Some Notes Begarding South African Pharmacology . 119 



cause of death. On account of the striking similarity thus noticed 

 it was concluded that the stomach contained the same active 

 principle as that in the root, and it was thus proved that the 

 deceased woman had actually partaken of the root. Physiological 

 experiments upon a dog and a guinea-pig with residues obtained 

 both from the stomach and from the root extract were, however, 

 entirely negative. The root, of which only a small quantity was sent 

 to me, appeared to be a species of Gomphocarpus — according to 

 Professor MacOwan it was an as yet undescribed Asclepiad — 

 known by the Western Province farmers as Bitter wortel. Pappe * 

 described ''Bitter wortel," which he identified with Gomphocarpus 

 crispus, E.Br., as extremely bitter and acrid, and said that on 

 account of its diuretic properties it is used in cases of dropsy, and 

 a tincture prepared from it is declared to be a valuable remedy for 

 colic. It is by no means unlikely that even a dose of tepid water, 

 not to speak of a hot infusion of the powdered root, may have 

 produced emesis when taken on an empty stomach, and, in a 

 case circumstanced as that under consideration, there is no wonder 

 that a fatal result ensued. This by no means proves the poisonous 

 nature of the plant, for, as already stated, physiological tests were 

 entirely without effect. 



A far more satisfactory examination, from a chemical point of 

 view, was made in the case of the so-called "Quinine tree" 

 of the Transkei, although in this instance I have, unfortunately, 

 no physiological data to present. The tree I allude to is Taocmce- 

 montana ventricosa, Hochst., and is known as Umjela by the natives. 

 The bark of this tree, which flourishes in the Gxwaleni forest, in the 

 Nyanduli district, has a bitter taste, and is reported to possess the 

 well-known therapeutic properties of quinine. Only a small quantity 

 of the bark was received, and as the district is rather remote it was 

 not possible to procure any more at the time ; the investigation was 

 therefore of necessity restricted. No quinine was detected, nor 

 was any other alkaloid of the cinchona group found ; but from a 

 chloroform solution, on evaporation, needle-shaped crystals were 

 isolated, amounting quantitatively to nearly -2 per cent, of the bark. 

 On further examination this substance was found to be an alkaloid 

 yielding the following reactions : — 



Melting-point About 200° C. 



Taste Bitter. 



Keaction with litmus Alkaline. 



* Op. cit., p. 29. 



