.-■^ ■■•■**■&■ i£.?':■.,;■ ■ .'' ■■'■ -■^t-A" ?J®> * •'■•-.■&■ -. ■ THE ELEMENTS MATERIA MEDIC A THERAPEUTICS. BY JONATHAN PEREIRA, M.D. F.R.S. & L.S. LICENTIATE OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS IN LONDON; MEMBER OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS J FELLOW OF THE ROYAL MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY J CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF PHARMACY OF PARIS; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN J EXAMINER IN MATERIA MED1CA AND PHARMACY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON; AND ASSISTANT PHYSICIAN TO, AND LECTURER ON MATERIA MEDICA AT, THE LONDON HOSPITAL. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. ifrom the Swmir aoutiott ^Wtfott, ENLARGED AND IMPROVED. WITH NOTES AND ADDITIONS, BY JOSEPH CARSON, M.D. Professor of Materia Medica and Pharmacy in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, anJ one of the Editors of the American Journal of Pharmacy. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. PHILADELPHIA: LEA & BLANCHARD. 1843. Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty three, by LEA AND BLANCHARD, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. TO JOHN LINDLEY, PH. D. F.R.S. PROFESSOR OF BOTANY IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON, VICE-SECRETARY OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, ETC. ETC. ETC. B\>e Second Volume of t&fs OTorft fs 30c"DfcatetJ, AS A TESTIMONY OP ADMIRATION OF HIS BRILLIANT TALENTS AND EXTENSIVE BOTANICAL ACQUIREMENTS, BY HIS OBLIGED FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS OF VOL. II. Title....... Dedication ...... TableofContentsinVol.il. - ListofWoodcutsinVol.il. .... II. THE ORGANISED KINGDOM. X. £fje TJeflCtnfcle SuiJ-Btttfltrom. Division I. Cryptogamia«— Flowcrless Plants. Order i.—Algae - Fucus vesiculosus ..... JEthiops vegetabilis - Chondrus crispus ..... Decoctum Chondri • Gelatina Chondri - Gigartina Helminthocorton - - - - - *** Medicinal or Esculent Alga* ... Order ii.—Lichenes - Cetraria islandica ..... Decoctum Cetrarice - - Rocella tinctoria - - - - Orchil or Archil - Lecanora tartarea ..... Persio (Cudbear) - Lacmus (Litmus) - - - 1. Tinctura Lacmi - - - : - 2. Charta Lacmi - - - - *** Other Esculent or Medicinal Lichens - Order hi.—Fungi - - - - Ergotsetia abortifaciens - %* Other Esculent, Medicinal, and Poisonous Fungi - Order iv.—Lycopodiacese - Lycopodium clavatum ..... Order v.—Filices ..... Nephrodium Filix mas - Oleum Filicis maris .... - VIII CONTENTS. Division II. Pliancrogamla.—Flowering Plant*. 1. Rhizanthese.—Rhizanths. Order vi.—Rafflesiacece - Rafflesia Arnoldi - 2. Endogeneae.—Endogens. Order vii—Graminese - Saccharum officinarum 1. Syrupus • 2. Liquor Sacchari tosti Hordeum distichon 1. Decoctum Hordei 2. Decoctum Hordei compositum *„* Byne; Cerevisia; Cerevisiae Fermentu 1. Cataplasma Fermenti - 2. Cataplasma Fseculae Cerevisia Avena sativa 1. Decoctum Avence 2. Pulvis pro Cataplasmate - 3. Cataplasma simplex - Triticum vulgare Decoctum Amyli *>* PanisTriticeus; Furfur Tritici Secale Cereale Secale cornutum 1. Pulvis Secalis cornuti 2. Infusum Secalis cornuti - 3. Decoctum Secalis cornuti 4. Tinctura Secalis cornuti - 5. Oleum Ergotce %* Rice; Millet ; Maize Order viii.—Acoracese Acorus Calamus Order ix.—Araceee Arum maculatum (Portland Arroio-root) Arum triphyllum Order x.—Palmae - Sagus Rumphii Sagus laevis Saguerus Rumphii Sago .... Areca Catechu *t* Talm Oil; Dragon's Blood - Order xi.—Melanthacese Colchicum autumnale 1. Pulvis cor mi Colchici 2. Pulvis seminum Colchici • CONTENTS. IX 3. Tinctura (seminum) Colchici 4. Tinctura [seminum) Colchici composita 5. Vinum seminum Colchici 6. Vinum (cormi) Colchici - 7. Acetum (cormi) Colchici 8. Extr actum (cormi) Colchici aceticum 9. Extractum Colchici cormi 10. Oxymel (cormi) Colchici • 11. Succus Colchici Hermodactylus .... Veratrum album .... 1. Pulvis Veratri 2. Vinum Veratri 3. Decoctum Veratri 4. Unguentum Veratri - Asagreea officinalis 1. Pulvis Sabadillce 2. Tinctura Sabadillce 3. Extractum alcoholicum Sabadillce 4. Veratria *%* Veratrum Sabadilla et viride 90 91 91 91 91 92 92 92 92 92 94 96 97 97 97 97 100 100 100 100 103 Order xii.—Liliaceae Aloe .... 1. Pilulee Aloes composites - 2. Pilulee Aloes cum Myrrhd • 3. Pilulee Aloe's et Assqfcetidce 4. Pilulee Aloes et Ferri 5. Pulvis Aloes compositus - 6. Pulvis Aloes cum Canelld 7. Decoctum Aloes compositum 8. Extractum Aloe's purificatum 9. Tinctura Aloes - 10. Tinctura Aloes composita 11. Vinum Aloes 12. Aloe colata - Squilla maritima.... 1. Pulvis Scillee 2. Pilulee Scillee composites - 3. Tinctura Scillee 4. Acetum Scillee 5. Oxymel Scillee Allium sativum .... Allium Cepa .... *** Other Dietetical, Medicinal, or Poisonous Liliaceee 104 104 113 113 113 113 113 114 114 114 114 114 114 114 115 118 118 118 118 119 119 120 121 Order xiii.- Smilax - -Smilacese 1. Pulvis Sarzee 2. lnfusum Sarsaparillce compositum 3. lnfusum Sarsaparillce U. S. 4. Decoctum Sarzee 5. Decoctum Sarzee compositum 6. Syrupus Sarzee - VOL. II. 2 121 122 130 130 131 131 131 131 X CONTENTS. 7. Extractum Sarzee - 8. Extractum Sarzee fiuidum 9. Extractum Sarzee compositum *** China root; Smilax aspera - Order xiv.—Iridaceae - Crocus sativus ------ 1. Syrupus Croci - 2. Tinctura Croci - - - - - *** Orris root - - - - Order xv.—Taccaceee - Tacca pinnatifida (Tahiti Arrow Root) - Order xvi.—Amaryllidacese - Order xvii.—Musaceae . - - - Order xviii.—Marantaceee - - - - Maranta arundinacea - *%* Canna (Tons les Mois) ... Order xix.—Zingiberacese - - - - Zingiber officinale ------ 1. Tinctura Zingiberis - - - - 2. Syrupus Zingiberis - - - - - 3. lnfusum Zingiberis . . - - 4. Ginger Beer ------ Curcuma longa ------ Charta curcumce - . - - - Curcuma angustifolia - . . . ■ Amomum Cardamomum - Amomum Grana Paradisi - Amomum angustifolium - Amomum Clusii ------ Amomum macrosperrnum - . - - - Amomum maximum - Elettaria Cardamomum ..... 1. Tinctura Cardamomi .... 2. Tinctura Cardamomi composita Elettaria major ------ *»* Other Medicinal Zingiberaceae (Cardamoms and Aromatic Rhizomes) Order xx.—Orchideee .... Vafiilla aromatica ------ 3. Exogeness.—-Exogens. a. Gymnospermeae.—Gymnosperms. Order xxi.—Cycadaceae - - - - Cycas ------- Zamia integrifolia - 132 132 133 133-34 134 134 137 137 137 138 138 139 139 139 139 141 141 142 144 144 145 145 145 146 146 147 148 150 151 151 151 152 154 155 155 156 158 158 159 159 159 CONTENTS. Order xxii.—Coniferee ... - - Pinus -------- Abies ....... Larix europea ------- Medicinal Substances obtained from the preceding Coniferous Plants I. Oleo-Resince Terebinthince - - - - - II. Oleum Terebinthince ..... 1. Enema Terebinthince ----- 2. Linimentum Terebinthince III. Resinee Terebinthince - 1. Resina ------ 1. Ceratum Resinee - - - - - 2. Emplastrum Resinee 2. Pix Burgundica ..... Emplastrum Picis .... Pix Canadensis - IV. Pix liquida et Pix solida 1. Pix liquida 1. Aqua Picis liquidce - 2. Unguentum Picis liquidce 3. Oleum Picis liquidce 2. Pix nigra Unguentum Picis nigrce Juniperus communis 1. Oleum Juniperi 2. Spiritus Juniperi compositus Juniperus Sabina 1. Oleum Sabince 2. Ceratum Sabince - %* Other Medicinal Products of Conifers 160 160 162 163 163 164 168 173 173 174 174 175 175 175 176 176 177 178 178 178 178 179 179 179 181 181 181 183 183 184 /S. Angiospermese.—Angiosperms. 1. Monochlamydese (Apetalee). Order xxiii.—Balsamaceae Liquidambar Liquid Balsam of Storax 184 184 184 Order xxiv.—Salicacese Salix Salicin Order xxv.—Cupuliferae Quercus pedunculata 1. Decoctum Querc&s 2. Extractum QuercHs - Quercus infectoria 1. Tinctura Gallce 185 185 187 188 188 190 190 190 193 xu CONTENTS. 2. Unguentum Gallarum 3. Unguentum Gallee compositum *** Other Medicinal Cupulifera Order xxvi.—Ulmaceae Ulmus campestris Decoctum Ulmi - *** Other Medicinal Ulmacese >■ Order xxvii.—Urticaceae Humulus Lupulus 1. lnfusum Lupuli 2. Tinctura Lupuli 3. Extractum Lupuli - 4. Lupulina 5. Tinctura Lupulina • Morus nigra - Syrupus Mori - Ficus Carica Dorstenia Contrajerva V* 1. Antiaris toxicaria 2. Artocarpus 3. Cannabis sativa 4. Parietaria officinalis Order xxviii.—Piperaceae - Piper nigrum 1. Confectio Piperis nigri - 2. TJnguentum Piperis nigri Piper longum Piper Cubeba 1. Oleum Cubebce 2. Tinctura Cubebce *** Piper Be tie Order xxix.—Euphorbiacese - Croton Tiglium - Oleum Crotonis Croton Eleuteria - 1. lnfusum Cascarillce - 2. Mistura Cascarillce composita 3. Tinctura Cascarillce - Ricinus communis Oleum Ricini - Euphorbia Janipha Manihot *** Other Medicinal Euphorbiacese Order xxx—Aristolochiaceae - Aristolochia Serpentaria - 1. lnfusum Serpentarice 2. Tinctura Serpentarice 193 193 194 194 195 195 195 196 196 198 198 198 198 198 199 199 200 200 201 202 202 205 205 205 208 208 209 209 212 212 213 213 214 218 219 221 221 221 221 223 226 229 230 231 231 232 232 CONTENTS. Xlll Asarum europseum ------- 233 Pulvis Asari compositus - - - - • 234 *%* Other Medicinal Aristolochiaceae. Asarum Canadense 234 Order xxxi.—Lauraceae - - - - - 235 Cinnamomum zeylanicum ..... 235 1. Oleum Cinnamomi - - - - - - 238 2. Aqua Cinnamomi - - - - - 239 3. Spiritus Cinnamomi .-.- - 239 4. Tinctura Cinnamomi ----- 239 5. Tinctura Cinnamomi composita ? 240 6. Pulvis Cinnamomi compositus .... 240 7. Confectio aromatica - - - - - - 240 8. Emplastrum aromaticum - - - • - 240 Cinnamomum Cassia ------- 240 1. Oleum Cassice ------ 241 2. Aqua Cassice __.--- 243 3. Spiritus Cassice ------ 243 4. Tinctura Cassice ------ 243 Camphora officinarum ------ 243 1. Mistura Camphorce ------ 250 2. Mistura Camphorce cum Magnesia - - - 250 3. Tinctura Camphorce - - - - - -251 4. Tinctura Camphorce composita : 251 5. Linimentum Camphorce - . - 251 6. Linimentum Camphorce compositum ... 251 Sassafras officinale - - - - - - 252 Oleum Sassafras - - - - - - 252 Laurus nobilis ....... 253 Oleum Lauri ...... 253 *„* Other Medicinal Lauraceae ----- 254 Order xxxii.—Myristlcaceae .... 254 Myristica officinalis ------- 255 1. Oleum Myristicce - - - - • 257 2. Oleum Macidis ...... 257 3. Myristicce Adeps ------ 257 4. Spiritus Myristicce ------ 257 Order xxxiii.—Thymelaceae .... 258 Daphne Mezereum ....... 258 Decoctum Mezerei - - - - - - 260 *** Other Medicinal Thymelaceae ----- 260 Order xxxiv.—Polygonacese .... 260 Rheum -------- 260 1. lnfusum Rhei ...... 271 2. Tinctura Rhei ...... 271 3. Tinctura Rhei composita .... 271 4. Tinctura Rhei et Aloe's - - - - - 271 5. Tinctura Rhei ei Gentiance .... 271 6. Vinum Rhei ...... 271 7. Extractum Rhei ...... 272 XIV C0NTENT8. 8. Pilulee Rhei ...... 272 9. Pilulee Rhei compositce ----- 272 10. Pulvis Rhei et Ferri .... - 272 11. Pulvis Rhei compositus ----- 272 12. Syrupus Rhei compositus - - - - - 518 Rumex Acetosa ------- 273 Rumex Hydrolapathum ------ 273 Polygonum Bistorta ------ 274 %* Coccoloba uvifera ----- 274 Order xxxv.—Chenopodiaceae .... - 274 Barilla........274 Chenopodium Anthelminticum ..... 274 2. Corolliflorae. Order xxxvi.—Labiatese ..... 