Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug.,  1893. 
Caparrapi  Balsam. 
395 
proportion  of  0  6  gram  per  kilogram  of  body  weight,  it  produces 
only  anaesthesia,  and  not  death.  The  hypnotic  effect  begins  to  be 
evident  with  doses  so  small  as  0  02  gram  per  kilogram  of  body 
weight,  and  hence,  chloralose  is  much  more  active  than  chloral,  and 
its  effect  cannot  be  attributed  to  a  decomposition  into  chloral. 
When  administered  to  human  beings  in  doses  of  from  0-2  gram  to 
0  75  gram>  but  not  exceeding  1  gram,  it  acts  as  a  valuable  hypnotic, 
producing  no  disturbance  of  digestion,  no  cephalalgia,  and  no 
phenomena  of  intoxication. 
CAPARRAPI  BALSAM.1 
By  Dr.  T.  Bayon. 
Corresponding  Member  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain. 
This  so-called  balsam  derives  its  name  from  the  village  of  Capar- 
rapi in  the  province  of  Cudinamarca,  in  the  United  States  of 
Columbia,  where  it  is  prepared.  The  plant  which  yields  it  is  a 
large  forest  tree  belonging  to  the  natural  order  Lauracea,  and  is 
one  of  the  loftiest  members  of  this  family.  It  grows  at  an  altitude 
of  about  1,300  metres  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  in  a  climate 
where  the  mean  temperature  is  21°  C. 
The  tree  has  not  hitherto  been  described  by  botanists,  and  may 
be  characterized  as  follows  : 
Laurus  giganteus. — An  evergreen  tree,  with  aromatic  leaves  and 
bark,  the  fruit  and  calyx  exhaling  an  odor  of  cinnamon.  The  bark 
exfoliates  in  small  pieces.  The  branches  are  opposite,  cylindrical, 
and  glabrous.  The  leaves  are  alternate,  stalked,  oval- oblong  and 
lanceolate,  coriaceous,  shining  on  the  upper  surface  and  greenish 
white  beneath,  with  only  one  median  nerve.  The  flowers  are  small, 
regular,  hermaphrodite,  and  are  arranged  in  panicled  dichotomous 
cymes.  The  receptacle  is  cup-shaped.  The  perianth  is  persistent ; 
it  has  five  segments.  There  are  twelve  stamens  in  four  rows  of 
three  each ;  the  two  exterior  rows  have  introrse  anthers,  the  third 
row  has  extrorse  anthers  and  filaments  furnished  with  two  lateral 
stalked  glands  at  their  base,  and  the  fourth  row  consists  of  sterile 
stamens.  The  anthers  are  four-celled,  with  loculicidal  dehiscence. 
The  ovary  is  simple  and  one-celled,  with  a  simple  style  and  capitate 
1  Abstract  from  the  original  Spanish,  in  the  Pharm.  Jour.  Trans.,  June  24, 
1893,  1045. 
