246 
ON THE KINDS OF RHUBARB 
cent, was a substance which is the residuum of an altered state either of the tannin or 
other matters accompanying the chlorophyll with which it seems to be associated in the 
younger barks. When separated from the precipitate, and dissolved in alcohol, it ap¬ 
pears like a resin, but attracts oxygen, and undergoes a change. This resinous sub¬ 
stance unites with quinine, even in the face of an excess of acid, and modifies the crys¬ 
tallization and the precipitated alkaloid, so that this latter cannot be entirely separated 
in an unchanged state from the above quasi combination. It follows, of course, that 
the less prevalent this element is in the bark, the better for those who have to extract 
quinine from it, and in young barks (more especially those of C. succirubra ) it is un¬ 
pleasantly abundant. The 0'20 per cent, required to make up the total 7'30 must be 
set down as water and loss. 
No. 2 gave total alkaloids 4T0 per cent. 
No. 3, total alkaloids 3'79 per cent. 
No. 4, very immature young branches, total alkaloids 1T4 per cent. 
No. 5 and 6 (same bark), total alkaloids 3'20 per cent. 
I have not completed the examination of these latter specimens, as it would not 
probably add any points of much interest; and I would suggest, that if such an 
examination of the Darjeeling barks as has been carried out at Ootacamund be thought 
desirable by her Majesty’s Government, it might probably be best accomplished in India. 
The conclusion I should draw from the present analysis is, that there is no reason to 
think the Darjeeling barks at all inferior to those grown at Ootacamund ; the difference 
of climate does not appear to have much effect on the alkaloids therein contained. 
I have the honour to be, yours, etc., 
John Eliot Howard. 
ON THE KINDS OF RHUBARB AT PRESENT IN RUSSIAN COMMERCE. 
BY ADOLPH EERO, OF MOSCOW. 
The supply of rhubarb is at present a most important question to the Russian 
apothecary. After having been compelled for centuries to fill our wants from the 
magazines of the government, and there obtaining only the best quality, the so-called 
Radix Rhei Moscovitici , brought by Bucharian merchants to Kiachta, and there ex¬ 
amined and bartered by the crown, we see, for several years past, this traffic cut off, the 
supplies of the government completely exhausted, and yet no prospect for re-establish¬ 
ing that trade. 
Although the prohibition to obtain rhubarb from foreign countries has not been 
rescinded,* this measure will sooner or later become imperative, and the question will 
then arise, what new kinds of rhubarb may be obtainable by us and what is their com¬ 
parative value, and how do they compare with the crown rhubarb, as formerly obtained? 
Having been ordered by the government to Kiachta and employed there as pharmacist 
at the inspecting office for rhubarb, I had frequent occasion to study the conditions of 
the. trade in rhubarb, and to examine the kinds received. Since that time my interest 
in this subject has been kept alive, and this is my motive for entering more minutely 
into this subject. Through the want of crown rhubarb, several kinds have lately ap¬ 
peared in our commerce, which are entirely new, or, at least, do not correspond with the 
older samples which had received their names outside of Russia. This latter is especially 
the case with Radix Rhei Bucharici , under which name the works on pharmacognosy 
embrace drugs differing very materially from each other. 
For comparing the different kinds of commerce, the so-called crown rhubarb ( Kron - 
rhabarber ) may be used as the basis, because it was obtained from the first hands, t was 
accepted only when possessing certain qualities, had been kept and transported with the 
utmost care, and because medical authorities regarded it as the most effective. The fol¬ 
lowing is contained in the instructions which I received:— 
“ In accepting rhubarb from the Bucharians, it must be strictly observed that it pos¬ 
sesses all the requisite qualities for medicinal purposes ; large, well-selected, and recently 
* Apothecaries must even now obtain rhubarb from other sources. 
f The Chinese government had given the Bucharians the exclusive monopoly for the sale 
fthis rhubarb. 
