ARMY MEDICAL LIBRARY WASHINGTON Founded 1836 Section....................... Number ....1* 7 ' Fobm113c, W.D..S.G O •'<• 3—10543 (Revised Juno 13. 1936) \ IU Ht ':Mn.A) MATERIA MEDIOA. i MATERIA MEDICA, THE USE OF STUDENTS. JOHN B. BIDDLE, M.D., PROFESSOR OF MATERIA MEDICA AND GENERAL THERAPEUTICS IN THE JEFFERSON MEDICAL COLLEGE, MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, FELLOW OF THE COLLEGE-OF PHYSICIANS, ETC., ETC. WITH IZDIiTTSTZR^TIOZCsTS. C/J %707f- PHILADELPHIA: LINDSAY & BLAKISTON. 1865. I QV B58--*, Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, BY LINDSAY & BLAKISTON, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. SHERMAN & CO., PRINTERS. PREFACE. A second edition" of the author's Revieio of Materia Medica having been called for, he has revised and enlarged it, and adapted it to the last edition of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia. Numerous additions have been made to the list of articles treated of, and the work has been remodelled and, in many parts, rewritten. Although not designed to take the place of the more voluminous and systematic treatises upon the sub- ject, it is believed that it will be found to contain a succinct account of all the articles of the Materia Medica in use in this country, and to furnish a suit- able text-book to the courses of lectures delivered upon the branch. It is illustrated by representations of most of the important indigenous and naturalized plants. The author begs leave respectfully to renew his dedication of the work to the gentlemen in attend- ance upon the various medical schools in the United States. Philadelphia, October, 1865. CONTENTS. PAGE Remedies—Definition of,.........17 Division of,.........17 PART I. MECHANICAL REMEDIES. General Bloodletting,.........17 Leeches and Cups, .......... 18 Setons and Issues, .......... 19 Bandages, Frictions, Acupuncture,.......19 PART II. IMPONDERABLE REMEDIES. Light,.............20 Heat,.............20 Cold,.............21 Electricity,...........22 PART III. PHARMACOLOGICAL REMEDIES, OR MEDICINES. Medicines—Definition of,....... Modus Operandi of,...... Circumstances which modify the Effects of, Forms in which they are used, .... Weights and Measures,..... Effect of Age, Sex, Temperament, Idiosyncrasy, Habit &c, upon,........ Parts to which Medicines are applied, . Classification of Medicines,..... 23 24 26 26 34 35 36 39 viii CONTENTS. PAGE Class I.—Neurotics,.........40 Order I. Narcotics,.........4U Opium,..........40 Lactucarium, ....•••• *• Belladonna,.........4° Stramonium,........51 Hyoscyamus (Henbane), . . . . • .52 Tabacum (Tobacco),.......54 Lobelia,.........56 Conium (Hemlock),.......58 Aconitum (Aconite),.......60 Extractum Cannabis (Extract of Hemp), ... 61 Humulus (Hops),.......62 Dulcamara (Bittersweet),......64 Acidum Hydrocyanicum (Hydrocyanic Acid), . . 64 Potassii Cyanidum (Cyanide of Potassium), . . 66 Oleum Amygdalae Amarae (Oil of Bitter Almond), . 66 Camphora (Camphor),.......67 Order II. Ethereal Anaesthetics,.......70 JEther (Ether),........70 Chloroformum (Chloroform),.....73 Order III. Antispasmodics, ........ 76 Assafcetida (Assafetida), ...... 76 Galbanum, ......... 78 Ammoniacum (Ammoniac), ..... 78 Valeriana (Valerian),.......79 Cypripedium,........80 Scutellaria (Skullcap),.......80 Dracontium (Skunk-Cabbage), ..... 80 Moschus (Musk),........81 Castoreum (Castor), ....... 82 Oleum Succini (Oil of Amber), ..... 82 Oleum ^Ethereum (Ethereal Oil), .... 83 Spiritus iEtheris Compositus (Compound Spirit of Ether),.........83 Order IV. Tonics,..........84 Vegetable Tonics, ........ 85 Simple Bitters,.........86 Quassia, ......... 86 Simaruba,.........86 Coptis (Goldthread),.......87 Gentiana (Gentian), ....... 88 Frasera (American Columbo),.....89 Sabbatia (American Centaury), . ... . .89 Calumba (Columbo),.......90 / CONTENTS. IX PAGE Chiretta,.........91 Xanthorriza (Yellow-Root),.....91 Aromatic Bitters,.........92 Serpentaria (Virginia Snakeroot), .... 92 Anthemis (Chamomile),......93 Cotula (Mayweed),.......94 Matricaria (German Chamomile), .... 94 Eupatorium (Thoroughwort), . . . . .94 Absinthium (Wormwood),......96 Magnolia, ..... ... 96 Liriodendron (Tulip-Tree Bark), .... 96 Angustura (Angustura Bark),.....97 Cascarilla, ......... 97 Canella,.........98 Achillea (Yarrow), ....... 98 Angelica, ......... 99 Astringent Bitters, ........ 99 Cinchona (Peruvian Bark),......99 Cornus Florida (Dogwood),......107 Salix (Willow),........108 Prunus Virginiana (Wild Cherry Bark), . . . 108 Nectandra, ......... 109 Mineral Tonics,.........110 Ferri Praeparata (Preparations of Iron), . . .110 Cupri Praeparata (Preparations of Copper), . . 117 Zinci Praeparata (Preparations of Zinc), . . . 121 Argenti Praeparata (Preparations of Silver), . . 121 Bismuthi Subnitras (Subnitrate of Bismuth), . . 122 Cadmii Sulphas (Sulphate of Cadmium), . . . 123 Acida Mineralia (Mineral Acids), .... 123 Order V. Astringents, ........ 126 Vegetable Astringents,.......127 Acidum Tannicum (Tannic Acid), .... 127 Acidum Gallicum (Gallic Acid),.....128 Galla (Nutgall),........128 Catechu,.........129 Kino,..........130 Krameria (Rhatany),.......131 Haematoxylon (Logwood), ...*... 132 Quercus Alba (White Oak Bark), . . . .133 Quercus Tinctoria (Black Oak Bark), . . . .133 Geranium (Cranesbill),......133 Uva Ursi,.........135 Chimaphila (Pipsissewa),......136 Granati Fructus Cortex (Pomegranate Rind), . . 138 Rosa Gallica (Red Rose),......138 X CONTENTS. PAGE Rosa Centifolia (Pale Rose),.....138 Diospyros (Persimmon), ...... 139 Tormentilla (Tormentil), ...... 139 Rubus (Blackberry Root), ....•• 139 Heuchera (Alum-Root), ...... 139 Creasotum (Creasote),.......140 Mineral Astringents,........141 Plumbi Praeparata (Preparations of Lead), . . 141 Alumen (Alum),........145 Order VI. Stimulants,........146 Diffusible Stimulants,........147 Alcohol,.........147 Vinum (Wine),........149 Spiritus Vini Gallici (Brandy),.....149 Ammoniae Praeparata (Preparations of Ammonia), . 150 Aromatics,..........152 Capsicum (Cayenne Pepper),.....152 Piper (Black Pepper),.......153 Cinnamomum (Cinnamon), ...... 154 Myristica (Nutmeg),.......155 Macis (Mace),........155 Caryophyllus (Cloves),......156 Pimenta (Pimento),.......157 Oleum Cajuputi (Cajeput Oil),.....157 Oleum Terebinthinae (Oil of Turpentine), . . .158 Zingiber (Ginger),.......158 Cardamomum (Cardamom),......159 Calamus (Sweet Flag),.......160 Gaultheria (Partridge-Berry),.....161 Aurantii Cortex (Orange Peel),.....162 Arnica,..........162 Those belonging to Nat. Ord. Lamiaceae, . . .163 Those belonging to Nat. Ord. Apiaceae, . . .164 Order VII. Sedatives,....... 165 Digitalis (Foxglove),.......165 Veratrum Viride (American Hellebore), . . .167 Veratrum Album (White Hellebore), . . . .168 Gelsemium (Yellow Jasmine),.....169 Antimonii Praeparata (Preparations of Antimony), . 169 Refrigerants,..... ,7o Potassae Nitras (Nitrate of Potassa), . . . .173 Sodse Boras (Borate of Soda)..... 174 Rotate Citras (Citrate of Potassa), . . . .175 Liquor Ammoniae Acetatis (Solution of Acetate of Ammonia),...... j7g CONTENTS. xi PAGE Spiritus iEtheris Nitrosi (Spirit of Nitrous Ether), . 176 Acida Vegetabilia (Vegetable Acids), .... 176 Order VIII. Spastics,.........178 Nux Vomica,........178 Ignatia,.........180 Toxicodendron (Poison Oak),.....181 Ergota (Ergot),........181 Gossypii Radix (Cotton Root),.....183 Class II.—Eccritics,.........183 Order I. Emetics,.........183 Vegetable Emetics,........185 Ipecacuanha,........185 Sanguinaria (Bloodroot),......186 Euphorbia Corollata (Large Flowering Spurge), . 188 Euphorbia Ipecacuanha (Ipecacuanha Spurge), . . 188 Gillenia,.........189 Sinapis (Mustard),.......189 Mineral Emetics,........190 Order II. Cathartics,.........190 Laxatives,..........192 Manna,.........192 Cassia Fistula (Purging Cassia),.....193 Oleum Olivae (Olive Oil),......193 Oleum Amygdalae Dulcis (Oil of Sweet Almond), . 193 Oleum Ricini (Castor Oil),......194 Sulphur,.........195 Saline Cathartics,........196 Magnesia, ......... 196 Magnesias Carbonas (Carbonate of Magnesia), . .197 Magnesiae Sulphas (Sulphate of Magnesia), . . 197 Liquor Magnesiae Citratis (Solution of Citrate of Magnesia),........198 Sodae Sulphas (Sulphate of Soda), .... 198 Manganesii Sulphas (Sulphate of Manganese), . . 199 Sodae Phosphas (Phosphate of Soda), .... 199 Potassae Sulphas (Sulphate of Potassa), . . . 200 Potassae Bitartras (Bitartrate of Potassa), . . . 200 Potassae Tartras (Tartrate of Potassa), . . . 201 Potassae et Sodae Tartras (Tartrate of Potassa and Soda),.........201 Mild Acrid Cathartics,.......202 Rheum (Rhubarb),.......202 Aloe (Aloes),........205 Leptandra,.........207 Senna,..........207 Cassia Marilandica (American Senna), . . . 209 xh " CONTENTS. PAGE 910 Drastic Cathartics,........ 01 r\ Jalapa (Jalap),........ Podophyllum (May Apple),.....211 Scammonium (Scammony),.....212 Helleborus Niger (Black Hellebore), . . . .213 Colocynthis (Colocynth), '......213 Gambogia (Gamboge),.......214 Elaterium,.........215 Oleum Tiglii (Croton Oil),......215 Mercurial Cathartics,........217 Enemata,..........218 Order III. Diaphoretics,........218 Alterative Diaphoretics,.......220 Sarsaparilla, ........ 220 Aralia Nudicaulis (False Sarsaparilla), . . . 222 Guaiaci Lignum et Resina (Guaiacum Wood and Guaiac), ......... 222 Mezereum (Mezereon), ...... 223 Sassafras, ......... 224 Order IV. Diuretics,........224 Scilla (Squill),........226 Colchicum, ......... 228 Erigeron (Fleabane),.......230 Apocynum Cannabinum (Indian Hemp), . . . 231 Taraxacum (Dandelion), ...... 232 Juniperus (Juniper),.......233 Carota (Carrot Seed),.......233 Cantharis (Cantharides),......234 Order V. Blennorrhetics, ........ 235 Senega (Seneka),........236 Cimicifuga (Black Snakeroot), ..... 238 Allium (Garlic),........239 Scilla (Squill),........240 Terebinthina (Turpentine),......240 Copaiba, ......... 244 Cubeba (Cubeb),........245 Matico,.........247 Pareira (Pareira Brava), ...... 247 Buchu,..........248 Myrrha (Myrrh),.......248 Benzoinum (Benzoin), ...... 249 Balsamum Peruvianum (Balsam of Peru),. . . 251 Balsamum Tolutanum (Balsam of Tolu), . . . 251 Order VI. Emmenagogues, ....... 252 Sabina (Savine),........253 CONTENTS. xiii PAGE Ruta (Rue),.........254 Rubia (Madder),........254 Class III.—Hematics,.........254 Order I. Haematinics,........254 Order II. Alteratives,........255 Hydrargyri Praeparata (Preparations of Mercury), . 256 Iodinium (Iodine),.......271 Potassii Iodidum (Iodide of Mercury), . . . 273 Brominium (Bromine),......274 Oleum Morrhuae (Cod-liver Oil), .... 275 Arsenici Praeparata (Preparations of Arsenic), . . 278 Calcis Phosphas Praecipitata (Precipitated Phosphate of Lime),.........282 Ammoniae Murias (Muriate of Ammonia), . . . 283 Potassae Chloras (Chlorate of Potassa), . . . . 283 Potassae Bichromas (Bichromate of Potassa), . . 284 Potassae Permanganas (Permanganate of Potassa), . 285 Calx Chlorinata (Chlorinated Lime), .... 286 Liquor Sodae Chlorinatae (Solution of Chlorinated Soda), 286 Order III. Antacids,........286 Potassae Praeparata (Preparations of Potassa), . . 288 Sodae Praeparata (Preparations of Soda), . . . 290 Lithiae Praeparata (Preparations of Lithia), . . 292 Ammoniae Praeparata (Preparations of Ammonia), . 293 Magnesiae et Calcis Praeparata (Preparations of Mag- nesia and Lime), ....... 293 Class IV.—Topical Medicines,.......295 Order I. Irritants, ......... 295 Rubefacients, ......... 295 Sinapis (Mustard),.......296 Capsicum (Cayenne Pepper),.....298 Oleum Terebinthinae (Oil of Turpentine), . . .298 Linimentum Ammoniae (Liniment of Ammonia), . 299 Pix Burgundica (Burgundy Pitch), .... 299 Pix Canadensis (Canada Pitch),.....300 Epispastics, .......... 301 Cantharis (Cantharides), ...... 302 Cantharis Vittata (Potato Flies), . . . .306 Aqua Ammoniae (Water of Ammonia), . . . 306 Suppurants,..........306 Oleum Tiglii (Croton Oil),......306 Unguentum Antimonii (Antimonial Ointment), . 307 Escharotics,..........307 Argenti Nitras (Nitrate of Silver), . . . .308 Potassa,.........308 XIV CONTENTS. PAGE Potassa cum Calce (Potassa with Lime), . . . 309 Acidum Chromicum (Chromic Acid), . . . 309 Acidum Arseniosum (Arsenious Acid), . . . 310 Zinci Chloridum (Chloride of Zinc), . . . .310 Liquor Hydrargyri Nitratis (Solution of Nitrate of Mercury), ........ 310 Hydrargyri Chloridum Corrosivum (Corrosive Chlo- ride of Mercury), ....... 310 Potassae Bichromas (Bichromate of Potassa), . .311 Acida Mineralia (Mineral Acids), .... 311 Order II. Demulcents, ........ 311 Acacia (Gum Arabic), ...... 313 Tragacantha (Tragacanth), ...... 315 Linum (Flaxseed),.......315 Ulmus (Slippery Elm Bark)......316 Sassafras Medulla (Sassafras Pith), .... 317 Althaea (Marshmallow),......317 Sesami Folium (Benne Leaf),.....318 Glycyrrhiza (Liquorice Root), ..... 319 Extractum Glycyrrhizae (Liquorice), .... 319 Cetraria (Iceland Moss), ...... 320 Chondrus (Irish Moss),......321 Maranta (Arrow-Root),......321 Canna,..........323 Tapioca,.........323 Sago,..........323 Hordeum (Barley), ....... 324 A vena Farinae (Oatmeal),......325 Oryza (Rice),........325 Salep,..........326 Amylum (Starch),.......326 Gelatina (Gelatin),.......326 Adeps (Lard),........327 Sevum (Suet),........397 Cetaceum (Spermaceti),......327 Cera (Wax), ........327 Oleum Theobromae (Oil of Theobroma), . . .327 Glycerina (Glycerin),.......328 Collodium (Collodion),..... 329 Liquor Guttae Perchae (Solution of Gutta Percha), . 329 Fermentum (Yeast),.......329 Mel (Honey),........329 Order III. Anthelmintics,..... 330 Spigelia (Pinkroot),..... 331 Chenopodium (Wormseed), .... 333 CONTENTS. XV PAGE Santonica,.........334 Azedarach,.........334 Mucuna (Cowhage),.......335 Filix Mas (Male Fern),......335 Granati Radicis Cortex (Bark of the Pomegranate Root),.........336 Oleum Terebinthinae (Oil of Turpentine), . . . 336 Calomel,.........336 Brayera (Koosso),.......336 Rottlera (Kameela), ....... 337 Pepo (Pumpkin Seed),......337 MATERIA MEDICA. The agents employed in the treatment of diseases are denominated Remedies, and the branch of medicine which is devoted to their consideration is termed Materia Me- dica. Remedies may be divided into Hygienic, Mechanical, Imponderable, and Pharmacological agents. Hygienic Remedies are usually treated of in works spe- cially devoted to the subject. PART I. MECHANICAL REMEDIES. Mechanical Remedies belong chiefly to Surgery. A few agents of this class are, however, employed in the practice of medicine, and are included in the Materia Me- dica. They are bloodletting (general and local), setons, issues, bandages, friction, and acupuncture. 1. General Bloodletting is performed principally by venesection or phlebotomy, which is usually practised on the median-cephalic or basilic veins of the arm—sometimes also on the external jugular and other veins. Arteriotomy is occasionally resorted to, on the temporal artery, in ce- rebral ajEFections. 2 18 MATERIA MEDICA. Bloodletting is employed, to moderate vascular excite- ment, reduce inflammatory action, relieve congestion, allay spasm and pain, relax the muscular system, promote ab- sorption, and arrest hemorrhage; and for these purposes it is our most available therapeutical resource. So power- ful and exhausting an agent is, however, always to be resorted to with caution and discrimination; is not to be unduly repeated, even in inflammatory cases; and is sel- dom or never proper in diseases of a typhoid tendency, or where a tubercular diathesis is suspected, or in extreme infancy and old age. 2. The Local Abstraction of Blood is practised by means of leeches and cups. The leech (hirudo) is an aquatic worm, common throughout Europe, America, and India. The European leech (h. medicinalis), is of a blackish or grayish green color on the back, from two to three or four inches in length, and is characterized by six longitudinal dorsal ferruginous stripes, the four lateral ones being interrupted or tessellated with black spots. The Ameri- can leech (h. decora), is usually from two to three inches long, and is of a deep green color, with three longitudinal dorsal rows of square spots. Both the imported and indi- genous leech are employed in this country, but the latter makes a smaller incision, and is preferable in infantile cases. When the discharge of blood from leech-bites is excessive, it may be arrested by pressure, by compresses of lint, the application of alum, creasote, solution of sub- sulphate of iron, and other styptics, or by touching the wounds with nitrate of silver; and if these means fail, the wounds may be sewed. In the operation of cupping, cupping-glasses and a scari- ficator are employed. The removal of atmospheric pres- sure, by the application of glasses partially exhausted of air, produces a determination of blood to the capillaries of a part, and it is'afterwards readily drawn by scarification. "When blood is not abstracted, the operation is termed dry MECHANICAL REMEDIES. 19 cupping, and is a valuable revulsive agent. The topical ab- straction of blood by leeches and cut cups combines the advantages of depletion and revulsion. Leeches are em- ployed in external inflammations, in situations where cups are inadmissible, and in infantile cases. Cups are gener- ally preferable in internal inflammations, from their more decided revulsive influence. When blood is drawn by leeches, its continued flow may be promoted by the appli- cation of warm fomentations to the wounds. 3. Setons (Setacea) and Issues (Fonticuli), are employed when a permanent counter-irritant effect is desired. A seton is established by passing through the integument a seton-needle, armed with a skein of silk; or, a piece of tape, or a strip of sheet lead may be used for the purpose. An issue is made with a cauterant, usually potassa ; and after the slough has separated, a discharge is maintained by the introduction of an issue-pea, for which purpose a common dried pea is used, or a dried unripe Curacoa orange. 4. Bandages are employed, in the practice of medicine, to promote the absorption of dropsical effusions. For the same purpose, strips of adhesive plaster may be applied to the chest, in chronic pleurisy and empyema, as in the treat- ment of fractured ribs. 5. Frictions are useful as revellents, and as local stimu- lants. They may be employed either with the dry hand, or with horse-hair gloves, or with liniments. 6. Acupuncture consists in the introduction into the body of fine, well-polished, sharp-pointed needles. It is a useful remedy in rheumatism, neuralgia, local paralysis, &c, and is sometimes conjoined with electricity, when the operation is known as Electro-puncture. 20 MATERIA MEDICA. PART II. IMPONDERABLE REMEDIES. Under this head are included Light, Heat, Cold, and Elec- tricity. 1. Light (Lux), exercises an important influence in the organized world as a vivifying stimulus. It is useful as a therapeutic agent, in diseases dependent on imperfect nu- trition and sanguification ; and the exposure of the surface of the body to its action, as far as nudity is compatible with proper warmth, promotes the regular development and strength of the organs. On the other hand, in many dis- eases the stimulus of light is injurious, and darkness is re- sorted to as a sedative and tranquillizing agent. 2. Heat (Color), applied to the human system in mode- rate amount, acts, both locally and generally, as an excitant; in intense degree, it destroys vitality and organization. It is employed as a local excitant and revulsive, by means of hot bottles, hot bricks, the hot foot-bath, &c, and as an ap- plication to painful and inflamed parts, in the form of poultices and fomentations. As a general application, heat is chiefly resorted to in the form of the water-bath and va- por-bath. The warm bath, at a temperature from 92° to 98° F., is used as a relaxant in dislocations, hernia, spasm, infantile convulsions, croup, &c, and also for its action on the skin in rheumatic and chronic cutaneous affections. The hot bath has a temperature of from 98° to 112°, and is a powerful excitant in cases of exhaustion, asphyxia, or suf- focation, and is employed also in old paralytic and rheu- matic cases. The hot air-bath, at a temperature of from 98° imponderable remedies. 21 to 130°, is useful as an excitant and revellent, and is em- ployed in cases of internal congestion, and in rheumatic, neuralgic, and cutaneous affections. The hot vapor-bath is adapted to the same class of cases as the hot air-bath, and exerts also a diaphoretic and relaxing influence. The destructive agency of heat is resorted to for the pur- pose of vesication, as by the application to the skin of a metallic plate heated to 212° by immersion in boiling water; and of cauterization, by the employment- of redhot iron, or of moxa. Hot iron (known as the actual cautery), is used chiefly as a styptic. The term moxa is applied to small masses of combustible matter, which are burnt slowly in contact with the skin, with a view to a revulsive effect in deep-seated inflammations, nervous affections, &c. 3. Cold (Frigus).—The application of cold to living bodies produces a diminution of vital activity, attended by reduction of the temperature and volume of the part, with contraction of the bloodvessels and other tissues, and sus- pension of the secretions and exhalations. The application of excessive or prolonged cold is followed by the torpor and death of the part. When it is applied in moderation and for a short period, reaction generally takes place, with a return and even increase of temperature, volume, color, and sensibility. Cold is employed therapeutically, with a view to both its primary and secondary effects. The primary action of cold is. depressing and sedative. As a sedative agent, it is used, 1. To lessen vascular and nervous excitement and preter- natural heat, as by the use of cold lotions and spongings in fevers, the ice-cap in cerebral affections, the shower-bath in insanity, the bladder filled with ice to the spine in epi- lepsy, &c. 2. To constringe the tissues, promote the coagulation of the blood, and lessen the volume of parts ; hence the local application of ice or cold water to abate in- flammation, check hemorrhage, cure aneurism, and reduce strangulated hernia?. 3. To produce local anaesthesia in 22 materia medica. surgical operations, by means of a freezing mixture topi- cally applied. The secondary effects of cold are the reverse of the pri- mary effects, and are obtained by the employment of a less intense degree of cold. They are resorted to, 1. To invig- orate the system, as with the cold shower-bath and plunge- bath. 2. To rouse the system, as by cold affusions in coma and asphyxia. 3. To recall the vital properties to frost- bitten parts. 4. To effect local excitation, as by the application of the cold douche to rheumatic and paralyzed limbs. Cold liquids and ice are taken into the stomach as refrige- rants in fevers. They are introduced into the rectum and vagina, to check hemorrhage and allay irritation; and cold water, injected into the impregnated uterus, is among the most certain means of inducing premature delivery. 4. Electricity (Electricitas).—The electric current acts as an excitant to the nerves both of sensation and motion. It influences to some extent, also, the secretions, through its action on the nerves distributed to the secreting organs ; and it affects the circulation, by inducing contractions of the heart. A powerful charge of electricity produces violent and frequently fatal effects on the central nervous system. The various forms of electricity are resorted to for their stimulant effect in a number of nervous affections. It is chiefly used in cases of local and functional paralysis, which are independent of lesion of the nervous centres. It has also been employed with occasional good effect in amauro- sis, nervous deafness, neuralgia, photophobia, chronic rheu- matism, chorea, hysteria, and other neuroses, and to excite uterine contractions. From its influence on the secretions, it has been prescribed as an emmenagogue, to overcome constipation, to promote the biliary secretion, and to heal ulcers. In the form of electro-magnetism, it is a powerful excitant in the coma resulting from narcotic poisons and pharmacological remedies. 23 in asphyxia generally, and is probably the most active remedy that can be exhibited in these cases. For medicinal purposes, electricity is obtained from three sources : 1. Friction, as in the common electrical machine. 2. Chemical action, as in the voltaic battery. 3. Magnetism, either of temporary magnets, as in the coil machines, or of permanent magnets, as in the electro- magnetic machines. PART III. PHARMACOLOGICAL REMEDIES. Pharmacological Remedies, or Medicines, are sub- stances, not essentially alimentary, which, when applied to the body, so alter or modify its vital functions, as to be rendered applicable to the treatment of diseases. The term Materia Medica is, strictly speaking, limited to that portion of Therapeutics devoted to the consideration of medicines. Pharmacy is the department of Materia Medica which treats of the collection, preparation, preser- vation, and dispensation of medicines. To the student of medicine, the objects of examination in relation to medicines are,—the sources from which they are derived; the mode in which they are prepared and brought to market; their sensible qualities, and also their chemical composition and relations; their physiological effects, or the effects which they are capable of producing in healthy individuals; their therapeutical effects, or those which they produce in morbid states of the system; and lastly, the doses, modes of administration, and preparations 24 materia medica. (extemporaneous and officinal), under which they are ad- ministered. The effects of medicines take place either in the parts to which they are applied, or in distant parts of the system. The former are termed local or topical effects ; the latter, re- mote or constitutional effects. modus operandi of medicines. The medium through which the influence of medicines is exerted on remote parts of the body, or their modus operandi (as it is usually termed), was long a contested point. Until within a comparatively recent period, it was main- tained that medicines and poisons transmitted their impres- sions from the parts receiving them to distant parts, by means of a communication through the nerves. But it is now generally admitted, that the absorption or passage of the medicinal or poisonous molecules into the blood is neces- sary to their action on parts remote from the seat of im- pression. While, however, it is well established, that the character- istic action of medicines is transmitted to the parts influ- enced, exclusively through the medium of the circulation, it is undeniable that the functions of the nervous system may be secondarily excited by a local medicinal impression. The number of agents which operate in this manner is, however, very limited. The action of medicines by absorption is proved by a va- riety of facts. They are detected in many parts of the system, remote from that to which they have been applied, having been found in the blood, the solids, and the excretions, after being taken into the stomach. If the circulation be interrupted, the influence of a poison cannot be transmitted; while its effects have been obtained, when applied to a wound in the foot of an animal, after all parts of the extremity have been severed, except the artery and vein. In confirmation of modus operandi of medicines. 25 the doctrine of absorption, may be cited also the admitted facts, that the remote effects of medicines or poisons are promoted or retarded by circumstances which promote or retard absorption; that the blood of poisoned animals is found to possess poisonous properties ; that the fluids and solids acquire medicinal properties after the use of medi- cines (as the milk of nurses); that the specific effects of medicines are produced by their injection into the blood ; and that medicines disappear from closed cavities into which they are introduced. After their absorption into the blood, medicines circulate with it, penetrate through the capillaries to the various or- gans, and are afterwards thrown out of the system with the excretions. Some medicines produce changes in the con- dition of the circulating fluid. Others have a specific action upon some one or other of the organs of the body. And in passing out of the system, most medicines act as stimu- lants to the organs by which they are thrown out. The absorption of medicines is effected principally by the veins, and in some degree also by the lymphatics and lac- teals. The medicinal particles penetrate or soak through the interstices of the tissue with which they are placed in contact, and are thence diffused through the circulation. To a limited extent, medicinal substances probably penetrate all the tissues of the part to which they are applied, and in this way the activity of medicines is most decided upon the organs contiguous to the seat of application. It is objected to the theory of the operation of medicines by absorption, that certain poisons act with a rapidity in- compatible with their previous introduction into the circu- lation. This is, however, not the fact, as the action of the most violent poisons (hydrocyanic acid, for example), is never wholly instantaneous ; and careful experiments have shown that the velocity of the circulation is sufficient to diffuse a poison through the blood in a shorter space of time than its effects are ever observed on the system. 26 materia medica. circumstances which modify the effects of medicines. The circumstances which modify the effects of medicines relate both to the medicines and to the human system. 1. The properties of medicines are modified by the soil in which they grow, by climate, cultivation, age, and the season of the year at which they are gathered. 2. Medicines are more active, because more readily ab- sorbed, in a state of solution than in a solid state. 3. Soluble medicines are often rendered inert by a che- mical reaction which converts them into insolubles : in this way antidotes modify the effects of poisons. 4. Differences in dose greatly modify the effects of medi- cines. 5. Pharmaceutical modifications have an important in- fluence on the efficacy of medicines. They may be exhibited in the solid, semi-solid, liquid, and aeriform states:" In the solid state they are administered in the shape of powders, pills, lozenges, and confections. In the liquid state, they are administered in the shape of mixtures, solutions, medicated waters, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, spirits, wines, vinegars, syrups, honeys, and oxy- mels. In the semi-solid, or soft state, they are applied externally, in the form of liniments, ointments, cerates, plasters, and cataplasms. In the form of gases and vapors, medicines are used for purposes of inhalation. solids. Powders (Pulveres). The form of powder is usually se- lected for the administration of medicines, which are not very bulky, nor of very disagreeable taste, which have no corrosive property, and which do not deliquesce rapidly on exposure. Deliquescent substances, and such as contain a forms in which medicines are used. 27 large proportion of fixed oil, should always be recently pul- verized, as they are liable to spoil when kept. Other sub- stances, employed in the form of powder, are usually pulverized on a large scale. For the purpose of pulverizing drugs in small quantity, the physician makes use of a pestle and mortar, of iron, brass, glass, Wedgwood ware, or mar- ble. Various means are resorted to, to facilitate the oper- ation of powdering, and care should be taken to separate the inert portions and impurities. The lighter powders may be administered in water or other thin liquid. The heavier powders require a more consistent vehicle, as syrup, treacle, or honey. Pills (Filulce), are small globular masses, of a size that can be conveniently swallowed. The form of pill is suitable for the exhibition of medicines which are not bulky, and are of disagreeable taste or smell, or insoluble in water. Deliquescent substances should not be made into pills, and those which are efflorescent should be previously deprived of their water of crystallization. Some substances are readily made into pills, with the ad- dition of a little water or spirit. Very soft or liquid sub- stances require the addition of some dry inert powder, as bread-crumb, or powdered gum Arabic, to reduce them to a proper consistence. Heavy powders are mixed with some soft solid, as con- serve of roses, or with a tenacious liquid, as treacle, or syrup. When the pilular mass is properly prepared, it is rolled with a spatula into a cylinder of uniform thickness, and is then divided into the required number of pills, with the hand, or more accurately, with a pill machine. The pills are rolled into spherical form between the fingers; and to prevent adhesion, are dusted with some dry powder, as powdered liquorice root or carbonate of magnesia. To conceal the taste and smell of pills, they are sometimes coated with gelatin, collodion, mucilage, sugar, &c. Pills 28 materia medica. which have been long kept, may pass unchanged through the stomach and bowels, and are therefore objectionable. Troches or Lozenges (Troehisci), are small, dry, solid masses, made of powders with sugar and mucilage, and in- tended to be held in the mouth and allowed to dissolve slowly. Mucilage of tragacanth is usually employed in pre- paring lozenges. Confections (Confiectiones), are soft solid preparations, made with some saccharine matter. They are subdivided into Conserves and Electuaries : the former consist of combi- nations of recent vegetable substances and refined sugar, beat into a uniform mass; the latter are extemporaneous mixtures of medicines, usually dry powders, with syrup, honey, or treacle. liquids. Mixtures (Misturoz), are preparations of insoluble sub- stances, suspended in water by means of gum Arabic, sugar, the yolk of eggs, or other viscid matter. When the suspended substance is oleaginous, the mixture is termed an emulsion. Solutions (Liquores), are solutions (chiefly aqueous) of non-volatile substances, which are wholly soluble in the menstruum employed. In making solutions, and all other aqueous preparations, the water used should be fresh river, rain, or distilled water, and free from saline impurities. Medicated Waters (Aquce), are preparations consisting of water holding volatile or gaseous substances in solution. Many of them, having been made by distilling water from plants containing volatile oil, were formerly termed distilled waters. In place of distillation, trituration with carbonate of magnesia (afterwards separated by filtration) is now em- ployed to impregnate water with volatile oils. FORMS IN WHICH MEDICINES ARE USED. 29 Infusions (Infiusa), are partial solutions of vegetable sub- stances in water, obtained without the aid of ebullition. They are made with both hot and cold water : the former extracts the soluble principle more rapidly and in larger proportion ; the latter is preferred, when the active princi- ple would be injured by heat, or when it is desirable not to take up some matter, insoluble at a low temperature. In- fusions have been usually made by pouring water upon the substances to be infused, and allowing it to remain upon them for some time : when the process takes place at a heat of from 60° to 90°, it is termed maceration ; when at a heat of from 90° to 100°, digestion. Of late years, a more effi- cient mode of extracting the medicinal virtues of plants has been introduced, termed percolation. In this operation, the medicinal substance is coarsely powdered, and placed in an instrument called a percolator, in the lower part of which is fitted a porous or colander-like partition or diaphragm. The powder is then saturated with water or other men- struum, till it will absorb no more; and, after they have remained some time in contact, fresh portions of the men- struum are added, till the required quantity is employed. The fresh liquid, as it is successively added, percolates the solid particles of the medicinal substance, driving the pre- viously saturated liquid before it; and in this way com- pletely exhausts the substance to be dissolved. An ordinary glass funnel answers very well for percolation ; and a cir- cular piece of muslin or lint, pressed into the neck by means of a cork with notched sides, forms a good dia- phragm,—care being taken to interpose a similar piece of muslin, moistened slightly with the menstruum, between the diaphragm and powder. Decoctions (Decocta), are partial solutions of vegetable substances in water, in which the active principles are ob- tained by ebullition. This is a more rapid and active mode of extracting the virtues of plants than by infusion. But it is objectionable when the proximate principles are vola- 30 MATERIA MEDICA. tile at a boiling heat, or undergo decomposition by ebulli- tion. In making decoctions, ebullition should be continued for a few minutes only, and the liquid should be allowed to cool slowly in a close vessel. As they are apt to spoil, they should be prepared only when wanted for use. Tinctures (Tincture), are solutions of medicinal sub- stances in alcohol or diluted alcohol. Ammonia and ethe- real spirit are also sometimes employed as solvents; and solutions in these menstrua are called ammoniated tinctures and ethereal tinctures. Alcohol or rectified spirit (of a sp. gr. 0.835, according to the U. S. Pharmacopoeia), is em- ployed in making tinctures of substances nearly or quite insoluble in water, as the resins, essential oils, camphor, &c. Diluted alcohol or proof spirit (consisting of equal measures of officinal alcohol and water) is preferred, when the substance is soluble both in alcohol and water, or when some of its ingredients are soluble in the one menstruum and some in the other. Tinctures have been usually pre- pared by maceration or digestion, more commonly by the former process, and a period of two weeks is recommended for its duration. It should be conducted in well-stopped glass vessels, which should be frequently shaken; and when the maceration is completed, the tincture should be sepa- rated from the dregs by filtration. The U. S. Pharmaco- poeia now recommends percolation in making most tinctures, and in the hands of skilful pharmaceutists, this process is preferable, as the most thorough mode of exhausting medi- cinal substances; but where the operator cannot trust himself, it is better to recur to the old process of maceration. Tinctures should be kept in bottles accurately stopped, to prevent evaporation, which might seriously increase their strength. The form of tincture is adapted to the exhibition of me- dicines, which are to be given in small quantity, and it affords a convenient mode of graduating doses/ In pre- scribing large and continued doses of tinctures, the stimu- FORMS IN WHICH MEDICINES ARE USED. 31 lating effects of the alcohol which they contain must be borne in mind. Spirits (Spiritus), are alcoholic solutions of volatile prin- ciples, properly speaking procured by distillation, but now usually prepared by dissolving the volatile principles in alcohol or diluted alcohol. The spirits of the aromatic vegetable oils are used to give a pleasant odor and taste to mixtures, to correct the nauseating and griping effects of cathartics, and also as carminatives and stomachics. Wines (Vina), are solutions of medicinal substances in sherry or other white wines. They are more liable to decom- position than tinctures, and are of variable strength; but they are in some cases preferred from the less stimulating character of the menstruum, which has also sometimes an increase of solvent power from the acid which it contains. Vinegars (Aceta), are infusions or solutions of medicinal substances in vinegar or acetic acid, which is a particularly good solvent of many vegetable principles, as the organic alkalies. Honeys (Mellita), are preparations of medicinal sub- stances in honey. In oxymels, a combination of honey and vinegar is employed. Neither of these preparations are now much used. Syrups (Syrupi), are preparations of medicinal substances in a concentrated solution of sugar. The term syrup (syrupus), or simple syrup, is applied to a solution of sugar (thirty-six troyounces) in water (Oij fgxij), dissolved with the aid of heat. Medicated syrups are usually made by in- corporating sugar with vegetable infusions, decoctions, ex- pressed juices, fermented liquors, or simple aqueous solu- tions. They may also be prepared by adding a tincture to simple syrup, and afterwards evaporating the alcohol; or, 32 materia medica. by mixing the tincture with sugar in coarse powder, and dissolving the impregnated sugar, after evaporation, in the necessary proportion of water. Syrups are apt to be spoiled by heat, and should be made in small quantities at a time. By the evaporation of the solutions of vegetable princi- ples, a very useful class of preparations termed Extracts (Extracta), is obtained. They are prepared from infusions, decoctions, tinctures, and vinegars; and sometimes, in the case of recent vegetables, from the expressed juices of plants, usually diluted with water. Extracts, prepared by the agency of water, are termed watery extracts ; those by means of alcohol, alcoholic extracts; those by means of acetic acid, acetic extracts. The evaporation of extracts is gen- erally continued, till they have a pilular consistence. Within a few years, however, these preparations have been employed in the liquid form, under the name of Fluid Ex- tracts (Extracta Fluida), which have the advantage of con- venience of administration, and of being prepared at a less degree of heat. They are more liable than the solid ex- tracts to spontaneous decomposition; and this difficulty is usually counteracted by means of sugar. In making the fluid extracts, alcohol, diluted alcohol, and acetic acid are the menstrua resorted to. The portion of the solvent which remains after evaporation, contributes in some de- gree to the preservation of the preparation. The Oleoresins (Oleoresinoe), are extracts obtained by the agency of ether, which consist of fixed or volatile oils, holding resins and sometimes other active matters in solu- tion. They retain a liquid or semi-liquid state, upon the evaporation of the liquid employed in their preparation, and have the property of self-preservation. FORMS IN WHICH MEDICINES ARE USED. 33 SEMI-SOLIDS. Liniments (Linimenta), are oily preparations designed for external use, usually thicker than water, but always liquid at the temperature of the body. Ointments (Unguenta), are preparations of a consistence like that of butter, made with lard or some other fatty sub- stance. They are fitted for application to the skin by friction or inunction. Most of the ointments become ran- cid, when long kept, and it is therefore best to prepare them only as wanted for use. Cerates (Cerata), are made of oil or lard, mixed with wax, spermaceti, or resin, with the addition of various medicinal substances. They are of harder consistence than ointments, and do not melt when applied to the skin. Simple Cerate, or Cerate of Lard(Ceratum Adipis), consists of one part of white wax and two parts of lard. Plasters (Emplastra), are adhesive at the temperature of the body, and must generally be heated to be spread. Some substances have sufficient consistence and adhesiveness to be made directly into plasters. Usually, however, medi- cinal substances when employed in this form, are mixed with Lead Plaster or Litharge Plaster (Emplastrum Plumbi), a compound of olive oil and litharge. Plasters are prepared for use by spreading them upon sheepskin, linen, or mus- lin, with a margin a quarter or half inch broad. Cataplasms, or Poultices (Cataplasmata), are soft moist substances, intended for external use. The common emol- lient poultice, employed to relieve inflammation and pro- mote suppuration, is made by mixing bread-crumbs with boiling milk, or powdered flaxseed with boiling water. 3 34 MATERIA MEDICA. GASES AND VAPORS. When employed in this form, medicines are administered by inhalation. This may be effected either by diffusing the gas or vapor through the air to be respired by the patient; or by inclosing it in a bag or bottle with a suitable tube, through which the patient may breathe ; or, when ethereal vapors are employed, by saturating a sponge or handker- chief with the ether, and applying it to the mouth and nos- trils of the patient; or the fumes of burning medicinal substances may be inhaled, by means of cigarettes or pipes, variously contrived. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. In prescribing and dispensing medicines, the following are the weights and measures employed in the United States, with their signs annexed. The pound, lb ] The ounce The drachm The scruple TROY WEIGHT. contains Twelve ounces, g. Eight drachms, 3. Three scruples, Q. ^ Twenty grains, gr. The term pound should be avoided in formulas, owing to the danger of mistakes from confounding the troy pound with the heavier avoirdupois pound; and large weights should be expressed in troyounces. The gallon, C The pint The fluidounce The fluidrachm WINE MEASURE. contains Eight pints, O. Sixteen fluidounces, fg. Eight fluidrachms, fj. Sixty minims, tn». Liquid measures are sometimes prescribed by drops, CIRCUMSTANCES MODIFYING EFFECTS OF MEDICINES. 35 which, however, vary in quantity according to the nature of the liquid, and the shape and size of the vessel from which it is dropped. Approximate measurements are also frequently employed in prescribing the less powerful li- quids : thus a teacup is used for f§iv, or a gill; a wineglass for f.^ij ; a tablespoon for f§ss; a teaspoon for f5j. A variety of circumstances, relating to the human or- ganism, modify the effects of medicines. Age exerts a most important influence in this particular. Children are more susceptible than adults; and, in advanced age, also, smaller doses are required than in the prime of life. No general rule can be laid down for the adaptation of the doses of medicines to different ages, as the different susceptibilities to the influence of different medicines are unequal at the same age. Thus, infants are peculiarly alive to impressions from opium, while, in the case of calomel and castor oil, they will bear much larger proportional doses. Dr. Young's scheme for graduating the doses of medi- cines to different ages answers very well in prescribing: uFor children under 12 years, the doses of most medicines must be diminished in the proportion of the age to the age 2 increased by 12; thus, at two years to 4, viz.: —— = 4. At 21, the full dose may be given." Sex, temperament, and idiosyncrasy, all modify the effects of medicines. Women require somewhat smaller doses than men ; and during menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation, all active treatment, which is not imperatively demanded, should be avoided. To persons of a sanguine tempera- ment, stimulants are to be administered with caution, while in cases of nervous temperament, the same care is to be observed in the employment of evacuants. Idiosyncrasy renders many individuals peculiarly susceptible or insus- ceptible to the action of particular medicines, as mercury, opium, &c. Habit diminishes the influences of many medicines, espe- 36 MATERIA MEDICA. cially narcotics; and not a few diseases produce a remarka- ble insusceptibility to medicinal action. The influence of race, climate, occupation, and the imagi- nation upon the effects of medicines is often decided, and deserves attention in prescribing. PARTS TO WHICH MEDICINE? ARE APPLIED. Medicines are applied to the skin, to mucous membranes, to serous membranes, to wounds, ulcers, and abscesses, and they are injected into the veins. 1. To the Skin.—Medicines are applied to the skin both for their local and general effects. As their influence on dis- tant organs is the result of their absorption, this function is usually assisted by friction, or by removal of the cuticle, when medicines are applied to the skin to affect remote parts of the system. The application of medicines to the skin by friction is occasionally resorted to, but its results are slow and uncer- tain ; and when we wish to affect the system through the agency of the skin, the preferable method is to apply the medicine to the dermis denuded of the cuticle. This is termed the endermic method, and the cuticle is usually removed by means of a blister. The medicine is applied to the denuded dermis in the form of a powder; or, if very irritating, it may be incorporated with gelatine, lard, or cerate. This method is useful in cases of irritability of the stomach, of inability to swallow, or where vve desire to influence the system rapidly, and by every possible ave- nue, or where it is of importance to apply the medicine near the seat of disease. The dose is to be two or three times the amount which is administered by the stomach. Another method of applying medicines through the skin, is by inoculation. In this method, a medicine is introduced, as in vaccination, by means of a small, sharp lancet, or a small syringe may be employed, by which the medicinal substance is introduced beneath the skin in a liquid state. PARTS TO WHICH MEDICINES ARE APPLIED. 37 Medicines, which are operative in small doses, are intro- duced in this way. 2. To the Mucous Membranes.—Medicines are applied to all the gastro-pulmonary and genito-urinary mucous sur- faces. a. To the conjunctiva, they are applied for local effects only, and are termed collyria, or eye-washes. b. To the nasal or pituitary membrane, they are applied usually for local purposes; sometimes, however, to irritate, and excite a discharge, when they are termed errhines; sometimes, also, to produce sneezing, with a view to the expulsion of foreign bodies from the nasal cavities, when they are termed sternutatories. c. To the mucous membrane of the mouth and throat, medi- cines are applied almost exclusively for local purposes. When in solution, they are termed gargarismata or gargles. Powders are introduced by insufflation. d. To the Eustachian tubes, washes are applied in local affections. e. On the aerial or tracheo-bronchial membrane, medicines produce a very decided influence, both local and general. Liquid substances are introduced into the air-passages by means of a sponge or syringe, in the treatment of chronic inflammations of the larynx. Various substances are inhaled with advantage in phthisis, chronic bronchitis and laryngi- tis, asthma, &c, while the most powerful effects are produced on the system by the absorption of ethereal vapors and gases through the pulmonary surface. /. The gastro-intestinal mucous membrane, of all parts of the body, is most employed for the exhibition of medicines. The stomach, from its great susceptibility, its active absorb- ing power, and the numerous relations which it has with almost every part of the body, is the chief recipient of me- dicinal agents. The rectum is, however, also frequently employed for various purposes, as to relieve disease of this or of neighboring organs, to occasion revulsion, to produce alvine evacuations, to destroy ascarides, and when for any reason it is desirable to spare the stomach. 38 MATERIA MEDICA. It is usually recommended, that the dose of medicines, introduced into the rectum for constitutional effects, should be two or three times greater than when taken into the stomach. In the case of active, soluble medicines, how- ever, especially narcotics, it is most prudent to give the same amount by the rectum as by the mouth. Solid substances introduced into the rectumvare termed suppositories ; they are best made with cocoa butter. Liquids introduced into the rectum are termed clysters, lavements, injections, and enemata. Soluble substances, when thus ap- plied, are usually dissolved in water; insoluble substances are suspended in some mucilaginous vehicle. When the enema is to be retained, it should be from one to four fluidrachms in quantity. When it is introduced to act upon the bowels, its bulk may be from twelve to sixteen fluidounces for an adult, six to eight fluidounces for a youth of twelve, three to four fluidounces for a child of one to five years, and a fluidounce for a newly-born infant. Various instruments are used for the administration of ene- mata, as the pipe and bladder, the ordinary syringe, the self-injecting apparatus acting by gravity, and the elastic bottle and tube. Gaseous matters have also been thrown into the rectum—tobacco-smoke, for example,—to relieve obstruction of the bowels. g. To the urino-genital and vagino-uterine membranes, appli- cations are made exclusively for local purposes. 3. To Serous Membranes. Irritating solutions are injected into the cavity of the tunica vaginalis testis, in hydrocele, and into the hernial sac, in hernia, for the purpose of pro- ducing adhesion of the sides of the sacs. 4. To Ulcers, Wounds, and Abscesses, medicines are ap- plied chiefly for their local effects. The absorbing power of these surfaces is to be kept in mind in such applications. 5. The injection of medicines into the Veins has been occa- sionally practised. The operation is, however, objection- able, from the danger of introducing air into the circulation; and it is seldom resorted to, except in the case of transfusion of blood after uterine hemorrhage. THE CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICINES. 39 THE CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICINES. In treating of the articles of the Materia Medica, some writers have classified them according to their natural pro- perties, others according to their action on the human sys- tem. To the student of medicine, a classification based upon the sensible qualities or natural affinities of medicines can be of little value, since it associates articles of the most opposite remedial properties. A classification of medicines founded on a similarity of action on the animal economy is more desirable and useful, and various arrangements of the Materia Medica have been attempted on this basis. They are all, to some extent, necessarily imperfect, owing partly to the diversified effects of medicines, and partly to our ignorance of the real nature of many of the modifica- tions which they produce upon the tissues. Still, the ad- vantages of some arrangement of this kind are so numerous, that it cannot well be dispensed with. The following classification will be found to include the more ordinary and generally received divisions of the Ma- teria Medica, and to present the articles in convenient groups for therapeutic application. Medicines may be divided into— I. Those which have a special action on the nervous system, or Neurotics (from vet/gov, a nerve). II. Those which have a special action on the secretions, or Eccritics (from wxgwc, secre-' tion). III. Those which modify the blood, or Hce. matics (from ttifxtt, the blood). IV. Those which act topically. r Narcotics, Anaesthetics, Antispasmodics, Tonics, Astringents, Stimulants, Sedatives, I Spastics. f Emetics, Cathartics, Diaphoretics, Diuretics, Blennorrhetics, Emmenagogues. Haematinics, Alteratives, Antacids. Irritants, Demulcents, Anthelmintics. 40 MATERIA MEDICA. CLASS I.—N E U R 0 T I C S. ORDER I.—NARCOTICS. Narcotics (from vapxzu), to stupefy), are medicines which im- pair or destroy nervous action. When administered in not immediately poisonous doses, they often produce at first a moderate degree of excitation ; but this is rapidly followed by diminished activity in the functions of innervation. The different narcotics have most of them some special peculi- arity of action ; but they all agree in exerting a sedative or stupefying influence on the motor, sensor, and intellec- tual functions. Hence their therapeutic employment, to remove muscular spasm, relieve pain, allay cerebral or spinal irritability, and procure sleep. The influence of this class of medicines upon the system is rapidly diminished by habit; and when administered for a length of time, they are to be given in gradually-increas- ing doses. When employed to relieve pain,theyare termed anodynes; when employed to procure sleep, hypnotics or soporifics. OPIUM. Opium (from o™-, juice), is the concrete juice of the un- ripe capsules of Papaver somniferum (Nat. Ord. Papave- racese). The opium poppy is a native of Persia, but is cul- tivated in various parts of Asia, in Europe, and in the United States. It is an annual plant, with a round, leafy stem, from two to four feet or more in height, and large four-petaled flowers. There are two prominent varieties of this species : the black poppy, with violet-colored or red flowers, brown or blackish seeds, and globular capsules; and the white poppy, with white flowers and seeds, and ovate capsules; but these varieties run into each other under cultivation. OPIUM. 41 The ripe capsules (papaver) are from an inch and a half to two inches or more in diameter, and contain a good deal of opium. They are sometimes given to children in the form of syrup, and are applied externally as an anodyne emollient, in the form of decoction. The seeds are desti- tute of narcotic properties, and are used in Europe as an article of diet, and for the manufacture of an oil. Opium is obtained from incisions in the half-ripe cap- sules. The juice, which exudes from the incisions, is scraped off after drying, generally with more or less of the epidermis, and is sometimes sent into market unmixed, as a choice variety. The opium of commerce is, however, commonly made by adding the dried juice, obtained by incision, to an extract prepared from a decoction of the leaves, the whole being kneaded together, formed into cakes, and wrapped in fresh poppy leaves. The commerce of the United States is supplied with opium almost exclusively from Asiatic Turkey. This is known in the market as Smyrna or Turkey opium, and comes in irregular rounded or flattened cakes, covered with the capsules of a species of Rumex. A large amount of opium is cultivated in British India, for consumption in India and China, but it is not found in our markets. The Persian opium is another variety, but it does not reach the United States. Much opium was formerly obtained from Upper Egypt, in the neighborhood of Thebes, but its production was for a long time aban- doned, though within the last twenty years again intro- duced. Successful attempts have been made with the cul- tivation of the poppy in England and other parts of Eu- rope, which have resulted in the production of good opium. Very fair specimens have also been made in the United States; but the great source of our supply of opium has long been, and still is, the Turkish dominions. The best opium should have a fine chestnut color, an aromatic, strong, peculiar smell, and a dense consistence— becoming, however, harder and darker by being kept. It 42 MATERIA MEDICA. should be moderately ductile, break with a deeply notched fracture, and, when drawn across white paper, should leave an interrupted stain. The taste is very bitter, and some- what acrid, and when chewed it excites irritation in the mouth and throat. It is inflammable, and imparts its vir- tues to water, alcohol, and diluted acids—but not to ether. Chemical Constituents.—Opium contains a great variety of chemical constituents, the most important of which is the alkaloid Morphia, which exists chiefly in combination with an acid called meconic. Other principles found in opium are the alkaloids, narcotina and codeia,—narceina, meconin, paramorphia, papaverina, opiania, porphyroxin, gum, ex- tractive, resin, oil, &c. Morphia is the principle upon which the narcotic effects of opium essentially depend, and, with its salts, is officinal in all the pharmacopoeias. Narcotina exists in opium, chiefly in the free state, and, being insoluble in water, is left behind when the drug is macerated in this menstruum. It occurs in white, taste- less, inodorous, needle-like crystals, which are soluble in ether. At one time it was thought to possess a portion of the narcotic properties of opium, but it is now admitted to be inert in this respect. Its salts have been used in In- dia as antiperiodic tonics, in the treatment of intermittent fevers. Codeia has been found to possess some narcotic and anti- spasmodic properties, but its great expense has prevented its introduction into general use. Opiania is said to be decidedly narcotic, resembling mor- phia in its action. It exists only in small amount, and lit- tle is known as yet about it. Incompatibles.— Alkalies, and astringent infusions con- taining tannic and gallic acids, are incompatible with opium; the former precipitate morphia from its soluble combination, while the latter form with it an insoluble compound. Tests.— T. of the chloride of iron strikes a red color with meconic acid; nitric acid colors morphia red; iodic acid opium. 43 colors it reddish-brown, and if starch is added, forms a blue compound; ammonia precipitates it from solution; and tannic acid forms with it an insoluble precipitate. Physiological Effects.— When taken in a medicinal dose, opium at first moderately excites the circulation, increases the temperature of the skin, and agreeably exhilarates the intellectual functions. The stage of excitement is, how- ever, of short duration. The pulse soon sinks below the normal standard, susceptibility to external impressions is diminished, the faculties of the mind become confused, and consciousness is finally lost in sleep. All the secre- tions are diminished, except that of perspiration, which is heightened; muscular contraction is lessened; and in some persons nausea and vomiting are produced; occasion- ally an itching and miliary eruption of the skin occurs. When a poisonous dose is taken, the stage of excite- ment is wanting; giddiness and stupor rapidly come on, with diminution in the frequency, though not in the ful- ness of the pulse; and these symptoms are soon followed by an irresistible tendency to sleep, and finally by coma. The breathing is heavy and stertorous, the pulse slow and oppressed, and the pupils are contracted. If relief is not afforded, the pulse sinks, the muscular system becomes relaxed, and death ensues, preceded sometimes by violent convulsions. In cases of poisoning from opium or its preparations, the stomach should be immediately evacuated by the stomach- pump, if possible, or by emetics. The direct emetics are best for this purpose, as the sulphate of zinc (20 to 30 grains), or the sulphate of copper (5 to 10 grains). A large teaspoonful of mustard, ar a tablespoonful of powdered alum, answers very well as an emetic. Every means should be taken to arouse the patient from his lethargy; cold affusions, counter-irritation to the nape of the neck and extremities, flagellation to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, and, best of all, when the coma is pro- 44 MATERIA MEDICA. found, the electro-magnetic battery, constitute our chief re- sources in this emergency. Artificial inflation of the lungs is also to be practised. The use of belladonna and of strong coffee has also been found efficacious; and stimuli may be used to support the system. The poisonous action of opium appears to be entirely directed to the nervous sys- tem, no local lesions being found after death. Opium is largely used as an habitual stimulant in Orien- tal countries, and to some extent in Europe and the United States. The effects of indulgence in this species of intoxi- cation are of the most destructive character upon both the physical and mental faculties. Medicinal Uses.—Of all the articles of the Materia Me- dica, opium enjoys the widest range of therapeutic appli- cation. From its properties of assuaging pain and inducing sleep, it is useful in almost all diseases; and it is positively contraindicated only where there is a tendency to apoplexy or coma, or where there exists an idiosyncrasy with respect to its effects. As an anodyne in painful malignant ulcers and severe injuries, we have no substitute for opium; and, as an hypnotic in mania-a-potu, and in the wakefulness and cerebral irritability of fever, it is equally invaluable. From its power of relaxing muscular spasm, it is our most effi- cient resource in tetanus, colic, and spasm of the stomach, bowels, biliary ducts, ureters, neck of the bladder, &c. In dysentery and cholera it forms the basis of every variety of treatment, partly for its diaphoretic effects, but princi- pally for its action in arresting both the secretions and pe- ristaltic motion of the bowels. In pulmonary and gastric irritability, colica pictonum, peritonitis, rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, typhus, gangrene, convulsive diseases, diabetes, &c, opium is also constantly employed. Administration.—The ordinary dose of opium as an ano- dyne and hypnotic is one grain. Much larger doses are, however, called for in many diseases; and, when it is ad- ministered for a length of time, the dose must be gradu- OPIUM. 45 ally increased. To infants and very old persons, it is to be given with great caution. Opium is administered in the form of powder or pill. It is easily powdered when thoroughly dried, and the pills should always be made from the powder. The powder is sometimes used endermically, and is also sprinkled on irri- table ulcers. In the form of suppositories it is also applied to the rectum. The following are the officinal preparations of opium: Tinctura Opii (Tincture of Opium) Laudanum. Pre- pared by macerating two troyounces and a half of powdered opium in diluted alcohol Oij. When long kept, particu- larly if exposed to the air, it becomes thick from evapora- tion of the alcohol, and its strength is much increased. Dose: rrj^xiij, or 25 drops, equivalent to a grain of opium. There are 120 drops in in f5j. Laudanum is much used in the form of enema. Tinctura Opii Camphorata (Camphorated Tincture of Opium). Paregoric Elixir. Prepared by macerating sixty grains of opium in diluted alcohol Oij, with benzoic acid, oil of anise, clarified honey, and camphor. Dose : f §ss, or a tablespoonful, containing rather less than a grain of opium. A favorite preparation for children. 5 to 20 drops may be given to an infant. Tinctura Opii Deodorata (Deodorized Tincture of Opium) contains the same proportion of opium as laudanum. In preparing it, a liquid watery extract of opium is first made, which is then washed with ether. The ether is afterwards separated, the residue dissolved in water, and mixed with enough alcohol to preserve it. The narcotina as well as the odorous and many other injurious ingredients of opium are thus got rid of. A new but valuable preparation. Dose, the same as that of laudanum. Tinctura Opii Acetata (Acetated Tincture of Opium). Prepared by macerating two troyounces of opium, in vinegar fSxij, and alcohol Oss. Dose, tt^x, or 20 drops. Acetum Opii (Vinegar of Opium). Black Drop. Pre- 46 materia medica. pared by saturating diluted acetic acid with opium, mixed with nutmeg, saffron, and sugar. Dose, 7 to 10 drops. Vinum Opii (Wine of Opium). Sydenham's Laudanum. Prepared by macerating two troyounces of opium in sherry wine Oj, with cinnamon and cloves. Dose, the same as that of laudanum. Extractum Opii (Extract of Opium). Made by evapo- rating the aqueous solution. Dose, gr. \. Confectio Opii (Confection of Opium). Opium beaten up with honey and spices. Dose, grs. xxxvj. Trochisci Glycyrrhizje et Opii (Troches of Liquorice and Opium). Much usred in Philadelphia under the name of Wistar's cough lozenges. Made with opium, liquorice, gum arabic, sugar, and oil of anise. Each troche contains one-tenth of a grain of opium. Emplastrum Opii (Opium Plaster). Made by mixing opium with Burgundy pitch and lead plaster. Pulvis Ipecacuanha Compositus (Compound Powder of Ipecacuanha). This powder, well known under the name of Dover's Powder, is made by rubbing up sixty grains of opium and ipecacuanha each, with a troyounce of sulphate of potassa; the salt being employed to promote the minute division and thorough intermingling of the opium and ipe- cacuanha. Dover's powder is a most valuable anodyne diaphoretic, extensively prescribed in diarrhoea, dysentery, rheumatism, bronchitis, pneumonia, &c. Dose, gr. x, con- taining gr. j of opium and ipecacuanha each. Pilule Opii (Pills of Opium). Sixty grains of opium, made into sixty pills, with twelve grains of soap. Each pill contains a grain of opium. Kept in the shops, as hard old opium pills are sometimes preferred in cases of irritable stomach. Pilule Saponis Composite (Compound Pills of Soap). Sixty grains of opium made into a pilular mass, with half a troyounce of soap. Useful for the administration of small doses. One grain of opium is contained in five of the mass. lactucarium. 47 Morphia and its Preparations.—Morphia exists in opium chiefly in combination with meconic acid. T4ie meconate of morphia is separated from the other constitu- ents of the drug by successive macerations in water. Al- cohol and solution of ammonia are then added to the wa- tery solution, by which the salt is decomposed, the ammo- nia precipitating the morphia, and the alcohol seizing the coloring matter as soon as it is separated from the alkali. The crystals of morphia, which are formed, are afterwards boiled in alcohol, and the solution is filtered through animal charcoal. Morphia occurs in colorless crystals, which are inflam- mable and dissipated by heat. It is without smell, but very bitter; scarcely soluble in water or ether, but is solu- ble in boiling alcohol. From its insolubility, it is not em- ployed medicinally, except in combination with acids. Morphia Sulphas (Sulphate ofi Morphia), Morphia Ace- tas (Acetate of Morphia), Morphia Murias (Muriate of Morphia), are the officinal salts of morphia, made by satu- rating the alkali with sulphuric, acetic, and muriatic acids. They are all freely soluble in water, and produce analogous medicinal effects, the sulphate being, however, most em- ployed in this country. The salts of morphia possess the anodyne, hypnotic, antispasmodic, and diaphoretic proper- ties of opium, and are considered less apt to produce head- ache and nausea, or other unpleasant effect. They are peculiarly adapted to the endermic method of application. Dose, one-sixth to one-fourth of a grain. A solution of the sulphate of morphia is officinal, and is much prescribed (Liquor Mornhioe Sulphatis). It contains one grain to fSj of water. Dose, f5j-ij. LACTUCARIUM. Lactucarium is the concrete juice of Lactuca sativa, the Garden Lettuce (Nat. Ord. Cichoracere), and is obtained from incisions in the plant, before the flower-stem shoots. 48 MATERIA MEDICA. Another and inferior mode of procuring it is by expres- sion and evaporation of the expressed juice. It is found in the shops in roundish, hard masses, of a reddish-brown color, with an opiate smell, and a bitter, unpleasant taste. An active principle termed lactucin is said to have been isolated. Effects and Uses.—Lactucarium possesses the anodyne and hypnotic qualities of opium, with a slight sedative action on the circulation, but it is an uncertain preparation. It may be given where opium disagrees from idiosyncrasy in the patient. Dose, gr. x. The syrup is the most eligible form of administration. Dose, two or three fluidrachms. BELLADONNA. Belladonna Folium, Belladonna Leaf; Belladonnas Radix, Belladonna Root. Atropa Belladonna, or Deadly Nightshade (Nat. Ord. Solanaceue), is a European perennial plant, with herbace- ous, branched, downy stems, about three or four feet high, large ovate leaves, of a dull-green color, and drooping, bell-shaped, purple flowers. The whole plant possesses narcotic properties, but the leaves and root only are offi- cinal. When fresh, the leaves have an unpleasant smell, and a sweetish, subacrid, slightly nauseous taste. When dried they retain this taste, but have scarcely any odor. The dried root is long, round, from one to several inches in thickness, branched, of a reddish-brown color, of little odor, and a feeble sweetish taste. The narcotic properties of belladonna depend on the pre- sence of an alkaloid termed atropia, which is found in all parts of the plant. It is a white, crystalline, odorless sub- stance, with a bitter, acrid taste, soluble in alcohol and ether, more so in chloroform, and partially soluble in water. It is a most energetic poison, producing analogous effects to those of belladonna, but much more powerful. Lat- terly, atropia has been a good deal employed medicinally BELLADONNA. 49 as a substitute for belladonna, on account of its greater certainty. The dose to begin with for internal use is about one-thirtieth of a grain in solution. As a collyrium, to dilate the pupil, a solution of a grain in four fluidrachms of water, with a few drops of acetic acid, may be employed, and a drop of the solution applied to the eye. A tincture (atropia gr. j, diluted alcohol t'Sss) is used for the same pur- pose—dose, for internal use, 8 drops. And a sulphate of -atropia and an ointment are also employed. Physiological Effects of Belladonna.—In small doses, the effects of belladonna are those of an anodyne narcotic, with little or no action on the circulation, or on any of the secre- tions, except a peculiar dryness of the mouth and throat. In larger doses it causes dilatation of the pupils, loss of vision, giddiness, constriction of the throat, difficulty of degluti- tion and articulation, nausea, with occasionally vomiting and purging, and sometimes a red eruption. When ex- cessive doses are taken, these symptoms are aggravated, and terminate in maniacal delirium, coma, syncope, and death, often preceded by convulsions. Dissections show that the action of the poison is not confined to the cerebro- spinal system, but that it is attended by inflammation of the digestive organs. Cases of poisoning from belladonna are to be treated by evacuation of the stomach, cathartics, and, if coma occurs, by the electro-magnetic battery. Lime- water and the alkaline solutions have been found useful. Applied to the eyebrow, belladonna causes dilatation of the pupil. Medicinal Uses.—Belladonna is one of our most highly- esteemed anodyne and antispasmodic remedies. It is des- titute of hypnotic effect, and, on the contrary, has a ten- dency to occasion wakefulness. In the treatment of neu- ralgia it ranks at the head of the narcotics, and is extensively employed both alone and in combination with the sulphate of quinia. It should be given until dryness of the throat, dilatation of the pupil, and some disorder of vision are produced. Its powers of allaying spasm have 4 ** 50 MATERIA MEDICA. been found very efficacious in the treatment of whooping- cough. As a discutient of cancerous indurations, it has enjoyed some reputation, but any good effects in these cases have probably been owing to an anodyne and not a resolvent influence. In mania, and many diseases of the cerebro-spinal system, especially epilepsy, it has been occa- sionally employed with advantage. In asthma, constipa- tion, iritis, and as a prophylactic against scarlatina, it is also resorted to. As a preventive of scarlatina, it was origi- nally proposed from its power of affecting the throat and skin, and respectable authority is not wanting in confirma- tion of its efficacy in this particular. It is used, too, in cases of poisoning by opium. As a topical remedy, belladonna is employed principally to produce dilatation of the pupil in operations for cataract, iritis, and prolapsus iridis. It is applied in the form of ex- tract or ointment to the eyebrow, temple, or conjunctiva, and produces dilatation in a few minutes. The topical ap- plication of belladonna has been suggested in France to relieve rigidity of the os uteri in labor, but the practice has not found favor in Great Britain or the United States. Administration.—The dose of the powder of the root or leaves is gr. j, to be repeated and increased till dryness of the throat, dilatation of the pupil, and dimness of vision are produced. It is most frequently exhibited in the form of extract (or inspissated juice) of the leaves. Dose, \ to | a grain, to be repeated and increased. The tincture (four troyounces of the leaves to diluted alcohol Oij—dose, 15 to 30 drops) and the alcoholic extract are also officinal. For ex- ternal use, a plaster (Emplastrum Belladonnce), made with the extract and resin plaster, and an ointment (Unguentum Belladonnce), are employed. STRAMONIUM. 51 STRAMONIUM. Stramonii Folium, Stramonium Leaf; Stramonii Semen, Stramonium Seed. Fig. 1. Datura Stramonium, or Thorn Apple, sometimes called Jamestown weed (Nat. Ord. Solanacese), is an annual in- digenous plant, which grows very abundantly in waste grounds in all parts of the world. It has a forked, branch- ing stem, from three to six feet high, ovate, toothed leaves, large funnel-shaped white or purplish flowers, which ap- pear in midsummer, and ovate capsules, filled with nume- rous kidney-shaped, brownish-black seeds. The odor of the plant is strong and disagreeable, and its taste bitter and nauseous. It loses these properties very much when dried, but the process does not appear to weaken its narcotic qualities. The Leaves and Seeds are officinal, but the seeds are most powerful from containing most daturia. The active principle of Stramonium is an alkaloid termed daturia, which possesses properties analogous to those of atropia. The physiological effects of stramonium are closely allied 52 MATERIA MEDICA. to those of belladonna, with a more marked action on the secretions. From its common occurrence in every part of the country, cases of poisoning from this weed are very frequent, particularly with children, who are fond of swal- lowing the seeds. The treatment laid down for the relief of poisoning from belladonna is applicable to these cases. The medicinal uses of stramonium are similar to those of belladonna. It is prescribed internally in neuralgia, whooping-cough, mania, and epilepsy; and 1n spasmodic asthma the leaves have been smoked with great relief. The practice is, however, dangerous in aged or apoplectic persons. Topically, stramonium is used by oculists to dilate the pupils and diminish the sensibility of the retina to light; and it is an excellent anodyne application, in the form of cataplasm and ointment, to inflammatory tumors, irritable ulcers, bed sores, and hemorrhoids. Administration.