THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
MAY,  igoj. 
COMMERCIAL  ALOES  * 
By  Martin  I.  Wii,bert, 
Apothecary  at  the  German  Hospital,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
The  widespread  use  and  general  popularity,  as  well  as  the  com- 
mercial importance,  of  aloes  are  indicated  by  the  fact  that  this  drug 
is  official  in  every  known  national  Pharmacopoeia.1  There  is,  how- 
ever, quite  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  therapeutically  most 
desirable  or  most  active  variety  of  aloes.  There  also  appears  to  be 
considerable  confusion  or  misunderstanding  as  to  the  origin  or 
sources  of  the  existing  commercial  varieties  of  the  drug. 
With  a  view  of  collecting  some  reliable  data  as  to  the  differences 
in  quality  or  source  of  origin  of  the  aloes  sold  under  the  varying 
trade  names  at  the  present  time,  a  systematic  study  of  a  number  of 
available  samples  was  undertaken. 
For  these  samples,  as  well  as  for  a  number  of  valuable  sugges- 
tions, I  am  indebted  to  wholesale  druggists,  drug  brokers,  importers 
and  manufacturers  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  also  to  Messrs. 
Gehe  &  Co.,  Dresden-Neu-Stadt,  Germany ;  Mr.  Elias  W.  Cheney, 
U.  S.  Consul,  Curacao,  Dutch  W.  I. ;  and  Mr.  S.  A.  Macallister, 
U.  S.  Consul,  Barbadoes,  W.  I.  The  uniformly  courteous  replies  to 
letters  of  inquiry,  or  to  requests  for  samples,  indicate  a  spirit  of 
willingness  to  foster  and  aid  any  inquiry  that  has  for  its  object  the 
collection  and  dissemination  of  legitimate  information. 
*  A  thesis  presented  to  the  Dean  of  the  Faculty  of  the  Philadelphia  College 
of  Pharmacy  for  the  degree  of  Master  of  Pharmacy  in  course,  April,  1903. 
(201) 
