Am,  Jour  Pharrn.") 
May,  1892.  / 
Reviews. 
285 
and  the  viscid  juice  is  painted  over  cuts  and  wounds  to  check  bleeding  and 
promote  healing.  In  recent  Sanskrit  works  the  seeds  of  Croton  Tiglium  are 
described  as  heavy,  mucilaginous  and  purgative,  useful  in  fever,  constipation, 
enlargement  of  the  abdominal  viscera,  ascites,  anasarca,  cough,  etc.  Kamala 
is  described,  in  the  Nighantas,  as  useful  in  removing  phlegm,  bile,  stone, 
worms,  enlarged  glands,  boils,  etc.,  and  the  leaves  are  said  to  be  astringent 
and  cooling.  Both  the  root  and  oil  of  Ricinus  communis  are  described  by  the 
Hindus  as  purgative  and  useful  in  costiveness,  flatulence,  rheumatism,  fever 
and  inflammatory  affections. 
Much  curious  information  is  found  in  this  wTork  concerning  the  use  of  vege- 
table medicines  in  Eastern  countries  ;  it  is  given  to  complete  their  history,  as 
nearly  as  can  be  done,  in  relation  to  their  botanical  origin,  distribution  of  the 
plants,  introduction  into  use,  synonyms  in  Eastern  languages,  preparation  for 
the  market,  description,  commerce?  composition,  etc.  In  all  these  respects 
the  part  now  before  us  constitutes  a  trustworthy  source  of  comprehensive 
information,  as  the  preceding  parts  have  proved  to  be. 
Materia  Medica  of  Madras.  By  Mohideen  Sheriff  Khan  Bahadur,  graduate 
of  the  Madras  Medical  College  ;  retired  honorary  surgeon,  Madras  Medical 
Department.  Vol  i.  Madras  :  Printed  by  the  Superintendent,  Government 
Press.    1891.    8vo.    Pp.  161. 
The  author  had  forwarded  954  drugs,  used  in  the  Madras  Presidency,  to  the 
Calcutta  International  Exhibition  of  1883-84,  and  while  the  catalogue  for  this 
collection  was  being  prepared,  it  was  decided  to  extend  its  scope,  and  Dr. 
Mohideen  Sheriff  made  arrangements  to  supply,  from  his  own  observations, 
accounts  of  the  medical  properties  and  therapeutic  usefulness  of  the  different 
drugs.  The  first  volume  of  this  work  is  now  before  us,  having  the  material 
arranged  according  to  the  natural  orders  of  the  plants  producing  the  drugs, 
beginning  with  the  Ranunculacece,  and  extending  to  the  Iveguminosae,  of 
which  order  only  the  drugs  from  a  few  species  of  Acacia  are  enumerated. 
The  arrangement  of  each  article  is  as  follows  :  The  heading  gives  the  botanical 
name  of  the  plant,  and  references  to  the  catalogue  of  drugs  sent  to  the 
Calcutta  exhibition  ;  it  is  also  indicated  whether  the  drug  is  recognized  by  the 
Pharmacopoeia  of  India,  or  has  been  admitted  into  its  non-official  list,  or  has 
been  introduced  by  the  author,  or  is  an  English  or  foreign  drug  now  cultivated 
on  the  Nilgiris.  Then  the  consideration  of  the  drug  is  proceeded  with  under 
the  following  subheadings  :  habitat,  part  used,  synonyms  (giving  the  names  in 
use  in  Eastern  countries,  local  sources  of  supply,  price,  physiological  action, 
therapeutic  uses,  preparations,  doses,  European  drugs  for  which  they  may  be 
substituted,  and  remarks ;  under  the  latter  we  find  descriptions  of  the  drugs, 
comparison  with  other  similar  ones,  and  particulars  about  their  application, 
wherever  deemed  necessary,  more  especially  with  regard  to  popular  uses,  the 
recommendations  of  Persian  and  Arabic  works,  etc. 
The  value  of  such  a  work  may  be  easily  conjectured  when  the  wealth  of 
India  in  medicinally  valuable  plants  is  borne  in  mind,  and  the  personal  obser- 
vations of  the  author  are  taken  into  account.  Unfortunately  Dr.  Mohideen 
Sheriff  died  February  21,  1891,  before  he  was  able  to  finish  his  labors  on  this 
work  ;  but  since  Mr.  David  Hooper,  the  accomplished  quinologist  at  Ootaca- 