—The dose of the powdered leaves is gr. ij; of the seeds, a grain, to be repeated and gradually increased till narcotic effects are produced. Dose of the extract of the leaves (an inspissated juice), and of the alcoholic extract, gr. j, to commence with. The tincture (four troyounces of the seeds to diluted alcohol Oij; dose 20 to 40 drops), and the ointment, made by mixing the extract with lard, are also officinal. hyoscyamus — henbane. Hyoscyami Folium, Henbane Leaf; Hyoscyami Semen, Henbane Seed. Hyoscyamus niger, or Henbane (Nat. Ord. Solanacese), is a native of Europe, and is naturalized in the northern parts of the United States. It grows to the height of about two feet, with large, sinuated, pale-green leaves, and flowers of a straw-yellow color. The whole plant has narcotic properties; but the leaves and seeds only are officinal. Henbane should be gathered when in flower; and, when fresh, has a strong, offensive narcotic odor, and a mucila- henbane. 53 ginous, unpleasant, slightly acrid taste; but it loses most of these qualities in drying. The seeds are of a yellowish- Fig. 2. gray color, with something of the odor of the plant, and have an oleaginous, bitter taste. The active properties of the plant depend upon a peculiar alkaloid principle, termed hyoscyamia, nearly identical in its action with atropia, but more soluble in water. Effects and Uses.—The effects of henbane on the system much resemble those of belladonna. They differ from those of opium in their comparatively feeble hypnotic effect, and in their relaxing influence on the bowels. In large doses, it causes dilatation ofi the pupil, delirium, loss of vision, &c. In cases of poisoning, the same treatment is to be pursued as for belladonna and stramonium. Hen- 54 MATERIA medica. bane may be used remedially, in the same diseases, as bel- ladonna and stramonium, than which it is, however, less active. It has been administered also from the earliest days to palliate cough, where opium is objectionable from its constipating or nauseating influence. Externally, it is employed in the form of cataplasm or fomentation to pain- ful swellings and ulcers; and it may be used to dilate the pupil, in the same manner as belladonna. Dose of the powdered leaves, gr. v to gr. x; of the seeds, somewhat less. The extract (an inspissated juice of the leaves) is the preferable form of administration; it is of a dark olive color, and extremely variable quality. Dose, gr. v to gr. x. Tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), dose f5j. An alcoholic extract is also officinal. TABACUM — TOBACCO. Nicotiana Tabacum, or Virginian tobacco (Nat. Ord. Sola- nacese), is a native of the warm countries of America, but is now extensively cultivated in most parts of the world. It is an annual plant, growing to the height of from three to six feet, with large, oblong, pointed, hairy, pale-green leaves, and light-greenish, funnel-shaped flowers, expand- ing above into rose-colored segments. The dried leaves are the portion used. They have a yellowish-brown color, a strong, peculiar, narcotic odor, and a bitter, nauseous taste. The darker colored leaves are the strongest. The virtues of tobacco are imparted to alcohol and wa- ter, and depend on the presence of an alkaloid called nicotia, which is found in all parts of the plant. It is a colorless liquid, of a feeble odor, when cold, but irritant, when heated, and of an acrid, burning taste, and is a most ener- getic poison. From the dried leaves is also obtained a concrete volatile oil, termed nicotianin, which is probably the odorous principle of the plant, and an empyreumatic oil, which gives the peculiar smell to old tobacco pipes. Both of these principles are poisonous. TOBACCO. 55 Physiological Effects.—On persons unaccustomed to its use, tobacco, in small doses, produces a slight sedative ac- tion, with nausea, swimming in the head, increased flow from the kidneys, and sometimes, also, from the bowels. In larger doses, it induces vomiting and purging, a sensa- tion of sinking at the pit of the stomach, giddiness, disor- der of vision, the pupils, however, being little affected, de- pression of the circulation, great relaxation of the muscu- lar system, coldness of the surface, and other symptoms of prostration; and, when excessive doses have been taken, these symptoms become more violent, and are followed by convulsions, paralysis, coma, and death. Cases of poison- ing are to be treated on the principles applicable to other cases of narcotic poisoning; the diffusible stimuli are to be freely given. The habitual use of tobacco as an exhilarant is well known. When taken to excess, it frequently develops disorders of the stomach, heart, and nervous system. Medicinal Uses.—Tobacco is employed in medicine, chiefly with a view to its action on the muscular system— its anodyne and hypnotic properties being relatively fee- ble. In various spasmodic diseases, particularly in colic, ileus, strangulated hernia, constipation from spasmodic constriction, tetanus, spasm of the neck of the bladder and the glottis, and asthma, it is a remedy of great value. It has been also successfully applied to the treatment of poisoning by strychnia. Medicinally, tobacco is to be em- ployed with caution, as it occasionally acts with dangerous energy. Administration.—Tobacco is not given by the stomach, owing to its emetic properties. It is usually applied to the rectum, in the form of infusion (5j—Oj of boiling water, one-third to be given at a dose), or tobacco-smoke may be introduced into the rectum. It may also be smoked for medicinal effect, or applied locally in the form of cata- plasm. An ointment (Unguentum tabaci), made by mixing finely powdered tobacco with lard, is a useful application 56 MATERIA medica. to indolent ulcers and some cutaneous affections, particu- larly tinea capitis. The oil (Oleum tabaci), is sometimes mixed with ointments. LOBELIA. Lobelia inflata, or Indian tobacco (Nat. Ord. Lobelia- cese), is a very common annual or biennial indigenous Fig. 3. plant, growing to the height of from six inches to two feet, with a fibrous root, an erect, hairy stem, ovate, ser- LOBELIA. 57 rated leaves, pale-blue flowers, and ovoid, inflated capsules. It flowers from July till the appearance of frost, and should be gathered about August and September. All parts of it are active, but the leaves and capsules are most so. It has an unpleasant smell, and, when chewed, an acrid, burning, nauseous taste, which is at first faint, but soon becomes excessive. Water and alcohol extract the virtues of lobelia, which contains a volatile alkaloid principle, lobelina, analogous to nicotia. Physiological Effects.—Lobelia produces effects on the system resembling those of tobacco, acting in small doses as a sedative, nauseant, diuretic, and diaphoretic; in larger doses as an energetic emetic; and in still larger doses as an active acro-narcotic poison, resembling tobacco in its influence. It was employed by the aborigines, and has always been a popular empirical remedy. Medicinal Uses.—Lobelia is sometimes classed among emetics, but its action in this particular is too violent for its safe administration. It is chiefly employed, by regular practitioners, with a view to its antispasmodic properties, for the relief of asthma, and is given in small doses, gra- dually increased, until headache or nausea ensue. It may also be used as an enema, to fulfil the same indications as tobacco. Administration.—Lobelia is given in substance, tincture, and infusion. The dose of the powder as an antispasmodic, is gr. j to gr. iij ; as an emetic, gr. v to gr. xx. The best form, particularly in asthma, is the tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), which may be given in the quan- tity of f3j, to be repeated as occasion may require. Acetum Lobelia (Vinegar of Lobelia), is a good prepara- tion, in which the alkaloid is fixed by the acetic acid; it is of the same strength, and may be given in the same doses as the tincture. 58 ' materia medica. CONIUM — HEMLOCK. Fig. 4. Conium maculatum, or Hemlock (Nat. Ord. Apiaceae), is a biennial European plant, naturalized in many parts of the United States. Its stem is erect, from three to five feet high, round, smooth, and often spotted with purple. The leaves are large, bright-green, and repeatedly compound; the flowers are small, white, and arranged in umbels, ap- pearing in June and July. The whole plant is narcotic and virulent, and has a fetid, heavy odor. The leaves are the only portion used in medicine. They should be gathered when the plant has done fkrwering, and kept in vessels from which the air and light are excluded. Plants growing in sunny situations and warm climates are most active. When well preserved, the dried leaves have a fine green color, and the characteristic smell and bitterish taste of the fresh herb, though less powerfully. HEMLOCK. 59 The active principle of hemlock is a peculiar alkaloid termed conia, which exists in larger proportion in the seeds than the leaves. It is a yellowish, oily fluid, sparingly so- luble in water, and freely so in alcohol and ether ; and is a highly energetic poison even in very small doses. Physiological Effects.—The action of hemlock in medicinal doses is purely narcotic, without either sedative or stimu- lant influence. In large doses, it causes nausea, vertigo. dimness of vision, relaxation of the muscles; and in poison- ous quantities, dilatation of the pupils, difficulty of speech, delirium or coma, paralysis, and finally convulsions and death. It appears to have little or no hypnotic effect. Medicinal Uses.—It is employed chiefly as a general and topical anodyne, to relieve the pain of malignant tumors ; and, though probably destitute of the deobstruent powers which have been ascribed to it, exerts a remarkable pal- liative influence upon painful chronic indurations. It has been also recommended as an antispasmodic in whooping- cough, asthma, and even tetanus; and it is used externally as a cataplasm to cancers and other irritable ulcers. Co- nium is the cicuta of Hippocrates, Galen, and Pliny, and is supposed to have been the poison administered to Socrates and Phocion. Administration.—The officinal preparations of this medi- cine are the powder, tincture, and extract. The dose of the powdered leaves is gr. iij to gr. iv, twice a day, to be rapidly increased, till vertigo or nausea ensue. The extract (inspis- sated juice) may be given in the same doses; it is an un- certain preparation, and should be rejected unless it have a strong and penetrating odor. A tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij, dose f 5ss, f 5j), a fluid extract, and an alcoholic extract, are also used. 60 MATERIA MEDICA. ACONITUM — ACONITE. Aconiti Folium, Aconite Leaf; Aconiti Radix, Aconite Root. Aconitum Napellus, Aconite, Wolfsbane, or Monkshood (Nat. Ord. Ranunculacese), is a native of the mountainous parts of Europe. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant, with % fusiform root, a simple erect stem, growing usually to the height of from two to four feet, palmate, deeply cleft leaves, and large, dark, violet-blue flowers. The leaves and root are both used, but the root is the more powerful. They have little or no smell; but their taste is bitterish and ac- rid, and when chewed they occasion a peculiar feeling of tingling and numbness, in the tongue and interior of the mouth. These properties are impaired by long keeping, and the plant loses its medicinal efficacy. Other species of aconite possess similar poisonous qualities to those of the A. Napellus. The active principle of aconite is an alkaloid named aconitia, which is officinal. Physiological Effects.—Taken in small doses, aconite pro- duces a sensation of numbness in the head, face, and ex- tremities, with a sedative action on the circulation, and more or less nausea and muscular debility. In larger doses, its effects are those of an acro-narcotic poison; gastric irrita- tion, purging, contraction or expansion of the pupils, numb- ness or paralysis of the limbs, syncope, convulsions, and death. In case of poisoning, the stomach is to be thor- oughly evacuated, and stimulants, externally and internally, are to be freely administered. Medicinal Uses.—Aconite is a powerful and valuable re- medy in the treatment of neuralgia, chronic rheumatism, gout, and other painful diseases, as might be inferred from its benumbing effects on the system. From its sedative in- fluence on the circulation, its employment has been sug- gested to reduce inflammatory action, and as a remedy in hypertrophy of the heart. It is, however, an uncertain and occasionally a very violent agent; and its exhibition in doses EXTRACT OF HEMP. 61 large enough for an antiphlogistic influence is hardly free from danger. As a topical anodyne, in neuralgia, it has no superior. Administration.—The dose of the powdered leaves is gr. j to gr. ij ; of the alcoholic extract of the dried leaves, gr. i to gr. j ; of the tincture of the leaves (four troyounces to di- luted alcohol Oij), 20 to 30 drops; of the tincture of the root, which is by far the best preparation (twelve troy- ounces to alcohol Oij), 5 to 10 drops. These doses are to be repeated twice or thrice daily, and cautiously increased, till the effects of the medicine are apparent. The tincture and alcoholic extract may be used externally. Aconitia is prepared from an aqueous solution of an alcoholic extract of aconite root, by the addition of sulphuric acid (which converts the natural salt of aconitia into a sul- phate) ; it is then freed of its oily and resinous portions by means of ether, the alkaloid is subsequently precipitated with ammonia, then redissolved by ether, and again sepa- rated from this menstruum by evaporation. It is a white, amorphous powder, with a tinge of yellow, without smell, of a bitter, acrid taste, and produces in the mouth a sense of numbness. It is partially soluble in water, and is readily dissolved by alcohol, ether, and chloroform. Aconitia is an exceedingly virulent poison, more power- ful when pure than hydrocyanic acid. It is scarcely adapted to internal use, as even one-fiftieth of a grain has produced alarming results. As a topical agent in neuralgia and rheumatism, it has been employed with great success in alcoholic solution (gr. i-ij to f 5j), or as an ointment (gr. ij to lard 5j, rubbed up with alcohol gtt. vj). EXTRACTUM CANNABIS — EXTRACT OF HEMP. "An alcoholic extract of the dried tops of Cannabis sativa—variety Indica," was introduced into the Materia Medica in the edition of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia preceding the last. Cannabis sativa, or Hemp (Nat. Ord. Cannabi- 62 MATERIA MEDICA. nacete) is a native of Persia and the northern parts of India, and is cultivated in Europe, and in the United States. Narcotic virtues appear to exist only in the Cannabis In- dica, or Indian variety of the plant, although there is no difference in the botanical characters of the several varieties. The medicinal properties of the plant reside in a resin- ous substance, which exudes from glands upon the surface of the stalks and leaves, and the extract is made by evapo- rating a tincture of the dried tops. Under the name of purified extract of hemp, the U. S. Pharmacopoeia directs a preparation made by evaporating a tincture of the crude extract, thus securing greater uniformity of strength. Ex- tract ofi hemp is of a dark, olive-green color, a fragrant nar- cotic odor, and a bitter, acrid taste. It is soluble in alcohol and ether, but not in water. The resin, which is probably the active principle, has received the name of cannabin. Effects and Uses.—The medicinal properties of Cannabis In dica are narcotic and antispasmodic, and in India both the herb and resin are extensively used as intoxicating ex- hilarants, under the name of haschisch. In large doses it is sedative, producing relaxation of the muscles, heavy sleep, and abatement of pain, without much affecting the secre- tions ; but opinions are by no means settled in the United States and Great Britain as to its effects. It has been chiefly extolled as an antispasmodic in traumatic tetanus, and has been employed with success in other spasmodic diseases, chorea, hysteria, &c, and as an anodyne in rheu- matism, gout, neuralgia, &c. It has also been given with advantage as an hypnotic in mania-a-potu; and its powers of exciting uterine contractions, and of checking uterine hemorrhagic discharges, are highly spoken of. Dose, from half a grain to two or more grains. humulus — hops. Hops are the strobiles of Humulus lupulus, or Hop-vine (Nat. Ord. Urticacese), a climbing vine, indigenous in Eu- HOPS. 63 rope, and probably also in North America, with serrated, rough leaves, and greenish-yellow flowers. The medicinal portion is the fruit, or strobiles, which are also largely employed in the preparation of malt liquors, and are known as hops. They consist of thin, somewhat translucent, veined, leaflike bracts or scales, of a greenish-yellow color, a strong, fragrant, narcotic odor, and a bitter, aromatic, slightly as- tringent taste. Near their base are two small, round, dark seeds, covered with aromatic glands or grains, which are the active portion of the hops, and are termed lupulin. They are separated by threshing, rubbing, and sifting the scales, and constitute about a sixth part of their weight. Lupulin is officinal, and consists of rounded or reniform, rather transparent grains, of a cellular texture, and a gol- den-yellow color. It is slightly soluble in water, and com- pletely so in alcohol, and is composed of a volatile oil, a bitter principle termed lupulite, resin, and other matters. The scaly bracts contain a small portion of lupulinic mat- ter. Effects and Uses.—Hops are narcotic and tonic. The narcotic properties probably reside in the volatile oil, and the tonic properties in the bitter principle. They are said, also, to possess antaphrodisiac properties, and sometimes prove diuretic. The odorous emanation is employed as an hypnotic by means of the hop-pillow. Internally, they are given to relieve restlessness, induce sleep, and allay pain, and are also much employed for their stomachic and tonic effect. The combination of tonic and narcotic virtues ren- ders hops an excellent remedy in mild forms of mania-a- potu. Topically, they are employed in the form of fomen- tation or poultice, as a resolvent or discutient, in painful swellings and tumors. Administration.—Hops are given in the form of infusion (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj), and tincture (five troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), dose, f5j to f5iij. The best preparation for internal use is Lupulin, in the dose of gr. v to gr. xij, in powder or pills. The tincture 64 MATERIA MEDICA. of lupulin (four troyounces to alcohol Oij) may be given in the dose of f3j to foij. The fluid extract is a concentrated tincture, containing the virtues of an ounce of lupulin in a fluidounce. The oleoresin also is officinal—dose, gr. ij to v. DULCAMARA--BITTERSWEET. The stalks of Solanum Dulcamara, the Woody Night- shade, or Bittersweet (Nat. Ord. Solanacese), a European vine, naturalized in the United States, possess combined narcotic and diaphoretic properties. They are of a green- ish-gray color, about the thickness of a quill, and have, when fresh, an unpleasant odor, which they lose by drying. Their taste is at first bitter, afterwards slightly acrid and sweet. The active principle is a poisonous alkaloid termed solania, wdiick has been found also in Solanum tuberosum, or common potato, and S. nigrum, or black nightshade. Effects and Uses.—In small doses, the most obvious ef- fects of Bittersweet are an increase in the secretions from the skin and mucous surfaces, with some diminution of sensibility. In excessive doses it is an acro-narcotic poison. It is principally used in the form of decoction (a troyounce to water Ojss boiled to Oj), in painful cutaneous affections, and also in chronic catarrh, rheumatism, and gout. An extract and fluid extract are both officinal. ACIDUM HYDROCYANICUM DILUTUM — DILUTED HYDROCYANIC ACID. Hydrocyanic acid, known also as cyanhydric acid, and prussic acid, is found in a variety of vegetable substances, as the bitter almond, peach kernels and leaves, wild cherry, cherry laurel, &c. It is employed in medicine only in a state of extreme dilution; and the diluted acid is obtained by the action of sulphuric acid and water on the ferrocya- DILUTED HYDROCYANIC ACID. 65 nide of potassium, or, when wanted for immediate use, by the action of muriatic acid and water on cyanide of silver. Diluted hydrocyanic acid is a colorless, volatile liquid, with a peculiar odor, and a cooling, somewhat irritating taste. It undergoes decomposition if exposed to the light, and should be kept in bottles covered with black paint or paper. It contains two per cent, of the anhydrous or con- centrated acid. The anhydrous acid is a colorless, transparent, very vo- latile and decomposable liquid, with a powerful, peculiar odor, and a cooling, afterwards burning, taste. Both wa- ter and alcohol dissolve it readily. It consists of one eq. of cyanogen and one of hydrogen. Its presence in a sus- pected mixture may be detected by the addition of a solu- tion of nitrate of silver, which throws down a wThite, curdy precipitate of cyanide of silver, distinguishable by its ex- haling the peculiar odor of prussic acid on the addition of muriatic acid; or (the best test) the hydrocyanic acid may be converted into hydrosulphocyanate of ammonia by the addition of bihydrosulphate of ammonia, and the salt thus formed yields a deep blood-red color upon the addition of a sesquioxide salt of iron. Physiological Effects.—When taken in medicinal doses, gradually increased, hydrocyanic acid occasions a bitter taste, increased flow of saliva, irritation in the throat, nau- sea, headache, giddiness, faintness, disorder of the vision, and tendency to sleep. The pulse is sometimes accele- rated, but more commonly depressed. In a poisonous dose, hydrocyanic acid arrests life with fearful rapidity, and is one of the most energetic poisons known, one or two drops of the pure acid being sufficient to destroy a dog in a few seconds. When not immediately fatal, it pro- duces great and sudden prostration, trismus, difficult and spasmodic respiration, dilatation and immobility and some- times contraction of the pupils, convulsions, &c. The best antidotes are ammonia and its carbonate, chlorine, and a 5 Q6 MATERIA MEDICA. mixture of sulphate of iron (gr. x to water fsj), tincture of chloride of iron (f5j), and carbonate of potassa (3j), in wa- ter (fgj or ij); cold affusions and, if necessary, artificial respiration are to be resorted to. Medicinal Uses.—Hydrocyanic acid is a valuable narcotic agent in allaying spasm, pain, and nervous irritability in a variety of disorders, and is much used to relieve cough, particularly in phthisis pulmonalis, and for its antispas- modic virtues in asthma and whooping-cough. It is, moreover, a most efficacious remedy in gastrodynia, and in neuralgic affections of the bowels, and also in chronic vomiting. Topically, it is employed as an anodyne in neuralgia, and in various forms of cutaneous diseases (f3j to water Oj-Ojss). Dose of the officinal acid, one or two drops, to be re- peated and gradually increased by a drop, till some effect is perceptible. When it is taken for a length of time, care should be observed to have the medicine, as renewed, of uniform strength; and it is best, in using a fresh sample, to return to the minimum dose. Potassii Cyanidum (Cyanide of Potassium), is used as a substitute for hydrocyanic acid, and has the advantage of being a more uniform chemical product, and less liable to undergo decomposition. It occurs in white, opaque, amor- phous masses, having a sharp, somewhat alkaline and bit- ter-almond taste, and its solution yields the odor of hydro- cyanic acid, when exposed to the air. It is very soluble in water, and sparingly so in alcohol. Its medicinal and poisonous effects are the same as those of hydrocyanic acid. Dose, gr. £ in half an ounce of distilled water, to be re- peated and increased. The addition of a few drops of some vegetable acid frees the hydrocyanic acid, and the same effect is produced by the acids of the stomach. Oleum Amygdala Amara (Oil of Bitter Almond), con- tains hydrocyanic acid, and may be used for the same CAMPHOR. 67 purposes. It is obtained by distillation from the fruit of Amygdalus communis, variety Amur a (Nat. Ord. Amyg- dalese), and is of a yellowish color, wTith a bitter, acrid, burning taste, and the peculiar odor of the bitter almond, which is different from that of hydrocyanic acid. It is heavier than water, slightly soluble in it, and soluble in alcohol and ether. Its effects upon the system are closely analogous to those of hydrocyanic acid, and its strength is about four times that of the diluted officinal acid. Dose, for internal use, a quarter to half a drop, in emulsion; as an external application, one drop to a fluidounce of men- struum. Bitter Almond Water is used as a vehicle for nar- cotic medicines. Dose, half a fluidounce. Syrupus Amygdala (Syrup of Almond), made from both the sweet and bitter almonds, is slightly impregnated with the virtues of hydrocyanic acid, and is a pleasant vehicle for cough mixtures. CAMPHORA — CAMPHOR. Camphor is a peculiar concrete substance, derived from Camphora officinarum, or the Camphor Laurel (Nat. Ord. Lauracese), a large evergreen tree of China, Japan, and Cochin-China. All parts of the tree are strongly impreg- nated with camphor, which is obtained from the roots and branches by sublimation. In this state it is known in commerce as crude camphor, and consists of dirty grayish grains, adhering in crumbling masses. The crude cam- phor, as imported from Canton, is not found in the shops, until it is refined by resublimation with lime, when it is termed refined camphor. This occurs in large hemispherical or convex-concave cakes, perforated in the middle. It is solid at ordinary temperatures, soft, and somewhat tough, but may be readily powdered by the addition of a few drops of alco- 68 materia medica. hoi. It is translucent, has a strong, fragrant odor, and an aromatic, bitter, afterwards cooling, taste. It is volatile, highly inflammable, lighter than water, and very slightly soluble in it, but soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, oils, and acids. Water, added to the tincture, precipitates the camphor. A valuable camphor is known in the East, which is found in a concrete state in the cavities and fissures of the trunk of Dryobalanops Camphora, a tree of Borneo and Suma- tra. The Borneo camphor occurs in small fragments of crystals, which are transparent, brittle, and harder than the laurel camphor. An oil, or liquid camphor, is also ob- tained from the Dryobalanops, which is more highly es- teemed in Oriental countries than the camphor itself. Camphor is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (C^HgOj). It has been considered to be an oxide of a hy- pothetical base called camphogen or camphene, which is isomeric with the oil of turpentine. When heated, it yields an oil, called oil ofi camphor. By passing hydrochlo- ric acid into oil of turpentine, a substance is obtained called artificial camphor. Physiological Effects.—The topical action of camphor is irritant. After its absorption, its effects, in small doses, are moderately stimulant, exhilarant, and anodyne, with a determination to the skin. In large doses, it causes con- siderable disorder of the cerebro-spinal system, and gene- rally depression of the circulation; and in excessive quan- tity, it acts as a powerful acro-narcotic poison, occasioning burning heat in the stomach, violent convulsions, and ma- niacal delirium. It is also an anaphrodisiac. In cases of poisoning, after evacuating the stomach, opium, wine, &c, are to be administered. Medicinal Uses.— From its combined narcotic and diapho- retic powers, camphor is a valuable remedy in the treat- ment of dysentery, and is much employed in this disease, either in combination with opium, or as a substitute for the latter. In the early stages of cholera, and in flatulent CAMPHOR. 69 diarrhoea, it is also greatly prescribed. As a diaphoretic stimulant and antispasmodic, it is useful in the low stages of fever and in typhoid conditions of the system generally. In many forms of mental disorder, it calms irritability, re- lieves despondency, and induces sleep. And it has no superior among the anodynes, in allaying irritation or pain of the genito-urinary organs, as in dysmenorrhoea, uterine after-pains, strangury, nymphomania, chordee, &c. From its anodyne and sudorific properties, it is also applicable to the treatment of chronic rheumatism and gout. Exter- nally, camphor is employed as an anodyne in rheumatism, and as a discutient in chronic inflammatory affections. Administration.—The medium dose, in substance, is gr. v to gr. x; but it may vary from gr. j to 3j. It is best given in emulsion, made by rubbing up the camphor with loaf sugar, gum arabic, myrrh, and water. The form of pill is objectionable, from the difficulty with which it is dissolved in the gastric liquors. Aqua Camphora (Camphor Water), is made by rubbing up camphor with a few drops of alcohol, and subsequently with the carbonate of magnesia and water. The carbo- nate is used to promote the solution of the camphor, and is afterwards separated by filtration. Dose, fSj (contain- ing about gr. iij) to fgij or iij. The spirit (four troyounces to alcohol Oij), is chiefly used as an embrocation, but it may be given internally, where the stimulus of the alco- hol is not objectionable, in the dose of gtt. v to f5j. Linimentum Camphora (Camphor Liniment), consists of camphor (1 part), dissolved in olive oil (4 parts): a mild embrocation. Linimentum Saponis (Soap Liniment), is made by mix- ing soap and camphor with oil of rosemary, in alcohol and water. It is a yellow oleaginous liquid, and is used as an anodyne and gently rubefacient application, in gouty and rheumatic pains, sprains, bruises, &c. Oleum Camphora (Oil of Camphor), the volatile oil ob- tained from Camphora officinarum, is a light reddish-brown 70 MATERIA medica. fluid, with the odor and taste of camphor. It has medicinal properties similar to those of camphor, but is more stimu- lant, and therefore especially adapted to affections of the stomach and bowels. Dose, 2 or 3 drops. It is used also externally. order ii.—ethereal anasthetics. The term, Anaesthetics (from a, non, and alo-O-qo-iq, sensa- tion), properly speaking, includes all agents which diminish sensibility and relieve pain. It has, however, been used to denominate a class of ethereal remedies, which are ap- plied by inhalation, and produce such a condition of tem- porary insensibility, as to prevent pain during surgical ope- rations and parturition. The vapors usually employed as anaesthetics, are those of sulphuric ether and chloroform. Nitrous oxide gas, and the vapors of several ethers have been also used for this purpose. Amylen, a product of anrylic alcohol or fusel oil, has been lately introduced as an anesthetic, but it is highly dangerous. Hydride of amyl has been also proposed. ATHER--ETHER. Sulphuric ether is prepared by the distillation of alcohol and sulphuric acid, and is afterwards rectified by redistilla- tion with solution of potassa. For inhalation, however, it is further purified by being shaken with water, by which it is freed from alcohol, and this, as well as acid contami- nations, are afterwards removed by the agency of chloride of calcium and freshly calcined lime. Thus purified, it is designated as ^Ether Fortior—Stronger Ether. Although commonly termed sulphuric ether, in allusion to the sulphuric acid used in its preparation, yet ether con- ETHER. 71 tains no sulphuric acid. By the action of -the acid upon alcohol, this substance, which is chemically a hydrated oxide of ethyl, is deprived of the elements of water, and is converted into the oxide of ethyl or ether, for which the formula is C4H50. Ether is a transparent, colorless liquid, with a strong, fragrant odor, and a hot, pungent taste. It wholly evapo- rates in the air, so rapidly as to cause a considerable de- gree of cold, is very inflammable, combines with alcohol and chloroform in every proportion, and dissolves in ten times its volume of water. The sp. gr. of pure ether is 0.713, of jEther fortior, 0.728. Effects and Uses when Swallowed.—When taken into the stomach, ether produces a combined stimulant and nar- cotic effect, the stage of excitement being, however, very transient. It has long been employed as an antispasmodic and anodyne remedy in asthma, angina pectoris, hysteria, cramp of the stomach and bowels, spasm of the gall ducts, &c.; and from its combined stimulant and antispasmodic virtues, it has been found useful in the latter stages of ty- phus, attended by subsultus tendinum, &c. As a topical anodyne, ether is a very good application in nervous head- ache and earache; and from its refrigerant effects, it has been used in the reduction of strangulated hernia;, and as a cooling lotion in cerebral affections. If evaporation be repressed, when it is applied locally, it acts as a rubefa- cient, and may be employed for 6ounter-irritation. Dose, f 5ss to f 5j, to be increased when habitually used. It may be incorporated with water, by rubbing it up with spermaceti, in the proportion of two grains to a fluidrachm of ether, or it may be given in capsules of sugared gum. Effects and Uses when Inhaled.—When the vapor of ether is absorbed into the system through the pulmonary surface, the nervous functions are successively and progressively af- fected. The mental faculties and volition become first im- paired ; insensibility and unconsciousness rapidly supervene, during which susceptibility to pain is lost; and the patient lies 72 MATERIA MEDICA. in a trance-like sleep, resembling death. This condition is often preceded by one of excitement, during which patients sometimes moan, sing, rave, or present pugnacious mani- festations. In the beginning of etherization, the circulation is accelerated, but it is afterwards depressed. The period of intoxication lasts from five to ten minutes, and the pa- tient ordinarily recovers without serious inconvenience; although headache, nausea, drowsiness, and languor some- times ensue for a few hours. Occasionally, congestion of the brain or lungs, cataleptic rigidity with prolonged insen- sibility, and, in females, hysterical phenomena ensue after etherization ; but these effects are uncommon, and it is be- lieved that death has never followed the use of ether, when care has been taken to admit atmospheric air into the lungs along with the ether. During the stage of insensibility, convulsive twitches or muscular rigidity are occasionally noticed; the breathing is sometimes stertorous; the iris becomes fixed; the pupils are dilated; the eyeballs are upturned; and the orbicularis palpebrarum does not con- tract when touched. Insensibility to pain in some cases takes place before unconsciousness ; and when patients are recovering from the latter state, the mental faculties are often completely restored, while insensibility to pain con- tinues. Since the year 1846, the inhalation of ether, first resorted to in our own country, has been practised very generally in all parts of the world, with the greatest success, for the prevention of pain in surgical operations; and its use has been also extended with the happiest results to the relief of pain in labor. It should not be exhibited where disease of the heart or brain, or serious obstruction of the lungs exists, or when from any cause there is unusual tendency to syncope, and precaution should be taken to guard against asphyxia; but when administered with proper care and discrimination, it is attended with little or no danger or unpleasant results of any kind. CHLOROFORM. 73 The quantity of ether necessary to effect etherization is about two ounces; and it may be conveniently applied by means of a soft sponge or handkerchief. The sponge is usually adjusted in shape to the projection of the nose, and after being soaked in warm water, and squeezed dry, is saturated with pure ether. It is then applied to the nos- trils, the mouth being left free to receive atmospheric air; and if irritability of the air-passages occur, this is to be gradually overcome. From three to five minutes are re- quired to produce anaesthezation, and its occurrence is known by closure of the eyelids (if they have been previ- ously open), failure to respond to questions, and muscular relaxation. The sponge is then to be removed, and may be reapplied from time to time if necessary. Etherization has been also resorted to in a variety of mor- bid conditions, in which the administration of narcotics and antispasmodics has been found useful. It exerts a power- ful control over the violent types of spasmodic disease, and has been prescribed with the greatest advantage in hysteria, tetanus, poisoning from strychnia, asthma, chorea, convul- sions, puerperal eclampsia, whooping-cough, dysmenor- rhea, and almost every description of spasm; and as a relaxant in the reduction of dislocations. CHLOROFORMUM — CHLOROFORM. Chloroform is obtained from the distillation of alcohol with chlorinated lime, but, for medical use, the chloroform of commerce requires purification, which is accomplished by shaking it with sulphuric acid. This destroys the chlorinated pyrogenous oil, which contaminates the chloro- form, and the sulphurous acid formed and the water present are afterwards removed by means of alcohol and carbonate of potassa. Purified Chloroform (Chloroformum Purificaium) is a colorless, very volatile liquid, of a bland, ethereal odor, and 74 MATERIA medica. a hot, aromatic, saccharine taste. It is not inflammable, is slightly soluble in water, and freely soluble in alcohol and ether. It has extensive solvent powers, dissolving cam- phor, the fixed and volatile oils, most resins and fats, iodine, bromine, the organic alkalies, &c. Sp. gr. from 1.49 to 1.494. It is, chemically, a terchloride of formyl, C2HC13. Physiological Effects.—The effects of chloroform on the system are analogous to those of ether, but much more rapid and powerful. It is, however, destitute of the excit- ant properties of ether, and acts as a sedative narcotic. When inhaled, in the dose of a fluidrachm or more, it rapidly induces, anaesthetic sleep, with great relaxation of the muscles, and the most complete insensibility to painful agents. The period at which insensibility occurs varies from fifteen seconds to two minutes ; and it continues usually between five and ten minutes, and may be prolonged considerably, by renewals of the inhalation. The patient usually recovers without recollection of what has occurred during the state of insensibility, and with few or no un- comfortable sequelae. The administration of chloroform has, in some cases, been attended with fatal syncope. This has ordinarily oc- curred with such rapidity as to render remedial interference unavailing; but, at the slightest approach of symptoms of the kind the patient should be placed in a recumbent po- sition, cold affusions should be applied, and, above all, electro-magnetism should be resorted to. It would be pro- per always to have an electro-magnetic machine ready for use, when chloroform is inhaled. Topically applied, and when its evaporation is prevented, chloroform acts as an irritant, and soon vesicates the skin —powerfully diminishing painful impressions during its application. Medicinal Uses.—Chloroform is prescribed by the stomach as an anodyne and antispasmodic, in all the cases to which ether is applicable, and has the advantage of a more agree- able taste. It has been found particularly useful to relieve CHLOROFORM. 75 the pain and vomiting of cancer of the stomach. It has been also extolled as an antiperiodic in the treatment of intermittent fevers. Externally, it is used as a topical ano- dyne, and also as a stimulating application to foul and in- dolent ulcers, and occasionally for its constitutional effects. Dose, from f5ss to f5j,iu sweetened water or mucilage; to be repeated. As an anti-neuralgic liniment, f 5j to f sij of camphor liniment; or as a rubefacient and anodyne, un- diluted, on linen, covered with oiled silk, to prevent evapo- ration. As a wash or gargle, f 5j or ij to water Oj. The introduction of chloroform, as an anaesthetic, took place shortly after that of ether; and, from its greater in- tensity of action, its freedom from irritating effects on the bronchial mucous membrane, and its more agreeable odor, it has been extensively used, particularly in Great Britain, to the exclusion of ether. A number of fatal cases have, however, occurred from the inhalation of this agent, where its administration did not appear in any way counter-indi- cated ; and it can scarcely be considered a perfectly safe remedy. It is employed as an anaesthetic, anodyne, and antispasmodic, to fulfil the indications to which ether is ap- plicable. In midwifery, it is probably less dangerous than in the operations of surgery, owing to the counteracting influence of the pains of labor upon the nervous system; and no fatal case is recorded from its employment during parturition. The dose for inhalation is a fluidrachm, to be repeated in two minutes, if anaesthesia be not produced; and its effects may be renewed from time to time, without injury. It may be applied on a handkerchief, held near the nose or mouth, care being taken to allow a proper admixture of atmospheric air. A solution of chloroform in ether has been used in the United States, but from the unequal volatilization of the two liquids, it must be difficult to modify their effects by combination. Spiritus Chloroformi (Spirit ofi Chloroform), is a solution 76 MATERIA medica. of one part of chloroform in six parts of alcohol; a conve- nient form for internal exhibition. Dose, fo*s-l'5j. Liniment of Chloroform is made by mixing three parts of chloroform with four parts of olive oil. Mixture of Chloroform is made by mixing chloroform, in which camphor is dissolved, with water, by the interven- tion of yolk of egg. Dose, f §ss-fSj. ORDER III.—ANTISPASMODICS. Antispasmodics are medicines that allay irregular nervous action. Their effects upon the economy in a state of health are not very decided, and are limited to a slight stimulation of the circulation, and exhilaration of the mental faculties. Their influence is, however, strikingly shown in certain deranged conditions of the nervous system, particularly in those forms of spasm which depend upon idiopathic or primary nervous disorder. They are also useful in many varieties of mental disturbance, as wakefulness, hypochon- driasis, and even insanity, and are often preferable to nar- cotics in the treatment of these cases, from their compara- tive freedom of action on the brain. ASSAF(ETIDA — ASSAFETIDA. Assafetida is the concrete juice of the root of Narthex Assafoetida (Nat. Ord. Apiaceae). This plant is a native of Persia, and has a large, tapering root, the size of a man's leg, with long, lanceolate leaves, springing directly from the root, and an erect stem, from six to nine feet in height, rising from the midst of the leaves. The drug is obtained from incisions made into the root, or by taking successive slices of it. The exuded juice is scraped off, hardened in the sun, and afterwards packed for exportation. It occurs in masses of various size, consistence, and color, but is ASSAFETIDA. 77 usually whitish, intermixed with darker spots, and becomes reddish, and finally brown, by exposure to the air. It is sometimes soft and adhesive, at other times hard and brit- tle, and is not readily powdered, except at a low tempera- ture. It breaks with a waxy lustre, and the best samples appear to be composed of irregularly-shaped tears. Its taste is unpleasant, bitter, and acrid; its odor powerful, al- liaceous, and fetid. Assafetida is a gum-resin, united to a volatile oil. The gum is dissolved by water; and the mucilage thus formed suspends the resin and volatile oil. The resin and volatile oil are soluble in alcohol; but the tincture becomes milky on the addition of water, owing to the separation of the resin. Physiological Effects.—Assafetida is a moderate excitant and exhilarant, and exerts a marked influence upon morbid conditions of the nervous system. It also stimulates the mucous secretions generally, and increases the peristaltic action of the bowels. Its volatile oil is absorbed, and the odorous principle is recognized in the secretions, especially in the perspiration. Medicinal Uses.—No medicine is more highly esteemed as a direct antispasmodic than assafetida. It is much re- sorted to in the various forms of hysteria, and is particu- larly valuable in relieving the mental depression which constitutes one of the protean types of this disorder. In other spasmodic diseases, as chorea, asthma, whooping- cough, &c, it is a favorite remedy with many practitioners; and, from its combined expectorant and antispasmodic pro- perties, it is particularly adapted to spasmodic pectoral af- fections. In certain diseases of the abdominal viscera, as flatulent colic and costiveness, assafetida is often useful as an antispasmodic and laxative enema. It is also prescribed as a stimulating emmenagogue, when the uterine disorder is attended with a disturbance of the nervous functions. Notwithstanding its disagreeable odor, this drug is largely used as a condiment in Asia; and even in the re- 78 MATERIA MEDICA. .fined cookery of Europe its'flavor is admired. Many per- sons take it habitually for its exhilarant effects; and, when used as a medicine, it generally becomes acceptable. Administration.—Dose, gr. v to 3j, in pill. It is most frequently given in the form of mixture (Mistura Assafoe- tida?,— 5ij, rubbed gradually with water Oss),—dose, fgss to fSj, repeated; or as an enema, fgij to fgiv. This mix- ture, from its whiteness and opacity, is sometimes called lac assafcetidce, or milk of assafetida. Pills of assafetida, made by beating up assafetida with soap and water, are officinal, each pill containing 3 grs. of the gum-resin. The tincture (four troyounces to alcohol Oij—dose f5j), is a good prepa- ration, where the alcohol is not objectionable. A plaster (which contains also galbanum), is used externally in whooping-cough and catarrh. galbanum. Galbanum is the concrete juice of an unknown Eastern plant. It is met with in the form of tears, or more com- monly in lumps, of a brownish color, and has a peculiar balsamic odor, and a hot, bitter, acrid taste. It is a gum- resin united to a volatile oil. Its effects are similar to those of assafetida, but less active; and it is chiefly em- ployed externally, as a stimulant and resolvent to indolent swellings. The compound pills of galbanum (which contain also myrrh and assafetida) are used as antispasmodic and emmenagogue. Galbanum forms the basis of the com- pound galbanum plaster. ammoniacum—ammoniac This is the concrete juice of Dorema Ammoniacum (Nat. Ord. Apiaceae), a plant of Persia. It comes in tears or lumps, of an irregular shape, yellowish on the outside, whitish within, is moderately hard and brittle, and has an VALERIAN. 79 unpleasant, bitter, and rather acrid taste, with a pecu- liar smell, somewhat like that of galbanum. It is a gum- resin, with a little volatile oil. Its effects are similar to those of assafetida; but it is seldom used, except as an antispasmodic expectorant in chronic catarrh. Dose, gr. x to xxx. A mixture and plaster are officinal. VALERIANA--VALERIAN. Valeriana officinalis, or Wild Valerian (Nat. Ord. Vale- rianacese), is a perennial European plant, growing to the height of three or four feet, with serrated leaves, and small, reddish-white fragrant flowers. The root is the portion used, and consists of numerous long, slender, cylindrical fibres, attached to a rough, tuberculated head. The color of the dried root externally is yellowish or brown, and in- ternally white; when powdered, it is yellowish-gray. It has a peculiar, powerful odor, of which cats are fond, and a bitterish, subacrid, aromatic taste. Water and alcohol extract its virtues, which depend on the presence of a vola- tile oil, from which a peculiar colorless, volatile acid, called valerianic, may be separated. Effects and Uses.-—Valerian generally acts as an ener- getic excitant and antispasmodic, although at times it makes but a feeble impression on the system. It is much used as a nervous excitant and antispasmodic in the va- rious forms of hysteria, and occasionally, also, in epilepsy, chorea, hemicrania, hypochondriasis, delirium tremens, &c. Dose of the powder, from 5ss to 5jss, three or four times a day; of the infusion (half a troyounce to Oj of water), f Sj to ij ; of the tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), f5j; of the ammoniated tincture (four troyounces to aromatic spirit of ammonia Oij—an excellent preparation), f5j to ij ; of the fluid extract, f3j ; of the alcoholic extract, gr. x to xxx; of the oil, 4 or 5 drops. Ammonia Valerianas (Valerianate of Ammonia).—This 80 MATERIA MEDICA. salt, made by combining valerianic acid with ammonia, occurs in snow-white, pearly crystals, of an odor like vale- rianic acid, and a sharp, sweetish taste. It is soluble both in water and alcohol. Much employed in neuralgia, hys- teria, chorea, epilepsy, &c. Dose, gr. ij-viij, given in coated pills; or an elixir, prepared with aromatics, may be used. CYPRIPEDIUM. The root of Cypripedium pubescens, or yellow lady's- slipper, a common indigenous plant, growing to the height of one or two feet, possesses mild antispasmodic proper- ties, and has been used as a substitute for valerian. Dose of the powdered root, gr. xv, three times a day. An infusion and tincture are also used: by precipitating the tincture, an oleoresin is obtained, of which the dose is half a grain to three grains. SCUTELLARIA — SKULLCAP. The herb of Scutellaria lateriflora (Nat. Ord. Labiatae), an indigenous perennial herb, growing to the height of one or two feet, with ovate, acute, dentate, petiolate, opposite leaves, and small pale-blue flowers, is considered by many American practitioners to possess valuable antispasmodic properties. An infusion (two troyounces to boiling water Oj) may be taken ad libitum; and a fluid extract is also used. DRACONTIUM — SKUNK CABBAGE. Dracontium foetidum, Symplocarpus foetidus, or Skunk Cabbage (Nat. Ord. Orontiaceae), is an indigenous plant, growing in moist situations, which flowers in April and May, and afterwards sends up numerous large and luxu- riant leaves. The fresh root has a strong, fetid odor, and an acrid taste, but loses these properties by being kept.' It is stimulant, antispasmodic, and narcotic, and is employed in hysteria, asthma, chronic catarrh, &c. Dose, gr. x to xx MUSK. 81 gradually increased. It is also given in the form of infu- sion. The leaves are used in the country to keep up the discharge from blistered surfaces, and to stimulate indo- lent ulcers. The well-known articles Tea and Coffee (Thea and Caffea), possess antispasmodic and exhilarant properties. MOSCHUS — MUSK. Musk is a peculiar concrete substance obtained from Moschus moschiferus, or the Musk Deer, an animal rather larger than the goat, and resembling the deer in its charac- ters, wThich inhabits the mountainous portions of Central Asia. The musk-bag is found only in the male, and lies between the umbilicus and prepuce. It is an oval pod, about two and a half inches long, and one and a half broad, flat on one side, and convex and hairy on the other, and in the full-grown animal contains from 5jss to 5yj, of a liquid secretion, which, when dried, is musk. Two kinds are known in commerce, the China and the Russia Musk, the former,of which is much the stronger. Musk occurs in grains or lumps concreted together, of a reddish-brown color, and has usually some hairs of the pod mixed with it. It has a powerful diffusive, aromatic odor, and a bitterish taste. It is inflammable, leaving a light spongy charcoal. On analysis, it yields ammonia and a variety of other constituents, but the odorous principle has not been isolated. It is partially soluble in water and alcohol, and completely so in ether. Owing to its high price, musk is greatly sophisticated. Sometimes artificial pods are met with, which may be dis- tinguished from the genuine, by the absence of the remains of the penis and of an aperture in the middle of the hairy coat. The musk itself is more frequently adulterated, by mixture w7ith dried blood, and a variety of substances. Indeed, little if any genuine musk is found in the shops. Effects and Uses.—Musk is a powerful excitant and anti- 6 82 MATERIA MEDICA. spasmodic, without much effect on the cerebral functions. If a pure article could be obtained, it would have no supe- rior as a direct antispasmodic in the treatment of essential nervous disorders—hysteria, epilepsy, chorea, and hic- cough, and as a combined excitant and antispasmodic in the latter stages of typhus. But it is now little prescribed, owing to the difficulty of procuring it good. Administration.—It may be given in the form of bolus or emulsion. Dose, gr. x, to be repeated every two or three hours. An article, termed Artificial Musk, is made by the addition of one part of rectified oil of amber to three parts of nitric acid. It resembles musk both in sensible and medicinal properties, and has been prescribed in its stead, in the same dose. CASTOREUM — CASTOR. This is a peculiar concrete substance, found in mem- branous follicles, which exist between the anus and exter- nal genitals of the Castor fiber, or Beaver. It occurs in the form of solid unctuous masses, contained in pairs of sacs about two inches in length, of a brownish-black color externally, and of a reddish-brown color internally. It has a peculiar, penetrating, disagreeable smell, and a bitter, acrid, nauseous taste. It is soluble in alcohol and ether. Effects and Uses.—Castor is moderately excitant and an- tispasmodic, and is very analogous in its effects to musk. It is not much used. Dose of the substance, gr. x to gr. xx; of the tincture (two troyounces to alcohol Oij), f5j to f5ij. OLEUM SUCCINI RECTIFICATUM— RECTIFIED OIL OF AMBER. Amber, Succinum, is a sort of fossil resin found in va- rious parts of the world, and comes to this country from COMPOUND SPIRIT OF ETHER. 83 the shores of the Baltic. It is a hard, brittle substance, usually translucent, and of pale golden-yellow color, insi- pid, and inodorous, except when heated. By distillation, it yields an oil which, when rectified, is employed medici- nally. The oil is nearly colorless at first, but gradually be- comes brown, has a strong, peculiar odor, and a pungent, acrid taste. It is soluble in alcohol. An acid called suc- cinic is also obtained from amber. Effects and Uses.—Oil of amber is excitant and antispas- modic, and has been used in hysteria, epilepsy, tetanus, pertussis, and amenorrhcea. It is chiefly employed as an external application, and is a good remedy in pertussis, and convulsions of children. Dose of the oil, gtt. v to gtt. xv. For external use, it may be mixed with three or four parts of olive oil and brandy, with one part of lauda- num added. OLEUM ATHEREUM--ETHEREAL OIL. This preparation, known also as oil of wine, is a result of the distillation of alcohol with a large excess of sulphu- ric acid. It is a volatile liquid, of a yellowish color and peculiar odor, very sparingly soluble in water, but readily dissolved by alcohol or ether. It has antispasmodic pro- perties, but is used in medicine only as an ingredient of the compound spirit of ether. SPIRITUS AT II ERIS COMPOSITUS — COMPOUND SPIRIT OF ETHER. This preparation, known as Hoffman's Anodyne Liquor, is a solution of ethereal oil (t'5vj), in ether (Oss), and alco- hol (Oj). It is a volatile liquid, with a burning, slightly sweetish taste, and the peculiar odor of ethereal oil. It becomes mih^y on being mixed with water, owing to the precipitation of the ethereal oil. 84 MATERIA MEDICA. Effects and Uses.—Hoffman's Anodyne has the antispas- modic and excitant effects of ether, and derives additional tranquillizing and anodyne properties from the ethereal oil present. It is much used in hysteria, and is often added to laudanum, to prevent the nausea which the latter some- times excites. Dose, f5j to f5\j, in sweetened water. ORDER IV.--TONICS. Tonics, called also corroborants, are medicines which produce a gradual and permanent increase of nervous vigor. It is only, however, in certain conditions of dis- ease that they manifest this invigorating influence : as, in a state of health, they often act as irritants, stimulants, or even nauseants. Their local effects are similar to their general effects. They exalt the nervous functions of the parts to which they are applied, and increase their firm- ness and density. When taken into the stomach they pro- duce a twofold corroborant effect, improving the digestive powers by their local action, and strengthening the system generally by their cerebro-spinal influence. Tonics differ from stimulants in the more permanent character of their effects: " tonics give strength, stimu- lants call it forth." The more powerful tonics are closely allied to the narcotics in their action, producing, in over- doses, giddiness, loss of sight and of hearing, convulsions, delirium, and even death. And this analogy is farther illustrated by the curative powers of tonics in the relief of painful and spasmodic diseases, as neuralgia, rheumatism, chorea, and epilepsy. The articles of this class may be divided into vegetable and mineral tonics. The vegetable tonics are characterized by bitterness; and it is said that they owe their bitterness and medicinal activity to a principle which has been termed bitter extractive. It is doubtful, however, whether any such proximate principle has really been obtained. The VEGETABLE TONICS. 85 mineral tonics unite astringent with tonic properties; and the preparations of iron produce a further corroborant effect, by increasing the red coloring matter of the blood. The therapeutic application of tonics comprises a diver- sified range of diseases. They are employed as stomachics in dyspepsia, and as general corroborants in convalescence from acute diseases, in chronic affections accompanied by marasmus and cachexia, and in typhus and gangrene. But their most striking and valuable powers are shown in their febrifuge influence upon malarious diseases. The modus medendi here is obscure, but the curative agency is un- doubtedly due to a powerful impression upon the central organs of the nervous system. The anti-neuralgic and antispasmodic properties of tonics have already been al- luded to. They also enjoy considerable reputation in the treatment of chronic bowel-complaints, where they act by restoring tone to the debilitated intestinal tube; and, on the other hand, they are often useful as laxatives in torpid con- ditions of the alimentary canal. VEGETABLE TONICS. The vegetable tonics may be arranged into three sec- tions, viz.: 1. The pure bitters. 2. The aromatic bitters, which contain a stimulant volatile oil, and are aromatic as well as tonic. 3. The astringent bitters, which contain tannic and gallic acids, and are both astringent and tonic: this group contains cinchona, the most powerful, and im- portant of the vegetable tonics. The bitter principle is found also in many medicines belonging to other classes, as rhubarb, aloes, taraxacum, &c, and gives them tonic properties. S6 MATERIA MEDICA. SIMPLE BITTERS. QUASSIA. Quassia is the wood of Simaruba excelsa (Nat. Ord. Sima- rubaceae), a lofty tree of Jamaica and other West Indian islands. It is imported from the West Indies in billets of various sizes, which are found in the shops in the form of chips or raspings. Externally, it is covered with a smooth, brittle bark; the wood is white, but becomes yellowish by exposure. It has no odor, but an intense permanently bitter taste. Water and alcohol extract its virtues, which are said to depend on a neutral principle termed quassin. The article originally known as Quassia was the root and wood of Quassia amara, a shrub of Surinam, but this does not now reach our markets. It is thought to have possessed much more decided tonic properties than the drug now found in commerce. Effects and Uses.—Quassia is a mild tonic, free from sti- mulant or astringent effects, and is employed principally in dyspepsia, want of appetite, and other stomachic affections. It is much used to give additional bitterness to malt liquors. Dose, in powder 3j to 5j, three or four times a day; but the best form of administration is that of infusion (5ij to water Oj), in doses of fSjss to fSiij. An extract (aqueous) is given in the dose of gr. v, but it is principally used as an exci- pient for the administration of the mineral tonics. Of the tincture (two troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), the dose is f5j to f5ij. SIMARUBA. Simaruba is the bark of. the root of Simaruba officinalis (Nat. Ord. Simarubaceae), a tall tree of Jamaica and many parts of South America. It occurs in long pieces of various sizes, which are much rolled or quilled, of a brownish- GOLDTHREAD. 87 yellow color externally, and yellow internally. It contains a bitter principle, analogous to quassin, and resembles quassia in its medicinal effects. COPTIS — GOLDTHREAD. Coptis trifolia, or Goldthread (Nat. Ord. Ranunculaceae), is a small, evergreen, herbaceous plant, resembling the Fig. 5. strawberry-vine, with perennial creeping roots, slender stems, round, ternate leaves, and a single small white flower, which appears through the spring till midsummer. It belongs to the northern regions of America and Asia, and abounds in sw^ampy places in Canada and New Eng- land. The parts used are the roots, which should be gathered in autumn, and carefully dried. They are of a bright-golden color, and give the name by wdiich the plant is commonly known. They are thought to contain the alkaloid berberina. 88 MATERIA MEDICA. Effects and Uses.—Goldthread is a pure and powerful bitter, similar in its effects to quassia, but much more palatable, and is a very good stomachic tonic. It is also employed in New England as a topical application in aph- thous and other ulcerations of the mouth. It is usually given in the form of tincture (one troyounce to diluted alcohol Oj), in the dose of f5j, and of infusion (half a troy- ounce to water Oj). GENTIANA--GENTIAN. Gentian is the root of Gentiana lutea or Yellow Gen- tian (Nat. Ord. Gentianaceae), a perennial plant of the mountainous parts of Central and Southern Europe, grow- ing to the height of two or three feet, with broad, ovate, opposite leaves, and handsome whorled, yellow flowers. It is imported in cylindrical branched pieces, of various sizes, marked by transverse annular wrinkles and longitu- dinal furrows. Externally, it is yellowish-brown, inter- nally, brownish-yellow, and of a spongy texture. Its odor in the fresh state is peculiar and disagreeable, but when dried, feeble; its taste is intensely bitter. Water and alcohol extract its virtues. It contains a peculiar oil and acid, pectin, sugar, and a bitter principle, termed gentianin. Other species of gentian are employed as substitutes for the yellow gentian. Effects and Uses.—Gentian is a pure bitter, without either astringency or much aroma. In full doses, it is more dis- posed to relax the bowels than the other simple bitters; and like others of the vegetable tonics, in excessive doses it is capable of producing narcotic effects. It is an admir- able stomachic in dyspepsia aud gastric disorders, and is also used in the various forms of constitutional debility. Administration.—In the form of powder, the dose is gr. x to oss. But it is usually given in the form of infusion (half a troyounce to water fgxiv, with diluted alcohol fgij, and orange-peel and coriander, each 5j); tincture (tinctura Gen- AMERICAN CENTAURY. 89 tianae composita, gentian two troyounces, orange-peel a troyounce, cardamom half a troyounce, to diluted alcohol Oij), in the dose of f5j to f5ij ; extract, in the dose of gr. x to 5ss; and fluid extract, in the dose of f5ss-j. FRASERA — AMERICAN COLUMBO. The root of Frasera Walteri (Nat. Ord. Gentianaceae), an elegant plant of our Southern and Western States, may be used as a substitute for gentian and columbo. Dose, 5ss-5j; or an infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj), may be given. SABBATIA — AMERICAN CENTAURY. Fig. 6. Sabbatia angularis, American Centaury, or Centaury (Nat. Ord. Gentianaceae), is a very common annual indige- 90 MATERIA MEDICA. nous plant, with an erect stem, one or two feet high, oppo- site ovate leaves, and numerous terminal flowers of a rich rose-color, nearly white in the centre. It is found in low meadow-grounds or neglected fields in most parts of the United States, and flowers in August and September. The whole herb is officinal, and should be gathered while in flowrer. It has a very bitter taste, and yields its virtues to both water and alcohol. Effects and Uses.—Centaury is a pure bitter, with no as- tringency, and very little aroma. It is an excellent sto- machic, and may be used also as a general corroborant. It is said to act as an emmenagogue when given in warm infusion, and, like the bitters generally, has had anthel- mintic properties ascribed to it. The best form of exhibit- ing it is infusion (a troyounce, to boiling water Oj), of which the dose is a wineglassful when cool; of the powder 5ss to 5j may be given. CALUMBA — COLUMBO. Columbo is the root of Cocculus palmatus (Nat. Ord. Menispermaceae), a climbing plant of Mozambique, where it is known under the name of Calumb. The root consists of fleshy tubers, with numerous offsets, which are the por- tions used, the main root being too fibrous. They are sliced, strung on cords, and dried in the sun; and are found in the shops in round pieces about a quarter of an inch thick, externally of a brown, wrinkled appearance, and internally yellow. The odor is slightly aromatic, and the taste very bitter. Owing to the starch which is found in columbo, it is liable to be worm-eaten. It contains, be- sides a large proportion of starch, a peculiar azotized sub- stance, and two bitter principles, colombin and berberina. Water and alcohol take up its virtues; and from its liabi- lity to attract moisture from the air, it should not be kept in the form of powder. YELLOW-ROOT. 91 Effects and Uses.—Columbo is a very agreeable demul- cent tonic, particularly acceptable to the stomacli, and hence well adapted to the convalescent stages of acute dis- orders of the bowels and of fevers. It is also a good pre- paration in the sickness of pregnant women, and is one of the best of the stomachics in all cases where there is unu- sual delicacy of the stomach. In its native country, it is much employed in the treatment of dysentery. Administration.—The dose of the powder is gr. x to gr. xxx. It is best given in the form of infusion (half a troy- ounce to boiling water Oj, dose, fSj to f§ij), which should be used at once, as it is liable to spoil. Of the tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), f5j to f5iv may be given. Columbo is often combined with aromatics, iron, and alkalies, and is sometimes added to purgative mixtures. Berberina, the alkaloid found in columbo, is widely dif- fused in the vegetable kingdom, and is obtained from nu- merous plants of the natural orders Berberacem, Menispcr- maeece, and Ranunculacece, as barberry, yellow-root, hydras- tis, goldthread, and others. It has been employed, in the form of muriate and sulphate, as a tonic and febrifuge, in doses of from one to ten grains. CHIRETTA. The herb and root of Agathotes Chirayta (Nat. Ord. Gentianaceae), an East Indian plant, have been introduced into Europe, under the name of Chiretta, where it now ranks among the best simple bitters. It resembles gentian in its properties, and may be used in the same way. XANTHORRIZA — YELLOW-ROOT. The root of Xanthorriza Apiifolia (Nat. Ord. Ranuncu- laceae), an indigenous shrub, of our Southern and Western States, is a good simple bitter, which agrees very well with the stomach. 92 MATERIA MEDICA. AROMATIC BITTERS. SERPENTARIA--VIRGINIA SNAKEROOT. The roots of several species of Aristolochia are known under the name of Virginia Snakeroot. The most fami- liar is A. serpentaria (Nat. Ord. Aristolochiaceae), an her- Fig. 7. baceous indigenous plant, with a perennial root, composed of numerous slender fibres, arising from a knotty, brown head, one or more stems, eight or ten inches in height, CHAMOMILE. 93 heart-shaped, pointed, yellowish-green leaves, and purple, tubular flowers, springing up close to the root. It grows in shady woods and on hill-sides, flowering in May and June; but from the great demand for the roots, it has be- come scarce. A. reticulata is a variety found in the South- western States. Virginia Snakeroot is found in the shops, in tufts of long, slender, matted fibres, attached to a knotty, rugged head. They are brittle, and of a yellowish-brown color. The odor is aromatic and agreeable; the taste somewhat pungent, bitter, and aromatic. Water and alcohol extract its virtues, which depend on the presence of a volatile oil and a bitter principle. The roots of A. reticulata are very commonly substituted for those of A. serpentaria, from wdiieh they differ only in the larger size of their fibres. They are quite equal to the latter, and are even thought to contain a larger proportion of volatile oil. Effects and Uses.—Virginia Snakeroot is a combined sti- mulant and tonic, with diuretic or diaphoretic properties, according to the mode of its administration. It is much used in the latter stages of fevers, and in other acute dis- eases, and is frequently combined with Peruvian bark, in the treatment of intermittents. The proper form of ad- ministration is that of infusion (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj), in doses of f§j to f§ij, repeated. Of the tinc- ture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), the dose is f5j to f5ij ; of the fluid extract, f5ss-f5j. Huxham's Tinc- ture ofi Bark contains Virginia Snakeroot. ANTIIEMIS — CHAMOMILE. Anthemis nobilis, or Chamomile (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), is a small, herbaceous, trailing European plant, cultivated extensively both in Europe and this country. The flowers are the officinal portion. They consist of small spheroids, with convex, yellow disks, and numerous white, spreading 94 MATERIA MEDICA. rays. By cultivation they become double; but in Europe the single flowers are preferred, as the tonic properties re- side in the disks, which are larger in the single-flowered wild plants. Chamomile flowers have a bitter, aromatic taste, and a strong, peculiar odor, both of which are im- parted to water and alcohol. They contain a volatile oil, bitter extractive, and a little tannic acid. Effects and Uses.—Chamomile, in small doses, is a mild, agreeable aromatic tonic, and in large doses, acts as an emetic. The cold infusion is much employed as a sto- machic, and the hot infusion is given to aid the operation of emetics. The flowers, boiled in warm water, form a good fomentation to inflamed parts. The usual form of administration is the infusion (half a troyounce to water Oj). Dose, as a stomachic, f.>ij, two or three times a day, cold; as an emetic, hot, ad libitum. Cotula (Mayweed). Anthemis cotula, Wild chamomile, or Mayweed (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), an herbaceous plant, indigenous in Europe, but extensively naturalized in the United States, resembles chamomile very closely, both in botanical characters and properties, and is used as a sub- stitute for it in domestic practice. Matricaria (German Chamomile). The flowers of Ma- tricaria chamomilla (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), an annual Eu- ropean plant, possess properties very similar to those of chamomile. They are considerably smaller than common chamomile, and have a larger proportion of disk florets compared with those of the ray. They are not much em- ployed in this country. EUPATORIUM—THOROUGH WORT. Eupatorium perfoliatum, Boneset, or Thoroughwort (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), is a very common indigenous plant, grow- ing in wet grounds in every part of the United States. It THOROUGHWORT. 95 has a perennial root, with numerous herbaceous stems, from two to five feet high, long, narrow leaves, perforated by the stems, and numerous white flowers, which form a Fig. 8. flattened summit to the plant. These appear in August, continuing in bloom till October, and, with the leaves, are the officinal portion. They have a faint odor, a strongly bitter taste, are soluble in water or alcohol, and contain a peculiar bitter principle, gum, tannic acid, resin, salts, and other matters. Effects and Uses.—Thoroughwort is a stimulant tonic, diaphoretic, and expectorant, and in large doses proves emetic and laxative. It is a good stomachic in dyspepsia, and, from its combined corroborant, expectorant, and dia- phoretic properties, is an excellent remedy in the latter stages of pneumonia and bronchitis. It is also used with 96 MATERIA MEDICA. good effect in rheumatism, and in remittent and typhoid fevers. It should be given in infusion (a troyounce to boil- ing water Oj), fgij of which may be taken cold, as a sto- machic, three or four times a day, and in freer warm draughts, as a diaphoretic. ABSINTHIUM--WORMWOOD. The tops and leaves of Artemisia Absinthium, or Worm- wood (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), a European plant, naturalized in New England, are ranked among the aromatic bitters, but are not now much employed. They may be given in infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj). MAGNOLIA. The bark of Magnolia glauca, Magnolia acuminata, and Magnolia tripelata (Nat. Ord. Magnoliaceae), indigenous trees, remarkable for the beauty of their foliage, and the size and fragrance of their flowers, is officinal, and ranks with the aromatic bitters. The bark of the trunk, branches, and root, is alike officinal; but that of the last is the most active. It contains a volatile oil, a green resin, and a pe- culiar crystallizable bitter principle. The aromatic pro- perty is impaired by drying, and is lost when the bark is long kept. It is used as a gentle stimulant tonic, and diaphoretic, in the low stages of fever, rheumatism, &c. An infusion may be given, but the best solvent is diluted alcohol. LIRIODENDRON — TULIP-TREE BARK. The bark of Liriodendron tulipifera, the Tulip-Tree, or American Poplar (Nat. Ord. Magnoliaceae), the well-known pride of the American forest, remarkable for its size, fo- liage, and beautiful tulip-shaped flowers, closely resembles CASCARILLA. 97 that of magnolia in its medicinal properties, but is less aromatic and more stimulant. It is said to contain a pe- culiar principle, termed liriodendrin. It may be given in powder, in the dose of 3j to 3ij; and in infusion, decoction, and tincture. ANGUSTURA — ANGUSTURA BARK. Angustura bark is derived from Galipea officinalis (Nat. Ord. Rutaceae), a small tree of the district of country bor- dering on the Orinoco, in South America. It occurs in pieces of various lengths and sizes; sometimes flat, some- times slightly curved, but rarely entirely quilled. Exter- nally, it is of a light-gray color, and is covered with lichens, with a soft, spongy epidermis, which is readily scraped off; internally, the color is yellowish-brown. It has a disagree- able smell, and a bitter, aromatic, somewhat pungent taste. It imparts its virtues to water and alcohol, and contains a volatile oil and a bitter principle, termed cusparin. The bark of Strychnos mix vomica has been sometimes mixed with Angustura bark, and is thence known as false angus- tura bark. Effects and Uses.—Angustura bark is a stimulating tonic, and in large doses acts on the stomach and bowels. From its liability to adulteration with the bark of Strychnos nux vomica, it has fallen into disuse, and it has no superiority over serpentaria and others of the indigenous aromatic bit- ters. Dose, in powder, gr. x to 5*s; of the infusion (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj), fgij, repeated. CASCARILLA. This is the bark of Croton Eleuteria (Nat. Ord. Euphor- biaceae), a small tree of the Bahamas and other West India islands. It occurs sometimes in the form of small, thin 7 98 MATERIA MEDICA. fragments—sometimes in that of rolled pieces, one or two inches long, occasionally longer, and varying in size from that of a quill to that of the little finger. It is usually covered with a white rugous epidermis, and is of a brown color beneath. It has a warm, spicy, and bitter taste, and an aromatic, agreeable odor, which is particularly fragrant when it is burned. It yields its properties to alcohol, and partially to water; and contains volatile oil, resin, and a bitter principle, called cascarillin. Effects and Uses.—Cascarilla is a very pleasant aromatic bitter, causing neither vomiting or purging, and hence agreeing very well with the stomach. It may be given in powder in the dose of 9j to 5ss; but this is a less agreeable form than the infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj), of which the dose is fgij. CANELLA. This is the bark of Canella alba (Nat. Ord. Meliaceae), a large tree of the West Indies and South America. It comes in quilled pieces of a whitish-yellow color, or in flat fragments, which are thicker and darker. It has an aro- matic odor, and a warm, pungent, aromatic, and somewhat bitter taste. It imparts its virtues to alcohol, and partially to water; and contains volatile oil, resin, bitter extractive, gum, &c. Effects and Uses.