MATERIA  MEDICA  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL  EXHIBITION.  545 
M.  Pierlot  says  that  all  the  fresh  flowers  and  roots  he  has 
treated  in  this  way  have  yielded  almost  identical  quantities  of 
extract, — about  ten  per  cent.,  two  parts  of  aromatic  principles, 
and  eight  parts  of  extractive.  He  adds: — "It  is  useless  to  en- 
large on  the  therapeutical  and  pharmaceutical  advantages  of  this 
method  of  preparing  extracts  of  aromatic  plants.  I  will  only 
remark  that,  from  a  pharmaceutical  point  of  view,  the  process 
forms  the  commencement  of  analysis, — that  is  to  say,  the  esti- 
mation of  these  medicaments.  The  word  'commencement'  is  a 
necessary  correction;  for  now-a-days  it  is  not  sufficient  in  analy- 
sing a  plant  to  determine  the  amount  of  extract  it  will  yield." — 
Qhem.  Neiv$>  July  16,  J  862,  from  Bulletin  de  Therapeutique, 
vol.  Ixi.  p.  409. 
MINOR  NOTES  ON  THE  MATERIA  MEDICA  OF  THE  INTERNA- 
TIONAL EXHIBITION. 
By  Daniel  Hanbury,  f.  r.  s. 
Contrayerva  Root. — It  has  long  been  known  to  pharmacol- 
ogists that  this  drug,  as  found  in  the  shops,  is  not  derived  from 
Dorstenia  Contrajerva,  Linn.,  but  that  it  is  usually  the  root  of 
another  species,  D.  Brasiliensis  Lam.  The  Exhibition,  how- 
ever, contains  two  specimens  of  contrayerva  root  which  are 
ascribed,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  correctly,  to  D.  Contrajerva, 
One  of  them  has  been  forwarded  by  M.  Belanger,  of  the  Bo- 
tanical Garden  of  St.  Peirre,  Martinique,  the  other  by  Mr. 
Devenish,  of  Trinidad.  Dr.  Criiger,  the  Colonial  Botanist  of 
Trinidad,  states  that  the  drug  is  in  great  repute  among  the 
Spaniards  of  the  island  as  an  alexiteric.  Contrayerva  root 
has  become  nearly  obsolete  in  European  medical  practice,  and, 
indeed,  almost  of  necessity,  for  it  is  very  scarce,  and  the  little 
that  can  be  found  is  usually  old  and  worm-eaten.  Were  it 
necessary  to  re-introduce  it,  supplies  could  be  obtained  from 
Trinidad,  in  certain  localities  of  which  island,  I  am  informed 
by  Dr.  Criiger,  D.  Contrajerva  is  abundant. 
Pods  of  Myrospermum. —The  Trinidad  collection  of  dra^s 
contains  a  good  specimen  of  the  entire  legumes  of  Myrosper- 
mum frutescens  Jacq.,  a  tree  known  in  the  island  by  the  name 
of  Cfuatamare.    These  legumes  are  a  very  popular  stomachic 
