412 



[November, 1909. 



DRUGS. 



WORK AT THE IMPERIAL 

 INSTITUTE. 



(From the Chemist and Druggist, 

 No. 1,542, Vol. LXXV., August 14, 1909.) 



The annual report of the Imperial 

 Institute for 1908, which has just been 

 issued, contains brief allusions to some 

 of the more important work which has 

 been undertaken by the Scientific and 

 Technical Department during the year. 

 No fewer than 375 investigations and 

 inquiries were requested by the Colouies 

 and India, the number of the reports 

 furnished being 393, while 141 investi- 

 gations were in progress at the close 

 of the year. Cotton, tobacco, minerals, 

 and rubber were the chief articles in- 

 vestigated. In view of the great 

 European demand for West African 

 palm oil, an investigation has commenced 

 at the Imperial Institute in co-operation 

 with the Agricultural Departments of 

 the Colonies, with a view to finding a 

 suitable method for the better prepar- 

 ation of the oil from the fruits, the 

 natives who manufacture palm oil 

 still employing primitive and wasteful 

 methods- In recent years there has been 

 an increased demand for vegetable oils 

 and fats suitable for the manufacture 

 of butter-substitutes, and this has led 

 the Institute to investigate a large num- 

 ber of new and little-known oil-seeds, 

 which were afterwards submitted to 

 technical trials by manufacturers. An 

 investigation is also being conducted for 

 the Indian Government in connection 

 with the utilization of cotton seed oil 

 for similar purposes. The economic re- 

 sources of the Seychelles have continued 

 to receive considerable attention, especi- 

 ally in connection with vanilla, essential 

 oils, and tanning-materials, a summary 

 of which has been given from time to 

 time in these columns. Much work has 

 been accomplished in minerals, including 

 an examination of Ceylon "concen- 

 trates " containing thoriauite and mona- 

 zite ; while from Newfoundland certain 

 kinds of help were found to be unusally 

 rich in potassium salts and iodine. Fur- 

 ther consignments have been asked for, 

 with a view to ascertaining its commer- 

 cial possibilities. In Drug department six- 

 teen samples were received and investi- 

 gated, but none appeared to be of im- 

 portant commercial interest. Two sam- 

 ples of "Muziga" fr om the East Af rica 

 Protectorate, identified at Kew as the 

 product of Warburgia ugandesis were 

 received, and found to contain manitol 

 (about 3 per cent.) tannin and a pungent 



resin soluble in ether. From Sierra Leone 

 Ageratum conizoides ( " Craw-craw " ) 

 was examined and found to contain a 

 minute quantity of a crystalline alkal- 

 oid, to which the physiological acti- 

 vity of the drug is thought to be due. 

 Samples of the stem, leaves, aud decoc- 

 tion of the "Kiki" plants from the 

 Straits Settlements, which has been re- 

 commended as an anti-opium remedy, 

 were examined, but nothing was detect- 

 ed which was likely to be physiologi- 

 cally active. During the year consider- 

 able progress was made with the investi- 

 gation of Indian spjcies of Aconitum, 

 Hyoscyamus, Datura, and Strychonos, 

 but these inquiries are not yet completed, 

 and among other drugs and poisonous 

 plants under investigation are included 

 Tonga bark and root from Fiji, wild 

 kola from Southern Nigeria, and various 

 native drugs from the West African 

 Colonies, Among the resins examined 

 were several samples of copol, elimi, 

 dammar, and colophony, numbering six- 

 teen altogether. A copal from a new 

 district in the Gold Coast proved to be 

 of very good quality, and, after cleaning 

 and grading, was valued at 70s. per cwt. 

 Samples of elmilike resins received from 

 Nigeria and Uganda proved to be similar 

 to Manila in composition, but were not 

 so clean or well- prepared. India and 

 Fiji dammar was tried by a firm of 

 crepe manufacturers as a substitute 

 for shellac, but proved unsuitable. In 

 addition to the foregoing, thirteen sam- 

 ples of "gums" were received, but of 

 those obtained from British Colonies 

 only one from Northern Nigeria and 

 two from the Gold Coast were of a 

 saleable type. The Nigerian gum was 

 from Acacia Caffra and was very similar 

 to Senegal gum. Investigations in re- 

 gard to spices mainly related to vanilla, 

 cinnamon-bark, and ginger. In regard 

 to cinnamon investigations show that 

 although the baik is roughly prepared 

 and only suitable for manufacturing 

 purposes, it gives a fairly satisfactory 

 yield of cinnamon oil of good quality, 

 and suggestions for the better prepar- 

 ation of the bark have been made. It 

 may be recollected that a small parcel 

 of Seychelles cinnamon oil was offered 

 at the London drug-auction some months 

 ago, when Is. 6d. per oz. was wanted 

 for it. During the year assistance has 

 been continuously afforded to producers 

 of Sierra Leone ginger in valuing 

 and disposing of their produce in Lon- 

 don. It is interesting to note that a 

 very complete series of " grass oils" has 



