COPALCHI BARK. 
267 
In the course of a correspondence with my friend John 
Elliott Howard, Esq., Tottenham, he mentioned to me that 
a quantity of bark had been received by the Messrs. Gibbs, 
of London, from San Bias, which appeared to be analogous 
to, if not identified with, the Natri. A small quantity of 
the same bark had also been brought over from Santa Cruz, 
by a gentleman, who stated that it was there known under 
the name of Chiquique, and was always given to the 
Indians in fever cases, and was considered by the medical 
practitioners there as superior, in certain cases, to Cinchona 
bark itself. 
Mr. Howard at once recognised this bark as the Copalchi 
bark of Goebel, a valuable Mexican bitter, described by 
him as the product of the Croton suberosum ; and through 
the liberality of the Messrs. Gibbs, that gentleman sent me 
first a few pounds to make trial of it in practice, and then 
the whole quantity imported into this country. 
Though it has not been in my power to lay my hands on 
Goebel's description, I have satisfied myself as to this bark 
being that known in Europe since 1S25, and described 
under the names of Copalchi bark and Quina blanca, — 
the product of one tree variously termed Croton suberosum 
by Humboldt, Ronpland, Kunth, &c. ; Croton pseudo-china 
by Schlechtendal and Nees von Esenbeck ; and Croton 
Cascarilta by Professor Don. 
The description of the bark given in the Dictionnaire 
Universelle de Mature Medicate, accurately corresponds 
with the specimens in my possession, as does also that given 
in the Diet, des Drougues Simples et Composees. In these 
articles it is described as a new and valuable bitter used in 
Mexico, similar in properties to Cascarilla, and believed to 
be the produce of the Croton suberosum of Humboldt. 
It is to Schiede and to Nees von Esenbeck, however, 
that we are chiefly indebted for ascertaining t he exact 
species of plant which yields the Copalchi bark, and showing 
by their descriptions and figures that the tree which they 