275 Lavandula vera ------- 276 1. Oleum Lavandulce .... - 277 2. Spiritus Lavandula ..... 277 *** Lavender Water ..... 277 3. Tinctura Lavandulce composita .... 277 Mentha viridis ....... 278 1. lnfusum Menthce simplex - - - - .278 2. lnfusum Menthce compositum ... - 278 3. Oleum Menthce viridis ..... 278 4. Spiritus Menthce viridis ----- 279 5. Aqua Menthce viridis . - - - - 279 Mentha piperita --.-..- 279 1. Oleum Menthce piperitee - - - - - 280 2. Spiritus Menthce piperitee .... 280 3. Aqua Menthce piperitee ..... 280 Mentha Pulegium ...... 280 1. Oleum Menthce Pulegii - - - - - 281 2. Spiritus Menthce Pulegii - - - - 281 3. Aqua Menthce Pulegii - - - - - 281 Rosmarinus officinalis ...... 281 1. Oleum Rosmarini - - - - - - 282 2. Spiritus Rosmarini - - - - - 282 V Hungary Water ---... 282 Origanum vulgare ...... 282 Oleum Origani ...... 383 Majorana hortensis ...... 283 Melissa officinalis ....... 284 Marrubium vulgare ...... 284 *** Other Medicinal and Dietetical Labiateae . ... 285 Order xxxvii.—Scrophulariacese .... 285 Digitalis purpurea ...... 286 1. lnfusum Digitalis - - - - - - 294 2. Tinctura Digitalis - - - - - 294 3. Extractum Digitalis - - - - - 295 4. Pilulee Digitalis et Scillee - - - - 295 Verbascum Thapsus ...... 295 CONTENTS. XV Scrophularia nodosa Unguentum Scrophularice *** Other Medicinal Scrophulariacese Order xxxviii.—Solanaceas Hyoscyamus niger - 1. Tinctura Hyoscyami 2. Extractum Hyoscyami *** Succus Hyoscyami Atropa Belladonna - 1. Extractum Belladonnce - 2. Emplastrum Belladonnce 3. Unguentum Belladonnce 4. Tinctura Belladonnce *** Succus Belladonnas Datura Stramonium - 1. Extractum Stramonii 2. Tinctura Stramonii Nicotiana Tabacum 1. Enema Tabaci 2. Vinum Tabaci - 3. Unguentum Tabaci Solanum Dulcamara Decoctum Dulcamarce - Capsicum annuum Tinctura Capsici *** Other Dietetical, Medicinal, or Poisonous Solanaceae (Potatoes, &c.) Order xxxix.—Boraginacese - - - - Anchusa tinctoria ..... 295 296 296 296 297 300 300 300 300 308 308 308 308 309 309 311 312 312 321 321 321 322 323 323 325 325 327 327 Order xl.—Convolvulaceae Convolvulus Scammonia 1. Pulvis Scammonii compositus 2. Pulvis Scammonii cum Calomelane 3. Confectio Scammonii 4. Extractum sive Resina Scammonii 5. Mistura Scammonii Ipomaea Purga - 1. Pulvis Jalapce compositus 2. Tinctura Jalapce 3. Extractum Jalapce - *** Mechoacan; Ipomaea Turpethum and Convolvulus panduratus Order xli.—Gentianaceae Gentiana lutea - 1. lnfusum Gentiance compositum 2. Mistura Gentiance composita 3. Tinctura Gentiance composita 4. Extractum Gentiance .... Agathotes Chi ray ta .... lnfusum Chirettee ..... Erythraea Centauripm .... 327 327 332 332 332 332 333 333 336 336 336 337 337 337 340 341 341 341 341 342 342 XVI CONTENTS. Menyanthes trifoliata ... - - 343 *** Frasora Walteri - - - - - 344 Order xlii.—Spigeliacese ..... 344 Spigelia Marilandica ...... 344 lnfusum Spigeliee ...... 343 *** Spigelia Anthelmintics ..... 34^ Order xliii.—Asclepiadacese - 346 Calotropis gigantea --.... 345 Hemidesmus indicus ...... 345 Cynanchum Argel ...... 347 Cynanchum monspeliacum ...... 347 Secamone Alpini ---... 347 Asclepias tuberosa, incarnata and syriaca - - - 347 Order xliv.—Apocynacese .... 347 Strychnos Nux-vomica ...... 347 1. Tinctura Nucis-vomicce - - - - - 359 2. Extractum Nucis-vomicce ----- 359 3. Strychnia ...... 360 *** Other Medicinal or Poisonous Apocynacese - - - . 363 Apocynum androssemofolium - - . - - - 364 Cannabinum - - - - - - - 365 Order xlv.—Oleacese ..... 366 Olea europsea ...--.. 366 Ornus europsea - - - - - - - 371 Order xlvi.—Styracese ..... 373 Sty rax officinale - - - - - - 373 1. Styrax colatus ...... 377 2. Pilulee Styracis composites .... 377 Styrax Benzoin ....... 377 1. Tinctura Benzoini composita .... 379 2. Fumigating pastiles ..... 38O 2. Calyciflorse. Order xlvii.—Pyrolacese ..... 380 Chimaphila umbellata - - - - - 380 Decoctum Chimaphilce - - - - - 381 Order xlviii.—Ericacese ----- 382 Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi ...... 382 1. Decoctum Uvce-ursi - 384 2. Extractum Uvce-ursi ..... 384 *** Gualtheria procumbens ..... 384 Order xlix.—Lobeliacese ..... 384 Lobelia inflata - - - - - - - 384 1. Tinctura Lobelice ...... 389 2. Tinctura Lobelice cetherea .... 389 CONTENTS. XVU 3. Vinegar 4. Syrup of Lobelia *»* Lobelia siphilitica Order l.—Compositse Tribe 1. Eupatoriacese Tussilago Farfara - Eupatorium perfoliatum Tribe 2. Asteroideae Inula Helenium - Tribe 3. Senecionideae Anthemis nobilis 1. lnfusum Anthemidis 2. Extractum Anthemidis - 3. Oleum Anthemidis - Anacyclus Pyrethrum Artemisia Absinthium Eztractum Artemisice Absinthii Artemisia Moxa Tanacetum vulgare Arnica montana *** 1. Wormseed - 2. Artemisia vulgaris 3. Guizotia oleifera 4. Senecio Jacobaea - 5. Anthemis Cotula Tribe 4. Cynarese Lappa minor - Cnicus benedictus V* Carthamus tinctorius Tribe 5. Cichoraceae Taraxacum Dens-Leonis 1. Decoctum Taraxaci 2. Extractum Taraxaci Lactuca sativa 1. Tinctura Lactucarii 2. Trochisci Lactucarii Lactuca virosa - %* Cichorium Intybus - Order li.—Valerianacese - Valeriana officinalis 1. lnfusum Valeriance 2. Tinctura Valeriance 3. Tinctura Valeriance composita *t* Othsr Medicinal Valerianaceae - VOL. II. 3 389 389 388 388 389 389 389 390 390 391 391 392 392 393 393 394 395 395 397 398 399 399 399 399 399 400 400 400 401 401 401 402 402 403 405 405 405 405 406 406 408 408 408 408 XV111 CONTENTS. Order lii.—Rubiaceae - Cinchona ------ History ------ Botanical species . . - - - Description of the barks - 1. Cinchona Cor once - - - - 2. Cinchona Huanuco 3. Cinchona Jaen - 4. Cinchona Huamalies 5. Cinchona Calisaya seu Regia - 6. Cinchona rubra - 7. Cinchona Loxa alba - - - - 8. Cinchona de Carihagena dura 9. Cinchona de Carthagena fibrosa 10. Cinchona de cusco - - - - 11. Cinchona aurantiacea de Santa Fe 12. Cinchona nova - - - - 13. Red Cinchona with a white micaceous epidermis Composition ------ Chemical Characteristics Ditto " of the goodness of Cinchona Physiological Effects Uses .... Preparations 1. lnfusum Cinchonce 2. lnfusum Cinchonce compositum 3. Decoctum Cinchonce 4. Tinctura Cinchonce 5. Tinctura Cinchonce composita 6. Extractum Cinchonce 7. Quince Disulphas Cephaelis Ipecacuanha 1. Vinum Ipecacuanhee 2. Syrupus Ipecacuanhee 3. Pulvis Ipecacuanhee compositus - 4. Pilulee Ipecacuanhee et Opii 5. Trochisci Morphiee et Ipecacuanhee Uncaria Gambier Rubia tinctorum *** 1. Psychotria emetica 2. Richardsonia scabra 3. Coffea Arabica Order liii.—Caprifoliaceae Sambucus nigra 1. Oleum Sambuci 2. Aqua Sambuci - 3. Unguentum Sambuci 4. Succus spissatus Sambuci Order liv.—Araliaceae Panax - 409 409 409 410 412 417 419 420 421 421 423 424 424 425 426 426 426 427 427 431 432 434 438 442 442 442 442 443 443 444 445 44S 455 455 455 456 456 456 459 461 461 462 463 463 463 464 464 464 464 464 CONTENTS. XIX Order lv.—Umbelliferae ..... 465 Carum Carui ....... 465 1. Oleum Carui ...... 466 2. Spiritus Carui - - - - - - 466 3. Aqua Carui ...... 466 Pimpinella Anisum ...... 466 1. Oleum Anisi ...... 466 2. Spiritus Anisi - - - - - - 468 3. Aqua Anisi ...... 468 Foeniculum vulgare - - - - - - 468 Foeniculum dulce ....... 469 1. Oleum Fozniculi - - - - - 469 2. Aqua Funiculi ...... 469 Archangelica officinalis - - - - - - 469 Opoponax Chironium ...... 470 Ferula Asafoetida ...... 471 1. Mistura Asafatidce - - - - - - 477 2. Enema fxtidum - - - - - - 477 3. Tinctura Asafoetidee ..... 477 4. Pilulee Asafoetidee - - - - - 478 5. Pilulee Aloes et Asafcetidee - - - - - 478 6. Spiritus Ammonice foztidus - - - - 478 7. Emplastrum Asafoetidee - - - - - 478 Ferula ? (an uncertain species yielding Sagapenum) - - 478 Pilulee Sagapeni composites - - - - - 479 Dorema Ammoniacum ...... 479 1. Mistura Ammoniaci - - - - - 481 2. Emplastrum Ammoniaci - - - - 482 3. Emplastrum Ammoniaci cum Hydrargyro - - - 482 Anethum graveolens ...... 482 1. Oleum Anethi - - - - - - 482 2. Aqua Anethi ...... 483 Galbanum officinale ...... 483 1. Tinctura Galbani ..... 485 2. Pilulee Galbani composites ----- 485 3. Emplastrum Galbani - - - - - 485 Cuminum Cyminum ...... 485 Daucus Carota ------- 486 Cataplasma Dauci ...... 487 Conium maculatum ...... 487 1. Pulvis Conii ...... 496 2. Tinctura Conii ------ 496 *** Succus Conii ...... 497 3. Extractum Conii ..... 497 4. Pilules Conii composites - • - - - 498 5. Unguentum Conii - - - - - 498 6. Cataplasma Conii - - - - - - 498 Coriandrum sativum ...... 498 *** Other Umbelliferee, Dietetical or Poisonoua - - - 499 XX CONTENTS. Order lvi.—Cucurbitaceae - - - 500 Cucumis Colocynthis ...--- 500 1. Extractum Colocynihidis - - - - 503 2. Extractum Colocynihidis compositum - - - 504 3. Pilulee Colocynthis et Hyoscyami - - - 505 4. Enema Colocynihidis ----- 505 Momordica Elaterium ------ 505 *** Other Cucurbitaceae, Dietetical, Medicinal, or Poisonous - - 512 Order lvii.—Myrtaceae - - - - - 513 Melaleuca minor - - - - - - 513 Caryophyllus aromaticus - - - - - 515 1. lnfusum Caryophylli - - - - - 517 2. Oleum Caryophylli - - - - - - 517 3. Tinctura Caryophylli - - - - - 518 Eugenia Pimenta - - - - - - - 519 1. Oleum Pimentcs ..... 520 2. Spiritus Pimentcs - - - - - - 521 3. Aqua Pimentcs - - - - - - 521 *** Eucalyptus resinifera (Botany Bay Kino) .... 521 Order lviii.—Lythracese - - - - . 521 Lythrum Salicaria ------- 522 Order lix.—Granatese - 522 Punica Granatum - - - - - - - 523 Order lx.—Rosacese - - - . . 524 Tribe 1. Amygdaleae - 525 Amygdalus communis --.... 525 1. Confectio Amygdalce - - - - - 529 2. Mistura Amygdalce - - - . . 529 3. Oleum Amygdalce - - . . -530 4. Oleum Amygdalce amaree - - . . 53 \ Persica vulgaris ------- 534 Prunus domestica - - . . . . 535 Cerasus Lauro-cerasus ------ 536 Aqua Lauro-Cerasi - - . . . 537 Cerasus serotina - - - - . . - 538 Oil of Wild Cherry ...... 538 lnfusum Pruni Virginiani ----.. 539 Syrup of Wild Cherry Bark ..... g^Q Tribe 2. Spiracese ----- 540 Gillenia trifoliata ...... 54Q Tribe 3. Dryadeae - - - - . 541 Geum urbanum - - . - - . . 543 CONTENTS. XXI Potentilla Tormentilla - - - - - - 542 Decoctum Tormentillce - - - ■ - 543 Rubus villosus et trivialis - - - - - - 543 Tribe 4. Roseae .... - 544 Rosa canina ...---- 544 Confectio Rosce Canines ----- 545 Rosa gallica -------- 545 1. lnfusum Roses compositum - - - - 546 2. Confectio Roses gallicce ----- 547 3. Mel Roses......547 4. Syrupus Rosce gallicce ----- 547 Rosa centifolia ------- 548 1. Syrupus Rosce ------ 548 2. Aqua Rosce ------ 549 3. Unguentum Aques Rosce ..... 549 4. Oleum Rosce ------ 549 Tribe 5. Pomaceae - - - - - 550 Cydonia vulgaris ------- 550 Decoctum Cydonice - - - - - - 551 *»* 1. Cherry-tree gum ..... t>«/x 2. Alchemilla arvensis - ,, - - - OOl 3. Bedeguar ...... 552 Order lxi.—Leguminosse ..... 552 Sub-Order. Papilionaceae - - - - 553 Myrospermum peruiferum ...... 553 Myrospermum toluiferum ------ 556 1. Tinctura Balsami Tolutani - - - - - 557 2. Syrupus Tolutanus ..... 557 Cytisus scoparius --...-- 558 1. lnfusum Scoparii ..... 559 2. Decoctum Scoparii compositum - - - 559 3. Extractum Spartii Scoparii . - - . 