Aui.  .)(.nr.  Phann.  ) 
June,  l88o.  J 
Ganibier  of  JoJtore. 
weight  being-  l()-24  grams.  The  color  externally  is  dull  brown  ;  internally, 
pale  brown  to  yellow-brown.  Admixture  of  woody  niatter  is  apparent. 
The  powder  obtained  from  it  is  gritty,  due  to  inorganic  matter.  10-76  per 
cent,  of  ash  M'as  obtained  from  it,  and  the  "tannin"  content  is  19*7  per 
cent. 
As  affording  an  indication  of  how  these  specimens  compare  with  the 
gambler  of  pharmacy,  I  give  particulars  of  two  samples  which  happened 
to  be  the  first  which  I  came  across,  but  I  hope  that  they  are  not  of  the 
nature  and  quality  generally  found.    Let  me  call  them  A.  and  B. 
A.  is  in  badly  formed  pieces.  Externally  the  color  is  dark  brown  from 
fusion  ;  internally,  a  good  cinnamon-brown.  Somewhat  tough  to  powder, 
but  not  gritty.    Ityielded  4*5  per  cent,  of  ash  and  15*6  percent,  of  "  tannin." 
B.  in  well-formed  cubes.  Brown  color  externally,  no  fusion  marks. 
Pale  cinnamon-brown  internally.  DifRcult  to  powder  and  gritty.  It 
yielded  17  3  per  cent,  of  ash  and  9  13  per  cent,  of  "  tannin."  I  could  not 
detect  starch  in  the  samples. 
Passing  on  now^  to  the  masticatory  gamblers  (so  called  from  the  fact  that 
they  are  used  as  masticatories  instead  of  betel  nut).'  the  peculiar  shapes 
attract  attention.  The  forms,  though  rarely  seen  by  the  pharmacist,  are 
not  new.  Pereira,  in  his  "  Materia  Medica,"  describes  them  ;  the  oblong 
as  gamble?-  of  th^  second  qualify  (Bennet),  and  the  cylindrical  as  the  third 
quality.  Of  an  oblong  specimen, ^  which  he  received  from  Professor  Douglas 
Maclagan  as  yellow  gambler  in  parallelopipeds,  he  states  that  "the 
length  of  the  prisms  is  2  inches;  the  size  of  the  terminal  faces  ^  an  inch 
square.  In  other  respects  the  oblong  variety  agrees  with  the  square  kind." 
Of  the  cylindrical  variety  he  remarks.  "This  occurs  in  circular  discs,  or 
short  cylindrical  pieces,  the  length  of  the  cylinder  being  only  about  J  of 
an  inch,  whilst  its  diameter  is  about  1^  inches.  -    The  color 
internally  is  pale,  dull,  pinkish  yellow  ;  externally  being  a  shade  darker." 
The  Johore  parallelopipeds  have  only  about  half  the  measurements  of 
Pereira's  specimen,  and  the  color  is  of  a  uniform  dull  brown  externally, 
and  drab  internally.  It  is  exceedingly  hard  and  stony.  On  attempting 
to  incinerate  a  small  jiiece  it  failed  to  fuse  and  swell  up,  as  even  the  worst 
sample  of  gambler  will;  it  only  became  black.  Powdered,  it  incinerates 
with  difficulty,  the  yield  of  ash  being  60'6  per  cent.  The  "  tannin  "  con- 
tent is  small,  viz.  :  2*08  per  cent.  Its  taste  is  mildly  astringent  and  sweet- 
ish. When  chewed  exceeding  grittiness  is  felt  between  the  teeth  ;  this  is 
due  to  a  large  admixture  of  sand,  which  is  deposited  when  the  povvdei'ed 
"gambier"  is  treated  with  hot  water.  This  variet^^  jDrobably  fulfills  the 
same  functions  for  the  embryo  betel-nut  eater  as  the  mild  cigarette  fulfills 
for  the  juvenile  smoker. 
The  cylindrical  gambler  is  a  little  larger  than  Pereira's  specimen.  The 
i"Gambier  is  also  used  ulung  with  beUd  nut,  n'wih  leaf  and  lime.  The  leafis  t  hat  of  a 
vine  (Chavica  species),  grown  very  much  as  pepper,  and  is  chewed  by  Malays,  Siamese 
and  many  otlier  Eastern  people.  On  this  leaf  is  spread  a  little  lime  and  tobacco,  gam- 
bier  and  pieces  of  betel  nut.— R.  .7." 
2Third  edit.,  vol.  ii,  part  ii,  p.  I(i85. 
sTiiese  and  other  specimens  described  h\  Pereira  are  in  tlie  Phannacen I ical  Society's 
Museum,  fjondon. 
