Am.  Jour.  Pharm.\ 
August,  1884.  j 
Note  on  Kamala. 
419 
This  method  might  be  reduced  to  a  comparative  test  only. 
Let  a  standard  sample  of  tartar  emetic  be  procured  in  which  the 
amount  of  antimony  is  known.  Equal  weights  of  the  standard  sample 
and  of  the  sample  to  be  tried  are  dissolved  separately.  From  a  Bink's 
or  glass  tap  burette  is  added  to  the  standard  sample  a  solution  of  bleach 
liquor  until  the  liquid  just  blues  the  aforesaid  starch  papers.  The 
amount  of  bleach  liquor  used  is  noted.  The  second  sample  is  treated 
in  the  same  way.  The  relation  of  the  antimony  in  the  samples  will 
be  in  the  direct  ratio  of  the  volume  of  bleach  liquor  taken,  and, 
therefore,  in  dyeing  the  amounts  to  be  taken  to  produce  a  certain  shade 
will  be  in  the  inverse  ratio. 
Example. — Equal  weights  of  the  standard  sample  (1),  and  of  the 
second  (2),  were  dissolved.  No.  1  took  30  volumes  of  bleach  liquor, 
and  No.  2  took  20  volumes ;  then  the  ratio  of  the  amount  of  antimony 
is  as  3  to  2.  Therefore,  in  practical  work,  for  every  two  parts  of  the 
standard  sample,  three  parts  of  the  sample  in  question  must  be  used 
and  those  give  the  same  result. — Pharm.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  June  28, 
1884,  p.  1053. 
NOTE  ON  KAMALA. 
By  William  Ktekby,  Ph.C. 
Head  before  the  Manchester  Pharmaceutical  Association. 
Kamala  was  not  known  in  Europe  as  a  drug  until  a  very  recent 
period.  Before  the  year  1852  the  only  account  of  it  is  in  the  writings 
of  Anslie,  Roxburgh,  Royle  and  Buchanan.  In  that  year,  however, 
Port-Surgeon  Vaughan  met  with  it  in  the  bazaar  of  Aden  under  the 
Arabic  name  of  wars.  Specimens  obtained  by  him  were  forwarded  to 
Mr.  Daniel  Hanbury,  together  with  information  concerning  the  same. 
The  following  information  collected  by  him  is  found  in  his  "  Notes  on 
Drugs  observed  at  Aden,  Arabia  :  "l  "  Wurrus  or  warus  is  a  red  pow- 
der used  chiefly  as  a  dye.  It  is  the  produce  of  a  plant  resembling 
sesame.  The  plant  rises  to  about  5  feet  in  height,  bearing  several 
separate  bunches  or  clusters  of  small  round  seeds,  which  are  covered 
with  a  description  of  flour ;  this,  removed  by  gentle  rubbing,  consti- 
tutes the  dye.  Two  kinds  come  into  the  market.  The  best  comes 
from  the  interior,  principally  from  the  towns  of  O  Badan  and  Gebla, 
and  the  districts  of  Yaffaee  and  Sjibul  Rudfan.    The  second  kind, 