559 Glycyrrhiza glabra ------- 559 1. Decoctum Glycyrrhizce ----- 560 2. Extractum Glycyrrhizce - - - - - 560 3. Trochisci Glycyrrhizce ----- 561 4. Trochisci Glycyrrhizce et opii - - - - 561 Astragalus (one or more species yielding Tragacanth) - - 561 1. Pulvis Tragacanthee compositus - - - 563 2. Mucilago Tragacanthee ----- 563 Mucuna pruriens ------- 563 Pterocarpus santalinus ------ 565 Pterocarpus erinaceus ...... 565 1. Tinctura Kino ------ 567 2. Pulvis Kino compositus - - - - - 567 XX11 CONTENTS. Sub-Order 2. Mimosese Acacia (several species yielding Gum) 1. Mucilago 2. Mistura Acaciee, E. - 3. Trochisci Acaciee Acacia Catechu 1. lnfusum Catechu compositum 2. Tinctura Catechu 3. Electuarium Catechu 567 573 573 573 573 573 577 577 578 Sub-Order 3. Csesalpinese Andira inermis - Decoctum Geoffroyce Hsematoxylon campechianum 1. Decoctum Hcematoxyli 2. Extractum Hcematoxyli - Tamarindus indica ... Cassia (several species yielding Senna) 1. lnfusum Sennce 2. lnfusum Sennce compositum, E. 3. Enema Catharticum - 4. Tinctura Sennce composita 5. Syrupus Sennce 6. Confectio Sennce - Fluid Extract of Senna Cassia Marilandica Cassia Fistula Confectio Cassice Copaifera (several species yielding an oleo 1. Oleum Copaibce - 2. Gelatine Capsules of Copaiba *** 1. Spartium junceum 2. Butea frondosa 3. Indigo Order lxii.—Terebinthacese Pistacia Terebinthus Pistacia Lentiscus Rhus Toxicodendron Boswellia thurifera Balsamodendron Myrrha Tinctura Myrrhee - %* 1. Elemi ... 2. Balm of Gilead 3. Bdellium 4. RhusGlabrum Order lxiii.—Rhamnaceae Rhamnus Catharticus Syrupus Rhamni resin) 578 578 579 579 580 580 580 582 589 589 589 589 590 590 590 591 591 592 593 598 599 599 600 600 601 601 602 603 604 605 608 609 610 610 610 610 611 612 C0NTENT8. XXU1 3. Thalamiflorse. Order lxiv.—Simarubaceae .... 612 Simaruba amara .... lnfusum Simarubce Picrsena excelsa . . - - 1. lnfusum Quassice 2. Tinctura Quassice - 3. Tinctura Quassice composita 4. Extractum Quassice *** Quassia amara - - - - Order lxv.—Rutaceae Ruta graveolens .... 1. Confectio Rutce 2. Oleum Rutce .... 3. Syrupus Rutce 4. Extractum Rutce Barosma (several species yielding Buchu) 1. lnfusum Buchu 2. Tinctura Buchu Galipea officinalis .... 1. lnfusum Cusparice - 2. Tinctura Cusparice *** Dictamnus Fraxinella Order lxvi.—Zygophyllacese Guaiacum officinale - 1. Mistura Guaiaci 2. Tinctura Guaiaci - 3. Tinctura Guaiaci compositus 4. Decoctum Guaiaci - Order lxvii.—Oxalidaceae Oxalis Acetosella - - . . Order lxviii.—Vitacese Vitis vinifera - - . . 1. Potasses Bitartras 2. Acidum Tartaricum 3. Trochisci Acidi tartarici 4. Vinum - - . . 5. Spiritus Vini Gallici - 6. Mistura SpiritHs Vini Gallici Order lxix.—Guttiferse Hebradendron cambogioides - Pilulee Cambogiee composites Canella alba Vinum Gentiance - ■ ■ 612 • - 613 ■ . 613 ■ - 615 - - 615 - - 615 - - 616 - - 616 - - 616 ■ . 616 - - 618 - ■ 618 - . 618 - - 618 . . 619 - - 621 - - 621 . . 621 . - 624 ■ . 624 - - 624 ■ - 624 . . 624 - - 629 ■ - 629 - - 629 ■ - 629 - 629 - ■ 630 - - 630 - . 631 [vol. i. p. 448] 633 [vol. i. p. 359] 633 - - 633 - . 633 [vol. i. p. 322] 638 [vol. i. p. 323] 638 - - 639 ■ . 639 - - 644 - - 644 645 XXIV CONTENTS. Order lxx —Aurantiacese Citrus medica ------ _, Citrus Bergamia ------ Citrus Limonum ----- 1. Oleum Limonum ----- _ 2. Syrupus Limonum - Citrus Aurantium ... - - Citrus vulgaris - - - - - fiP.„ 1. lnfusum Aurantii compositum 2. Confectio Aurantii - ' 3. Syrupus Aurantii - - - - - 4. Tinctura Aurantii ----- *jo3 5. -Ag-wa Florum Aurantii - - - - °5rf *«,* Eau de Cologne - - - Feronia Elephantum ----- 654 Order lxxi—Ternstromiaceae ... - 654 Thea........654 Order lxxii.—Dipteracese .... - 655 Dryobalanops aromatica - - - - - "55 1. Liquid Camphor ....-- 655 2. Sumatra or Borneo Camphor . - - - 655 Order lxxiii.—Byttneriaceae ... - 656 Theobroma Cacao ..---- 656 Order lxxiv.—Malvaceae .... - 656 Malva sylvestris ------- 656 Decoctum Malves compositum - - - - - 657 Althea officinalis ------- 657 1. Mistura Althcece ------ 658 2. Syrupus Althcece ------ 658 Gossypium herbaceum - - ... 658 Order lxxv.—Linacese ..... 660 Linum usitatissimum ...... 660 1. lnfusum Lini compositum - - - - 661 2. Oleum Lini ...... 661 3. Farina Lini ------ 662 4. Cataplasma Lini ------ 662 Linum catharticum ------ 662 Order lxxvi.—Caryophyllaceae .... 662 Dianthus Caryophyllus ...... 663 Order lxxvii.—Polygaleae .... 663 Polygala Senega ------- 663 1. Decoctum Senegce ------ 665 2. Syrupus Senegce - 665 CONTENTS. XXV 3. Extractum Senegce 4. Syrupus Scillee compositus Krameria triandra .... 1. lnfusum Kramerice 2. Extractum Kramerice 3. Tinctura Kramerice 4. Syrupus Kramerice - Order lxxviii.—Violaceae - Viola odorata .... Syrupus Violce .... *** lonidium Ipecacuanha, microphyllum et parviflorum Order lxxix.—Cistaceae Cistus creticus - 666 666 666 667 667 667 668 668 668 669 669 670 670 Order lxxx.—Cruciferae Cardamine pratensis - - - - - Cochlearia Armoracia - 1. lnfusum Armoraciee - 2. lnfusum A?'moraciee compositum 3. Spiritus Armoracics compositus Cochlearia officinalis . - - - Sinapis nigra - Cataplasma Sinapis - Sinapis alba .-.--• Order lxxxi.—Papaveraceae Papaver Rhscas - Syrupus Rhceados - Papaver somniferum - - - - - 1. Poppy heads .... 2. Opium ..... Preparation .... Description .... Commerce .... Composition .... Chemical characteristics Application to medico-legal purposes Estimation of the purity and strength - Physiological effects Opium-eating - Opium-smoking - Modus operandi Uses - Administration • Antidotes - a. Preparations of Poppy heads. 1. Decoctum Papaveris 2. Syrupus Papaveris ■ vol. n 4 670 670 671 672 672 672 672 673 675 675 677 677 678 678 679 679 679 680 683 684 688 690 691 692 694 696 701 703 709 710 710 711 XX VI CONTENTS. 3. Extractum Papaveris 711 6. Preparations of Opium. 711 1. Pilules Opii sive Thebaicce - 2. Pilules Saponis composites - - - - 3. Pilulee Opii - - - - - - Vr 4. Pilulee Calomelanos et Opii - - [vol. i. p. 617] 71* 5. Pilulee Plumbi Opiatce - - [vol. i. p. 666] - 712 6. Trochisci Opii ------ 71~ 7. Pulvis Cretee compositus cum Opio - - - - 712 8. Confectio Opii - - - - - * 712 9. Emplastrum Opii - - - - - - 712 10. Extractum Opii purificatum - - - - 713 Liquor Opii sedativus - - - - - 713 11. Tinctura Opii ------ 713 12. Tinctura Opii acetata - - - - - 714 13. Tinctura Opii camphorata - - - - 714 14. Enema Opii ....-- 714 15. Linimentum Opii - - - - - 714 16. Vinum Opii ...... 714 17. Tinctura Opii ammoniata - - - - - 715 18. Acetum Opii ...--- 715 Black drop .... - 715 19. Unguentum Gallee compositum - - [p. 193] - 716 20. Pilulee Styracis composites - - [p. 377] 716 21. Pulvis Ipecacuanhee compositus - - [p. 455] - 716 22. Pilules Ipecacuanhee conipositee - - [p. 456] 716 23. Pulvis Kino compositus - • [p. 567] - 716 24. Electuarium catechu - - - [p. 578] 716 c. Morphia and its Preparations. 1. Morphia ....... 716 2. Morphiee Acetas - - - - - - 719 3. Morphiee Hydrochloras - - - - - 719 4. Morphiee Muriatis Solutio - - - - 721 5. Trochisci Morphiee - - - - - - 721 6. Trochisci Morphiee et Ipecacuanhee - - - 721 7. Morphiee Sulphas - - - - - -721 8. Liquor Morphiee Sulphatis - 722 Sanguinaria Canadensis ----- 722 Tinctura Sanguinarics - • - - - 723 Order lxxxii.—Menispermacese .... 723 Cocculus palmatus ...... 723 1. lnfusum Calumbce ...... 726 2. Tinctura Calumbce - - - - - 727 Anamirta Cocculus ------- 727 Unguentum Cocculi - - - . . . . 729 Cissampelos Pareira -.---.. 729 1. lnfusum Pareirce - - - - - 731 2. Extractum Pareirce ------ 731 *»* Other Medicinal Meni6permaceiB - - . . 7Qj CONTENTS. XXVII Order lxxxiii.—Magnoliaceae - Drimys Winteri - - - - *** Illicium anisatum Magnolia glauca - - - - Liriodendron Tulipifera Order lxxxiv.—Ranunculaceae Ranunculus acris Ranunculus Flammula Helleborus niger Tinctura Hellebori - Extractum Hellebori Delphinium Staphysagria Delphinia Aconitum Napellus - 1. Tinctura Aconiti 2. Extractum Alcoholicum Aconiti 3. Extractum Aconiti 4. Aconitina Cimicifuga racemosa Coptis trifoliata *** Helleborus fcetidus et viridis, Aconitum ferox Order lxxxv.—Podophylleae - Podophyllum peltatum Extractum podophylli Order lxxxvi.—Juglandeae Juglans cinerea Extractum Juglandis Order lxxxvii—Geraniaceae - Geranium Maculatum Order lxxxviii.—Cornaceae Cornus Florida - - - - Cornus Circinata and Cornus Sericea and Delph inium consolida < 732 732 733 733 734 735 735 735 736 738 738 738 739 739 744 745 745 745 746 748 749 749 749 750 750 750 751 751 751 753 753 754 <&\zm XK. Wxt animal .Strt-iftngttom. Division It Invertebrata.—ln-vcrtebral Animals Subdivision 1.—ACRITA Class i.—Poriphera . . . - . Spongia officinalis ..... Spongia usta ...... Class n.—-Polypiphera .... Corallium rubrum .... - 755 755 755 755 755 757 757 757 xxviii CONTENTS. Subdivision 2—RADIATA ■ Subdivision 3.—MOLLUSCA Class in.—Conchifera Ostrea edulis Testes prceparatce Class iv.—Cephalopoda Sepia Subdivision 4.—ARTICULATA - Class v.—Annulosa - Sanguisuga (Hirudo) History Zoology Anatomy Diseases Collection and Commerce Mode of biting - Physiological effects - Uses Mode of application - After-treatment - Accidents from leeches in the mucous cavities 757 757 758 758 758 759 759 759 759 . 759 759 . 760 761 . 763 763 . 764 764 . 767 768 . 769 770 Class vi. Insecta Order i.—Coleoptera - Cantharis vesicatoria 1. Acetum Cantharidis 2. Tinctura Cantharidis 3. Ceratum Cantharidis 4. Unguentum Infusi Cantharidis 5. Emplastrum Cantharidis 6. Emplastrum Cantharidis compositum 7. Emplastrum Calefaciens - 8. Pannus vesicatorius - - - *** Other Coleopterous Vesicants Order h.—Hemiptera - Coccus Cacti .... Order hi.—Hymenoptera Apis mellifica .... Mel..... 1. Mel despumatum 2. Oxymel. Cera .... 1. Emplastrum Ceres 2. Emplastrum aromaticum 3. Ceratum 4. Unguentum Cera flavce 771 771 771 779 780 780 780 780 781 781 781 781 782 782 784 784 785 786 786 787 787 787 787 788 CONTENTS. XXIX 5. Linimentum simplex ----- 788 *«* Other Hymenopterous Insects ... - 788 Class vii.—Crustacea ------ 788 Astacus fluviatilis - - - -. - - 788 Cancer Pagurus ..---.- 788 Division II. Vertebrata.—Vertebral Animals. - 788 Class vni. Pisces ------ 788 Ichthyocolla ..--.-- 788 Oleum Jecoris Aselli ------- 793 Class ix. Aves ------ 795 Order i.—Gallinae .... - 795 Gallus domesticus .... . 795 Ovum .-----•- 796 Class x.—Mammalia ..... 798 Order i.—Cetacea - - - - - 798 Physeter macrocephalus ------ 798 1. Ceratum Cetacei ------ 800 2. Unguentum Cetacei ----- 800 3. Ambra grisea ..---- 800 Order ii.—Ruminantia .... 801 Moschus moschiferus ------- 801 1. Mistura Moschi - - - - - - 807 2. Tinctura Moschi ------ 807 Cervus Elaphus ------- 807 Cornu ustum ------- 808 Ovis Aries ....... 808 Sevum ........ 809 Bos Taurus ....... 809 1. Lactic acid ....... 812 2. Fel Bovinum ...... 812 Order hi.—Pachydermata .... 812 SusScrofa ....... 812 Axungia ....... 813 Order iv.