—An aromatic tonic, little employed ex- cept in combination. Pulvis Aloes et Canelloz (Powder of Aloes and Canella), popularly known as hiera pi era, consists of aloes four parts, canella one part; dose, gr. x to 3j. ACHILLEA — YARROW. The herb and flowers of Achillea Millefolium, Milfoil, or Yarrow (Nat. Ord. Compositae Senecionideaa), a perennial PERUVIAN BARK. 99 herb, common to the old and new continents, growing to the height of twelve or eighteen inches, with doubly pin- nate, minutely divided leaves, and whitish flowers, pos- sesses mild stimulant tonic properties, with some astrin- gency. Of the infusion, made in the proportion of an ounce to the pint, a wineglassful or more may be given. It yields a volatile oil, which has been used in the dose of 20 or 30 drops. ANGELICA. The root of Angelica Archangelica (Nat. Ord. Apiaceae), a plant of the northern and mountainous sections of Europe, is used as a stimulant tonic, in the dose of 5ss-5j; or an infusion may be given. ASTRINGENT BITTERS. CINCHONA—PERUVIAN BARK. The name Cinchona (derived from the Countess del Cinchon, wife of a viceroy of Peru) is applied to the bark of different species of Cinchona (Nat. Ord. Cinchonaceae), large trees which grow in the mountainous regions of the western portion of South America, from the nineteenth degree of south latitude to about the tenth degree of north latitude. Three principal varieties of cinchona are known in commerce: Cinchona Flava (Yellow Bark), called in commerce Calisaya Bark, derived principally from Cin- chona Calisaya, and, in some quantity also, from C. Boli- viana; Cinchona Pallida (Pale Bark), called in commerce Loxa and Lima Bark, derived from Cinchona Condaminea and Cinchona Micrantha; and Cinchona Rubra (Red Bark), derived from Cinchona Succirubra. Peruvian Bark is brought to the United States from the 100 MATERIA MEDICA. Pacific ports of South America. It is obtained by strip- ping the trunks and branches of the Cinchona trees during the dry season, and is dried by exposure to the sun, during which process it usually becomes quilled. 1. The Yellow or Calisaya Bark comes both in quilled and flat pieces. The former are from three or four inches to a foot and a half long, from a quarter of an inch to two or three inches in diameter, and of variable thickness. They have a brownish epidermis (with longitudinal wrinkles and transverse fissures), which possesses none of the virtues of the bark. The bark itself is one or two lines thick, com- pact, of a short fibrous texture, and when broken presents shining points. The flat pieces, which are derived from the large branches and trunk, are usually destitute of epi- dermis, are more roughly marked externally, and are of a browner hue than the quilled pieces. They are also less compact, less bitter, and of less medicinal virtue. The yellow bark is distinguished from the other barks by its much more bitter taste; its comparative freedom from as- tringency; its brownish-yellow, somewhat orange color, which is still brighter in the powder; and by containing a large proportion of quinia with very little cinchonia. 2. The Pale Bark comes in cylindrical pieces of variable length, sometimes singly, sometimes doubly quilled, from two lines to an inch in diameter, and from half a line to two or three lines in thickness—the best kinds being about the size of a goose-quill. Their exterior surface is rough, marked with fissures, and of a grayish color, owing to ad- hering lichens. Their interior surface is of a cinnamon color, and, in the finer sorts, smooth. The color of the powder is a pale fawn. The taste is moderately bitter, and somewhat astringent; the odor feeble, but rather aromatic in the powder and decoction. The pale barks contain a much larger proportion of cinchonia than of quinia ; and, from their yielding little quinia, have fallen into disuse in the United States. 3. The Red Bark usually comes in large, thick, flat PERUVIAN BARK. 1Q1 pieces; sometimes also in quills from half an inch to two inches in diameter. They are covered with a reddish- brown, rugged epidermis, beneath which is a dark-red, brittle, and compact layer, the interior parts being woody and fibrous, and of a lively brownish-red color. The taste of red bark is bitter and astringent; its odor not different from that of the other barks; its powder is reddish. It contains considerable quantities both ofi quinia and cinchonia. Under the name of Carthagena Barks, several common varieties of cinchona were long brought to this country from the northern Atlantic ports of South America. They were of inferior quality, and were therefore not recognized by the Pharmacopoeias; but since the reduced supply and consequent high price of the Calisaya bark, large quanti- ties of very good bark have been imported from New Gra- nada, and are now largely used in the manufacture of quinia, under the name of Colombian barks. Within a few years, the cultivation of several varieties of Cinchona trees has been successfully introduced into Southern India; and valuable specimens of red bark (the product of C. Succirubra), equal to that of South America, have been sent to Europe. Chemical Constituents.—The most important constituents of cinchona are two alkaline principles, termed quinia and cinchonia, which exist in combination with an acid called kinic. These alkalies are found in different proportions in the different barks, quinia being obtained from the yellow bark most abundantly, cinchonia from the pale bark, and the two principles in about equal proportion from the red bark. Two other valuable alkaloids, quinidia and cincho- nidia, are found (also as kinates) most abundantly in the pale and Carthagena barks; but, to a certain extent, in all. Other principles found in cinchona are tannic acid, color- ing matter, kinovic acid, starch, fatty matter, kinate of lime, lignin, &c. Gum is found in the pale bark, but not in the yellow or red barks. Quinia is obtained in the following manner: Powdered 102 materia medica. yellow bark is boiled in water acidulated with muriatic acid, by which the alkali is separated from its combination with kinic acid, to form a soluble muriate. By the addi- tion of lime, this salt is decomposed, and quinia precipi- tated. It is separated from insoluble impurities by diges- tion in boiling alcohol, and, after being concentrated, is decolorized by means of animal charcoal. Or, it may be obtained by heating the sulphate with an alkaline solution. It is whitish, and usually flocculent, inodorous, bitter, al- most insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, ether, and the fixed and volatile oils. It unites with acids to form salts, the most important of which is the officinal salt, the sulphate. Quinia and its salts may be distinguished from all other vegetable alkalies and their salts (excepting qui- nidia), by striking an emerald-green color, when heated first with solution of chlorine and then with ammonia. Cinchonia is a white crystalline substance, less bitter than quinia, almost insoluble in cold water, very soluble in boil- ing alcohol, and slightly soluble in ether and the fixed and volatile oils. It is distinguishable from quinia by striking a white precipitate, when chlorine water and afterwards ammonia are added; with ferrocyanide of potassium, a yellowish-wThite precipitate ensues. The medicinal proper- ties of quinia and cinchonia are analogous, and the sul- phate of cinchonia is now officinal. Quinidia is isomeric with quinia, but more crystallizable and less soluble in ether; its salts strike a white precipitate with solution of iodide of potassium. Cinchonidia is isomeric with cincho- nia. It is usually found mixed with quinidia, the mixture being known as commercial quinidia. The commercial sul- phate of quinidia (which is more soluble in water and al- cohol than the sulphate of quinia), may be used as a sub- stitute for the latter salt. Incompatibles.—The alkalies and alkaline earths precipi- tate the alkaline principles of cinchona; tannic acid forms with them insoluble compounds. Physiological Effects.—The topical effects of cinchona are PERUVIAN BARK. 103 slightly irritant, and, from the tannic acid which it con- tains, astringent. Its constitutional action upon persons in health, results in a disordered condition of the stomach, and of the vascular and cerebro-spinal systems, as shown by gastro-enteric irritation, fever, headache, and giddiness. But, in persons suffering from debility, it proves a most energetic stomachic and corroborant; and over certain morbid conditions, as malarious and other fevers, it exer- cises a control more striking than is shown by any other medicinal agent, in the treatment of diseases. Medicinal Uses.—The most important therapeutic em- ployment of bark is as a febrifuge in the treatment of fe- vers of a malarious origin. Its efficacy in these diseases was first made known to the world by the Jesuit missiona- ries in Peru, from whom it was called Jesuit's powder. The type of malarious fever in which the powers of bark are most strikingly displayed, is intermittent; the non-malig- nant and uncomplicated forms of which it rarely if ever fails to control. It may be given in these cases almost from the very onset of the attack, unless contraindicated by the presence of gastric irritability, which must be first removed by an emetic or mercurial purge. In remittent fevers, bark is scarcely less useful than in intermittents ; and most physicians who practise in malarious districts, now concur in recommending its exhibition in these fevers, as soon as it can be borne well by the stomach, without wait- ing for a remission. In the pernicious or congestive forms of intermittent and remittent fevers, the early administration of large doses of bark or its preparation, the sulphate of quinia, in combination with stimulants, is imperatively de- manded. As a prophylactic against malarious fever, the use of the preparations of bark is very efficacious. In the varieties of typhus, including that termed cerebro-spinal meningitis, the salts of quinia, in full doses, constitute the most efficacious treatment, in conjunction with abundant stimulation and nourishment. In yellow fever, the declin- ing stages of typhoid fever, the malignant exanthemata, 104 MATERIA MEDICA. gangrene, malignant erysipelas, carbuncle, extensive sup- purations, the typhoid forms of diseases generally, the hec- tic of phthisis, acute rheumatism, diarrhoea, dysentery, and cholera, and various disorders of the nervous system, as neuralgia, tetanus, and chorea, bark and its preparations are constantly employed. It is also much used as a sto- machic and general tonic, but where gastric susceptibility exists, as in convalescence from acute diseases, some of the simple bitters are preferable. Topically, bark is employed as an astringent and antiseptic. Administration.—The use of bark, in powder, since the discovery of the sulphate of quinia, has been very much abandoned, owing to its bulk and disagreeable taste. When exhibited in this form, half .a troyounce to an ounce is the dose as a febrifuge, given usually in divided doses; as a tonic, 5j- The following officinal preparations are employed: decoction (a troyounce of yellow or red bark to Oj of water, to be boiled for ten minutes, and aromatic sulphuric acid f5j may be afterwards added), dos^ fgij, repeated; infusion (a troyounce' of yellow or red bark to water Oj, to which aromatic sulphuric acid f 5j may be added), dose, fSij, repeated; extract (of yellow bark), dose gr. x to gr. xxx, equivalent to 5j of bark; fluid extract (yellow), close, f5ij, equal 5j of bark; tincture (six troy- ounces of yellow bark to diluted alcohol Oij), dose, f5j to f5iv; compound tincture or Huxham's tincture (containing red bark with Virginia snakeroot and aromatics), dose f5j to f 5iv. In prescribing bark, opium or port wine is often given with it, when it acts on the bowels. It is also occa- sionally combined with serpentaria. And, when the sto- mach will not retain it, it has been used externally in the form of cataplasmata, pediluvia, bark-jackets, &c, though for external use, the endermic exhibition of the sulphate of quinia is the ordinary resort. Quinia Sulphas (Sulphate of Quinia). This salt is pre- pared by treating quinia (as obtained from yellow bark in PERUVIAN BARK. 105 the process described at p. 102), with sulphuric acid. It occurs in fine, silky, rather flexible, needle-shaped crys- tals (interlaced among one another, or grouped in small star-like tufts), which are odorless, very bitter, and slightly efflorescent. It is soluble in boiling water, alcohol, and the diluted acids, very slightly soluble in ether and in cold water, but, by the addition of sulphuric acid, it is con- verted into a more soluble neutral sulphate. The offi- cinal sulphate is chemically a disulphate or subsidphale, con- sisting of two equivalents of base to one of acid. Various substances are mixed as adulterations with the sulphate of quinia. They may be detected by adverting to their rela- tive solubility in different menstrua, as compared with the sulphate, or by chemical tests. Thus gum and starch are left behind by alcohol; salicin becomes red on contact with sulphuric acid, &c. Effects and Uses.—The effects of sulphate of quinia on the system are the same as those of Peruvian bark, and, from its being less apt to disagree with the stomach, it has to a great extent superseded the use of the latter. In large doses it produces headache, ringing of the ears, and sometimes vertigo, amaurosis, deafness, delirium, and other evidences of a powerful action on the cerebro-spinal system. Administration.—The ordinary dose of the sulphate of quinia, as a febrifuge, is gr. xij, equal to about £j of bark, but as much as twenty grains, and even more, are often required; as a general tonic, gr. j to gr. vj. It maybe given in pill, or dissolved in some aromatic water, by the aid of aromatic sulphuric acid; also as an enema, or en- dermically. The solution has been used externally in go- norrhoea, &c. Many other salts of quinia than the sul- phate have been introduced into practice, but they possess no advantage over the officinal salt. Quinia Valerianas (Valerianate of Quinia), is obtained by dissolving freshly precipitated quinia in diluted valeria- nic acid. It occurs in transparent or white rhomboidal 106 MATERIA MEDICA. crystals, of the peculiar odor of valerianic acid, and an acrid, bitter taste. Soluble in alcohol and ether, and par- tially soluble in water. It fulfils the indications of quinia and valerianic acid, and is therefore especially useful in nervous disorders. Crude Quinia is the impure quinia obtained from the manufacturer, before separation from the insoluble impu- rities. It is a soft solid, of resinous aspect, nearly free from bitterness, and rnaj- be given to children in the same doses as the sulphate. Quinoidia, quinodin, or amorphous quinia, is a substance ob- tained by precipitation, with an alkaline carbonate, from the mother liquor left after the preparation of sulphate of quinia. When moderately heated, it appears as a resinous mass, of a yellowish-white or brownish color, which, accord- ing to Liebig, is identical in composition with ordinary quinia, to which it bears the same relation that uncrystal- lizable sugar bears to the crystallizable. It is considered equally efficacious with quinia, but requires doses rather larger than the sulphate of quinia, than which it is much more economical. Cinchonia Sulphas (Sulphate of Cinchonia), is made from the mother waters remaining after the crystallization of sulphate of quinia. Being the most soluble of the sul- phates of the four alkaloids found in bark, it remains in solution after the sulphate of quinia, and the mixed sul- phate of cinchonidia and quinidia, have crystallized out. From the mother waters, it is precipitated by solution of soda, then washed with alcohol, next reconverted into a sulphate, and boiled with animal charcoal to decolorize it. It occurs in short, oblique, shining prisms, of a very bit- ter taste, more soluble in water than the sulphate of qui- nia, readily soluble by alcohol, and sparingly so by ether. It is a disulphate. It is now admitted to have the same remedial properties as the sulphate of quinia, but requires rather larger doses. DOGWOOD. 107 CORNUS FLORIDA — DOGWOOD. Cornus Florida, or Dogwood (Nat. Ord. Cornaceae), is an indigenous tree, found in most parts of the United States, and growing in the Middle States to the height of Fig. 9. from fifteen to twenty feet. Its flowers are remarkable for large four-leaved white or pinkish involucres, which appear with us in May. The officinal portion is the bark, that of the root being preferred. It occurs in pieces of various sizes, more or less rolled, of a reddish-gray color, with occasionally a fawn-colored epidermis. Its odor is slight; its taste bitter, astringent, and slightly aromatic. It yields its virtues to water and alcohol, and contains re- sin, a peculiar bitter principle, tannic and gallic acids, &c. 108 MATERIA MEDICA. Effects and Uses.—Dogwood is deservedly esteemed the best substitute for cinchona among the native astringent bitters. It is somewhat stimulant, and not unfrequently disorders the stomach. Dose, in powder, 9j to 5j ; of the decoction (a troyounce to water Oj), fgij may be given. SALIX — WILLOW. The bark of Salix alba, or the White Willow (Nat. Ord. Salicaceae), is ranked among the astringent bitters. It is little employed, however, except in the form of salicin, its active principle, which consists of white, slender, silky crystals, inodorous, but very bitter, soluble in water and alcohol, but not in ether. It has been used as a substitute for the sulphate of quinia, but is very inferior to it as a febrifuge. As a general tonic, however, it is useful, and may be given in the dose of from gr. x to gr. xxx. The sulphate of quinia is often adulterated with salicin, but the fraud may be detected by the addition of sulphuric acid, which strikes a blood-red color with salicin. PRUNUS VIRGINIANA — WILD-CHERRY BARK. The wild-cherry has long been known under the name of Prunus Virginiana, which is still retained by the Phar- macopoeia. This name, however, belongs to another tree, the choke-cherry; and the wild-cherry is now properly distinguished as Cerasus serotina (Nat. Ord. Drupaceae). It is a large indigenous tree, attaining a great height and size in the Southwestern States, but usually with us about twTenty-five to thirty feet high. The trunk is covered with a rough blackish bark, which detaches itself semicircu- larly; the leaves are ovate, oblong, and acuminate; the flowers, which appear in May, are white, and are followed by fruit about the size of a pea, of a purplish black color, NECTANDRA. 109 and a not unpleasant bitterish taste. The medicinal portion is the inner bark of the root and tree, the former of which is the more active. It is found in the shops, in pieces of various lengths and sizes, deprived of the epidermis, and slightly curved, of a reddish-brown color, and a bitter aro- matic taste. It contains a bitter principle, resin, starch, and tannic and gallic acids, and yields on distillation a volatile oil, nearly identical with the oil of bitter almonds, which does not pre-exist in the bark, but is formed by the action of water on amygdalin, as in the almond. The leaves also yield this oil. Boiling water impairs the virtues of the bark. Effects and Uses.—Wild-cherry bark is tonic, with some astringency, and at the same time exercises a sedative in- fluence on the nervous and circulatory systems, owing to the hydrocyanic acid, which is developed in it. It is used with excellent effect as a sedative corroborant in various forms of pulmonary irritation, particularly in the latter stages of pneumonia, and in the hectic of phthisis. It is also a useful stomachic and tonic in a variety of cases. The proper form of administration is the infusion (half a troyounce to cold water Oj), in the dose of fSij twice or thrice daily. Of the fluid extract (alcoholic), the dose is f5j-ij. The syrup is an agreeable preparation; dose, f§ss. NECTANDRA. The bark of Nectandra Rodiei (Nat. Ord. Lauraceae), the Greenheart tree, a large tree of Guiana, and the neigh- boring countries of South America, has, within a few years been introduced into medicine, under the name of bebeeru bark. It occurs in large, flat, heavy pieces, one to two feet long, from two to six inches broad, and three or four lines thick, of a grayish-brown color on its outer sur- face, and a dark cinnamon on the inner. It nas an in- 110 MATERIA MEDICA. tensely bitter, somewhat astringent taste, and contains tannic acid, resin, gum, &c, and a peculiar alkaloid, termed bebeerin or bebeeria. Bebeeru bark is employed as a febrifuge and tonic in South America, and the sulphate of bebeerin has been used in Europe and this country with some success in the treatment of intermittent fevers. The full dose is 3j-5j- The roots of Geum rivale, or Water Avens, and Spi- raea tomentosa, or Hardhack (Nat. Ord. Rosaceae), and the bark of Prinos verticillatus, or Black Alder (Nat. Ord. Aquifolaceae), are indigenous astringent tonics of conside- rable power. MINERAL TONICS. FERRI PRAPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF IRON. The preparations of Iron (Ferruginea), termed also Cha- lybeates and Martial preparations, are the most important of the mineral tonics. Besides their local tonic-astringent effect and their general corroborant action on the cerebro- spinal system, which they possess in common with the other mineral tonics, they exercise a restorative influence on the composition of the blood, by increasing the number of its coloring particles, and the amount of its solid con- stituents. Their effects are best observed in conditions of the system in which there is a want of these elements of the blood. Under the use of chalybeates, in such cases, while the digestive functions are promoted, the pulse be- comes fuller and stronger, the skin assumes a healthy tint, the lips and cheeks become more florid, the temperature of the body is increased, and the muscular strength is greatly invigorated. On the other hand, the administra- tion of the ferruginous preparations in health, or too long- continued, produces symptoms of plethora, vascular ex- citement, and a tendency to congestion and hemorrhage. PREPARATIONS OF IRON. Ill The diseases in which chalybeates are most serviceable, are those which depend on a deficiency of the red corpus- cles of the blood, as the various forms of anaemia, particu- larly where this is connected with irregularity of the ute- rine functions; also scrofula, tuberculosis, and cachectic conditions of the system, characterized by a pale flabby condition of the solids. Many forms of nervous disorder, as neuralgia, chorea, hysteria, and epilepsy, are very deci- dedly controlled by the preparations of iron, and they pro- bably constitute the best remedies in these affections, when attended with anaemia. Several of the preparations of iron are also much employed both as stomachics and astrin- gents. The following are the officinal preparations of iron: Ferrum Redactum (Reduced Iron). Metallic iron is ob- tained for medicinal purposes in the form of an impalpable powder, by reducing the sesquioxide (officinally subcarbo- nate) by passing a stream of hydrogen gas over it. It is a light, tasteless, iron-gray powder, and should be kept in a well-stopped bottle, owing to its great liability to oxida- tion. This preparation, sometimes called Quevenne's Iron, is a mild chalybeate, and is a favorite prescription with many practitioners, in the treatment qf chlorosis and other varieties of anaemia. Dose, gr. v to gr. x, three times a day, in the form of pill, made with sugar and gum; it is sometimes prepared with chocolate in the form of lozenges. Ferri Oxidum Hydratum (Hydrated Oxide of Iron). This preparation is made by precipitating the sesquioxide from its combination in any tersalt of iron by means of am- monia. Officinally, the tersulphate of iron is employed for this purpose. When dry, it is a reddish-brown powder, and is not considered an eligible preparation for medical use. It is kept in the shops, in the form of a soft, moist, reddish-brown magma, for use as an antidote to arsenious acid. Ferri Subcarbonas (Subcarbonate ofi Iron). This salt is obtained by the double reaction of solutions of sulphate of 112 materia medica. iron and carbonate of soda. It is at first a white precipi- tate; but by exposure to the air it becomes greenish, and afterwards rust-colored, being converted into the sesqui- oxide by the absorption of oxygen, and the evolution of carbonic acid. It has a disagreeable, slightly styptic taste, is insoluble in water, but readily dissolves in hydrochloric and sulphuric acids, and carbonic acid water. It is one of the most valuable of the ferruginous compounds, free from local irritation, and readily dissolved in the fluids of the stomach; and is much employed in chlorosis, chorea, neu- ralgia, and even pertussis and tetanus. Dose, gr. v to gr. xxx, three times a day. Trochisci Ferri Carbonatis (Troches ofi Subcarbonate ofi Iron), made with vanilla, sugar, and mucilage of tragacanth, are a pleasant preparation; each lozenge contains about five grains of the subcarbonate. Emplastrum Ferri (Plaster ofi Iron), is made with subcar- bonate of iron, le^ad plaster, and Burgundy pitch. Pilula Ferri Carbonatis (Pills ofi Carbonate ofi Iron).— Vallet's Ferruginous Pills. To protect the carbonate of iron from oxidation, it is prepared (as in the process last de- scribed) by dissolving the reacting salts in weak syrup in- stead of water; honey and sugar being afterwards added, to preserve it unaltered and bring it to the pilular consist- ence. This preparation, from its unchangeableness, is pre- ferred to the ordinary subcarbonate, and is one of the most popular of the chalybeates. Gr. x to gr. xxx of the pilular mass may be taken in divided doses through the day. Mistura Ferri Composita (Compound Mixture ofi Iron), is a mixture of the carbonate of iron (prepared by the reaction of sulphate of iron and carbonate of potassa), with myrrh, spirit of lavender, and rose-water, and sugar to resist oxi- dation. It is a favorite chalybeate in chlorosis and ame- norrhoea. Dose, fgj to fgij, three times a day. Pilulo? Ferri Composite (Compound Pills ofi Iron), are prepared with carbonate of soda, sulphate of iron, myrrh, and syrup. Dose, from two to six pills three times a day. PREPARATIONS of iron. 113 Both these preparations should be made only as wanted for use. Ferri Sulphas (Sulphate ofi Iron), known, in its impure state, as green vitriol or copperas, is prepared for medicinal use by dissolving iron wire in diluted sulphuric acid, with heat. It is a sulphate of the protoxide, and occurs in trans- parent, pale bluish-green crystals, of an acid styptic taste, soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol. By exposure to the air, they effloresce, absorb oxygen, and become yel- lowish-white, from the formation of sulphate of the sesqui- oxide. When heated to 212°, they give out six of their seven equivalents of water, and are converted into a gray- ish-white mass, known as the dried sulphate. Sulphate of iron is one of the most active of the ferruginous prepara- tions, but its local effects are powerfully astringent, and in a concentrated form it acts as an irritant poison. It is preferred to other chalybeates, where there is much relaxa- tion of the solids, with excessive discharges; but it is not so wTell adapted to long-continued use, on account of its local irritant action. Topically, it is employed in substance and solution, as a styptic and astringent. Dose, gr. j to gr. v, in pill; of the dried sulphate (ferri sulphas exsiccata), gr. ss to gr. iij. Liquor Ferri Tersulphatis (Solution ofi Persulphate of Iron). This preparation is made by dissolving the sul- phate (of the protoxide) of iron in a mixture of sulphuric and nitric acids with water. The nitric acid furnishes oxygen enough to the protoxide of iron to convert it into a sesquioxide, and the sulphuric acid gives the additional acid required to saturate the sesquioxide. This solution is a clear, reddish-brown liquid, of a sour, very astringent, and somewhat acrid taste. Its chief use is in making the sesquioxide of iron, and it should be kept on hand, for the preparation of the hydrated sesquioxide of iron, as an anti- dote for arsenious acid. It may be used as a styptic, but for this purpose it is inferior to the next preparation. Liquor Ferri Subsulphatis (Solution of Subsulphate of 8 114 MATERIA MEDICA. Iron). This solution, known as Monsel's Solution, is made in the same way as the last preparation, except that only half the amount of sulphuric acid is used ; the sesquioxide of iron is therefore only partially saturated, and a subsalt results. It has a syrupy consistence, a ruby-red color, is inodorous, and has a very astringent but not acrid taste. It is a less irritant salt than the tersulphate, and may be used internally, in hemorrhage from the stomach and bowels, in the dose of from five to fifteen grains. Exter- nally, it is one of the most efficacious styptics we can employ. Tinctura Ferri Chloridi (Tincture ofi the Chloride of Iron). This is prepared by dissolving iron wire in muri- atic acid, then in nitric acid, and afterwards adding water and alcohol. It is a tincture of the sesquichloride, though there is probably some reaction between the acid and alcohol, as the preparation has an ethereal odor. It is of a reddish-brown color, and has a sour, styptic taste. It is one of the most effective of the chalybeates, acting locally as an energetic astringent and styptic, and, in large doses, as an irritant. Its indications, both general and topical, are very analogous to those of the sulphate, with the addi- tion of some specific action on the urino-genital apparatus, which renders it applicable to the treatment of affections of these organs. Dose, rn^x to rnrxxx, gradually increased to f5j or f5ij, and taken in some mild diluent. Ferri Iodidum (Iodide of Iron). This salt is the protiodide of iron, and is made by the addition of iron filings to a mixture of iodine in distilled water. By evaporation, with as little contact of air as possible, green tabular crystals are obtained, of a styptic taste, volatile, deliquescent, and very soluble in both water and alcohol. But, by exposure to the air, the protiodide of iron undergoes decomposition: a portion of the iron parting with its iodine, and becoming oxidized. Hence, the salt is hardly fit for medicinal use, unless protected from decomposition, as in the officinal Syrupus Ferri Iodidi (Syrup of Iodide of Iron), which is PREPARATIONS of iron. 115 prepared with the addition of sugar. This is an excellent alterative tonic, combining the effects of iodine and of iron, and is particularly applicable to the treatment of scrofula, visceral engorgements, phthisis, &c. Dose, twenty to forty drops three times a day. Pilulo3 Ferri Iodidi (Pills ofi Iodide ofi Iron), are made with sugar, gum arabic, marsh-mallow, and balsam of Tolu. They keep very well. Each pill contains about one grain iodide of iron, and one-fifth of a grain of reduced iron. Ferri et Potassa Tartras (Tartrate of Iron and Po- tassa) is prepared by the addition of hydrated oxide of iron to a mixture of bitartrate of potassa in distilled water. It occurs in transparent scales of a ruby-red color, which are wholly soluble in water. The tartaric acid and potash, in combination in this preparation, render it less constipa- ting than the other chalybeates; and, from its agreeable taste, it is adapted to the diseases of childhood. Dose, gr. x to 5ss. Ferri Phosphas (Phosphate of Iron), is obtained by the double reaction of solutions of sulphate of iron and phos- phate of soda, and is a phosphate of the protoxide. It is a white powder, insoluble in water, but soluble in dilute acids; by exposure to the air it absorbs oxygen, and ac- quires a blue color. Dose, gr. v to gr. x. Ferri Pyrophosphas (Pyrophosphate of Iron), is a mixture of pyrophosphate of the sesquioxide of iron and citrate of ammonia. It occurs in apple-green scales, of an acid taste, and is very soluble in water. A good chalybeate. Dose, grs. ij-v. Given also as a syrup. Ferri Citras (Citrate of Iron), is prepared by the addition of hydrated oxide of iron to a solution of citric acid. It is a citrate of the sesquioxide, and occurs in thin, transpa- rent pieces, of a garnet-red color, with a mild, acid, chaly- beate taste, slowly soluble in cold water, but readily soluble in boiling water. Dose, gr. v to gr. x. It is officinal also in the form of solution ofi citrate ofi iron (liquor ferri citratis), a deep reddish-brown liquid, given in doses of ten to 116 MATERIA MEDICA. twenty drops; and it is by evaporating this solution that the solid citrate is obtained. The addition of a few drops of liquor ammoniae converts this salt into an ammonio- citrate, which is more soluble, and possesses antacid pro- perties. Dose, the same. Liquor Ferri Nitratis (Solution of Nitrate of Iron), is pre- pared by the gradual addition of dilute nitric acid to an excess of iron. It is a ternitrate of the sesquioxide of iron, and is a pale amber-colored liquid, with a strong, astrin- gent, acid taste. It is tonic and astringent, agreeing very well with the stomach, and is employed in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea, haematemesis, hemorrhage from the bowels, and uterine hemorrhage, particularly when anaemic symptoms are present. Dose, gtt. x to gtt. xx, two or three times a day; in dilution. Ferrum Ammoniatum (Ammoniated Iron), is prepared by evaporating a solution of sesquichloride of iron and muriate of ammonia. It is a mechanical mixture of these salts, and is of an orange-red color, wholly soluble in water and diluted alcohol. It contains a small and variable quantity of iron; but is considered a valuable deobstruent in glan- dular swellings, and in large doses is aperient. It is not now officinal. Dose, gr. iv to gr. xij, or more. Ferri Ferrocyanidum (Ferrocyanide of Iron), or Pure Prussian Blue, is obtained by the action of ferrocyanide of potassium on tersulphate of sesquioxide of iron. It is of a rich dark-blue color, without smell or taste, and is insoluble in water and alcohol. Its effects on the economy in health are not very striking; but it has been used both as an anti- periodic tonic and in the treatment of neuralgia, chorea, &c. Dose, gr. v, three or four times a day. Ferri Lactas (Lactate ofi Iron), is made by ^mixing dilute lactic acid with iron filings. It is a lactate of the protoxide, and occurs in greenish-white crystalline crusts or grains, of a mild, sweetish, ferruginous taste, sparingly soluble in water, and insoluble in alcohol. Used in chlorosis, and PREPARATIONS of copper. 117 has a marked effect in increasing the appetite. Dose, gr. x-xx, in pill, lozenge, or syrup. Ferri et Quinia Citras (Citrate ofi Iron and Quinia). This salt is prepared by precipitating quinia from the sul- phate by ammonia, and afterwards dissolving it in a hot solution of citrate of iron. As found in the shops, it is probably a mixture of citrate of sesquioxide of iron, with a variable proportion of citrate of iron and quinia. It occurs in thin, transparent scales, of a reddish or yellowish- brown color, with a tint of green, not very soluble in water. It combines the virtues of its two bases; five or six grains contain about a grain of quinia. Ferri et Ammonia Sulphas (Sulphate of Iron and Ammo- nia). This salt, called also ammonio-ferric alum, is made by adding sulphate of ammonia to the hot solution of tersul- phate of iron. It occurs in octohedral crystals, of a pale violet color and sour astringent taste, efflorescent and soluble in water. Used in diarrhoea and chronic dysen- tery. Dose, gr. v-xv, two or three times a day. Ferri et Ammonia Tartras (Tartrate of Iron and Am- monia), occurs in transparent, garnet-red scales, of a sweetish taste, soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol and ether. A mild chalybeate. Dose, gr. x-xxx. Various other combinations of iron have been from time to time introduced into the practice of medicine; but they are needlessly multiplied. The arseniate, acetate, tannate, bromide, and valerianate, are recommended by different the- rapeutists. CUPRI PRAPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF COPPER. Metallic copper is inert. The salts of copper act locally as caustics, irritants, and astringents. When exhibited in small doses, they exert a corroborant influence over the cerebro-spinal system, and are employed to fulfil the indi- cations to which tonics are applicable, as in the cure of ague, neuralgia, epilepsy, &c. In larger doses, they act as 118 MATERIA MEDICA. emetics; and in excessive doses, they produce gastrointes- tinal inflammation, and disorder of the nervous system. They are employed therapeutically, both as external and internal remedies; externally, as stimulants, astringents, styptics, and caustics; internally, as tonics, astringents, and emetics. In cases of poisoning from the cupreous compounds, the best antidote is albumen, as white of eggs, milk, wheaten flour. The ferrocyanide ofi potassium is also very efficacious, forming with the cupreous compound an insoluble ferrocyanide of copper. Cupri Sulphas (Sulphate ofi Copper). This salt, known as blue vitriol, is obtained by roasting the native sulphuret, or by combining copper and sulphuric acid. It occurs in fine, prismatic, blue crystals, which, by exposure to the air, effloresce slightly, and become covered with a greenish- white powder. It has a styptic, metallic taste, is entirely soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol. It is employed as a tonic, in doses of gr. \ to gr. j, or more, in pill, repeated so as not to occasion vomiting. As an astringent, it may be given in the same doses, and will be found an extremely valuable remedy in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea and dysentery, and chronic catarrh with profuse secretion. As an emetic, the dose is gr. iij to gr. v. Externally, it is used as an escharotic to fungous granulations, and in solution to arrest hemorrhages, mucous discharges, &c. Cuprum Ammoniatum (Ammoniated Copper) is made by rubbing together sulphate of copper and carbonate of am- monia. It is probably a double compound of cuprate of ammonia and sulphate of ammonia, and has a deep azure- blue color, a styptic, metallic taste, and an ammoniacal odor. Its action is very similar to that of sulphate of copper; but it is used principally as an antispasmodic tonic in nervous disorders, — epilepsy, chorea, hysteria, spasmodic asthma, &c. Dose, gr. J, gradually increased. Cupri Subacetas (Subacetate of Copper), or Verdigris, occurs in pale bluish-green or blue masses or powder. The dose is gr. | to gr. £; but it is a powerful poison in PREPARATIONS of zinc. 119 an overdose, and hence is rarely given as a tonic. The powder is used as an escharotic, and an ointment is used. ZINCI PRAPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF ZINC. Zinc in the metallic state is inert. Its compounds are very analogous in their effects on the system to those of copper, but are less energetic. They are employed topically as caustics, astringents, and desiccants; and internally as tonics and antispasmodics, and in large doses, as emetics. In cases of poisoning (which are, however, very uncom- mon), demulcents and opiates are to be administered. Zinci Sulphas (Sulphate of Zinc), or White Vitriol, is pre- pared by dissolving zinc in diluted sulphuric acid. It occurs in small, colorless, transparent, prismatic crystals, resembling those of sulphate of magnesia. They have a metallic, astringent taste, are soluble in water, and inso- luble in alcohol. Dose, as a tonic, antispasmodic, and astrin- gent, gr. j to gr. v; as an emetic, it is the promptest and safest that can be given in cases of narcotic poisoning, in the dose of gr. x to gr. xx. Externally, it is much used in solution as an application to inflamed mucous membranes, in the strength of gr. j or ij to fgss of water. Zixci Oxidum (Oxide ofi Zinc) is made by exposing car- bonate of zinc to heat. It is a wiiite powder, insoluble in water, but soluble in diluted sulphuric and chlorohydric acids. It has been given as an antispasmodic tonic, in doses of gr. ij or iij, gradually increased to gr. viij or x, and is highly esteemed in the treatment of epilepsy; but it is chiefly used externally as a dusting powder, or in the form of ointment. Zinci Acetas (Acetate ofi Zinc) is made by adding zinc to a solution of acetate of lead, and occurs in white micaceous crystals, very soluble in water. It may be given internally as a tonic antispasmodic, in the dose of gr. j or ij, gradually increased; but it is chiefly used as a topical astringent in 120 MATERIA MEDICA. ophthalmia, gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea, &c, in the proportion of gr. ij to gr. vj, or more, to an ounce of water. Zinci Carbonas Pracipitatus (Precipitated Carbonate ofi Zinc), is obtained by the double reaction of solutions of sul- phate of zinc and carbonate of soda. It is a soft, white powder, similar in its action to the oxide, but is chiefly used as a dusting powder, and to make a mild astringent and desiccant cerate. Calamina Praparata (Prepared Calamine), obtained by heat from calamine, the native impure carbonate of zinc, is a pinkish powder, used as a desiccant, and in the form of a cerate, called Turner's cerate. Calamine is so frequently adulterated that it is now dismissed from the Pharmaco- poeia, though still much used. Zinci Chloridum (Chloride ofi Zinc), is made by dissolv- ing zinc in muriatic acid,—nitric acid and chalk being added to remove any iron which may have been present with the zinc. It is a whitish-gray, semitransparent, deli- quescent mass, having the softness of wax, and is soluble in wrater, alcohol and ether. It has been employed inter- nally in doses of gr. j or ij, as an antispasmodic tonic in chorea, epilepsy, and neuralgia. Its local action is that of a powerful caustic, and it is one of the best escharotics that can be exhibited, to produce healthy granulations in malignant or indolent ulcers, especially in lupus. It may be used as a lotion in the strength of gr. ij to f Sj of water, or dissolved in a little alcohol, or in the form of paste, made with one part of the salt to two or four of flour. A solution of the chloride of zinc is employed as an anti- septic, and is also injected into the bloodvessels of ana- tomical subjects to preserve them for dissection. Zinci Valerianas (Valerianate of Zinc), is prepared by the double reaction of valerianate of soda and sulphate of zinc. It occurs in white, pearly scales, having.a faint odor of valerianic acid, and a metallic styptic taste. Very slightly soluble in water, more so in alcohol. Used in epilepsy PREPARATIONS OF SILVER. 121 i and nervous affections, in the dose of one or two crams, repeated several times a day. ARGENTI PRAPARATA--PREPARATIONS OF SILVER. In the metallic state, silver is wholly inert. The only preparation which is extensively employed is— Argenti Nitras (Nitrate ofi Silver). This salt is obtained by dissolving silver in diluted nitric acid. It occurs in transparent, colorless, prismatic crystals, which have a strongly metallic and bitter taste, and are wholly soluble in distilled water, and become blackened by the action of light, and organic matters. Its solution yields with chlo- ride of sodium, a white precipitate, entirely soluble in am- monia. Physiological Effects.—The topical action of nitrate of silver is that of a caustic or corrosive; and this effect is produced by its combining with the albumen and fibrin of the tissues. When applied to mucous membranes, it forms a compound with the animal matter of the mucus, which protects the tissues from the action of the caustic. Hence, large doses may be taken with considerable impunity by the stomach. But, in excessive quantity, it may occasion gastro-enteric irritation, with disturbance of the nervous system; and, in these cases, the antidote is common salt (chloride of sodium), which produces, when in contact with the nitrate, nitrate of soda and chloride of silver. In medicinal doses, nitrate of silver has a specific corroborant and antispasmodic action on the nervous system; and, after absorption, produces a peculiar blueness or slate-color of the skin. Medicinal Uses.—Internally, nitrate of silver has been chiefly employed as an antispasmodic tonic in the treat- ment of epilepsy, and it is the most reliable remedy that can be administered in this intractable affection; but its effect in discoloring the skin, is an objection to its pro- 122 MATERIA MEDICA. tracted use. It is also used in chorea and gastrodynia, and as an astringent in dysentery. But it is as an external agent that it is chiefly resorted to. It is the most efficacious application that can be made to inflamed mucous mem- branes, and either in the solid form or in solution, it is employed in every variety of inflammation of this tissue. It is also extensively used to produce healthy granulations in wounds and ulcers, to arrest the progress of erysipela- tous inflammation and variolous pustules, in porrigo and other skin diseases, in strictures, and to destroy the virus of chancres and of poisoned wounds. Administration.—The dose of nitrate of silver internally is gr. \, gradually increased to gr. iij or iv, three times a day, in pill made with some mild vegetable powder. For external use, solutions are made of various strengths, from gr. ij to oss, in an ounce of distilled water. An ointment is also employed. Argenti Nitras Fusa (Fused Nitrate of Silver, Lunar Caustic). For external use, in the solid form, nitrate of sil- ver is melted and poured into small moulds. Argenti Oxidum (Oxide of Silver), is obtained by adding solution of potassa to a solution of nitrate of silver. It is a tasteless, olive-brown powder, very slightly soluble in water. Its uses are analogous to those of the nitrate, and it is employed in epilepsy, gastrodynia, chronic diarrhoea, uterine disease, &c. It is considered to be free from lia- bility to discolor the skin. Dose, gr. ss to gr. ij, twice or thrice daily, in powder or pill. BISMUTHI SUBNITRAS — SUBNITRATE OF BISMUTH. This salt is prepared by dissolving bismuth in diluted nitric acid. It is a white, inodorous, tasteless powder, nearly insoluble in water. Its medicinal properties are tonic, antispasmodic, and astringent, and it has been em- ployed in intermittent fever; but it is now chiefly used to MINERAL ACIDS. 123 allay sickness and vomiting in chronic nervous affections of the stomach, and also as an astringent in chronic diar- rhoea. Dose, gr. v to 3j, or even 5*s, in powder or pill. Externally, it is a good remedy in skin diseases in the form of ointment. The subcarbonate of bismuth—bis- muthi subcarbonas—is recommended as a substitute for the subnitrate. It is thought to be more readily tolerated by the stomach, and is more soluble in the gastric juice, but it is less astringent. CADMII SULPHAS--SULPHATE OF CADMIUM. This salt is obtained by the reaction of sulphuric acid upon carbonate of cadmium. It occurs in transparent, co- lorless, prismatic crystals, of an astringent, austere taste, and very soluble in water In its effects on the system, it closely resembles sulphate of zinc, but it has been chiefly used in this country, as a collyrium (gr. j-ij to water f§j), and has been found very efficacious in specks and opaci- ties of the cornea. ACIDA MINERALIA--MINERAL ACIDS. The diluted mineral acids are usually classed with tonics; but, although they exert a very considerable corroborant influence on the system, their action is in many respects peculiar and distinctive. In the concentrated form, they are corrosive. When properly diluted with water and swallowed in medicinal doses, they allay thirst, increase the appetite, and stimulate digestion. After absorption into the blood, they often produce a restorative effect in morbid conditions of the circulating fluid, and in their passage out by the secretions, act as astringents. They are employed—as tonics, usually in combination with the vegetable bitters, in intermittent, hectic, and typhoid fevers; as astringents and styptics in hemorrhage from the 124 MATERIA MEDICA. stomach and bowels, and in colliquative discharges; to allay febrile heat and cutaneous irritation ; as antalkalines; and locally, as escharotics; and, in a very dilute solution, they are injected into the bladder as hthontriptics. In cases of poisoning from the mineral acids, the alkaline earths and fixed oils are the proper antidotes. Acidum Sulphuricum (Sulphuric Acid), formerly called Oil of Vitriol, is obtained by burning sulphur, mixed with nitre, over a stratum of water contained in a chamber lined with sheet-lead. It is a dense, colorless, inodorous, corrosive liquid, which, in the concentrated form, is not employed internally, but is sometimes used externally, as a caustic. The proper antidote, in cases of poisoning from sulphuric acid, is magnesia, or solution of soap, and muci- laginous drinks should be afterwards freely administered. Acidum Sulphuricum Dilutum (Diluted Sulphuric Acid), contains two troyounces of sulphuric acid in a pint of di- luted acid. It is given as a tonic, refrigerant, and astrin- gent, in the dose of from ten to thirty drops, three times a day, in water, and should be sucked through a quill to pre- vent injury to the teeth. This acid is a particularly valu- able remedy in typhus fevers, colliquative perspirations, and choleraic diarrhoea; and it is the best corrective for phosphatic lithiasis. It is used externally as a gargle, and wash to ulcers. Acidum Sulphuricum Aromaticum (Aromatic Sulphuric Acid), or Elixir of Vitriol, is made by digesting sulphuric acid and alcohol with ginger and cinnamon. It is a red- dish-brown liquid, with an aromatic odor and a pleasant acid taste; and is an agreeable substitute for the diluted sulphuric acid, administered in the same doses. Acidum Sulphurosum (Sulphurous Acid), is made by heating sulphuric acid with charcoal and distilled water. The sulphuric acid (S03) is deprived of an equivalent of oxygen by the charcoal, and becomes sulphurous acid (S02). It is a colorless liquid, having the smell of burn- ing sulphur, and a sulphurous somewhat astringent taste. MINERAL ACIDS. 125 It has been only of late years employed in medicine, and is believed to have a special influence in destroying para- sitic life. Internally, it is very efficacious in sarcina ven- triculi, or yeast vomiting; dose, f5j, largely diluted with water. Externally, it is used in skin diseases (particularly those of a parasitic nature, either animalcular or cryptoga- mous)—diluted with two or three measures of water or glycerine. The sulphite of soda—sodce sulphis—is used as a substitute for sulphurous acid, which is developed from the salt by any of the organic acids; dose, 5j, three times a day. The hyposulphite ofi soda is used for the same purposes; dose, gr. x-xx, three times a day, and for external use, 5j, dissolved in water fSj. Acidum Nitricum (Nitric Acid), (N06), is obtained by the action of sulphuric acid upon nitrate of potassa. When pure, it is colorless; but as found in the shops, it is usually of a straw color, owing to the presence of nitrous acid. It is a corrosive, sour liquid, employed, in the concentrated form, as an escharotic to destroy warts and stimulate indo- lent sinuses, and diluted, as an astringent wash or gargle. Cases of poisoning from this acid are to be treated with magnesia or soap, and mucilaginous drinks. In poisoning from nitric acid, the fauces and mouth are covered with yellow eschars, while in the case of sulphuric acid, they are white or black. Internally, it is used in the form of Acidum Nitricum Dilutum (Diluted Nitric Acid) which contains three troyounces of acid in a pint of diluted acid. This is given as a substitute for sulphuric acid, but is more apt to disagree with the stomach; it is also employed as an alterative in syphilis. Combined with laudanum and cam- phor water, it is much used in the treatment of dysentery, under the name of Hope's Camphor Mixture. Dose, for in- ternal use, 20 to 40 drops, three times a day, reduced with water. Acidum Muriaticum (Muriatic Acid), is an aqueous solu- tion of chlorohydric acid gas (H CI), and is obtained by the action of sulphuric acid on solution of chloride of sodium 126 MATERIA MEDICA. or common salt. It is, Avhen pure, a transparent, colorless liquid, but has often a yellow color, owing to the presence of iron or other contaminations. It has a corrosive taste, and a suffocating odor, and is an active poison, though less irritating than sulphuric and nitric acids. Magnesia or soap is the proper antidote. It is used, externally, as a caustic, and as an application in diphtheria, ulcerative and gangrenous stomatitis, &c.; internally, in the form of—- Acidum Muriaticum Dilutum (Diluted Muriatic Acid), which contains four troyounces of acid in a pint of diluted acid. This is employed, in conjunction with the vegetable tonics, in typhus, malignant scarlatina, &c.; also to coun- teract phosphatic deposits in the urine, to prevent the ge- neration of worms, in syphilis, in dysentery, and in some forms of dyspepsia. Dose, 20 to 60 drops, which may be given in infusion of roses. Acidum Nitro-muriaticum (Nitro-muriatic Acid). This acid is made by mixing three parts of nitric acid with five parts of muriatic acid, and is a compound of chlorine and nitric oxide, mixed with free chlorine.- It has a golden- yellow color, and emits the smell of chlorine. Internally, it is employed in the same cases as nitric acid, and is thought to be particularly efficacious in diseases of the liver and syphilis. It should not be given with mercurials. Externally, it is used as a bath, either local or general, in oxaluria, syphilis, and chronic hepatitis, for which purpose one or two ounces of acid may be added to a gallon of wa- ter. Dose, from two to five drops, properly diluted and carefully increased. ORDER V.—ASTRINGENTS. These are medicines which produce contraction and cor- rugation of the tissues. Their constitutional effects are somewhat analogous to those of tonics; as, like them, they increase the tone and vigor of the body, and exercise a TANNIC ACID. 127 control over various disorders of the nervous system. But they are chiefly employed to cure relaxation of the fibres and tissues, to subdue inflammation of superficial parts, and to arrest hemorrhage and excessive discharges from mucous membranes or other secreting surfaces. In check- ing morbid discharges from the bowels, astringents, while they diminish the secretions from the intestinal canal, do not, like opium, restrain the peristaltic movements; hence the necessity of combining them with opiates. They are divided into Vegetable and Mineral astringents. The former owe their astringency to the presence of a principle termed tannic acid, and differ from tonics in the absence of bit- terness. The mineral preparations usually classed among astringents, are those of alum and lead, and are distin- guished from the mineral astringent-tonics, by their more decided astringency and a seolative action on the nervous system. VEGETABLE ASTRINGENTS. ACIDUM TANNICUM — TANNIC ACID. This acid, which is the active principle of the vegetable astringents, is usually extracted from powdered galls by the action of ether. It is of a yellowish-white color, and a strongly astringent taste, is very soluble in water, and soluble, though less so, in alcohol and ether. It produces a white flocculent precipitate with solution of gelatine, a bluish-black precipitate with the salts of the sesquioxide of iron, and white precipitates with solutions of the vegetable alkalies; and these substances are to be, therefore, consi- dered incompatible with all the vegetable astringents. There is a variety of tannic acid, obtained from catechu and some other substances, which strikes a greenish-black precipitate with the salts of iron, and is not convertible into gallic acid. Effects and Uses.—Tannic acid is a powerful astringent, 128 MATERIA MEDICA. and is applicable to all the cases in which astringents are useful. It is greatly resorted to, internally, in the treat- ment of diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, hemorrhage, colli- quative sweats, &c.; also as an enema in diarrhoea, dysen- tery, prolapsus ani, and fissure of the rectum; and as a topical application, in inflammations and morbid discharges from mucous membranes, ulcers, &c. It is, perhaps, the best form in which the vegetable astringents can be em- ployed, owing to the certainty and minuteness of the dose in whieh it can be given. Dose, gr. j to gr. iij, or iv, in pill, occasionally repeated. ACIDUM GALLICUM — GALLIC ACID. This principle is found in many of the vegetable astrin- gents, but less uniformly than tannic acid, and is probably the result of changes which the latter has undergone. It is prepared by exposing a solution of galls to the air, when the tannic acid gradually absorbs oxygen and is converted into gallic acid. It occurs in small, silky, nearly colorless crystals, having a slight acid and astringent taste, and is soluble in boiling water, and slightly so in cold water. Effects and Uses.—Gallic acid is a valuable astringent, which has of late been extensively employed in hemor- rhagic disorders, as uterine hemorrhage, hemoptysis, haematuria, bloody diarrhoea, &c. Both tannic and gallic acids have been found useful in albuminuria. Gallic acid has but feeble local astringent powers, and is probably con- verted into tannic acid in the blood; though in hemor- rhages, it appears to be more efficacious than the latter acid. It may be given in doses of gr. ij to gr. v, in pill, every two or three hours. GALLA — NUTGALL. Galls are morbid excrescences found upon Quercus infectoria, or the Gall Oak (Nat. Ord. Corylaceae), a small CATECHU. 129 tree or shrub of Asia Minor. The Gall-nuts are produced by the puncture of the buds by a fly (Cynips quercusfiolii), to form a nidus for its eggs. This occasions an irritation and flow of juices to the part, resulting in the formation of a tumor round the larva, which, on attaining maturity, perforates the gall and escapes. Galls are produced chiefly in Syria and Asia Minor, and are imported from the Le- vant. They are brought also from Calcutta, being collected to some extent in India. Galls are spherical, about the size of a hickory-nut, but of varying dimensions, with small tubercles on their surface. The best are bluish or black externally, and grayish within, without odor, and of a very astringent, bitter taste. They yield their properties to both water and alcohol, but best to the former, and con- tain both tannic and gallic acids. White galls are collected after they have been perforated by the insect, and are infe- rior in astringency. Effects and Uses.—Galls are powerfully astringent, but are not much used internally. In the form of infusion or decoction, they are employed as enemata in diarrhoea and dysentery, and also as gargles. Dose of the powder, gr. x to gr. xx. The tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij) may be given in the dose of foj to f5iij, but it is chiefly used as a chemical test. The ointment (one part to seven parts of lard) is a favorite application in hemorrhoids. CATECHU. Catechu, formerly called Terra Japonica, is an extract from the wood of Acacia Catechu, a small prickly tree of India (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae). Twelve or fifteen varieties of the drug are described by pharmacologists; but it is usually met with in the shops, in masses of various shapes and sizes, of a rusty-brown color externally, and varying internally from a reddish or yellowish-brown to a dark-brown color. The best is of a dark color, and is easily broken into small 9 130 MATERIA medica. angular fragments, with a smooth glossy surface, bearing some resemblance to kino. It is without smell, and has an astringent, bitter taste. It contains 50 per cent, of tannic acid (of the variety which strikes a greenish-black precipitate with the salts of iron), and about 30 per cent. of a peculiar extractive, called catechuic acid, to both of which it owes its peculiar properties. Effects and Uses.—This is one of the most powerful and valuable of the vegetable astringents, possessing also mild tonic properties. It is much employed in diarrhoea, dysen- tery, hemorrhages, and in all cases of immoderate discharge, unattended with inflammatory action. It is a good deal used in relaxed conditions of the mouth and throat, also in aphthous ulcerations of the mouth, and spongy affec- tions of the gums. Topically, it is employed as a styptic, and in solution as an injection in gonorrhoea and gleet, &c. Dose of the powder, gr. x to oss, in bolus or emulsion. Infusum Catechu Compositum (Compound Infusion of Catechu), is made by adding boiling water (Oj) to powdered catechu (half a troyounce), and cinnamon (5j)—dose, fSj to foij, three or four times a day. Of the tincture (three troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij, with cinnamon two troy- ounces), the dose is f5j to f5hj. KINO. The term Kino is applied to the inspissated juice of several trees. Five varieties are known. 1. East India kino, which is the most common, and is the produce of Pte- rocarpus marsupium (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), a lofty tree of Malabar. 2. African kino, the original variety introduced into Europe, but now rarely met with; obtained from Pte- rocarpus erinaceus (Nat. Ord. Fabacew). 3. Jamaica kino, the product of Coccoloba uvifera, or Seaside Grape (Nat. Ord. Polygonaceae), a small tree of South America and the West Indies. 4. South American kino, which is probably RHATANY. 131 derived from Coccoloba uvifera. 5. Botany Bay kino, from Eucalyptus resinifera (Nat. Ord. Myrtaceae), a large tree of Australia. East India kino is met with in small, angular, shining fragments, of a dark-brown or reddish-brown color, brit- tle, without smell, but with a very astringent taste. It contains tannic acid, kinoic acid (which is the red coloring; matter), pectin, ulmic acid, and inorganic salts. South American kino comes in large masses, externally very dark, and internally of a deep reddish-brown color. Jamaica kino is like the last, but contained in large gourds. Effects and Uses.—Kino is a powerful astringent, and is much used in diarrhoea, chronic dysentery, leucorrhcea, gonorrhoea, hemorrhages, &c. Externally, it is employed as a styptic, and as a stimulant to indolent ulcers. Dose of the powder gr. x to oss; of the tincture (5yj to diluted alcohol f'sviij), foj or f"5ij may be given, and it is fre- quently added to chalk mixtures in diarrhoea. It spoils by keeping. KRAMERIA — RHATANY. Rhatany is the root of Krameria triandra (Nat. Ord. Polygaleae), a shrub of Peru. It occurs in woody, cylin- drical pieces, of the thickness of a goose-quill, to twice that size—many radicles being often united to a common head. They have a dark, reddish-brown bark, and a tough central ligneous portion, of a lighter red color. They are without smell, but have a very astringent, slightly bitter, and sweetish taste, which is much stronger in the cortical than the ligneous portion; and, hence the smallest pieces should be preferred, as they contain the most bark. Rha- tany yields a large proportion of tannic acid (of the second variety), and a peculiar acid, termed krameric, both of which probably contribute to its astringency. It imparts 132 MATERIA MEDICA. its properties to both cold and boiling water, but more fully to alcohol. Effects and Uses.—Rhatany is powerfully astringent, with some tonic properties. It is much used in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, hemorrhages, &c, and as an ene- ma in fissure of the anus, hemorrhoids, leucorrhoea, &c. The powdered extract is an ingredient in many tooth- powders, and the tincture is also used as an astringent mouth-wash. Dose of the powder gr. xx to gr. xxx. But it is more employed in infusion (a troyounce to boiling wa- ter Oj), dose, foj or fgij; watery extract, dose gr. x to gr. xx; tincture (six troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), dose, f5j to f5ij ; and syrup, dose f5j to fgss. HAMATOXYLON — LOGWOOD. Logwood, or Campeachy wood, is the wood of Haema- toxylon Campechianum (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), a medium- size tree of Campeachy and other maritime parts of tropi- cal America, and now naturalized in the West Indies. The portion used in medicine, and also as a dye, is the heart-wood, from which the bark and white sap-wood are removed, previously to exportation. It is imported in bil- lets of different sizes, of a dark color externally, and a deep red internally; in the shops it is kept in chips or raspings. It has a sweetish, astringent, and rather pecu- liar taste, and a feeble, not unpleasant smell. It contains tannic acid, a coloring principle called hcematin, volatile oil, resin, &c. Effects and Uses.—It is a mild astringent, useful in chro- nic diarrhoea and dysentery, and particularly well adapted to the weakened condition of the bowels, which follows cholera infantum. It is given either in decoction (a troy- ounce to water Oij boiled down to Oj), in the dose of f5j to fgij to adults, and f5j to oij to children ; or watery ex- tract in the dose of gr. x to oss, in solution. CRANESBILL. 133 QUERCUS ALBA — WHITE OAK BARK. QUERCUS TINCTORIA — BLACK OAK BARK. The barks of several species of American oaks possess astringent properties, and are probably to be found in the shops, but the only officinal varieties are Quercus Alba, White Oak, and Quercus Tinctoria, Black Oak (Nat. Ord. Amentaceae). The bark is the portion used, but the leaves and acorns are also astringent. White Oak Bark is distin- guished by its whitish color. When prepared for use, it is deprived of its epidermis, and is of a light-brown color and fibrous texture, with an astringent and bitterish taste. Water and alcohol extract its virtues, which depend mainly on the presence of tannic and gallic acids, with a bitter principle, termed quercin. Black Oak Bark is more fur- rowed, has a darker color, a more bitter taste, and stains the saliva yellow, when chewed; it is much employed as a dye, under the name of quercitron. It contains a larger proportion of tannic and gallic acids than the white oak bark. Effects and Uses.—A decoction of white oak bark is a good remedy in diarrhoea and hemorrhages, and is em- ployed as an enema in hemorrhoids, and prolapsus and fis- sure of the anus, as a gargle in relaxation of the uvula, and as an injection in leucorrhcea. It is used as a bath in the bowel complaints of children; and a poultice of the ground bark is applied in gangrene. Black oak bark is too irritating for internal exhibition; but for external use it is a stronger astringent than the white oak bark. Of the decoction (a troyounce to water Ojss, boiled dowrn to Oj), f§ij may be taken frequently. GERANIUM — CRANESBILL. One of the most powerful of the indigenous astringents is Geranium maculatum, Crowfoot, or Cranesbill (Nat. 134 MATERIA MEDICA. Ord. Geraniaceaa), a perennial herbaceous plant growing in moist woody situations, with an erect stem, one or two feet high, three to five-lobed, incised, pale-green, mottled leaves, and large purple flowers, which appear in April Fig. 10. and May. The part used is the rhizoma, which should be collected in the autumn. This, when dried, occurs in wrinkled, rough pieces, from a quarter to half an inch in thickness, furnished with slender fibres, of a dark-brown UVA URSI. 135 color externally, and a pale flesh-color within. It has an astringent, but not bitter taste, little or no smell, and con- tains tannic and gallic acids, with some mucilage. Effects and Uses.—This is an excellent simple astringent, agreeing very well with the stomach, and might be advan- tageously substituted for more expensive foreign drugs. It may be used internally to fulfil the indications of kino, rhatany, &c, in bowel complaints and hemorrhages, and topically as an enema, gargle, injection, &c. It is also a valuable styptic. Dose, in powder, gr. x to xx ; of the de- coction (a troyounce to water Ojss, boiled down to Oj), fSj to foij may be given. A decoction in milk is given to children. An extract and tincture are also employed. UVA URSI. Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi, or Bearberry (Nat. Ord. Eri- caceae), is a small, trailing, evergreen shrub, with coria- Fig. 11. ceous, obovate leaves (somewhat like box leaves, and red whortleberry leaves), about half an inch in length, pale 136 MATERIA MEDICA. rose-colored flowers, appearing from June to September, and small red berries which ripen during the winter. It is found in the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and Ame- rica. The leaves are the only part used. When dried, they have a faint hay-like odor, and a bitterish, astringent taste. They yield their virtues to water and alcohol, and contain tannic and gallic acids, a principle termed ursin (which is said to act as a diuretic in the dose of a grain), extractive, resin, gum, &c. Effects ami Uses.—Uva Ursi is astringent, tonic, and diu- retic, and exercises a particular control over discharges from mucous surfaces. Hence, its employment in catarrh of the bladder, chronic bronchitis, with profuse discharge, &c. It is also applicable to the ordinary uses of the vege- table astringents. Dose of the powder, 3j to 3ij, three times a day; but it is usually given in decoction (a troy- ounce to water f'5xx, boiled down to Oj), of which f§j to f§ij may be taken three times a day. The fluid extract, which is a concentrated tincture, may be given in the dose of f5ss-l'5j. CHIMAPHILA — PIPSISSEWA. Chimaphila umbellata, Pipsissewa, Wintergreen, or Ground-Holly (Nat. Ord. Pyrolaceae), is a small indige- nous, evergreen plant, common to the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and America, and found abundantly in woody situations in all parts of the United States. It has an erect stem, three to ten inches high, lanceolate, some- what wedge-shaped, serrated, dark-green leaves, arranged in irregular whorls, and beautiful five-petaled flowers, of a white color tinged with red, and a very agreeable perfume, which appear in June. The leaves are the officinal por- tion. In the fresh state, they have a fragrant smell when bruised, which they lose after drying. Their taste is bit- terish and astringent, but somewhat aromatic. They con- PIPSISSEWA. 137 tain tannic acid, bitter extractive, resin, and probably some acrid volatile constituent—as the fresh leaves, when bruised and applied to the skin, will cause redness and even vesi- cation. Fig. 12. Chimaphila maculata, or Spotted Pipsissewa, possesses analogous properties to those of C. umbellata, from which it differs principally in the character of its leaves. They are of a deep olive-green color, veined with greenish-white; and the flowers are a pure white, and appear in July. 138 MATERIA MEDICA. Effects and Uses.— Pipsissewa is astringent and tonic, and also diuretic. It is employed in the disorders of the urinary organs to which uva ursi is applicable, and also for its diu- retic properties in dropsy, attended with debility of the digestive organs. Indeed, it is classed by some therapeu- tists among the diuretics. It is usually given in decoction (two troyounces to water Oiij, boiled down to Oij), of which Oj may be taken in the twenty-four hours; and a fermented decoction, made with molasses, ginger, and yeast, is often used. An extract is employed, in doses of gr. x to gr. xv. The following vegetable astringents deserve notice, though less frequently employed than the foregoing: Granati Fructus Cortex (Pomegranate Rind). This is the rind of the fruit of Punica granatum, the Pome- granate tree (Nat. Ord. Myrtaceae), a small tree of Northern Africa, Syria, and Persia, now naturalized in the warmer portions of Europe, the West Indies, &c. The rind of the fruit is a powerful astringent, but is little used internally, from its liability to occasion nausea. Dose, in powder, gr. xx to 5ss; but it is best given in decoction (two troyounces to wrater Ojss, boiled down to Oj), dose fgj. Rosa Gallica (Red Rose). Rosa Centifolia (Pale Rose). The petals of these two species of roses are officinal, but those of almost every other species of cultivated rose may be employed for the same purposes as the rosa centifolia. The red rose is a mild astringent, and is chiefly used in conjunction with sulphuric acid, in the infusum rosoz com- positum—compound infusion ofi roses (half a troyounce to boiling water Oijss, diluted sulphuric acid foiij, sugar a troyounce and a half). Dose, f§ij to f§iv. The confiection is used as a basis for pills. Mel Rosce (Honey ofi Roses), made with diluted alcohol and clarified honey, is used as an addition to gargles; the syrup is added to mixtures. The pale rose is slightly laxative. Aqua Rosce (Rose Water), distilled from the pale rose, is much employed in collyria, &c. ALUM-ROOT. 139 Diospyros (Persimmon). The unripe fruit of Diospyros Virginiana (Nat. Ord. Ebenaceae), an indigenous tree, is employed in diarrhoea, dysentery, and uterine hemorrhage, in infusion, syrup, and vinous and acetous tincture. The bark is bitter and astringent, but is not officinal. Tormentilla (Tormentil). The root of Potentilla tor- mentilla (Nat. Ord. Rosaceae), a European plant, is used in Europe as an astringent, in the dose of 5ss to 5j, but is seldom or never employed in this country. Rubus (Blackberry Root). The roots of Rubus villosus, and Rubus Canadensis (Nat. Ord. Rosaceae), the former an erect, prickly shrub, and the latter a creeping brier, are very efficient mild astringents, which have been used with excellent effect in bowel complaints, especially those of children. The astringency resides principally in the cor- tical portion, and hence the smallest roots should be pre- ferred; of the decoction (a troyounce to water Oij, boiled down to Oj) f§ij may be taken frequently. Heuchera (Alum-root). The roots of Heuchera Ame- ricana, and other species of Heuchera (Nat. Ord. Saxifra- gaceae), indigenous plants, known under the common name of Alum-root, with radical leaves somewhat like those of the maple, and numerous radical flower-stems, one to two feet in height, with rose-colored flowers arranged in pyra- midal panicles—possess very decided astringent properties, and may be used both externally and internally. A large number of vegetable substances, both indigenous and foreign, have been used as astringents, in addition to those enumerated—the astringent principle being the most common medicinal quality with which plants are endowed. The foregoing list comprises all the more important. 140 materia medica. CREASOTUM — CREASOTE. Creasote is a peculiar substance obtained from tar. When pure, it is a colorless, oleaginous liquid, with a caustic, burning taste, and a penetrating, disagreeable odor, like that of smoked meat. It forms two solutions with water, one of 1 part to 80 parts of water, the other of 1 part of water in 10 parts of creasote; and it is soluble, in all proportions, in alcohol, ether, naphtha, and acetic acid. A remarkable property of creasote is its power of preserving meat, whence its name (from r-peaq flesh, and ffdi^oj, I save). Effects and Uses.—Creasote, in large doses, is an aero- narcotic poison. In small doses, it is styptic and astrin- gent, and, though not very nearly allied to the vegetable astringent articles, which contain tannic acid, it is, perhaps, more generally administered for its astringent than for any other properties. It is an excellent remedy in haemateme- sis, and is also employed in haemoptysis and other hemor- rhages. It is very efficacious in allaying vomiting and gastric irritability, and has been exhibited for its astrin- gent virtues with good effect in diarrhoea, diabetes, and chronic bronchitis, and as a nervine in epilepsy, hysteria, neuralgia, &c. Externally, it is applied, in various degrees of dilution, to indolent, sloughing, and foul ulcers; in several cutaneous affections; as a gargle in putrid sore throat; and for the relief of deafness. In the concentrated form, it is a good styptic in capillary hemorrhages, and is applied with effect to the hollows of carious teeth for the removal of the pain of toothache. There is no antidote in cases of poisoning from creasote, but stimulants are to be freely administered. Dose, internally, one or two drops, frequently repeated, in pill, or diluted with mucilage. For external use, from two to six drops, or more, may be added to a fluidounce of distilled water. PREPARATIONS OF LEAD. 141 Aqua Creasoti (Creasote Water) contains 3.72 minims in each fluidounce. Dose, f5j-iv. Creasote ointment contains half a fluidrachm of creasote in an ounce of lard. MINERAL ASTRINGENTS. PLUMBI PRAPARATA—PREPARATIONS OF LEAD. Metallic lead is considered inert. The sulphuret and sulphate are probably also inactive; but, with these excep- tions, all the compounds of lead possess more or less acti- vity. When administered in therapeutical doses, they act as astringents in the alimentary canal, checking secretion, and causing constipation. After absorption, they produce a diminution in the volume and frequency of the pulse and in the activity of the secreting functions, and frequently arrest sanguineous discharges, both natural and artificial. In excessive doses, several of the saturnine compounds are irritant and corrosive poisons, giving rise to gastro-enteric inflammation. The proper antidotes are sulphuric acid, or some alkaline or earthy sulphate, in solution in a large quantity of diluent. The hydrated sesquisulphuret of iron is also said to act as an antidote. The tests for lead are sul- phuretted hydrogen, and a solution of iodide of potassium; the former strikes a black and the latter a yellow precipi- tate. When the system becomes impregnated with lead, either from the too long-continued use of its preparations medi- cinally, from drinking water drawn through lead pipes, or from exposure to its influence in lead-factories, &c, a pecu- liar kind of chronic poisoning is produced, which shows itself in a variety of symptoms. The most usual form of lead poisoning is colic, sometimes termed colica pictonum or painters' colic, which is characterized by sharp abdominal pains, with hardness and depression of the abdominal pa- 142 MATERIA MEDICA. rietes, obstinate constipation, nausea, vomiting, &c. Next in frequency is lead arthralgy, in which there are severe pains in the limbs, attended by cramps, hardness, and ten- sion of the painful parts. Lead paralysis is another, though less common variety of the disease, and is characterized by a loss of voluntary motion, owing to the want of contrac- tility of the muscular fibres of the affected parts. It most frequently affects the upper extremities and the extensor rather than the flexor muscles. Occasionally, functional disease of the brain is also observed as one of the conse- quences of lead poisoning. The absorption of lead into the system is recognized by a saturnine coloration of the gums, of the mucous membrane of the mouth, and of the teeth. The antidotical treatment of chronic lead poisoning consists in the internal administration of solutions of sul- phuric acid and of soluble alkaline and earthy sulphates, and in the use of baths of sulphuret of potassium, dissolved in warm Avater, by which the salts of lead, deposited on the skin, are converted into the insoluble sulphuret. The iodide of potassium is recommended as an eliminative remedy. For lead colic, a combination of cathartics and opiates has been employed; but the best remedy is alum in doses of 5j or 5ij, every three or four hours, dissolved in some demulcent liquid. In the treatment of lead palsy, strychnia and elec- tricity may be used, but it is a very intractable form of the disease. Therapeutically, the preparations of lead are employed as astringents, sedatives, and desiccants. For internal use, the acetate is almost exclusively employed. It is a most valuable remedy in hemorrhages, from its combined seda- tive and astringent influence, and is also very serviceable in fluxes from the mucous membranes, particularly of the bowels. Topically, lead washes are employed to relieve superficial inflammation, to arrest morbid discharges, and as desiccants. Plumbi Acetas (Acetate of Lead). This salt, known also as Saccharum Saturni or Sugar ofi Lead, is made by immers- PREPARATIONS OF LEAD. 143 ing lead in distilled vinegar, or litharge in pyroligneous or crude acetic acid. It occurs in colorless, needle-shaped crystals, which effloresce on exposure to the air. They have an acetous odor, and a sweetish, astringent taste, and are soluble in both w^ater and alcohol. The mineral acids and their soluble salts, the alkalies and alkaline earths, and vegetable astringents, are incompatible with acetate of lead. Effects and Uses.