Am\May?i?92arm-}      Geography  and  Materia  Medica.  249 
samples  of  the  leaves.  The  weaker  drug  proved  on  examination 
to  be  derived  from  P.  Sell 0 anus,  and  to  be  imported  from  Rio  Janeiro. 
The  difference  in  strength  of  the  leaves  of  these  two  plants  might 
easily  cause  considerable  inconvenience,  both  to  patients  and  medi- 
cal men,  when  preparations  from  different  leaves  were  used  in  suc- 
cession. The  official  article  should  be  limited  to  the  Pernambuco 
kind. 
Nux  Vomica. — In  the  paper  by  Messrs.  Dunstan  and  Short  [Pharm. 
your.  [3],  xv,  p.  157)  on  nux  vomica  seed  it  was  shown  that  con- 
siderable variation  in  alkaloidal  strength  characterized  the  seeds 
obtained  from  different  countries,  and  that  consequently  standard- 
ization was  necessary.  In  this  case  a  geographical  limitation  of  the 
source  of  the  seeds  to  be  used  in  medicine  might  result  in  greater 
uniformity  of  the  preparations  made.  (See  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  1 883,  467). 
Pareira  Brava. — The  great  similarity  in  general  appearance  of 
the  roots  and  stems  of  menispermaceous  plants  favors  the  substitu- 
tion of  spurious  roots  for  the  genuine  Pareira  Brava.  A  few  years 
ago  a  root  appeared  in  the  London  market,  bearing  a  very  strong 
resemblance  to  the  genuine  drug,  but  having  narrower  concentric 
rings.  On  inquiry  it  was  found  to  have  come  from  the  banks  of  the 
Congo,  in  West  Africa! 
About  the  end  of  the  year  1890  another  spurious  variety  entered 
into  commerce.  This  differed  from  the  genuine,  not  only  in  the 
narrower  concentric  zones,  but  also  in  its  much  lower  specific 
gravity.  On  tracing  its  source  it  was  found  to  have  come  from 
Bahia,  in  the  north  of  Brazil,  instead  of  from  Rio  Janeiro,  much 
further  south,  whence  the  genuine  drug  is  imported.  This  substi- 
tution has  formed  the  subject  of  an  investigation  by  Messrs.  Ringer 
and  Brooke,  which  has  already  appeared,  and  of  a  microscopical 
investigation  by  W.  M.  Holmes  (see  the  present  number).  These 
show  that  while  similar  to  the  true  drug  in  the  alkaloid  it  contains, 
it  is  not  identical  with  it,  and  is  inferior  to  it  in  every  respect. 
Such  substitutions  of  one  drug  for  another  may  lead  to  the  loss  of 
confidence  in  the  genuine  drug.  It  is  obvious  that  in  the  case  of 
this  drug  also,  an  explicit  limitation  of  its  geographical  source  by 
the  Pharmacopoeia  would  be  an  advantage. 
Strophanthus. — The  absence  of  a  limited  geographical  source  for 
this  drug  in  the  additions  to  the  Pharmacopoeia  has  led  to  the 
importation  of  seeds  from  the  Caboon,  Gold  Coast,  Niger  Territory, 