—Rodentia ----- 814 Castor Fiber - - - - - - - 814 1. Tinctura Castorei - - - - - 818 2. Tinctura Castorei ammoniata - - - - 819 ERRATA. For Gualtheria, read Gaultheria, - - - - • • -132 For Oleo-Resinous Terebinthinae, read Oleo-Resinae Terebinthin®, - - 164 For Gallee, read Galla, U. S. - - - - - - - 190 For Eaphorbia, read Euphorbia, --..-- 213 For Oleum Rosmarinii, read Oleum Rosmarini, ----- 282 For Asclepias tuburosa, read A. tuberosa, ----- 347 For Cinchona pallidas, read C. pallida, - - - - - 421 LIST OF WOODCUTS IN VOL. II. 105. Structure of the cryptogamia . 33 157. Madagascar cardamom 150 106. Fucus vesiculosus 34 158 Amomum Clusii . . 150 107. Esculent sea weeds . 38 159. Amomum macrospermum 150 108. Cetraria islancica 39 160. Java cardamom . 152 109. Lecanora tartarea . 42 161. Malabar cardamoms . 154 110. Tripe de Roche 44 162. Elettaria major . 155 111. Cladonia rangiferina . 441 163. Ceylon cardamom 156 112. Ergotsetia abortifaciens 45 ! 164. Ovoid China cardamom . 157 113. Agaricus campestris . 46 165. Large round China cardam om 157 114. Morchella esculenta 46 166. Small round ditto . . 157 115. Tuber cibarium . 46 167. Black cardamom 157 116. Poisonous agarici 46 168. Vanilla aromatica . 158 117. A tree fern : 47 169. Structure of exogens . 159 118. Nephrodium filix mas . 48; 170. Cycas revoluta . 159 119. Rafflesia Arnoldi . . 50 171. Pinus sylvestris 161 120. Structure of endogens . 51 172. Cones of ditto . 161 121. Saccharum officinarum . 52 173. Cones of pinus pinaster 161 122. 1. Secale cereale 56 174. Branch and cone of pinus ] >inea . 161 2. Triticum . 56 175. Abies excelsa . 162 3. Hordeum 56 176. Abies picea, balsamea an 1 cana- 123. Torula and mycoderma cervisi as . 58 densis . . 162 124. Avena sativa . 59 177. Suber . 194 125. Particles of wheat starch . . 61 178. Lupulinic grain . 196 126. Secale cereale . 63 178. Morus nigra . 199 127. Structure of ergot of rye . . 65 179. Ficus carica . 199 128. Secale cornutum 66 180. Dorstenia contrajerva . 201 129. Oryza sativa . 75 181. Artocarpus incisa . . 202 130. Panicum miliaceum . 75 182. Canabis sativa 202 131. Zea mays . . 75 183. Piper nigrum . 206 132. Arum colocasia 78 184. Piper belle 213 133. Particles of Portland arrow-ro< )t . 78 185. Euphorbia meloformis . 213 134. Cocos nucifera 79 186. Euphorbia antiquorum 213 135. Sagus rumphii . 79 187. Ricinus communis . 222 136. Particles of sago meal^- 81 188. Janipha manihot 229 137. Particles of potatoe sago . . 81 189. Particles of tapioca . 229 138. Elais guineensis 83 190. Cinnamomum zeylanicum 236 139. Colchicum autumnale . 84 191. Camphora officinarum . 243 140. Veratrum album 94 192. Bombolo 244 141. Various species of aloe . 104 193. Myristica officinalis . 255 142. Aloe socotrina . 105 194. Nutmeg and mace 255 143. Dracaena draco . 121 195. Rheum palmatum . 263 144. Magnified view of a section of Ja- 196. Rheum compactum 263 maica sarsaparilla . 124 197. Rheum emodi . 263 145. Ditto of Honduras sarsaparilla . 125 198. Crystals of oxalate of lime in Rus- 146. Tacca pinnatifida 138 sian rhubarb 265 147. Particles of Tahiti arrow-root . 138 199. Solanum tuberosum . 326 118. Narcissus tazetta 138 200. Cells of potatoes, before a nd after 149. The Banana . 138 boiling 326 150. The Plantain . 138 201. Particles of potatoe starch . 326 151. Particles of West Indian ar •ow- 202. Strychnos nux-vomica 348 root . 140 203. Cerbera tanghin . . 364 152. Particles of Tous le Mois 141 204. Apocynum Cannabinum 365 153. Particles of East Indian arrow •root 147 205. Olea Europaea . 367 151. Round cardamom 148 206. Carthamus tinctorius . 401 Jcfi > Capsules of Malaguetta pepp« ;r . 149 207. Nardostachys jatamansi 208. Cephelis ipecacuanha . 408 499 XXX II LIST OF WOODCUTS. 209. Brown ipecacuanha root . . 450 210. Striated ipecacuanha . . 461 211. Undulated ipecacuanha root . 461 212. Coffea Arabica . . 4b2 213. Panax quinquefolium . . 464 214. Mormordica elaterium . 506 215. Endosmometer . . - 506 216. Caryophyllus aromaticus . 516 217. Punica granatum . . . 523 218. The peach . . .534 219. Papilionaceous flowers . . 552 220. Legumes of ceratonia siliqua . 552 221. Common garden bean . . 553 222. Astragalus creticus . . 561 223. Acacia arabica . . . 568 224. Legume and leaflet of acute-leaved Alexandrian senna . . 585 225. Legume and leaflet of cassia obo- vata .... 585 226. Argel leaf, flowers, and fruit . 585 227. Legume and leaflet of tephrosia apollinea . • • 585 228. Legume of Tinnevelly senna- leaflet of ditto . . 586 229. Leaf of coraria myrtifolia . 587 230. Butea frondosa * . .600 231. Indigofera tinctoria . . 600 232. Pistacia terebinthus . . 602 233. Pistacia lentiscus . . .602 234. Balsamodcndron myrrha . 606 235. Balsamodendron gileadense . 610 236. Vitis vinifera . . . 631 237. Garcinia mangostana . . 639 238. Hebradendron cambogiodes . 639 239. Citrus aurantium . .. . 651 240. Thea Bohea . . . 654 241. Theobroma cacao . . . 656 242. Gossypium herbaceum . 659 243. Linum usitatissimum . . 660 244. Root of ionidium ipecacuanha 669 245. Cistus creticus . . • 670 246. Lajdanum whig . . 670 247. A silique . 248. Crystal of morphia 249. Cocculus palmatus 250. Drimys winteri 251. Magnolia glauca . 252. Liriodendrnn tulipifera 253. Cornus Florida 254. Corallium rubrum 255. Alimentary canal of the leech 256. Diagram illustrative of the internal anatomy of the leech 257. Cantharides 258. Cochineal insects (male and fe- male) .... 259. Opuntia cochinillifera . 260. Acipenser sturio . 261. A segment of the yelk of an egg 262. Cumulus cicatriculae 263. Section of the cicatricula, showing the vesicula in situ . 264. Yelk and its appendages . 265. Polygonal pieces of chalk forming the rudiments of the shell of the egg 266. The four stomachs of the sheep 267. Moschus moschiferus 268. Belly of moschus moschiferus 269. Vertical section of the musk sac in situ .... 270. Musk sac 271. Musk sac, deprived of its hairy coat to show its muscular coat 272. Musk sac deprived of its hairy coat and circular muscular fibres 273. Ovis amnion . 274. Ovis musimon 275. Castor fiber . 276. Castor and oil sacs with their appropriate muscles 278. Castor and oil sacs laid open . 279. Relative position of castor and oil sacs and pelvis . 670 716 724 732 733 734 753 757 761 763 771 762 783 786 796 796 796 797 797 801 801 802 803 803 803 803 809 809 814 815 816 816 THE ELEMENTS OF MATEEIA MEDICA. II. ORGANISED KINGDOM. Division 1. Cryptogamia, Linnceus.—Flowcrless Plants. Acotyledones, Jussieu.—Cellulares, De Candolle.—Acrogens, Lindley. Essential Character.—Substance of the plant usually composed of cellular tissue chiefly, either in a spheroidal or elongated state; spiral vessels or ducts only present in the highest orders. Stem either increasing by an extension of its point, or by a regular or irregular de- velopment in all directions from one common point; not increasing perceptibly in thickness or density when once formed. Cuticle generally destitute of stomata. Sexual organs, and conse- quently /lowers, absent. Reproduction taking place cither by spores or sporules [sports seu sporulce], which are inclosed in cases called thecce [sporangia], or imbedded in the substance of the plants; or else by a mere dissolution of the utricles of cellular tissue; germination occurring at no fixed point, but upon any part of the surface of the spores (Lindley). Fig. 105. Structure of Cryptogamic Plants. a. Longitudinal section of a stem. ft. Transverse section of a stem. c. Stem nf a moss with leaves and theca, or seed- case. d. Leaf of a moss magnified. e. Leafy thallus of a lichen with apothecia.' /. Crustaceous thallus of a lichen with apothecia. g. Fungi of the highest tribe. A, t. Fungi of the lowest rank. I k. Conferva magnified. Order I__ALG.E, Juss.—THE SEA-WEED TRIBE. Ai.gace.e, Lindley. Essential Character.—Leafless, flowcrless plints, with no distinct axis of vegetation, grow- ing [with very few exceptions] in water, frequently having an animal motion, and consist- ing of simple vesicles lying in mucus, or of articulated filaments, or of lobed fronds, formed VOL. II. 5 34 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MED1CA. of uniform cellular tissue. Reproductive mailer either altogether wanting, or contained in joints of the filaments, or deposited in thecce of various forms, size, and position, caused by dilatations of the substance of the frond. Sporules with ho proper integument, in germina- tion elongating in two opposite directions (Lindley). . Properties.—None of the plants of this order are poisonous. A mucilaginous or gelatinilorm matter (carrageenin, pectin) and sugar (mannite) render several species nutritious, emol- lient, and demulcent. Some Algae have been found beneficial in scrofulous affectionsi and glandular enlargements. The good effects are referrible to iodine, (see vol. 1. pp. 222, 226), and in part, perhaps, to alkaline salts. A vermifuge property has been ascribed to some species. . . Laennec {Treat, on Diseases of the Chest, by Dr. Forbes, p. 369) tried the influence of an artificial " marine atmosphere" (air impregnated with the vapour of fresh sea-weed) on con- sumptive patients, and was impressed with an idea of its efficacy; but experience shows that the inhabitants of sea-coasts are as liable to phthisis as those of inland districts. 1. FUCUS VESICULOSUS, Linn. D.—SEA WRACK. Sex. Syst. Cryptogamia, Algs. (Herba cum fructu. Ph. Dub.) History.—Theophrastus (Hist. Plant, lib. iv. cap. vii.) mentions several species of Algae ( • a J. P. Schwendimann, in Schlegel's Thesayrus Mat. Med. t. iii. p. 181. CORSICAN MOSS. 37 shops a mixture of various marine vegetables and animnls. The essential, though usually smaller, part of the mixture is the Gigartina Helminthocorton; the re- mainder consists of Corallines. Sertularias, and Ceramiutns, to the number of twenty species. (De Candolle, Essai sur les Proprietes Med. p. 34s, 2d ed.) Lamaroux states he found the remains of eighty species of marine plants. (Fee, fours d'Hist. Nat. i. 147.) See also T. C. Martius. (Grundnss d. Phar- makog. 12.) The structure of the frond of Gigartina Helminthocorton is " very peculiar, being exceedingly lax and cellular, with a consistence similar to that of the stems and leaf-stalks of some aquatic herbaceous phaenogamous plants, and having the appearance of articulations which do not actually exist." (Greville, Algee Brit. p. 146.) The fructification is scarcely ever seen. The plant has a reddish gray colour externally, but is whitish internally. Its odour is strong, marine, and disagreeable: its taste is saline. Composition.—Bouvier (Ann. de Chim. ix. 83, 1791,) obtained from 100 parts of Corsican moss, Vegetable Jelly, 60*2 ; Vegetable Fibre, 110 ; Chloride of Sodium,, 9-2 ; Sulphate of Lime, 11-2 ; Carbonate of Lime,l-h ; Iron, Man- ganese, Silica, and P/wsphate of Lime, 1-7. Straub (Gilbert's Ann. Bd. 66, S. 242,) and Gaultier de Claubry (Ann. de Chim. xciii. 134,) have subsequently detected iodine, but the quantity is small. Chemical Characteristics.