64 Report of Schimmel $ Co. April 1913. 



Eucalyptus oil employed for medicinal purposes is tested in the various Australian 

 States by different principles. This fact has led W. J. Brownscombe *) to advocate a 

 uniform method of testing. Brownscombe especially criticises the regulations, based 

 upon the British Pharmacopoeia, unter which oils containing phellandrene are excluded 

 from medicinal use. He supports the proposals made by the Federal and Interstate 

 Conference in June 1910, which demand thatlEhe only test to be applied shall be that 

 for the presence of aldehydic constituents with b. p. below 120°, of which only "traces" 

 are to be admissible. This demand Brownscombe modifies by fixing a definite maximum 

 content (0,5 p. c.) for such aldehydes, because in his view it is impossible to remove 

 them completely by simple rectification, and because they only impart injurious pro- 

 perties to the oils when they are present in considerable proportions (1 to 2 p. c). 

 Brownscombe is of opinion that the irritant action of eucalyptus oil is specially due 

 to the presence of these lower fatty aldehydes, but not to that of phellandrene, which, 

 on the contrary, he regards as a therapeutically valuable constituent, because, like 

 piperitone, it imparts antiseptic properties to the oil. 



Several years ago 2 ), when referring to similar pronouncements by Brownscombe, 

 we pointed out that up to the present it is quite unknown whether the therapeutic 

 value of eucalyptus oil lies in its antiseptic action, and we again wish to lay stress 

 upon this fact. 



The 6 th part of the second volume of ,,A critical revision of the genus Eucalyptus," 

 edited by J. H. Maiden :; ), contains descriptions of the following: Eucalyptus oleosa, F. v. M. 

 var. lUocktoni, Maiden, E. Le Souefii, spec, nov., E. Clelandi, spec. nov. (E. goniantha, 

 Turcz. var. Clelandi, Maiden), E. decurva, F. v. M., E. doratoxylon, F. v. M., E. corrugata, 

 Luehmann, E. goniantha, Turcz. (E. incrassata, Lab. var. goniantha, Maiden), E. StricMandi, 

 Maiden, E. Campaspe, Moore, E. diptera, Andrews, E. Griffithsii, Maiden, E. grossa, F. v.M., 

 E. Pimpiniana, spec, nov., and E. Woodwardi, Maiden. 



Oil of Fagara xanthoxyloides. On the constitution of xanthotoxin see p 149. 



Fennel Oil. During the winter-months we have been busily occupied with the 

 distillation of fennel, and even at the present time parcels of importance continue to 

 be received from Galicia at intervals, showing that the disquieting rumours of last 

 September, reporting serious injury to the crop, were not to be taken too seriously. 

 The prices of good quality for distilling have been kept at a very high level, probably 

 rather on account of clever manipulation of the article by speculators, who took good 

 care only to supply the market with just enough fennel to meet the demand of the 

 moment. We know by experience that the reports from this producing district are 

 extremely unreliable, and it is therefore difficult to form a correct opinion of the 

 market, but we are inclined to think that for the present there is no prospect of any 

 lowering of the price of fennel oil, as stocks are not accumulating and the turnover 

 has been very brisk in all varieties. Our two distillates, the qualities of which, owing 

 to our excellent facilities of manufacture, are unsurpassable, are preferred by all con- 

 sumers who attach importance in the first place to purity of taste. It is very in- 

 advisable to be too keen on "advantageous" purchases in this article, seeing that 

 there are fennel oils in the market of which the employment would simply render the 



*) Chemist and Druggist of Aitstrahisia 27 (1912), 396. — 2 ) Report October 1910, 65. — 3 ) Comp. Report 

 October 1912, 64. 