—The effects of this salt are those of the saturnine preparations, which have been already described. Its medicinal influence is sedative and astringent. In he- morrhages, it is more employed internally than any other remedy, usually in combination with opium. And this combination is also much resorted to in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, and cholera, and may be prescribed with advantage to check the secretion of bronchitis and the night sweats of phthisis. In yellow fever, it is em- ployed with advantage to check the hemorrhagic condition of the gastric mucous membrane. It is a dangerous remedy in chronic diseases, from the liability to lead poi- soning. As a topical remedy, acetate of lead, in aqueous solution, is extensively employed to relieve inflammation and diminish morbid discharges. Dose, gr. j or ij to gr. viij or x, two or three times a day. When applied to mucous membranes, the strength of the solution may be gr. ss to gr. j or ij, to water f§j—for phleg- monous inflammation, 5ij to water Oj. Liquor Plumbi Subacetatis (Solution ofi Subacetate ofi Lead). This preparation, frequently termed Goulard's Ex- tract, is an aqueous solution of the diacetate of lead, and is made by boiling acetate of lead and litharge in distilled water. It is a cplorless liquid, which is decomposed on ex- posure to the air with the formation of insoluble carbonate of lead, and occasions a dense wrhite precipitate with solu- tion of gum. In other respects it resembles a solution of acetate of lead. Uses.—It is chiefly employed, diluted, to promote the resolution of external inflammation and arrest discharges * 144 MATERIA MEDICA. from suppurating, ulcerated, and mucous surfaces. The officinal dilution is Liquor Plumbi Subacetatis dilutus, com- monly known as lead water, and consists of solution f5iij, to distilled water Oj. Ceratum Plumbi Subacetatis, or Gou- lard's Cerate, is made with Goulard's Extract, white wax, olive oil, and camphor, and is an admirable dressing to excoriated and blistered surfaces, burns, scalds, &c. Plumbi Iodidum (Iodide ofi Lead), is made by the double reaction of solutions of nitrate of lead and iodide of potas- sium. It is a bright-yellow, heavy, inodorous powder, sparingly soluble in cold water, but readily soluble in boil- ing water. It is chiefly used to reduce the volume of in- dolent tumors, and may be given internally in the dose of gr. iij or iv, or more, in pill; but it is principally employed externally in the form of ointment (5j to lard Sj). Plumbi Nitras (Nitrate ofi Lead), made by dissolving litharge in diluted nitric acid, occurs in white, nearly opaque octohedral crystals, permanent in the air, of a swreet, astringent taste, and soluble in water and alcohol. It may be given internally, as a sedative astringent, in doses of gr. \ to gr. j, twice or thrice daily, in pill or solution. But its principal use is as a topical agent in the treatment of wounds, ulcers, and cutaneous affections. Ledoyen's Disinfecting Fluid is a solution of nitrate of lead 5j in water fSJ- " Plumbi Oxidum (Oxide of Lead), or Litharge, is obtained in the process for extracting silver from argentiferous galenas. It occurs in minute yellowish or orange-colored scales, insoluble in water, and is never employed internally. It is sometimes sprinkled over ulcers, but its chief use is in the preparation of Emplastrum Plumbi or Lead Plaster (called also diachylon), which is made by boiling litharge with olive oil and water, and is, chemically, a mixture of oleate and margarate of lead. It serves as a basis for most of the other plasters. Emplastrum Saponis (Soap Plaster), made by rubbing up soap with lead plaster, is an excellent ALUM. 145 discutient. Soap Cerate is made by melting together soap plaster, wax, and oil. Plumbi Carbonas (Carbonate of Lead), or White Lead, is manufactured in this country by exposing lead to the fumes of vinegar or acetic acid. It is a white powder, without smell or taste, and insoluble in water. It is never administered internally, but is employed as a dusting pow- der—though there is danger of its absorption. Unguen- tum Plumbi Carbonatis is a good application to burns, &c. ALUMEN — ALUM. Alum is a double salt, a sulphate of alumina and po- tassa. It is found native in the neighborhood of volca- noes, but is usually manufactured from alum ores, and sometimes by the direct combination of its constituents. It crystallizes in regular octohedrons; but it is commonly found in the shops in large, colorless, transparent, crystal- line masses, without any regular form. It has an astrin- gent and sweetish, acid taste; by exposure to the air it slowly effloresces; it is soluble in cold water, and more so in boiling water; and when heated, it undergoes the wa- tery fusion, swells up, gives out its wrater of crystallization and is converted into a white, spongy mass, called dried alum. The alkalies and their carbonates, lime-water, mag- nesia and its carbonate, tartrate of potassa, acetate of lead, and the vegetable astringents, are incompatible with alum. Besides the common, or potash alum, there are varieties in which the potash is replaced by some other base, as am- monia or soda. Physiological Effects.—The immediate topical effect of alum is that of a powerful astringent, in virtue of a che- mical action on the tissues. When it is applied to a part, in large quantities, the astriction is soon followed by irri- tation; and thus, taken internally in excessive doses, it gives rise to vomiting, griping, purging, and even inflam- 10 146 MATERIA MEDICA. mation of the gastro-enteric mucous membrane. After its absorption, it acts as an astringent on the system gene- rally, and produces astriction of the tissues and fibres, and a diminution of secretion. Medicinal Uses.— Alum is employed internally in hemor- rhages, chronic diarrhoea, colliquative sweating, diabetes, &c, and it is sometimes combined with cubebs in the treat- ment of gleet, gonorrhoea, and leucorrhoea. It has been recommended in dilatation of the heart and aneurism of the aorta, and has also been given as an emetic in croup. Its use in lead colic has been alluded to. As a topical re- medy it is extremely valuable as an astringent antiphlogis- tic, in ophthalmia, diphtheria, tonsillitis, &c; to produce contraction of the tissues, in relaxation of the uvula, pro- lapsus ani, &c.; as a styptic in hemorrhages; and to arrest excessive secretion from the mucous surfaces. Dose, gr. x to 3j or 3ij, in powder, or solution, or made into pills, with some tonic extract, and combined with an aromatic, as nutmeg, to prevent nausea. It maybe agreea- bly given in the form of whey, prepared by boiling 5ij with milk Oj, and straining, of which the dose is f§ij. Topi- cally, it is employed in the forms of powder, solution, and poultice, the latter of which is made by rubbing up whites of eggs with alum, and is applied to the eye in ophthal- mia, between folds of linen. Dried alum (Alumen exsicca- tum), is employed internally in the dose of gr. v-x, and externally as a mild escharotic. Alumina Sulphas (Sulphate ofi Alumina), is employed externally as an astringent and antiseptic application to ulcers, an injection in gonorrhoea, &c. The aqueous solu- tion is used to preserve bodies for dissection. ORDER VI.—STIMULANTS. Stimulants, termed also excitants, are medicines, which, by exciting the nervous and vascular systems, produce a alcohol. 147 temporary exaltation of the vital functions. Their action on the heart and arteries increases the temperature of the body, whence they are frequently denominated calefiacients. In their passage out of the system, they stimulate the se- creting organs, and often prove efficient diaphoretics, diu- retics, and expectorants. Topically, they irritate and in- flame the parts to which they are applied, and hence are classed with irritants. They are employed principally in disorders known as asthenic, and in all conditions of the system attended with exhaustion. From their action in arousing the ener- gies of the nervous system, they exercise a control over many nervous disorders, particularly those of a spasmodic nature. They are also frequently given with a view to their action on some one or other of the secretions. As stimulants to the gastrointestinal canal, they are adminis- tered to promote digestion (when they are called stomachics), and to dispel flatulence (when they are known as carmina- tives). Topically, they are employed as rubefacients, vesi- cants, &c. The more powerful and rapid stimulants are called diffu- sible. The stage of excitement which they produce is of a transient nature, and is generally followed by a condition of reaction. In overdoses, they act as violent narcotics and sedatives. The diffusible stimuli usually employed are vinous and spirituous liquors, and the preparations of am- monia. Vegetable stimulants which contain a volatile oil, are termed aromatics, and are usually given as stomachics and carminatives. Their volatile oils are also employed as local irritants. DIFFUSIBLE STIMULANTS. ALCOHOL. Alcohol is a product which results from a process termed the vinous fermentation, in substances containing grape- 148 MATERIA MEDICA. sugar. At a temperature of 80° F., the presence of a fer- menting body converts a solution of grape-sugar into alco- hol and carbonic acid. Starchy substances, being conver- tible into grape-sugar, also yield alcohol. Alcohol is ob- tained from vinous or fermented liquors, by repeated dis- tillation. For officinal purposes, it should be of the spe- cific gravity 0.835, when it contains about fifteen per cent. of .water. It is a colorless, inflammable liquid, wholly va- porizable by heat, and unites in all proportions with water and ether. A stronger alcohol, alcohol fortius, sp. gr. 0.817, is made by shaking officinal alcohol with heated carbonate of potassa. This is free from w^ater and fusel oil, and is used for pharmaceutical purposes. Physiological Effects.—Alcohol is the intoxicating ingre- dient of all vinous and spirituous liquors. It is a power- ful diffusible stimulant—in small doses, exciting the vas- cular and nervous systems, increasing the heat of the body, exhilarating the mental faculties, and stimulating the se- cretions. In excessive quantity, it acts as a narcotic poi- son, producing coma and death. The treatment in cases of poisoning from alcohol is the same as that which is to be pursued in cases of poisoning from opium. The ha- bitual use of alcoholic stimuli in excess gives rise to a well- known train of mental and physical disorders : dyspepsia, visceral obstructions, gout, dropsy, mania-a-potu, and even confirmed insanity. Topically, alcohol acts as an irritant. Medicinal Uses.—Alcohol, in the form of vinous and spirituous liquors, is employed to rouse and support the system in asphyxia, syncope, the latter stages of acute at- tacks, typhoid and malignant diseases, and in poisoning from fox-glove, tobacco, and other narcotics; also as a sto- machic in colic, flatulence, indigestion, nausea, &c. As a topical application, alcohol is used to produce cold by its evaporation; as a styptic; to harden the cuticle over deli- cate parts; and as a stimulant. Mixed with white of eggs, it forms a good coating to bed-sores. Alcohol Dilutum (Diluted Alcohol), or Proof Spirit, con- PREPARATIONS OF ALCOHOL. 149 sists of equal parts of alcohol and distilled water, and has a sp. gr. 0.941. It is used exclusively for pharmaceutical purposes. Vinum (Wine). The fermented juice of the grape con- sists of water and alcohol in varying proportions, with vo- latile oil, cenanthic ether, tannic, malic, and other acids, bitartrate of potassa, &c. Wine loses most of its cream of tartar by age. It is employed medicinally, to support the system in typhus and typhoid fevers, exhausting chronic diseases, extensive suppurations, gangrene, &c. In low fevers, it constitutes our chief therapeutic resource, and may be administered to the amount of one or two pints, in the twenty-four hours, either pure, or in the form of wine-whey. This is made by adding from a gill to half a pint of white wine to a pint of boiling milk, separating the curd from the whey, and flavoring with sugar and spices. The officinal wines are Vinum Xericum (Sherry), and Vinum Portense (Port). Port contains tannic acid, and is preferred in dysentery, diarrhoea, &c, for its astringency. Madeira, which is the strongest of the white wines, is an excellent stimulant, but may be objectionable from its acidity. Champagne is a pleasant stimulant, where gastric irritability is present. Madeira and Port contain about 23 per cent, of alcohol; Sherry, 19 per cent.; Champagne, 13 per cent. As articles of diet, the stronger wines, when used in excess, often produce gout, dropsy, and diseases of the kidneys and liver; and, except in advanced age, and in feeble constitutions, cannot but be considered as objec- tionable. The malt liquors are useful where more permanent sti- muli are called for, as in diseases tending to emaciation, chronic abscesses, &c. The best are porter and ale. Spiritus Vini Gallici (Brandy), is obtained by the dis- tillation of wine. It contains about 50 per cent, of alco- hol, with water, volatile oil, tannic acid, coloring matter, &c. It is the best stimulus, where a rapid and decided im- pression is called for, as in collapse, syncope, &c.; and. 150 materia medica. from the tannic acid which it contains, is useful in bowel- complaints. Rum, the ardent spirit obtained from sugar, and whiskey (spiritus firumenti), obtained b}T the distillation of fermented infusions of corn, may be used as substi- tutes for brandy. Spiritus myrcice (bay-rum), the spirit ob- tained by distilling rum with the leaves of myrcia acris, is a refreshing local application. Gin is corn spirit flavored with juniper; and, owing to the oil of juniper, which it holds in solution, it is an active diuretic as well as stimu- lant. Arrack, the spirit of Eastern countries, is prepared from fermented infusions of rice. AMMONIA PRAPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF AMMONIA. Ammonia is a gaseous compound of hydrogen and ni- trogen (NH3), usually obtained by the action of lime on sal ammoniac (or muriate of ammonia). It is a powerful stimulant and local irritant, but is rarely used in medicine. The following preparations of Ammonia are employed as diffusible stimuli: Aqua Ammonia Fortior (Stronger Water of Ammonia). This is an aqueous solution of ammonia, of the specific gravity 0.900. It is a colorless licmid, of a caustic, acrid taste, and a very pungent odor of ammonia; and is too strong for medicinal use in its unmixed state, containing 26 per cent, of gaseous ammonia. It is a powerful corro- sive poison, for which the diluted acids, as vinegar, lemon juice, &c, are the proper antidotes. Aqua Ammonia (Water of Ammonia), has a specific gra- vity of 0.960, containing nearly 10 per cent, of ammonia, and is employed as a stimulant, sudorific, antacid, and ru- befacient. As a stimulant, ammonia is admirably adapted for speedily rousing the action of. the vascular and respi- ratory systems, particularly when it is an object at the same time to promote the action of the skin. For this purpose it is employed in low forms of disease, par- PREPARATIONS OF AMMONIA. 151 ticularly in the typhoid exanthemata, in syncope, in as- phyxia from narcotic poisons, and to counteract the effects of the bites of venomous animals. In dyspepsia, it is use- ful with a view to the relief both of acidity and flatulence. For internal use, other preparations of ammonia are gene- rally preferred, and this is used chiefly as a vesicant and rubefacient. As a vesicant, it has the advantage over can- tharides of a more speedy operation and non-affection of the urinary organs. It may be employed either in the form of ointment or solution. As a rubefacient, the offici- nal liniment may be used (one part of water of ammonia to two of olive oil). Dose, internally, ten to thirty drops, largely diluted. Spiritus Ammonia (Spirit of Ammonia) is a solution of ammonia in alcohol. It is given as a stimulant, antispas- modic, and carminative, in the dose often to thirty drops, diluted with water. But a pleasanter preparation, with similar properties, is— Spiritus Ammonia Aromaticus (Aromatic Spirit of Am- monia). This is made by distilling a mixture of carbonate of ammonia and water of ammonia with the oils of lemons, nutmeg, and lavender, and alcohol and water. It is a very agreeable antacid stomachic and stimulant, and may be given in the dose of thirty drops to f5j, or more, diluted with water. Ammonia Carbonas (Carbonate ofi Ammonia). This salt, sometimes termed volatile alkali, is a sesquicarbonatc, and is prepared by subliming a mixture of muriate of ammonia and chalk. It occurs in whitish, transparent masses, wholly dissipated by heat, of a pungent, ammoniacal odor, an acrid, alkaline taste, and is soluble without residue in water. On exposure to the air, it becomes opaque, falls into powder, and deteriorates by the loss of ammonia. Effects and Uses.—Its indications are the same as those of solution of ammonia, to which it is preferred for inter- nal exhibition as a diffusible stimulant. It has also been recommended in diabetes, and in scrofula, attended with 152 MATERIA medica. a languid circulation. Dose, gr. v to xx, in pill, or prefer- ably in solution with gum and sugar. Mixed with some aromatic oil (as that of bergamot or lavender), it is used, as a smelling salt, in syncope, hysteria, &c. Phosphorus has been used, in small doses, as a diffusi- ble stimulant; it is also diuretic and aphrodisiac. In over- doses, however, it is a most violent irritant poison, and is too dangerous for general medicinal use. Dose, gr. ^ to gr. \, dissolved in almond or sweet oil, chloroform, ether, or oil of turpentine. In cases of poisoning from phos- phorus, after the administration of an emetic, magnesia should be given, suspended in large quantities of water. AROMATICS. Aromatics owe their virtues to the presence of oils, ' obtained from them by distillation, and termed volatile oils (plea volatilia), sometimes also distilled and essential oils. These oils possess, in a high degree, the odor and taste of the plants from which they are procured. Lo- cally, they are powerful irritants, and taken into the stomach in overdoses act as acrid poisons. They pass partially into vapor at ordinary temperatures, and are completely volatilized by heat: hence, decoctions and ex- tracts are improper preparations of the aromatics. The distilled oils are inflammable, very slightly soluble in water, but soluble in alcohol and ether. Their ultimate constituents are, usually, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; and, on exposure to the air, they gradually absorb oxygen, become thicker, less odorous, and of a deeper color, and are finally converted into resins. CAPSICUM — CAYENNE PEPPER. Cayenne pepper is the fruit of Capsicum annuum and BLACK PEPPER. 153 other species of Capsicum (Nat. Ord. Solanaceae), American tropical plants, naturalized in most warm climates, and cultivated in our gardens. C. annuum is an annual, about two feet high, with an herbaceous, crooked, branching stem; ovate, pointed leaves; greenish-white flowers; and pendulous pod-like berries of a crimson or yellow color, two or three inches long. These pods, when dried and ground, form Cayenne pepper, the best of which is the African. Powdered capsicum has a bright-red color, which fades upon exposure to light; an aromatic, peculiar smell, and a bitterish, acrid, burning taste. The active principle is an oily or resinous substance, termed capsicin, which is slightly soluble in water, but very much so in alcohol, ether, and oil of turpentine. Effects and Uses.—Capsicum is principally employed as a condiment and stomachic, and is very useful in torpid con- ditions of the digestive organs, or as an adjunct to other remedies to rouse the susceptibility of the stomach. Its constitutional effect is not in proportion to its local effect, and it is therefore of no great efficiency as a diffusible sti- mulant. It has, however, been recommended in cynanche maligna and scarlatina anginosa. As a gargle, it is much employed in the sore throat of scarlatina, and also as a cata- plasm to cause counter-irritation. Dose of the powder, gr. v to gr. x, in pill; of the tincture (a troyounce to diluted alcohol Oij), f5j or f 5ij; of the infusion, which is used also for a gargle (half a troyounce to boiling wratcr Oj), f^ss. The oleoresin is a powerful rubefacient, and may be given internally in the dose of a drop. PIPER — BLACK PEPPER. Black Pepper is the berries of Piper Nigrum (Nat. Old. Piperaceae), a vine of the East Indies. The berries are gathered before they are quite ripe, and dried in the sun. They are wrinkled and black, in consequence of the dry- 154 MATERIA MEDICA. ing of the pulp over the grayish-white seed, and in this state are known as black pepper. If permitted to ripen, and soaked in water till the outer coat is removed, they constitute white pepper. Pepper has an aromatic, peculiar odor, and a hot, spicy, pungent taste. Its properties are taken up by alcohol and ether, and partially by water. It contains a volatile oil, an acrid resin, and a peculiar neutral crystalline principle, called piperin, which has been used as an anti-intermittent remedy. Piperin is, however, of little efficacy, and owes it virtues to an admixture of the vola- tile oil. Effects and Uses.—Pepper is a warm carminative stimu- lant, chiefly employed as a condiment; but it is also a use- ful stomachic, and a good adjunct to bark in the treatment of intermittent fevers. Dose, gr. v to gr. xx. Of the oleo- resin the dose is 1-3 drops. C I N N A M 0 M U M--CINNAMON. There are two varieties of cinnamon : Ceylon cinnamon, which is the bark of Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Nat. Ord. Lauraceae), a tree of Ceylon and Java; and China Cinna- mon, or Cassia, the bark of Cinnamomum aromaticum (Nat. Ord. Lauraceae), a tree of China. The most esteemed is the Ceylon cinnamon. To obtain this, the bark is peeled from branches which are three years old; the epidermis is afterwards scraped off; the smaller quills are introduced into the larger ones, and they are then dried in the sun and made into bundles. It is found in the shops in long, cylin- drical pieces, which are very thin and smooth, and of a yellow-brown color, and a splintery fracture. It has a fragrant odor, and a warm, sweetish, aromatic, slightly astringent taste. Its constituents are volatile oil, a little tannic acid, mucilage, an acid, lignin, &c. The greater part, however, of the cinnamon brought to this country is the cassia cinnamon. It has the general appearance, smell, NUTMEG. 155 and taste of true cinnamon. But its substance is thicker, its texture coarser, its fracture shorter, its color darker, browner, and duller, and its flavor less sweet, and more pungent and astringent. Its properties are identical with those of the Ceylon variety. Effects and Uses.—Cinnamon is an aromatic stimulant, with a slight astringency. It is used chiefly as a carmina- tive, and as an addition to other medicines. Dose, gr. x to 5ss; of the tincture (three troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), the dose is foj to f5iij. Oleum cinnamomi (oil of cinna- mon), is of a light-yellow color, which deepens by exposure to the air, with the development of an acid, termed cinna- mic. Dose, one or two drops. Aqua cinnamomi (cinnamon water), is prepared by rubbing up the oil with carbonate of magnesia, adding distilled water, and filtering. It is used as a vehicle for other medicines. Spiritus cinnamomi (spirit of cinnamon), contains one part of the oil dissolved in fifteen parts of stronger alcohol. Dose, ten to twenty drops. Cinnamon enters into a large number of preparations. M Y RI S T IC A--NUTMEG. M A C IS — MACE. These products are portions of the fruit of Myristica moschata (Nat. Ord. Myristicaceae), a tree of the Moluccas, cultivated also in Java and Sumatra, and other parts of the East Indies, and introduced into the isles of France and Bourbon, and several of the West India islands. It bears a pyriform fruit, about the size of a small peach, which has a fleshy pericarp, opened by two longitudinal valves. Within this is the arillus, a scarlet reticulated membrane, which, when dry, becomes yellow-brown and brittle, and is termed meice. The kernels of the fruit are the nutmegs. They are oval, of the size of an olive, with a hard, dark-brown, shining shell, marked by the mace; and to preserve them from the attacks of an insect, they 156 MATERIA MEDICA. are steeped in a mixture of lime and water. Mace has a pleasant, aromatic smell, and a warm, bitterish, pungent taste. Nutmegs have a delightfully fragrant odor, and a warm, aromatic, grateful taste. Nutmegs contain a volatile oil, and by expression yield a fatty substance, known as " butter of nutmegs." From mace, also, a volatile oil is obtained by distillation. Effects and Uses.—Nutmeg is one of the most agreeable of the aromatic stimulants, and is much employed for its carminative virtues, also as a flavoring ingredient, and to obviate the griping effects of cathartics. It is said to have narcotic properties, and hence may be useful in bowel- complaints. Mace is chiefly employed as a condiment. Dose of either, 3j to 5ss. Oleum myristicoz (oil of nutmeg), is of a pale straw-color. Dose, 2 or 3 drops. Spiritus my- risticaz contains two troyounces of nutmeg in eight pints of diluted alcohol. Dose, f5j or f5ij. CARYOPHYLLUS — CLOVES. Cloves are the unexpanded flowers of Caryophyllus aromaticus (Nat. Ord. Myrtaceae), an evergreen tree of the Moluccas. They are from five to ten lines long, and from one line to one and a half thick, the corolla forming a ball or sphere at the top, and the calyx a tapering, somewhat quadrangular base, resembling a nail, whence the common name, from the French, clou. When good, they are of a dark-brown color, with a yellowish-red tint; they have a strong, fragrant odor, a hot acrid taste, and wiieii pressed with the nail, should give out oil. They contain a vola- tile oil, tannic acid, resin, &c, and two crystalline princi- ples, termed caryophyllin and eugenin; the oil consists of twro oils, a heavy oil and a light oil. Effects and Uses.—Cloves are among the most stimu- lating of the aromatics, but are chiefly used as a flavoring ingredient and as a condiment. Dose, gr. v to gr. x. The OIL OF TURPENTINE. 157 infusion (oij, to boiling water Oj) is a warm, grateful sto- machic. The oil, oleum caryophylli, is pale, or yellowish, becoming darker by age. Dose, 2 to 6 drops. PIMENTA — PIMENTO. Pimento, called also Allspice, is the unripe berries of . Eugenia Pimenta (Nat. Old. Myrtacerc), a handsome ever- green tree of the West Indies and South America. It consists of round, dull, roughish berries, rather larger than black peppercorns, with an external hard, brittle shell, in- closing two dark-brown seeds. They have an aromatic, agreeable smell, and a strong clove-like taste. They are principally used as a condiment. The oil, oleum pimentos, has a brownish-red color. Dose, 3 to 6 drops. A spirit is made by dissolving the oil in diluted alcohol. Oleum Cajuputi (Cajeput Oil). The volatile oil of the leaves of the Melaleuca Cajuputi (Nat. Ord. Myrtaceae), a tree of the Moluccas, is a powerful diffusible aromatic sti- mulant, much employed in Eastern countries, and of late coming into use in the United States. It is a transparent oil, of a fine green color, a lively penetrating odor, analo- gous to that of camphor and cardamom, and a warm, pun- gent taste. It is an admirable stomachic, for the relief of nausea, and is also used as an antispasmodic stimulant in low fevers, spasmodic cholera, &c. Dose, 1 to 5 drops. OLEUM TEREBINTHINA — OIL OF TURPENTINE. Oil of turpentine, commonly called spirit of turpentine, is obtained by distillation from the turpentine of Pinus pa- lustris and other species of Pinus (Nat. Ord. Pinaceae). When pure, it is a limpid, colorless, volatile, and inflam- mable liquid, of a strong, penetrating, peculiar odor, and a hot, pungent, bitterish taste. It is lighter than water, t 158 MATERIA MEDICA. very slightly soluble in it, less soluble in alcohol than most other volatile oils, and readily soluble in ether. Effects and Uses.—Oil of turpentine is stimulant, diu- retic, blennorrhetic, and anthelmintic, and, externally, ru- befacient. As a stimulant, it is a very valuable remedy in low forms of fever, particularly where the abdomen is tympanitic, the tongue dry, and the bowels are ulcerated. It is employed also with advantage in morbid discharges from mucous membranes, hemorrhages, rheumatism, nerv- ous disorders, atonic dropsy, gleet, nephritic and calculous affections, and as an anthelmintic in taenia. Enemata of the oil of turpentine are particularly serviceable for the re- lief of tympanitis. Externally, it is used for purposes of counter-irritation. Dose, as a stimulant or diuretic, five to thirty drops, re- peated; as an anthelmintic or as an enema, fgss to fSij. ZINGIBER--GINGER. Ginger is the rhizoma of Zingiber officinale (Nat. Ord. Zingiberaceae), a perennial, herbaceous plant, growing to the height of two or three feet, with long, lanceolate leaves and yellow flowers. Its native country is unknown; but it has been cultivated in Asia from time immemorial, and wras early introduced into the tropical regions of this country. Ginger root occurs in flatfish, jointed, branched, or lobed palmate pieces, which rarely exceed four inches in length. In the young state, the roots are preserved in sugar, and form a very pleasant sweetmeat. When old, they are taken up, scalded in hot water, and dried, when they are known as black ginger. Sometimes they are scraped, previous to being dried, and are then called white, or Jamaica ginger. The former comes from the East In- dies ; the latter, from the West Indies. The powder of black ginger is yellowish-brown; that of white ginger, yellowish-white. Both varieties have a powerful, peculiar odor, and a warm, pungent, aromatic taste. They impart CARDAMOM. 159 their virtues to water and alcohol, and contain a pale-yel- low volatile oil, resin, starch, &c. Effects and Uses.—Qmgev is a pungent, aromatic stimu- lant, much employed as a stomachic in flatulency and spasm of the stomach and bowels. It is also used as a condiment, and to correct the unpleasant taste and nau- seating qualities of other medicines. A paste made of the powder and warm water is used as counter-irritant. Dose, gr. x to gr. xx, in pill. An infusion (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj); a tincture (eight troyounces to alcohol Oij); and a syrup, made from the tincture, are all used. A fluid extract—dose, 20 to 30 drops, and an oleoresin—dose, 1 to 2 drops, have been lately introduced. Troches of Gin- ger are made by mixing the tincture (gj) with tragacanth (5ij), sugar (twelve troyounces), and a little syrup of ginger. CARDAMOMUM — CARDAMOM. Cardamom is the fruit of Elettaria Cardamomum (Nat. Ord. Zingiberaceae), a perennial plant, from six to nine feet high, found in the mountainous parts of Malabar. Three varieties of Malabar cardamoms are known in commerce: shorts, short-longs, and long-longs, all furnished by the same plant. They are ovate-oblong, from three to ten lines long, coriaceous, ribbed, and of a grayish or brownish-yellow color; and contain a number of blackish or reddish-brown seeds, which have a pleasant aromatic odor, and a warm, aromatic, agreeable taste. They yield a colorless volatile oil, a fixed oil, starch, &c. Effects and Uses.—Cardamom is a very agreeable aro- matic, devoid of acridity, and is much employed as a sto- machic and carminative, and as an adjuvant and corrective of other medicines. Dose, gr. v-x. The tincture (four troy- ounces to diluted alcohol Oij) is the preparation chiefly used. Dose, f3j or f5ij. The compound tincture contains also caraway, cinnamon, honey, and cochineal. 160 MATERIA MEDICA. Pulvis Aromaticus (Aromatic Powder), consists of cin- namon and ginger, each two parts, cardamom seeds and nutmeg, each one part. Dose, gr. x to xxx. Confiectio aro- matica (aromatic confection), consists of aromatic powder rubbed up with an equal part of honey; it is a pleasant vehicle for other medicines. CALAMUS — SWEET FLAG. The rhizoma of Acorus Calamus (Nat. Ord. Orontia- Fig. 13. PARTRIDGE-BERRY. 161 ceae), an indigenous marshy plant, with long, sword-shaped radical leaves, is a valuable aromatic stimulant, with some tonic properties. It is found in the shops in somewhat flattened pieces, deprived of their epidermis, wrinkled, and of a yellowish color, and has a strong, fragrant odor, and a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste. It contains volatile oil, resin, extractive, &c. Dose, 3j to oj, or it may be given in infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj). GAULTHERIA--PARTRIDGE-BERRY. Gaultheria procumbens, Partridge-berry, or Tea-berry (Nat. Ord. Ericaceae), is a small indigenous evergreen Fig. 14. plant, with one, and sometimes two reddish stems, a few inches in height, bright-green, obovate, coriaceous, serru- lated leaves, and white, ovate, five-toothed flowers, followed by scarlet berries. The leaves are the officinal portion, 11 162 MATERIA MEDICA. and contain a very stimulant volatile oil, which, when first distilled, is colorless, but gradually becomes reddish, and is distinguished as being the heaviest of the volatile oils. An infusion of the leaves, and an essence or alcoholic solu- tion of the oil, are in very general popular use as carmi- natives and stomachics. AURANTII CORTEX — ORANGE PEEL. The outer rind of the fruit of Citrus vulgaris, or Bitter Orange, and Citrus aurantium, or Sweet Orange (Nat. Ord. Aurantiaceae), is much employed as a flavoring addition to other medicines. The flowers (Aurantii flores) yield the delightful volatile oil termed oil of neroli, and are used in the form of orange flower water (aqua aurantii florum) as an agreeable vehicle, possessing slight antispasmodic virtues; a syrup of orange flowers is used for flavoring mix- tures. ARNICA. Arnica montana, Leopard's bane (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae), is a perennial, herbaceous plant, found in Northern Ger- many and other northern countries of Europe, and also in the northwestern portion of America. The flowers are the officinal portion, and are brought here from Germany. They are large, of a fine orange-yellow color, of a strong, disagreeable odor when fresh (which is diminished by de- siccation), and an acrid, bitterish taste. The root also is used in Europe. Both contain a volatile oil, and an alkaloid principle termed arnicina has been found in them. Arnica is a stimulant, with emetic and cathartic properties in large doses. Its effects, internally, are not very well understood in this country, where it is little used, except externally, in the form of fomentation, or lotion, for the relief of bruises, sprains, and local paralyses. The alcoholic extract PENNYROYAL. 163 is given in doses of gr. v-x. This is chiefly used, how- ever, in making a plaster (emplastrum, arnicce). The tincture (six troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij) is used as a local sti- mulant, often mixed with soap liniment. The following aromatics, of the natural order Lamiacea, are pleasant carminatives and stomachics: Lavandula (Lavender). The flowers of Lavandula vera, a small European shrub, cultivated in our gardens, about two feet high, with linear or lanceolate leaves, and pur- plish-gray flowers, wilich are gathered in June, and dried in the shade. They have an agreeable, fragrant odor, and a pungent bitter taste. The oil, which is of a pale-yellow color, may be used in the dose of from one to five drops. But the preferred preparations are the Spirit (Spiritus La- vandula?), made by distilling the fresh lavender with alcohol and water, and the Compound Spirit (Spiritus Lavandula?, Compositus), wilich contains also oil of rosemary, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and red saunders. Dose, £5j. Mentha Piperita (Peppermint), and Mentha Viridis (Spearmint), are European plants, naturalized in the United States. The herbs of both are officinal, and have an aro- matic odor, and a pungent, somewhat bitter taste, followed by a sensation of coolness. They contain volatile oils, with some bitter extractive, &c. One to five drops of the oils may be given; but they are usually administered in the form of essence or spirit (f§ij to alcohol Oj), in the dose of ten to twenty or forty drops. A water is made by rubbing up either of the oils with carbonate of magnesia and water. The oil of peppermint is the stronger of the two. Rosmarinus (Rosemary). The tops of Rosmarinus offi- cinalis, or Rosemary, a European evergreen shrub, culti- vated in our gardens, contain a very stimulant volatile oil, which is chiefly used as an ingredient of rubefacient lini- ments. A spirit is made by dissolving the oil in alcohol. Hedeoma (Pennyroyal). Hedeoma pulegioides, or Penny- royal, is an indigenous annual plant, about a foot high, 164 MATERIA MEDICA. with oblong-lanceolate, serrated leaves, and small, pale- blue flowers, arranged in axillary whorls. The whole herb is used, and contains a light-yellow essential oil, similar in properties to the mint oils, but somewhat more powerful. Monarda (Horsemint). The herb of Monarda punctata, or horsemint, an indigenous plant. The essential oil is chiefly used as a rubefacient. Origanum. The herb of Origanum vulgare, or common Marjoram. The essential oil is an ingredient in stimulat- ing liniments. Marrubium (Horehound). The herb of Marrubium vulgare possesses combined stimulant, tonic, and expec- torant properties, and, in large doses, proves laxative. It is chiefly used in cough syrups and candies. Salvia (Sage). The leaves of Salvia officinalis, a Euro- pean plant, cultivated in our gardens, are used as a con- diment, and as a gargle in sore throat and relaxed uvula; they are slightly tonic and astringent, as well as aromatic. Thymus (Thyme). The herb of Thymus vulgaris, yields an essential oil, oleum thymi, which is often substituted for oil of origanum, and is used as an external application. The following aromatic seeds are derived from plants of the natural order Apiacea : FffiNicuLUM (Fennel Seed). The fruit of Fceniculum vulgare, a European plant, cultivated in our gardens. They may be used in infusion; the dose of the oil is 5 to 15 drops. Carum (Caraway). The fruit of Carum Carui, a Euro- pean plant, cultivated in this country. Dose of the oil, 1 to 10 drops. Anisum (Anise). The fruit of Pimpinella Anisum, originally a native of Egypt, but now cultivated through- out the south of Europe. Dose of the oil, 5 to 15 drops. The oil of the fruit of Illicium anisatum, or Star Anise, an evergreen tree of Japan and China, possesses analogous FOXGLOVE. 165 properties to those of oil of anise, and is much used as a substitute for it. Coriandrum (Coriander), the fruit of Coriandrum sati- vum, an annual plant of the South of Europe. ORDER VII.--SEDATIVES. Sedatives are medicines wilich diminish.the force of the action of the circulation, by depressing the nervous in- fluence. Many narcotics, it has been seen, act as seda- tives: as some of the solanaceae, aconite, hydrocyanic acid, &c. But under this head are usually classed the medicinal substances vilich are employed therapeutically to reduce excitement of the vascular system. With sedatives may be included also the medicinal agents, termed refrigerants, comprising nearly all the neu- tral alkaline salts, as well as those in winch the acid predominates, and the vegetable acids. These substances have little power of diminishing the ordinary or healthy temperature; but they lower febrile heat, allay thirst, re- store the secretions, and in this way are very useful adju- vants in the treatment of febrile complaints. DIGITALIS — FOXGLOVE. Digitalis purpurea, or Purple Foxglove (Nat. Ord. Scro- phulariaceae), is a biennial European plant, cultivated in our gardens, with an erect stem three or four feet high, large ovate-lanceolate, crenate, downy, and veiny leaves, of a dull-green color, and handsome bell-shaped crimson or purple flowers, arranged in a long terminal spike. The seeds and leaves both are active, but the latter only are employed, from plants of the second year's growth; and those from the wild plants are preferred, as the cultivated variety is thought to be inferior in virtue. The petioles are re- 166 MATERIA MEDICA. moved, and the leaves are then dried in baskets, in a dark place, in a drying-stove. When dried, they have a dull- green color, with a faint odor, and a bitter, nauseous taste, and afford a fine deep-green powder. Both leaves and powder should be preserved in well-stoppered bottles, covered externally with dark-colored paper, and kept in a dark cupboard. And as their medicinal activity is im- paired by keeping, they should be renewed annually. They contain a principle termed digitaline, which possesses similar properties to those of the leaves. It is white, in- odorous, scarcely soluble in water, but very soluble in alcohol, and has been employed in medicine, in doses of from gLth to J^th of a grain. Physiological Effects.—The ordinary results of the admi- nistration of digitalis, in small and repeated doses, are an in- crease in the secretion of urine and a reduction of the fre- quency and force of the pulse, sometimes accompanied by nausea; but these effects are not constant. The influence of digitalis over the pulse is more marked in weak and de- bilitated persons, than in those who are robust and pletho- ric. Its effects, too, in this particular, are more easily ob- tained in the recumbent than in the erect posture, owing to the less force required in the former position, to carry on the circulation. In the repeated use of small doses of this medicine, a cumulative effect is sometimes observed: its powers are not manifested for a certain time, and effects are suddenly produced, winch are attributable to the whole amount administered, giving rise to dangerous and even fatal syncope. When too long continued, or taken in ex- cessive doses, digitalis acts as an acro-narcotic poison, pro- ducing effects similar to those of tobacco, lobelia, &c. In such cases, after evacuating the stomacli, the diffusible sti- muli, as brandy and carbonate of ammonia, should be ad- ministered. The quantity of digitalis, however, that may be given, without destroying life, is considerable. Medicinal Uses.—From its sedative action on the circu- lation, digitalis has been used in fevers, inflammations, and AMERICAN HELLEBORE. 167 hemorrhages, where bloodletting is inadmissible, as in hectic fever, tubercular hemoptysis, &c. In the treatment of diseases of the heart and great vessels, it is a remedy of the greatest value, to reduce the force and frequency of the circulation. From its action on the kidneys, it is greatly esteemed in the treatment of dropsy; and in the varieties of this disorder, resulting from heart disease, it is more employed than any other remedy, from its com- bined sedative and diuretic influence. In delirium tre- mens, digitalis has lately been given in large doses, with excellent effect. Administration.—Digitalis is best given in powder, of which the dose is gr. j, two or three times a day, to be gradually increased. An infusion is officinal (5j to boiling water Oss, with tincture of cinnamon fSj); but water is a bad solvent. The tincture (four troyounces to diluted al- cohol Oij), is a better preparation—dose, 10 to 20 drops, two or three times a day, to be gradually increased. The alcoholic extract is now introduced—dose, one-fourth of a grain to begin with. VERATRUM VIRIDE — AMERICAN HELLEBORE. Veratrum viride, known as Swamp Hellebore, Meadow Poke, Indian Poke, &c. (Nat. Ord. Melanthaceae), is an in- digenous swampy plant, growing to the height of from three to six feet, with greenish-yellow flowers. The rhi- zoma is the officinal portion; it is an inch or twTo in length, thick and fleshy, with numerous whitish radicles, and is usually found in the shops in small pieces or fragments, of a dingy-white color. It has a bitter, acrid taste, which leaves a permanent impression in the mouth and fauces. It yields its virtues to water and alcohol, and contains an alkaloid, veratria (which is officinal), and a resinous sub- stance, which is supposed to be the most powerful agent in reducing the pulse. Effects and Uses.—American hellebore is an active local 168 MATERIA MEDICA. irritant. Taken internally, it somewhat promotes the flow of urine, and in doses of about two grains, proves emetic. In continued doses, it produces a marked sedative action on the circulation, irrespective of the nausea induced, which indeed may be prevented by careful administration. It has not generally proved laxative. No fatal effects are re- corded from its use; stimulants invariably counteracting any excessive sedation. Within a few years past, this me- dicine has been largely used in our Southern States in in- flammatory and febrile affections, particularly pneumonia and typhoid fever, with a view to its contra-stimulant or sedative action. It has been also used in cardiac affec- tions, and in gout, rheumatism, and neuralgia. Dose, of the powder, gr i-ij, to begin with; of the tincture (sixteen troyounces to alcohol Oij), 8 or 10 drops; of the fluid ex- tract, 4 or 5 drops. VERATRUxM ALBUM--WHITE HELLEBORE. The rhizoma of Veratrum Album (Nat. Ord. Melantha- ceae), a mountainous European plant, is found in the shops in small, rough, wrinkled, conical, cylindrical pieces, black- ish externally, and whitish internally; its odor, in the dried state, is feeble; its taste at first sweetish, afterwards bitter- ish, acrid, and burning. It contains veratria, and other principles. Effects and Uses.—White hellebore is a local irritant. In moderate doses, it stimulates the secretions, and de- presses the pulse. In larger doses, it is a violent emetic and cathartic. It is an ancient remedy, now, however, from its severity of action, comparatively little used. Dose, gr. ij, to begin with. A wine is prescribed, and an ointment, in itch. As an errhine, it is sometimes mixed with five or six parts of powdered liquorice root, or other inert powder. Veratria is usually obtained from Cevadilla, the seeds of Veratrum Sabadilla (Nat. Ord. Melanthaceae), a plant of PREPARATIONS OF ANTIMONY. 169 Mexico. When pure it is white, but is usually a grayish or brownish-white powder, without odor, and of a bitter, acrid taste, producing a sense of tingling or numbness in the tongue; scarcely soluble in cold water, but readily so- luble in alcohol. It has an alkaline reaction, and strikes an intensely red color with sulphuric acid. Its effects are locally those of an irritant, and when rubbed on the skin, it causes a sensation of heat and tingling. Taken in- ternally, in small doses, it stimulates the secretions and de- presses the pulse, and in excessive doses, it is a violent poison, producing tetanic symptoms ; it is without narcotic action on the brain, producing death from paralysis of the spinal cord. Stimulants and ethereal inhalation would be the proper treatment in case of poisoning. Veratria has been used internally, in nervous disorders, dropsies, gout, rheumatism, &c, in doses of gr. -j1^ to gr. \, repeated; but it is most used externally, in the form of ointment (gr. xx to lard a troyounce), or dissolved in alcohol, as an application to rheumatic and neuralgic parts. GELSEMIUM — YELLOW JASMINE. The root of Gelsemium Sempervirens (Nat. Ord. Scro- phulariaceae), a beautiful climbing plant of our Southern States, possesses valuable sedative properties, without nau- seating or purgative effects, and is employed in febrile and inflammatory diseases. The tincture (four troyounces of the root to diluted alcohol Oj), is the form usually employed, in the dose of 20 to 50 drops. ANTIMONII PRAPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF ANTIMONY. Antimonii et Potassa Tartras (Tartrate ofi Antimony and Potassa). This valuable salt, familiarly known as tartar 170 MATERIA MEDICA. emetic, is prepared by boiling water and cream of tartar with oxide of antimony. It occurs in colorless, transpa- rent, rhombic, octohedron crystals, which become white and opaque from efflorescence on exposure to the air. When pure, its powder is perfectly white; but it is to be preferred in the crystalline state, as in this form it is less liable to adulteration. When dropped into a solution of hydrosulphuric acid, the crystals should have an orange- colored deposit formed on them. The powder is some- times adulterated with cream of tartar, which may be de- tected by adding a few drops of a solution of carbonate of soda to a boiling solution of the antimonial salt, and if the precipitate formed be not redissolved, no bitartrate of po- tash is present. Tartar emetic consists of 1 equiv. of tartaric acid, po- tash, and teroxide of antimony, each, with 3, or perhaps 2 equiv. of water of crystallization. It is inodorous ; has a nauseous, metallic taste; is very soluble in water; insolu- ble in pure alcohol; and is decomposed by the pure alka- lies, alkaline carbonates, and the vegetable astringents. Physiological Effects.—Tartar emetic is a powerful local irritant. Applied to the skin, it occasions an eruption of pustules, resembling those of variola or ecthyma. When taken into the stomach, in full doses, it causes vomiting, purging, griping pains, &c.; and, in excessive quantity, it acts as an irritant poison, and has even produced death: very large doses have, however, of late years, been given medicinally with entire safety. The proper antidote is tan- nic acid ; and opium, stimulants and demulcents should be also administered. The constitutional effects of tartar eme- tic, when taken internally, in small doses, are an increase in the secretions and exhalations generally, especially from the skin; in somewhat larger doses, these effects are ac- companied with nausea and vomiting, relaxation of the tis- sues (particularly the muscular fibres), a feeling of great feebleness and exhaustion, and a powerful sedative action on the circulation and respiration. PREPARATIONS OF ANTIMONY. 171 Medicinal Uses.—Tartar emetic is employed therapeuti- cally as an emetic, nauseant, sedative, sudorific, and ex- pectorant, and locally as a counter-irritant. As an emetic, it creates more nausea and depression than any other substance; and hence, virile other emetics are to be pre- ferred to it, when our object is merely to evacuate the contents of the stomach with as little constitutional dis- turbance as possible, it is of the greatest value, when vomiting is resorted to as a means of mmking an impres- sion on the system, and thereby checking the progress of disease. As a nauseant, tartar emetic is employed to relax the muscular system in the reduction of dislocations, strangulated herniae, &c. As a sedative antiphlogistic, in large doses, it is a most powerful and valuable remedy in the treatment of acute inflammation, with fever, from its combined action in reducing the force of the circula- tion, moderating the heat of skin, and promoting diapho- resis. When given in this way, at intervals, tartar emetic ceases to produce emesis, and a tolerance of the medicine by the system is established. In the treatment of pneu- monia, it has long been extensively resorted to,—by some practitioners even to the exclusion of bloodletting. From gr. I to gr. J may be given every two hours, in gradually increasing doses, until some amelioration of the symp- toms takes place, when the doses are to be again decreased. As a diaphoretic, it is very useful, in small doses (as from gr. T]g to gr. I, repeated), in continued fevers, inflammation from wounds, injuries, &c.; and as an expectorant, in the same doses, it is employed in various pulmonary affections with advantage. As a local irritant, it is applied to the skin in the form of aqueous solution, ointment, or plaster, in chronic diseases of the chest, affections of joints, &c. Administration.—The dose of tartar emetic, as an emetic, is gr. j or ij, and it is frequently combined with ipecacuanha. As a sedative antiphlogistic, gr. \ or \, to gr. j or ij; as a nau- seant, gr. \ to \; and as a diaphoretic and expectorant, gr. ^s to I, may be given in solution, and in each case repeated 172 MATERIA MEDICA. every two or three hours. For external use, the ointment (unguentum antimonii—5y, to lard, a troyounce) may be employed; or the plaster, made by mixing one part of tartar emetic with four parts of Burgundy pitch. Vinum Antimonii (Antim.onial Wine), is a solution of tartar emetic (gr. xxxij), in boiling distilled water (f§j), and sherry wine (f Sxv). It is employed as an expectorant and sudorific, in the dose of from 10 to 30 drops, fre- quently repeated* and as an emetic for children, in the dose of 30 drops to foj, repeated every quarter of an hour. Antimonium Sulphuratum (Sulphurated Antimony), is prepared by boiling the native tersulphuret of antimony with a solution of potassa, and adding diluted sulphuric acid to the strained solution; the sulphate of potassa which is formed, being afterwards washed away with hot water. It is a reddish-brown, odorless, almost tasteless, insoluble powder, and is chemically a mixture of teroxide and ter- sulphuret of antimony. Its effects are analogous to those of tartar emetic; but it is chiefly employed as an alterative in cutaneous affections, secondary syphilis, &c, usually in conjunction with mercurials. Dose, as an alterative, gr. j to iij; as an emetic, gr. v to xx. Antimonii Oxysulphuretum (Oxysulphuret of Antimony, or Kermes Mineral), is another mixture of tersulphuret and teroxide of antimony, prepared by boiling tersulphuret with an alkaline carbonate or caustic solution. It is an odorless, tasteless, brownish-red, insoluble powder, some- times employed as an antiphlogistic in pneumonia; but it is uncertain in its operation, and probably possesses no advantage over tartar emetic. Dose, gr. \ to gr. ij, or iij. By the addition of an acid to the liquor which remains after the precipitation of kermes, an orange-red, odorless, tasteless powder, called golden sulphur of antimony, is ob- tained. It is a mixture of tersulphuret and teroxide with some free sulphur, and acts like kermes, but is weaker. Dose, gr. j to gr. ij, or iij. Pilulce Antimonii Compositce (Compound Pills of Anti- NITRATE of potassa. 173 mony), sometimes called Plummer's pills, contain equal parts of sulphurated antimony and of calomel, mixed with guaiac and molasses. They are used as an alterative in syphilitic, rheumatic, and cutaneous affections. Six grains of the mass contain a grain of calomel and antimony each. Pulvis Antimonialis. An antimonial powder is prepared in imitation of the celebrated James's powder, by burn- ing sulphuret of antimony with hartshorn shavings or bone shavings. It is a white, gritty, tasteless, odorless powder, consisting of a mixture of antimonious acid and phosphate of lime, with some teroxide of antimony and a little antimonite of lime. It was formerly much employed in fevers; but it is unequal in its operation, owing its activity to the teroxide of antimony present. Hence, it has been dismissed from the U. S. Pharmacopoeia. Dose, gr. iij to viij. Antimonii Oxidum (Oxide of Antimony), is prepared from the sulphuret, and is a heavy, grayish-white, insoluble powder. It has the general therapeutic properties of the antimonials, and, though not quite certain in its effects, is believed to produce the sedative operation of tartar emetic, with less nausea and derangement of the stomach. Dose, 2 or 3 grains, repeated. REFRIGERANTS. POTASSA NITRAS—NITRATE OF POTASSA. This salt, commonly called nitre and saltpetre, occurs in both the inorganized and organized kingdoms of nature. It is obtained, for medicinal use, principally by the purifi- cation of the native nitre of India; and it is also found in saltpetre caves in various parts of the United States, asso- ciated with nitrate of lime, from which it is separated by lixiviation. It is also artificially produced in several parts of Europe, in nitre beds or saltpetre plantations, by bring- 174 MATERIA MEDICA. ing together decayed organic nitrogenized matters and marl, chalk, mortar, &c. It is purified for medicinal use, and is found in the shops in large, transparent, colorless crystals, of the form of six-sided prisms with dihedral summits. They have no odor, a sharp, cooling taste, are soluble in water, and insoluble in pure alcohol. They have no water of crystallization, but frequently have a portion of the mother liquid mechanically lodged in the spaces of the crystals, which may be driven off by heat, and the salt fused and cast into moulds. Physiological Effects.—In excessive doses, nitre may act as a fatal poison, producing irritation of the alimentary canal and derangement of the nervous system. There is no antidote for it; and cases of poisoning are to be treated by demulcents, opiates, &c, after evacuation of the contents of the stomach. In moderate doses, it is a refrigerant, seda- tive, diuretic, and diaphoretic, and, in large or continued doses, laxative. Its refrigerant properties are best seen when the body is morbidly hot, as in fevers. When mixed with the blood, after absorption, it produces several chemi- cal changes, the most important of which is an antiplastic effect, by impeding coagulation. Medicinal Uses.—Nitre is a very valuable refrigerant and sedative remedy in fevers, inflammations, hemorrhages, &c. In fevers, it is often prescribed with calomel and tar- tar emetic, under the name of nitrous powders. In large doses, it was given formerly in acute rheumatism, and this practice has been lately revived with success in France. Dose, gr. x to oss. From 5iv to 5yj, are given in 24 hours, in acute rheumatism, and the quantity is increased to 5viij, x, or xij. The fumes of paper, impregnated with nitre, are used with advantage in spasmodic asthma. SODA BORAS — BORATE OF SODA. Borax occurs as a native product in several localities in Europe and South America, and is made artificially by the CITRATE OF POTASSA. 175 direct combination of native boracic acid with soda. It occurs in the form of hexahedral prismatic crystals, termi- nated by triangular pyramids, of a sweetish alkaline taste, and an alkaline reaction. It is soluble in water, and slowly effloresces, and has the property of rendering cream of tartar very soluble in water. Effects and Uses.—Borax is a mild refrigerant and diu- retic, and has had emmenagogue virtues attributed to it. Dose, gr. xxx. It has been given in infantile diarrhoea as an enema, and is used externally in cutaneous affections, especially as a detergent in aphthous affections of the mouth in children, mixed with equal parts of sugar. POTASSA CITRAS — CITRATE OF POTASSA. This salt is made by saturating a solution of citric acid with bicarbonate of potassa, and evaporating to dryness. It is white, granular, deliquescent, and very soluble in water. It is an excellent refrigerant diaphoretic, much employed in febrile affections. Dose, gr. xx-xxv; 5vj are usually dissolved in water Oss, and fgss of the solution is administered every hour or two. Mistura, Potassce Citratis (Mixture of Citrate of Potassa, or Neutral Mixture), is made by saturating fresh lemon-juice with bicarbonate of potassa; or, when the lemon-juice cannot be had, a solution of citric acid, flavored with oil of lemons, may be used as a substitute. This preparation contains some free carbonic acid, which renders it more grateful to an irritable stomach than the ordinary solutions of the citrate. Under the name of effervescing draught, the citrate of potassa is often prepared extemporaneously and given in the state of effervescence. 176 MATERIA MEDICA. LIQUOR AMMONIA ACETATIS — SOLUTION OF ACETATE OF AMMONIA. This solution, termed also Spiritus Mindereri, or Spirit of Mindererus, is made by saturating diluted acetic acid with carbonate of ammonia. When pure, it is a colorless liquid, with a saline taste. In small doses, it is refrigerant; in larger doses, diaphoretic, diuretic, and perhaps resolvent. It is employed in febrile and inflammatory affections, some- times in conjunction with nitre or tartar emetic, sometimes with camphor and opium. Dose, f'Sss to f5j, every two, three, or four hours, in sweetened water. SPIRITUS ATHERIS NITROSI—SPIRIT OF NITROUS ETHER. This preparation, commonly known as Sweet Spirit of Nitre, is a mixture of hyponitrous ether and alcohol. It is obtained by distilling nitric acid with a mixture of stronger alcohol and carbonate of potassa, and is a mixture, in vari- able proportions, of nitrous ether and alcohol. It is a color- less, volatile, inflammable liquid, soluble in water and al- cohol, of a fragrant, ethereal odor, and a pungent, aro- matic, sweetish, acidulous taste. Effects and Uses.—SwTeet Spirit of Nitre is antispas- modic, refrigerant, diaphoretic, and diuretic. It is much used in febrile affections, and, from its diuretic properties, is often combined with other diuretics in the treatment of dropsies. Dose, f5ss to f5j, frequently repeated. ACIDA VEGETABILIA — VEGETABLE ACIDS. The vegetable acids are refrigerant, and when properly diluted, form useful drinks in fever's, &c. Those chiefly VEGETABLE ACIDS. 177 employed are acidum aceticum (acetic acid), acidum citricum (citric acid), and acidum tartaricum (tartaric acid). Acetic Acid is employed only in the form of dilute acetic acid (one part of strong acid to seven parts of distilled water), or vinegar (acetum). It is less used internally as a refrigerant than citric acid, from its liability to produce colic and diarrhoea, except in typhus, scarlet, and other malignant fevers, owing to its supposed possession of antiseptic virtues. Spongings with vinegar and water are useful to relieve the heat of skin in fevers, and the vapor is grateful to the sick. The dose of vinegar is f5j-iv. Citric Acid may be agreeably admin- istered in the juice of lemons, limes, sour oranges, and tamarinds. When these cannot be obtained, a solution of citric acid (3j to water Oj) may be substituted. Citric acid is manufactured from lemon or lime juice, by saturat- ing it with carbonate of lime, and afterwards decomposing the citrate of lime, which is formed by the addition of sul- phuric acid. It occurs in colorless crystals, having the form of rhomboidal prisms, with dihedral summits, freely soluble in water, and soluble in alcohol; oixss, added to distilled water Oj, form a solution of the average strength of lemon-juice. In the dose of f§j every hour or two, lemon-juice, limonis succus (the juice of the fruit of Citrus Limonum), has been employed with much success in acute rheumatism and gout, and, though an uncertain remedy, is occasionally of undoubted efficacy. Properly diluted and mixed with sugar, it forms the delightful refrigerant known as lemonade. Lemon-juice is the best known re- medy for scurvy. Tartaric Acid is the acid of grapes, and is extracted from tartar, or crude cream of tartar. It is a white crystallized solid, in the form of irregular six-sided prisms, and is found in the shops as a fine, white powder. It is soluble in water and alcohol. Being cheaper than citric acid, it may be used as a substitute for that acid. It is employed in making soda and Seidlitz powders. 12 178 MATERIA MEDICA. ORDER VIII.—SPASTICS. Under the term Spastics (from anamq, spasm), are com- prised medicines which excite muscular contraction or spasm. To this class belong vegetable substances contain- ing the alkaloids strychnia and brucia, which are employed therapeutically in torpid or paralytic conditions of the mus- cular system—and ergot, which is used to excite muscular contractions of the uterus. NUX VOMICA. Strychnos Nux vomica, or Poison-Nut (Nat. Ord. Apo- cynaceae), is a middling-sized tree of the coast of Coro- mandel and other parts of India, which bears a round, smooth berry, the size of a pretty large apple, of a rich orange color, and containing numerous seeds embedded in a juicy pulp. The seeds are the officinal portion; but the bark also is poisonous, and is known as false angustura bark, from its having been confounded with angustura bark. The seeds are round, peltate, less than an inch in diameter, nearly flat, or convex on one side and concave on the other, and surrounded by a narrow annular stria. They have two coats: a simple, fibrous, outer coat, covered with short, silky hairs, of a gray or yellowish color, and a very thin inner coat, which envelopes the nucleus or kernel. This is hard, horny, of a whitish or yellowish color, and of very difficult pulverization. The seeds have no odor, but an in- tensely bitter taste, which is stronger in the kernel than in the investing membrane. They impart their virtues to water, but more readily to diluted alcohol, and contain two active alkaloid principles, strychnia (which is officinal), and brucia, both of which exist in combination with an acid .called strychnic, or igasuric; another alkaloid, termed iga- NUX VOMICA. 179 suria, much more soluble in water than the two first named, has been lately extracted from nux vomica. Physiological Effects.—In very small and repeated doses, nux vomica has a tonic and diuretic effect, and sometimes operates slightly on the bowels and skin. In somewhat larger doses, the stomach is often disturbed; and in still larger doses, the muscular system becomes disordered. A sense of weight and weakness in the limbs, and increased sensibility to external impressions of all kinds, manifest themselves, with depression of spirits and anxiety; the limbs tremble, and slight convulsive movements of the muscles appear. If the medicine be continued, convulsive paroxysms of the whole muscular system ensue, with erotic desires, painful sensations in the skin, and occasionally eruptions: the pulse is not much affected. In paralytic patients, the effects of the medicine are principally observed in the paralyzed parts. When taken in excessive doses it produces tetanus, asphyxia, and death. There is no anti- dote, unless, perhaps, tannic acid; after evacuating the stomach, antispasmodic narcotics, as opium, conium, ether, chloroform, &c, may be exhibited. Medicinal Uses.—This medicine is our chief resource in torpid or paralytic conditions of the motor or sensitive nerves, or of the muscular fibre. When, however, para- lysis is the result of inflammation of the nervous centres, it is injurious, and accelerates organic changes. It is most beneficial in those forms of paralysis which are independent of structural lesion, as lead palsy or paralysis from drunk- enness. In paralysis, arising from cerebral hemorrhage,— after the absorption of the effused blood, and the paralysis remains, as it were, from habit,—the cautious employment of nux vomica is often attended with advantage. In amau- rosis, free from cerebral complication, it is sometimes useful; and it is occasionally serviceable in other nervous affections. It has also been found beneficial in chorea, con- stipation, dysentery, impotence, incontinence of urine, and 180 MATERIA MEDICA. spermatorrhoea; and, in small doses, it has been used as a tonic in dyspepsia. Administration.—Dose of the powder, gr. ij or iij, in pill, several times a day, and increased till an effect is produced; of the extract (alcoholic), gr. J to gr. j, to be repeated and increased; of the tincture (eight troyounces to alcohol Oij), srtt. v to xx, and this is sometimes used as an embrocation to paralyzed parts. Strychnia is obtained by the following process: Nux vomica is digested and boiled in water acidulated with muriatic acid, and the resulting muriate of strychnia and brucia is decomposed by lime. The strychnia is separated from brucia and impurities, by boiling alcohol, from which it is deposited when cool, the brucia being left in solution. It is then converted into a sulphate by the addition of diluted sulphuric acid, next decolorized by animal charcoal, and again precipitated by solution of ammonia. Thus ob- tained, it is in the form of a white powder, of an intensely bitter taste, almost insoluble in water, slightly soluble in cold alcohol, but readily soluble in boiling alcohol. It may be slowly crystallized in the form of octohedra or quadri- lateral prisms. The best test for strychnia is the bichro- mate of potassa, which, added to a solution of strychnia in concentrated sulphuric acid, produces a violet color. The effects of strychnia are similar to those of nux vomica, but more violent; its local action is that of an irritant. It is employed for the same purposes as nux vomica, and should be given in very minute doses, as gr. Jg to begin with, to be gradually increased and repeated. The salts of strychnia may be also employed in the same doses, but they are more soluble, and therefore more active; the sulphate is officinal. For endermic use, gr. £ of strychnia may be used. IGNATIA. The seed of Strychnos Ignatia, or St. Ignatius' Bean, a tree of the Philippine Islands, contains a large proportion ERGOT. 181 of strychnia, and possesses medicinal properties analogous to those of nux vomica. It is used in this country in the form of alcoholic extract, which may be given to fulfil the same remedial indications as extract of nux vomica, in the dose of half a grain to a grain, three times a day. Toxicodendron (Poison-Oak). The leaves of Rhus Toxi- codendron, or Poison-Oak (Nat. Ord. Anacardiaceae), an indigenous shrub from one to three feet high, and other species of Rhus, possess properties somewhat analogous to those of Nux vomica, and have been employed with success in paralysis. Dose, gr. j to gr. iij, or more, to be repeated and increased. ERGOTA — ERGOT. The term ergot is applied to the diseased seed of Se- cale cereale, or Rye (Nat. Ord. Graminaceae). The disease is the result of the presence of a parasitical fungus—the first appearance of which is observed, by the young grain and its appendages becoming covered with a white coat- ing composed of multitudes of sporidia, mixed with cob- web-like filaments. Its predisposing cause is unknown, and it is not peculiar to rye, many other grasses being subject to it. When mature, the ergot projects beyond the envelopes of the grain, has a violet-black color, and presents scarcely any filaments and sporidia. As found in the shops, it consists of cylindrical, or somewhat prismati- cal tapering grains, curved like the spur of a cock, of a purplish color externally, and of a yellowish or grayish- white color within. Its smell is peculiar and nauseous; its taste is at first faint, but becomes bitterish, acrid, and disagreeable. It yields its virtues to water and alcohol, and does not keep well, being liable to the attacks of a mi- nute worm. Numerous analyses have been made of ergot, but there is still uncertainty as regards its active principles. The 182 MATERIA MEDICA. oil of ergot is not now believed to be, when pure, the medi- cinal constituent, which, according to the latest view, is thought to be a volatile alkaloid, termed secalia (identical with prophylamia, the odorous principle of pickled her- ring), which exists as an ergotate, combined with a peculiar acid, termed ergotic acid (formerly ergotin). Physiological Effects.—The effects of ergot, in medicinal doses, are unimportant on the male system. On the fe- male, it excites powerful contraction of the uterus. After labor has commenced, in ten or twenty minutes from its ad- ministration, it increases the violence, frequency, and con- tinuance of labor pains, which usually never cease until the child is born. Administered before labor, it frequently originates the process, though its effects in this respect are less constant. And even on the unimpregnated uterus, it produces painful contractions, and evinces an influence over morbid conditions of the organ, by checking uterine hemorrhage, and expelling polypi. In large doses, it pro- duces vomiting, purging, and a marked sedative effect on the circulation, and in excessive quantity it acts as an acro- narcotic poison on both sexes. When it is used for a length of time as an article of food, it produces a peculiar morbid condition, termed ergotism, which assumes two forms,—one attended with convulsions, the other with dry gangrene of the limbs. Medicinal Uses.—The chief employment of ergot is to promote the action of the uterus in parturition, when its expulsatory efforts are feeble and inefficient. It is, how- ever, admissible only when there is a proper conformation ofi the pelvis and soft parts, when the os uteri, vagina, and os externum are dilated, or readily dilatable, and when the presentation of the child is such as to offer no great me- chanical impediment to delivery. It is also useful—when from any cause it is important to accelerate delivery; in women subject to flooding, given just before delivery; to promote the expulsion of the placenta, when it is re- tained from a want of contraction of the uterus; to expel EMETICS. 183 clots, hydatids, polypi, &c.; to restrain uterine hemor- rhage, whether puerperal or non-puerperal; to excite and promote abortion, &c.; and sometimes as a styptic. By many, ergot is believed to exercise a dangerous sedative influence on the child during labor, and its use may occa- sionally produce foetal death, which a timely resort to the forceps would have prevented. Administration.—Dose, of the powder, 9j, every twenty minutes, till its effects are produced, or three doses are ^ taken; of the wine, vinum ergotoz (two troyounces to sherry wine Oj), f5j to f5ij, repeated as above. The fluid extract (made with diluted alcohol and acetic acid), is the best pre- paration—dose, 20 to 30 drops. Gossypii Radix (Cotton Root). The root of Gossypium herbaceum, the well-known cotton plant, is said by South- ern physicians to possess decided influence in exciting ute- rine contractions. A decoction (made by boiling four troy- ounces of the inner bark of the root in a quart of water to a pint), has been used in doses of a wineglassful repeated. Cotton is a useful application to burns, and parts affected with erysipelas and rheumatism. CLASS II.—ECCRITICS. ORDER I.—EMETICS. Emetics (from e^^, I vomit), are medicines which are employed to promote vomiting; when they are used merely to excite nausea, they are termed nauseants. When an emetic is administered, usually within fifteen or twenty minutes afterwards, a feeling of nausea, relaxation, and faintness is experienced, with coolness and moisture of the skin, and a small, feeble, irregular pulse. These symp- toms increase, till the contents of the stomach are ejected. During the act of vomiting, the face becomes flushed, the 184 MATERIA MEDICA. pulse is full and frequent, and the temperature of the body is increased. After vomiting is over, the skin is moist, the pulse soft and feeble, the patient becomes languid and drowsy, and, under peculiar circumstances, alarming" and even fatal syncope has been induced. Vomiting is a reflex spinal act. Dr. Marshall Hall gives the following summary of its mechanism : " During the act of vomiting, 1, the larynx is closed; 2, the cardia is opened; and 3, all the muscles of expiration are called into action; but 4, ac- tual expiration being prevented by the closure of the la- rynx, the force of the effort is expended upon the stomach, the cardia being open, and vomiting is effected." Susceptibility to the action of emetics differs in different individuals and in different diseases. In fevers, and where gastric irritation is present, their influence is increased; and, on the other hand, when the brain is oppressed by disease or by narcotic medicines, the stomach is exceed- ingly insensible to their action. Emetics are employed therapeutically: 1, to evacuate the stomach, for the purpose of removing poisons, undi- gested food, &c.; and with this view, the emetics should be selected which occasion least nausea and distress; 2, to expel foreign bodies lodged in the throat or oesophagus; 3, to excite nausea, and thereby depress the vascular and muscular systems; 4, to relieve spasm, as in spasmodic croup; 5, to promote secretion and excretion, &c.; and 6, sometimes to break up a train of morbid association, by giving a shock to the system, as in the forming stage of certain fevers, as typhus and scarlatina, and of delirium tremens. They are improper in congestion of the brain, pregnancy, hernia, &c. The act of emesis is promoted by the free use of tepid drinks; excessive vomiting may be checked by demulcents, opiates, counter-irritation to the stomach, &c. IPECACUANHA. 