—Corsican moss effervesces with acids, owing to the carbonate of lime which it contains. The brown watery infusion is deepened in colour by sesquichloride of iron, and lets fall some brown flocculi. Tincture of galls does not alter it. Nitric acid and starch give no indication of iodine. Physiological Effects.—Its effects are not very obvious. The vegptable jelly must render it nutritive ; the iodine and saline matters alterative. Mr. Farr1 says, that after using the decoction for six or seven days, it acts as a diuretic and diaphoretic, and occasionally produces nausea and giddiness : after some time the stools become darker, present greenish specks, and are sometimes slimy. Uses.—It has been principally celebrated as an anthelmintic against the large round worm (Ascaris lumbricoides.) Bremser (Sur les Vers Intestin. 414,) ascribes its efficacy to chloride of sodium. In 1622, Mr. Farr brought it forward as a remedy for cancer. He was led to try it from the circumstance of Napoleon Bonaparte having stated to Barry O'Meara that it was used in Corsica for dispersing tumors. Experience does not warrant us in ascribing any benefit to its employment in this disease. Administration.—In powder it is given in doses of a scruple to two drachms, mixed with honey or sugar; but the more usual mode of exhibiting it is in the form of decoction, prepared by boiling from four to six drachms of Corsican moss in a pint of water; of this the dose is a wine-glassful, three times daily. OTHER MEDICINAL OR ESCULENT SEA WEEDS. Several species of the inarliculated Algae are occasionally employed, in some parts of the British islands, as articles of food, or as condimentary substances. Taken in this way, they might perhaps prove serviceable in scrofulous affections and glandular enlargements. Besides the species above depicted, the following liave also been used : Laminnria digitala (or Tangle, vol. i. p. 22k2, fig. 47, d), Porphyra laciniala and vulgaris (commonly called Laver). Laurentia pinnatifida (Pr/iperdulse), &c.3 Fucus amylaceus or the Ceylon Moss* has been, wilhiri the last few years, introduced into India and England, by M. Prcvite. As found in commerce it is white, filiform, and fibrous. It i ./? Treatise explanatory of a Method whereby occult Cancers may be cured, 2d ed. 1825. » For further details, consult l)r (iieville's Alga Britannica, xxx.; Loudon's F.ncyclopcedia of Gardening, 3d i .1 p K-*; anil Plenr.k's Bromato'Ogia. pp 171-3. n Mr. Crawford (History oftlie Indian Archipelago, vol. iii. p. 46) calls it Agar-agar. 38 elements op materia medica. has the usual odour of sea weeds. It consists, according to Dr. O'Shaughnessy,'of VWlflf Jelly 545, True Starch 15, Ligneous fibre 18, Gum 4, Sulphate and Muriate oj boda o o, Fig. 107. Esculent Sea Weeds. a, Rhodomeniapalmata (or Dulse), I d, Iridrea edulis. b, Rhodomeniaciliata. e, Alaria esculenta. c, L.aminaria saccharina. I /, Ulva laticsima. phate and Phosphate of Lime 1, Wax, Iron and Loss 1. By boiling in water it yields a liquid which gelatinizes on cooling. The decoction or jelly forms an agreeable, light, nourishing, article of food for invalids and children. It may be used as a substitute for farinaceous sub- stances.3 Order II.—LICHENES, Juss.— THE LICHEN TRIBE. Lichenacese, Lind. Essential Character,—Perennial plants, often spreading over the surface of the earth, or rocks, or trees, in dry places, in the form of a lobed and foliaceous, or hard and crustaceoua or leprous substance, called a thallus, crust, or frond (receptaculum commune). This thallus is formed of a cortical and medullary layer, of which the former is simply cellular, the latter both cellular and filamentous. In the crustaceous species the cortical and medullary layers differ chiefly in texture, and in the former being coloured, in the latter colourless; but in the fruticulose or foliaceous species, the medulla is distinctly floccose, in the latter occupying the lower half of the thallus, in the former enclosed all round by the cortical layer. Repro- ductive matter of two kinds: 1, sporules (sporulce), lying in membranous tubes (thecm) im- mersed in nuclei of the medullary substance, which burst through the cortical layer, and colour and harden by exposure to the air in the form of little disks (apothecia), which have received different names according to their forms ; 2, the separated cellules of the medullary layer of the tissue (Lindley, with some additions). Properties.—The lichens, at least the foliaceous ones, contain a starchy substance (called fe- culoid or lichenin), which renders them nutritive, emollient, and demulcent. They also pos- sess a bitter principle (cetrarin), from which they derive tonic properties. Several lichens, by maceration in ammoniacal solutions, devclope brilliant colours, which render them valu- able as dyes.3 1. CETRA'RIA ISLAN'DICA, Ach. L. E. D.—ICELAND MOSS. Sex. Syst. Cryptogamia, Algae. (Cetraria, L. E. (U. S.);—Planta, D.) History.—The medicinal properties of this plant, (usually termed Lichen islandicus) were probably first known to the natives of Iceland. According to i Transactions of the Royal Medico-Botanical Society for 1837, p. 181. a For further particulars respecting it, see Drs. Sigismund and Farre's work On the Ceylon Moss, 1840. a For further details respecting the useful qualities of Lichens, see the Memoirescouronnes en I Annie 1786, par V Academic des Sciences. BellesLettres et Arts de Lyon, sur I' Utilili des Lichens dans la Mtdecine et dans lee Arts, par MM. G. F. Hoffman, Amoreux fils, et Willnaet.—Lyon, 1787. THE LICHEN TRIBE. 39 Celraria islandica. a, The apothecia on the larger lobes of the thallus. Borrichius, the Danish apothecaries were acquainted with them in 1673. In 1683, Hiarne spoke favourably of its effects in haemoptysis and phthisis. (Mur- ray, App. Medicam. v. 508.) Botanv. Gen. char.— Thallus foliaceous, car- tilagineo-membranaceous, ascending and spreading, lobed-and laciniated, on each side smooth and naked. Apothecia orbicular, obliquely adnate with the mar- gin of the thallus, the lower portion being free (not united with the thallus); the disk coloured, plano- concave, with a border formed of the thallus and inflexed (Hooker). Sp. char.— Thallus erect, tufted, olive brown, paler on one side, laciniated, channelled, and den- tato-ciliale, the fertile lacinia very broad. Apothe- cia brown, appressed, flat, with an elevated border (Hooker). The apothecia are generally wanting an the plant of the shops. Hah.—Dry mountainous districts of the new and old continents. Although met with in considerable abundance in Scotland, it is never gathered there as an article of commerce. Physical Characters.—As met with in commerce, Iceland moss is brown- ish or grayish white, with white farinaceous spots on it, but rarely having apo- thecia. It has little or no odour, and a slightly bitter taste. Its powder (or Jarina) is whitish gray. Commerce.—It is imported in barrels and bags from Hamburgh and Gothen- burgh, and is said to be the produce of Norway and Iceland. In 1836, 20,599 lbs. paid duty ; in 1837,12,845 lbs.; in 1838, 6179 lbs.; in 1839,15,933 lbs.; and in 1840, 6462 lbs. Composition.—It has been analyzed by Berzelius (Ann. de Chim. xc. 277.) who obtained the following products from 100 parts :—Starchy Matter (lichenin,) 44-6 ; Bitter Principle (cetrarin), 3-0 ; Uncrystallizable Sugar, 3«6 ; Chloro- phi/lie, 1*6 ; Extractive Matter, 7*0; Gum, 3>7 ; Bilichenates of Potash and Lime mixed with Phosphate of Lime, 1*9; and Amylaceous Fibrin, 36-2 (=101-6). 1. Lichenin.—The starchy matter or feculoid substance of lichens is somewhat different from ordinary starch. I have been unable to detect any particles analogous in their physical pro- perties to those of other feculas. Payen, (VInstitut. de 1837, p. 145,) however, says he has seen the starch of Iceland Moss united in little balls. Water extracts a starchy substance. But no boiling, however long continued, deprives the insoluble texture of Iceland Moss of the property of being tinged blue by iodine, so that lichenin seems to enter into the constitution of the tissues of Iceland Moss. Lichenin is composed, according to Guerin-Vary, ofC10 H" O10. 2. Cetrarin.—The bitter principle of this lichen is white, intensely bitter, soluble in alcohol (especially at a boiling temperature), ether, less so in water, volatile oil and creosote. It is coloured blue by hydrochloric acid when aided by heat; it combines with alkalis ; and forms a red precipitate with the salts of iron, and a greenish one with those of copper. (Herberger, Journ. de Pharm. xxii. 3. Lichenic Acid.—This is composed of C4 IP O4. It forms a reddish precipitate with the Baits of iron. Chemical Characteristics.—Iceland moss swells up in cold water, to]which it communicates a brownish tint. Boiled in water it yields a liquid which, when sufficiently concentrated, gelatinizes on cooling. The decoction, when cold, forms with iodine a blue compound (iodide of starch); with the sesquichloride of iron, a dingy purplish red (cetrarate and lichenate of iron); with diacetate of lead, a copious whitish precipitate (amidate of lead); with sulphate of copper and caustic potash, a green precipitate (cetrarate of copper). 40 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals.—-In Carniola, pigs, horses, and oxen, are fattened by it. (Murray, App. Med. v. 506. o. On man.—It is a mucilaginous or demulcent tonic, without any trace of astringency. If the bitter matter (cetrarin) and extractive be removed, it is nu- tritive, emollient, and demulcent, like ordinary starch, over which it has no ad- vantage. Captain Sir John Franklin and his companions tried it as an article of food, when suffering great privations in America, but its bitterness rendered it hardly eatable.1 Uses.—Iceland Moss is well adapted to those cases requiring a nutritious and easily digested aliment and a mild tonic, not liable to disorder the stomach. It has beeif principally recommended in chronic affections of the pulmonary and digestive organs, particularly phthisis, chronic catarrh, dyspepsia, chronic diar- rhoea, and dysentery ; but its efficacy has been much exaggerated. Administration.—It is best exhibited in the form of decoction. When em- ployed as an alimentary substance merely, the bitter matter should be extracted before ebullition. This is effected by digesting the lichen in a cold weak alka- line solution (composed of waler 300 parts, and carbonate of potash 1 part), and afterwards washing it with cold water.2 It is then to be boiled in water or milk. When the decoction is sufficiently concentrated, it gelatinizes on cooling. It may be flavoured with sugar, lemon peel, white wine, or aromatics, and then forms a very agreeable kind of diet. DECOCTUM CETRARIjE, L.; U. S. Decoctum Lichenis Islandici, D.; Decoction of Iceland Moss. (Iceland Moss, 3v.; Water, Ojss.; boil down to a pint, and strain. The Dublin College orders half an ounce of the moss to be digested for two hours in a close vessel with a wine pint of boiling water, then to be boiled for fifteen minutes, and the liquor strained while hot.) [The U. S. P. directs, Iceland Moss, 3ss., water, a pint and a half. Boil down to a pint and strain, with compression.] Dose, f 3j« to f 3iv. every four hours. 