Medicinal of Plants India and Ceylon: Their chemistry and pharmacology

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This book from the contents, the author has collected a large amount of material which should be useful to research workers in chemistry and pharmacology. References have been made to original papers, abstracts and other works of various authors.

For purposes of comparison, he has extended his studies and observation to allied plants which are not found in Ceylon and India. Besides, the book gives a short account of the therapeutic properties claimed for the plants by ayurvedic and other systems of Eastern Medicine.

It should therefore be useful to those engaged in the investigation of drugs and their properties.

Publisher's Note:

The typescript of this book had been completed, and was ready for publication when my husband, Professor J. P. C. Chandrasena, died suddenly on 10th June, 1934.

As may be seen from the contents, he has collected a large amount of material which should be useful to research workers in Chemistry and Pharmacology. References have been made to original papers, abstracts and other works of various authors. For purposes of comparison, he has extended his studies and observations to allied plants which are not fount in Ceylon and India. Besides, the book gives a short account of the therapeutic properties claimed for the plants by Ayurvedic and other systems of Eastern Medicine. It should therefore be useful to those engaged in the investigation of drugs and their properties.

Being at the time of his death in charge of the teaching of Organic Chemistry at the Ceylon University College, Colombo, my husband took a great interest in this branch of his studies. During 1920 to 1922, he obtained a training in research work under Professor J. F. Thorpe, of the Royal College of Science, London. At the hands of Professor W. Straub, during 1927 to 1928, he underwent training in Pharmacology. He was also at the Imperial Institute, London, engaged in the study of drugs.

As has been stated, in the preparation of this book, resort has been made to the works of other authors. My husband's indebtedness to them, which he has not lived to acknowledge personally, must be considerable. Those authors, and their publishers, have granted their kind permission to make extracts from their works, and I take this opportunity to thank Doctors Gildemeister and Hoffmann, authors of the Volatile Oils, published by Messrs. Schimmel & Co., of Miltitz bei Leipzig, Germany; Mrs. Lewkowitsch, the representative of the late Dr. Lewkowitsch, M.A., F.I.C., author of Oils, Fats and Waxes, published by Messrs. Macmillan & Co., Ltd., London; and Dr. T. A. Henry, author of Plant Alkaloids, published by Messrs. J. & A. Churchill, Ltd., London,

I have also to acknowledge with thanks the references made by my late husband to the work by the late Dr. John Attygalle, Sinhalese Materia Medica, published in 1917, and to the Pharmacographia Indica, both now out of print.

Readers of this book will realise the difficulties necessarily experience in publishing, in the absence of its author, a book the subject-matter of which is beyond the ken of those without a special scientific training. Constructive criticism from competent quarters is, therefore, heartily welcomed.

It remains to me to express my gratitude to Mr. B. M. F. Jayaratne, my late husband's life-long friend, for the assistance he gave, and the interest he took, in getting this book through the Press; to Mr. E. L. Fonseka, M.Sc., (Lond), A. I. C., Lecture in Chemistry, Ceylon University College, Colombo, for his kindness in reading the proofs; and to Messrs Harrisons & Crosfield, Ltd., Colombo, for the care exercised in the printing and production of this book.

LUCY CHANDRASENA.

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