448  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  {AmsiXi?8h7!rm 
dity  appears,  allowing  the  yellow  resin  to  subside,  evaporating  the 
clear  liquid  and  crystallizing  from  benzin.  It  forms  glossy  white 
needles,  is  tasteless, melts  between  67°  and  6 8 °C,  is  dextrorotatory  and 
has  the  composition  C20H36O.  It  has  a  neutral  reaction,  is  freely  solu- 
ble in  benzin,  benzol,  chloroform,  acetone,  ether  and  strong  alcohol, 
is  almost  insoluble  in  hot  water,  and  is  not  affected  by  diluted  acids 
and  by  alkalies. 
Aristolochia  cymbifera,  Martins. — The  root  of  this  plant  has  again 
appeared  in  the  European  drug  market,  and  consists  of  pieces  about 
10  cm.  (4  inches)  long,  gray-brown,  longitudinally  wrinkled,  the 
thickest  roots  being  split;  the  transverse  section  shows  a  rather  thick 
bark,  and  a  ligneous  cylinder,  which  is  distinctly  radiating,  and  con- 
tains wide  dotted  ducts  and  wood-fibres ;  the  bark  and  medullary  rays 
contain  much  starch,  and  in  numerous  but  slightly  enlarged  cells,  a 
mixture  of  yellow  resin  and  volatile  oil. —  Chemiker  Ztg.,  1887,  p.  379. 
The  root  is  known  in  Brazil  as  milhomew,,  also  as  jarra  and  jar- 
rinha,  and  has  a  camphoraceous  odor,  resembling  that  of  serpentaria, 
and  a  bitter  and  pungent  taste.  The  roots  of  a  number  of  other  spe- 
cies of  Aristolochia  have  similar  properties  and  are  also  used  under  the 
same  names  as  the  preceding,  the  medical  properties  being  analogous 
to  those  of  serpentaria.  The  drug  has  been  repeatedly  used  in  Eu- 
rope during  the  last  century  and  more  recently,  but  does  not  appear  to 
be  superior  to  other  well  known  remedies. 
Oryptocarya  australis,  Bentham  ;  nat.  ord.  Lauracese. — In  a  paper 
read  before  the  Royal  Society  of  Queensland,  Dr.  T.  L.  Bancroft 
states  (Austral.  Jour.  Phar.,  March  1887,  p.  103)  that  the  bark  is 
persistently  bitter  and  has  a  toxic  action,  due  to  the  presence  of  an 
alkaloid  crystallizing  in  stel  lately  arranged  needles.  When  given  to 
warm  blooded  animals  respiratory  difficulty  is  produced,  ending  in 
asphyxial  convulsions  and  death.  It  has  also  a  poisonous  action  on 
reptilia. 
Daphnandra  repandula  is  a  new  species  found  by  Dr.  Bancroft  near 
the  Johnstone  river.  All  parts  of  this  species  have  a  peculiar  transient 
bitter  taste ;  the  inner  surface  of  the  fresh  bark  is  white,  but  becomes 
metallic  black  on  exposure  to  the  air,  and  again  loses  this  color  on 
drying.  The  aqueous  extract  is  very  poisonous,  10  grains  being  a 
fatal  dose  for  warm-blooded  animals,  and  is  very  rich  in  alkaloids,  all 
of  wThich,  Dr.  Bancroft  states,  are  colorless  and  crystalline.    The  ac- 