2. ROCEL'LA TINCTO'RIA, De Cand. L. E. D.—DYER'S ORCHIL OR ORCHELLA. Sex. Syst. Cryptogamia, Algffi. (Lacmus : Thallus praeparatus, L— Lacmus, E.—Litmus, D.) History.—It is the tfo'vnov yCxos (Mucus marinus) of Theophrastus. (Hist. Plant, lib. iv. cap. 7.) By the moderns it was first employed as a dye at the commencement of the fourteenth century. (Beckmann, Hist, of Invent, and Discov. vol. i. Botany. Gen. char.— Thallus coriaceo-cartilaginous, rounded or plane, branched or laciniated. Apothecia orbicular, adnate with the thallus ; the disk coloured, plano-convex, with a border at length thickened and elevated, formed of the thallus, and covering a sublentiform, black, compact, pulverulent powder concealed within the substance (Hooker). Sp. ciiar.— Thallus suffruticose, rounded, branched, somewhat erect, grayish brown, bearing powdery warts. Apothecia flat, almost black and pruinose, with a scarcely prominent border (Hooker). Hab.—Maritime rocks of the Canaries, Azores, southern coast of England, &c. Commerce. — It is imported in bags from the Canaries (Canary Weed), the Azores (Western Island Weed, St. MichaePs Weed), Cape de Verd Islands and Mogadore (African or Mogadore Weed). That from the Canaries is the most valuable. In 1838, 567 cwts., in 1839, 6494 cwts., and in 1840, 4175, cwts. of Rocclla tinctoria and fuciformis paid duty. « Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea, p. 414. 1P23. » Dr. Davidson, in a paper On V,c Removal of the hitler ta.tte and lichenous odour of Iceland Moss (Jameson's Edinb. New Phil. Journ. vol. xxviii. p. '-'1,0, 1840), recommends a solution of caustic potash for extracting the bittrr taste of this lichen. A pound of carbonate of potash (rendered caustic by a pound of lime) is sufficient for 23 lbs. of the plant. dyer's orchil. 41 Physical Properties.—Both Rocella tinctoria and fuciformis are imported as orchil. I have met with the latter species in commerce under the name of Madeira Weed. It is distinguished from R. tinctoria by its larger size, its paler colour, and its broader flat fronds. Composition.—Rocella tinctoria was analyzed by Fr. Nees v. Esenbeck, who found in it a brown resin (soluble in alcohol and ether, and becoming brownish red with ammonia), wax, glutinous matter, insoluble starch, yellow extractive, yellowish brown gummy matter, lichenin, tartrate and oxalate of lime, and chloride of sodium from the adherent sea water. (Nees v. Esenbeck and Ebermaier, Hand, de Med. Pharm. Bot. Bd. 1.) More recently Dr. Kane (Phil. Trans. 1840, p. 273,) has submitted this plant to a very elaborate examination. The following substances, he states, either pre-exist in the lichen or are " produced immediately by the processes employed in its analysis:"—Erythryline, Erythrine, Amarythrine, Telery- thrine, and Rocelline. 1. Erythryltne. A pale yellowish, often whitish substance, insoluble in water, but easily soluble in alcohol, ether, and alkaline solutions. From its solution in alkaline liquors it is pre- cipitated by an acid. It is altered by boiling water: the liquid is then found to contain ama- rythrine. It is fusible at 212°. It consists of C" H18 O8. y. Erythrine; Pseudo-erythrin of Heeren. A crystalline substance, sparingly soluble in cold, abundantly soluble in boiling, water. It is very soluble in alcohol and ether. Its formula is CS1 H13 O*. It is formed by the action of air on erythryline. 3. Amarythrine; Erythrine-bitter. Formed by dissolving erythrine in hot water, and ex- posing for some days to the air. A bitter sweet liquid is obtained of a pale brown colour. Amarythrine consists of C22 H13 O14. 4. Telerythrine. A crystalline neutral white substance obtained by exposing semifluid amarylhrine for several months to the air. Its formula is C2a H9 O18. 5. Rocellic Acid of Heeren; Rocelline of Kane. A fatty crystallizable acid. Kane says its acid properties are not marked. Its formnla, according to Liebeg, is C17 H18 O4. Kane regards it as Cs0 H24 O8. Chemical Characteristics.—The aqueous decoction of Rocella tinctoria forms a copious precipitate with diacetate of lead, and has its colour deepened by alkalis. Digested in a weak solution of ammonia, in a corked phial, at a heat not exceeding 130° F., the plant yields a rich violet-red colour. This is Hellofs lest for the discovery of a colorific property in lichens.1 Preparation of Orchil—Rocella tinctoria has been introduced into the London Pharmacopoeia as the source of litmus; but this substance, though for- merly procured from Rocella, according to Ferber, (Murray, App. Med. iv. 144,) is now probably prepared from Lecanora tartarea. (Nees and Ebermaier, Handb. i. 49; also Thomson, Org. Chem. 284.) Orchil or Archil is the only colouring matter prepared from Rocella tinctoria in this country. Blue Orchil is procured by steeping the lichens in an ammo- niacal liquor in a covered wooden vessel. Red Orchil is made with the same liquor in common earthen jars placed in a room heated by steam, and called a stove. In one manufactory which I inspected, the ammoniacal liquor was pre- pared by distillation from a mixture of lime, impure muriate or sulphate of am- monia obtained from gas-works, and water; but I am informed, that some makers still employ stale urine and lime. The tJieory of the process is as follows : the erythrine which exists in the lichen absorbs oxygen and ammonia, and forms Orcein; the rocelline absorbs oxygen and forms Erythroleic Acid; these being kept in solution by the excess of ammonia, the whole liquid is of an intensely rich purple tint, and constitutes ordinary orchil (Kane). Properties.—The liquor sold in the shops as orchil has a deep reddish pur- i Berthollet, On Dyeing, by Ure, vol. ii. p. 184; also, Proceedings of Coram, of Agric. of Asiatic Soc, April 8, 1837. VOL. II. 6 42 elements op materia medica. pie colour and an ammoniacal smell. It is reddened by acids which neutralize the ammonia which it contains. Composition of Orchil.—According to Kane Orchil consists of Orcein, Erythroleic Acid, and Azo-erythrine. To these must be added Ammonia. 1. Azo-erythrine.—This is insoluble in water, in alcohol, and in ether; but it dissolves in alkaline liquors, giving the characteristic port-wine colour. Its formula is Csa H'° N O' -f- 3 Aq. Its formation may be explained by supposing that one equivalent of Amarythrine Caq H18 O14, one equivalent of ammonia H3 N, five equivalents of atmospheric oxygen 0s, and three equivalents of water 3 Aq. form one equivalent of Azo-erythrine. 2. Orcein.—A crimson red powder, sparingly soluble in water and in ether, copiously solu- ble in alcohol. It dissolves in alkaline liquors, forming a magnificent purple. Ordinary Orchil contains an ammoniacal solution of this kind. Kane has described two forms of orcein :— at. Alphaorcein consists of C18 H10 N O5. 0. Bctaorcein; Orcein of Robiquet, Dumas, and Liebig. It consists of C18 H N O8. In contact with deoxidizing agents it combines with hydrogen and forms LeucorceXn, com- posed of C18 H10 N O8 -f H. Bleached by chlorine it yields Chlororcein, whose formula is C18 H10 N O8 -f CI. Alpha-orcein is probably formed by the conversion of one equivalent of azo-erythrine C23 H'° N O10 -f- 3 Aq. into four equivalents of carbonic acid C4 O8, nine equivalents of water H° 0°. and one equivalent of alpha-orcem C18 H10 N O5. The latter absorbing three equiva- lents of oxygen O3 becomes Beta-orce'in C'8 H10 N O8. 3. Erythroleic Acid.—This is a crimson substance distinguished by its semifluid consist- ence at ordinary temperatures, and its solubility in ether. Dissolved in alkaline solutions, it forms a tine, purple-coloured liquor. Its formula is CaB H2S O8. It is probably formed accord- ing to Kane by the abstraction of two equivalents of hydrogen from, and the addition of two equivalents of oxygen to, one equivalent of'Rocellic acid C20 H24 O8. Uses.—Orchil is employed merely as a colouring agent. It is used for dyeing, colouring, and staining. 3. LECANO'RA TARTA'REA, Ach.—TARTAREOUS MOSS. Sex. Syst. Cryptogamia, Alga?. (Litmus, Offit.) History.—The manufacture of a colouring matter from this plant was first started at Leith by Dr. Culhbert Gordon, from whose name the word Cudbear originated. Botany. Gen. char.— TJiallus crustaceous, spreading, plane, adnate, uni- form. Apothecia (patellulce) orbicular, thick, sessile, and adnate; the disk plano-convex; its border thickish, formed of the crust and of the same colour (Hooker). Sp. Char.—Crust thick, granulated, and tartareous grayish white. Apothecia bcatered; the disk convex, at length plane or tumid, yellow-brown, inclining to flesh colour; the border thick, infiexed, at length wavy (Hooker). 5 ' Hah.—On rocks in Alpine countries, Norway, Scotland, &c. Commerce.—It is imported from Norway and Sweden under the name of White Swedish or Tartareous Moss. Preparation of Cudbear and Litmus.__ Lecanora tartarea. In this country, Red and Blue Cudbear (in the form both of powder and paste) are prepared from this plant. In Holland, Litmus is made from it, according to Nees and Eber- maier (Op. cit.), and Thomson. (Op. cit.) Cudbear (Persio) is procured in the manner of orchil, by the action of ammo- nia. When colour is developed, the decomposed lichen is sold either as paste" or dried and ground into powder. ' tartareous moss. 43 Litmus (Lacmus, L. E.; Litmus, D.; Lacca ccerulea, Lacca musica) is made by the Dutch, and is imported from Holland. Guibourt (Hist. Des Drog. 3me ed. ii. 143) thinks that it owes its colour to the Crozophora tinctoria. But on a microscopic examination of the litmus cakes of commerce, portions of the epidermis and meso-thallus of some lichen are found. My colleague, Mr. Quekett, who has carefully examined them, cannot decide whether they be the tissues of Rocella or of Lecanora. The precise mode of obtaining litmus is not known ; but there is little doubt the process is somewhat analogous to that for making orchil. The lichen is said to be fermented in putrid (distilled?) urine. Properties of Litmus.—Litmus occurs in small, cubical, light, and friable cakes of a dirty blue colour. Examined by the microscope, we find sporules, and portions of the epidermis and mesothallus of some species of lichen, moss leaves, silica, &c. When the cakes are thrown into dilute hydrochloric acid, effervescence takes place, and a solution of chloride of calcium is obtained, showing that they contain carbonate of lime. The blue colouring matter of litmus is soluble in both water and alcohol. It is reddened by acids, but restored by alkalis. Chlorine and the hypochlorites destroy it. Composition___The nature and properties of the colouring matters of litmus have been examined by Dr. Kane. From his investigations litmus appears to contain three colouring principles, namely, Erythrolein, Erythrolitmine, and Azolitmine. The characteristic blue colour of litmus depends on the combina- tion of the two latter colouring matters with Lime, Potash, and Ammonia. Litmus also contains Lignin, Chalk, and Silica. 