Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
September,  1908.  J 
United  States  Pharmacopoeia. 
429 
tion,  namely,  that  with  each  definition  there  be  included  a  terse 
statement  descriptive  of  the  source  and  habitat.  At  first  thought 
this  may  appear  as  jf  it  would  greatly  extend  the  size  of  the  book, 
but  a  few  examples  will  show  how  in  a  very  condensed  form  a 
mass  of  valuable  information  can  be  thus  introduced.  Illustrating 
this  suggestion  the  following  titles  and  descriptions  are  submitted  : 
Arnica. — The  dried  flower  heads  of  Arnica  montana  Linne  (Fam. 
Composite?),  a  small  plant  growing  in  Central  Europe. 
Balsamum  Tolutanum.— A  balsam  obtained  by  incising  the  trunk 
of  the  tree  Toluifera  Balsamum  Linne  (Fam.  Legnminosee)  indig- 
enous to  the  northern  countries  of  South  America. 
Benzoinum  — A  balsamic  resin  obtained  as  an  exudation  on  the 
trunk  of  the  tree,  produced  by  hacking  the  bark  of  Styrax  Benzoin 
Dryander  and  other  species  of  Stryax  indigenous  to  Java,  Sumatra 
and  Siam. 
Buchu. — The  dried  leaves  of  Barosma  betulina  (Thunberg)  Bart- 
ling  and  Wendland  (Fam.  Rutacece)  a  shrub  indigenous  to  Cape 
Colony  and  gathered  while  the  plant  is  flowering  and  fruiting. 
Pimenta. — The  dried,  full  grown  but  unripe  fruit  of  Pimenta  offi- 
cinalis Lindley  (Fam.  Myrtaceae),  a  tree  growing  in  the  West  Indies. 
Podophyllum. — The  dried  rhizome  of  Podophyllum  p citatum  Linne 
(Fam.  Berberidaceoi),  a  perennial  herb  growing  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada. 
If  this  suggestion  be  adopted  the  danger  of  customers  being 
advised  that  "  Black  Pepper  is  the  fruit  of  a  tree  growing  in  Russia  " 
or  that  "  Eucalyptus  is  the  leaf  of  a  vine  from  North  America  " 
would  be  minimized. 
Aloes. — The  single  title  Aloes  as  now  officially  used  is  broadened 
so  as  to  cover  three  distinct  commercial  varieties — Barbadoes  Aloes 
Curacao  Aloes  and  Socotrine  Aloes.  Either  of  these  or  any  mix- 
ture of  these  is  U.S. P.  Aloes.  The  wisdom  of  this  change  is 
doubtful,  especially  as  the  official  description  and  tests  given  are  not 
sufficiently  definite  or  discriminating.  When  the  Pharmacopoeia 
adopts  a  title  for  more  than  one  commercial  variety  or  source  of  a 
drug,  the  official  descriptions  of  each  variety  should  be  given  under 
that  title.  This  should  be  an  established  rule.  Under  Ipecacuanha 
the  Pharmacopoeia  does  thus  give  descriptions  of  Rio  Ipecac  and  of 
Carthagena  Ipecac  and  under  Pilocarpus  of  Pilocarpus  Jaborandi 
and  of  Pilocarpus  microphyllus  and  under  Serpentaria  of  Virginia 
