Roxburgh's 

 species^, later described as Gynocardia odorata R. Br., when investigated, were 

 shown to contain no active curative principle. It was not until 1900 that Sir 

 George W'att cleared up the confusion and determined the botanical source of 

 the true chaulmoogra seeds as Tarakfogenos Kurzii King = Hydnocarpns 

 Kursii ^^'arb. Rock.* who has discussed this subject, states that it is quite 

 probable that not only seeds of this species but also those of H. castaneus 

 Hook. f. & Th. and other species of Tarakfogenos and Hydnocarpns, as yet 

 tmdescribed, are sources of the chaulmoogra oil of commerce. The botanical 

 confusion that prevailed for a hundred years unquestionably retarded a critical 

 and serious investigation of chaulmoogra oil as a remedy for leprosy. It is only 

 Avithin the present century that this cure has come into its own. 



Intrigued by the problem of analogy and suspecting that the seeds of some 

 of the Philippine species of Hydnocarpns might contain the same curative prin- I 

 ciples as the true chaulmoogra oil, I was instrumental in fostering an investi- 

 gation of those Philippine species that were available, including Hydnocarpns 

 Alcalac C. DC. H. sitbfalcata Alerr.. H. JVoodii ]\Ierr., and //. Hntchinsonii 

 ]\Ierr. A'arious studies were made in the Bureau of Science culminating in 

 1928, when ^Messrs. Perkins and Cruz^ investigated the oils of ten species 

 including four from the Philippines and Borneo, and found that in these four 

 species the oil was very similar in chemical composition to commercial chaul-l 



■^ Rock, J. F. The Chaulmoogra tree and some related species : A survey conducted 

 in Siam, Burma, Assam, and Bengal. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 1057: 1-29. t. 1^16. 1922. 



^ Perkins, G. A. and Cruz, A. O. A comparative analytical study of various oils in 

 the chaulmoogra group. Philip. Jour. Sci. 23: 543-569. f. 1. 1928. 