1. Erythrolein. This is semifluid at ordinary temperatures. It is soluble in alcohol and ether, yielding fine red solutions. With ammonia it forms a magnificent purple. Its formula is C30 A32 O4. It is perhaps derived from Rocceline. 2. Erythrolitmine. This is a light red crystalline substance, sparingly soluble in water and in elher, but abundantly soluble in alcohol. It dissolves in a solution of potash or ammo- nia, forming a blue liquid. Its formula is C20 H23 012. It is probably formed by the oxida- tion of erythrolein. 3. Azolitmine. It is a brownish red powder. It is sparingly soluble in water and insolu- ble in alcohol and ether. Dissolved in a solution of potash or ammonia, it yields blue solutions. Its formula is C18 H10 NO10. It therefore, differs from betaorcein in containing additional equivalents of oxygen. It is decolourized by deoxidizing agents yielding Leucolitmine. 4. Spaniolitmink. This is not a constant constituent of litmus, it is of a bright red colour, insoluble in alcohol and ether, and very sparingly soluble in water. Alkalis render it blue. Its formula is either C18 H7 O'8, or C28 H11 O33. It is probably formed from erythrolitmine. Uses.—Litmus is employed as a test for acids and alkalis. The former communicate a red colour to blue litmus : the latter restore the blue colour of reddened litmus. 1. TliNl'TIRA LACMI; Tincture of Litmus (Litmus, one part; Water tioenty- five parts. M.). This is chiefly a solution of azolitmine with sometimes spanio- litmine. When kept in a closely-stopped bottle its blue colour sometimes dis- appears, but is shortly restored on the admission of atmospheric air. 1 CHARTA LACMI; Litmus Paper. This is more delicate when made with bibulous or unsized paper, which is to be brushed over with a strong clear infu- sion of litmus. Faraday (Chemical Manipulation), recommends the infusion to be prepared from half an ounce of litmus and half a pint of water. The Prussian Pharmacopoeia orders one part of litmus and four parts of water. When carefully dried, litmus paper should be preserved by wrapping it in stiff" paper and keeping it in well-stopped vessels in a dark cupboard. Blue Litmus Paper (Charta exploratoria ccerulea) is prepared as above di- rected. Reddened Litmus Paper (Charta exploratoria rubefacta) is made with an infusion of litmus which has been feebly acidulated with acetic acid. 44 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. other esculent and medicinal iilchens. Fig. 110. Fig. 111. Tripe de Roche (Gyrophora.) Cladonia rangiferina. It has been already stated (vol. i. p. 93) that several species of Gyrophora (G.proboscideaand cylindrica) are employed by the hunters of the Arctic regions of America as articles of food, under the name of Tripe de Roche (fig. 110.) Cladonia rangifernia or Rein-Deer Moss (fig. Ill) is a well-known example of a nutritive lichen, supporting the animals after whom it is named when no other sustenance can be obtained. Several lichens are employed as popular remedies for hooping-cough and pulmonary affec- tions. Those usually kept by the herbalist are, Sticta pulmonaria (called Oak lungs), Scy- phophorus pyxidatus (Cup Moss), and Peltidea canina (sold as Ground Liverwort). The first has been used in pulmonary affections. The second has long been celebrated as a remedy for convulsive cough.1 The third and last one was formerly thought to be a specific for hydro- phobia. Order III.—FUNGI, Juss.— THE MUSHROOM TRIBE. FoNGACEa:, Lind. Essential Characters.—Plants consisting of cells and fibres, always springing from organi- zed, and generally decayed or decaying substances, not perfected when immersed in water, bearing reproductive sporidia, either externally or internally, naked or inclosed in variously formed cells, many of which frequently concur in the reproduction of a single individual, varying extremely in substance and duration, generally soft and juicy, sometimes exceed- ingly hard, with or without a central gelatinous nucleus, or dry and powdery (Berkeley). Properties.—Extremely variable: some fungi being highly nutritious,others very deleterious. No anatomical characters are known by which the poisonous can be distinguished from the esculent ones. A few species only have been used in medicine, and these are not uniform in their properties. The proximate principles peculiar to this order, which have been ex- amined, are—1, Fungin, a nitrogenous, highly-nutritious, woody matter; 2, Amanitin, the active ingredient of some of the poisonous Agarici; 3, Bolelic acid ; 4, Fungic acid. Mush- room sugar has been found identical with mannite. ERGOT^E'TIA ABORTIFA'CIENS, Quekett.—THE ABORTIFACIENT ERGOTCETIA. Sex. Syst. Cryptogamia, Fungi. (Ergota, Offic.) History.—This fungus was first described and named by my friend and col- league, Mr. Quekett, in a paper read before the Linnean Society, Dec. 4, 1838. (Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xviii. p. 453.) An abstract of the paper was published in the London Medical Gazelte, (see vol. xxiii. p. 606. Jan. 19, 1839.) Mr. Quekett named the plant Ergotcetia abortans (Ergotcetia, from Ergot, Fr., Er- gota, Ph. Lond., and aiVfa, origin ; abortans, in allusion to its destroying the germinating power of the grain of grasses, and also to the medicinal powers of ergot.) Subsequently, at my suggestion, he substituted the word abortifaciens for abortans. The sporidia of the plant are depicted by Phoebus, (Deutschl. kryptog. Giftgewachse, Taf. ix. Berlin, 1838). They were also noticed by i Dillenii, Dissertatio de Lichene Pyxidato, in Schlegel's Thesaurus Materia Medico:, t. i. p. 307. Lipsise, 1793. THE MUSHROOM TRIBE. 45 Phillipar. (Traiti Organogr. et Physiologico-agric. sur VErgot. Versailles, 1837.) Botany. Gen. char.—Sporidia elliptical, moniliform, finally separating^ Fig. 112. Ergotcetia abortifaciens. A Sporidia. 1, The fungus assuming a radiated form, and be- b'c, E, F, G, H, different modes of reproduction in ginning to develope sporidia upon its bran- ' water. ches in water. D, Membrane of sporidium laid open. transparent, and containing seldom more than one, two, or three well-defined (greenish) granules. sp. char.—Only one species known. HalJ,—Florel envelopes, and ovaria of grasses: Europe, America. Sometimes the sporidia are slightly contracted about their middle. They contain usually one, two, or three, but occasionally as many as ten or twelve, well-defined green granules. The sporidia are, on the average, about 1-4000th of an inch long, and 1-6000th of an inch broad. When placed on glass and moistened with water, they readily germinate or produce other plants, though in various ways, as sometimes by emitting tubes (b) ; by the development of buds (c); and by the formation of septa across their interior (e, f, g, h) (Quekett). This plant belongs to the Coniomycetes of Fries, tribe Mucedines; and to the tribe Sporidesmiei of Berkeley. By the growth of these fungi upon or within the ovarium of grasses, a dis- eased condition of the ovarium, involving the whole of the embryo, and some- times partially or wholly the albumen, is produced, called the ergot or spur, which will be described hereafter [vide Gramine^e]. Mr. Quekett (Lond. Med. (! Trait, centre le Tenia, &c. 177G, quoted by Bremser, Sur Its Vert lntest. 7 50 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. used, and partly because other agents (especially oil of turpentine) have been found more effectual. " It is an excellent remedy," says Bremser, (Op. cit. p. 422,) " against Bothriocephalus lotus [the tapeworm of the Swiss], but not against Tcenia Solium [the tape-worm of this country]; for though it evacuatea some pieces of the latter, it does not destroy it." Administration.—It may be administered in the form of powder, of oil or ethereal extract, or of aqueous decoction. The dose of the recently-prepared powder is from one to three drachms. Madame NoufTer's specific was two or three drachms of the powder taken in from four to six ounces of water in the morning fasting, and two hours afterwards a purgative bolus, composed of calo- mel ten grains, scammony ten grains, and gamboge six or seven grains. The bolus was exhibited to expel the worm which the fern rhizome was supposed to have destroyed. The Ethereal Tincture of Male Fern Buds (prepared by digesting 1 part of the buds in 8 parts of ether) has been used with success by Dr. Peschier (brother of the chemist of that name), and by Dr. Fosbroke (Lancet for 1834-35, vol. ii. p. 597,) as a vermifuge. OLEUM FILICIS MARIS; Oil of Male Fern.—The impure oil of fern (called oleum Filicis Peschieri, extractum filicis cethereum, seu balsamum filicis,) recommended by Peschier, (Journ. gener. de Med. 1825, p. 375,) is an ethereal extract, and is composed, according to its proposer, of a fatty matter, resin, volatile oil, colour- ing matter, extractive chloride of potassium, and acetic acid. A pound of the rhizome yielded Soubeiran (Nouve Traite de Pharm. ii. 161,2nde ed.) an ounce and a half of thick black oil, having the aromatic odour of fern. It may also be prepared from the buds as above stated. The dose is from half a drachm to a drachm, in the form of electuary, emulsion, or pills: an hour afterwards, an ounce or an ounce and a half of castor oil should be exhibited. Numerous tes- timonies of its efficacy have been published. (Dierbach, Neuesten Entd. in d. Mat. Med. ler Band, 1837.) By substituting alcohol for ether, twelve or thir- teen drachms of oil can be obtained from 2| lbs. of the rhizome, (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. v. 2nde Ser. p. 68.) Division II. Phanerogamia, Auc—Flowering Plants. Cotyledoneje, Juss.—Embryonat.*, Rich.—Vasculares, De Cand. Essential Character.—Substance of the plant composed of cellular tissue, woody fibre, ducts, and spiral vessels. Leaves usually present: cuticle with stomata. Flowers with percepti- ble stamens and pistils. Seeds generally with an embryo inclosed within a spermoderm, furnished with one or more cotyledons. 1. RHIZANTHEiE, Blume.—RHIZANTHS. Essential Character.—Parasitical leafless plants. Stem homogeneous. Vascular system scarcely present. Flowers propagated by the agency of sexes. Seeds having no embryo, but consisting of a homogeneous sporuliferous mass. (Lindley). Order VI—RAFFLESIACE^E, Endl. - _~ . vagina. Rffflesia Arnoldi, THE GRASS TRIBE. 51 2. ENDOGENEiE, De Cand.