185 VEGETABLE EMETICS. IPECACUANHA. Ipecacuanha is the root of Cephaelis Ipecacuanha (Nat. Ord. Cinchonaceae), a small shrubby perennial plant of Brazil, where it grows to the height of about five or six inches. The roots, as met with in the shops, are in pieces about the size of a quill, several inches long, of an irregu- lar, twisted, contorted shape, with numerous circular rings or rugae, from which they have been termed annulated. When broken, they are seen to consist of two distinct parts,—a thin ligneous axis or centre, which is nearly inert, and a thick cortical layer, which has an herbaceous, acrid, rather bitter taste, and a slightly nauseous odor. A distinction is made of brown, red, and gray ipecacuanha, from differences in the color of the epidermis, but they are all derived from the same plant, and are the same in pro- perties and composition; the brown is the most common variety in our market. The powTder is of a light grayish- fawn color, and has a peculiar nauseous odor, which in some persons excites violent sneezing, in others dyspnoea. Ipecacuanha imparts its virtues to both water and alcohol, but they are injured by decoction. Its emetic property depends on the presence of a peculiar alkaline principle, termed emetia, a whitish, inodorous, slightly bitter sub- stance, sparingly soluble in water, and very soluble in al- cohol. It produces vomiting in the dose of gr. %, and in overdoses may occasion dangerous and even fatal symp- toms. Effects and Uses.—In full doses, ipecacuanha is a mild and certain emetic, well adapted to the treatment of spas- modic croup in children, and to all cases where a simple evacuation of the stomach is desired. In smaller doses, it produces nausea, depression of the pulse, expectoration, and diaphoresis, and with these views it is employed in the 186 MATERIA MEDICA. treatment of pulmonary affections, dysentery, and inflam- matory disorders generally. In still smaller doses, it is use- ful as a tcmic and alterative. Administration.—Dose, as an emetic, gr. xv to gr. xx, of- ten combined with a grain of tartar emetic; as a nauseant, gr. ss to gr. ij, three or four times a day; as an expectorant or diaphoretic, gr. \ to gr. J, repeated; as a tonic, gr. ^, re- peated. Vinum Ipecacuanha? (a troyounce to sherry wine Oj)—dose, as an emetic, f5j; as an expectorant and diapho- retic, rrgx to xxx; the fluid extract (made with acetic acid, alcohol, and water), is used as an addendum to expectorant and diaphoretic mixtures, a fluidounce representing an ounce of the root; one part of fluid extract, mixed with fifteen parts of simple syrup, makes Syrupus Ipecacuanhas, an excellent preparation for children—f'Sj containing gr. xxx of ipecacuanha; for a child a year or two old, f5ss-j, may be given as an emetic, and v-xx drops, as an expectorant. Pulvis Ipecacuanha? Compositus, Compound Powder of Ipe- cacuanha, or Dover's Powder (see Opium, p. 40). Troches of Ipecacuanha contain also arrow-root, sugar, and mucilage of tragacanth. SANGUINARIA — BLOOD ROOT. The rhizoma of Sanguinaria Canadensis, or Bloodroot (Nat. Ord. Papaveraceae), a. small indigenous plant, with radical, cordate, lobate leaves, and a handsome, white, eight-petalled flower, which appears in early spring—is usually classed with emetics. When dried, it is in flat- tened pieces, much wrinkled and contorted, of a reddish- brown color, with a faint narcotic odor, and a bitterish, very acrid taste. It yields its virtues to water and alco- hol, and loses them rapidly by keeping. An active alka- line principle, sanguinarina, has been obtained from it, which possesses the properties of the root, and two other alkaloids have been discovered in it. BLOODROOT. 187 Effects and Uses.—Bloodroot is an acrid emetic, and in large doses, an acro-narcotic poison. Locally, it acts as an Fig. 15. irritant, and upon fungous surfaces as an escharotic. It is not much used as an emetic; but is occasionally employed with this view, or as a nauseant, in pulmonary affections. Dose, as an emetic, gr. x to xx, in pill; or in infusion (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj), of which f'5ss is the dose. Tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij)—dose, as 188 MATERIA MEDICA. an emetic, f5iij or iv; as an expectorant, 30 to 60 drops. It is also employed externally, dissolved in vinegar. EUPHORBIA COROLLATA—LARGE FLOWERING SPURGE. Fig. 16. Euphorbia Ipecacuanha (Ipecacuanha Spurge). The roots of these indigenous plants (Nat. Ord. Euphorbiaceae), pos- sess emetic properties; but they are apt to operate on the bowels, and, in overdoses, prove extremely violent. Dose, gr. x to xv. GILLENIA. 189 GILLENIA. Gillenia trifoliata, Indian Physic, or American Ipecacu- anha (Nat. Ord. Rosaceae), is an indigenous herbaceous plant, with a perennial root, consisting of a number of fibres, arising from a tuber; one or more stems, two or three feet high, of a reddish-brown color; trifoliate leaves; and white flowers, with a tinge of red. West of the Al- leghany Mountains, another species, G. stipulacea, is found, which is identical with the trifoliata in its properties, and is distinguished from it by having its lower leaves pinnatifid. The officinal portion of both is the root. As found in the shops, it consists of pieces not thicker than a quill, wrinkled, of a reddish-brown color, and composed of an easily separable and pulverizable cortical portion, and a comparatively inert internal ligneous cord, which should be rejected. The bark has a feeble odor, and a nauseous, bitter taste, and makes a light-brownish powder. Effects and Uses.—Gillenia is a safe and efficacious eme- tic, resembling ipecacuanha in its action, and, like it, in small doses proves a useful diaphoretic, expectorant, tonic, &c. Dose, as an emetic, gr. xxx; as an expectorant or dia- phoretic, gr. ij to iv; and as a tonic, gr. %. Sinapis (Mustard). The seeds of Sinapis nigra and Si- napis alba (Nat. Ord. Brassicaceae), in doses of from a tea- spoonful to a tablespoonful, are very useful emetics, par- ticularly in atonic conditions of the stomach. Tobacco and Lobelia act as emetics in large doses, but their employment is attended with danger, owing to the great prostration which they produce (see pp. 55, 57). Squill also possesses emetic powers, but it is too irritating for use in this respect. 190 MATERIA MEDICA. MINERAL EMETICS. Tartar Emetic. Dose, gr. j or gr. ij (see p. 170). Sulphate of Zinc. Dose, gr. x to gr. xx (see p. 119). Sulphate of Copper. Dose, gr. iij to gr. v (see p. 118). Alum. Dose, a teaspoonful (see p. 145). ORDER II.—CATHARTICS. Cathartics (from xadatpa), I purge), termed also purgatives, are medicines which produce evacuations from the bowels. f Some operate by increasing the peristaltic motion of the [ intestines; others stimulate the mucous follicles and exha- lants, and occasion watery evacuations, wiience they are termed hydragogues. The more violent of the hydragogues, ' if given in overdoses, produce inflammation of the alimen- tary canal, characterized by violent vomiting and purging, abdominal pain and tenderness, cold extremities, and sink- ing pulse. From their activity, they are denominated drastics. Different cathartics affect different parts of the ali- ; mentary canal unequally, some acting more particularly on the upper portion, some on the lower, and others affecting all parts equally. Mercurial preparations purge chiefly / by inducing a flow of bile from the liver. Cathartics may be arranged into five groups: 1. Laxa- tives, which gently evacuate the contents of the bowels, without causing any obvious irritation, or affecting the general system. 2. Saline cathartics, which increase both the peristaltic action of the bowels and the effusion of fluids from the mucous surface, but are devoid of any stimulant action on the general system, and are therefore adapted to the treatment of febrile and inflammatory cases. 3. Mild acrid cathartics, which are acrid and stimu- lant, but not sufficiently violent in their local action to cause inflammation. 4. Drastics, comprising the more CATHARTICS. 191 powerful and irritating cathartics, which, in large doses, act as acrid poisons. 5. Mercurial cathartics. Cathartics are employed therapeutically,—1. To evacuate the bowels in constipation, and remove noxious matters, as retained feces, undigested food, morbid secretions, worms, poisons, &c. 2. To relieve inflammation, conges- tion, and plethora, by the depletion of the bloodvessels, which results from increased secretion and exhalation from the gastro-intestinal canal. 3. To promote absorp- tion. 4. To affect remote organs, particularly the brain, through the agency of revulsion and counter-irritation. 5. To stimulate the secretion of the liver and pancreas, by irritating the orifice of the ductus communis choledo- chus. 6. To restore the catamenia, by the irritating or stimulating influence which they exert on the pelvic ves- sels. The more active cathartics are contra-indicated in cases of inflammation or ulceration of the gastro-intestinal mucous membrane, peritonitis, the advanced stages of typhoid fever, pregnancy, &c. The operation of cathartics is promoted by the addition of small doses of emetics, and of the bitters. By com- bining those which act upon different portions of the ali- mentary canal, their operation is rendered less irritant, without any diminution of purgative efficiency. The grip- i ing and nauseating tendency- of the drastic cathartics may be corrected by the addition of aromatics; carbonic acid water is a grateful vehicle for administering the saline ,' preparations. jCathartics operate most speedily and favor- "'i ably when given on an empty sjtomach, and susceptibility to their action is diminished during sleep, and increased by exercise. Mild diluent beverages promote their opera- tion. In the event of hypercatharsis, opium should be /' administered by the mouth or rectum. 192 MATERIA MEDICA. LAXATIVES. Several articles of diet have a laxative operation on the bowels, and are useful in cases of habitual costiveness, as most of the ripe and dried fruits,—particularly tamarinds, peaches, apples, raisins, figs, and prunes,—West India mo- lasses, honey, oatmeal, bran, &c. The following medicinal substances are usually arranged under the head of laxatives, and are employed in cases where we wish to open the bowels with the least possible irritation,—as in children and pregnant women, in inflam- mations or surgical operations about the abdomen and pel- vis, in hernia, piles, affections of the rectum or womb, &c. MANNA. Manna is the concrete juice, in flakes, of Fraxinus ornus, and of Fraxinus rotundifolia (Nat. Ord. Oleaceae), small trees of Sicily, and Southern Italy. It is obtained from incisions into the stems of the trees. The best kind is produced during the height of the season, when the juice flows vigorously, and from the upper stems, where it is less fatty. It is called flake manna, or manna cannulata, and consists of pieces from one to six inches long, one to two inches wide, and from half an inch to an inch thick, of irregular form, but more or less stalactitic, hollowed out on one side (from the shape of the tree or substance on which they are concreted), of a white or yellowish-white color, an odor like that of honey, and a sweet, afterwards ( rather acrid taste. A commoner manna, called common manna, or manna in sorts, is obtained from incisions later in _ the season, and from the lower stems. It occurs in small pieces, which seldom exceed an inch in length, and are softer, more viscid, and darker than the flake manna. A f" still inferior variety is termed fat manna, and consists of PURGING CASSIA. 193 1 small, soft, viscid fragments, of a dirty yellowish-brown color, mixed with a few pieces of the flake manna. Manna is soluble in both water and alcohol, and contains a white, crystalline, saccharine principle, termed mannite, some su- gar, and a resin, to which it probably owes most of its purgative effect. f Effects and Uses.—In moderate doses, manna is nutri- tive ; in larger, mildly laxative. It is principally given to children, to whom its sweet taste renders it acceptable; and it is sometimes combined with the more active cathar- tics. It may be taken in substance, or dissolved in warm milk or water. Dose for an adult, §j to §ij ; for children, 5j to 5iij. CASSIA FISTULA — PURGING CASSIA. I This is the fruit of Cassia Fistula (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), a large tree of Egypt and the East Indies, now natura- lized in the West Indies and South America. It consists of long, woody, dark-brown pods, about an inch in diame- ter, and nearly twro feet in length, which contain nume- rous seeds imbedded in a soft black pulp. The pulp is the part used, and has a faint, nauseous odor, and a sweet, ra- ther pleasant, mucilaginous taste. It is, in small doses, a mild, agreeable laxative, but its chief use is as an ingre- dient in the Confection of Senna. Dose, 5j to 5j. Oleum Oliva (Olive Oil). The well-known oil obtained from the fruit of Olea Europaea, or Olive Tree (Nat. Ord. Oleaceae), is nutritive, demulcent, emollient, and laxative. It is frequently prescribed as a constituent of laxative ene- mata. Oleum Amygdala Dulcis (Oil of Sweet Almond), is used for the same purposes as olive oil. 13 194 MATERIA MEDICA. OLEUM RICINI--CASTOR OIL. Castor oil is the oil obtained from the seeds of Ricinus communis, or Palma Christi (Nat. Ord. Euphorbiaceae), a small perennial tree of India, now naturalized in many warm climates, and cultivated extensively in the United States. In this country, it is an annual plant, about five or six feet in height, with round, thick-jointed, furrowed stems, of a purplish color above; large peltato-palmate leaves, divided into seven or nine segments, on long round footstalks; and prickly, three-celled capsules, with a seed in each cell. The seeds are ovate, about the size of a small bean, and of a gray color, marbled with reddish-brown spots and stripes. They possess considerable acridity, and, in large quantities, have produced death. They consist of a thin outer pellicle, an inner, hard, blackish shell—both of which are inert—and a white oleaginous kernel, which contains the acrid principle. Castor oil is obtained by expression, by decoction, and by the agency of alcohol. The first method is the best, and is that which is pursued in this country, where large quantities are made both for home consumption and expor- tation. Thus procured, it is nearly colorless, or of a pale- yellow color, of a thick viscid consistence, a faint, unplea- sant odor, and a mild, nauseous taste, and becomes rancid and thick by exposure to the air. It is not soluble in wra- ter, but is extremely soluble in alcohol, readily so in ether, and forms soap with alkalies. Its composition is not well understood: its constituents would seem to be mainly ricinolein, and a little stearin and palmitin. Effects and Uses.—Castor oil is a mild and tolerably cer- tain laxative, operating, when pure, without uneasiness in the bowels. It is admirably adapted to all cases where a free evacuation of the bowels is desired, without abdomi- nal irritation, as in dysentery, pregnancy, &c, and is an excellent purgative for children. The leaves are said to SULPHUR. 195 possess galactagogue properties, and are applied to the breasts, in the form of decoction, to induce the secretion of milk. Administration.—For adults the dose is §ss to oj; for children f5j to fgss. To cover its unpleasant flavor, it is sometimes taken floating on spirit, coffee, mint-water, com- pound spirit of ether, &c, or made into an emulsion, or mixed with the froth of porter, or a little oil of bitter almonds, /r A—yfc-t.,/. Us-^-ff^ £., ..^. t^J^ Flaxseed Oil and Melted Butter are laxative in the same doses as castor oil. SULPHUR. Sulphur exists in both kingdoms of nature. It is pro- cured by the purification of native sulphur, and by the de- composition of the native sulphurets. The sulphur of commerce is generally obtained in the former way, chiefly from Sicily, and is termed crude sulphur. After importa- tion, it is purified by sublimation, and is known as sub- limed sulphur—sulphur sublimatum. It is sometimes sublimed in the form of an impalpable powder, when it is called the flowers ofi sulphur. Sometimes it is cast in wooden moulds, and forms the roll sulphur or brimstone of commerce. Sublimed sulphur contains more or less 1 sulphuric acid, and for medicinal use, it is further purified by washing, when it constitutes the Sulphur Lotum or j Washed Sulphur of the Pharmacopoeia. As met with in c the shops, it is a fine bright-yellow powder, with a feeble odor and taste, insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, alkaline solutions, and the oils; and when perfectly pure, it is wholly volatilized by heat, and ought not to change the color of litmus paper. Effects and Uses.—In small and repeated doses, sulphur / is a gentle stimulant to the skin and mucous membranes; and in larger doses, it acts as a mild purgative, without 196 MATERIA MEDICA. exciting the pulse or occasioning griping. It is employed in the cases to which laxatives are applicable, and also as an alterative diaphoretic in chronic cutaneous diseases, rheumatism, and gout, and as an expectorant in pulmonary affections. To increase its cathartic effect, it is often com- I bined with cream of tartar or magnesia. Externally, it is i a valuable remedy in various skin diseases, particularly scabies. Administration.—Dose, 5j to 5iij or 5iv, in syrup, treacle, or milk. Externally, it is applied in the form of vapor- bath or ointment. Unguentum Sulphuris consists of one part of sulphur and two parts of lard. Sulphur Pracipitatum (Precipitated Sulphur, or Lac Sulphuris), is prepared by boiling together sulphur, slacked lime, and water, and afterwards precipitating the sulphur by muriatic acid. It is a finer and softer powder than sub- limed sulphur, is of a paler yellow color, with a grayish tint, and is not gritty between the teeth. When exposed to the air, however, it is liable to become contaminated with sulphuric acid, and as found in commerce, it is often adulterated with sulphate of lime. Its effects, uses, and doses are the same as those of sublimed sulphur. saline cathartics. magnesia. • Magnesia, sometimes called calcined magnesia, from the mode in which it is prepared, is procured by exposing the 1 carbonate of magnesia to a red heat, till the carbonic acid k is wholly expelled. It is a light, fine, white, colorless, < odorless powder, of a feeble alkaline taste, very slightly soluble in water, and more soluble in cold than in hot ^ water. Henry's Magnesia, a patent English medicine, has the advantage over the ordinary magnesia, of greater den- sity and softness, and more ready miscibility with water. SULPHATE OF MAGNESIA. 197 Magnesia, prepared by Mr. Husband and Mr. Ellis, of Phi- ladelphia, is very similar in properties to Henry's. Effects and Uses.—Magnesia is antacid and laxative. A good deal of its cathartic effect is the result of its combi- nation with the free acids of the stomach and intestines, in which soluble magnesian salts are formed. When taken in large quantities, and for too long a period, it sometimes accumulates in the bowels; and hence it is best to increase its solubility by giving it with lemonade. It is an excel- lent laxative where much acidity exists in the stomach; and is particularly useful in infantile cases. As an antacid, it is employed in heartburn, sick headache, and nephritic complaints. Dose, as a laxative, oj ; as an antacid, 3j, in milk. Of Henry's, half the quantity. MAGNESIA CARB0NAS--CARBONATE OF MAGNESIA. Carbonate of magnesia, as found in the shops, is pre- pared by decomposing sulphate of magnesia with an alka- line carbonate. It occurs in the form of light white cubical cakes, or powder; is inodorous, almost insipid, and nearly insoluble in water, but soluble in carbonic acid water. Its effects and uses are nearly the same as those of calcined magnesia; but, from its effervescence with the acids of the stomach, it is apt to create flatulence, though sometimes, on this account, more acceptable to delicate stomachs. Dose, as a laxative, 5j to 5ij ; as an antacid, gr. x. MAGNESIA SULPHAS — SULPHATE OF MAGNESIA. This salt, commonly called Epsom. Salt, from its having been first procured from the Epsom mineral waters in Eng- land, occurs in native crystals, and is a constituent of sea- water and many saline springs. It is obtained in England from dolomite, or magnesian limestone; and also from bit- 198 MATERIA MEDICA. tern, or the residual liquor of sea-water, from which common salt has been separated. In this country, it is extensively manufactured at Baltimore and Philadelphia, by the action of sulphuric acid on magnesite, the silicious hydrate of mag- nesia. It is usually met with in small acicular cr}Tstals, which are colorless, transparent, and odorless, but have an extremely bitter taste. They effloresce on exposure to the air, are very soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol. The chemical composition" of the salt is one equivalent of acid, \one of magnesia, and seven of water of crystallization. Effects and Uses.—Epsom salt is a mild, safe, refrigerant purgative, which, from its cheapness, is by far the most commonly employed of all the cathartics. It is sometimes combined with senna, sometimes with the bitter infusions, and is most agreeably administered in solution in carbonic acid water. Dose, §j. LIQUOR MAGNESIA CITRATIS--SOLUTION OF CITRATE OF MAGNESIA. Citrate of magnesia may be obtained by saturating a solution of citric acid with either magnesia or its carbonate. It is a white, pulverulent, insipid salt, soluble in water, with a slight addition of carbonic acid. Dose, 5ss to Sj. It is only, however, in solution, with a slight excess of acid, and in the effervescing state, that it is officinal. The effer- vescing solution has a pleasant acid taste, without anything disagreeable. It is a very grateful cathartic, and has lately been much employed as a substitute for Epsom salt. From six to twelve fluidounces of the solution of the Pharmaco- poeia may be given. SODA SULPHAS — SULPHATE OF SODA. Sulphate of soda, commonly called Glauber's Salt, is a constituent of many mineral springs, and is prepared in PHOSPHATE OF SODA. 199 various chemical processes. It occurs as a residuum in the manufacture of muriatic acid; it is also made by adding sulphuric acid to chloride of sodium; and it is obtained from sea-water in the winter season. It is found in color- less, six-sided, efflorescent crystals, wilich are inodorous, but have a cooling, saline, very bitter taste. It is soluble in water, more readily in hot than in cold water, and is in- soluble in alcohol. Its chemical composition is one equi- valent of soda, one of acid, and ten of water. Its effects and uses are very similar to those of Epsom salt, but it is more bitter and nauseous, and is now little used. It has an anaplastic action on the blood. Dose, Sj ; in an effloresced state, §ss. MANGANESII SULPHAS--SULPHATE OF MANGANESE. This salt, lately introduced into the Pharmacopoeia, is made by heating the native black oxide with concentrated sulphuric acid, and consists of one equivalent of sulphuric acid and one of protoxide of manganese. It occurs in rhombic, prismatic crystals, of a pale-rose or pink color, and an astringent, bitterish taste. It is very soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol. In its effects it is said to resemble Glauber's Salt, acting also as a cholagogue. Dose, as a purgative, 5i-ij- As a tonic, it has been given in doses of gr. v-xx. SODA PHOSPHAS — PHOSPHATE OF SODA. This salt is prepared by digesting powdered burnt bone with diluted sulphuric acid, and decomposing the result- ing superphosphate of lime with carbonate of soda. It occurs in large, rhombic, colorless, transparent, very efflo- rescent crystals, which are wholly soluble in water, and in- soluble in alcohol, and have a pleasant saline taste, resem- bling that of common salt. 200 MATERIA MEDICA. Effects and Uses.—Phosphate of soda is a mild saline ca- thartic, well adapted, from its agreeable taste, to the cases of children and delicate persons, but too expensive for general use. It is a constituent of the blood in health, and has been recommended in cholera as a restorative of defi- cient saline matters, and also in diseases where there is a deficiency of phosphatic matter in the bones. Dose, as a cathartic, 3yj to 5xij, in broth or soup; as an alterative, 9j or 3ij, three or four times a day. POTASSA SULPHAS—SULPHATE OF POTASSA. This salt exists in both kingdoms of nature, and is ob- tained artificially from the residuum of the distillation of nitric acid. It occurs in small, hard, colorless, inodorous crystals, of a saline, bitter taste, which have no water of crystallization, and are unalterable in the air. They are moderately soluble in water, and are insoluble in alcohol. Effects and Uses.—In small doses, it is considered a mild and safe cathartic; but, in large doses, it has proved a vio- lent and even fatal poison, producing symptoms of cholera. It is thought to act as a lactifiuge, or represser of milk, and is administered with this view in France. Dose, as a ca- thartic, gr. xv to 5j, or 5\j; but it is little employed in this country. From its hardness and dryness it is useful to pro- mote the trituration and division of powders, and for this purpose is employed in making Dover's powder. POTASSA BITARTRAS—BITARTRATE OF POTASSA. This salt, well known as Cream ofi Tartar, and termed also the acid tartrate of potash, exists in many vegetable juices, particularly the juice of grapes, from which it is ob- tained. It is deposited in an impure form, during fermen- tation, on the sides of wine-casks, and in this state occurs TARTRATE OF POTASSA AND SODA. 201 in crystalline cakes, of a reddish color, known as argol or crude tartar. This is purified by solution and crystalliza- tion, and forms a white crystalline mass or powder, termed cream of tartar. It is without smell, has an acidulous and gritty taste, is very slightly soluble in water, and insoluble in alcohol. Its chemical composition is one equivalent of potash, one of tartaric acid, and one of water: the water acts the part of a base, as it cannot be expelled without decomposing the salt, which, when heated in a close vessel, is converted into a black flux, a compound of charcoal and carbonate of potash. Effects and Uses.—In small doses, it is diuretic and re- frigerant; in larger doses, cathartic; and in excessive doses, it will produce gastro-intestinal inflammation. It is employed to form a refrigerant drink, and as a gentle aperient, in fevers; and as a diuretic and hydragogue cathartic in dropsies. Dose, as an aperient, 5j or 5\j; as a cathartic, §ss to §j ; very often combined with jalap; as a diuretic, 3j to 5j, in repeated doses. POTASSA TARTRAS--TARTRATE OF POTASSA. This salt, formerly called Soluble Tartar, is obtained by saturating the excess of acid in cream of tartar with car- bonate of potassa. It occurs in white deliquescent crystals or grains, of a saline, somewhat bitter taste, and is very soluble in water. It consists of two equivalents of potassa and one of acid. It is a gentle cathartic and diuretic, at present not much used. Dose, Sss to 5j- POTASSA ET SODA TARTRAS — TARTRATE OF POTASSA AND SODA. This salt, commonly called Rochelle Salt, is made by satu- rating the excess of acid in cream of tartar with carbonate 202 MATERIA MEDICA. of soda. It occurs in large, transparent, colorless, pris- matic, slightly efflorescent crystals, of a mildly saline and bitter taste, readily soluble in cold water, and still more so in hot water. It consists of 1 eq. of soda, 1 of potassa, 1 of acid, and 10 of water. It is a mild and pleasant aperient, but it renders the urine alkaline, and should not therefore be given to persons suffering with phosphatic deposits in the urine. Dose, 5ss to Sj- It is usually exhibited in the form of Pulveres Effervescentes Aperientes (Aperient Efferves- i cing Poioders), or Seidlitz Powders, which consist of Rochelle salt (5ij) and bicarbonate of soda (3ij), in a blue paper, and tartaric acid (gr. xxxv), in a white paper. They are taken, dissolved in half a pint of water, while the liquid is in a state of effervescence, and form a very agreeable, mild aperient. They should not be kept in a damp place. MILD ACRID CATHARTICS. RHEUM--RHUBARB. Rhubarb is the root of Rheum palmatum, and of other species of Rheum (Nat. Ord. Polygonaceae). It is not known with certainty what species yields the officinal rhubarb, but it is attributed by most writers to R. palmatum, a perennial plant, with large, roundish, cordate, half-palmate leaves, growing spontaneously in Chinese Tartary and Mongolia, and cultivated in Europe and this country, together with several other varieties, for the leaf-stalks, which make excellent tarts. Rhubarb roots are prepared for the mar- ket by being cleansed, deprived of their cortical portion, cut into pieces, pierced through their centre, strung upon a cord, and dried in the sun. Three principal sorts are known: Chinese, Russian or Turkey, and European. The first two are obtained, by different routes, from Central Asia. 1. Chinese rhubarb is the most common variety, and is im- ported principally from Canton. It occurs in roundish RHUBARB. 203 pieces, sometimes flattened, of a dirty brownish-yellow color externally (the cortical portion apparently scraped off), having a ragged fracture (which presents red, yellow- ish, and white veins), and it is often perforated with holes, with portions of the cord on which it was dried occasion- ally remaining. It has a peculiar odor, an astringent, somewhat bitter taste, is gritty when chewed, and tinges the saliva of a yellow color; its powder is yellowish, with a reddish-brown tinge. It is heavier than the Russian variety, and is generally inferior in quality to it; but the best pieces answer very well. 2. Russian rhubarb has probably the same source as the Chinese, but it is selected with greater care, and is rigorously inspected by the Rus- sian government. It is carried in caravans through Russia to St. Petersburg, whence it is exported. The pieces are irregular in shape, and are often angular, from the cortical portion having been cut off and not scraped. They are less heavy and compact than the Chinese, of a livelier color both externally and internally, and are perforated with larger holes, which have been made for the purpose of inspection. The taste and smell are very like those of the Chinese, but are more aromatic; the powder, is bright yellow. 3. European rhubarb is of uncertain quality, and is seldom found in the shops. The kind most frequently met with is English rhubarb, which generally comes in pieces five or six inches long, and about an inch thick, and is called stick rhubarb. It is lighter, more spongy, and redder than the Asiatic varieties, with a feebler odor and less bitter taste. Rhubarb imparts its virtues to both water and alcohol, but they are impaired by long boiling. Its most important chemical constituents are—chrysophanic acid, a yellow, odor- less, tasteless, granular substance; two, or perhaps three resins, soluble in alcohol, and insoluble in water; and bitter extractive. It is supposed that the therapeutical properties of the drug depend chiefly on the conjoint operation of 204 MATERIA MEDICA. these principles. It contains also tannic and gallic acids, sugar, pectin, oxalate of lime, &c. Effects and Uses.—In small doses, rhubarb is an astrin- / gent tonic. In larger doses, it is a slow and mild cathartic, occasionally causing griping and accelerating the pulse, but never inflaming the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal like the drastics. It is much employed as a purga- tive in diarrhoea, in wilich it is particularly useful from its secondary astringent effect, and in dyspepsia, attended with costiveness, where it acts both as a stomachic and laxative. It is not adapted to febrile or inflammatory cases. In the bowel-complaints of children, rhubarb deservedly enjoys great popularity, and it is also highly esteemed in infan- tile scrofula. Made into a cataplasm, and applied to the abdomen, it acts as a purgative on children. Administration.—Dose, as a stomachic laxative, gr. v to gr. x; as a purgative, 3j to oj. The following are the offici- nal preparations: Infusion (5j to boiling water Oss), dose, fgj to fgij, repeated; Extract (alcoholic), dose, gr. x to gr. xxx; Fluid Extract (made with alcohol, and containing also sugar), dose, f5j ; Tincture (Siij to diluted alcohol Oij, with cardamom seeds); Tincture ofi Rhubarb and Aloes; Tinc- ture of Rhubarb and Senna (containing rhubarb, senna, co- riander, fennel seed, red saunders, extract of liquorice, and raisins, and popularly known as Warner's Gout Cor- dial) ; Tincture of Rhubarb and Gentian: the dose of all the tinctures is fSss to f§j, and they are chiefly adapted to low forms of disease and persons accustomed to the use of [ stimulants; Compound Pills of Rhubarb (containing also aloes, myrrh, and oil of peppermint); Compound Powder ofi Rhubarb (containing 2 parts of rhubarb, 6 parts of mag- nesia, and 1 part of ginger); Syrup ; Aromatic Syrup (con- taining cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and much used in infantile cases under the name of Spiced Syrup ofi Rhu- barb), dose for an infant, f'3j ; and Wine, not much used. Roasting impairs the cathartic power of rhubarb, and is ," said to increase its astringency. ALOES. 205 Juglans (Butternut). The inner bark of the root of Juglans cinerea, or Butternut (Nat. Ord. Juglandacoae), an indigenous forest tree, possesses cathartic properties, re- sembling those of rhubarb. Dose of the bark, or of the extract, which is preferred, gr. x to gr. xxx. ALOE — ALOES. / Aloes is the inspissated juice of the leaves of Aloe > spicata, Aloe Socotrina, Aloe vulgaris, and other species of Aloe (Nat. Ord. Liliaceae), succulent, herbaceous plants, «rowins: in warm countries. The finest kinds are obtained by exudation; those prepared by expression and by boil- ing are inferior. Three principal varieties are known in . commerce : Cape, Socotrine, and Barbadoes aloes, the first j two of which are the most used in the United States. 1. ; Cape aloes (aloe capensis), which is much the most common, is obtained from the Cape of Good Hope, where it is col- lected indiscriminately from A. spicata, and other species. It has a shining, resinous appearance, is of a deep-brown color, with a greenish tint, translucent at its edges, and has a glossy or resinous fracture. Its powTder is greenish- yellow; its odor is strong and disagreeable, but not nau- seous. 2. Socotrine aloes (aloe Socotrina), viien genuine, is the choicest variety. It is produced in the island of Soco- tra, and on the eastern coast of Africa, from A. Socotrina, and occurs in pieces of a yellowish or reddish-brown color, becoming darker on exposure to the air, with a smooth and conchoidal fracture, the interior being lighter-colored than the exterior. Its powder is golden-yellow; its odor peculiar, but not unpleasant, and its taste bitter and disa- greeable, but aromatic. Hepatic aloes is probably an infe- rior variety of Socotrine, and is seldom met with in our shops. It is of a reddish-brown color, but darker and less glossy than the Socotrine. 3. Barbadoes aloes (aloe Barbadensis), comes from the West Indies, the product 206 MATERIA MEDICA. chiefly of A. vulgaris; it is imported in gourds, weighing from sixty to seventy pounds. Its color is not uniform, varying from a dark-brown or black to a liver color. It has a dull fracture; makes an olive-yellow powder; and is distinguishable by its particularly disagreeable, nauseous odor. The taste of all the varieties of aloes is intensely bitter, and very tenacious. Aloes yields its virtues to water and alcohol. A proxi- mate neutral crystalline principle, termed aloin, has been extracted from it, which produces the cathartic action of aloes in doses of gr. j to gr. ij. It is slightly soluble in cold water, but readily soluble in hot water and alcohol. Effects and Uses.—Aloes, in small doses, is tonic, and in large doses, purgative. As a cathartic, it is remarkable for the slowness of its operation, and its special action on the large intestine and the pelvic viscera generally. Hence, i it is objectionable in cases of hemorrhoids, irritation of the ; genito-urinary apparatus, pregnancy, &c.; and, on the i other hand, is useful in amenorrhoea. It stimulates the hepatic secretion also. It is principally employed in cases of dyspepsia, accompanied by costiveness, dependent on a torpid condition of the large intestine or liver. It is also ! useful as a revulsive in cerebral affections, and has proved \ efficacious as an anthelmintic. As a purgative, it holds I an intermediate rank between rhubarb and senna. Administration.—Dose, gr. v to gr. x-xx, in pill; it is usually given in combination with other cathartics. Aloes is so often mixed with impurities, that, for medicinal use, it is best employed under the form of aloe purificata (puri- fied aloes), which is prepared by straining and evaporating an alcoholic solution. The officinal preparations are: Pills of Aloes, consisting of equal parts of aloes and soap; Pitts of Aloes and Mastic, three parts of aloes to one part of mastic and red-rose, each; Pills of Aloes and Assafetida, useful in flatulent constipation; Pills of Aloes and Myrrh, or Rufus's Pills, employed in amenorrhoea; Powder of I Aloes and Canella, known as hiera picra, four parts of aloes SENNA. 207 to one of canella; Tincture (a troyounce to alcohol Oss, distilled water Ojss, with liquorice), dose, fgss to fSjss; Tincture of Aloes and Myrrh ; Wine of Aloes. LEPTANDRA. The root of Leptandra Virginicd, Culver's Root, or Cul- ver's Physic (Nat. Ord. Scrophulariaceae), an herbaceous, perennial plant, three or four feet high, with leaves in whorls, and a long spike of white flowers, is now ranked as a valuable cholagogue cathartic. It consists of a dark- brown rhizoma, from two to four lines in thickness, seve- ral inches in length, with numerous long slender radicles. The odor is feeble and disagreeable, the taste bitterish, somewhat nauseous and acrid. Water and alcohol extract its virtues, which depend on a peculiar principle, termed leptandrin. Dose of the powdered root, gr. xx to oj ; of leptandrin (made by precipitating a tincture of the root), gr. ij—iv; a fluid extract has been used. SENNA. Senna consists of the leaflets of several species of Cas- sia (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), small shrubs, which grow in the tropical regions of Asia and Africa. The species recog- nized as officinal are C. acutifolia, C. obovata, and C. elon- gata; and besides these, C. lanceolata, and C. JEthiopica, are also generally received as sources of the drug. The commercial varieties of senna, which are found in the United States, are the Alexandria, the Tripoli, the India, and the Mecca senna. 1. Alexandria senna, which comes from the port of this name in Egypt, is made up chiefly of the leaf- lets of C. acutifolia (which are yellowish-green, acute in shiape, and less than an inch in length), intermingled with the pods, leafstalks, flowers, &c, of this plant. It contains 208 MATERIA MEDICA. also leaflets of C. obovata, known by their rounded, ob- tuse summits; and is, moreover, occasionally adulterated with the leaves of Cynanchum oleaefolium, distinguishable, by their greater length, thickness, and firmness, from the genuine leaves. 2. Tripoli senna, brought from Tripoli, consists of the leaflets of 0. ^Ethiopica, which are shorter, less acute, thinner, and more fragile than those of C. acu- tifolia, and are generally much broken up. 3. India senna is produced in Arabia, but comes into commerce through the ports of Hindostan. It consists of the leaflets, inter- mixed with the leafstalks and pods of C. elongata, and is readily recognized by the long, narrow, pike-like shape, and dark hue of the leaflets. A finer variety of India senna, cultivated at Tinnevelly, in Hindostan, has been known for some years past, which is distinguishable from the common sort of India senna, by the bright-green color of the leaflets. 4. Mecca senna is a variety lately intro- duced, and consists of leaflets, intermediate in length be- tween those of C. acutifolia and C. elongata, and has in mass a yellowish, tawny hue. Its source is not known with certainty, but it is probably the product of C. lanceolata. Commercial senna is prepared for use by separating the leaflets from the stalks, adulterations, &c; the pods pos- sess cathartic properties, but are less active than the leaves. The odor of senna is faint and sickly; its taste bitter, sweet- ish, and nauseous. It imparts its virtues to water and al- cohol, its infusion being of a reddish-brown color. It contains a peculiar substance called cathartin (which is not, however, the active principle), extractive, chlorophyll, &c. Effects and Uses.—Senna is a prompt, efficient, and safe cathartic, well adapted to febrile and inflammatory cases; it operates on the entire track of the intestinal canal, and produces watery, feculent discharges. Its tendency to gripe may in a great measure be counteracted by com- bining aromatics or neutral salts with it; the addition of bitters promotes its cathartic activity. Administration.—The dose in powder is 3ss to 5ij ; but it AMERICAN SENNA. 209 is usually given in infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj, with coriander, 5j), one-third for a dose, repeated. Con- fiectio senna? (made with senna, coriander, sugar, figs, and pulps of prunes, tamarinds, and purging cassia), is an ex- cellent mild cathartic, much used for pregnant women; dose, 5ij- Of the fluid extract, the dose is fgss. CASSIA MARILANDICA--AMERICAN SENNA. Cassia Marilandica, American Senna, or Wild Senna (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), possesses cathartic properties similar Fig. 17. 210 MATERIA MEDICA. to those of imported senna, but is less active. It is an in- digenous plant, common in the Southern and Western States, growing to the height of three or four feet, with alternate leaves, composed of from eight to ten pairs of oblong, lanceolate, pale-green leaflets, and bearing hand- some golden-yellow flowers, and a pendulous fruit two to four inches long. An infusion of the leaflets is given in doses one-third larger than those of senna. drastic cathartics. jalapa-jalap. Jalap is the root of Exogonium Purga, or Ipomaea Jalapa (Nat. Ord. Convolvulaceae), a climbing plant of Mexico, which derives its name from the city of Jalapa, near Vera Cruz. The roots are imported either whole or in slices. When entire, they vary in size and shape from a walnut to a large pear, are hard and heavy—externally, brown and wrinkled, and internally grayish. They have a heavy, sweetish, rather nauseous smell, and a sweetish, acrid, dis- • agreeable taste. They yield their virtues partly to water, | partly to alcohol, and completely to diluted alcohol. In the shops, jalap is kept in the state of powder, which is of a yellowish-gray color. Its active principle is a peculiar resin, which consists of two portions, one of which has been termed rhodeoretin ; it contains also starch and gum, which are apt to be attacked by worms, the worm-eaten pieces becoming thus the most active. Effects and Uses.—Jalap is a powerful hydragogue ca- thartic, operating with great promptness, and often causing much pain. In overdoses, it may produce dangerous hy- percatharsis. It is employed as a hydragogue in dropsy, when it is often combined with cream of tartar; as a re- vulsive in cerebral and other affections, and to increase the activity of calomel in bilious fevers. Dose, gr. xv to xxx; in combination, gr. x. Of the extract, which is made with MAY-APPLE. 211 diluted alcohol, and contains the resin and gum, the dose is one half that of jalap. The compound powder of jalap contains one part of jalap and two parts of cream of tartar. The resin is extracted by solution in alcohol, and afterwards precipitated from the tincture by water. Dose, from four to eight grains. The tincture (six troyounces to alcohol, diluted with one-half a measure of water, Oij) is added to cathartic mixtures. PODOPHYLLUM PELTATUM--MAY-APPLE. Podophyllum peltatum, May-apple, or Mandrake (Nat. Fig. 18. Ord. Ranunculaceae), is a very common indigenous, herba- ceous plant, with a long, creeping, perennial root, and an 212 MATERIA MEDICA. upright stem about a foot high, separating at top into two petioles, each supporting a large peltate leaf, divided into five or six lobes. At the fork of the petioles it bears a single flower, which appears in May, the fruit ripening in September. The rhizoma, which is the part used, is found in the shops in wrinkled, jointed pieces, about two lines in diameter, of a brown color externally, and yellowish within. The powder, is yellowish-gray, and has a sweetish smell; its taste is at first sweetish, afterwards bitter, acrid, and nauseous. Diluted alcohol is the best solvent of podo- phyllum, which has been found to contain two resinous ca- thartic principles, both soluble in alcohol. Effects and Uses.—This is an active hydragogue cathartic, analogous in its operation to jalap, for which it might very well be substituted. It is an ingredient in several cathartic nostrums. Dose, in powder, 9j; of the extract (prepared like the extract of jalap), gr. v to gr. xv; of the resin/gr. I t0 gr'j- /rbftfOL SCAMMONIUM — SCAMMONY. Scammony is the concrete juice of the root of Convol- vulus Scammonia (Nat. Ord. Convolvulaceae), a twining plant of Syria. The finest kind is the product of exuda- tion from the sliced root; but most of the drug which [ reaches us is probably obtained by expression. It comes from the Levant. Genuine scammony, termed Virgin Scammony, occurs in light, irregular, friable pieces, covered with a whitish-gray powder, and breaking with a bright- greenish fracture. The scammony of the shops, which is always more or less adulterated, is in hard, heavy, saucer- shaped cakes, from four to six inches in diameter (some- times broken into pieces), of a dark ash or slate color. The poVder is light-gray; the smell disagreeable, like that of old cheese; the taste at first feeble, afterwards bitterish and acrid. Scammony is a gum-resin, its active ingredient being resin, which constitutes more than three-fourths of COLOCYNTH. 213 the weight of good scammony. It is partially dissolved by water, more largely by alcohol and ether. A factitious scammony, made in France, and known as Montpclier Scammony, is occasionally imported into the United States. It is blacker than the genuine article, has a feeble, balsamic odor, and a very bitter nauseous taste. Effects and Uses.—Scammony is an energetic hydragogue cathartic, operating sometimes with great violence, and seldom given, except in combination with other cathartics. Dose, gr. v to gr. xv of the pure drug, gr. x to gr. xxx of the drug of the shops; of the resin, gr. iv to gr. viij. This is much used in the form of compound extract of colocynth. Helleborus (Black Hellebore). The root of Helleborus Niger, Black Hellebore, or Christmas Rose (Nat. Ord. Ra- nunculaceae), a mountainous European plant, at one time enjoyed much reputation as a hydragogue cathartic and emmenagogue. It is now little used, and only as an em- menagogue. Dose of the powdered root, gr. x to gr. xx; of the alcoholic extract, gr. v to gr. x; of the tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), f5ss to f5j. COLOCYNTHIS—C OLOCYNTH. Colocynth is the fruit (deprived of its rind) of Citrullus Colocynthis or Bitter Cucumber (Nat. Ord. Cucurbitaceae), an annual plant of the south of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa, resembling the common watermelon. The fruit is peeled and dried for exportation, and comes to us from the Levant. It consists of light, whitish, spongy balls, about the size of a small orange, filled with nume- rous seeds. For medicinal use, the pulp only is employed, and the seeds, which are inactive, are rejected. The pulp has a feeble odor, and a nauseous, intensely bitter taste. It yields its virtues to both water and alcohol, and contains a peculiar bitter principle, termed colocynthin, resin, &c. 214 MATERIA MEDICA. Effects and Uses.—Colocynth is a violent hydragogue cathartic, acting sometimes very harshly even in small doses, and in overdoses producing dangerous, and occa- sionally fatal enteric inflammation. The dose is gr. v to gr. x. It is seldom, however, administered alone. In the form of compound extract (which contains also aloes, scam- mony, and cardamom), it is a favorite prescription—dose, gr. v-xx; and the compound extract, combined with ex- tract of jalap, calomel, and gamboge, constitutes a very popular cathartic compound, known as the compound ca- thartic pills. GAMBOGIA — GAMBOGE. Gamboge is a gum-resin, procured in Siam and Cochin- China, the concrete juice of a tree which has never yet been examined by botanists. The juice is said to be col- lected, as it exudes from the wounded bark of the tree, in cocoa-nut shells, and is afterwards rolled into cylinders, or transferred to earthen jars to dry; it is sometimes also received into the hollow joints of the bamboo. It is im- ported from Canton and Calcutta, and occurs in cylindrical rolls from one to three inches in diameter, of an orange color, known as pipe gamboge, or in irregular masses (which are less pure), weighing two or three pounds or more, called cake or lump gamboge. Good gamboge is opaque, brittle, inodorous, nearly insipid, and breaks with a vitre- ous fracture; its powder is bright-yellowT. It is a gum- resin, forming a yellow opaque emulsion with water, and a golden-yellow solution with alcohol. Effects and Uses.—Gamboge is a powerful hydragogue, and in overdoses has proved fatal. It is employed in ob- stinate constipation—in dropsies, combined with cream of tartar or jalap—and has been given to destroy taenia. Dose, gr. ij to gr. vj. It is often prescribed with other and milder cathartics, to promote and accelerate their action. CROTON OIL. 215 ELATERIUM. Elaterium is a substance deposited by the juice of the fruit of Momordica Elaterium, Ecbalium agreste, or Squirting Cucumber (Nat. Ord. Cucurbitaceae), an annual vine of the south of Europe, now cultivated in England. The fruit has the shape of a small oval cucumber, and, when fully ripe, separates from the peduncle, and throws out its juice and seeds with considerable force, through an opening in the base. Pure elaterium is obtained by slicing the fruit, and allowing the juice to drain through a sieve. The juice deposits a sediment, which dries in very light, thin, nearly flat, pulverulent, greenish-gray cakes, and is the genuine elaterium. It is almost inodorous, and has a bitter, acrid taste. The commercial elaterium, which is obtained chiefly from England, is made by expression. The drug is to be considered inferior when it is dark- colored, much curled, and hard. Elaterium yields its vir- ' tues to alcohol and not to water. Its active principle is called elaterin, and proves powerfully cathartic in doses of ; T5 ^° 20 °f a grain. Effects and Uses.—Elaterium is a hydragogue cathartic ) of great violence of operation, and in overdoses has fre- quently proved fatal. It has also a diuretic action. It is a very efficient remedy in the treatment of dropsies, and is also a useful revulsive in cerebral affections; but, in administering it, considerable caution is required. Dose of the pure drug (termed Clutterbuck's elaterium), gr. J; of I the drug of the shops, gr. j to gr. ij; but it is most safely given in divided doses. Of elaterin, the dose is gr. f, to ; OLEUM TIGLII — CROTON OIL. i I Croton oil is obtained from the seeds of Croton Tiglium i (Nat. Ord. Euphorbiaceae), a small tree of the East Indies. 216 MATERIA MEDICA. The Croton seeds resemble the Castor seeds in shape and size and consist of a blackish shell, sometimes covered with a yellowish-brown epidermis, and inclosing a yellow- ish oily kernel. They are highly irritant and cathartic, but are not imported into this country. They contain a volatile oil, a fixed oil, resin, crotonic acid, &c. The croton oil of the shops is obtained by expression, and is a mixture of the fixed oil proper, the resin, and crotonic acid. It is made both in India and England; the Indian oil being of a pale straw-color, and the English reddish- brown. It has a viscid consistence, which is increased by age, a faint peculiar odor, and an extremely acrid, pungent taste; it is soluble in ether and the volatile and fixed oils, and partially so in alcohol. Physiological Effects.—Croton oil, taken internally, is a powerful hydragogue purgative, occasionally increasing also the secretion from the kidneys. One or two drops are usually sufficient to produce active catharsis, but some- times as much as eight or ten drops may be taken without affecting the bowels. It operates very speedily, often causing evacuations in half an hour, ancHs apt to produce considerable depression of the vascular system. In over- doses it has frequently proved fatal. Rubbed on the skin, croton oil causes rubefaction and a pustular or vesicular eruption; and rubbed over the abdomen, it will sometimes purge. Medicinal Uses.—Croton oil, from the smallness of the dose required, and the speediness of its action, is an ex- tremely valuable purgative in obstinate constipation, and f in cerebral disorders, particularly coma. As a counter- \ irritant, it is extensively employed in pulmonary and laryn- geal affections, diseases of the joints, &c. Dose, one or two drops, made into pill, with bread-crumbs. For exter- nal use, it may be diluted with one or two parts of olive oil or oil of turpentine. MERCURIAL CATHARTICS. 217 MERCURIAL CATHARTICS. The preparations of mercury, employed as cathartics, are calomel, blue pill, and mercury with chalk. Their purga- tive effects depend partly on the increased flow of bile which they occasion, and partly on the stimulus which they give to secretion from the mucous follicles of the intestinal canal, and from the pancreas. They are rarely employed alone, owing to the slowness and uncertainty of their action; but are usually combined with, or followed by other cathartics (as jalap, senna, rhubarb, compound extract of colocynth, or some of the saline preparations). The mercurial cathartics are usually administered with a view of combining a purgative action with an effect on the secretions, particularly that of the liver; also, as anthel- mintics ; and as revulsives in cerebral and other affections. They are well adapted to infantile cases, from the facility of their administration, and are especially beneficial in the ephemeral febrile attacks to which children are subject; they, moreover, rarely produce salivation in children. Hydrargyri Chloridum Mite (Mild Chloride of Mercury, or Calomel). (Noticed at length under the head of Altera- tives.) Dose, as a cathartic, gr. vj to xij, in pill or in pow- der, with syrup or molasses; to be followed, in from four to six hours, by some other cathartic. Sometimes, when it is exhibited with a view to a full action on the liver, gr. j or ij may be given every hour or two until the whole purgative dose is taken; or, it may be administered at bedtime, with an aperient draught the next morning. For children, larger doses are required in proportion than for adults: gr. iij-yj may be given to a child from three to six years old. Calomel occasionally causes griping pain in the bowels, with bilious vomiting; this is attributable, not to any irritable qualities in the medicine, but to the acrid character of the bile secreted. Calomel is an ingredient of the Compound Cathartic Pills. 218 MATERIA medica. Pilula Hydrargyri (Pills of Mercury), commonly called Blue Pills (see Alteratives), are analogous in their cathartic action to calomel, but milder. They are given in about the same doses, and in the same combinations, &c. Hydrargyrum cum Creta (Mercury with Chalk),—(see Al- teratives),—combines antacid with mercurial effects. It is a very mild preparation—weaker than even blue pill. It is used as a laxative, in bowel-complaints and other affections of children. Dose, gr. v-xx for adults; for children, gr. ij or iij to viij or x, in powder, and not in pill. ENEMATA. In cases of irritability of the stomach—or with the view of hastening the action of cathartics taken by the mouth— or to remove feculent accumulations in the lower bowels— or to relieve tympanitis—or for the purpose of revulsion, cathartic enemata are frequently administered. When it is desired simply to open the bowels mechani- cally, tepid water, flaxseed tea, or other demulcent infu- I sion may be employed. The common laxative enema con- ; sists of a tablespoonful of common salt, molasses, and lard or olive oil, each, in two-thirds of a pint of warm water; I castor oil, or Epsom salt, may be added to increase the ca- thartic effect. Senna tea, or some other cathartic infusion, is often employed. To relieve flatulency, oil of turpentine (fgss to f"Sj, in emulsion), or milk of assafetida (fgij to fgiv), may be given. The latter is an excellent prepara- tion in infantile cases. ORDER III.—DIAPHORETICS. Diaphoretics (from dtcupopsm, I transpire), called also sudo- rifics, are medicines which promote transpiration from the skin. The action of the cutaneous exhalants may be in- DIAPHORETICS. 219 creased by various means. The mere introduction of a large quantity of fluid into the system will produce sweat- ing if the skin be kept warm. Exercise and a warm tem- perature, by determining a flow of blood to the cutaneous vessels, act in the same way. Nauseants occasion diapho- resis, by relaxing the orifices of the cutaneous vessels; stimulants, by exciting them to increased secretion. Dia- phoretics are employed therapeutically, for their evacuant, revulsive, and alterative effects, and to promote absorption. Different classes of diaphoretics are required for different morbid conditions. 1. Nauseating Diaphoretics.—Most of the emetics, in nau- seating doses, produce a powerful relaxing diaphoretic ac- tion, and are much employed, with this view, in inflamma- tory cases, when not contraindicated by the presence of gastric irritability. The Preparations of Antimony (see p. 169), and Ipecacuanha (see p. 185), are chiefly resorted to as nauseating diaphoretics. Ipecacuanha is often given as a diaphoretic, in combination with opium, in the form of Dover's Powder (see p. 46). 2. Refrigerant Diaphoretics-.—The saline and ethereal pre- parations classed as refrigerants (see p. 173), produce a gen- tle relaxing diaphoretic action, unattended with nausea. They are used to allay febrile excitement. 3. Stimulating Diaphoretics.—This group includes the dif- fusible stimulants, aromatic substances generally, of every class, and many narcotics, particularly opium and camphor. They are contraindicated in high inflammation, but are very serviceable in rheumatic and pulmonary affections, after vascular excitement has been reduced, and in all dis- eases where the surface of the body is cold. Opium, in the form of Dover's Powder, may be employed in inflamma- tory cases, where other stimulating diaphoretics are inad- missible, and is given with advantage in an early stage of acute rheumatism, dysentery, and catarrh, unless the ac- tion of the pulse be very strong, when depletion should be previously resorted to. The operation of the diaphoretic 220 MATERIA MEDICA. stimulants is promoted by the free use of warm diluent drinks, and warm covering to the body. 4. Alterative Diaphoretics.—Under this head are com- prised a class of diaphoretic medicines, which produce a Gradual and nearly insensible increase of the cutaneous secretion, and are supposed to promote the elimination of noxious matters from the blood, through the vessels of the skin. They are employed chiefly in chronic rheumatic and cutaneous affections, and in secondary syphilis. ALTERATIVE DIAPHORETICS. SARSAPARILLA. The name Sarsaparilla is applied to the roots of Smilax officinalis and other species of Smilax (Nat. Ord. Smila- ceae), twining, prickly shrubs of Mexico, Guatemala, and the warm countries of South America. The roots consist of numerous wrinkled, slender pieces, of the average thick- ness of a writing quill, several feet long, springing from a common head or rhizoma, and are frequently found in the shops with portions of the stems attached. Several varie- ties are known: 1. Honduras Sarsaparilla, the most com- mon variety in the United States, comes in bundles two or three feet long, composed of several roots folded length- wise, of a dirty grayish or reddish-brown color. 2. Ja- maica Sarsaparilla, which is probably derived also from Central America, comes in shorter bundles, and is known by the red color of the epidermis. 3. Vera Cruz Sarsapa- rilla, comes in large, loose bales, bound with cords or leather thongs, containing the roots folded on themselves, consisting of a head with numerous long radicles. 4. Bra- zilian Sarsaparilla is distinguished by the amylaceous cha- racter of its interior structure. 5. Guatemala Sarsaparilla resembles the Brazilian. Sarsaparilla roots are several feet in length, about the SARSAPARILLA. 221 thickness of a goose-quill, cylindrical, more or less wrinkled longitudinally, and consist of a whitish, brown, or pink cortical portion, covered with a thin gray, brown, or red epidermis, and inclosing a layer of whitish ligneous fibre, and a central pith. The cortical portion is more active than the interior portions; the central medulla contains a good deal of starch. Sarsaparilla, in the dried state, is nearly inodorous, but its decoction has a strong smell. It has a mucilaginous, slightly bitter taste, and, when chewed for some time, produces a persistent acrid impression on the mouth; this acridity of taste is the criterion of good sar- saparilla. Water and diluted alcohol extract its virtues, but they are impaired by long boiling. It contains an ac- tive principle, called smilacin or sarsaparillin, starch, resin, extractive, &c. Effects and Uses.—The physiological effects of sarsapa- rilla, beyond a slight diaphoretic action, are not very ob- vious ; in large doses, it occasionally produces nausea and vomiting. Its efficacy, however, in eradicating various morbid symptoms is well established, and its mode of ac- tion, though obscure, is generally attributed to a purifying influence on the blood, through the function of the skin. It is employed in secondary syphilis, particularly where the disease resists or is aggravated by the use of mercury; also in chronic rheumatism, skin diseases, and cachectic condi- tions of the system generally. Administration.—Dose, of the powder, oss, three or four times a day—not much used, however, in this form. The compound decoction is made by boiling sarsaparilla with bark of sassafras root, guaiacum wood, liquorice root, and me- zereon. The compound syrup (which contains also guaia- cum wood, pale rose leaves, senna, liquorice root, and the oil of sassafras, anise, and partridge-berry), is a favorite preparation. Dose, f 5ss, three times a day. Of the fluid extract, the dose is f oss. The compound fluid extract con- tains the ingredients of the compound decoction, except the guaiacum—dose, f5j, three or four times a day. 222 MATERIA MEDICA. ARALIA NUDICAULIS — FALSE SARSAPARILLA. The root of Aralia Nudicaulis, False Sarsaparilla, or Small Spikenard (Nat. Ord. Araliaceae), a small, indige- nous, perennial plant, possesses alterative diaphoretic pro- perties similar to those of sarsaparilla, and is employed as a substitute for it, in the same manner and doses. The root of A. racemosa or American Spikenard, and the bark of A. spinosa, or Angelica- Tree, are also employed as alterative diaphoretics. GUAIACI LIGNUM — GUAIACUM WOOD. GUAIACI RESINA—GUAIAC. Guaiacum Wood, or Lignum Vita?, and Guaiac, are pro- ducts of Guaiacum officinale (Nat. Ord. Zygophyllaceae), a large evergreen tree of South America and the West In- dies. The wood, which is remarkable for its hardness and density, is imported in logs or billets, covered with a thick gray bark; the outer portion or sapwood is of a pale yel- low color, the inner of an olive-brown. It is usually kept in the shops in the state of shavings or raspings; they are inodorous, unless heated, and when chewed for some time, they have a bitterish, pungent taste. Guaiacum wood yields its virtues to alcohol, and partially to water; they depend on the guaiac contained in the wood. Guaiac is the concrete juice of Guaiacum officinale. It is obtained by spontaneous exudation, or by boring and heating billets of the wood, or by boiling the chips in a solution of salt, and skimming off the matter which rises to the surface. It comes in large, irregular, semi-transpa- rent, brittle pieces, of varying size—externally, of a deep- green or olive color, and internally, red. It has a slight, balsamic odor, which is rendered stronger by heat, and, MEZERE0N. 223 though at first nearly tasteless, leaves a hot, acrid sensation in the mouth and throat. Water dissolves it partially, al- cohol completely. It consists chiefly of a peculiar resinoid principle, called guaiacin or guaiacic acid, which is decom- posed by the mineral acids. Effects and Uses.—Guaiacum wrood and guaiac are stimu- lant diaphoretics, and in large doses cathartic. They are principally used for their alterative virtues in chronic rheumatism, secondary syphilis, and skin diseases; guaiac has been used as a laxative. They are considered also to possess emmenagogue properties, and are employed in amenorrhoea and dysmenorrhcea. Administration.—Guaiacum wood is used only as an in- gredient in the compound decoction and syrup of sarsapa- rilla. Dose of guaiac, gr. x to gr. xxx, in pill or emulsion, sometimes combined with alkalies. The tincture (six troy- ounces to alcohol Oij), and ammoniaied tincture (six troy- ounces to ar. sp. of ammonia Ojss), are much used in chro- nic rheumatism; the former is given also in amenorrhoea; dose, f5j three or four times a day. They are decomposed by water, and should be administered in mucilage, syrup, or milk. MEZEREUM--MEZEREON. Mezereon is the bark of Daphne Mezereum and Daphne Gnidium (Nat. Ord. Thymelaceae), European shrubs, which grow to the height of four or five feet. The root-bark is the part employed in Great Britain, but the bark of our shops, which is brought from Germany, is the stem-bark. It comes in strips, from two to four feet long, and an inch or less in breadth, folded in bundles, or wrapped in the shape of balls. It has a thin, grayish, or reddish-brown, wrinkled epidermis, and a tough, pliable, whitish inner bark. When fresh, it has a faint nauseous smell, but when dry, it is nearly inodorous. Its taste is at first sweetish, afterwards highly acrid. It yields its virtues to water and 224 MATERIA MEDICA. alcohol, and contains a peculiar crystalline principle, called daphnin, and a resin, to which it owes its acridity. Effects and Uses.—The topical action of mezereon is irri- tant and vesicant. When swallowed in large quantities, it is highly acrid; in medicinal doses, it promotes the action of the secreting and exhaling organs, particularly the skin and kidneys. It is chiefly employed in conjunction with sarsaparilla (in the compound decoction, &c), as an altera- tive diaphoretic, in rheumatic, syphilitic, and cutaneous af- fections. As a masticatory, it has been chewed for the re- lief of paralysis of the muscles of deglutition. The oint- ment is used as a stimulating application to blistered sur- faces and indolent ulcers. SASSAFRAS RADICIS CORTEX--BARK OF SASSAFRAS ROOT. This is the bark of the root of Sassafras officinale (Nat. Ord. Lauraceae), an indigenous tree of middling size. The bark is found in the shops in small irregular pieces of a cinnamon color, sometimes invested with a brownish epi- dermis. It has a highly fragrant odor, and a sweetish aro- matic taste. Its virtues are extracted by water and alco- hol, and reside in a volatile oil (oleum sassafras). Effects and Uses.—Sassafras bark is a mild stimulant al- terative diaphoretic, used chiefly in combination with sar- saparilla. Its principal virtues are probably aromatic. Dose of the oil, two to ten drops. (For Sassafras Pith, see Demulcents.) ORDER IV.--DIURETICS. Diuretics (from dta, thoroughly, and oupsco, I make water), are medicines which excite the secretion of urine. The flow of urine maybe promoted indirectly, by increasing the DIURETICS. 225 quantity of fluid taken into the stomach, or by the remo- val of causes which check its secretion, or by mental emo- tion, a cool temperature, &c. It is promoted directly by the use of medicinal agents,which specifically affect the kid- neys; they are termed diuretics. A large proportion of diuretic medicines are found among the agents which in- fluence other secretions, particularly diaphoretics. The functions of transpiration and urination are to some extent vicarious, and the same articles will prove diaphoretic or diuretic, as their action may be directed to the skin or kidneys. External warmth and warm drinks determine the action of such medicines to the skin; and, on the other hand, if the skin be kept cool, and cool diluents freely administered, the secretion from the kidneys is pro- moted. Blennorrhetics, or medicines which have a special action on the mucous membranes, exert also a diuretic influ- ence—probably the result of the stimulating impression which they make on the mucous membrane of the urinary passages. When the action of the kidneys is obstructed by disease of the heart, sedatives prove diuretic, by their tranquillizing influence on the action of the heart. In cases of obstruction of the portal system, mercurials in- crease the efficacy of the diuretics proper; and also cathar- tics, by stimulating the flow of bile and of the pancreatic juice. The principal therapeutic employment of diuretics is to promote the absorption ofi dropsical effusions. They are also useful, in nephritic disorders attended with obstructed se- cretion ; in stone or gravel, with the view of rendering the urine more dilute; and they may be resorted to as evacu- ants, to reduce inflammation. As diuretics act by becoming absorbed, they should be administered in a very diluted state, to prevent a cathartic effect. The following groups of medicines, noticed under other heads, are employed also as diuretics: 15 226 MATERIA MEDICA. 1. The Saline and Ethereal Refrigerants (see p. 173). 2. The Alkaline Carbonates (see Antacids); and the Alka- line Salts, which contain a vegetable acid, as the acetates, ci- trates, and tartrates. The acid tartrate of potassa, or cream of tartar (see p. 200), is a very active diuretic. Potassa Acetas (Acetate of Potassa). This salt, formerly termed sal diureticus, from its decided diuretic action, is made by saturating acetic acid with carbonate of potassa. It is white, when pure, of a warm, pungent, taste, very deliquescent, and soluble in water and alcohol. In small doses, it is diuretic; in larger doses, gently cathartic. It is a good deal employed as a diuretic in dropsies, as an antacid in acute rheumatism, and has also been found useful as an alterative in cutaneous affections. As is the case with all the alkaline salts containing vegetable acids, the acid of this salt is decomposed in the system into car- bonic acid. Dose, 3j to 5j, three or four times a day. 3. Sedatives (see p. 165), particularly Digitalis (see p. 165), which is very much employed in cardiac dropsies, in combination with squill. 4. Blennorrhetics (see p. 235), particularly the oleoresins. 5. Most of the Stimulating diaphoretics. 6. Among Astringents, uva ursi (p. 135), and Pipsissewa (p. 136). SPECIAL diuretics. ^' SCILLA — SQUILL. Squill is the bulb of Scilla maritima (Nat. Ord. Lilia- ceae), a perennial plant, which grows on the shores of the Mediterranean. It has fibrous roots, attached to a roundish- ovate bulb, from which both the leaves and flower-stem spring directly, the latter appearing first; the leaves are broad-lanceolate, and from twelve to eighteen inches long; the stem is about two feet high, and bears pale, yellowish- green flowers.' SQUILL. 227 The fresh bulb is pyriform, of the size of the fist to that of a child's head, and consists of thick, fleshy, concentric scales, attenuated at their edges, and attached to a rudi- mentary stem; the outer scales are very thin and papery. Two kinds of squill bulbs are met with, the white and the red, which differ only in the color of their scales, and are identical in medicinal virtues. Both abound in a viscid, acrid juice, which is very much diminished by drying, with little loss of medicinal power. For importation, squill is usually sliced and dried, and is found in the shops in white or yellowish-white pieces, which, when dry, are brittle, but, when moist, flexible. They absorb moisture readily, and should be kept in well-stoppered bottles. They have a feeble odor, a bitter, nauseous, acrid taste, and yield * their virtues to water, alcohol, and vinegar. Two active principles have been found in squill: one an acrid, poi- sonous, resinoid substance, soluble in alcohol and not in ether, the other, a bitter, yellow principle, soluble in water and alcohol; the bitter principle is much less powerful. Physiological Effects.—In small doses, squill promotes se- cretion from the mucous membranes and the kidnej-s—its diuretic effect being much the most marked and constant. In larger doses, it excites nausea, vomiting, and occasion- ally purging; and, in excessive doses, it acts as an acro- narcotic poison—gr. xxiv having proved fatal. Medicinal Uses.—Squill is employed principally in the treatment of dropsy; it should not be used, however, in cases complicated with granular disease of the kidneys or inflammation of the bladder. Digitalis is much prescribed in combination with squill in the treatment of cardiac drop- sies, and calomel is often added with a view to its action on the absorbents. As a blennorrhetic expectorant, squill is an excellent remedy in chronic and subacute bronchial affections; it is, however, improper in inflammatory cases. As an emetic, squill is too dangerous for general use; but it forms an ingredient in some emetic preparations adminis- tered in croup. 228 MATERIA medica. Administration.—Dose, as a diuretic or expectorant, gr. j, repeated and gradually increased till nausea supervenes. Gr. vj to gr. xij will vomit. Of the acetum scillo? (four troy- ounces to diluted acetic acid Oij), the dose is ttrxxx to f5\j; of the syrup, made from the vinegar, f5j ; of the com- pound syrup, known as hive-syrup (which contains also se- neka and tartar emetic, and is much used for children in croup), 10 drops to f'5j, according to the age; of the tinc- ture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), 20 to 40 drops. The compound pills ofi sqidll contain also ginger, ammoniac, and soap, and are used as a stimulant expectorant; dose, 5 to 10 grains three or four times a day. COLCHICUM. Colchici Radix, Colchicum Root; Colchici Semen, Colchicum Seed. Colchicum autumnale, or Meadow-Saffron (Nat. Ord. Melanthaceae), is a small, biennial, bulbous plant, which grows wild, in moist meadows, in England and other tem- perate parts of Europe. The bulb, or corm, as it is bota- nically termed, appears in midsummer as a lateral offset from the corm of the preceding year, and sends up the flower-stem in the autumn—the leaves and fruit following in the succeeding spring. The leaves are broadly lanceo- late, about five inches long; the flowers of a lilac or light- purple color; and the fruit oblong, elliptical, and three- celled. The corms and seeds are the portions used medicinally. The corms are gathered in July, just before the sprouting of the flower from the young corm. They are somewhat like tulip bulbs in appearance, but solid and not composed of scales. They are covered by an external brown mem- brane, and an inner reddish-yellow one. Internally, they are white, fleshy, and solid, and contain an acrid, bitter, milky juice. As found in the shops, they are in the dried COLCHICUM. 229 state, sometimes whole, but usually cut into transverse slices about an eighth of an inch thick, with a notch on one side, and deprived of the outer brown membrane. They have a hircine odor, and a bitter, hot, and acrid taste. The seeds are brown, about the size of black mus- tard-seeds, inodorous, and have a bitter, acrid taste; they are less apt to be injured by drying than the corms. Colchicum corms and seeds yield their virtues to vinegar and alcohol; they both contain a peculiar non-crystallizable alkaloid active principle, soluble in water and alcohol, termed colchicia, which is a powerful poison. Physiological Effects.—Colchicum is a local irritant. Taken internally, in small doses, it stimulates the secre- tions generally; in larger doses, it produces nausea, vomit- ing, and purging, and commonly a reduction of the fre- quency of the pulse ; in excessive doses, it is an acro-nar- cotic poison, producing death by a sedative action on the heart. Although placed among the diuretics, colchicum does not evince a more decided action on the kidneys than on other secretions, as those of the skin, liver, and mucous membranes. Medicinal Uses.—Colchicum has long enjoyed a high repu- tation in the treatment of gout; and, although its modus me- dendi is rather obscure, it is universally admitted to possses a more decided control over the disease than any other remedy. Its efficacy is probably owing to a combined se- dative, anodyne, and eccritic action. It is usually admin- istered in repeated doses, till an effect is produced on the bowels; Epsom salt and magnesia are often combined with it, as in the celebrated Scudamore's draught (magnesia, gr. xv to xx; sulphate of magnesia, 5j to 5ij; vinegar of col- chicum, f5j to f5ij, in any pleasant vehicle). When it is de- \ sired to act on the kidneys and skin rather than the bowels, opiates are sometimes given with it. In rheumatism, col- ) chicum is also employed, but with less marked success than J in gout. It has been occasionally resorted to as a diuretic in dropsy, as a sedative in febrile and inflammatory dis- 230 materia medica. eases, as an anthelmintic, as an expectorant, and in some nervous affections. Administration.