The museum report : a descriptive list of the donations for the years 1895-1902.

  • Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The museum report : a descriptive list of the donations for the years 1895-1902. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    48/80 (page 38)
    Dr. Stapf's identifications are as follow:—The plant cultivated in botanical gardens under the name of A. fenu; Wall., is not that species but a new one, which he describes under the name of A. BalfoHrii, Stapf, in honour of Professor J. H. Balfour, who first published a description and illustration of the plant ni the Kdiiih. L'hil. Trans., 1849 (p. 3G6, pi. V.). The Nepal aconite of commerce he believes to be derived from the following species which have been obtained from the northern provinces of India, but not as yet from Nepal, which is exceedingly difficult of access to botanists : — (l) A. si>i((itiiiit, Stapf; (2) A. (IcinorrJii-.iim, Stapf; (3) A. loci )ii a tain, Stapf. Externally, the dried roots of all three much resemble each other. Internally the root of A. dcin(>rrlii--:nin. can be distinguished by having a discontinuous stele of two or more horseshoe-shaped bundles, and by tapering more rapidly from the broad crown. I have not found this species in the Museum specimens of the Nepal aconite of commerce. The root of A. spicatiiiii shows a rounded or compressed stele without well- marked angles, and that of A. laciniatinn has a strongly-marked stellate stele. These two species appears to yield the chief roots present in the Nepal aconite of commerce. The plants are dis- tinguished by the vernacular names of Bikh'' iov A. siiicatmn (Sikkim), Kalo Bikhoma for A. lariniatiim (Sikkim), and Mohra for A. dcinon-lir.nni (Bashahr). Other species of aconite presented by Dr. Geo. Watt will be found in the list of additions to the Herbarium, but none of them are large enough to be regarded as sources of Nepal aconite. Aloes [Vijanda aloes). A variety of aloes appeared in commerce in 1899 under the name of Uganda aloes. At first it was supposed from the name Uganda, which is used as a brand name, that it came from Uganda, and was similar to Socotrine aloes, and consequently it then fetched the price usually paid for that aloes. It was found, however, on examination, that it did not correspond chemically to that aloes, but to Cape aloes, and svibsequently it was discovered that it was produced in Mossel Bay, in Cape Colony, and the price then went down to that paid for fine Cape aloes. It consists of the juice of Aloe fero.r, carefully dried in the sun. In purity, and in the care taken m its preparation, it is superior to any other variety of Cape aloes, but on analysis it has been found to vary somewhat in the amount of aloin present, probably according to the time of year at which it is prepared. It gives about 65 per cent, of soluble matter to water, as against 60 from Cape and 69 from Barbados aloes. An account of it will be found in the I'hann. Jotini. [4], VIII., p. 230, 296; [4], XI., p. 573; XIIL, p. 33.