ON SOCOTRINE ALOE JUICE. 
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ON SOCOTRINE ALOE JUICE, OR LIQUID SOCOTRINE ALOES. 
By Jonathan Pereira, M. D., F. R. S,, Physician to the London Hospital. 
It has long been known that the Socotrine aloes imported into 
England varies considerably in its consistency, and is sometimes 
met with in a soft or semi-fluid state. Frequently, on opening a 
package of this sort of aloes the interior is found to be quite soft, 
while the exterior is firm and hard. In general this arises from 
insufficient evaporation of the aloe juice. 
In the third edition of my Elements of Materia Mediea (vol. 
ii., part 1, p. 1077, published in 1850, 1 have briefly referred to a 
soft or semi-liquid Socotrine aloes, which had a bright or palm- 
oil yellow color and odor. At that time I had but litfle oppor- 
tunity of investigating this very interesting drug ; but a large 
importation of it having recently taken place, I have more fully 
examined it, and as it appears to me to be the raw or unboiled 
juice of the plant yielding what is known in commerce as Soco- 
trine aloes I propose to distinguish it from the ordinary soft 
socotrine aloes by the name of " Socotrine Aloe Juice." 
Messrs. Horner, the holders of the whole of the present im- 
portation of this juice, inform me that it was purchased of the 
Arabs up the Red Sea, by a merchant, who was assured by the 
vendors that it was very fine aloe juice, and had not been boiled 
or otherwise altered. It was imported into London by way of 
Madras, in casks each containing six cwt. I am informed that 
the contents of some of the packages have undergone decom- 
position during the voyage. 
Its consistence is that of treacle or very thin honey ; its color 
deep orange or palm-oil yellow ; its odor powerful, fragrant, and 
resembling that of fine Socotrine aloes. By standing it separates 
into two parts, — an inferior, paler colored, opaque, finely granu- 
lar portion, and a superior, darker colored, transparent liquid. 
The latter forms, however, a very small portion of the whole 
mass. 
When the granular portion is submitted to microscopic ex- 
amination, it is found that the opacity and granular appearance 
arise from myriads of beautiful prismatic crystals. If a tempera- 
ture of 132° Fah. be applied to the juice these crystals melt or 
dissolve, and the juice becomes deep red and transparent ; and 
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