—Dose of the corm or seeds, in powder, gr. ij to gr. viij ; the seeds are preferred. The liquid pre- parations, which are more generally used than the powder, are: The vinegar (acetum) (two troyounces of the root to diluted acetic acid Oij), dose, 30 drops to f5ij ; wine of the root (twelve troyounces to sherry wine Oij), dose, rr#x to f5j; wine of the seed (four troyounces to wine Oij), dose, f5i-ij ; tincture (four troyounces of the seed to diluted alcohol Oij); dose, f'5ss to f5ij. An acetic extract of the root is also employed—dose, gr. i-ij ; and a fluid extract of the seed, and also of the root—doses, 4 to 12 drops. ERIGERON--FLEABANE. Three varieties of Erigeron are officinal: E. Canadense, or Canada Fleabane, E. heterophyllum, or Various-leaved Fleabane, and E. Philadelphicum, or Philadelphia Flea- bane (Nat. Ord. Asteraceae). They are herbaceous indige- nous plants, two or three feet high, with ovate or lanceo- late, toothed leaves, and white, blue, or purple flowers. Tne whole herb is officinal. Canada Fleabane has an agreeable odor, and a bitter, acrid, somewhat astringent taste. It contains bitter extractive, tannic and gallic acids, and volatile oil; and is diuretic, tonic, and astringent. The oil ofi Canada Fleabane possesses haemostatic properties, and has been used in hemorrhagic dysentery and uterine hemorrhage—dose 5 to 10 drops. Various-leaved and Phila- delphia Fleabane, popularly known as scabious, have an aro- matic odor, and a slightly bitterish taste. Their most striking medicinal action is diuretic, and they have long been favorite remedies in dropsical and nephritic affections. An infusion or decoction, to the amount of a pint (contain- ing a troyounce of the herb), may be taken daily. INDIAN HEMP. 231 -* APOCYNUM CANNABINUM — INDIAN HEMP. This is an indigenous herbaceous plant (Nat. Ord. Apo- cynaceae), growing to the height of two or three feet, with Fig. 19. oblong-ovate leaves, and small, greenish, campanulate flowers. The root is the officinal portion; it is of a yel- lowish-brown color when young, and of a dark-chestnut when old, has a strong odor, and a nauseous acrid, bitter taste. The fresh root, when wounded, pours out a milky juice; it yields its virtues to water and alcohol, and con- 232 MATERIA MEDICA. tains tannic and gallic acids, gum, resin, a bitter principle, &c, and a peculiar active principle termed apocynin. Effects and Uses.—Indian Hemp (which is not to be con- founded with Cannabis Indica, p. 61), is an emeto-cathar- tic, diuretic, diaphoretic, and sedative. It is chiefly em- ployed in the treatment of dropsy, in the form of decoction (half a troyounce to water Ojss, boiled to Oj), of which f*Si—ij may be taken two or three times a day. -' TARAXACUM — DANDELION. Taraxacum Dens-leonis, or Dandelion (Nat. Ord. Cicho- raceae), is a small herbaceous, perennial plant, common to most parts of-the world, and found abundantly through- out the United States. It has a fusiform root, which sends up numerous long, sinuated, bright-green leaves, and flower-stems, about six inches high, bearing golden-yellow flowers. The root is the officinal portion, and should be gathered in the autumn. In the fresh state, it is several inches Fig. 20. long, branched, fleshy, of a light-brown color externally, whitish within, and abounds in a milky juice; the fresh root is preferable for use. When dried, it is shrunken, wrinkled, and brittle. It is without smell, but has a bitter CARROT SEED. 233 taste. Boiling water extracts its virtues, which depend on a peculiar bitter crystallizable principle, termed taraxacin, soluble in boiling water, alcohol, and ether. Effects and Uses.—Taraxacum is diuretic and slightly aperient, with some tonic action, and a special determina- tion to the liver. It is a valuable remedy in hepatic drop- sies, and is also employed in dyspepsia, accompanied by derangement of the liver. It is given in the form of infu- sion (two troyounces to boiling water Oj),—dose fSij, three times a day; extract (an inspissated juice, which should not be kept above a year),—dose, 9j to 5j three times a day; and fluid extract,—dose, f5i-ij, three times a day. — JUNIPERUS--JUNIPER. The fruit, or berries, of Juniperus communis (Nat. Ord. Pihaceae), an evergreen European shrub, naturalized in the United States, are used as adjuvants to the more active diuretics. When dried, they are about the size of a pea, and of a blackish-purple color; they are given in infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj). Their virtues depend on a volatile oil (Oleum Juniperi), the dose of which is five to fifteen drops, two or three times a day. The compound spirit of Juniper (a tincture of the oil, containing also the oils of carraway and fennel), is a pleasant addition to stimu- lating diuretic infusions,—dose, f5i-ij- CAROTA — CARROT SEED. Daucus Carota, or Wild Carrot (Nat. Ord. Apiaceae), is a very common indigenous plant, which is found also wild in Europe. It has a biennial spindle-shaped root, an erect branching stem two or three feet high, tripinnate leaves with narrow, pointed leaflets, and small white flowers, ar- ranged in umbels. The fruit or seeds, which are the offi- 234 materia medica. cinal portion, are light, of a brownish color, an oval shape, convex and bristly on one side, and flat on the other. They have an aromatic odor, a warm, pungent, bitterish taste, and contain a volatile oil, on which their virtues de- pend. Effects and Uses.—Carrot-seeds are aromatic and diuretic, and are a good deal. employed in dropsical and nephritic affections, agreeing well with the stomach, from their aro- matic oil. The infusion is a popular remedy for the relief of strangury from blisters. Dose, 5ss to 5j, or an infusion (half a troyounce to water Oj), ad libitum. The root of this plant possesses the same properties as the seeds. The root of the cultivated plant, the well- known garden carrot, is employed as an application to sloughing ulcers. - CANTHARfS — SPANISHT FLIES. The properties, &c, of cantharides will be noticed fully under the head of Irritants (subdivision Epispastics). Ta- ken internally, they sometimes prove diuretic, and gene- rally excite irritation of the genito-urinary passages, as strangury, priapism, &c.; and in overdoses, act as an acro- narcotic poison. They are employed in atonic dropsies, incontinence of urine, amenorrhoea, seminal weakness, im- potence, &c. Dose, gr. i-ij, twice a day, in pill. They are most commonly administered in tincture (a troyounce to diluted alcohol Oij),—dose, gtt. x, or more, three or four times a day, till strangury supervenes. The following medicines, though less frequently resorted to than the foregoing, possess very decided diuretic proper- ties, and may be employed with advantage in the treat- ment of dropsical and nephritic affections: The root of Hydrastis Canadensis, or Yellow Root (Nat. Ord. Ranunculaceae), a small indigenous plant, which BLENNORRHETICS. 235 contains the alkaloid berberina (previously noticed), and another alkaloid hydrastia, is a very efficacious diuretic in promoting the discharge of calculi from the kidneys. The root of Delphinum Consolida, or Larkspur (Nat. Ord. Ranunculaceae), a European plant, cultivated in our gardens, and to some extent naturalized. The fresh tops (and also the seeds) of Cytisus Scopa- rius, or Broom (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), a European shrub, cultivated in our gardens. The root of Petroselinum Sativum, or Parsley (Nat. Ord. Apiaceae), a European plant, cultivated in our vege- table gardens, for its leaves. The root of Cochlearia Armoracia, or Horseradish (Nat. Ord. Brassicaceae), a European plant, cultivated here for its root, which is used as a condiment. ORDER V.--BLENNORRHETICS. Blennorrhetics (from fihwa, mucus, and peu>, I flow), are medicines which promote the secretion of the mucous membranes. They are employed therapeutically in mor- bid conditions of these membranes, with a view to the re- storation of healthy action, in cases of deficient, abnormal, or excessive secretion. When administered with the object of stimulating the secretion of mucus from the bronchial or laryngeal mem- brane, this class of agents is termed expectorants. They are prescribed in the subacute and chronic forms of bron- chitis and laryngitis, and in the declining stages of the acute forms of these affections and pneumonia. In the early or inflammatory stages of acute bronchitis and laryn- gitis, the stimulating expectorants are inadmissible, until nauseants and depletion have been resorted to. The blennorrhetics are less employed in gastro-enteric affections than in those of other mucous membranes, ow- ing to their tendency to produce catharsis. Several of 236 MATERIA MEDICA. the oleoresins are, however, used with advantage in cer- tain forms of chronic diarrhoea, and the oil of turpentine is highly esteemed in the treatment of the diarrhoea of ty- phoid fever. The oleoresinous articles of this group are extensively employed in diseases of the urino-genital mucous mem- branes,—gonorrhoea, gleet, leucorrhoea, incontinence of urine, cystitis, &c. The following are the articles chiefly resorted to for their influence on the mucous membranes: SENEGA — SENEKA. Polygala Senega, or Seneka Snakeroot (Nat. Ord. Poly- galaceae), is a small indigenous plant, found in all parts of Fig. 21. United States, but most abundantly in the South and st. It has a perennial, branching root, several erect SENEKA. 237 annual stems, about a foot in height, alternate lanceolate leaves, and small, whitish flowers, arranged in a terminal spike. The root is the officinal portion. It occurs in the shops in twisted pieces, varying in thickness from the size of a quill to that of the little finger, attached to a knotty head, and marked with a ridge along their whole length, and numerous annual protuberances. The cortical portion is hard, resinous, of a yellowish-brown color, and contains the active qualities ofi the root. The central ligneous portion is white and inert. The odor of seneka is peculiar and disagreeable, but faint in the dried root; the taste is at first mucilaginous and sweetish, but afterwards becomes acrid and very irritating. The virtues of seneka are extracted by cold and hot water and alcohol. It contains a peculiar acrid acid prin- ciple called polygalic acid, on which its activity chiefly de- pends. Effects and Uses.—Seneka, in small doses, is an active excitant of the mucous membranes and secretions gene- rally, and in large doses proves emetic and cathartic. It is chiefly prescribed as a stimulating expectorant in chronic and subacute bronchial affections, and in the latter stages of acute bronchitis, pneumonia, &c. As an ingredient in the compound syrup ofi squill, it is much employed in the treatment of croup, but, except in some such combination with tartar emetic or other emetic-nauseant, it is scarcely admissible in the early stages of this disease. Seneka is also thought to possess emmenagogue properties, and is highly extolled by many practitioners in the treatment of amenorrhoea. It has been occasionally used as a diuretic in dropsies, and, in emeto-cathartic doses, has been found useful in rheumatism. Administration.—Dose, in powder, gr. x to 3j ; but it is chiefly given in decoction (a troyounce boiled for fifteen minutes in water enough to make the decoction measure Oj), dose fgij, three or four times a day. An alcoholic ex- 238 MATERIA MEDICA. tract is given in the dose of from one to three grains; and a syrup is also used, in the dose of f5i-ij. CIMICIFUGA — BLACK SNAKEROOT. Cimicifuga racemosa, Black Snakeroot, or Cohosh (Nat. Ord. Ranunculaceae), is a very common indigenous peren- Fig. 22. nial plant, growing to the height of from four to eight feet, with ternate leaves, oblong-ovate, incised, and toothed GARLIC. 239 leaflets, and small, white flowers disposed in a long raceme. The root is the part employed. It consists of a rugged, blackish-brown caudex, from a third of an inch to an inch in thickness, often several inches in length, furnished with numerous slender radicles. Internally, its color is whitish; it has a peculiar, faint, disagreeable odor, and a bitter, somewhat astringent taste. It imparts its virtues to boil- ing water, and contains gum, starch, resin, tannic and gallic acids, salts, and a portion of volatile oil. Effects and Uses.—The effects of cimicifuga are not very accurately known, but it is undoubtedly an active stimu- lant of the secretions, particularly those of the mucous membranes, skin, and kidneys, with, probably, in large doses, a sedative and antispasmodic action on the nervous system. It has been employed with great advantage as an expectorant in chronic bronchial affections, and even phthisis pulmonalis, and has been also used as a diapho- retic in rheumatism, and as a diuretic in dropsies. As an antispasmodic in chorea, it enjoys a high reputation, and it is also recommended in the spasmodic forms of hysteria, particularly when connected with amenorrhoea. A satu- rated alcoholic solution has been used, with good effect, as an application to the eyelids in ophthalmia. Administration.—Dose, in powder, &} to 5j; a decoction and acetous tincture (though not officinal) are employed. Of the fluid extract, the dose is f5ss-j. ALLIUM — GARLIC. Allium sativum (Nat. Ord. Liliaceae), is a small, peren- nial, bulbous plant, which grows wild in the south of Europe, and is cultivated in all parts of the world. The bulb is the portion used. As found in the shops, it is somewhat spherical in form, about an inch in diameter, with a portion of the stem attached, covered with a white, membranous envelope, and consists of five or six smaller 240 MATERIA MEDICA. bulbs, of a curved, oblong shape, called cloves of garlic. They have a strong, irritating, characteristic odor, and a bitter, acrid taste. Water, alcohol, and vinegar extract their virtues, which depend on an essential oil, which is of a yellow color, very volatile and irritating. Effects and Uses.—Garlic is a local irritant and rubefa- cient, and, taken internally, quickens the circulation and stimulates the secretions generally. It is a good deal em- ployed as an expectorant in chronic and subacute catarrhal affections, particularly in infantile cases, and, occasionally, as a stomachic in flatulence, and as a diuretic in atonic dropsies. Externally, it is used as a revulsive rubefacient to the feet, as a resolvent of indolent tumors, and as a lini- ment in infantile convulsions. Administration.—A clove may be swallowed entire, or cut into small pieces. Dose of the fresh bulbs, 5i-ij, in pill; of the juice, f5ss, mixed with sugar; of the syrup (made with diluted acetic acid and sugar), f5j, for children. SCILLA — SQUILL. Squill, already noticed among diuretics, is one of the most powerful and valuable stimulating expectorants in the Materia Medica. (For properties, doses, preparations, &c, see p. 226.) TEREBINTHINA — TURPENTINE. The term turpmtine is applied to liquid or concrete vege- table juices, consisting of resin combined with a peculiar essential oil, called oil of turpentine. Two kinds of turpen- tine are recognized by the U. S. Pharmacopoeia: 1. The common American or white turpentine, which is procured chiefly from Pinus palustris (Nat. Ord. Pinaceae), a large indigenous evergreen tree of our Southern States, where TURPENTINE. 241 it is called Long-leaved Pine, Yellow Pine, and Pitch Pine, and in part also from Pinus Taeda, found in Virginia, and other species of Pinus. 2. Canada turpentine, kept in the shops, under the name of Canada balsam or bcdsam of fir, the product of Abies balsamea, the American Silver Fir, or Balm of Gilead Tree (Nat. Ord. Pinaceae), a handsome tree about 40 feet in height, inhabiting the northern por- tions of North America. Many other varieties of turpen- tine are known in commerce, as Bordeaux turpentine, Venice turpentine, Chian turpentine, &c. White turpentine comes from North Carolina and other Southern States, and is collected from excavations made in the trunks of trees, into which the turpentine runs in the mild weather. It is yellowish-white, and somewhat trans- lucent, semi-fluid in summer, firm and hard in winter, but becoming permanently hard by exposure to the air, and has a peculiar aromatic odor, and a warm, pungent, bitterish taste. Canada turpentine comes from Canada and Maine. It is procured by breaking the vesicles, which are found between the bark and wood of the trees, and collect- ing the liquid contents in a bottle. When fresh, it has the consistence of honey, but gradually solidifies by age. It is yellow, transparent, tenacious, of a peculiar, pleasant terebinthinate odor, and a slightly bitter, acrid taste. Chemical Constituents.—The turpentines yield, by distilla- tion, a volatile oil, known as oil of turpentine, and leave a residue consisting exclusively of resin. Both the oil and resin are officinal. The turpentines are inflammable, nearly insoluble in water, but almost wholly soluble in alcohol and ether. Physiological Effects.—The local operation of the terebin- thinates is irritant. When applied to the skin, they pro- duce a rubefacient effect, and when swallowed, in large doses, promote the peristaltic motion of the intestines. Taken internally, in small doses, they are absorbed, and prove excitant to the vascular system and the secretions generally, especially the mucous membranes; they com- 16 242 MATERIA MEDICA. municate a violet odor to the urine. The activity of the terebinthinates depends on their volatile oil. Medicinal Uses.—Turpentine is employed chiefly in dis- eases of the various mucous membranes, as gonorrhoea, gleet, leucorrhoea, cystorrhcea, chronic bronchitis, and chronic mucous diarrhoea. It is also used in rheumatic complaints; and, in cathartic doses, in cases of ascarides, constipation, and colic. Administration.—Dose, as a blennorrhetic, 3j to 5j, in pill, emulsion, or electuary ; as an anthelmintic or cathartic, half a troyounce to an ounce, in emulsion. The white turpentine is generally used in this country. Oleum Terebinthina (Oil of Turpentine), commonly called Spirit of Turpentine, is the active principle of turpen- tine, obtained by distillation. It has already been noticed under the head of aromatic stimulants (p. 157). Its effects and medicinal uses are the same as those of turpentine, for which it is usually substituted in practice. Locally, it acts as a rubefacient. When swallowed in large doses, as f5i-ij, it commonly passes off by the bowels; and, taken in small doses, it is absorbed, and stimulates the circulation and the secretions of the mucous membranes, kidneys, and skin. It often produces strangury and considerable irritation of the urino-genital passages. In large doses, it is employed as an anthelmintic and cathartic, and is much used as a clyster for the relief of tympanitis. In small doses, it is greatly prescribed in chronic discharges from the various mucous membranes; in the latter stages of typhoid fever as a combined stimulant and blennorrhetic; as a diapho- retic in rheumatism and neuralgia; in infantile diabetes, nephritic disorders, dropsy, &c. As a rubefacient, it is a valuable counter-irritant in numerous diseases. Dose, gtt. v-xxx, repeated, as a blennorrhetic stimulant; fSss-fSj, as a cathartic enema, or anthelmintic, in emulsion. Linimentum terebinthina? (oil of turpentine Oss, melted with RESIN. 243 resin cerate, twelve troyounces), is used as an application to burns and scalds. Pix Liquida (Tar), is an impure turpentine, procured by burning, from the wood of Pinus palustris, and other species of Pinus. It is a brownish-black, viscid, semi- liquid substance, of a peculiar empyreumatic odor, and a bitterish, resinous, somewhat acid taste—soluble in alco- hol, ether, and the volatile and fixed oils. It consists of resin, united with acetic acid, oil of turpentine, and vari- ous volatile, empyreumatic products. By distillation, it yields pyroligneous acid and oil of tar—the residuum being pitch. The oil of tar contains, besides oil of turpentine, creasote (see p. 140), and other principles. Effects and Uses.—Tar resembles the turpentines in its effects, and is employed in chronic catarrhal affections and other diseases of the mucous membranes. Its vapor has been employed in bronchitis; and, externally, it is an ex- cellent application to tinea capitis, psoriasis, and other cutaneous affections. Dose, 5ss to 5j, several times a day, in pill or electuary ; or tar water—aqua picis liquida?—(made by digesting tar Oj with water Oiv), may be taken in the quantity of Oi-ij, daily. The ointment (unguentum picis liquida?), is made by adding tar to melted suet. Resina (Resin), commonly called rosin, is the residuum after the distillation of the oil from white turpentine. It is a yellowish-brown, semi-transparent, solid, brittle sub- stance, with a slight terebinthinate odor and taste—insolu- ble in water, soluble in ether, alcohol, and the essential oils, readily uniting by fusion with wax and the fixed oils, and forming soluble soaps with alkalies. When agitated with water, in a state of fusion, it becomes opaque and white. It is not used internally, but is extensively employed in the formation of plasters and ointments, to which it com- municates great adhesiveness and slightly stimulant pro- perties. 244 MATERIA MEDICA. Ceratum Resince (Resin Cerate), commonly called basilicon ointment, is made by melting resin (5 parts), lard (8 parts), and yellow wax (2 parts), together: it is an excellent mild stimulant application to burns, blistered surfaces, &c. Compound, Resin Cerate, made by melting resin, suet, yel- low wax, turpentine, and flaxseed oil together, is a good stimulant cerate, very popular under the name of Deshler's Salve. Emplastrum Resina? (Resin Plaster), made by melt- ing one part of resin with six parts of lead plaster, is the well-known adhesive plaster, used for retaining the edges of wounds in contact, &c. -- COPAIBA. Copaiba is the juice of several species of Copaifera (Nat. Ord. Amyridaceae), large trees peculiar to South America. C. officinalis has been thought to be a principal source of copaiba, but it yields little of that now in use, and most of the copaiba of commerce is probably derived from C. multijuga, which grows in the province of Para, in Brazil. The juice is obtained from incisions in the stems of the trees : as it first exudes, it is clear, colorless, and very thin, but it soon acquires a thicker consistence, and a yellowish hue. As found in the shops, it is a clear, transparent liquid, of the consistence of olive oil, of a pale-yellow color, a peculiar agreeable smell, and a pungent, nauseous, acrid taste. By exposure to the air it acquires a deeper color, and denser consistence. j Copaiba is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, ( ether, and the volatile and fixed oils; with alkalies and al- , kaline earths, it forms a soap. It is, chemically, an oleo- » resin, with a minute portion of acetic acid; the volatile oil | is officinal; the resin possesses acid properties, and is called » copaivic acid. By exposure to the air, copaiba gradually becomes darker and thicker, and finally hard and brittle, owing to the volatilization and oxidation of its oil. Co- CUBEB. 245 paiba was formerly called a balsam, but this title is incor- rect, as it contains no benzoic or cinnamic acid. Effects and Uses.—The effects of copaiba are very analo- gous to those of the terebinthinates. In large doses, it proves cathartic, and occasionally emetic, and, in small doses, it is absorbed, communicating its peculiar odor to the secretions and exhalations, and stimulating the secre- tions from the mucous membranes and kidneys; it is also a gentle excitant to the circulatory system. It is employed in diseases of the mucous membranes, particularly those of a chronic character, as chronic bronchitis, chronic diar- rhoea, leucorrhoea, gonorrhoea, gleet, catarrh, and irritation of the bladder, &c. As a remedy in gonorrhoea, it has long enjoyed great popularity, and is given in all stages of the disorder, though in very inflammatory cases it occa- sionally produces unpleasant symptoms. Administration.—Dose, gtt. xx to f5j, three times a day, in emulsion, with some aromatic water, or in pills, made with magnesia (pills of copaiba), or inclosed in capsules of gelatin. It is also administered as a clyster, in emulsion. Cubeb is frequently prescribed with copaiba, in the treat- ment of gonorrhoea. Oleum Copaiba (Oil of Copaiba), obtained by distilla- tion from the oleoresin, is usually colorless, with the odor and taste of copaiba, and produces the same effects on the system. Dose, gtt. x-xv, in emulsion, or dropped on sugar. ^ CUBEBA — CUBEB. Cubeb is the berries of Piper Cubeba (Nat. Ord. Pipe- raceae), a climbing, perennial plant of Java and other parts of the East Indies. The berries are gathered for use when unripe, and are dried. They are about the size of a small pea, of a blackish or grayish-brown color, a reticulated surface, and furnished with a stalk two or three inches long. The shell is hard, and contains a blackish seed, 246 MATERIA MEDICA. which is white and oily within. The odor of cubeb is aro- matic; the taste warm, acrid, and camphoraceous. The berries deteriorate by age, most rapidly in powTder, owing ) to the escape of their volatile oil. Their most important ) constituents are a volatile oil (which is officinal), a prin- ciple resembling piperin, called cubebin, and resinous mat- ter. The oil is the most active ingredient, but the resin and cubebin contribute also to the medicinal virtues of the drug. Effects and Uses.—In large doses, cubeb, like the other oleoresins, produces more or less gastro-enteric distur- bance. In small doses, it is absorbed, and acts as a gentle excitant to the vascular system, with a very decided stimu- lant action on the mucous surfaces, particularly those of tl^e urino-genital apparatus; it also frequently proves diu- retic. It is chiefly used in the treatment of gonorrhoea, and should be given in the early stage of the disease. In I other mucous discharges, as chronic catarrh with profuse secretion, leucorrhoea, gleet, &c, cubeb has been also em- ployed with advantage. Administration.—Dose of the powder, 5i-iij, three times a day, in gonorrhoea; in chronic mucous disorders, smaller doses are given. The oil is often employed, but it does not possess the full virtues of cubeb—dose, gtt. x-xij, to be repeated and gradually increased; it may be taken in emulsion, or dropped on sugar, or made into gelatinous capsules with oil of copaiba. The oleoresin contains both the volatile oil and resin, with a portion of cubebin, and is an excellent preparation—dose, rrgy-xxx, suspended in water; of the tincture (four troyounces to diluted alcohol Oij), the dose is foi-ij, three times a day. Troches of cu- beb are made with the oleoresin, oil of sassafras, liquorice, gum arabic, sugar, and syrup of tolu. PAREIRA BRAVA. 247 MATICO. This name is given to the leaves of Artanthe elongata (Nat. Ord. Piperaceae), a shrub of Peru. They are two or three inches long, by about an inch in breadth, oval-lan- ceolate and acuminate in shape, crenate, reticulate, bright- green on the upper surface, paler beneath, of a pleasant aromatic odor, and a strong spicy taste. They contain chlorophyll, resin, volatile oil, and a peculiar bitter prin- ciple, soluble in water and alcohol, termed maticin. Effects and Uses.—Matico is a pleasant aromatic tonic, with a special determination to the mucous membranes. It is used as an alterative stimulant in the entire circle of diseased mucous membranes, especially those of the uri- nary passages. It is also used internally as a hemostatic, and locally as a styptic. Dose, of the powder, 5ss-j, three times a day. An infusion (not officinal) may be made by dissolving a troyounce in a pint of boiling water—dose, a wineglassful. J PAREIRA--PAREIRA BRAVA. Pareira Brava is a root, brought from Brazil, which is generally supposed to be derived from Cissampelos Pareira (Nat. Ord. Menispermaceae), a climbing plant of the West Indies and South America. It comes to us in wrinkled, twisted, or forked, cylindrical pieces, of variable thickness and length, covered with a thin, grayish-brown bark. The interior is ligneous, yellowish, porous, inodorous, and of a sweetish, nauseous, bitter taste. It imparts its virtues to water, and contains a bitter alkaline principle, termed cis- sampelina, resin, fecula, &c. Effects and Uses.—Pareira Brava is chiefly employed in chronic diseases of the urinary passages, particularly chro- nic inflammation or irritation of the bladder, with morbid 248 MATERIA MEDICA. secretion. It is said to be also tonic, aperient, and diu- retic. Dose, in substance, oss to 5j- But it is more con- veniently given in infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj), dose, f5i-ij. I BUCHU. This name is given to the leaves of Barosma crenata and other species of Barosma (Nat. Ord. Rutaceae), shrubby plants, growing at the Cape of Good Hope. As found in the shops, buchu leaves are from three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a half long, from three to five lines broad, elliptical, lanceolate-ovate or obovate, sometimes pointed, sometimes blunt, notched and glandular at the edges, and of a green color, paler on the under surface. Three varie- ties are known, viz. : short or round buchu (derived from B. crenata), medium, sized (from B. crenulata), and long buchu (from B. serratifolia). They have a strong, aromatic odor, and a bitterish taste, like that of mint. Water and alco- hol extract their virtues, which depend on a volatile oil and extractive. Effects and Uses.—Buchu is a gentle stimulant to the se- cretions generally, particularly to the kidneys and urinary mucous membranes; it may be made to act also as a dia- phoretic. It is employed in chronic catarrh of the ure- thra and bladder, nephritic complaints, retention or incon- tinence of urine—as a diuretic, in dropsies—and as a dia- phoretic in rheumatic and cutaneous complaints. Dose, of the powder, gr. xx-xxx; of the infusion (a troyounce to boiling water Oj), f Si—ij. A fluid extract is officinal—dose, f5ss. MYRRHA — MYRRH. Myrrh is the concrete juice of Balsamodendron Myrrha (Nat. Ord. Amyridaceae), a small tree of Arabia Felix; the BENZOIN. 249 juice exudes spontaneously and concretes upon the bark. It is imported from the East Indies, and occurs in small, semi-transparent, reddish-yellow fragments or tears—some- times agglutinated together in larger masses—of irregular shape and size, an agreeable, peculiar odor, and a bitter, aromatic taste. It is brittle and pulverizable, has a resi- nous fracture, and makes a light-yellowish powder. Infe- rior kinds of myrrh are darker and less translucent and odorous. Myrrh is a gum-resin, containing also a little vo- latile oil. It forms with water an emulsion, and is soluble • in alcohol and ether. Effects and Uses.—Myrrh is a stimulant expectorant and emmenagogue, with some tonic effects. It is prescribed in chronic catarrhal and ashmatic affections, in which a combined corroborant and expectorant effect is desirable; and also in chlorosis, amenorrhoea, &c. Chalybeates and aloes are frequently united with it in uterine affections. Locally, it is a good application to spongy gums, aphthous sore mouth, &c. Administration.—Dose, gr. x to oss, in powder or pill, or suspended in water, as in Mistura Ferri Composita (see p. 112). The tincture (three troyounces to alcohol Oij), is chiefly employed externally—dose, internally, f5ss to f5j. Pills of Aloes and Myrrh, Compound Galbanum Pills, and Compound Iron Pills, are officinal emmenagogue prepara- tions of myrrh. BENZOIN UM — BENZOIN. Benzoin is the concrete juice of Styrax Benzoin, or Benjamin Tree (Nat. Ord. Styraceae), a tall tree of Suma- tra, Java, Borneo, and Siam. It is obtained by incisions in the bark, from which it readily exudes, afterwards har- dening by exposure to the sun and air. Two kinds are known, the most valuable consisting chiefly of whitish tears, united by a reddish-brown connecting medium, and 250 MATERIA MEDICA. called benzoe amygdaloides, the other of brown or blackish lumps, without tears, known as benzoe in sortis (benzoin in soris). Benzoin is volatile, has a fragrant odor, a feeble slightly aromatic taste, is soluble in alcohol and ether, and is precipitated from its alcoholic solution by water. Its chief constituents are resin and benzoic acid, which places it among the balsams ; it contains also a trace of extrac- tive and of volatile oil; and sometimes cinnamic acid. Effects and Uses.—Benzoin is a topical irritant, and, after absorption, stimulates the mucous passages, especially the aerian membranes. It resembles myrrh in its effects, but is more acrid and stimulating, and less tonic. It is adapted to chronic bronchial affections, but is seldom employed alone. As a fumigation in chronic laryngitis, it has been recommended by Trousseau and Pidoux. Dose, gr. x to oss. The compound tincture (containing also storax, balsam of Tolu, and aloes), is used as a stimulating expectorant- dose, f'oss to f5ij. Ointment of benzoin is made by heating together one part of benzoin and sixteen parts of lard. As benzoin has the property of obviating the rancidity to which lard is liable, this is a very useful vehicle for medi- cated ointments. Acidum Benzoicum (Benzoic Acid), is obtained from ben- zoin by sublimation, or by the action of alkalies. It occurs in white, soft, feathery crystals, of a silky lustre, and not pulverulent. It has more or less of the odor of the balsam, a warm, acrid, and acidulous taste, is inflammable, spa- ringly soluble in cold water, rather soluble in boiling water, but perfectly soluble in alcohol, alkaline solutions, and fixed oils. It is a constituent of the balsams. Effects and Uses.— Benzoic acid is a local irritant, acting on the general system as a stimulant, with a particular di- rection to the mucous surfaces, especially the aerian. Dose, gr. x. In its passage through the system, it abstracts the elements of gelatine-sugar, and passes out with the BALSAM OF TOLU. 251 urine in the form of hippuric acid. It is little employed in medicine, except as an ingredient in Paregoric Elixir. BALSAMUM PERUVIANUM — BALSAM OF PERU. Balsam of Peru is the juice of Myrospermum Perui- ferum (Nat. Ord. Leguminos^), a tree of Central America. It is obtained from incisions in the bark, and is collected on rags inserted in the openings, wmich are afterwards boiled in water, when the balsam settles at the bottom, and the water is poured off. A white balsam, obtained from the fruit of this tree by expression, and a tincture of the fruit in rum, are also known in Central America. Balsam of Peru has the consistence of honey, a dark, reddish-brown color, a pleasant smell, a warm, acrid taste, and is soluble in alcohol, and partially in boiling water. It is heavier than water. Its constituents are resin, essential oil, and cin- namic acid. Effects and Uses.—It is a stimulating blennorrhetic and tonic, occasionally employed in chronic catarrhs, asthma, gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea, &c, but not much used in this country. Externally, it is applied to indolent ulcers. Dose, f5ss, in emulsion. BALSAMUM TOLUTANUM--BALSAM OF TOLU. Balsam of Tolu is the juice of Myrospermum Tolui- ferum (Nat. Ord. Leguminosae), a tree of the neighborhood of Carthagena. It is procured from incisions in the trunk of the tree, and concretes in the vessels in which it is re- ceived. It has a soft, tenacious consistence, varying with the temperature, and bv age becomes hard and resin-like. It is shining, translucent, of a reddish-brown color, a fra- grant odor, and a warm, sweetish, pungent taste. It is in- flammable, entirely soluble in alcohol and essential oils, 252 MATERIA MEDICA. and, like the other balsams, yields its acid to boiling water. Its ingredients are resin, volatile oil, and cinnamic acid. Effects and Uses.—It is a stimulant blennorrhetic and tonic, useful in chronic catarrhal affections, and, from its agreeable flavor, much employed as an ingredient of cough mixtures. The vapor of an ethereal solution of this balsam is inhaled with advantage for the relief of cough. Dose, gr. x-xxx, in emulsion, frequently repeated. A syrup is used as a vehicle for other medicines, and the tincture (three troyounces to alcohol Oij) is added to cough mixtures. Dose, f5i-ij. It is an ingredient of the compound tincture of benzoin. The following gum-resins, previously noticed among an- tispasmodics, are employed as expectorants : Assafostida (Assafetida). (See p. 76.) Ammoniacum (Ammoniac). (See p. 78.) Galbanum. (See p. 78.) ORDER VI.--EMMENAGOGUES. Emmenagogues (from £i±p.y}vta, the catamenia, and ofwyoq, exciting) are medicines which promote the menstrual dis- charge. This discharge may be suppressed from various causes, and hence very opposite classes of remedies are employed to restore it. Thus, when amenorrhoea depends on ancemia, the preparations of iron are the most effec- tual emmenagogues; oh the other hand, when it occurs in connection with plethora, bloodletting and evacuants are resorted to. There are probably no articles which exert any specific influence upon the catamenia, as the discharge from the uterus is not one of the excretions through which medicinal agents pass out of the system. Medicines, however, which excite the pelvic circulation, and stimu- late the organs in the neighborhood of the uterus, have a SAVINE. 253 tendency to increase or excite the menstrual dischars-e. They are— 1. The drastic cathartics, as Aloes (p. 205), Black Hel- lebore (p. 213), &c. 2. Many of the stimulating diuretics, particularly Can- tharis (p. 234). 3. Some of the blennorrhetics, particularly Seneka (p. 236). 4. Guaiacum (p. 222), usually classed with the diapho- retics. Indirectly, the menstrual discharge is frequently pro- moted by— 1. Chalybeates, which are the best emmenagogues in chlorotic and anaemic cases. 2. Mercurials, which prove emmenagogue from their in- fluence in exciting the secretions generally. The following articles are employed exclusively as em- menagogues : SABINA—SAVINE. Savine is the tops of Jnniperus Sabina (Nat. Ord. Pina- ceae), a small, evergreen, bushy shrub of the south of Eu- rope. They resemble closely the tops of Juniperus Virgi- niana, the indigenous Red Cedar, which are sometimes substituted for savine in the shops. The latter has a greenish color, a strong, peculiar, heavy odor, and a bitter, nauseous resinous taste. Its virtues depend on a volatile oil, which is officinal. Physiological Effects.—Savine is a local irritant. Taken internally, in medicinal doses, it stimulates the circulation and secretions, with a very decided action on the uterus. In large doses, it will cause vomiting, purging, and other symptoms of gastro-intestinal inflammation; and fatal re- sults have sometimes occurred from its use to provoke pre- mature labor. 254 MATERIA MEDICA. Medicinal Uses.—Savine is employed internally, almost ex- clusively as an emmenagogue, and is considered one of the best medicines that can be used to stimulate the action of the uterine vessels. Pereira pronounces it " the most certain and powerful emmenagogue of the whole Materia Medica." It has also been recommended in chronic rheu- matism, and as an anthelmintic. Topically, it is used to keep up the discharge from blisters, to destroy warts, &c. Dose, in powder, gr. v-x; but it loses much of its oil by drying. Ceratum Sabino? (three parts of savine dissolved in ether, to twelve parts of resin cerate) is used to make per- petual blisters. Oleum Sabina (Oil of Savine) is the preparation princi- pally used internally. Dose, gtt. v-x. Ruta (Rue). The leaves of Ruta graveolens (Nat. Ord. Rutaceae), a perennial European plant, are ranked among emmenagogues, and are used, popularly, to provoke abor- tion. Dose, gr. xv-xxx, two or three times a day. Of the volatile oil, the dose is gtt. ij-v. Rubia (Madder). The root of Rubia tinctorum, or Dyer's Madder (Nat. Ord. Rubiaceae), a European plant, is occa- sionally employed as an emmenagogue. Dose, 5ss, three or four times a day. CLASS II I.—H JIMATICS. ORDER I.—HAMATLNICS. This order (from ai^arvm^ the red coloring matter of the blood), includes only the Preparations of Iron, or Chaly- beates. The chalybeates increase the number of blood- corpuscles, or the amount of haematin in the blood, and are employed therapeutically in diseases dependent on a deficiency of these elements. They belong eminently to hcematics (or medicines which occasion changes in the con- ALTERATIVES. 255 dition of the blood); but, as they possess also general and local tonic effects, independent of their action on the blood, they have been classed and treated of among the mineral tonics (see p. 110). ORDER II.—ALTERATIVES. Alteratives may be defined to be medicines, which pro- duce such a modification of the tissues, as enables the vital principle to restore healthy action, in morbid conditions of the system. Their effects are chiefly owing to a correct- ing influence on the quality of the circulating fluid. Thus, in inflammations, they diminish the abnormal quantity of fibrin in the blood, render its red corpuscles less disposed to aggregation, and decrease the number and adhesiveness of its white globules. In part, also, their curative opera- tion is of a substitutive character, by setting up an antago- nistic action, which takes the place of diseased action in the system. Under the influence of alteratives, the secretions and exhalations are increased, the textures softened, inflamma- tory action is arrested, and morbid growths and deposits are absorbed. The exudation of plastic or coagulable lymph is checked, and, as a consequence, also the forma- tion of false membranes. Visceral and glandular enlarge- ments and indurations are diminished and often disappear, and phlegmonous inflammation, of every kind, is opposed. If pushed too far, the alteratives soften and even destroy the textures, impoverish the blood so as to interfere with the functions of nutrition, and produce a condition of ma- rasmus and cachexia. Their principal therapeutic employment is as antiphlogis- tics or resolvents. The mercurials are chiefly employed in acute inflammations,—the preparations of iodine, bromine, &c, in chronic inflammations. In the treatment of acute inflammatory affections, mercurials are among the most 256 MATERIA MEDICA. important of our resources—especially in such as have a tendency to terminate in effusions of coagulable lymph. The iodic and bromic preparations are adapted to inflam- mations of a chronic character—and are particularly ser- viceable in indurations or enlargements of glands and or- gans, and in affections of the bones and fibrous tissues. By their substitutive or antagonistic action, alteratives are highly efficacious in the treatment of many diseases. In this way, syphilis is cured by the use of mercury, and in- termittent fever, by the use of arsenious acid. Owing to the injurious results which follow the pro- longed exhibition of alteratives, they are to be adminis- tered with caution, and their effects closely watched. HYDRARGYRI PRAPARATA--PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. Metallic mercury is obtained chiefly from the sulphuret (native cinnabar). It is an odorless, tasteless, volatile, liquid metal, of a whitish color. While it retains the liquid metallic state, mercury is inert; but, when taken internally, it sometimes combines with oxygen in the alimentary canal, and thus becomes active. In the state of vapor, it frequently proves inju- rious—in some instances, exciting salivation, ulceration of the mouth, &c.; in others, inducing a peculiar affection of the nervous system, termed shaking palsy (tremor mercurta- lis), which is often attended with loss of memory, vertigo, and other evidences of cerebral disturbance, and some- times terminates fatally. Workmen in quicksilver are liable to this affection. It is supposed by some chemists, that the activity of mercurial emanations is owing to the oxidation of the metal, before it is inhaled; by others, that, in the finely-divided state, in which it exists as a vapor, it is in itself poisonous. All the compounds of mercury possess activity. Some PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 257 of them are violent caustic poisons; all of them are more or less irritant. When the mercurials are taken internally, their effects vary with the quantity administered. In small and repeated doses, their influence is first shown in an in- crease of the activity of the secernents and exhalants. The cutaneous, mucous, biliary, salivary, urinary, and, probably also, the pancreatic secretions, are all increased in amount, and, at the same time, the absorbent system becomes more active, so that accumulations of fluids, mor- bid enlargements, indurations, &c, will often disappear. When mercury is given in larger doses, these effects are J more intense. The mucous membrane of the mouth and the salivary glands not only take on increased secretory action, but become irritated and inflamed. The gums first show the mercurial influence, and are tender and tume- fied ; the whole mouth soon becomes sore; the tongue is swollen; and the saliva and buccal mucus flow abundantly, sometimes to the extent of several pints a day. At the same time, the breath acquires a peculiar fetidity, and the patient perceives a metallic taste in the mouth. The resolvent action of mercury is now still more obvious than when its impression is milder, and considerable emaciation usually ensues, from the absorption of fat. These effects, which are termed sialagogue (from the excessive flow of saliva), are commonly produced for the cure of diseases, and, as a ge- neral rule, gradually subside, leaving the health unim- paired. When, however, the use of mercury is pushed too far, or it is administered to persons peculiarly suscep- tible of its action, a train of very serious symptoms en- sues—as excessive salivation, ulceration of the mouth, sloughing of the gums, loosening of the teeth, and, occa- sionally, necrosis of the alveolar processes. A peculiar fe- brile condition, called mercurial fever, diarrhoea, skin dis- eases, neuralgia, rheumatism, disorder of the nervous sys- tem, and marasmus, are other symptoms which are fre- quently noticed after the abuse of mercury. After its absorption, mercury produces several impor- 17 258 MATERIA MEDICA. tant changes in the quality of the blood. Immediately upon the establishment of salivation, the blood exhibits an inflammatory crust; but, at a later period, it loses color, consistence, and coagulability, and the proportion of fibrin to serum becomes diminished. This antiplastic action on the blood renders mercurials valuable as antiphlogistic re- medies. Medicinal Uses.—Liquid metallic mercury was formerly administered to remove mechanical obstructions of the bowels, but its use has been abandoned. The prepara- tions of mercury are employed therapeutically with va- rious objects. 1. As alteratives,—with a view to their action on the se- cretions,—in dyspepsia and constipation, accompanied with torpor of the liver, in gout, rheumatism, chronic skin dis- eases, &c. Blue pill, mercury with chalk, and calomel, are employed as alteratives; the two former are preferred as least irritating. 2. As sialagogues. The chief value of mercurials is shown when a full impression is made on the system, as evidenced by salivation. This condition is usually estab- lished by the internal exhibition of mercurials, but it may be also produced by friction or by fumigation. In putting the system under the influence of mercury, it is not neces- sary to excite a high degree of ptyalism, though, in chro- nic diseases, it is often proper to keep up the effect for some time. During the maintenance of ptyalism, the patient should use warm clothing, avoid exposure to cold, and take light and nourishing food. If excessive discharge or ulcerations occur, astringent gargles, as brandy and wa- ter, solutions of chloride of soda or lime, alum, &c, may be employed. In cases of sloughing sores, nitrate of sil- ver or the mineral acids should be applied. Gastro-enteric irritation is to be treated with laxatives and opiates. The mercurial cachexia requires change of air, generous diet, tonics, &c. When the system is contaminated with mer- cury, it may be eliminated by the use of iodide of potas- PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 259 sium, which forms soluble compounds with the mercury retained in the economy. As sialagogues, mercurials are chiefly emplo}7ed in fevers, inflammations, dysentery, cholera, and syphilis. In fevers, mercurials are used with a view both to their action on the secretions, and to a gentle sialagogue influ- ence. It is in inflammations that the value of mercurials is most conspicuous. After depletion, the mercurial pre- parations, from their antiplastic action on the blood, are probably the most efficacious means at our command for the relief of internal inflammations. They are most useful in inflammations of serous tissues, especially where these are connected with the exudation of coagulable lymph, and also where there is a tendency to the formation of false membrane, as in plastic croup. In scrofulous, malignant, or gangrenous inflammations, mercury is objectionable. In dysentery and cholera, mercurials are highly valuable re- medies, and enter into nearly all the varieties of treatment adopted in these diseases. In syphilitic diseases, mercury has long been regarded as the only reliable curative agent. It is, perhaps, unnecessary in the early treatment of the primary symptoms; but, after the system has been con- taminated with the syphilitic virus, mercury is the most certain and rapid means of eradicating it. In hepatic and inflammatory dropsies, mercurials are employed with ad- vantage, with a view to their action both on the secretions and absorbents. Where much debility exists, however, and in granular diseases of the kidneys, mercurials are objectionable. The preparations of mercury have been exhibited as sialagogues in many other diseases, as para- lysis, colica pictonum, chronic visceral diseases, particu- larly of the lungs and liver, &c. They must be always considered as contra-indicated in scrofulous or tuberculous subjects, in cases of malignant disease, in extensive sup- purations, marasmus, &c. Blue pill and calomel are the sialagogues principally resorted to; but other preparations, as the iodides, are employed in syphilis. In administering mercurials, for 260 MATERIA MEDICA. their sialagogue action, we sometimes observe a cumulative effect: they may be exhibited, particularly to children, for some time without result, when suddenly the most vio- lent symptoms of mercurial saturation will be developed. 3. As purgatives. The employment of calomel, blue pill, and mercury with chalk, as cathartics and anthelmintics, has been previously noticed (see p. 217). The following are the preparations of mercury which are employed medicinally: 1. Metallic Mercury. When intimately mixed with pulverulent or fatty bodies, mercury loses its liquid cha- racter—is said to be killed, extinguished, or mortified—and acquires medicinal activity. Its activity is probably owing to its reduction to a state of minute division, wilich enables it to enter into combinations in the stomach. The officinal 1 preparations of metallic mercury are: Pilulo? Hydrargyri (Pills of Mercury), Unguentum Hydrargyri (Mercurial Oint- ment), Emplastrum Hydrargyri (Mercurial Plaster), Hydrar- gyrum cum Cretd (Mercury with Chalk). 2. Oxides.—Hydrargyri Oxidum Nigrum (Black Oxide of Mercury), Hydrargyri Oxidum Rubrum (Red Oxide of Mercury). 3. Chlorides.—Hydrargyri Chloridum Mite (Mild Chlo- ride of Mercury or Calomel), Hydrargyri Chloridum Corrosi- vum (Corrosive Chloride of Mercury, or Corrosive Sublimate). 4. Iodides.—Hydrargyri lodidum Viride (G-reen Iodide of Mercury), Hydrargyri lodidum Rubrum (Red Iodide of Mercury). 5. Hydrargyri Cyanidum (Cyanide ofi Mercury). 6. Hydrargyrum Ammoniatum (Ammoniated Mercury) 7.—Hydrargyri Sulphas Flava (Yellow Sulphate ofi Mer- cury). 8. Hydrargyri Sulphuretum Rubrum (Red Sulphuret of > Mercury). 9. Nitrates.— Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis (Ointment ofi Nitrate ofi Mercury), Liquor Hydrargyri Nitratis (Solution ofi Nitrate ofi Mercury). PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 261 Pilula Hydrargyri (Pills ofi Mercury). This prepara- tion, generally known as Blue Pill, is made by rubbing mercury (a troyounce) with confection of roses (a troy- ounce and a half), till all the globules disappear; then adding powdered liquorice root (half a troyounce), and beating the whole into a mass. The trituration is now generally effected by machinery—usually by steam power. It is a soft, dark-blue mass, of a convenient consistence for making; into pills. The mercury is in a state of minute division, and is chemically unaltered, though, perhaps, a very small portion of it is in a state of oxidation. Three grains of the pilular mass contain one grain of mercury. The preparation changes color from being kept, becoming of an olive and even reddish tint, in consequence of the further oxidation of the metal. As it is often adulterated, it is important that it should be purchased of a reliable house. Effects and Uses.—In full doses (gr. v-xv), blue pill acts as a laxative; when given for this purpose, it is usually followed in a few hours by a saline cathartic. In doses of gr. i-ij-iij, repeated at proper intervals, it is employed as an alterative or sialagogue, and is the favorite preparation for exciting salivation in chronic affections. When it moves the bowels, opium is combined with it. It may be pleasantly given suspended in mucilage or syrup. Unguentum Hydrargyri (Mercurial Ointment) is made by rubbing two parts of mercury with one part of suet and lard each, until the globules disappear. It is an unctuous, fatty body, of a bluish-gray color, consisting of equal weights of fatty matter and finely divided mercury. A very small portion of protoxide is, perhaps, present, and, as the ointment becomes darker by age, a further oxidation of the mercury probably takes place. Effects and Uses.—Mercurial ointment, when either swal- lowed or rubbed into the integuments, produces the con- stitutional effects of mercury; locally, it has but little irritant effect. It is scarcely ever used internally in the 262 materia medica. United States or Great Britain, though, in France, it is highly esteemed as a sialagogue, in the dose of gr. ij, re- peated. Externally, it is used to mercurialize the system by friction, or applied to blistered surfaces; to disperse non-malignant tumors; as a dressing to syphilitic sores; to destroy pediculi; and to prevent suppuration and pitting in small-pox. Emplastrum Hydrargyri (Mercurial Plaster), is made by rubbing mercury with olive oil and resin previously melted together, till the globules disappear; and then adding melted lead plaster. It is used as a discutient of venereal and other enlargements, &c, and is applied to the side in chronic hepatitis: it may induce salivation. The plaster of ammo- I niac with mercury (made with ammoniac, mercury, olive oil, \ and sulphur) is more stimulating than the foregoing. Hydrargyrum cum Creta (Mercury with Chalk), is pre- pared by rubbing three parts of mercury with five parts of prepared chalk, till all the globules disappear. It is a grayish powder, containing mercury chiefly in a state of minute division. In full doses, it is a gentle laxative, milder even than blue pill; in smaller doses, it is an ex- cellent alterative; and the chalk renders it antacid. It is chiefly employed as an alterative in infantile cases. Dose, for adults, gr. v-xx; for children, gr. ij or iij to gr. viij or x, in powder, and not in pills, as in the latter form the mercury becomes squeezed out of the chalk. Hydrargyri Oxidum Nigrum (Black Oxide of Mercury). This preparation, although discarded from the Pharma- copoeia, has still claims to notice. It is obtained by agitat- ing calomel (protochloride of mercury) in a solution of potassa; chloride of potassium is formed in solution, and protoxide of mercury (one equivalent of oxygen and one equivalent of mercury) precipitates. As first prepared, it is a greenish-black powder; but, on exposure to light or heat, it is converted into a mixture of metallic mercury and deutoxide, and becomes olive-colored. It is odorless, preparations of mercury. 263 tasteless, insoluble in water, but soluble in nitric and acetic acids. Its effects are alterative, sialagogue, and purgative, and it is one of the least irritating of the mercurial prepa- rations—but it is little used internally, on account of the uncertainty of its composition. Dose, gr. i to gr. i-ij, in pill. Externally, it has been employed as a fumigating j agent; also, as an application to chancres and other sores, suspended in a weak solution of chloride of calcium, under the name of black wash (made extemporaneously by adding calomel 5j, to lime-wTater Oj). ' Hydrargyri Oxidum Rubrum (Red Oxide of Mercury). This is the deutoxide or peroxide of mercury (consisting of one equivalent of metal and two equivalents of oxygen). It is usually made by dissolving mercury in diluted nitric acid, with a gentle heat, by which nitrate of the deutoxide of mercury is formed; and the nitric acid is afterwards decomposed and driven off by calcination. The deutoxide of mercury, which is commonly called red precipitate, occurs in small, shining scales, of a brilliant red color, with a • shade of orange. It has an acrid taste, and is nearly inso- ) luble in water. Its effects are those of a powerful irritant, and, when taken internally, even in small doses, it excites vomiting and purging—in large doses, gastro-enteritis. It is rarely or never used internally (dose, gr. 5—J); exter- nally, it is applied as an escharotic, either in powder or ointment, to chancres, indolent ulcers, &c. The yellow wash (a favorite application to phagedenic venereal ulcers) consists of red oxide of mercury, suspended in a weak solu- tion of chloride of calcium and caustic lime; it is made by ; adding corrosive sublimate (gr. ij, or less) to lime-water /' (fSj). Unguentum hydrargyri oxidi rubri (ointment of red oxide ofi mercury), consists of one part of red oxide mixed with eight parts of simple ointment: it is a very useful stimulating ointment in indolent ulcers, porrigo, ophthal- mia, &c. Hydrargyri Chloridum Mite (Mild Chloride of Mercury). 264 MATERIA MEDICA. This preparation, well known as calomel, consists of J)ne_ equivalent of chlorine and of mercury, each, and is a pro- tochloride of mercury. It is made by subliming a mixture of protosulphate of mercury and chloride of sodium (common salt); a double decomposition takes place, by which chloride of mercury and sulphate of soda are formed. The protosulphate of mercury is previously obtained by boiling mercury in sulphuric acid, and afterwards triturat- ing the resulting bisulphate of the deutoxide with mer- cury. Calomel, as thus procured in mass, is liable to con- tain a little corrosive sublimate. It should be reduced to powder, and washed repeatedly with boiled distilled water, until the absence of a white precipitate with ammonia shows that the corrosive sublimate has been removed. With a view of obtaining calomel in a state of very minute division, its vapor is condensed in a receiving vessel filled with steam, whereby it takes the form of a very fine powder, and is perfectly free from corrosive sublimate. The calomel thus prepared (known as Jewell's or Howard's calomel) is finer and more active than can be obtained by levigation and elutriation. Calomel, as usually manufactured by sublimation, is in the form of white, fibrous, crystalline cakes. It may be obtained in the shape of quadrangular prismatic crystals. As found in the shops, it is a light-buff or ivory-colored powder, tasteless, inodorous, insoluble in water, alcohol, and ether, unalterable in the air, but blackening by long exposure to light. It should be kept in bottles painted black or covered with black paper. Jewell's calomel is a perfectly white powder. When pure, calomel is completely vaporizable by heat; it strikes a black color, free from red- dish tinge, with solutions of the fixed alkalies; and should not, when digested with water, form a white precipitate with ammonia, unless it contain corrosive sublimate. Incompatibles.—The alkalies, alkaline earths, alkaline carbonates, soaps, and hydrosulphates, are incompatible with calomel. Nitro-muriatic acid should not be prescribed with PREPARATIONS of mercury. 265 it, for fear of generating corrosive sublimate. Preparations containing hydrocyanic acid, the chlorides of sodium and potassium, and muriate of ammonia, produce the same change. It is probable that calomel is in part converted into corrosive sublimate in the stomach, by the muriatic acid which it encounters. Effects and Uses.—Calomel produces the effects of the mercurials, already described, and, in purgative doses, proves also a valuable anthelmintic. From the certainty and mildness of its operation, it is more employed than any of the other preparations of mercury, although blue pill, which if less certain, is milder, is preferred under some circumstances. Calomel has been frequently taken in very large doses, without any bad effects; but cases are recorded in which, in excessive quantity, it has acted as an irritant poison. As a purgative, it is employed in doses of gr. vi-xij, in fevers, hepatitis, colica pictonum, dysentery, and many other affections; as an anthelmintic in the same doses; and, in both cases, it is to be followed in a few hours by a , saline draught, castor oil, or senna. Calomel is often given in combination with other cathartics, as jalap, rhubarb, aloes, scammony, colocynth, and gamboge. In very large doses, as 3j to oss, or even more, it is said to possess seda- tive powers, and has been recommended in dysentery, cho- lera, puerperal fever, &c. As an antiphlogistic, in inflamma- tory cases, calomel is given in doses of gr. J to gr. j, every one, two, or three hours; as an alterative, in these doses, twice or thrice a day. In the dose of gr. j, frequently re- \ peated, it is one of the best means of checking obstinate ] vomiting. It is frequently added to other medicines to in- crease their action on the secretions, as diuretics, antimo- nials, &c. To children, calomel may be given in propor- tionally larger doses than to adults, and it rarely salivates them. In infantile diarrhoea, very minute doses of calomel, as Sr- h T5> t'sj every hour or two, are highly efficacious. Externally, calomel is applied in powder, as an errhine, in 266 materia medica. amaurosis; and, made into an ointment, it is an excellent application in a variety of cutaneous affections. Hydrargyri Chloridum Corrosivum (Corrosive Chloride ofi Mercury). This is the bichloride of mercury, commonly called corrosive sublimate, consisting of two equivalents of chlorine and one equivalent of mercury. It is made by subliming a mixture of chloride of sodium and bisulphate of the deutoxide of mercury (which is previously obtained by boiling mercury with sulphuric acid); a double decom- position takes place, resulting in the formation of bichlo- ride of mercury and sulphate of soda. Corrosive subli- / mate occurs in the form of white, semi-transparent, crys- 1 talline masses, permanent in the air, inodorous, and of an \ acrid, styptic taste. It is tolerably soluble in cold water, /and very soluble in boiling water, alcohol, ether, and the (mineral acids. The aqueous solution, when exposed to light, is decomposed, with the precipitation of calomel and evolution of hydrochloric acid. It is incompatible with many of the metals, the alkalies and their carbonates, soap, lime-water, tartar emetic, nitrate of silver, the ace- tates of lead, the sulphurets of potassium and sodium, and all the hydrosulphates. The tests for detecting corrosive sublimate as a poison are, in the order of their delicacy, ferrocyanide of potassium, lime-water, carbonate of potassa, iodide of potassium, ammonia, sulphuretted hydrogen, and protochloride of tin. / Physiological Effects.—In medicinal doses, as gr. Jg-J, 1 corrosive sublimate occasions a beneficial alterative effect, without any obvious activity. Its continued use may cause salivation, but it has less tendency to produce this result than any other preparation of mercury. Medicinal doses, if too large or too long-continued, frequently produce gas- tro-enteric symptoms and the constitutional effects of mer- / cury. In excessive doses, corrosive sublimate is a violent caustic poison, from its affinity for albumen, fibrin, and other constituents of the tissues. It produces the most intense gastro-enteritis, sometimes followed by the ordinary con- PREPARATIONS of mercury. 267 stitutional effects of mercury. The best antidote is albu- men (in the form of white of eggs); or, if this is not at- tainable, gluten (in wheat flour), or casein (in milk), may be substituted. The protosulphuret of iron (if given immedi- ately), and a mixture of iron filings (two parts) with gold dust (one part), also decompose corrosive sublimate. In cases of poisoning, the stomach must be evacuated as soon as possible, and the after-treatment consists in the free use of demulcents, opiates, and topical depletion. Medicinal Uses.—Corrosive sublimate is chiefly used as an alterative in secondary syphilis, usually in combination with the alterative diaphoretics, as the compound syrup of sarsaparilla; also in cutaneous and rheumatic affections, and as a sorbefacient in old dropsies. Dose, gr. y'g—J, three or four times a day, in pill or solution. Externally, it may be used as a caustic; a weak solution (gr. J-i-ij to water f5j) is much employed as a wash to ulcers, an injection in gleet, a collyrium, &c. An ointment (gr. J-i-ij to lard §j), is a good application in porrigo. Hydrargyri Iodidum Viride (Green Iodide of Mercury), is made by rubbing mercury and iodine together, with the addition of a little alcohol. It is a protiodide, consisting of one equivalent of iodine and mercury each, and is a yel- lowish-green powder, insoluble in water and alcohol, but soluble in ether. By exposure to light it is partially de- composed, and becomes of a dark-olive color. Effects and Uses.—This mercurial exercises a specific in- fluence over the lymphatic and glandular system, and is ; employed in syphilis and scrofula occurring in the same individual. Dose, gr. j, gradually increased to gr. iij or iv; it should not be given with iodide of potassium, which de- composes it. Externally, it is applied, in the form of oint- ment, to syphilitic ulcers, &c. Hydrargyri Iodidum Rubrum (Red Iodide of Mercury), is the biniodide, consisting of one equivalent of mercury and two equivalents of iodine. It is made by mixing so- 268 MATERIA MEDICA. lutions of iodide of potassium and bichloride of mercury, from which a double decomposition ensues, resulting in the formation of chloride of potassium in solution, and biniodide of mercury precipitated. It is a scarlet-red pow- der, insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol and solutions of iodide of potassium, chloride of sodium, &c. It is a powerful irritant and caustic, and is employed in the same cases as the protiodide, though much more energetic. Dose, gr. Jg, gradually increased to gr. i, in pill or alco- holic solution. Externally, it is much used in the form of ointment. Hydrargyri Cyanidum (Cyanide of Mercury). This salt is made by adding a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium to sulphuric acid, by which hydrocyanic acid is produced, and this, being received in a vessel containing water and red oxide of mercury, generates water and bicyanide of mercury. It is usually found in the form of permanent, prismatic, white, and opaque crystals, of a disagreeable styptic taste, soluble in water, but not in alcohol. It is an active poison, and is used as an antisyphilitic remedy, as a substitute for corrosive sublimate, over which it has the advantage of not producing epigastric pain, and not being decomposed by alkalies and organic substances. Dose, gr. Hydrargyrum Ammoniatum (Ammoniated Mercury). This preparation, commonly called white precipitate, is made by precipitating a solution of bichloride of mercury by am- monia ; muriate of ammonia is formed in solution, and ammoniated mercury is thrown down. It consists of one equivalent of bichloride of mercury and one equivalent of a compound consisting of one equivalent of mercury combined with two equivalents of amidogen (or ammonia deprived of one equivalent of hydrogen). It is a perfectly white powder, insoluble in water and alcohol, decomposed by boiling water, inodorous, and has an earthy, afterwards PREPARATIONS OF MERCURY. 269 metallic taste. It is largely adulterated, chiefly with sul- phate of lime. Its effects are poisonous, but it is used only as an external application, in the form of ointment (unguen- tum hydrargyri ammoniati, (one part of ammoniated mer- cury to twelve parts of ointment of lard), to cutaneous eruptions, and to destroy pediculi. Hydrargyri Sulphas Flava (Yellow Sulphate ofi Mer- cury). This salt, commonly called turpeth mineral, is made by throwing the bisulphate of the deutoxide of mercury (as obtained from the action of sulphuric acid on mer- cury), into boiling water ; the bisulphate is instantly decom- posed, and a basic sesquisulphate of the deutoxide of mer- cury—turpeth mineral—is precipitated. It is an inodorous, lemon-yellow powder, of a rather acrid taste, and almost insoluble in water. It has been employed as an alterative, in doses of gr. |-J; as an emetic, in croup and chronic en- largement of the testis, in doses of gr. ij-v; and as an er- rhine, in chronic ophthalmia and diseases of the head. In an overdose, it is poisonous, 3j having proved fatal. Hydrargyri Sulphuretum Rubrum (Red Sulphuret ofi Mercury), or Cinnabar (which is found as a native combina- tion), is manufactured by subliming a mixture of one part of sulphur and five parts of mercury. It consists of one equivalent of mercury and two equivalcnfsof sulphur, and occurs in the form of heavy, brilliant, deep-red, crystal- line masses, which are inodorous, tasteless, entirely vola- tilizable by heat, and insoluble in water and alcohol. It is not employed internally, but is used in the way of fumiga- tion in venereal ulcers of the throat and nose; 5ss may be thrown on a red-hot iron and inhaled; but the black oxide is a better substance for mercurial fumigation. Cinnabar is used as a paint, under the name of vermilion. Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis (Ointment ofi Nitrate ofi Mercury). The nitrate ofi mercury is employed chiefly in the form of ointment. This preparation, known as citrine 270 MATERIA medica. ointment, is made by dissolving mercury in nitric acid, and adding the mercurial solution to a melted mixture of neat's- foot oil and lard. The chemical changes which result here are not precisely known; but a subnitrate of the deutoxide of mercury is probably formed, with fatty acids and elaidin. Citrine ointment has a fine yellow color, and unctuous consistence; but, if not very carefully made, it becomes greenish, hard, and friable. It is an excellent stimulant and alterative application, much employed in porrigo, pso- riasis, crusta lactea, impetigo, psorophthalmia, and a wide range of ulcerated and eruptive affections. It is best to dilute it, at first, with lard. Liquor Hydrargyri Nitratis (Solution ofi Nitrate of Mer- cury), is made by dissolving 3 parts of mercury in 5 parts of nitric acid, mixed with a little distilled water. It is a dense, transparent, nearly colorless liquid, of a strongly acid taste, and is employed as a caustic application in malignant ulcers and cutaneous affections. IODINIUM--IODINE. Iodine is an elementary non-metallic substance, found in the vegetable, animal, and mineral kingdoms of nature, —as marine plants, oysters, sponges, mineral springs, &c. It is chiefly manufactured from kelp (the impure soda ob- tained from the incineration of sea-weeds), in which it exists as an iodide of sodium. It occurs in crystalline scales, of a bluish-black color and metallic lustre, of a strong, peculiar odor, and a hot, acrid taste. It is very volatile—evaporating even at common temperatures^is freely soluble in alcohol and ether, and but very slightly soluble in water. Its solubility in water is very much increased by the addition of certain salts, as the iodide of potassium, chloride of sodium, &c. Iodine may be de- tected in the minutest quantity by starch, which produces with it a deep blue color; if in combination, the iodine IODINE. 271 must be first freed with a little nitric acid. Chloroform has also been proposed as a test. Physiological Effects.—Iodine acts locally as an irritant; when applied to the skin it stains it yellow, and causes itching, redness, and desquamation; and, when inhaled in the form of vapor, it excites cough and heat in the air- passages. Taken internally, in medicinal doses, it frequently produces a remedial alterative and resolvent effect, without any obvious disturbance of the functions. Usually, pa- tients become thin under its use, though sometimes its alterative action on the nutrition produces embonpoint. If administered in too large doses, or to persons of irrita- ble stomachs, it produces subacute gastro-enteritis; and, when continued for a long time, it will produce gastro- enteric symptoms—headache, giddiness, and other evi- dences of cerebro-spinal disturbance—marasmus—some- times discoloration of the skin—occasionally salivation— and frequently a wasting ofi_the mamma? and testicles. The influence of iodine on the secretions is uncertain, but it commonly stimulates them. In excessive doses, it may act as an irritant poison, and has even produced death; but such a result is rare. Enormous quantities have been taken with very slight effects. The absorption of iodine is shown by its presence in the blood and various secre- tions. Medicinal Uses.—Iodine is a most valuable resolvent remedy, in chronic visceral and glandular enlargements, indurations, thickening of membranes, tumors, &c. It is chiefly employed in bronchocele and scrofula, but it is useful in every variety of chronic tumor and enlargement; also as an alterative in secondary syphilis and other chronic affections; and as an emmenagogue. Its vapor has been inhaled with benefit in chronic bronchitis and phthisis. It is a valuable topical remedy, and is applied in the form of tincture, with the greatest advantage, in the various cutaneous affections, lupus, erysipelas, rheumatism, gout, phlegmons, carbuncles, wounds, diseases of joints, poisoned 272 MATERIA medica. parts, to prevent pitting in small-pox, as an injection in hydrocele, &c, &c. Administration.—Iodine is rarely exhibited alone, but usually in conjunction with iodide of potassium (see p. 273). To avoid gastric irritation, it is best given after a meal, particularly when amylaceous substances have been taken, as it forms with them iodide of starch. Dose, gr. |-^, two or three times daily. Liquor Iodinii Compositus— Compound Solution ofi Iodine—(Iodine 5vj ; Iodide of potas- sium a troyounce and a half; distilled water Oj), is the usual preparation in which iodine is administered inter- nally. Dose, six drops, three times a day, in sweetened water, and gradually increased. The tincture (a troyounce ; to alcohol Oj) is of a deep-brown color, and undergoes a gradual change, when kept long; water precipitates the iodine from it; and hence it is little employed internally. Dose, gtt. x-xx, repeated and increased. Externally, it is extensively applied to erysipelatous and poisoned parts, /chilblains, in cutaneous affections, &c, &c. The compound j tincture (iodine half a troyounce, iodide of potassium a troy- , ounce, alcohol Oj), has the advantage over the tincture, that it may be diluted with water without decomposition. Dose, gtt. xv-xxx. The ointment—unguentum iodinii—(made with iodine 3j, iodide of potassium gr. iv, water rnTyj, and lard a troyounce), is employed as a local application in goitre, scrofulous tumefactions, &c.; it does not keep well. Unguentum iodinii compositum (iodine 15 grains, iodide of potassium 30 grains, water 30 minims, lard a troyounce), is used for the same purposes as the preceding; they both impart an orange color to the skin. Iodine baths have been employed, with iodine and iodide of potassium dissolved in water, in a wooden bath-tub, in the proportion of iodine gr. iij, and iodide gr. vj, to a gallon of water. ^ Iodine is employed in medicine, in various chemical com- binations. The iodides ofi iron, lead, and mercury, have been noticed. The iodide ofi starch is highly recommended. Dose, a teaspoonful, three times a day, to be increased. IODIDE OF POTASSIUM. 273 The iodide of zinc is employed as a tonic and astringent. The iodide ofi sulphur, in the form of ointment, is used in various skin diseases. POTASSII IODIDUM--IODIDE OF POTASSIUM. This salt is prepared by treating an aqueous solution of potassa with iodine in slight excess. By this process, a mixture of iodide of potassium and iodate of potassa is obtained, and the iodate is afterwards deoxidized and con- verted into iodide by heat, and mixture with powdered charcoal. Iodide of potassium consists of one equivalent of iodine and potassium, each. It occurs in semi-opaque, white, or transparent crystals, permanent in a dry air, rather deliquescent in a moist one, of an acrid, saline taste, somewhat like that of common salt. It is readily soluble in water and alcohol, and its aqueous solution dis- solves iodine, forming ioduretted iejdide ofi potassium. It is frequently adulterated with other salts. Effects and Uses.