ON THE MALAMBO BARK OF CARTHAGE NA. 
35 
Both from the colour and smell of the bark, it would appear 
to belong to the genus cmparia,* or the cinchona of Angos- 
tura, which entered into the composition of the prescription 
of the late Dr. Mutis for the cure of dysentery; and we have 
no hesitation in saying that the bark of the malambo may 
supply the place of that of the cusparia. 99 
I distributed the specimens of the bark received from Car- 
thagena among my medical friends here, and sent a por- 
tion to Dr. Bostock, of Great Coram Street, London. From 
the former I was unable to obtain any report; from the lat- 
ter I received a reply, of which the following is a copy, 
dated London, 11th December, 1825: 
"Sir, — I regret that so long a time should have elapsed sinee the re- 
ceipt of your letter. When it arrived I was from home; and have, 
since that time, been very particularly engaged. The account which 
is given of the bark is certainly very much in its favour, and its sen- 
sible properties are such as to render it probable that it maybe an use- 
ful article of the Materia Medica. The only plan, however, to estab- 
lish a point of this nature would be to send a quantity of the substance 
to some hospital or dispensary, where a number of trials might be 
made of it by any person in that kind of extensive practice. Its taste 
and odour would make one suppose that it may be found useful in 
affections of the stomach and bowels, as is the case with Colombo or 
Angostura,- and even, if its properties were found to be very simi- 
lar, still, it might be very important to have a variety of articles, 
As I have no connection with any medical charity, it will not be in 
my power to give you any assistance, and I think it will be your best 
plan to apply to some practitioner in your neighbourhood. I am, &c. 
J. Bostock. " 
Such was the abortive result of my endeavours to obtain 
a fair trial and full report of the value of this bark in prac- 
tice. Since that time my specimens have been lost, and 
the subject was almost completely obliterated from my re- 
collection, till the paper, to which I have referred, sum- 
moned it from the regions of oblivion, and induced me to 
* Blonplandia tr'»foliata. Had this conjecture been well founded, the 
resemblance must have struck Dr. Bostock, which does not appear 
from his letter to have been the case. 
