Am'reb!y'iSo.arm' }        Guarana  in  Chronic  Diarrhoea.  69 
than  any  other  of  the  products.  The  gum  is  found  to  the 
greatest  extent  as  an  exudation  from  the  cracked  or  artifi- 
cially incised  bark  of  old  trees.  In  young  trees  the  amount 
is  very  small,  but  of  a  lighter  and  much  more  handsome 
appearance,  about  the  color  of  gum  arabic.  It  exudes  from 
the  bark  in  the  summer  months,  from  May  to  September,  and 
concretes  in  tears  of  various  sizes,  and  ranging  in  color  from 
straw-yellow  to  dark  brown.  The  dark  color,  which  has  been 
the  principal  objection  to  the  use  of  this  gum,  is  undoubtedly 
acquired  by  contact  with  the  reddish-brown  outer  bark,  which 
imparts  its  soluble  coloring  matter  to  the  gum  while  in  its 
liquid  state.  The  taste  and  slight  astringency  often  found 
in  dark  specimens  of  the  gum  render  this  theory  plausible. 
The  gum  whitens  to  some  extent  under  exposure  to  the  sun's 
rays.  It  is  much  superior  to  acacia  in  some  respects,  and 
were  it  not  for  the  objections  to  its  color,  would,  no  doubt, 
come  into  extensive  use ;  it  possesses  greater  tenacity  and  is 
a  better  emulsifying  agent  than  acacia.  See  also  papers  on 
"Gum  Mezquite,"  by  Wm.  Procter,  Jr., in  Amer.  Jour.  Phar- 
macy, 1855,  pp.  14  and  223,  and  by  H.  J.  Schuchard,  in  ibid., 
1885,  p.  542.  ■ 
GUARANA  IN  CHRONIC  DIARRHCEA. 
Philadelphia,  January  23,  1890. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY  : 
In  looking  over  some  old  papers  recently  I  found  the  fol- 
lowing letter  from  Dr.  J.  Frazer  Boughter,  late  of  the  United 
States  Army,  in  reply  to  one  of  mine  asking  for  the  result  of 
his  experience  in  the  use  of  Guarana  powder.  The  very 
decided  effect  that  he  found  it  produced  in  a  case  of  long- 
standing diarrhoea,  leads  to  the  inference  that  it  is  worth  a 
more  extended  trial  in  that  disease  by  the  medical  profession. 
J.  T.  Shinn. 
Fort  Craig,  N.  M.,  July  22,  1875. 
James  T.  Shinn,  Esq.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 
Dear  Sir  :  Your  note -of  6th  inst.  with  the  box  of  Guarana 
powders  received  a  few  days  ago,  for  which  I  am  obliged.  I 
will  be  happy  to  send  you  the  results  of  any  further  trials  I 