—The effects of iodide of potassium are analogous to those of iodine, but less energetic. Locally, it acts as an irritant, and, in large doses, sometimes occa- sions nausea, vomiting, heat of stomach, and purging; but it may be given in larger doses, and for a longer period, than iodine, without causing gastro-enteric derangement. It stimulates the secretions, particularly those from mucous membranes, and very often produces coryza. Its consti- tutional effects are powerfully alterative and resolvent, and it is employed in bronchocele, scrofula, secondary syphilis, and other chronic diseases, particularly those accompanied with enlargements or indurations. It is superior to mercury as an anti-syphilitic remedy, when the bones and fibrous tissues are affected. In chronic rheumatism and gout, particularly where the fibrous tissues are attacked, it is of great efficacy. As a diuretic in dropsy, it has been found useful; and in spasmodic asthma it often gives great relief. As an elimi- 18 274 MATERIA MEDICA. native antidote, in mercurial and saturnine poisoning, its action has been already noticed. It has been recommended in hydrocephalus. Administration.—Dose, gr. v-xv, or even more, three times a day, in solution. An ointment (5j to lard a troy- ounce, with water foj), is employed for the same purposes as iodine ointment, and does not discolor the skin; it is, however, of feebler efficacy. Brominium (Bromine), is an elementary body, bearing close chemical and medicinal affinities to iodine. It is obtained from the bittern of salt springs (largely near Freeport, Pa.), in which it exists as a bromide of magne- sium. It is a volatile, red liquid, of a caustic taste, and a strong, disagreeable smell, sparingly soluble in water, more soluble in alcohol, and still more so in ether. Its effects on the system are very analogous to those of iodine, and it has been employed as an alterative resolvent in bronchocelc, scrofulous tumors, skin diseases, &c, particu- larly in cases in which iodine does not answer, or has lost its activity. It is exhibited in aqueous solution (1 part to 40 parts of distilled water); dose, six drops, several times a day. Properly diluted, it is used as a wash for ulcers. In overdoses, bromine is an irritant poison, and has proved fatal; ammonia is said to be an antidote. Potassii Bromidum (Bromide ofi Potassium), is prepared try adding a solution of pure carbonate of potassa to a solution of bromide of iron. The iron is precipitated, and bromide of potassium remains in solution, from which it is obtained by evaporation. It occurs as a permanent, colorless, anhydrous, crystalline salt, of a pungent, saline taste, very soluble in water, and slightly soluble in alcohol. Bromide of potassium has been used as a substitute for the iodide, in bronchocele, scrofula, chronic cutaneous affections, secondary syphilis, &c, but it is inferior in these diseases to the iodic salt. It has, however, proved a very effica- cious remedy in diseases of the nervous centres, as whoop- COD-LIVER OIL. 275 ing-cough, infantile convulsions, and especially epilepsy, over which it is now believed to exert more control than any other article of the Materia Medica. It is found also to be the most efficient remed}T which we possess in allay- ing venereal excitement, and hence its employment in nymphomania, chordee, &c, and as a preventive of mastur- bation, in prisons, barracks, &c. Dose, from three to ten grains, several times a day. Bromides ofi iron and of mer- cury have been also employed. OLEUM MORRHUA — COD-LIVER OIL. This is a fixed oil, obtained from the liver of Gadus Morrhua, or the common cod,—a well-known fish of the Northern Atlantic,—and probably, also, from the livers of several other species of Gadus. It is prepared by subject- ing the livers to heat, either in boilers with water, or by means of steam externally applied, and afterwards drain- ing off the liquid portion, from which the oil separates on standing. It is said to be sometimes procured also by ex- pression. Three varieties are known, the white or pale- yellow, the brownish-yellow, and the dark-brown. They differ chiefly in the mode of preparation—the pale being pre- pared from fresh livers, the dark-brown from those which are collected at sea and have undergone putrefactive de- composition, and the brownish-yellow from those in which putrefaction has only partially commenced. The pale oil is the purest; the dark oil is the most offensive to the taste and smell, and the least acceptable to the stomach. Cod-liver oil is of the consistence of lamp-oil, and has a peculiar odor and taste, resembling that of shoe-leather, which is usually prepared in the United States with this oil. These sensible properties are probably the best test of the genuineness of the oil, and it should be rejected if the smell and taste of shoe-leather are wanting, or if those of lamp-oil or fish-oil are very perceptible. The sp. gr. of 276 MATERIA MEDICA. the best oil is about 0.917. The oil undergoes a gradual change from exposure to the air, and should therefore be kept in full and well-stoppered bottles. It contains a grealt variety of chemical constituents, the most important of which are fatty acids, several biliary principles, a peculiar brown substance called gaduin, (which is not, however, supposed to be the active ingredient), iodine, chlorine, and traces of bromine. Cod-liver oil may be distinguished from other oils by the agency of sulphuric acid, a drop of which, when added to fresh cod-liver oil, on a porcelain plate, causes a centri- fugal movement in the oil, and gives rise to a fine violet color, soon passing into yellowish or brownish-red. This reaction is attributable, however, to the bile contained in the oil. By the addition of ammonia, lime, or potassa, the peculiar volatile principle, prophylamia (the odorous prin- ciple of pickled herring), is developed. Physiological Effects.—The prolonged use of cod-liver oil in doses which allow it to be retained by the stomach, pro- duces very marked beneficial effects in a wide range of chronic diseases, dependent on a vitiated condition of the functions of digestion, assimilation, and nutrition. Its modus medendi is not well understood; some therapeutists believing it to act merely as a nutritive agent, valuable from the readiness with which it is assimilated—others at- tributing its curative powers to the iodine and bromine, or other principles which it contains. Its efficiency, cannot, however, be ascribed to its nutritive qualities, as other highly nutritious oleaginous substances have no such cura- tive powers. It appears to act, in some unknown way, as an alterative stimulant to the functions of assimilation and nutrition, rendering food more easily assimilable, and thus resisting the waste of the system occasioned by chronic diseases. The most striking feature in its action on the economy is increase of weight; and, usually, where it fails to increase the weight, it is of little service. In large doses, COD-LIVER OIL. 277 cod-liver oil produces nausea and diarrhoea, and these effects occasionally follow^ the use of medicinal doses. Medicinal Uses.—Cod-liver oil has long been known as a remedy in rheumatic diseases; and within the last twenty years it has come into extensive use, as an alterative in tuberculous and scrofulous affections. In the treatment of phthisis pulmonalis, it is now looked upon, in Great Britain and the United States, as superior to any other agent, and as possessing an undoubted power of arresting the progress of both the general and local symptoms in this disease. Relatively, it produces more marked effect in the last than in the previous stages of phthisis. Over the various forms of scrofula, it exercises also a very decided control—par- ticularly glandular enlargements, ulcers, diseases of the joints and spine, ophthalmia, &c. In the various cutaneous affections, scrofulous ophthalmia, chronic rheumatism, and o-out, and the entire circle of chronic disorders, in which there is a tendency to marasmus, cod-liver oil is now em- ployed. Its peculiar powers and merits require, however, to be more fully developed by time. It is contraindicated where there is a tendency to congestion or plethora, and its exhibition should be suspended (temporarily, at least) in the treatment of phthisis, when intra-thoracic inflamma- tion or hemoptysis is present. Its good effects are most conspicuous, in proportion to the youth of the patient. Administration.—Dose, a tablespoonful three or four times a day, to be gradually increased as the stomach will permit; and it must be persevered with for a long time before its good effects appear. It is best given in some aromatic water, or the froth of porter; and it may be rendered more acceptable to the stomach by combination with one of the mineral acids. If it produce diarrhoea, astringents should be administered with it. It is used as a clyster, in cases of ascarides and lumbricoides; and externally, in cutaneous affections and opacity of the cornea. 278 MATERIA MEDICA. ARSENICI PRAPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF ARSENIC. Metallic arsenic is inert, though, when swallowed, it may prove powerfully poisonous, by becoming oxidized and con- verted into arsenious acid. It is not used in medicine. Acidum Arseniosum (Arsenious Acid), sometimes called White Arsenic, Oxide ofi Arsenic, or Arsenic, is obtained prin- cipally as a secondary product in the roasting of cobalt ores (the arseniurets of cobalt) in Saxony and Bohemia, It is afterwards purified by sublimation; and, when re- cently prepared, occurs in glassy, colorless, transparent masses, of a vitreous fracture, which gradually become white and opaque, progressively from the surface inwards. It is sometimes kept in the shops in the form of a fine white powder; but, in this state, it is liable to adulteration with chalk or sulphate of lime, and it should therefore be always purchased in masses. It is volatilizable by heat, has no smell, and little or no taste; is soluble in water (com- pletely so in boiling water, and more readily in either, when transparent than opaque), and also in alcohol and oils. Its chemical composition is one equivalent of arsenic and three equivalents of oxygen. Arsenic acid is composed of one equivalent of metal and five equivalents of oxygen. Tests.—Owing to the frequent use of arsenious acid as a poison, a knowledge of the means of detecting its presence is of great importance. In the solid state, it may be recog- nized in the first place by its volatility; secondly, when thrown on burning charcoal, it is deoxidized, and gives out the garlicky odor of metallic arsenic; and, thirdly, if heated in a glass tube with charcoal or black flux, it sublimes and condenses in the form of a metallic crust. In aqueous solution, arsenious acid may be detected by the following reagents: sulphuretted hydrogen, which produces a lemon or sulphur- yellow sulphuret of arsenic; ammoniacal nitrate ofi silver, which produces a canary-yellow arsenite of silver; and am- PREPARATIONS OF ARSENIC. 279 moniacal sulphate ofi copper, which produces an apple or grass-green arsenite of copper. The sulphuret of arsenic may be reduced, and made to yield metallic arsenic, if heated with soda-flux or potash-flux. The most delicate test, however, of arsenious acid in solution is that of nascent hydrogen, termed Marsh's test. When the acid is submitted to the action of nascent hydrogen (evolved by the action of sulphuric acid on zinc), it is deoxidized, and unites with the hydrogen to form arseniuretted hydrogen gas. This gas has a garlicky odor, and is recognized by its burning with a bluish-wThite flame, which deposits on a plate of glass or porcelain, held over the jet, a black spot or ring, surrounded by a larger white ring of arsenious acid. Another test is that of Reinsch, and consists in boil- ing a solution of the acid with muriatic acid and copper- foil or wire, when the latter acquires a whitish coating of metallic arsenic. When arsenious acid is dissolved with liquid organic substances, it should first be separated from insoluble matters by filtration, and the metallic arsenic may be then obtained by Reinsch's process; and the liquid or subliming tests afterwards applied. If the poison be mixed with solid organic substances, they should be cut up and boiled with water, acidulated with muriatic acid, and the solution afterwards filtered, and again boiled, &c. Physiological Effects.—Arsenious acid acts locally as an escharotic, by destroying the vitality of the parts to which it is applied. Its effects, when it is taken internally, in medicinal doses, are not, at first, very obvious. When con- tinued for some time, it generally produces more or less heat and dryness of the throat and stomach, with nausea, increased secretion from the bowels and kidneys, irritation of the conjunctiva, and a peculiar swelling of the face, termed oedema arsenicalis ; after the latter symptom appears, the medicine should be suspended. In too long-continued or too large medicinal doses, arsenious acid sometimes produces a sort of chronic poisoning, characterized by disorder of the digestive apparatus, conjunctivitis, oedema, salivation, a 280 MATERIA MEDICA. cutaneous eruption, loss of the hair and nails, paralysis, convulsions, and, if its use be persevered in, coma and de- lirium may result, terminating in death. In excessive doses, arsenious acid is a violent poison, usually destroying life hy gastro-enteritis, in from one to two or three days. When very large quantities are taken, it sometimes acts on the cerebro-spinal system, producing death by narcotism, in a few hours. Occasionally, gastro-enteric and cerebro-spinal symptoms both occur. A few grains of arsenious acid may prove fatal. Dissections, in cases of poisoning from this agent, reveal redness (sometimes accompanied with extravasations of blood), ulceration, softening, effusion of lymph, and even gangrene, in the alimentary canal. The blood is often fluid and dark-colored. The absorption of arsenious acid into the system, after its administration, is shown by its presence in the blood, animal tissues, urine, &c. Antidotes and Treatment in cases ofi Poisoning.—The eva- cuation of the contents of the stomach, by the stomach- pump or emetics, should be the first object in these cases. Demulcent drinks are to be also freely given. The hy- drated peroxide of iron should be administered, as soon as it can be procured, in the state of pulp or magma. It is prepared by the action of an alkaline solution on a sesqui- salt of iron; solution ofi ammonia is directed by the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, to be added to a solution of the tersulphate of iron (see p. 113). The hydrated peroxide of iron is a soft, moist, reddish-brown magma, wiiich acts as an anti- dote to arsenious acid, by forming with it an insoluble, inert subarseniate of protoxide of iron. The dose is about twelve times the supposed amount of poison taken, and it should be given in the fresh and pulpy state, as it gradually loses its antidotical virtues when kept. The sitbcarbonate (sesquioxide) ofi iron also acts as an antidote, but is much less powerful than the pulpy hydrate. Light magnesia (which has not been too strongly calcined), and freshly-precipi- tated gelatinous magnesia, may be also used as antidotes. PREPARATIONS OF ARSENIC. 281 The after-treatment consists in the use of demulcents, opi- ates, local bloodletting, and, if necessary, stimulants. Medicinal Uses.—Arsenious acid is a very valuable altera- tive remedy, but it must be exhibited with caution. It is- employed with the greatest success in the treatment of pe- riodical affections, as intermittent fevers, especially such as have resisted the use of bark, or frequently reappeared; in chronic cutaneous affections, particularly the scaly diseases (lepra, psoriasis, and pityriasis); also in certain affections of the nervous system, chorea in particular, over which it exer- cises a marked control; and in the tertiary forms of syphi- lis. As an external application, arsenious acid has been ap- plied to indolent sinuses, lupus, onychia maligna, &c, either pure or mixed with several parts of sulphur; its use is, however, attended, with danger of constitutional effects. It is an ingredient of various empirical compounds, em- ployed in the treatment of cancer. Administration.—Dose, gr. Jg to T',, in pills with bread- crumb, three times a day, to be reduced when conjuncti- vitis appears, and suspended after the establishment of the (rdema arsenicalis; and, after being taken a fortnight, it should always be intermitted for a day or two. Tt is less apt to occasion gastric irritability, when given immedi- ately after a meal. The usual and safer form of exhibit- ing this remedy, is that of solution with potash, in the— Liquor Potassa Arsenitis (Solution ofi Arsenite ofi Po- tassa), or Fowler's Solution. This is prepared by boiling arsenious acid with a solution of carbonate of potassa— spirit of lavender being added to the solution when cold. It is a transparent liquid, of an alkaline reaction, and has the color, taste, and smell of spirit of lavender. It is de- composed by the reagents which act upon arsenic, and is incompatible with infusions and decoctions of cinchona. Its effects and uses are analogous to those of arsenious acid, though some practitioners have denied their therapeutic identity. The antidote is the subacetate of the sesquioxide of iron, which renders inert all the salts of the acids of 282 MATERIA MEDICA. arsenic. Dose, gtt. v to gtt. x, and even gtt. xx, three times a day. Each fluidrachm contains half a grain of arsenious acid. A solution ofi arsenite ofi soda has also been employed. Arsenici Iodidum (Iodide ofi Arsenic), made by rubbing iodine and arsenic together, is a teriodide, consisting of one eq. of arsenic and three eq. of iodine. It is an orange- red, crystalline, volatilizable solid, wholly soluble in water, and has been used both internally and externally in skin dis- eases. Dose, gr. J, three times a day; for external use, gr. iij to lard Sj. Liquor Arsenici et Hydrargyri Iodidi (Solution ofi Io- dide of Arsenic and Mercury). This solution, known as Donovan's Solution, is prepared by boiling equal weights of iodide of arsenic and red iodide of mercury in distilled water. It is considered by some chemists to be merely an aqueous solution of the two iodides; by others, a solution of hydriodates of the oxides of the two metals. It has a pale-yellow color, a slightly styptic taste, and is incompati- ble with the salts of morphia. Effects and Uses.—This is a highly valuable alterative preparation, in the various forms of papular and scaly cu- taneous affections. It was introduced by Mr. Donovan, of Dublin, in 1839, and has been a good deal employed in the United States. Dose, gtt. v to gtt. xx or more, three times a day. CALCIS PHOSPHAS PRACIPITATA — PRECIPITATED PHOSPHATE OF LIME. This salt is made by reacting upon bone-ash with mu- riatic acid, which dissolves the phosphate of lime in the bones, and gives it up again, on the addition of ammonia. It is a white, inodorous, tasteless, insoluble powder. It has been, for some years past, employed in connection with other phosphates, as those of iron, soda, and potassa, in scrofula and phthisis, under a theoretical view that there CHLORATE OF POTASSA. 283 is a deficiency of phosphorus in the system in these dis- eases. An ample supply of the phosphates is, however, derived from the food, although they may prove useful medicinally, from other causes. Dose, ten to thirty grains. AMMONIA MURIAS--MURIATE OF AMMONIA. frffuA J This salt, commonly termed sal ammoniac, is- obtained from the gas-liquor of coal gas works, and also in the pre- paration of animal charcoal from bones. It is brought in the crude state from Calcutta to England, where it is refined and exported. It occurs in white, translucent, tough, fibrous, hemispherical, convex-concave cakes, about two inches thick, difficult to powder, inodorous, of a pungent, saline taste, slightly deliquescent, very soluble in water, and less so in alcohol. It consists of one eq. of muriatic acid and one of ammonia, and is considered by some chemists to be a chloride of ammonium. Effects and Uses.—The local action of muriate of ammo- nia is that of an irritant. In large doses it purges. In small doses, after absorption, it proves a powerful resol- vent alterative, with a slight sedative action on the vascu- lar system, and an increased flow of the secretions gene- rally. It is not much employed in Great Britain or the United States, but it is extensively used in Germany—as a refrigerant sedative in mild fevers attended with stoppage of the secretions—as a resolvent in organic enlargements— in amenorrhoea—and in catarrhs, urethritis, &c. Dose, gr. v-xxx, every two or three hours, in powder or mucilagi- nous solution. Externally, it is used in solution (immedi- ately upon being dissolved), as a refrigerant lotion, and I also as a discutient. /v-^w-^.^-'A- Ih^ u^^t^efl , POTASSA CHLORAS—CHLORATE OF POTASSA. This salt is prepared by various processes : a good one is by reacting upon solution of caustic potassa, mixed with 284 MATERIA MEDICA. lime, with a stream of chlorine—the chlorine is converted into chloric acid by oxygen from the lime, and the acid combines with the potassa to form chlorate of potassa. It is a white anhydrous salt, crystallizing in rhomboidal [dates of a pearly lustre, and is inodorous, and of a cool, saline taste. It is but little changed by exposure to the air, so- luble in cold water, highly so in boiling water. It is said to be soluble in all the animal fluids without decomposing them, or undergoing change itself. Effects and Uses.—Chlorate of potassa, when taken inter- nally, gives a bright arterial tinge to the venous blood, re- duces the volume and frequency of the pulse, and largely increases the secretion of urine, by wilich it passes out of the system unchanged. The appetite is improved under its use, and salivation is an occasional effect. Large doses may be taken with impunity, but excessive quantities have produced fatal gastro-enteric inflammation. As it con- tains a large supply of oxygen, it was at first employed, with a view to its oxidizing influence in contaminated con- ditions of the blood, as in malignant fevers, syphilis, &c.; and, whatever the modus medendi, it is still considered a valuable alterative in typhus, scarlatina, &c. Probably, its most positive remedial effects are seen in various forms of stomatitis, follicular, mercurial, and gangrenous. It is also used in diphtheria, croup, and cyanosis. Externally, in solution, it is an admirable wash or gargle in stomatitis, ozoena, the sore-throat of scarlatina, diphtheria, and fetid ulcerated surfaces generally. Dose, internally, fifteen to thirty grains, every three or four hours, in some pleasant vehicle. For external use, 5ij—iv may be dissolved in half a pint of water. ^"~ ^ POTASSA BICHROMAS--BICHROMATE OF POTASSA. This salt is obtained from the yellow chromate of po- tassa by acidulating its solution with sulphuric acid, which PERMANGANATE OF POTASSA. 285 abstracts an eq. of potassa from two eq. of the neutral salt, and thus generates the bichromate ; it separates in orange- red crystals, soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol, and of a cooling, bitter taste. Effects and Uses.—It is an irritant caustic, acting in over- doses as a corrosive poison, for which the proper antidotes are magnesia, soap, and the alkaline carbonates. In small doses, it is alterative, and has been used in syphilis, with encouraging results. In large doses, it is emetic. Exter- nally, it is a good application, in powder, or in saturated solution, to syphilitic warts, excrescences, &c. Dose, as an alterative, gr. a, daily, in pill, with some bitter extract; as an emetic, gr. |. POTASSA PERMANGANAS--PERMANGANATE OF POTASSA. This salt is made by heating together the black or bin- oxide of manganese with caustic potassa; the binoxide is converted into manganic acid, which combines with the potassa, to produce permanganate. It occurs in the form of slender prismatic crystals, of a dark-purple color, ino- dorous, and of a sweetish astringent taste. It dissolves readily in water, making a beautiful lilac solution. Effects and Uses.—There is little experience, as regards the effects of this salt, when administered internally, al- though alterative effects are attributed to it (and probably with reason), in poisoned conditions of the blood, as in malignant fevers, &c. It is as a powerful disinfectant, that it at present claims chief attention, and it now ranks at the head of this class of agents, in destroying fetid odors, and poisonous organic emanations. It is used externally, in dressing foul and fetid or gangrenous ulcers, particularly in hospital gangrene, as a gargle in diphtheria, &c. It may be sprinkled in powder on gangrenous surfaces, or applied in solution, of the strength of half an ounce, an ounce, or 286 MATERIA MEDICA. two ounces to a pint of water. As a disinfectant, a solution of from one to ten grains to an ounce of water is employed. One to three grains may be given internally in solution, through the day. CALX CHLORINATA--CHLORINATED LIME. This preparation, often called chloride of lime, is prepared by passing chlorine over lime, till saturation is effected, and occurs as a loose, grayish-white powder, readily solu- ble in water, of a bitter, caustic taste, and a faint odor of chlorine. It has been used as an alterative, in typhus, ma- lignant scarlatina, syphilis, &c, in doses of from one to five grains in solution, several times a day ; and as a wash, externally, one part dissolved in a hundred parts of wa- ter—or as a paste. It is chiefly, however, as a disinfectant that it is employed. It decomposes hydrosulphuric and hydrocyanic acids, and should not be given with mercurials. Liquor Soda Chlorinata (Solution of Chlorinated Soda), sometimes termed Labarraque's disinfecting liquid, is made by decomposing a solution of carbonate of soda by one of chlorinated lime. It is a transparent, greenish-yellow liquid, with a faint smell of chlorine, a sharp saline taste, and an alkaline reaction. It has been used internally, to fulfil the same indications as chlorinated lime, in doses of thirty drops to a teaspoonful, diluted, several times a day. It is useful also in dilution of various strengths, as an ex- ternal application to every form of fetid ulcer, and it is a most valuable and powerful disinfectant. ORDER III.--ANTACIDS. Antacids are medicinal agents, employed to neutralize acids in the blood, primae viae, and secretions. The alka- lies and alkaline earths, and their carbonates, are the sub- ANTACIDS. 287 stances included in this division. The alkalies, in the con- centrated state, destroy organization and act as corrosive poisons; they are administered internally, only in a state of extreme dilution. The alkaline carbonates produce a less intense chemical action on the tissues than the alka- lies ; and the bicarbonates are less active than the mono- carbonates. The alkaline earths, particularly magnesia, are less energetic in their local action than the alkalies proper: and their carbonates manifest little or no chemi- cal influence over the tissues. When swallowed in a state of dilution, the alkaline pre- parations combine with the free acids which they encoun- ter in the stomach. The salts which are thus formed, un- less carried off by the bowels, are absorbed into the blood, and are thrown out by the secretions, especially by the kidneys. While in the stomach, besides neutralizing acids, the alkalies also promote the digestion and absorption of fatty substances, by forming with them an emulsion. After absorption, they exert a liquefacient action on the blood, and render the urine alkaline. Their long-continued use disorders the functions of digestion and nutrition, pro- duces a chronic deterioration of the blood, and sets up a cachectic condition somewhat analogous to scurvy. In the concentrated form, the alkalies are employed as es- charotics. The various alkaline preparations are adminis- tered internally, in the diluted form : 1. As antacids, in dys- pepsia, accompanied with excess of acid in the primae viae, and they are probably also of advantage, in dyspeptic cases, by promoting the digestion of fatty matters. The neutralization of acid, in dyspepsia, by the alkaline prepa- rations, is chiefly palliative; although their continued use often diminishes temporarily the tendency to acid secre- tion. The vegetable tonics and aromatics are frequently combined with antacids, very advantageously, in the treat- ment of dyspepsia, 2. As antidotes, in cases of poisoning from acids. 3. As antilithics, to neutralize lithic acid, when it is separated in undue quantity by the urine; and, also, 288 MATERIA MEDICA. as Hthontriptics, or solvents of calculi, especially lithates. They are improper when there is a tendency to the depo- sition of phosphates. 4. In the treatment of acute rheu- matism and gout, where they act by neutralizing the excess of acid, with which the blood is charged in these diseases. 5. To relieve irritability of the urinary organs—cutaneous irritation — uterine irritation — pruritus ani, &c,—when these conditions of irritability are dependent, as is often the case, on excess of acid in the system. 6. As diuretics (see p. 224). 7. As anaplastics and resolvents, in inflam- mation. The antacid preparations should be administered in a state of large dilution, with a view to facilitate their ab- sorption, and to prevent an irritant and purgative action on the bowels. POTASSA PRAPARATA--PREPARATIONS OF POTASSA. The preparations of potassa, employed as antacids, are the Solution of Potassa, Carbonate of Potassa, and Bicarbo- nate of Potassa. Besides their antacid, antiplastic, and diu- retic uses, the salts of potassa have been administered the- rapeutically in the treatment of scurvy. This employment of them is based upon the opinion, that scurvy is the result of a deficiency of potash in the food; and that by the ex- hibition of some saline preparation of these alkalies, the necessary alimentary ingredient is restored. Liquor Potassa (Solution ofi Potassa), is prepared by the action of lime on a solution of bicarbonate of potassa; the lime abstracts carbonic acid from the carbonate, and preci- pitates as carbonate of lime, leaving the free potassa in solution; or it may be made, more directly, by dissolving a troyounce of potassa in a pint of distilled water. Solu- tion of potassa is a limpid, colorless liquid, without smell, of an acrid, caustic taste, and an alkaline reaction. Effects and Uses.—The antacid, diuretic, antilithic, and PREPARATIONS OF POTASSA. 289 resolvent properties and indications of this preparation have been described above. It is more irritant to the sto- mach than the carbonates of potassa, and is therefore less eligible for protracted use. In excessive quantity, it may act as an irritant and corrosive poison; oils and vegetable acids should be administered as antidotes. Dose, gtt. x- xx, largely diluted with sweetened water or mucilage. Externally, it is used, in a diluted state, as a stimulant lotion. Potassa Carbonas (Carbonate of Potassa). This salt, as usually kept in the shops, is prepared by the purification of the impure carbonate of potassa, known as pearlash, which is obtained from wood-ashes, by lixiviation. Car- bonate of potassa occurs in the form of a white, coarse, granular powder, of a nauseous, alkaline taste, and an alkaline reaction,—very soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol. It is very deliquescent, forming, if long exposed to the air, an oily liquid with the water which it attracts. It consists of one equivalent of carbonic acid, one of po- tassa, and two or three equivalents of water. Acids, acidu- lous salts, and many other substances, are incompatible with it. It is employed as an antacid, diuretic, antilithic, &c, in the dose of gr. x-xx, in some sweetened aromatic water. In large quantities, it acts as a corrosive poison, for which oils and vegetable acids are the antidotes. As the purified pearlash of the shops is always more or less impure, a better salt for internal use is— Potassa Carbonas Pura (Pure Carboncde of Potassa), commonly called Salt of Tartar, from its having been for- merly obtained from cream of tartar. It is now made by calcining bicarbonate of potassa, which is thus deprived of its water of crystallization and an equivalent of car- bonic acid, and is reduced to the state of carbonate. It differs from purified pearlash only in containing no impuri- ties. Potassa Bicarbonas (Bicarbonate of Potassa), is made by 19 290 MATERIA MEDICA. passing carbonic acid through an aqueous solution of car- bonate of potassa, till it is fully saturated. By filtration and evaporation, it is obtained in transparent, colorless crystals, having the shape of irregular eight-sided prisms with two-sided summits. They are inodorous, of a slight alkaline taste, permanent in the air, soluble in water, in- soluble in alcohol, and consist of two equivalents of car- bonic acid, one of potassa, and one of water. The effects and uses of this salt are the same as those of the carbonate, but it is pleasanter in taste and less irritant to the stomach. Dose, 3j to 5j.- In acute rheumatism, this dose may be re- peated every hour or two. SODA PRAPARATA--PREPARATIONS OF SODA. Liquor Soda (Solution of Soda), is prepared by the action of lime on a solution of carbonate of soda. Its properties are the same as those of solution of potassa, The only preparations of soda, generally employed as antacids, are the carbonates. There are three sources of car- bonated soda, viz.: native soda, the ashes of marine plants, and sulphate of soda. The native carbonate (called natron) is found in Egypt, Hungary, and other countries. Impure soda, obtained from the ashes of marine plants, is termed barilla or kelp,—barilla, when it is derived from phenoga- mous plants growing near the sea, and kelp, when procured from cryptogamic plants growing in the sea. Carbonate of soda is now, however, chiefly made by artificial means, from sulphate of soda, which is obtained in part from the manufacturers of chlorinated lime, but principally by the action of sulphuric acid on chloride of sodium. The sul- phate of soda is fused with ground limestone and coal, and forms a black mass called British barilla, which consists of a mixture of oxysulphuret of calcium, caustic lime, and coaly matter, with carbonate of soda. It is afterwards purified by lixiviation, calcination, and other processes. PREPARATIONS OF SODA. 291 By another process, artificial soda is made by decomposing the sulphate with sesquioxide of iron and coal. Soda Carbonas (Carbonate of Soda), crystallizes in large, oblique, rhombic prisms, which are transparent, very efflo- rescent, of an alkaline, disagreeable taste, soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol. When heated, they undergo the watery fusion, and part with their water of crystallization, which is entirely expelled at a red heat. The chemical composition of the salt is one equivalent of carbonic acid and one of soda ; and perfect crystals have ten equivalents of water of crystallization. It is apt to contain sulphate of soda and common salt as impurities. Acids, acidulous salts, lime-water, earthy and metallic salts, &c, are incom- patible with carbonate of soda. Effects and Uses.—Carbonate of soda is less irritant, and has a milder and more agreeable taste, than carbonate of potash. Its effects are otherwise similar, and it is admin- istered in the same cases. In overdoses, it is a corrosive poison, for which oils and acids are the antidotes. Dose, gr. x to oss, in powder, or dissolved in some bitter infu- sion. Owing to the variable quantity of water of crystal- lization which it contains, as kept in the shops, it is best given in the dried state. Soda Carbonas Exsiccata (Dried Carbonate of Soda). This salt is deprived of its water of crystallization by heat, and occurs in the form of a white powder. Dose, gr. v- xv, in pill, made with soap and aromatics. Soda Bicarbonas (Bicarbonate of Soda), is prepared by saturating the carbonate with carbonic acid. In the pro- cess followed in this country, the water contained in the carbonate, which is liberated during the progress of its saturation, is drained off. Thus obtained, the crystals have the form of the carbonate, but are opaque and porous. They usually occur in granular masses, of a snow-white color, which are found in the shops in the form of powder. It is a permanent salt, of a slightly alkaline taste, and con- sists of two eq. of carbonic acid, one of soda, and one of 292 MATERIA MEDICA. water. By exposure to heat, it gradually parts with its carbonic acid, and at a red heat is converted into the an- hydrous carbonate. The effects and uses of this salt are the same as those of the carbonate, but it is less irritant and of a more agree- able taste. When administered as an antilithic, it is said to be less liable than the carbonate to induce phosphatic deposits. It has been used as a liquefacient, in infantile croup, in the dose of gr. j, every five minutes, to promote the expulsion of false membrane. Dose, for an adult, gr. x to oss, which may be pleasantly taken in carbonic acid water, or made into lozenges with sugar and mucilage of tragacanth. Soda Powders consist of tartaric acid (gr. xxv) in one paper, and bicarbonate of soda (gr. xxx) in another. They are dissolved in separate portions of water, to the amount of half a pint in all, and, when mixed, form a pleasant effervescing draught. Bicarbonate of soda is an ingredient also of Scidlitz Powders (see p. 202). LITHIA PRAPARATA—PREPARATIONS OF LITHIA. Lithia is a rare alkali, found in a few minerals. The carbonate (lithia? carbonas) is prepared from lepidolite, or from sulphate of lithia or chloride of lithium, by adding carbonate of ammonia. It is a white powder, of a mild alkaline taste, soluble in 100 parts of water, more soluble in carbonic acid water, and insoluble in alcohol. It con- sists of one eq. of lithia and one of carbonic acid. It is a very valuable antacid in gout, from the fact of its low combining number, and the great solubility of the urate of lithia, thus enabling the carbonate to act power- fully in eliminating uric acid from the system. It is also a good diuretic. Dose, three to five grains, best given in carbonic acid water. Lithia Citras (Citrate of Lithia), a deliquescent white powder, is made by adding a solution of citric acid to the PREPARATIONS OF LIME. 293 carbonate of lithia. It is converted into a carbonate in the system, and is, therefore, possessed of the same properties. AMMONIA PRAPARATA--PREPARATIONS OF AMMONIA. The preparations of ammonia (previously noticed under the head of Stimulants, p. 150), are administered as ant- acids, in cases in which a stimulant action is not objection- able. Spiritus Ammonia? Aromaticus (Aromatic Spirit of Am- monia), is the preparation usually employed, and is an excellent antacid carminative in heartburn, attended with flatulence, nausea with syncope, &c. Dose, gtt. xxx-f'5j. MAGNESIA PRAPARATA--PREPARATIONS OF MAGNESIA. Magnesia (p. 196), and its Carbonate (p. 197), are em- ployed as antacids in dyspepsia, sick-headache, gravel, &c, particularly where a laxative effect is also desirable. Dose, gr. x-xxx. CALCIS PRAPARATA — PREPARATIONS OF LIME. The preparations of lime, employed as antacids, are Lime-water, Precipitated Carbonate of Lime, Prepared Chalk, and Prepared Oyster-shell. They are very useful in cases of acidity or irritability of the stomach, but their action on the bowels is the reverse of that of magnesia, and hence they can hardly be administered where there is a tendency to constipation. They are also much employed in diar- rhoea, and occasionally as alterative resolvents in glandular enlargements, and as antispasmodics in nervous disorders. Liquor Calcis (Solution of Lime—Lime-water), is a satu- 294 MATERIA MEDICA. rated solution of lime (four troyounces) in distilled, river, or rain water (eight pints). It is a colorless, inodorous liquid, of a disagreeable alkaline taste. By exposure to the air it gradually absorbs carbonic acid, with the forma- tion of insoluble carbonate of lime. It should, therefore, be kept in full, well-stoppered bottles, or they should con- tain some undissolved lime. Effects and Uses.—Lime-water combines antacid and astringent properties, and is applicable to all the cases in which antacids are proper, where an astringent effect on the bowels is not objectionable. It is an excellent remedy in gastric irritability, attended with nausea and vomiting, and may be given mixed with an equal part of milk, which disguises its unpleasant taste. A diet of milk and lime- water is very useful in dyspepsia, accompanied with vomit- ing of food. Lime-wTater is employed also in diarrhoea, after inflammation has been subdued, in diabetes, and as an alterative resolvent in glandular affections. Exter- nally, it is used as a wash in tinea capitis, prurigo, scabies, &c, as an application to foul ulcers, and as an injection in leucorrhoea and gleet. Dose, internally, fgss to f§iij-iv, several times a day; for children f5j. Linimentum Calcis (eight fluidounces of lime-water, mixed with seven troy- ounces of flaxseed oil) is an invaluable liniment in burns and scalds. Calcis Carbonas Pracipitata (Precipitated Carbonate of Lime), is made by mixing boiling solutions of chloride of calcium and carbonate of soda. It is a fine white powder, insoluble in water, and free from grittiness, but possessing no superiority over prepared chalk. Creta Praparata (Prepared Chalk), is made from chalk or whiting, by levigation and elutriation. It occurs in little white conical loaves, which are tasteless, odorless, insolu- ble in water, but more soluble in carbonic acid water. It consists of one eq. of carbonic acid and one of lime. Its effects are those of an absorbent, antacid, and desiccant astringent. It is used in dyspepsia and gout, attended with RUBEFACIENTS. 295 an excess of acid in the system; also in diarrhoea; and, as it forms soluble salts of lime with the acids of the stomach, its employment has been suggested in rachitis. Dose, gr. x-xxx, in powder, or suspended in water with gum and sugar. Mistura Creto? (Chalk Mixture), consists of chalk (half a troyounce), rubbed up with sugar and gum arabic (each 5ij), and water and cinnamon-water (each f§iv). Dose, f 5ss, repeated. Laudanum and tincture of kino, or of catechu, are often added to this mixture, in the treat- ment of diarrhoea. Troches of Chalk are made with gum arabic, sugar, and nutmeg. Testa Praparata (Prepared Oyster-shell), differs from prepared chalk, in containing animal matter united with the carbonate of lime, and is thought to be more accepta- ble to a delicate stomach. Dose, gr. x-xxx. CLASS IV. —TOPICAL MEDICINES. ORDER I.--IRRITANTS. Irritants are medicines which are employed to produce irritation or inflammation of the parts to which they are applied. They may be subdivided into Rubefacients, Epispastics, Suppurants, and Escharotics. Rubefacients are used merely to produce redness of the skin. Epispas- tics, or vesicants, cause the exhalation of a serous fluid under the cuticle. Suppurants produce a crop of pustules. Escharotics have a chemical action on the tissues with which they are placed in contact, and decompose or destroy them. rubefacients. Rubefacients are employed to remove congestion and inflammation, to rouse the capillary system in cases of local torpor, to relieve pain and spasm, and as stimulants 296 MATERIA MEDICA. to the general s}*stem, in coma, syncope, asphyxia, &c. They are adapted to cases in which a sudden and powerful but transient action is called for; but they may also be employed, where a slight and long-continued action is desired. In removing congestion and inflammation, rube- facients act by revulsion. They are chiefly useful in the forming stages, or in light grades of inflammation. They are very serviceable local anodynes, when applied to pain- ful parts—acting by a substitutive influence. As general stimulants, their efficacy in rousing the system depends partly on their action on the capillary circulation, and partly on the pain which they produce. They are most valuable in the coma or asphyxia resulting from poisons, drowning, &c, and are inferior to blisters in the cerebral oppression, which occurs in fevers, inflammations of the brain, &c. Rubefacients are usually applied till pain and redness supervene. If kept too long on the skin, many of them will produce vesication and even gangrene; and, in cases of coma, particular caution is required, as the patient may not feel them till dangerous inflammation has occurred. SINAPIS — MUSTARD. Mustard-seeds are obtained from two varieties of Sina- pis,—S. nigra, or Black Mustard, and S. alba, or White Mustard (Nat. Ord. Brassicaceae), small annual European plants, cultivated in our gardens. S. nigra has become naturalized in some parts of the United States. Black mustard-seeds are small, globular, of a deep-brown color externally, and internally yellow. They are inodorous, except in powder; and, when rubbed with water, exhale a very strong, pungent smell. Their taste is bitterish, hot, and pungent. White mustard-seeds are larger, yellowish externally, and of a less pungent taste, owing to the pre- sence of a mucilaginous substance in their skin. The MUSTARD. 297 powder of both varieties (commonly called flour ofi mustard), is yellow, and is often adulterated with colored wheaten flour. Both varieties yield their virtues wholly to water, and very slightly to alcohol. Chemical Constituents.—Mustard-seeds yield, upon pres- sure, a fixed oil, which contains a peculiar acid, termed erucic. From the black seeds a very pungent volatile oil, containing sulphur, is afterwards obtained by distillation : it does not pre-exist in the seeds, but is the result ofi the action ofi water upon a peculiar principle called sinapis in. It is colorless or pale yellow, rather heavier than water, of a very pun- gent odor, and an acrid, burning taste, and is the principle to which the black seeds owe their activity. From the white seeds no volatile oil is obtained; but, when treated with water, they yield an acrid fixed principle, which is ana- logous in properties to the volatile oil of the black seeds. It is the result of the reaction ofi water upon sulpho-sinapisin, a peculiar ingredient of the white seeds. The develop- ment of the volatile oil in the black seeds, and of the acrid fixed principle in the white seeds, is supposed to depend upon the presence of an albuminous constituent, called myrosyne, which acts the part of a ferment in determining a reaction between water and the peculiar principles of the seeds. Myrosyne is rendered inert by heat, alcohol, and the acids; and water of the ordinary temperature is there- fore the proper menstruum of mustard. Effects and Uses.—Mustard is an acrid stimulant. In small quantities, it is stomachic; in larger doses, it proves emetic; and, in excessive doses, it will produce gastro- enteric inflammation. When applied to the skin, it is a rapid and powerful local excitant, speedily producing red- ness and pain, and, if long continued, it will develop vesi- cation, ulceration, and even sphacelus. Mustard-seeds, swallowed whole, have been used as a laxative in dyspepsia, in the dose of a tablespoonful once or twice a day, mixed with molasses; the white seeds are preferred. When mustard is employed internally, however, it is chiefly as an 298 MATERIA MEDICA. emetic, in cases of torpor of the stomach, particularly after narcotic poisoning; and, by its stimulant action, mustard often rouses the gastric susceptibility when other emetics fail. Dose, as an emetic, from a large teaspoonful to a tablespoonful of the bruised seeds or powder. Its use in smaller quantity, as a condiment and stimulant of the di- gestive organs, is well known. In the form of whey (half a troyounce boiled in milk Oj), it is given as a diuretic in drops}-. The most general use of mustard is, however, as a cutaneous stimulant, in the form of cataplasm (termed a sinapism). This is made by mixing flour of mustard with a sufficient quantity of tepid water to give it proper con- sistence ; and it may be diluted with wheat or rye flour, if a weaker effect is desired. Sinapisms are used, when a speedy and powerful rubefacient effect is required: they should be kept on till pain and redness are produced, usually from a quarter of an hour to an hour, and, in cases of insensibility, their effects should be carefully watched. They are applied spread on linen, and covered with gauze, to prevent adhesion to the skin. CAPSICUM. Capsicum has been previously noticed as an aromatic stimulant (p. 152). It is a powerful rubefacient, useful in rheumatism, low fevers, &c, and is applied in the form of cataplasm, or the tincture or oleoresin may be used. OLEUM TEREBINTHINA — OIL OF TURPENTINE. The oil of turpentine (see pp. 157, 242), is a speedy and efficacious rubefacient, and sometimes produces a vesicular eruption. It is employed in low forms of disease, attended with coldness of the surface; as a counter-irritant in inflam- BURGUNDY PITCH. 299 mation; and as a stimulating liniment in rheumatic and paralytic cases. It is often diluted with olive oil. •' LINIMENTUM AMMONIA--LINIMENT OF AMMONIA. This preparation, called also volatile liniment, consists of one fluidounce of water ofi ammonia (see p. 150), and two troyounces of olive oil. It is an excellent application, as a counter-irritant, in affections of the throat and chest, &c. PIX BURGUNDICA--BURGUNDY PITCH. This is the prepared concrete juice of Abies excelsa or Norway Spruce (Nat. Ord. Pinaceae), a lofty evergreen tree of Europe and Northern Asia. Abies picea, or the Euro- pean Silver Fir, is said to be also a source of the drug. It is obtained by stripping off the bark and detaching the flakes of resinous matter which form upon the surface of the wound; they are afterwards melted in boiling water and strained. Burgundy pitch is principally collected in France, and derives its name from Burgundy, in that king- dom. After it is imported into the United States, it is generally remelted and strained, to free it from impuri- ties ; and, as found.in the shops, it is a hard, brittle, opaque substance, of a yellowish or brownish-yellow color, and a weak terebinthinate taste and smell; when applied to the body, it softens and becomes adhesive. It contains two resins, and a much smaller proportion of volatile oil than turpentine. A spurious Burgundy pitch is made by melting together pitch, resin, and turpentine, and agitating the mixture with water. Effects and Uses.—This is a gentle rubefacient, producing a slight degree of inflammation and serous effusion, with- out separating the cuticle. It occasionally produces a papil- 300 MATERIA MEDICA. lary or vesicular eruption; and sometimes, though rarely, occasions painful vesication and even ulceration. It is ap- plied, in the form of plaster, to the chest in chronic pulmo- nary disorders, to the loins in lumbago, to the joints in chronic articular affections, and for the relief of local rheu- matic pains in other parts. Emplastrum Picis Burgundico? (Burgundy Pitch Plaster), consists of twelve parts of Burgundy pitch, melted with one part of yellow wax, which is used to give consistence to the pitch. Emplastrum Picis cum Cantharide (Plaster of Pitch with Cantharides), consists of twelve parts of Bur- gundy pitch, melted with one part of cerate of cantharides; this is commonly called the wctrming plaster, and is a more active rubefacient than Burgundy pitch, though it does not usually blister. The Plaster of Antimony, Plaster of Iron, Compound Galbanum Plaster, and Opium Plaster, all contain Burgundy pitch. PIX CANADENSIS--CANADA PITCH. This is the prepared concrete juice of Abies Cana- densis, or Hemlock Spruce (Nat. Ord. Pinacea?), a very lofty evergreen tree of Canada and the northern parts of the United States. The pitch (sometimes called hemlock gum) is a spontaneous exudation on the old trees. The portions of bark upon which it hardens are stripped from the tree and boiled, and the melted pitch is skimmed from the surface of the water. It undergoes a farther purifica- tion in the shops, by melting and straining, and is found in hard, brittle, opaque masses, of a dark yellowish-brown color, a weak, peculiar odor, and scarcely any taste. It is more readily softened by heat than Burgundy pitch, and is therefore sometimes a less convenient application. Its con- stituents are resin, and a minute portion of volatile oil. Its effects and uses are the same as those of Burgundy pitch. Emplastrum Picis Canadensis (Plaster of Canada Pitch), EPISPASTICS. 301 sometimes called Hemlock Pitch Plaster, consists of twelve parts of Canada pitch, melted with one part of yellow wax. Many other acrid substances are occasionally employed as rubefacients. Ginger (see p. 158), Black Pepper (see p. 153), and Garlic (see p. 239), are particularly deserving of mention. EPISPASTICS. Epispastics, called also vesicants and blisters, are medicines which, when applied to the skin, produce inflammation, accompanied by effusion of serum beneath the cuticle. Many of the rubefacients will blister, if kept on the skin a sufficient length of time; and, on the other hand, the action of vesicants may be made not to extend bejoncl rubefaction. The inflammation of the skin, caused by vesicants, is erysipelatous in its character, and may result in suppuration and even sloughing or gangrene. In in- flammations of the dermoid tissues, as rubeola and scarla- tina,—in typhus under certain circumstances, and in ex- treme infancy,—vesicants may produce fatal consequences. This class of agents is employed: 1. As derivatives or re- vellents, for the relief of internal inflammations. By de- termining the circulating fluid and the nervous energy to the seat of their action, vesicants exert a powerful influ- ence in the cure of distant inflammation. They are ob- jectionable in the early stages of acute inflammation, be- fore febrile action has been subdued, as they may excite the vascular system, and thus increase the inflammation of the affected organ. As regards the proper situation for applying vesicants, different theoretical opinions have been advanced; but experience has shown that, for the relief of internal inflammation, they cannot be applied too near the affected organ. In affections of the head, blisters are pre- eminently useful. 2. To substitute a healthy therapeutic 302 MATERIA MEDICA. inflammatory action, which subsides spontaneously, for a morbid action existing in the part to which they are ap- plied. In this way vesicants are used for the cure of va- rious cutaneous eruptions. 3. To relieve pain, which they do partly by a derivative, and partly by a substitutive in- fluence. 4. To break up morbid associations by the pow- erful impression which they make on the nervous system, as in the cure of intermittent fever, spasmodic diseases, &c. 5. To stimulate the absorbing or secreting vessels of parts contiguous to the seat of their application; in this way, they are useful in promoting the absorption of drop- sical effusions, in the treatment of ununited fracture, &c. 6. As general stimulants, in typhoid conditions of the system, coma, syncope, &c. 7. As local stimulants in threatened gangrene, paralysis, &c. 8. As evacuants, chiefly for the purpose of local depletion. 9. In retroce- dent gout, and in retrocession of exanthematous eruptions. 10. To prepare a surface for the endermic application of medicines. CANTHARIS--CANTHARIDES. Cantharis vesicatoria, or the Spanish Fly, is an insect from six to ten lines in length, by two or three in breadth, of a beautiful, shining, golden-green color. It is found most abundantly in Spain, Italy, and the south of France, but occurs in all the temperate parts of Europe, and in AVestern Asia. The Spanish flies swarm on certain trees and shrubs, and may be detected at a considerable distance by their strong, fetid odor, which resembles that of mice. They make their appearance in May and June, and are collected in these months by persons who beat or shake them from the trees on which they lodge, and receive them, as they fall, upon linen cloths spread underneath. They are plunged into hot vinegar and water, or exposed to the vapor of boiling vinegar, and are afterwards dried in the CANTHARIDES. 303 sun or by drying stoves. When perfectly dry, they are packed in canisters, winch are carefully closed so as to ex- clude atmospheric moisture. They are usually imported into this country from some Mediterranean port, A highly esteemed variety comes from South Russia, through St. Petersburg, which is distinguished by the larger size and copper color of the flies. In the dried state, Spanish flies retain their form, color, odor, &c.; their taste is acrid, burning, and urinous; their powder is of a grayish-brown color, interspersed with shining green particles. If exposed to moisture, they are soon decomposed, most speedily when powdered. As, moreover, the powder is liable to adulterations, they should always be purchased whole, and should be powder- ered as they are wanted for use. They are liable to be at- tacked by mites, which destroy the interior soft parts: the best mode of preserving them is to expose them, in bottles, to the heat of boiling water, which destroys the eggs of the insect. A little camphor or carbonate of ammonia, or a few drops of strong acetic acid or chloroform, added to the flies, are also recommended as preservatives. The most important constituents of cantharides are a vola- tile oil, upon which the odor depends, and a white, crys- talline substance, termed cantharidin, which is the vesicat- ing principle. Cantharidin is soluble in ether, chloroform, the oils, acetic acid, and boiling alcohol, and insoluble in water and cold alcohol; but, notwithstanding this insolu- bility of cantharidin, watery and alcoholic solutions of can- tharides possess the medicinal properties of the insect,— the cantharidin being rendered soluble by the combination in which it exists. Physiological Effects.—Cantharides are an acrid stimulant. Taken internally, in small doses, they excite the secretion of the kidneys, and produce more or less irritation of the genito-urinary passages, evinced by strangury, pain, and occasionally the discharge of bloody urine. In large doses they produce violent gastro-enteric and genito-urinary in- 304 MATERIA MEDICA. flammation; and, in excessive doses, prove fatal, with con- vulsions, tetanus, delirium, and other cerebro-spinal symp- toms. Twenty-four grains have occasioned death. In cases of poisoning, after the stomach has been emptied, opiates, demulcents, topical depletion, &c, are to be re- sorted to. Applied to the skin, cantharides produce inflam- mation, which terminates in the free secretion of serum under the cuticle. Even when they are externally applied, their constitutional effects, as strangury, tenesmus, &c, are frequently manifested. Medicinal Uses.—The indications which cantharides are capable of fulfilling, when administered internally, as a diu- retic, emmenagogue, &c, have been already noticed (see p. 234). Their chief use is as an external application, to produce blisters; but they are sometimes also employed externally, as rubefacients, for the purpose of local or gene- ral stimulation in low forms of disease. Cantharides are preferred to all other substances as epispastics, and they are used for all the medicinal purposes that are within the range of this class of medicines. The following are the forms under which Spanish flies are used externally : Ceratum Cantharidis (Cerate of Cantharides), commonly known as Blistering Cerate, is made by mixing powdered cantharides (twelve parts) with melted wax, resin, and lard (each seven parts). This is the preparation usually employed to raise a blister. It can be applied without the aid of heat, and should be spread on soft leather or linen, and covered with gauze or unsized paper, to lessen the liability to strangury. From four to twelve hours is the period for which the cerate should be applied—on the scalp a longer application may be required. For an ordi- nary impression, and where the cutaneous sensibility is not impaired by disease, it need not be kept on more than four or five hours. In cases of children, less time is re- quired for the application of the cerate, and great caution is necessary in applying it to infants. A poultice of bread CANTHARIDES. 305 and milk or flaxseed meal should be afterwards applied, which usually produces vesication, if the action of the blister has not extended beyond rubefaction. If it be de- sirable to heal the blistered surface immediately, cotton wadding or simple cerate may be placed over it, after the serum has been allowed to escape. To maintain the dis- charge, the cuticle should be removed, and basilicon oint- ment applied; if the surface require further irritation, the ointments of savine, mezereon, or cantharides may be used. In case of excessive pain, a poultice of bread-crumb and lead water, with gr. I of sulphate of morphia mixed in it, or a starch poultice, or lime liniment, is a soothing application. Goulard's cerate is an excellent application to heal obstinate ulcers from blisters. For the relief of strangury, diluents and diuretics are proper, as flaxseed tea, with sweet spirit of nitre, decoction of uva ursi, &c. Ceratum Extracti Cantharidis (Cerate ofi Extract ofi Cantha- rides), differs chiefly from the common cerate in being made with an alcoholic extract of the flies instead of the flies themselves; it is a new preparation and is said to be more active than the old. Ethereal, alcoholic, hydro-alcoholic, and watery extracts of Spanish flies, have been suggested as substitutes for the blistering cerate, and, mixed with wax and spread on thin cloth or paper, are termed vesicating taffetas. Unguentum Cantharidis (Ointment ofi Cantharides), made by boiling a troyounce of cantharides (digested in six fluidounces of olive oil) with a troyounce of yellow wax, is employed as a stimulating dressing to blistered surfaces, or to produce vesication on delicate skins; it is no longer officinal, but it is a useful preparation. Linimentum Cantharidis (Liniment of Cantharides), consists of a troy- ounce of cantharides dissolved in eight fluidounces of oil of turpentine; it is a prompt stimulating liniment in low fevers, and may be applied to the skin to prepare it for the action of the blistering cerate. Collodium cum Cantharide (Collodion with Cantharides), is made by dissolving gun-cot- ton in a mixture of alcohol and ether, which has been 20 306 MATERIA MEDICA. used to obtain the active properties of cantharides by per- colation. It is a colorless, transparent liquid, which, to prevent its evaporation, should be kept in well-stoppered bottles. It furnishes a very convenient mode of blistering a small or irregular surface, and is applied by means of a camel's-hair brush, in successive layers, which should be covered with a piece of oiled silk. CANTHARIS VITTATA — POTATO FLIES. Several species of Cantharis are found in the United States, and are good substitutes for C. vesicatoria. C. vit- tata, or the Potato Fly, is officinal. It resembles the Spa- nish fly in shape, but is rather smaller, being about six lines in length, and inhabits chiefly the potato plant. It contains cantharidin. AQUA AMMONIA — WATER OF AMMONIA. Water of Ammonia (see p. 150) may be used for the purpose of speedy vesication. The aqua ammonia? fiortior (see also p. 150), five parts, mixed with spirit of camphor, two parts, and spirit of rosemary, one part, has been used as a prompt vesicant, under the name of Granville's lotion. A piece of flannel, saturated with the liniment, is applied to the skin, which it will generally blister in from three to ten minutes. SUPPURANTS. OLEUM TIGLII — CROTON OIL. Croton oil (see p. 215), when rubbed on the skin, pro- duces rubefaction, accompanied by a pustular eruption. It ESCHAROTICS. 307 is an excellent application to the throat and chest, in sub- acute or chronic laryngeal and bronchial affections, and to rheumatic joints. It may be applied undiluted, or mixed with one, two, or three parts of olive oil or oil of turpen- tine, according to the susceptibility of the skin. UNGUENTUM ANTIMONII — ANTIMONIAL OINTMENT. This ointment consists of one part of tartrate of anti- mony and potassa mixed with four parts of lard. The pe- culiar eruptive effects of tartar emetic have been already noticed (p. 170).' It may be used in the form of ointment or solution, in the same cases as croton oil, but is a more painful and permanent application. ESCHAROTICS. Escharotics (from taxapa, an eschar), called also cauierants, are medicines which destroy the structure and vitality of the parts to which they are applied. The eschar, which their application produces, is followed by inflammation and suppuration in the surrounding tissues, by which the slough is separated from the living parts. They are employed: 1. To effect the destruction of mor- bid growths, warts, condylomata, polypi, fungous granula- tions, &c. 2. To decompose the virus of rabid and venom- ous animals, and of chancres. 3. For the cure of vio- lent inflammation, by their substitutive action, as when they are applied to the mucous or cutaneous surfaces, in gonor- rhoea! ophthalmia, erysipelas, poisoned parts, carbuncle, &c. 4. To stimulate indolent sinuses, ulcers, &c, where their influence is also of a substitutive character. 5. To open abscesses. 6. To form issues. 7. To remove mor- bid heterologous growths, as lupus, cancer, &c. 308 MATERIA MEDICA. ARGENTI NITRAS FUSA—FUSED NITRATE OF SILVER. Lunar Caustic (described at length, p. 122), is the most commonly employed of the caustics. It has the advan- tage of not liquefying when applied, and its action is there- fore confined to the parts with which it is brought in con- tact. It is used to remove fungous granulations in wounds and ulcers, to destroy warts, to decompose and prevent the absorption of the syphilitic virus in chancres, to alter the action of indolent ulcers, sinuses, and fistulae, to subdue the inflammatory action of paronychia, erythema, &c, to arrest the progress of erysipelas and cancrum oris, to cut short variolous pustules, to cure skin diseases by a substitu- tive action, and in inflammations of mucous membranes. In dilutions of various strengths, it is resorted to in every variety of inflammation of the mucous membranes; when a full impression is desired, a solution of gr. xx-xxx in distilled water f§j, maybe employed; for ordinary pur- poses, gr. ij to water f5j. POTASSA. Caustic Potassa is prepared by the rapid evaporation of Solution ofi Potassa (see p. 288) with heat. While in the state of fusion, it is received into cylindrical iron moulds, and it occurs in the form of sticks, of a brownish, grayish, or bluish color, a fibrous fracture, the odor of slaking lime, and a caustic, urinous taste. It dissolves in alcohol, and in less than its weight of water, and attracts both moisture and carbonic acid rapidly from the air. It is more or less impure as found in the shops. By digestion in alcohol, it is freed from impurities insoluble in this menstruum (as the carbonates of potassa), and it may be afterwards ob- tained quite white and pure by evaporation; it is then CHROMIC ACID. 309 termed alcoholic potassa. The potassa of the shops is a hydrate, consisting of one eq. of water and one of potassa. Effects and Uses.—It is a very powerful escharotic, and differs from lunar caustic, in extending its action to a con- siderable depth beneath the surface to which it is applied. It is used chiefly to open abscesses and form issues, and sometimes also to arrest the sloughing of carbuncles. When it is applied to the skin, this should be covered with linen spread with adhesive plaster, having a hole the size of the spot to be cauterized. A solution (5jss to f§ij of water), is used as a rubefacient. Potassa cum Calce (Potassa with Lime), is prepared by rubbing up equal parts of potassa and lime. It is made into a paste with a little alcohol, and is sometimes termed Vienna paste; it has also been formed into sticks. The presence of lime renders this a milder, less deliquescent, and more manageable caustic than potassa. ACIDUM CHROMICUM — CHROMIC ACID. Chromic Acid is obtained by the reaction of sulphuric acid upon a solution of bichromate of potassa. It occurs in the form of anhydrous acicular crystals, of a crimson- red color, and an acid, metallic taste; they are deliques- cent, and very soluble in water, with wmich they form an orange-yellow solution. Effects and Uses.—This is an escharotic of recent intro- duction into the Materia Medica. It is of unsurpassed power in this particular, decomposing the tissues by its rapid oxidizing action. Used in the form of paste, or solu- tion more or less dilute, it is a most efficacious application to morbid growths and excrescences, as syphilitic condylo- mata, &c. It gives less pain than other caustics; but it is to be used with caution, especially to delicate parts like the eye, as its action is deeply penetrating. The solution may be made of the strength of from 100 grains up to a 310 MATERIA MEDICA. troyounce to a fluidounce of water; and is to be applied by means of a pencil or glass rod. ACIDUM ARSENIOSUM—ARSENIOUS ACID. This is a powerful escharotic (see p. 278), and is occa- sionally applied in lupus, onychia maligna, cancerous ulcers, and to change the action of indolent sinuses; but its use is attended with danger. It may be diluted with one or more parts of sulphur. ZINCI CHLORIDUM — CHLORIDE OF ZINC This is also a powerful escharotic (see p. 120); and in addition to its corrosive properties, it appears to exercise a greater influence over the vital action of neighboring parts than some of the other caustics. The separation of its eschar leaves very healthy and vigorous granulations, and it is one of the best applications that can be made to intractable indolent ulcers and sinuses. It will cure lupus. LIQUOR HYDRARGYRI NITRATIS — SOLUTION OF NITRATE OF MERCURY. This preparation (see p. 270), termed also the acid nitrate of mercury, is a valuable caustic application to malignant ulcers, &c. HYDRARGYRI CHLORIDUM CORROSIVUM — CORROSIVE CHLORIDE OF MERCURY. Corrosive Sublimate is more frequently used as a stimulant wash than as a caustic. For its properties, uses, and modes of application, see p. 266. f DEMULCENTS. 311 POTASSA BICHROMAS — BICHROMATE OF POTASSA. This salt, already noticed under the head of alteratives (see p. 255), is a good caustic application, in saturated solution, or powder, to syphilitic and other vegetations. ACIDA MINERALIA — MINERAL ACIDS. The mineral acids (see p. 123), are powerful escharotics, but are inconvenient for many uses, on account of the ex- tension of their action beyond the point of application. On the other hand, they can be made to reach the bottoms of sinuses and fistulae, which are inaccessible to the solid caustics. Nitric acid, for such purposes, has no equal in the list of escharotics; it is also used to destroy warts. Properly diluted, the mineral acids are employed as injec- tions, gargles, &c.; and in the form of ointment in skin diseases. Sulphate of Copper (see p. 118), and Alum (see p. 145), are mild escharotics, but are chiefly used to remove fun- gous granulations in ulcers. The actual cautery and moxa have been alluded to under the head of Heat (see p. 20). ORDER II.--DEMULCENTS. Demulcents, or Lenitives, are medicines which soften and relax the tissues, and, when applied to irritated or inflamed surfaces, diminish heat, tension, and pain. They consist chiefly of gum, or mucilage, or of a mixture of these with saccharine and farinaceous substances, and form with water viscid solutions. Their constitutional effects are principally nutritive, though perhaps to some extent they relieve irritation in distant organs, by modifying the acri- 312 MATERIA MEDICA. dity of the secretions. Demulcent solutions are adminis- tered internally: 1. To sheathe and protect the gastro- enteric surface from the injurious effects of irritating sub- stances—particularly acrid poisons. 2. To relieve irritation and inflammation of the alimentary canal, as in gastritis, enteritis, diarrhoea, and dysentery; and for this purpose they may be administered either by the mouth or rectum. 3. In catarrhal affections, in which they are probably use- ful, in part by the transmission of their lubricating and soothing effects on the fauces and oesophagus by reflex action to the laryngeal and bronchial membranes, and in part by modifying the acridity of expectorated matters. 4. In affections of the urinary passages, as ardor urinae, cystitis, &c, and, in these cases, they act chiefly by dimi- nishing the acridity of the secretions. 5. As agreeable drinks, to quench thirst and promote the action of the secreting and exhaling organs, in febrile affections. Their effects, in these cases, are owing partly to the water which they contain, to which they are added merely for the sake of flavor, and partly also to the nutrient which they fur- nish. When administered with the object of increasing the proportion of the fluid parts of the blood, demulcents are termed diluents. 6. As light diet for the sick. 7. For pharmaceutical purposes, to suspend substances insoluble in water, &c. Externally, mucilaginous solutions are extensively em- ployed, to relieve the heat, swelling, and pain of inflam- mations, wounds, burns, &c.; to hasten suppuration, where inflammation is too far advanced for resolution; to cleanse foul and scabby ulcers; to promote suppuration from gra- nulating surfaces, &c, &c. Mucilaginous and amylaceous substances are applied to inflamed and ulcerated parts, mixed with water so as to form soft masses, termed cata- plasms or poultices. These are useful vehicles of heat and moisture to the skin. Applied externally, this class of medicines is termed emollients. GUM ARABIC. 313 ACACIA--GUM ARABIC. Gum Arabic is the concrete juice of Acacia vera, Acacia Arabica, and other species of Acacia (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), thorny or prickly trees or shrubs of Africa and Arabia. The gum exudes, either through natural cracks in the bark, or through incisions made to facilitate its exudation, and hardens on exposure. The most abundant yield is in the hot and dry wreather, and is obtained from the sickliest trees. Several commercial varieties are known, as Turkey, Barbary, Senegal, India, &c, of which the two most important are Turkey gum, and Senegal gum. 1. Turkey gum comes from the Levant or other parts of the Mediterranean, and is the kind usually found in the shops. It consists chiefly of small, irregular fragments, inter- spersed with larger pieces, of a whitish color, which is sometimes slightly tinged with yellow or reddish-yellow. It is lighter-colored, more brittle, more readily soluble, and purer than other varieties, and is generally characterized by innumerable minute fissures pervading its substance. 2. Senegal gum comes from the western coast of Africa. It occurs in roundish or oval unbroken pieces, larger, less brittle, and breaking with a more conchoidal fracture than those of Turkey gum, sometimes whitish, but generally yellowish, reddish, or brownish-red. 3. Barbary gum comes from Morocco; it is derived, in part at least, from A. gum- mifera, and consists of two kinds, one resembling the Turkey, the other the Senegal gum. 4. India gum, though brought from India, is collected on the northeastern coast of Africa, and in the ports of the Red Sea. It is in pieces of varying size, color, and quality, and is often contami- nated with Bassora gum, which is insoluble in water. Gum is also imported into England from the Cape of Good Hope, and from Australia. All the varieties are more or less transparent, hard, brittle, and pulverizable, and form a white powder. They are inodorous, with a feeble, 314 MATERIA MEDICA. slightly sweetish taste, and, when pure, dissolve wholly in the mouth. When kept in a dry place, they undergo no change by time. Chemical Constituents.—Gum Arabic consists almost wholly of a peculiar proximate principle, usually termed gum, but latterly designated by chemists as arabin. It is soluble in hot or cold water, forming a viscid solution, called mucilage, and is insoluble in alcohol, ether, and the oils. Alcohol precipitates gum from its aqueous solution; subacetate of lead (which is a delicate test), nitrate of lead, and solution of sesquichloride of iron also precipitate it from solution. Gums of inferior transparency and solu- bility contain bassorin, an inert principle, insoluble in wa- ter and alcohol. Effects and Uses.—Gum Arabic is extensively employed, internally, as a demulcent in gastro-enteric inflammation, diarrhoea, dysentery, cases of acrid poisoning, &c.; as a lubricant to the fauces in catarrhal affections, and also as a vehicle for anodynes and expectorants in cough mixtures; and as a diluent and bland nutritive in fevers and inflam- matory cases, where a rigid regimen is required. It is usually administered in solution (a troyounce to boiling water Oj, to be given when cool); in cases of irritation of the fauces, it may be taken in the mouth, and allowed slowly to dissolve. For pharmaceutical purposes, gum arabic is much used to suspend insoluble substances in water, and in making pills and lozenges. Mucilago Acacio? (Mucilage ofi Gum Arabic)—(four troyounces to boiling water Oss),— is used in making pills, emulsions, &c.; it becomes sour by keeping. Syrupus Acacio? (Syrup ofi Gum Arabic),—(two troy- ounces to water fgviij, with sugar fourteen troyounces),— is used for the same purposes. Mistura Amygdala? (Mixture of Almond, or Almond Emulsion),—is made by dissolving a mixture of half a troyounce of blanched sweet almonds, 30 grains of gum arabic, 120 grains of sugar, in half a pint of water; it is a pleasant demulcent and vehicle for other medicines. By dissolving equal parts of sugar and gum FLAXSEED. 315 arabic in water and evaporating, an agreeable demulcent is obtained, known as gum pectoral, which is sold as an imi- tation of jujube paste. TRAGACANTHA—TRAGACANTH. This is a concrete juice obtained from Astragalus ve- rus and other species of Astragalus (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae). They are small shrubs found in Persia, Asia Minor, and countries bordering on the Levant—with numerous branches, covered with imbricated scales and beset with spines. Tragacanth exudes spontaneously in the hot wea- ther, and hardens as it exudes, in forms of various shapes. It occurs in irregular, tortuous pieces, of a whitish or yel- lowish-white or occasionally a slightly reddish color, some- what translucent, resembling horn in appearance. It is hard and fragile, but very difficult of pulverization, has no smell, and very little taste. When heated with water, it swells and forms a paste, and, if agitated with an addi- tional quantity, it forms a uniform mixture, from which it is, however, almost entirely deposited, upon standing a day or two. It contains two constituents, one soluble in water, resembling arabin, the other termed tragacanthin, which is probably identical with bassorin. Effects and Uses.