MACRO-AND MICROSCOPICAL IDENTIFICATION OF RHINOCEROS HORN DRUGS

The structures of three commercial varieties (Asiatic, African and small) of Rhinoceros horns and diagnostic characters of their powders have been studied in detail.These horns are organs composed of hair-like bundles having cellular structures bound by interstitial tissue. A cylindrical medulla is present in the centre of each bundle and packed loosely with roundish medulla cells. Many concentric layers of flattened, scale-like cortical cells surround the medulla. The interstitial tissue between the bundles are composed of several layers of flattened, scale-like cells.Staining properties showed that the cell-membranes contain keratohyalin while the protoplasm of the cells contains mainly eleidin. The different varieties of Rhinoceros horns can be distinguished by the features of their transverse sections, e. g. colour and shape of the cortical cells, abundance of pigment granules, and presence or absence of cortical fissures.The characters are illustrated with line-drawings and photographs. A key is also provided.