—Tragacanth is seldom given internally, on account of its difficult solubility. It is useful in sus- pending heavy insoluble powders, and answers better than gum arabic to impart consistence to lozenges. Mucilago Tragacanfha? (Mucilage of Tragacanth),—(a troyounce to boil- ing water Oj),—is used in making pills and troches, and for the suspension of heavy insoluble metallic substances. LINUM--FLAXSEED. This is the seed of Linum usitatissimum, or Common Flax (Nat. Ord. Linaceae), an annual plant, of the height 316 MATERIA MEDICA. of two feet, originally a native of Eastern countries, but naturalized in Europe, and cultivated in all parts of the world. The seed and oil are both officinal. The seeds are about a line in length, oval, smooth, and glossy, of a brown color externally, and yellowish-white within; a variety of flax is cultivated in Ohio, the seeds of which are greenish- yellow. Flaxseeds are inodorous, and have an oily, muci- laginous taste. They contain a fixed oil, a large proportion of mucilaginous matter, and various other ingredients; the mucilaginous matter, which is found chiefly in the husks of the seeds, consists, about one-half, of a principle solu- ble in cold water, resembling arabin, and, about one-third, of a principle insoluble in water. The oil (oleum lini, or linseed oil), is obtained by expression from the interior part of the seeds; it is laxative in the dose of fSi—ij, but is chiefly used, externally, as an ingredient of linimentum cal- cis (see p. 294). Effects and Uses.—The compound- infusion of flaxseed (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj, with liquorice root 5\j), is an admirable demulcent, extensively employed, internally, in catarrh, bowel-complaints, nephritic and calculous com- plaints, strangury, &c.; and also (without the liquorice root), as an external antiphlogistic application. Decoction is an improper mode of preparing a demulcent solution of flaxseed, as boiling extracts part of the oil; but it answers very well when it is used as a laxative enema. Flaxseed m.eal (lini farina), mixed with hot water, forms a much-used emollient poultice. ULMUS FULVA — SLIPPERY ELM BARK. This is the inner bark of the Ulmus fulva, or Slippery Elm (Nat. Ord. Ulmaceae), a lofty indigenous tree, which is found throughout the United States, north of Carolina, and grows most abundantly west of the Alleghany Moun- tains. The inner bark is prepared for use by the removal MARSHMALLOW. 317 of the epidermis; it is found in the shops in long flat pieces, of a fibrous texture, tawny on the outer surface and reddish on the inner, of a peculiar but not unpleasant smell, and a very mucilaginous taste. It affords a light, grayish, fawn-colored powder. A large quantity of muci- laginous matter is contained in it, which is readilj- yielded to water. According to Dr. Wood, much of the bark lately brought into the market is inferior, containing but little mucilage; it is less fibrous and more brittlefhan the genuine bark. Effects and Uses.—Slippery elm bark is a valuable demul- cent, extensively and advantageously employed in dysen- tery, diarrhoea, genito-urinary diseases, catarrhs, &c. It is also highly nutritious. Externally, it is an excellent emol- lient application, in the form either of infusion, or of poul- tice made with the powder. It has been also recommended for the dilatation of strictures and fistulae. The infusion— mucilago ulmi (mucilage ofi slippery elm bark),—(a troyounce to boiling water Oj),—may be used ad libitum. SASSAFRAS MEDULLA--SASSAFRAS PITH. Sassafras pith is the pith of the stems of Sassafras .offici- nale (see p. 224). It occurs in light, spongy, whitish, slen- der, cylindrical pieces, of a mucilaginous taste. It abounds in a gummy matter, which it yields readily to water, form- ing a limpid, viscid mucilage. This mucilage (3j to cold water Oj), is a pleasant demulcent drink in dyspeptic, ne- phritic, and catarrhal affections, and is much used as a soothing application in ophthalmia. ALTHAA — MARSHMALLOW. The root of Althaea officinalis (Nat. Ord. Malvaceae), and other Malvaceae, herbaceous European plants, occasionally 318 MATERIA MEDICA. found too on the borders of salt marshes in our own coun- try, are much used in Europe as demulcents. They are im- ported in pieces three or four inches in length, of nearly the thickness of the finger, light, easily broken, white ex- ternally, of a peculiar faint smell, and a mild, mucilagi- nous, sweetish taste. The chief constituents of marshmal- low are mucilage and starch, the former soluble in cold wa- ter, the latter requiring hot water. It contains also aspa- ragin or malamide, a principle found in asparagus roots and other plants. Uses.—Marshmallow decoction is employed as a demulcent in inflammatory and irritated conditions of the mucous membranes of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary or- gans, and poultices made of the bruised or powdered root are used externally. SESAMI FOLIUM — BENNE LEAF. This leaf is the product of Sesamum Indicum and Sesa- mum Orientale (Nat. Ord. Bignoniae), annual plants, grow- ing to the height of four or five feet, with ovate-lanceo- late, lobed leaves, reddish-white axillary flowers, and an oblong capsule containing small, oval, yellowish seeds. They are natives of India, but now raised in Asia, Egypt, Italy, and also in South Carolina, and in the neighborhood of Philadelphia. The seeds contain a fixed oil, and the leaves yield to cold water a large quantity of mucilage, resembling that of sassafras pith. This is a highly es- teemed demulcent drink, used in cholera infantum and in- fantile bowel-complaints. The seeds are eaten as food by the negroes in Carolina, in broths, puddings, &c. The oil (oleum sesami), which is inodorous, of a bland, sweet- ish taste, and keeps well, may be used internally or exter- nally, as a substitute for olive oil. LIQUORICE root. 319 GLYCYRRHIZA — LIQUORICE ROOT. This is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Nat. Ord. Faba- ceae), a small herbaceous, perennial plant, of the countries around the Mediterranean. It is imported from Sicily and Spain; and a portion of the Sicilian root is said to be the product of G. echinata. As found in the shops, liquorice root is in long, wrinkled pieces, often worm-eaten, varying from a few lines to more than an inch in thickness, exter- nally grayish-brown, internally yellowish, without smell, and of a sweet, mucilaginous, sometimes slightly acrid taste. The best pieces are of the brightest yellow inter- nally. The powder is grayish-yellow, or, if it is powdered with the epidermis removed, pale sulphur-yellow. The constituents of liquorice root are, a peculiar, transparent, yellow, sweetish substance, termed glycyrrhizin (wThich is scarcely soluble in cold water, but soluble in boiling water and alcohol, and is insusceptible of the vinous fermenta- tion), starch, albumen, an acrid resin, &c. Effects and Uses.—A decoction of liquorice root (a troy- ounce boiled for a few minutes in water Oj), is a useful demulcent in dysenteric, catarrhal, and nephritic affec- tions ; it is also added to decoctions of acrid substances, to cover their taste and acridity. It should be made of the root, deprived ofi its cortical part, which is acrid and without demulcent virtues; by long boiling, the acrid resin is ex- tracted. The powder is used in making pills (see p. 27). Extractum Glycyrrhiza (Liquorice), is made by the eva- poration of a decoction of the half-dried root. It comes to this country chiefly from Leghorn and Messina, and in part, also, from Spain; good liquorice is prepared, too, in New York, and in England. Crude liquorice, when good, occurs in black, flattened, cylindrical rolls, about an inch in diameter/which are dry, brittle, with a shining fracture, of a very sweet, peculiar, slightly acrid taste, and are quite soluble in water. It is, however, much sophisticated, and, 320 MATERIA MEDICA. for internal use, is, generally, refined, by dissolving the im- pure extract in water, without ebullition, straining the solution, and evaporating; sugar is often mixed with it, and sometimes mucilage or glue. Refined liquorice is in small cylindrical pieces, not thicker than a pipe-stem. Li- quorice is a pleasant demulcent, much used as an addition to cough mixtures and lozenges, and to acrid infusions and decoctions. Mistura Glycyrrhiza? Composita, commonly called Brown Mixture, consists of liquorice, gum arabic, sugar, each half a troyounce; paregoric, fgij ; antimonial wine, f5j; sweet spirit of nitre, f5ss; water, fSxij. Dose, f.^ss. Liquorice enters into the composition of several troches already noticed. CETRARIA--ICELAND MOSS. Cetraria Islandica, or Iceland Moss (Nat. Ord. Lichena- ceae), is a foliaceous, erect lichen, from two to four inches high, found in the northern latitudes and mountainous dis- tricts of the new and old continents. It is principally ob- tained from Norway and Iceland; and, as found in the shops, consists of irregularly lobed and channeled coria- ceous leaves, fringed at their edges with rigid hairs, of a brownish or grayish-white color, darker on the upper sur- face, and sometimes marked with blood-red spots. It is almost odorless, and has a bitter mucilaginous taste; its powder is whitish-gray. It gives up its virtues to boiling water, and consists chiefly of a kind of amylaceous matter (which is colored blue by iodine, and is termed lichenin), and a bitter principle, termed cetrarin, which yields cetraric acid ; it contains, besides, other principles. Effects and Uses.—Iceland moss is a demulcent tonic, and is also highly nutritious. It is adapted to cases requiring a light aliment combined with a mild and acceptable tonic; and, from its demulcent properties, has a soothing influ- ence in inflammations of the various mucous membranes. ARROW-ROOT. 321 It is chiefly used in chronic affections of the pulmonary and digestive organs, in the form of decoction (half a troy- ounce boiled with water enough to make a pint), which may be taken ad libitum. By maceration in water or a weak alkaline solution, Iceland moss may be deprived of its bitter principle; and it is then used as a mild nutritive demulcent. CHONDRUS — IRISH MOSS. Chondrus crispus, Carrageen or Irish Moss (Nat. Ord. Algaceae), is a marine alga, found chiefly on the west coast of Ireland, where it is prepared for use by washing, bleach- ing, and drying. As found in the shops, it consists of fronds, from two to three or four inches long, mostly yel- lowish or dirty-white, but intermixed with purplish-red portions, nearly inodorous, and of a mucilaginous taste. It swells up in warm water, and is almost entirely dissolved when boiled. Its chief constituent is a peculiar mucilagi- nous principle, for which the term carrageenin has been proposed; and it contains also some mucus, resins, &c. Effects and Uses.—It is a very agreeable nutritive demul- cent, useful in bowel-complaints and pectoral affections. It may be given in the form of decoction (half a troyounce to water, Ojss, boiled to Oj), flavored with lemon-juice and sugar; or it may be made with milk or cream into blanc- mange, which forms an excellent light diet for the sick. MAR ANT A — ARROW-ROOT. Arrow-root is a fecula, obtained from the root of Ma- ranta arundinacea (Nat. Ord. Marantaceae), a perennial her- baceous plant, of the height of two or three feet, origi- nally found in the West Indies, and now cultivated in both the West and East Indies, Florida, Ceylon, and Sierra 21 322 MATERIA MEDICA. Leone. Other plants also furnish some of the arrow-root of commerce. The root of M. arundinacea is a white, fleshy, scaly, articulated, cylindrical tuber, from six inches to a foot or more in length, furnished with long fibres, and giving origin to several tuberous stoles, similar to itself. It consists principally of fecula or starch, which is ex- tracted from the roots when they are about a year old: they are washed and beaten into a pulp, which is stirred in water, and the fibrous part wrung out by the hands; the milky liquor is strained and suffered to settle, and the sub- siding mass is dried in the sun. It occurs in the form of a light, opaque, white powder, or small pulverulent masses, without odor or taste; and is brought to our market chiefly from the West Indies, and, to some amount, also, from Georgia and Florida. The preferred kind is that which comes from Bermuda. Arrow-root is a pure starch, insoluble in cold water. Its peculiar characteristic is the structure and appearance of its granules, when viewed under a microscope ; and this affords the best means of distinguishing it from other feculae, which are mixed with or sold for it. The granules of the genuine arrow-root are ovate-oblong, irregularly convex, with fine. rings, a hilum or central cavity, and often short processes or spines. Effects and Uses.—Arrow-root is a valuable nutritive de- mulcent, forming a very pleasant light diet in bowel-com- plaints and pulmonary and urinary affections. It is also much used as an article of food for infants. It is dissolved in boiling water (a tablespoonful to water Oj), and forms a gelatinous solution; a larger proportion of arrow-root makes a jelly-like mass. Lemon-juice and sugar, or wine and spices, may be added, according to the indication. It is generally made with milk, when used as a diet for in- fants. SAGO. 323 CANNA. Canna starch (known also by the French name of tous les mois), is a fecula prepared from the rhizoma of an un- determined species of canna, generally believed, however, to be C. edulis. It comes from the West Indies and Cen- tral America, and occurs in the form of a light, very white powder, of a shining appearance. Its granules are longer than those of any other variety of starch, and are ovate or oblong, with numerous regular, unequally distant rings. It is used and prepared like arrow-root. tapioca. This is the fecula of the root of Janipha Manihot (Nat. Ord. Euphorbiaceae), a South American shrub, some six or eight feet in height, cultivated also in the West Indies, where it is termed the cassava plant. The root is a very large, white, fleshy tuber, and is found under two varieties, the sweet and bitter ; the latter contains an acrid, poisonous juice, which is, however, volatile, and dissipated by heat. Tapioca is obtained from the expressed juice of both varie- ties, from which it is deposited as a starchy powder; it is afterwards dried by heat, which causes the starch-grains to swell and agglomerate into small masses or lumps. It occurs in the form of irregular, hard, white, rough grains, of little taste, and partially soluble in cold water. In boil- ing water it swells up, and forms a transparent jelly-like mass, which constitutes an admirable demulcent article ofi diet, applicable to the same cases as arrow-root. SAGO. Sago is the prepared fecula of the pith of Sagus Rum- phii, or the Sago Palm, and of other species of Sagus (Nat. 324 materia medica. Ord. Palmaceae), small trees of the Moluccas and other East India Islands. The immature stems contain a great mass of spongy medullary matter, which is extracted in the state of a coarse powder; this is mingled with water, and the mixture, upon standing, deposits the insoluble farina, which, when dried, constitutes sago. The sago of com- merce is prepared by forming the meal into a paste with water, and rubbing it into grains. It is refined at Malacca and Singapore, so as to give the grains a fine pearly lustre, and in this state is called pearl sago. Pearl sago is the pre- ferred variety, and is that which is now in general use. It is in small grains, about the size of a pin's head, hard, whitish, of a light-brown color, inodorous, and nearly taste- less. Common sago is in larger, duller, browner grains, often mixed with a dirty-looking powder. Sago is, chemically, a starch. Common sago is inso- luble in cold water; but pearl sago is partially dissolved by it, owing to the heat which it has undergone. The only use of sago is as a bland, unirritating article of diet. It should be boiled some time in water (or milk, if preferred), and carefully stirred, to insure the thorough solution of the grains; the solution, after being strained, may be fla- vored with sugar, lemon-juice, wine, or spices, according to the requirements of the case. HORDEUM--BARLEY. Barley, as prepared for medicinal use, consists of the de- corticated seed of Hordeum distichon, and other species of Hordeum (Nat. Ord. Graminaceae); well-known grains, supposed to be derived from Tartary, and now in cultiva- tion in most parts of the world. The seeds are oval, ob- long, marked with a longitudinal furrow, of a yellowish color externally, white within, a faint odor, and a mild, sweetish taste. They contain starch, gluten, gum, sugar, and a peculiar principle termed hordein, analogous to lignin. rice. 325 When made to germinate by warmth and moisture, and afterwards baked to deprive them of vitality, barley-seeds are termed malt; this process increases the nutritious pro- perties of the grain, by increasing the proportions of sugar, starch, and gum, at the expense of the hordein. Deprived of its husk, the grain is termed hulled barley, and hulled barley, when ground, is barley meal. Pearl Barley is the grain with all the investments removed, and afterwards rounded and polished in a mill; it is thus freed from its fibrous matter, and is the only fit form for medicinal use. It consists of small, white, oval grains, with a dark longi- tudinal furrow on one side, and yields its virtues to boiling water. In the form of decoction, and suitably flavored, it makes an exceedingly bland demulcent nutritive drink, in fevers and inflammatory cases (two troyounces, previously washed with cold water, are mixed with water Oss, and boiled for a short time; this water should be thrown away, and Oiv boiling hot are poured upon the barley, and boiled to Oij). A decoction of malt is more nutritious; mixed with hops, it is termed wort. Avena Farina (Oatmeal),—the meal prepared from the seeds of Avena Sativa (Nat. Ord. Graminaceae), furnishes a pleasant diet for the sick, more nutritious than the pure starches, as it contains 3 per cent, of albumen with 72.8 per cent, of starch. It has a slight laxative influence on the bowels, and is often administered to assist the action of cathartics. Oatmeal gruel is prepared by boiling from , one to two troyounces Of the meal in three pints of water to a quart, straining the decoction, allowing it to stand till it cools, and then pouring off the clear liquor from the sediment. It may be flavored with sugar, and lemon- juice or raisins. Oryza (Rice),—the fruit of Oryza Sativa (Nat. Ord. Gra- minaceae), containing about 85 per cent, of starch, and nearly 4 per cent, of gluten, is an excellent demulcent 326 MATERIA MEDICA. diet for the sick, in affections of the bowels. Rice-water, made by boiling a troyounce in a pint of water for an hour, may be used as drink. Salep—the prepared bulbs of Orchis mascula (Nat. Ord. Orchidaceae), consists of small, oval, hard, heavy, semi- transparent masses, of a yellowish color, a feeble odor, and a mild mucilaginous taste. It contains, like tragacanth, two gums (one insoluble, the other soluble), and also starch. It is demulcent and highly nutritive, and is used in the same way as tapioca, sago, &c. Amylum (Starch), a proximate principle, pervading the vegetable kingdom, is used in solution as a demulcent to irritated surfaces, as a vehicle for anodyne enemata, as an antidote for iodine, and, in powder, as a desiccant. Gelatina (Gelatin), a solid, transparent, corneous sub- stance, obtained from the bones and other tissues of ani- mals (soluble in boiling water, and forming, on cooling, a transparent jelly), may be noticed with demulcents. When dried, it is found in the form of whitish or yel- lowish, semi-transparent, hard and tough, tasteless, ino- dorous strips. It is used to make soups and jellies for the sick, but it is not of easy digestion, and it does not nourish the nitrogenous tissues. In solution, it has been used as an enema in dysentery and hemorrhoids. And in phar- macy, it is employed to make capsules for the administra- tion of disagreeable liquid medicines, and as a coating for pills. Ichthyocolla (Isinglass), prepared from the swimming bladder of Acipenser huso (the sturgeon), and of other species of fish, is the purest form of gelatin. Court-plaster is made by coating oiled silk with a solution of isinglass. For external use, the animal fats are employed as emol- lients. OIL OF THEOBROMA. 327 ■ Adeps (Lard), is the prepared fat of sus scrofa (the hog). It is used in pharmacy as an addition to poultices, and as an inunction in the exanthemata, particularly scar- latina. Cerate ofi lard, ceratum adipis (formerly termed simple cerate), is made by melting together two parts of lard and one part of white wax. Unguentum adipis (ointment ofi lard), is made by melting together four parts of lard, and one part of white wax. Lard oil is a good vehicle for ano- dyne enemata. Sevum (Suet), is the prepared fat of ovis aries (the sheep). Cetaceum (Spermaceti), is a peculiar concrete substance, obtained from Physeter macrocephalus (the spermaceti whale). Spermaceti cerate (ceratum cetacei), is made by melt- ing together one part of spermaceti and three parts of white wax, and then adding five parts of olive oil. Cera Flava (Yellow Wax), is a peculiar concrete sub- stance, prepared by Apis mellifica (the honey bee). Cera Alba (White Wax), is yellow wax bleached. It is chiefly used in making cerates, ointments, and plasters. OLEUM THEOBROMA — OIL OF THEOBROMA. This oil, commonly known as butter ofi cacao, is the con- crete oil of the fruit of Theobroma Cacao (Nat. Ord. Ster- culiaceae), a handsome tree, from twelve to twenty feet in height, growing in Mexico, the West Indies, Central Ame- rica, and South America. The fruit is an ovate-oblong capsule or berry, half a foot in length, with a thick, coria- ceous, ligneous rind, inclosing a whitish pulp, in which numerous ovate seeds are imbedded, about the size of an almond. Separated from the matter in which they are en- veloped, these constitute the chocolate-nuts of commerce.. 328 MATERIA MEDICA. They contain fixed oil (cacao butter), theobromia, and other matters. Theobromia is a nitrogenous alkaloid, analogous to caffein. Cacao butter is obtained by expression, decoc- tion, or the action of a solvent. It occurs in whitish or yellowish oblong cakes, of the consistence of tallow, of an agreeable odor and taste. It contains a large proportion ^of stearin, also palmitin and olein. It is used in pharmacy 'for coating pills, and also largely in preparing supposito- ries, for which it is well adapted from its consistence and blandness. GLYCERINA — GLYCERIN. This is a substance which exists in oils in combination with the fatty acids (stearic, margaric, oleic, &c), and is liberated from them when they unite with bases in the process of saponification. It is usually obtained in the process for making lead plaster, by mixing litharge (oxide of lead) with olive oil and boiling water, by which the fatty acid unites with the lead, and is precipitated, and the glycerin remains in solution. It is freed from any lead it may contain by means of a stream of sulphuretted hy- drogen gas, and is afterwards filtered through animal char- coal ; or it may be made more directly by blowing steam through fat, which causes a separation of the glycerin and fatty acids. It is a thick, syrupy liquid, colorless or straw- colored, unctuous to the touch, inodorous, and of a sweet, pleasant taste. Sp. gr. 1.25. It is soluble in oils, alcohol, and water, but is insoluble in ether. It is a very general solvent, and does not evaporate when exposed to the air. Effects and Uses.—Glycerin is a bland and unirritating substance. It may be used internally as a nutrient and de- mulcent; but it is as a topical application that it is chiefly employed. As an enema in dysentery, to soften hardened mucus in the air-passages, in various cutaneous affections, in deafness attended with dryness of the meatus, and as a vehicle or solvent for active medicines, glycerin is a valu- able article. YEAST. 329 COLLODIUM — COLLODION. This is a solution of gun-cotton in ether and alcohol. It is a colorless, transparent, syrupy liquid, with a strong ethereal smell. By exposure to the air, the solvent eva- porates, with a deposit of crystals of gun-cotton, the collo- dion thus solidifying, and, in so doing, contracting and be- coming strongly adhesive. In this way it proves antiphlo- gistic, by driving the blood away from a part, limiting effusion, and promoting absorption, and, at the same time, acts as an admirable emollient by protecting an inflamed surface from the action of the air. It is a useful applica- tion to ulcers, fissures, and skin diseases, and erysipelatous parts. It is used also in surgery as a substitute for adhe- sive plaster, and in pharmacy as a vehicle for other medi- cines. Iodized collodion (a very good solution of iodine for external application), contains ten to twenty grains of iodine in a fluidounce of collodion. LIQUOR GUTTA PERCHA — SOLUTION OF GUTTA PERCHA. This is a solution of gutta percha in chloroform. In preparing it, carbonate of lead is employed to free it from coloring matter. It is a clear, colorless, or nearly colorless solution, and should be kept in well-stoppered glass vials. By the evaporation of the chloroform, this proves an ad- mirable application to inflamed or abraded parts in skin affections, chaps, &c.; also an excellent protective coating to parts threatened with bed-sores or liable to excoriation. FERMENTUM — YEAST. This well-known product of fermentation is a flocculent, frothy, somewhat viscid substance, of a dirty-yellowish 330 MATERIA MEDICA. color, a sour, vinous odor, and a bitter taste. It is inso- luble in alcohol or wrater. Its most important character- istic is its powrer of exciting the vinous fermentation in saccharine and starchy liquids. It is occasionally used in low fevers, attended with irritability of the stomach, in the dose of fSss-ij, every two or three hours, which some- times proves laxative. Externally, it is added to farina- ceous poultices, applied to sloughing ulcers. MEL — HONEY. This liquid, the familiar product of the bee, best used in the form of Mel Despumatum (Clarified Honey), is a slightly laxative article of food, and is used in pharmacy, and as an agreeable demulcent ingredient in gargles. Saccharum (Sugar), and Syrupus Fuscus (Molasses), are pleasant demulcents, useful in slight catarrhal affections, and entering in endless variety of combination into most domestic and medicinal remedies for this class of affec- tions. Their pharmaceutical uses are manifold; the pre- servative action of sugar is of inestimable advantage in this branch of the Materia Medica. Saccharum Lactis (Sugar ofi Milk), the saccharine prin- ciple of milk, is used as a bland non-nitrogenous article of diet. By fermentation, sugar of milk gives rise to lactic acid (acidum lacticum), a limpid, syrupy liquid, which has been used in certain forms of dyspepsia, and for the re- moval of phosphatic deposits in the urine, in the dose of 5i-iij during the day. ORDER III.--ANTHELMINTICS. Anthelmintics are medicines which promote the expul- sion of worms from the alimentary canal. They act in different ways: some weaken or destroy the worms by a PINKROOT. 331 direct poisonous influence, others by mechanical means; the drastic cathartics have an anthelmintic effect, from the increased secretion and exhalation which they induce from the alimentary canal. SPIGELIA — PINKROOT. Pinkroot is the root of Spigelia Marilandica, or Carolina Pink (Nat. Ord. Spigeliaceae), an herbaceous, indigenous plant, found chiefly in our Southern and Southwestern States. The root is perennial, and consists of a number of slender fibres; the stems are numerous, from a foot to a foot and a half high, of a purplish color, furnished with sessile, opposite, ovate-lanceolate leaves, and terminate in spikes, bearing carmine-colored, funnel-shaped flowers, which ap- pear from May to July. The root, as found in the shops, consists of numerous slender, wrinkled, branching, brown- ish fibres, attached to a dark-brown caudex, and has a faint peculiar smell, and a sweetish, slightly bitter taste; its ac- tivity is diminished by time. Boiling water extracts its virtues, which are thought to depend upon a bitter principle; it contains also volatile oil, resin, and other matters. Effects and Uses.—In ordinary doses, pinkroot often proves anthelmintic without any sensible effect on the sys- tem. In larger doses, it purges and sometimes vomits; and, in excessive doses, it operates as a narcotic poison, producing vertigo, dilated pupils, convulsions, and death. It is less apt to occasion narcotic effects when it acts on the bowels, and hence it is usually combined with or fol- lowed by cathartics. As an anthelmintic, it is considered the most reliable article we possess. Administration.—-Dose of the powdered root, 5i-ij, for an adult; for a child three or four years old, gr. x-xx, to be repeated night and morning for three or four days, and followed by a brisk cathartic; calomel is sometimes com- bined with it. The infusion is the usual form of adminis- 332 MATERIA MEDICA. tration (half a troyounce to boiling water Oj, with fre- quently senna, half a troyounce), dose, f.vs-j for a child two or three years old; f giv-viij for an adult, night and Fig. 23. morning. The fluid extract contains in a fluidounce a troy- ounce of spigelia—dose, for a cliild two years old, ten drops. The fluid extract of Spigelia and Senna (which con- W0RMSEED. 333 tains also carbonate of potassa and the oils of caraway and anise), is a pleasant preparation. Dose, f 5ss for an adult, f5j for a child. CHENOPODIUM — WORMSEED. Wormseed is the fruit of Chenopodium anthelminti- cum, or Jerusalem Oak (Nat. Ord. Chenopodiaceae), an in- Fig. 24. digenous, herbaceous, perennial plant, from two to five feet high, with alternate, oblong-lanceolate, sinuated and 334 MATERIA MEDICA. toothed, yellowish-green leaves, and numerous small flowers of the same color, arranged in long terminal pani- cles. Wormseed, as found in the shops, is in small sphe- rical grains, not larger than a pin's head, of a dull, green- ish-yellow or brownish color, a peculiar offensive smell, and a rather aromatic, pungent taste. Their sensible and medicinal properties are owing to a volatile oil (Oleum Chenopodii), obtained by distillation. Effects and Uses.—Wormseed is a very efficient anthel- mintic, particularly adapted to the expulsion of lumbrici from children. Dose, 3i-ij for a child two or three years old, in molasses, night and morning, for three or four days, to be followed by a brisk cathartic. The oil is more used than the fruit. Dose, gtt. v-x for a child, in emulsion with sugar. The expressed juice of the leaves, and a de- coction made with milk, are also used. SANTONICA. The unexpanded flowers and peduncles of Artemisia Contra and of other species of Artemisia, are used in Eu- rope as an anthelmintic (in the dose of 10 to 30 grains), under the name of European Wormseed: They contain volatile oil, resin, and a peculiar principle, termed Santo- nin—Santoninum. This is the anthelmintic constituent of Santonica, and is much employed. Dose, 2 or 3 grains, two or three times a day, in the form of lozenge or syrup. AZEDARACH. This is the bark of the root of Melia Azedarach, or Pride of China (Nat. Ord. Meliaceae); an Asiatic tree,"cul- tivated extensively as an ornamental tree in our Southern States. It has a bitter, nauseous taste, and yields its vir- tues to boiling water; but as it is used only in the recent MALE FERN. 335 state, it is not found in our shops. Its effects are said to resemble those of Spigelia, The decoction is the pre- ferred form of administration (four troyounces to water Oij, boiled to Oj); dose for a child fgss, every two or three hours, till it affects the stomach and bowels; or night and morning, for several days. MUCUNA — COWHAGE. The hairs of the pods of Mucuna pruriens (Nat. Ord. Fabaceae), a West Indian perennial climbing plant, act as anthelmintic, by a mechanical penetration of the worms. The pods are about four inches long, shaped like the Italic letter /, and are covered with brown bristly hairs, which, when handled, stick in the fingers, and produce an intense itching. For administration, the pods are dipped into syrup or molasses, and the hairs scraped off with the liquid, which should have the consistence of thick honey. Dose, a tablespoonful for an adult, a teaspoonful for a child, night and morning, for several days, and followed by a cathartic. FILIX MAS--MALE FERN. Aspidium Filix Mas, or Male Fern (Nat. Ord. Filicales), is an indigenous plant, common to all parts of the world, with a perennial, horizontal root, from which spring nu- merous annual, oval, lanceolate, acute, bright-green pin- nate fronds or leaves, from a foot to four feet in height; the leaflets are deeply lobate, oval, crenate at their edges, and gradually diminish from the base of the pinna to the apex. The rhizoma is the portion used. It is a long, cy- lindrical caudex, covered with the remains of the leaf- stalks; and, as found in the shops, it is generally broken into fragments, of a brown color externally, internally yel- lowish-white or reddish, with a peculiar feeble odor, and 336 MATERIA MEDICA. a sweetish, bitter, astringent, nauseous taste. It dete- riorates by keeping. It contains volatile oil, fixed oil, re- sin, tannic and gallic acids, &c, &c. Its virtues are sup- posed to reside in the ethereal extract, which is the fixed oil in an impure state, containing volatile oil, resin, coloring matter, &c. Effects and Uses.—Male fern possesses tonic and astrin- gent properties; but its chief use is to cause the expulsion of taenia, which it destroys by a specific action. Its effi- cacy in this respect has been long and well attested. Dose, of the powder, 5i-iij, in electuary or emulsion, night and morning, for one or two days; of the ethereal extract, gr. x-xx, repeated; and in both cases a cathartic is to be af- terwards given. GRANATI RADICIS CORTEX--BARK OF THE POMEGRANATE ROOT. The bark of the root of Punica granatum (see p. 138), is used for the expulsion of taenia. It is a powerful styp- tic, and may act in this way. It is given in decoction (two troyounces to water Oij, boiled to Oj), dose, fgij, or more. Oleum Terebinthina (Oil of Turpentine), (see p. 242), is used as a remedy for taenia and other worms. Dose, fSj, combined with or followed by castor oil. Calomel (see p. 264), is a valuable anthelmintic, given in cathartic doses. Brayera (Koosso). The flowers and unripe fruit of Bray era Anthelmintica (Nat. Ord. Rosaceae), a native of Abyssinia, have been introduced into European practice, as a remedy for taenia, under the name of koosso. The dried flowers occur in unbroken, compressed clusters, of a greenish-yellow color, a fragrant balsamic odor, and a faint PUMPKIN SEED. 337 taste, which after a time becomes acrid and disagreeable. They are said to impart their virtues best to hot water, and to yield gum, resin, fatty matter, tannic acid, &c. They are best given upon an empty stomach, after a previous evacuation of the bowels, in the dose of half a troyounce of the powder, mixed with half a pint of warm water. ROTTLERA — KAMEELA. This is the powder and hairs, obtained from the cap- sules of Rottlera tinctoria (Nat. Ord. Euphorbiaceae), a small tree of Hindostan and the East India islands. It is an orange-red, granular, inflammable powder, with little smell or taste, insoluble in cold, and nearly so in boiling water; soluble in boiling alcohol and ether. It consists jhiefly of resinous substances, to one of which, soluble in ether, and considered the active constituent, the name of rottlerin has been given. Uses.—Kameela is a highly esteemed taeniacide in India, and has lately been introduced into Europe and our own country. Dose of the powder, 5i-ij- A tincture (six troy- ounces to alcohol Oj), is given in the dose of f5i-iv. Cas- tor oil should be taken after the medicine. PEPO — PUMPKIN SEED. The seed of Cucurbita pepo, or common pumpkin, is probably the most efficacious remedy known in the expul- sion of tape-worm. These seeds are oval, flatfish, grooved, 9 lines long by 5 or 6 in breadth, of a light brownish-white color, a sweetish taste and aromatic smell. They contain a fixed oil, which is said to possess their anthelmintic vir- tues. One or two troyounces of the fresh seeds, deprived 22 338 MATERIA MEDICA. of their outer envelope, beaten to a paste with finely powdered sugar, and diluted with water or milk, should be taken after a twenty-four hours' fast, and followed, in two or three hours, by a dose of castor oil. Of the fixed oil, fgss-fgj may be taken. APPENDIX. SIGNS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED IN PRESCRIPTIONS. R, Recipe, take. aa, Ana (*v*), of each. ft), Libra, librae, a pound, pounds. 3, Uncia, uncice, an ounce, ounces. 3, Drachma, drachmce, a drachm, drachms. Q, Scrupulus, scrupuli, a scruple, scruples. 0, Octarius, oclarii, a pint, pints. f^, Fluiduncia, fluiduncice, a fluidounce, fluidounces. f^, Fluidrachma, fl.uidrachm.ee, a fluidrachm, fluidrachms. ttjj, Minimum, minima, a minim, minims. Ad 2 Vic, Ad duas vices, at two takings. Ad Lib., Ad libitum. Add., Adde, Addantur, add, let he added. Altern. Horis, Alternis horis, every other hour. Aq. Destil., Aqua Destillata, distilled water. Aq. Ferv., Aqua fervens, hot water. Aq. Fluvial., Aqua fluvialis, river water. Aq. Font., Aquafontana, spring water. Aq. Pluv., Aqua pluvialis, rain water. Bis Ikd., Bis indies, twice a day. Bull., Bulliat, Bulliant, let it or them boil. Cap., Capiat, capiendum, let the patient take it, it must be taken. Chart., Chartula, chartulce, a small paper, or papers. Cochleat., Cochleatim, by spoonfuls. Coch. Mag., Cochleare magnum, a tablespoonful. Coch. 3Ied., Cochleare medium, a dessertspoonful. Coch. Parv., Cochleare parvum, a teaspoonful. Col., Cola, coletur, strain, let it be strained. Collyr., Collyrium, an eye-water. Comp., Compositus, compounded. Cong., Congius, congii, a gallon, gallons. C. M. S., Cras mane sumendus, to be taken to-morrow morning. C. N., Cras node, to-morrow night. Decoct., Decoctum, a decoction. De D. in D., De die in diem, from day to day. Dieb. Alter., Diebus alternis, every other day. Dil., Dilue, dilutus, dilute, diluted. Dim., Dimidius, one-half. Div., Divide, divide. 340 APPENDIX. D., Doses, a dose. Elec, Electuarium, an electuary. Enema, Enema, enemata, a clyster, clysters. Exhib., Exhibeatur, let it be administered. F. H., Fiat haustus, let a draught be made. Fil., Filtra, filter. Ft. , Fiat, fiant, let there be made. Garg., Gargarysma, a gargle. Gr., Granum, grana, a grain, grains. Gtt., Gutta, guttce, a drop, drops. Guttat., Guffatim, by drops. Haust., Haustus, a draught. Ind., Indies, daily. Inf., Infunde, pour in. Infus., Infusum, an infusion. Inj., Injiciatur, let it be injected. Jul., Julepus, julepum, a julep. M., Misce, Mix. Mane, in the morning. Mist., Mistura, a mixture. Mic. Pan., Mica panis, crumb of bread. No., Numero, in number. Omn. Hor., Omni hora, every hour. Omn. Bid., Omni biduo, every two days. Omn. Bih., Omni bihora, every two hours. Omn. Man., Omni mane, every morning. Omn. Nocte, Omni node, every night. Omn. Quadr. Hor., Omni quadrante horce, every quarter of an hour. Ph., Pharmacopoeia. Pocul., Poculum, a cup. P. R. N., Pro re nata, as the symptoms may call for. Pulv., Pulvis, a powder. Q. P., Quantumplaceat, as much as you please. Q. S., Quantum sufficiat, enough. Quor., Quorum, of which. Redig. in Pulv., Redigatur inpulverem, let it be reduced to powder. Repet., Repetatur, repetantur, let it or them be repeated. S., Signa, write. S. A., Secundum artem, according to art. Semih., Semihora, half an hour. Sign., Signatura, a label. Ss., Semis, a half. Sum., Sume, Sumendus, take, let it be taken. Tabel., Tabella, a lozenge. Troch., Trochiscus, a lozenge. Trit., Tritura, triturate. INDEX. 331 Abbreviations, table of, 299. Abies balsamea, 241. Canadensis, 300. excelsa, 299. picea, 299. Absinthium, 96. Acacia, 313. Arabica, 313. catechu, 129. vera, 313. Aceta, 31. Acetate of ammonia, solution of, 155. leas', 143. morphia, 47. potassa, 220. zinc, 119. Acetic acid, 177. Acetum, 177. colchici, 230. lobelia?, 57. opii, 45. scillse, 228. Acida mineralia, 123, 311. vegetabilia, 176. Acidum aceticum, 177. arseniosum, 278, 310. benzoicum, 225. citricum, 177. chromicum, 309. gallicum, 128. hydrocyanicum, 64. dilutum, 64. muriaticum, 125. dilutum, 125. nitricum, 125. dilutum, 125. nitro-muriaticum, 125. sulphuricum, 124. aromaticum, 124. dilutum, 124. sulphurosum, 124. tannicum, 127. tartaricum, 177. Achillea, 08. millefolium, 98. Acipenser huso, 326. Aconite, 60. Aconiti folium, 60. radix, 60. Aconitia, 60, 61. Aconitum, 60. Napellus, 60. Acorus calamus, 160. Acupuncture, 19. Adeps; 326. Adhesive plaster, 244. ^Ether, 70. fortior, 70. Agathotes chirayta, 91. Age, influence of, 35. Albumen as an antidote for corro- sive sublimate, 207. Alcohol, 147. dilutum, 148. fortius, 148. Alcoholic potassa, 277. Alder, black, 110. Alexandria senna, 207. Allium, 239. sativum, 239. Allspice, 157. Almond emulsion, 314. Aloe, 205. Barbadensis, 205. capensis, 205. purificata, 205. Socotrina, 205. spicata, 205. vulgaris, 205. Aloes, 205. Aloin, 206. Alterative diaphoretics, 220. Alteratives, 255. Althaea, 317. officinalis, 317. Alum, 145, 190, 311. dried, 145, 146. whey, 146. Alum-root, 139. Alumen, 145. exsiccatum, 145, 146. 342 INDEX. Alumina? sulphas, 146. Amber, 82. American centaury, 89. columbo, 89. hellebore, 167. ipecacuanha,189. poplar, 96. senna, 209. silver fir, 241. spikenard, 222. Amidogen, 268. Ammonia, 150. preparations of, 150, 293. Ammonia-alum, 145. Ammoniac, 78, 252. mixture, 79. plaster, 79. Ammoniacum, 78, 252. Ammonia? acetatis liquor, 176. aqua, 150, 306. fortior, 150, 306. carbonas, 151. linimentum, 151, 299. murias, 283. praeparata, 150, 293. spiritus, 151. aromaticus, 151. valerianas, 79. Ammoniated copper, 118. iron, 116. mercury, 268. tincture of guaiac, 223. valerian, 79. Amygdala amara, 67. Amyl, hydride of, 70. Amylen, 70. Amylum, 326. Anaesthetics, ethereal, 70. Angelica Archangelica, 99. Angelica tree, 222. Angustura, 97. bark, 97. false, 97. Anise, 164. star, 164. Anisum, 164. Anodynes, 40. Antacids, 286. Anthelmintics, 330. Anthemis, 93. cotula, 94. nobilis, 93. Antilithics, 287. Antimonial ointment, 172, 307. powder, 173. wine, 172. Antimonii oxidum, 173. et potassae tartras, 169. Antimonii oxysulphuretum, 172. praeparata, 169. Antimonium sulphuratum, 172. Antispasmodics, 76. Apocynin, 231. Apocynum cannabinum, 231. Apples, 192. Aqua ammoniae, 150, 306. fortior, 150, 306. amygdala? amarae, 67. aurantii florum, 162. cinnamomi, 155. creasoti, 141. rosae, 138. Aqua?, 28. Arabin, 314. Aralia nudicaulis, 222. racemosa, 222. spinosa, 222. Arctostaphylos uva ursi, 135. Argenti nitras, 121. fusa, 122, 308. oxidum, 122. praeparata, 121. Argol, 201. Aristolochia reticulata, 93. serpentaria, 92. Arnica, 162. montana, 162. Arnicina, 162. Aromatic confection, 160. powder, 160. spirit of ammonia, 151. sulphuric acid, 124. syrup of rhubarb, 204. Aromatics, 152. Arrack, 150. Arrow-root, 321. Arsenic, 278. acid, 278. Arsenici et hydrargyri iodidi liquor, 282. iodidum, 282. praeparata, 278. Arsenious acid, 278, 310. Arsenite of potassa, solution of, 281. soda, 282. Artanthe elongata, 247. Artemisia absinthium, 96. contra, 334. Arteriotomy, 17. Artificial camphor, 68. musk, 82. Asparagin, 318. Aspidium Filix mas, 335. Assafetida, 76, 252. Assafoetida, 76, 252. Astragalus verus, 315. Astringents, 126. mineral, 141. vegetable, 127. Atropa belladonna, 48. Atropia, 48. Aurantii cortex, 162. Avena sativa, 325. Avena? farina, 325. Azedarach, 334. Balm of Gilead tree, 241. Balsam of fir, 241. Peru, 251. Tolu, 251. Balsamodendron Myrrha, 248. Balsamum Peruvianum, 251. Tolutanum, 251. Bandages, 19. Barbadoes aloes, 205. Barberry, 91. Barilla, 290. Bark of sassafras root, 224. Barley, 324. Barosma crenata, 248. Basilicon ointment, 244. Bassorin, 314. Baths, 20, 22. Bay rum, 150. Bean of St. Ignatius, 180. Bearberry, 135. Bebeeru bark, 109. Bebeerin, 110. Belladonna, 48. Belladonna? folium, 48. radix, 48. Benne leaf, 318. oil, 318. Benzoic acid, 250. Benzoin* 249. Benzoinum, 249. Berberina, 87, 90, 91. Bicarbonate of potassa, 289. soda, 291. Bichloride of mercury, 266. Bichromate of potassa, 284, 311. Biniodide of mercury, 267. Bismuthi subcarbonas, 123. subnitras, 122. Bitartrate of potassa, 200. Bitter almond water, 67. cucumber, 213. orange, 162. Bitters, aromatic, 85, 92. astringent, 85, 99. simple, 85, 86. Bittersweet, 64. Black drop, 45. ginger, 158. INDEX. 343 Black hellebore, 213. mustard, 296. oxide of mercury, 262. pepper, 153, 154. snakeroot, 238. wash, 263. Blackberry root, 139. Black-oak bark, 133. Blennorrhetics, 225, 235. Blistering cerate, 304. Blisters, 301. Bloodletting, 17. Bloodroot, 186. Blue pill, 218, 261. vitriol, 118. Boneset, 94. Borate of soda, 174. Borax, 174. Bordeaux turpentine, 241. Borneo camphor, 68. Bran, 192. Brandy, 149. Brayera, 336. anthelmintica, 336. Brazilian sarsaparilla, 220. Brimstone, 195. Bromide of iron, 275. mercury, 275. potassium, 274. Bromine, 274. Brominium, 274. Broom, 235. Brown mixture, 320. Brucia, 178. Buchu, 248. Burgundy pitch, 299. plaster, 300. Butter, 195. of nutmegs, 156. Butternut, 205. Cacao butter, 327. Cadmii sulphas, 123. Caffea, 81. Cajeput oil, 157. Calamina praeparata, 120. Calamine, 120. Calamus, 160. Calcined magnesia, 196. Calcis carbonas praecipitata, 294. phosphas pra?cipitata, 282. praeparata, 293. Calefacients, 147. Calisaya bark, 99, 100. Calomel, 217, 264. Calor, 20. Calumba, 90. 344 INDEX. Calx chlorinata, 286. Camphene, 68. Camphor, 67. liniment, 69. water, 69. Camphora, 67. oflicinarum, 67. Camphorated tincture of opium, Canada balsam, 241. fleabane, 230. pitch, 300. turpentine, 241. Canella, 98. alba, 98. Canna, 323. Cannabin, 62. Cannabis Indica, 61. Cantharidin, 303. Cantharides, 302. Cantharis, 234, 302. vesicatoria, 302. vittata, 306. Cape aloes, 2ii5. Capsicin, 153. Capsicum, 152, 298. annuum, 152. Caraway, 164. Carbonate of ammonia, 151. iron, pills of, 112. lead, 145. lime, precipitated, 294. magnesia, 197. potassa, 289. pure, 289. soda, 291. dried, 291. zinc, precipitated, 120. Carbonates of soda, 290. Cardamom, 159. Cardamomum, 159. Carminatives, 147. Carolina pink, 331. Carota, 233. Carrageen, 321. Carrageenin, 321. Carrot seed, 233. root, 234. Carthagena barks, 101. Carum, 164. carui, 164. Caryophyllin, 156. Caryophyllus, 156. aromaticus, 156. Cascarilla, 97. Cascarillin, 98. Cassava plant, 323. Cassia acutifolia, 207. JEthiopica, 207, 208. Cassia cinnamon, 154. elongata, 207, 208. fistula, 193. lanceolata, 207, 208. Marilandica, 209. obovata, 207, 208. purging, 193. Castor, 82. fiber, 82. oil, 194. Castoreum, 82. Cataplasmata, 33. Cataplasms, 33, 312. Catechu, 129. Catechuic acid, 130. Cathartics, 190. Cathartin, 208. Caustic potassa, 308. Cauterants, 307. Cautery, actual, 21. Cayenne pepper, 152. Centaury, 89. Cephaelis ipecacuanha, 185. Cera alba, 327. flava, 327. Cerasus serotina, 108. Cerata, 33. Cerates, 33. Cerate of cantharides, 304. carbonate of zinc, 120. extract of cantharides, 304. subacetate of lead, 144. Ceratum calaminae, 120. cantharidis, 304. extracti cantharidis, 304. adipis, 33, 327. plumbi subacetatis, 144. resina?, 244. compositum, 244. sabinae, 254. simplex, 33. zinci carbonatis, 120. Cetaceum, 327. Cetraria, 320. islandica, 320. Cetraric acid, 320. Cetrarin, 320. Cevadilla, 168. Ceylon cinnamon, 154. Chalk mixture, 295. prepared, 294. Chalybeates, 110, 254. Chamomile, 93. German, 94. wild, 94. Champagne wine, 149. Chenopodium, 333. anthelminticum, 333. INDEX. 345 Chian turpentine, 241. Chimaphila, 136. maculata, 137. umbellata, 136. China cinnamon, 154. Chinese rhubarb, 202. Chloride of lime, 286. iron, tincture of, 114. zinc, 120, 310. Chlorinated lime, 286. Chloroform, 70, 73. purified, 73. Chloroformum, 70, 73. purificatum, 73. Chlorohydric acid, 125. Choke cherry, 108. Chondrus. 321. crispus, 321. Chiretta, 91. Chlorate of potassa, 283. Chromic acid, 309. Chrysophanic acid, 203. Cicuta, 59. Cimicifuga, 238. racemosa, 238. Cinchona, 99. Boliviana, 99. Calisaya, 99. condaminea, 99. flava, 99, 100. micrantha, 99. pallida, 99, 100. rubra, 99, 100. succirubra, 99. Cinchonia, 100, 101, 102. Cinchonidia, 101, 102. Cinchonia? sulphas, 106. Cinnabar, 269. Cinnamic acid, 266. Cinnamomum, 154. aromaticum, 154. zeylanicum, 154. Cinnamon, 154. water, 155. Cissampelina, 247. Cissampelos pareira, 247. Citrate of iron, 115. and quinia, 117. magnesia, solution of, 198. potassa, 175. mixture of, 175. Citric acid, 177. Citrine ointment, 270. Citrullus colocynthis, 213. Citrus aurantium, 162. vulgaris, 162. Classification of Medicines, 39. Climate, influence of, 36. Cloves, 156. Clutterbuck's elaterium, 215. Clysters, 38. Coccoloba uvifera, 130. Cocculus palmatus, 90. Cochlearia armoracia, 235. Codeia, 42. Cod-liver oil, 275. Coffee, 81. Cohosh, 238. Colchici radix, 228. semen, 228. Colchicia, 229. Colchicum, 228. autumnale, 228. root, 228. seed, 228. Cold, 21. Colica pictonum, 141. Collyria, 37. Colocynth, 213. Colocynthin, 213. Colocynthis, 213. Collodion, 329. Collodium, 329. cum cantharide, 305. Colombian barks, 101. Colombin, 90. Columbo, 90. Compound cathartic pills, 214. decoction of sarsaparilla, 221. extract of colocynth, 213, 214. galbanum pills, 78, 249. mixture of iron, 112, 249. powder of jalap, 211. spirit of ether, 83. Confection of opium, 46. senna, 193, 209. Confectiones, 28. Confectio opii, 46. aromatica, 160. rosae, 123. senna?, 193, 209. Confections, 28. Conia, 59. Conium, 58. maculatum, 58. Conserves, 28. Convolvulus scammonia, 212. Copaiba, 244. Copaifera officinalis, 244. multijuga, 244. Copaivic acid, 244. Copper, preparations of, 117. subacetate of, 118. sulphate of, 118, 190, 311. Copperas, 113. Coptis, 87. 346 » Coptis trifolia, 87. Coriander, 165. Coriandrum, 165. sativum, 165. Cornus Florida, 107. Corrosive chloride of mercury, 266, 310. sublimate, 266, 310. Cotton, 183. root, 183. Cotula, 94. Cowhage, 335. Cranesbill, 133. Cream of tartar, 200. Creasote, 140. water, 141. Creasotum, 140. Creta praeparata, 294. Croton eleuteria, 97. oil, 215, 306. tiglium, 215. Crotonic acid, 216. Crude camphor, 67. liquorice, 319. sulphur, 195. Cubeb, 245. Cubeba, 245. Cubebin, 246. Cucurbita pepo, 337. Culver's root, 207. Cupri praeparata, 117. subacetas, 118. sulphas, 118. Cuprum ammoniatum, 118. Cups, 18. Cyanide of potassium, 66. mercury, 268. Cynanchum oleaefolium, 208. Cynips querciisfolii, 129. Cypripedium, 80. pubescens, 80. Cytisus scoparius, 235. Dandelion, 232. Daphne gnidium, 223. mezereum, 223. Daphnin, 224. Datura stramonium, 51. Daturia, 51. Daucus carota, 233. Deadly nightshade, 48. Decocta, 29. Decoction of azedarach, 335. barley, 325. blackberry root, 139. black snakeroot, 239. cotton root, 183. Decoction of cranesbill, 135. dogwood, 108. dulcamara, 64. fleabane, 230. Iceland moss, 321. Indian hemp, 231. Irish moss, 321. logwood, 132. oak bark, 133. Peruvian bark (yellow or red), 104. pipsissewa, 138. pomegranate, 138. sarsaparilla, compound, 221. seneka, 237. uva ursi, 136. Decoctions, 29. Delphinum consolida, 235. Demulcents, 311. Deshler's salve, 244. Diachylon, 144. Diaphoretics, 218. Diffusible stimulants, 147. Digestion, 29. Digitaline, 166. Digitalis, 165. purpurea, 165. Diluents, 312. Diluted hydrocyanic acid, 64. muriatic acid, 126. nitric acid, 125. sulphuric acid, 124. Diospyros, 139. Virginiana, 139. Distilled oils, 152. Diuretics, 224. Dogwood, 107. Donovan's solution, 282. Dorema ammoniacum, 78. Doses of medicines, 35. Dover's powder, 46, 186. Dracontium, 80. fcetidum, 80. Drastics, 190, 210. Dried alum, 145. carbonate of soda, 291. sulphate of iron, 113. Dryobalanops camphora, 68. Dulcamara, 64. Eccritics, 183. Ecbalium agreste, 215. Effervescing draught, 175. Elaterin, 215. Elaterium, 215. Electricity, 22. Electro-puncture, 19. INDEX. 347 Electuaries, 24. Elettaria cardamomum, 159. Elixir vitriol, 124. Ellis' magnesia, 197. Emetia, 185. Emetics, 183. mineral, 190. vegetable, 186. Emmenagogues, 252. Emollients, 312. Emplastra, 33. Emplastrum ammoniaci, 79. cum hydrargyro, 262. arnica?, 163. assafoetida?, 78. belladonnas, 50. ferri, 112. galbani, 78. hydrargyri, 262. opii, 46. picis Burgundica?, 300. Canadensis, 300. cum cantharide, 300. plumbi, 33, 144. saponis, 144. Emulsions, 28. Endermic application of medicines, 36. Enemata, 38, 217. Epispastics, 301. Epsom salt, 197. Ergot, 181. Ergota, 181. Ergotic acid, 182. Erigeron, 230. Canadense, 230. heterophyllum, 230. Philadelphicum, 230. Errhines, 37. Escharotics, 307. Essential oils, 152. Ether, 70. stronger, 70. Ethereal oil, 83. Etherization, 73. Ethers, 70. Ethiops mineral, 243. Ethyl, 71. Eucalyptus resinifera, 131. Eugenia pimenta, 157. Eugenin, 156. Eupatorium, 94. perfoliatum, 94. Euphorbia corollata, 188. ipecacuanha, 188. European rhubarb, 203. Excitants, 146. Exogonium purga, 210. Expectorants, 235. Extract of aconite, 61. alcoholic, fluid, 50. American hellebore, fluid, 168. arnica, alcoholic, 162. belladonna, 50. black hellebore, alcoholic, 213. snakeroot, fluid, 239. buchu, fluid, 248. butternut, 205. colchicum, 230. colocynth, compound, 213, 214. cranesbill, 135. cubeb, fluid, 222. dandelion, 233. dulcamara, 64. fluid, 64. ergot, fluid, 183. foxglove, alcoholic, 167. gentian, 81. ginger, fluid, 159. hemlock, 58. alcoholic, 59. fluid, 59. hemp, 61. purified, 62. henbane, 54. alcoholic, 54. Ignatia, alcoholic, 181. ipecacuanha, fluid, 186. jalap, 211. leptandra, fluid, 209. logwood, 132. male fern, ethereal, 336. May apple, 212. nux vomica, alcoholic, 180. opium, 46. Peruvian bark (yellow), 104. fluid, 104. pinkroot, fluid, 332. pipsissewa, 130. quassia, 86. rhatany, 132. rhubarb, 204. fluid, 204. sarsaparilla, compound, fluid, 223. seneka, fluid, 238. senna, fluid, 209. spigelia and senna, fluid, 332. stramonium leaf, 52. alcoholic, 52. uva ursi, fluid, 136. valerian, alcoholic, fluid, 79. Virginia snakeroot, fluid, 93. wild cherry bark, fluid, 109. Extracta, 32. Extracts, 32. 348 INDEX. Extractum cannabis, 61. glycyrrhizae, 285. opii, 46. False angustura bark, 97, 178. sarsaparilla, 222. Fennel seed, 164. Fermentum, 329. Fern, male, 335. Ferri ammonio-citras, 116. carbonatis, pilulae, 112. chloridi, tinctura, 114. citras, 115. et ammoniae sulphas, 117. et ammoniae tartras, 117. et potassae tartras, 115. et quinia? citras, 117. ferrocyanidum, 116. iodidi, syrupus, 114. iodidum, 114. lactas, 116. nitratis, liquor, 116. oxidum hydratum, 111. phosphas, 115. praeparata, 110. pyrophosphas, 115. subcarbonas, 111. sulphas, 113. exsiccata, 113. Ferrocyanide of iron, 116. Ferruginea, 110. Ferrum ammoniatum, 116. redactum, 111. Figs, 192. Filix mas, 335. Flag, sweet, 160. Flax, common, 315. Flaxseed, 315. meal, 316. oil, 195, 316. Fleabane, Canada, 230. Philadelphia, 230. various-leaved, 230. Florida arrow-root, 322. Flowers of sulphur, 195. Fluid extracts, 32. Foeniculum, 164. vulgare, 164. Fonticuli, 19. Forms in which medicines are used, 26. Formyl, terchloride of, 74. Fowler's solution, 281. Foxglove, 165. Frasera, 89. Frasera AValteri, 89. Fraxinus, ornus, 192. rotundifolia, 192. Frictions, 19. Frigus, 21. Gaduin, 276. Gadus morrhua, 275. Galbanum, 78, 232. Galipea officinalis, 97. Galla, 128. Gallic acid, 128. Galls, 128. Gamboge, 214. Gambogia, 214. Gargarismata, 37. Gargles, 37. Garlic, 239. Gases, 34. Gaultheria, 161. procumbens, 161. Gelatin, 326. Gelatina, 326. Gelsemium, 169. sempervirens, 169. Gentian, 88. Gentiana, 88. lutea, 88. Gentianin, 88. Geranium, 133. maculatum, 133. Geum rivale, 110. Gillenia, 189. stipulacea, 189. trifoliata, 189. Gin, 150. Ginger, 158. Glauber's salt, 198. Glycerin, 328. Glycerina, 328. Glycyrrhiza, 319. echinata, 319. glabra, 319. Glycyrrhizin, 319. Golden sulphur of antimony, 172. Goldthread, 87. Gossypii radix, 183. Gossypium herbaceum, 183. Goulard's cerate, 144. extract, 143. Granati fructus cortex, 138. radicis cortex, 336. Greenhart tree, 109. Green iodide of mercury, 267. Green vitriol, 113. Guaiac, 222. Guaiaci lignum, 222. resina, 222. Guaiacin, 223. Guaiacum, 222. INDEX. 349 Guaiacum officinale, 222. wood, 222. Guatemala sarsaparilla, 220. Gum, 314. Arabic, 313. Barbary, 313. India, 313. Senegal, 313. Turkey, 313. Habit, influence of, 35. Haematics, 254. Haematin, 132. Haematinics, 254. Ha?matoxylon, 132. Campechianum, 132. Hardhack, 110. Haschisch, 62. Heat, 20. Hedeoma, 163. pulegioides, 163. Hellebore, American, 167. black, 213. white, 168. Helleborus niger, 213. Hemlock, 58. Hemp, Indian, 207. Henbane, 52. leaf, 52. seed, 52. Henry's magnesia, 196. Hepatic aloes, 205. Heuchera, 139. Americana, 139. Hiera picra, 98, 206. Hirudo decora, 18. medicinalis, 18. Hive-syrup, 228. Hoffman's anodyne liquor, 83. Honduras sarsaparilla, 220. Honey, 192, 329. of roses, 138. Honeys, 31. Hops, 62. Hordein, 324. Hordeum, 324. distichon, 324. Horehound, 164. Horsemint, 164. Horseradish, 235. Howard's calomel, 264. Humulus, 62. lupulus, 62. Husband's magnesia, 197. Huxham's tincture of bark, 93, 104. Hydragogues, 190. Hydrargyri chloridum corrosivum. 266, 310. mite, 217, 263. cyanidum, 268. iodidum viride, 267. rubrum, 267. oxidum nigrum, 262. rubrum, 263. nitratis unguentum, 269. liquor, 270, 310. praeparata, 256. sulphas flava, 269. sulphuretum rubrum, 269. Hydrargyrum ammoniatum, 268. cum creta, 218, 262. Hydrated oxide of iron, 111. Hydrocyanic acid, 64. Hyoscyami folium, 52. semen, 52. Hyoscyamia, 53. Hyoscyamus, 52. niger, 52., Hypnotics, 40. Iceland moss, 320. Ichthyocolla, 326. Idiosyncrasy, influence of, 35. Igasuria, 179. Igasuric acid, 178. Ignatia, 180. Illicium anisatum, 164. India opium, 41. senna, 208. Indian hemp, 231. physic, 189. tobacco, 56. Infusa, 29. Infusion of American centaury, 90. American columbo, 89. American senna, 210. Angustura, 97. blood-root, 187. buchu, 248. carrot-seed, 234. cascarilla, 98. catechu, compound, 130. cayenne pepper, 153. chamomile, 94. cloves, 157. columbo, 91. coptis, 88. dandelion, 233. flaxseed, compound, 316. fleabane, 230. foxglove, 167. gentian, 88. ginger, 159. 350 INDEX. Infusion of hops, 63. juniper, 233. lobelia, 57. magnolia, 96. matico, 247. pareira brava, 248. Peruvian bark (yellow or red), 104. pink-root, 331. quassia, 86. rhatany, 132. rhubarb, 204. roses, compound, 138. senna, 209. sweet flag, 161. thoroughwort, 95. tobacco, 55. valerian, 78. Virginia snake-root, wild cherry bark, 109. Infusions, 29. Inhalation, 34. Injections, 38. Inoculation, 36. Iodide of arsenic, 282. and mercury, 282. iron, 114, 272. lead, 144, 272. mercury, 267, 272. potassium, 273. starch, 272. sulphur, 273. zinc, 273. Iodine, 270. Iodinium, 270. Ipecacuanha, 185. American, 189. Ipomcea Jalapa, 210. Irish moss, 321. Iron, preparations of, 110, 254. reduced, 111. Irritants, 147, 295. Isinglass, 326. Issues, 19. Jalap, 210. Jalapa, 210. Jamaica ginger, 158. kino, 130. sarsaparilla, 220. James' powder, 173. Jamestown weed, 51. Janipha manihot, 323. Jerusalem oak, 333. Jesuit's powder, 103. Jewell's calomel, 264. Juglans, 205. Juglans cinerea, 205. Jujube paste, 315. Juniper, 233. Juniperus, 233. communis, 233. sabina, 253. Virginiana, 253. Kameela, 337. Kelp, 290. Kermes mineral, 172. Kinic acid, 101. Kino, 130. Kinovic acid, 101. Koosso, 336. Krameria, 131. triandra, 131. Krameric acid, 131. Labarraque's liquid, 286. Lac assafoetida?, 78. sulphuris, 196. Lactate of iron, 116. Lactic acid, 330. Lactuca sativa, 47. Lactucarium, 47. Lactucin, 47. Lard, 326. oil, 326. Larkspur, 235. Laudanum, 45. Lavandula, 163. vera, 163. Lavements, 38. Lavender, 163. Laxatives, 190, 192. Lead plaster, 33, 144. arthralgy, 142. paralysis, 142. preparations of, 141. Ledoyen's disinfecting fluid, 144. Leeches, 18. Lemon-juice, 177. Lenitives, 311. Leopard's bane, 162. Leptandra, 207. Virginica, 207. Leptandrin, 207. Light, 20. Lignum vita?, 222. Lime, preparations of, 293. Lime-water, 293. Lini farina, 316. Linimenta, 33. Liniments, 33. Linimentum ammonia?, 151, 299. ind: Linimentum calcis, 294. camphora?, 69. cantharidis, 305. chloroformi, 76. saponis, 69. terebinthinae, 242. Linseed oil, 316. Linum, 315. usitatissimum, 315. Liquor ammoniae acetatis, 176. arsenici et hydrargyri iodidi, 256. calcis, 243. ferri citratis, 115. nitratis, 116. subsulphatis, 115. tersulphatis, 113. guttae perchae, 329. hydrargyri nitratis, 270, 310. iodinii compositus, 272. magnesiae citratis, 198. morphia? sulphatis, 47. plumbi subacetatis, 127. potassae, 288. arsenitis, 281. carbonatis, 260. soda?, 290. chlorinatae, 286. Liquores, 28. Liquorice, 319. root, 319. Liriodendrin, 97. Liriodendron, 96. . tulipifera, 96. Litharge, 144. Lithia, preparations of, 292. Lithia? carbonas, 292. citras, 292. praeparata, 292. Lobelia, 56, 184. inflata, 56. Lobelina, 57. Logwood, 117. Lozenges, 28. Lunar caustic, 122, 308. Lupulin, 63. Lupulite, 63. Lux, 20. Mace, 155. Maceration, 29. Macis, 155. Madder, 254. Madeira wine, 149. Magnesia, 196. preparations of, 293. Magnesiae carbonas, 197. ex. 351 Magnesiae citratis liquor, 198. sulphas, 197. Magnolia, 96. acuminata, 96. glauca, 96. tripelata, 96. Malamide, 318. Male fern, 335. Malt, 325. liquors, 149. Mandrake, 211. Manganesii sulphas, 199. Manna, 192. Mannite, 193. Maranta, 321. arundinacea, 321. Marjoram, 164. Marrubium, 164. vulgare, 164. Marshmallow, 317. Materia medica, definition of, 17. Maticin, 247. Matico, 247. Matricaria, 94. May-apple, 211. Mayweed, 94. Meadow saffron, 228. Measures and weights, 34. Mecca senna, 208. Meconic acid, 42. Meconin, 42. Medicines, definition of, 23. Mel, 320. rosa?, 138. Melaleuca cajuputi, 157. Melia azedarach, 334. Mellita, 31. Mentha piperita, 163. viridis, 163. Mercurial cathartics, 191, 217. ointment, 261. plaster, 262. Mercury, black oxide of, 262. red oxide of, 263. preparations of, 256. with chalk, 218, 262. Mezereon, 223. Mezereum, 223. Mild acrid cathartics, 190, 202. chloride of mercury, 217, 263. Milk of assafetida, 78. Mineral acids, 123. Mistura amygdalae, 314. assafsetida, 78. chloroformi, 76. cretae, 295. ferri composita, 42, 249. glycyrrhiza? composita, 320. 352 INDEX. Mistura potassa? citratis, 175. Mixtures, 28. Modus operandi of medicines, 24. Molasses, 192, 330. Momordica elaterium, 215. Monarda, 164. punctata, 164. Monkshood, 60. Monsel's solution, 114. Montpellier scammony, 213. Morphia, 42. preparations of, 47. Morphiae acetas, 47. murias, 47. sulphas, 47. Moschus, 81. moschiferus, 81. Moxa, 21. Mucilage, 314. Mucilago acacia?, 314. sassafras, 317. tragacantha?, 315. ulmi, 317. Mucuna, 335. pruriens, 335. Muriate of ammonia, 283. morphia, 47. Muriatic acid, 125. Musk, 81. Mustard, 296. Myristica, 155. moschata, 155. Myrospermum peruiferum, 251. toluiferum, 251. Myrosyne, 297. Myrrh, 248. Myrrha, 248. Narceina, 42. Narcotics, 40. Narcotina, 42. Narthex assafoetida, 76. Natron, 290. Nauseants, 183. Nectandra, 109. Rodiei, 109. Neurotics, 40. Neutral mixture, 175. Nicotiana tabacum, 54. Nicotianin, 54. Nicotina, 54. Nightshade, black, 64. deadly, 48. Nitrate of lead, 144. potassa, 173. silver, 121. fused, 122, 308. Nitre, 173. Nitric acid, 125. Nitro-muriatic acid, 125. Nitrous oxide, 70. powders, 174. Norway spruce, 299. Nutgall, 128. Nutmeg, 155. Nux vomica, 178. Oak bark, 133. Oatmeal, 192, 325. Oil of amber, 82. anise, 164. arnica, 162. bitter almond, 66. cajeput, 157. camphor, 69. caraway, 164. cinnamon, 155. cloves, 157. copaiba, 244. cubeb, 246. ergot, 182. fennel, 164. garlic, 240. horsemint, 164. juniper, 233. lavender, 163. mace, 156. marjoram, 164. mustard, 297. nutmeg, 156. partridge-berry, 162. pennyroyal, 164. peppermint, 163. pimento, 157. rosemary, 163. rue, 254. sassafras, 224. savine, 254. spearmint, 163. sweet almond, 193. tar, 243. theobroma, 327. thyme, 164. tobacco, 54, 56. turpentine, 157, 241, 242, 298. valerian, 79. vitriol, 124. wine, 83. wormseed, 334. Oils, volatile, 152. distilled, 152. essential, 152. Ointment of ammoniated mercury, 243. INDEX. 353 Ointment of antimony, 172. belladonna, 50. benzoin, compound, 250. cantharides, 305. carbonate of lead, 145. creasote, 141. iodide of lead, 144. of mercury, 267, 268. of potassium, 274. iodine, 272. lard, 327. mezereon, 224. nitrate of mercury, 269. nutgall, 129. oxide of zinc, 119. red iodide of mercury, 268. oxide of mercury, 263. stramonium, 52. subacetate of copper, 119. sulphur, 172. tar, 243. tobacco, 55. veratria, 169. white hellebore, 168. Ointments, 33. Oleoresin of black pepper, 154. Cayenne pepper, 153. cubeb, 246. ginger, 159. Oleoresinae, 32. Oleoresins, 32. Oleum aethereum, 83. amygdalae amarae, 66. dulcis, 193. cajuputi, 157. camphora?, 69. caryophylli, 157. chenopodii, 334. cinnamomi, 155. copaiba?, 245. cubeba?, 246. juniperi, 233. lini, 316. morrhuae, 275. myristicae, 156. oliva?, 193. pimentae, 157. ricini, 194. sabina?, 254. sassafras, 224. sesami, 318. succini rectificatum, 82. terebinthina?. 157, 242, 298. theobroma?, 327. thymi, 164. tiglii, 215, 306. Olive oil, 193. tree, 193. Opiania, 42. Opium, 40. plaster, 46. Orange flower water, 162. peel, 162. Orchis mascula, 326. Origanum, 164. vulgare, 164. Oryza, 325. sativa, 325. Oxide of antimony, 173. lead, 144. silver, 122. zinc, 119. Oxymel, 31. Oxysulphuret of antimony, 172. Oyster-shell, prepared, 295. Painters' colic, 141. Pale bark, 99, 100. Palma Christi, 194. Papaver, 41. somniferum, 40. Papaverina, 42. Paramorphia, 42. Paregoric elixir, 45. Pareira, 247. brava, 247. Parsley, 235. Partridge-berry, 161. Parts to which medicines are ap- plied, 36. Peaches, 192. Pearlash, 289. Pearl barley, 325. sago, 324. Pennyroyal, 163. Pepper, black, 153. Cayenne, 152. white, 154. Peppermint, 163. water, 163. Pepo, 337. Percolation, 29. Permanganate of potassa, 285. Persian opium, 41. Persimmon, 139. Peruvian bark, 99. Petroselinum sativum, 235. Pharmacy, definition of, 23. Phosphate of iron, 115. lime, 282. soda, 199. Phosphorus, 152. Pills, 27. of aloes, 206. and assafetida, 206. 23 354 INDEX. Pills of aloes and mastic, 206. and myrrh, 206, 249. antimony, compound, 172. assafetida, 78. carbonate of iron, 112. cathartic, compound, 214. copaiba, 245. iodide of iron, 115. iron, compound, 112, 249. mercury, 218, 261. opium, 46. rhubarb, compound, 204. soap, compound, 46. squill, compound, 228. Pilula?, 27. antimonii composita?, 172. ferri carbonatis, 112. composita?, 112. iodidi, 114. hydrargyri, 218, 261. opii, 46. saponis composita?, 46. Pimenta, 157. Pimento, 157. Pimpinella anisum, 164. Pinkroot, 331. Pinus palustris, 157, 240. > taeda, 241. Piper, 153. cubeba, 245. nigrum, 153. Piperin, 154. Pipsissewa, 136. Pitch, 243. Pix Burgundica, 299. Canadensis, 300. liquida, 243. Plasters, 33. Plumbi acetas, 142. carbonas, 145. iodidum, 144. nitras, 144. oxidum, 144. praeparata, 141. subacetatis liquor, 143. Plummer's pills, 173. Podophyllum, 211. peltatum, 211. Poison-nut, 178. Poison-oak, 181. Polygala senega, 236. Polygalic acid, 237. * Pomegranate rind, 138. root, bark of, 336. Poppy, black, 40. white, 40. Poppy-heads, 41. Porphyroxin, 42. Port wine, 149. Potassa, 308. preparations of, 288. solution of, 288. with lime, 309. Potassae acetas, 226. bicarbonas, 289. bichromas, 310. bitartras, 200. carbonas, 289. pura, 289. chloras, 283. citras, 175. et soda? tartras, 201. nitras, 173. permanganas, 285. praeparata, 288. sulphas, 200. tartras, 201. Potassii bromidum, 274. cyanidum, 66. iodidum, 273. Potato, 64. flies, 306. Potentilla tormentilla, 139. Poultices, 33, 312. Powder of aloes and canella, 98, 206. ipecacuanha, compound, 46. jalap, compound, 211. rhubarb, compound, 204. Powders, 26. Precipitated carbonate of lime, 294. sulphur, 196. zinc, 120. Prepared calamine, 120. chalk, 294. oyster-shell, 295. Pride of China, 334. Prinos verticillatus, 110. Proof spirit, 148. Prophylamia, 182, 276. Prunes, 192. Prunus Virginiana, 108. Prussian blue, 116. Prussic acid, 64. Pterocarpus erinaceus, 130. marsupium, 130. Pulp of prunes, 209. purging cassia, 193, 209. tamarinds, 209. Pulveres, 26. eflervescentes aperientes, 202. Pulverization, 27. Pulvis aloes et canella?, 98, 206. antimonialis, 173. aromaticus, 160. ipecacuanha? compositus, 46. Pumpkin-seed, 337. INDEX. Punica granatum, 138. Purgatives, 190. Purging cassia, 193. Pyroligneous acid, 243. Pyrophosphate of iron, 115. Quassia, 86. amara, 86. Quassin, 86. Quercin, 133. Quercitron, 133. Quercus alba, 133. infectoria, 128. tinctoria, 133. Quevenne's iron, 111. Quinia, 100, 101. crude, 106. Quinia? sulphas, 104. valerianas, 104. Quinidia, 101, 102. Quinoidia, 106. Race, influence of, 36. Raisins, 192. Rectified oil of amber, 82. Red bark, 99, 100. cedar, 253. iodide of mercury, 267. oxide of mercury, 263. precipitate, 2(33. roses, 138. sulphuret of mercury, 269. Refrigerants, 165, 173. Remedies, definition of, 17. division of, 17. imponderable, 20. mechanical, 17. pharmacological, 23. Resin, 241, 243. cerate, 244. of jalap, 211. of May apple, 212. of scammony, 213. plaster, 244. Resina, 243. Rhatany, 131. Rheum, 202. palmatum, 202. Rhodeoretin, 210. Rottlera, 337. tinctoria, 337. Rhubarb, 202. Rhus toxicodendron, 181. Rice, 825. . Ricinus communis, ly*. Rochelle salt, 201. Rosa centifolia, 138. Gallica, 138. Rosemary, 163. Rose-water, 138. Rosin, 243. Rosmarinus, 163. officinalis. 163. Rubefacients, 295. Rubia, 254. tinctorum, 254. Rubus, 139. Canadensis, 139. villosus, 139. Rue, 254. Rufus' pills, 206. Rum, 150. Russian rhubarb, 202, 203. Ruta, 254. graveolens, 254. Rye, 181. Sabbatia, 89. angularis, 89. Sabina, 253. Saccharum, 330. lactis, 330. Saturni, 143. Sage, 164. Sago, 323. Sagus Rumphii, 323. Sal ammoniac, 283. diureticus, 226. Salep, 326. Salicin, 108. Saline cathartics, 190, 196. Salix, 108. alba, 108. Salt of tartar, 289. Saltpetre, 173. Salvia, 164. officinalis, 164. Sanguinaria, 186. Canadensis, 186. Sanguinarina, 186. Santonica, 334. Santonin, 334. Sarsaparilla, 220. false, 222. Sarsaparillin, 221. Sassafras medulla, 317. officinale, 224, 317. pith, 317. radicis cortex, 224. Savine, 253. Scabious, 230. Scammonium, 212. 356 INDEX. Scammony, 212. Scilla, 226, 240. maritima, 226. Scudamore's draught, 229. Scutellaria, 80. laterifolia, 80. Seaside grape, 130. Secale cereale, 181. Secalia, 182. Sedatives, 165. Seidlitz powders, 177, 202. Senega, 236. Senegal gum, 313. Seneka, 236. Senna, 207. American, 209. Serpentaria, 92. Sesami folium, 318. Sesamum Indicum, 318. Sesquioxide of iron, 111. Setacea, 19. Setons, 19. Sex, influence of, 35. Sherry wine, 149. Sevum, 327. Sialagogues, 258. Signs and abbreviations, 339. Silver, preparations of, 121. fir, American, 241. Simaruba, 86. excelsa, 86. officinalis, 86. Simple cerate, 33, 327. syrup, 31. Sinapis, 189, 296. alba, 189, 296. nigra, 189, 296. Sinapisin, 297. Sinapism, 298. Skunk cabbage, 80. Slippery elm bark, 316. Smelling salt, 152. Smilacin, 221. Smilax officinalis, 220. Smyrna opium, 41. Snakeroot, black, 238. seneka, 236. Virginia, 92. Soap cerate, 145. liniment, 69. plaster, 144. Socotrine aloes, 205. Soda, preparations of, 290. powders, 177. Sodae bicarbonas, 291. boras, 174. carbonas, 291. exsiccata, 291. Soda? phosphas, 199. praeparata, 290. sulphas, 198. Solania, 64. Solanum dulcamara, 64. nigrum, 64. tuberosum, 64. Soluble tartar, 201. Solution of acetate of ammonia, 176. arsenite of potassa, 281. chlorinated soda, 286. citrate of iron, 115. gutta percha, 329. iodide of arsenic and mercury, 282. iodine, compound, 272. lime, 293. nitrate of iron, 116. of mercury, 270, 310. potassa, 288. soda, 290. subsulphate of iron, 113. tersulphate of iron, 113. Solutions, 28. Soporifics, 40. Spanish flies, 306. Spastics, 178. Spearmint, 163. water, 163. Spermaceti, 327. Spiced syrup of rhubarb, 204. Spigelia, 331. Marilandica, 331. Spikenard, American, 222. Spiraea tomentosa, 110. Spirits, 31. Spiritus, 31. aetheris compositus, 83. nitrosi, 176. ammoniae, 151. aromaticus, 151. camphora?, 69. chloroformi, 175. cinnamomi, 155. frumenti, 150. juniperi compositus, 233. lavandula?, 163. compositus, 163. menthae piperitae, 163. Mindereri, 176. myrciae, 150. myristicae, 140. pimentae, 141. rosmarini, 163. vini Gallici, 149. viridis, 163. Spruce, hemlock, 300. Norway, 299. INDEX. 357 Spurge, ipecacuanha, 188. large flowering, 188. Squill, 89, 226, 240. Squirting cucumber, 190. St. Ignatius' bean, 180. Star aniseed, 164. Starch, 326. Sternutatories, 37. Stimulants, 146. Stomachics, 147. Stramonii folium, 51. semen, 51. Stramonium, 51. Strychnia, 178, 180._ Strychnos nux vomica, 178 Ignatia, 180. Styrax benzoin, 249. Subacetate of copper, 118. lead, solution of, 143. Subcarbonate of bismuth, 123. iron, 111. Sublimed sulphur, 195. Subnitrate of bismuth, 122. Succinic acid, 83. Succinum, 82. Succus limonis, 177. Sudorifics, 218. Suet, 327. Sugar, 330. of lead, 143. Sulphate of alumina, 146. alumina and potassa, 145. cadmium, 123. cinchonia, 106. copper, 118, 190, 311. iron, 113. dried, 113. and ammonia, 117. and potassa, 117. magnesia, 197. manganese, 199. mercury, yellow, 269. morphia, 47. potassa, 200. quinia, 104. quinidia, 102. soda, 198. strychnia, 180. zinc, 119, 190. Sulpho-sinapisin, 297. Sulphur, 195. lotum, 195. praecipitatum, 196. sublimatum, 195. Sulphurated antimony, I?2- Sulphuret of mercury, red, 269. Sulphuric acid, 124. ether, 70. Sulphurous acid, 174. Suppositories, 38. Suppurants, 306. Sus scrofa, 326. Sweet flag, 160. orange, 162. spirit of nitre, 176. Sydenham's laudanum, 46. Symplocarpus fcetidus, 80. Syrup, 31. of almond, 67. garlic, 240. ginger, 159. gum Arabic, 314. iodide of iron, 114. ipecacuanha, 186. lactucarium, 48. orange flower, 162. poppies, 41. rhatany, 132. rhubarb, 204. aromatic, 204. sarsaparilla, compound, 221. seneka, 238. squill, 228. compound, 228, 237. tolu, 252. wild-cherry bark, 109. Syrups, 31. Syrupus, 31. fuscus, 330. Tabacum, 54. Tamarinds, 192. Tannic acid, 127. Tapioca, 323. Tar, 243. water, 243. Taraxacin, 233. Taraxacum, 232. dens-leonis, 232. Tartar emetic, 170, 190. Tartaric acid, 177. Tartrate of antimony and potassa, 169. iron and potassa, 115. of potassa, 201. potassa and soda, 201. Tea, 81. Teaberry, 161. Temperament, influence of, 35. Terchloride of formyl, 74. Terebinthina, 240. Terra japonica, 129. Testa praeparata, 295. Tests for arsenious acid, 278. Thea, 81. 358 INDEX. Theobroma cacao, 327. Theobromia, 328. Thornapple, 51. Thoroughwort, 94. Thyme, 164. Thymus, 164. vulgaris, 164. Tinctura ferri chloridi, 114. opii, 45. opii acetata, 45. opii camphorata, 45. opii deodorata, 45. Tincture of aconite leaf, 61. root, 61. aloe, 207. and myrrh, 207. American hellebore, 168. assafetida, 78. belladonna, 50. benzoin, compound, 250. black hellebore, 213. snakeroot, 239. blood-root, 187. cantharides, 234. capsicum, 153. cardamom, 159. compound, 159. castor, 82. catechu, 130. chloride of iron, 114. cinnamon, 155. colchicum seed, 230. columbo, 91. coptis, 88. cranesbill, 135. cubeb, 246. foxglove, 167. gentian, compound, 89. ginger, 159. guaiac, 223. ammoniated, 223. hemlock, 59. henbane, 54. hops, 63. iodine, 272. compound, 272. jalap, 211. kino, 131. lobelia, 57. lupulin, 64. myrrh, 249. nutgall, 129. nux vomica, 180. opium, 45. acetated, 45. camphorated, 45. deodorized, 45. Peruvian bark, 104. Tincture of Peruvian bark, com- pound, 104. quassia, 86. rhatany, 132. rhubarb, 204. and aloes, 204. and gentian, 204. and senna, 204. senna and jalap, 185. squill, 228. stramonium, 52. Tolu, 252. valerian, 79. ammoniated, 79. Virginia snakeroot, 83. yellow jasmine, 208. Tinctura?, 30. Tinctures, 30. Tinnivelly senna, 189. Tobacco, 54. Tolu, balsam of, 252. Tonics, 84. mineral, 110. vegetable, 85. Topical medicines, 295. Tormentil, 139. Tormentilla, 139. Tous les mois, 323. Toxicodendron, 181. Tragacanth, 315. Tragacantha, 315. Tragacanthin, 315. Tripoli senna, 208. Troches, 28. liquorice and opium, 46. Trochisci, 28. ferri carbonatis, 112. glycvrrhiza? et opii, 46. Tulip-Tree, 96. bark, 96. Turkey gum, 313. opium, 41. rhubarb, 202. Turner's cerate, 120. Turpentine, 240. American, 240. Bordeaux, 241. Canada, 241. Chian, 241. Venice, 241. white, 240. Turpeth mineral, 269. Ulmus, 316. fulva, 316. Unguenta, 33. Unguentum adipis, 327. INDEX. 359 Unguentum antimonii, 172, 307. belladonna?, 50. hydrargyri, 261. nitratis, 269. iodinii, 272. plumbi carbonatis, 145. Uva ursi, 135. Valerian, 79. Valeriana, 79. officinalis, 79. Valerianate of ammonia, 79. quinia, 105. zinc, 120. Valerianic acid, 79. Vallet's ferruginous pills, 112. Vapors, 34. Vegetable acids, 176. Venesection, 17. Vera Cruz sarsaparilla, 220. Veratria, 167, 168. Veratrum album, 168. sabadilla, 168. viride, 167. Verdigris, 118. Vermilion, 269. Vesicants, 301. Vesicating taffetas, 305. Vienna paste, 309. Vina, 31. Vinegar of colchicum, 230. lobelia, 57. opium, 45. squill, 228. Vinegars, 31. Vinum, 149. antimonii, 172. ergotae, 183. ipecacuanha, 186. opii, 46. Portense, 148. Xericum, 148. Virginia snakeroot, 92. Volatile alkali, 151. liniment, 151, 299. oils, 152. "Warming plaster, 300. Warner's gout cordial, 204. Washed sulphur, 195. Water avens, 110. of ammonia, 150. Waters, 28. Wax, 327. Weights and measures, 34. Whiskey, 150. White arsenic, 278. ginger, 158. hellebore, 168. lead, 145. mustard, 206. oak bark, 133. pepper, 154. precipitate, 268. vitriol, 119. Wild carrot, 233. chamomile, 94. cherry bark, 108. Willow, 108. Wine, 149. of aloes, 207. colchicum root, 230. seed, 230. ergot, 183. ipecacuanha, 186. opium, 46. rhubarb, 204. white hellebore, 168. Wines, 31. Wine-whey, 149. Wolfsbane, 60. Woody nightshade, 64. Wormseed, 333. Wormwood., 96. Wort, 325. Xanthorriza, 91. apiifolia, 91. Yarrow, 98. Yeast, 329. Yellow bark, 99, 100. jasmine, 169. lady's slipper, 80. pine, 241. root, 91. sulphate of mercury, 269. wash, 263. Zinc, preparations of, 119. Zinci acetas, 119. carbonas praecipitatus, 120. chloridum, 120, 310. iodidum, 273. oxidum, 119. pra?parata, 119. sulphas, 119. valerianas, 120. Zingiber, 158. officinale, 158. LIBRARY OF MEDICINE DaEflTTflfl 3 NLM032899883