—ENDOGENS. MONOCOTYI.EDONES, JUSS. Fig. 120. Endogens, or Monocotyledons. q. Transverse section of an endogenous stem, show- ing the absence of medullary rays and of an- nual layers. u. Stem and leaves of an endogen, showing the alternated sheathing leaves, with parallel veins. r. Germinating seed of Tradescantia eristata, show- ing the plumule rupturing the coleoptilum,vvith ' the radicle and radicels. s. Sections of a germinating seed, showing the co- tyledon remaining in the testa. t. Germinating embryo of a grass, to show the two alternate cotyledons of unequal size, with the intermediate plumule. Essential Character.— Trunk usually cylindrical, when a terminal bud- only is developed, becoming conical and branched when several develope: consisting of cellular tissue, among which the vascular tissue is mixed in bundles, without any distinction of bark, wood, and pith, and destitute of medullary rays; increasing in diameter by the addition of new matter to the centre. Leaves frequently sheathing at the base, and not readily separating from the stem by an articulation, mostly alternate, with parallel simple veins, connected by smaller transverse ones. Flowers usually having a ternary division; the calyx and corolla either distinct or undistinguishable in colour and size, or absent. Embryo with but one cotyledon; if with two, then the accessory one is imperfect, and alternate with the other; radicle usually inclosed within the substance of this embryo, through which it bursts when germi- nating (Lindley). Order VII.—GRAMINEiE, R. Brown.—THE GRASS TRIBE. (Gramina, Juss. Graminacere, Lind.) Essential Character.—Flowers usually hermaphrodite, sometimes monoecious or polyga- mous; consisting of imbricated bracts, of which the most exterior are called glumes, the interior immediately inclosing the stamens palece, and the innermost at the base of the ova- rium scales. Glumes usually two, alternate; sometimes single; most commonly unequal. Palea two, alternate; the lower or exterior, simple; the upper or interior composed of two, united by their contiguous margins, and usually with two keels—together forming a kind of dislocated calyx. Scales two or three, sometimes wanting; if two, collateral, alternate with the palea?, and next the lower of them, either distinct or united. Stamens hypogynous, one, two, three, four, six, or more, one of which alternates with the two hypogynous scales, and is, therefore, next the lower palea?; anthers versatile. Ovary simple; styles two, very rarely one or three; stigmas feathery and hairy. Pericarp usually undistinguishable from the seed, membranous. Albumen farinaceous ; embryo lying on one side of the albumen at the base, lenticular, with a broad cotyledon and a developed plumule; and occasionally, but very rarely, with a second cotyledon on the outside of the plumule, and alternate with the usual cotyledon.—Rhizoma fibrous or bulbous. Culms cylindrical, usually fistular, closed at the joints, covered with a coat of silex. Leaves alternate, with a split sheath. Flowers in little spikes, called locustce, arranged in a spiked, racemed, or panicled manner (Lindley). Properties.—Almost every species is esculent and salubrious. The nutritive property is espe- cially remarkable in the seeds of grasses, which contain starch, gluten, gum, and sugar. The stems and leaves also contain sugar, mucilage, and starch. Cane-sugar is procured from the stem of a grass. Both stems and leaves are used as food for cattle. Even the 52 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. subterraneous stems and roots of some species (as Triticum repens and ^«orfo» IJactyZon) abound in these principles. Considered in a medicinal point of view, the products ot the grasses are emollient and demulcent. . , airpn^ff nnliopH To these statements there are a few exceptions, some of which have been already noticed ^cVoVous \tktilc oil is found in some species; as in Anlhoxanthum odoralum;Andropogon muricatus, the fibrous roots of which are sold by perfumers under the Tamool name °» ™" Vayr; Andropogon Schananthus, which yields the Oil of Lemon.Grass ■' a"J ^BWJ?B Cafa«i.a aromaticus, Reyle (A narrfoi**, Nees ab Esenfc) from which the Giass-oxl of Na. mur is obtained. (Royle's Essay on the Antiq. of Hindoo Med. p. A1.) 1. SACCHARUM OFFICINA'RUM, Linn. E. D— THE SUGAR CANE. Saccharum officinale,/.. Sex. Syst. Triandria, Digynia. (Sacchari fex ; Saccharum: Succus pneparatus, L.-Saccharum commune; Sacchari Faex I Sa"I>a™ra purum, £-(Saccharum, V. S.)-Succus concretus, a. non punficatus, b. punficatus; Syrupus empyreu- maticus, anglice molasses, D.) History.—The manufacture of sugar is said by Humboldt to be of the highest antiquity in China. Cane sugar was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and was considered by them to be a kind of honey. Possibly, Hero- dotus (Melpomene, exciv.) refers to it when he says that the Zygantes make honey in addition to that which they get from bees. Theophrastus (De Melle,) calls it mel in arundinibus ; Dioscorides (Lib. ii. cap. civ.) terms it Caxxapov; Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xii. cap. xvii.) saccharum. Humboldt (Journ. of Sci- ence and Arts, vol. v. p. 15.) adopts too hastily, I think, the opinion of Salma- sius, that the latter writers meant the siliceous product of the Bamboo, viz., Tabasheer ; for, in the first place, as they arrange it with honey, it was proba- bly sweet, which tabasheer is not; secondly, the Sanscrit name for sugar is Sarkura; (Royle's Essay, p. 83.) thirdly, a passage in Lucan (Lib. iii. v. 237.) seems distinctly to refer to the sugar cane—" Quique bibunt tenera dulces ab arundine succos." Surely no one will pretend that the bamboo is a " tenera arundo V1 Botany. Gen. char.—Spikelets all fertile, in pairs, the one sessile, the other stalked, articulated at the base, two-flowered, the lower floret neuter, with one paleae, the upper hermaphrodite, with two paleae. Glumes two, membranous. Palece transparent, awnless, those of the hermaphrodite flower minute, unequal. Stamens three. Ovary smooth. Styles two, long; stigmas feathered, with simple toothletted hairs. Scales two, obscurely two or three-lobed at the point, distinct. Caryopsis smooth (?), loose (?) (Kunth). Sp. char.—Panicle effuse. Flowers triandrous. Glumes obscurely one- nerved, with very long hairs on the back (Kunth). The stem is solid, from six to twelve feet high. Leaves flat. Panicle terminal, from one to three feet long, of gray colour, from the long soft hair that sur- rounds the flower. Paleae rose-coloured. Four varie- ties of the sugar cane are admitted. * commune, with a yellow stem. /8 purpureum, with a purple stem, yielding a richer juice. y giganteum, with a very large light-coloured stem. $ lahitense, from Otaheite, said to make the finest sugar. (Por- ter's Nat. and Prop, of the Sugar Cane, p. 28, 1830. Hab.—It is cultivated in both Indies. Its native country is uncertain. Manufacture of Sugar.—The canes, when ripe, are cut close to the ground, stripped of leaves, and carried in bundles to the mill-house, where they are Saccharum officinarum. twice subjected to pressure between iron rollers, placed » References to passages in other ancient authors will be found in the notes to Valpy's edit, of Pliny'i Hist. Jfot. vol. iv. 2193. See also Moseley's Treatise on Sugar. Lond. 1799. Fig. 121. THE SUGAR CANE. 53 either vertically or horizontally. The cane-juice thus procured is an opaque liquid, of an olive green colour, saccharine taste, and balsamic odour. Its spe- cific gravity is 1*033 to 1-106. It consists of water, sugar, gum, green fecula, extractive, gluten, acetic and malic acids, acetates of lime and potash, super- malate and sulphate of lime, and lignin in the form of fragments of the cellular and fibrous tissues of the canes. From the mill the juice is conveyed to a copper cauldron, called the clarifier, where it is mixed with lime, and heated. The clear liquor is then drawn off and put into a copper boiler, where it is evaporated and skimmed. It is then conveyed through a series of boilers, the last of which is called the teache. When it has acquired the proper tenacity and granular aspect, it is passed into a wooden cooler, where it is allowed to crystallize or grain. The concrete sugar is then placed in casks (usually sugar hogsheads) with holes in the bot- tom, each of which is partially closed by the stalk of a plantain leaf. Here the sugar is allowed to drain for three or four weeks. It is then packed in hogs- heads and sent to this country under the name of Muscovado or Raw Sugar. The uncrystallized portion is termed Molasses; it is brought to England in casks. In Jamaica a mixture of water and molasses, with the skimmings of the clarifier and evaporating coppers, is fermented, and a vinous liquor thereby obtained, which, by distillation and rectification, yields Rum. (Vide vol. i. pp. 311 and 322.) Sugar Refining.—Raw sugar contains several impurities, from which it is freed by refining. The eye recognizes the colouring matter. In an aqueous solution, lime is detected by oxalic acid, which throws down the white oxalate of lime; tannic acid by the dark colour produced on the addition of sesquichlo- ride of iron, and by the precipitate formed by gelatin ; glutinous and gummy matter by diacetate of lead; and free acid by litmus. By keeping, strong raw sugar becomes weak, that is, soft, clammy, and gummy. This change Mr. Daniell (Quart. Journ. of Science, vi. 38) ascribes to the action of the lime. The following is an outline of the refining method which I saw practised at a large sugar-house in town:—Raw sugar is dissolved in water by the aid of steam (this process is called a blow-up). The liquid is then heated with bullock's blood (technically called spice), and sometimes with hydrate of alumi- na (termed finings), and filtered through canvas. The clear liquor is allowed to percolate slowly through a bed of coarse-grained animal charcoal nearly three feet deep, placed on a woollen cloth, supported on a false bottom of bas- ket-work, and contained in a large wooden vessel. The filtered liquor, which is nearly colourless, is conveyed to a copper vessel (Howard's vacuum-pan), where it is boiled by the aid of steam, under diminished atmospheric pressure. The consistence of the liquid is examined from time to time by taking out a sample by the proof stick, which is so constructed as not to admit air. When the requisite degree of concentration has been attained, a valve is opened in the bottom of the vacuum-pan, and the syrup allowed to escape into a copper vessel (heater), enveloped by a jacket, so as to enable it to be heated by steam. The syrup is then transferred to conical moulds (made of earthenware or iron), whose orifices are closed by a paper plug, and the next morning, when solidified, these moulds are carried to the curing-floor, when the stoppers are withdrawn and the moulds placed in pots, in order to allow the green syrups to drain off: these are made into an inferior sort of refined sugar (brown lumps). The loaves are then either clayed or sugared. Claying1 consists in pouring clay and water on "the base of the sugar-loaf: the water slowly percolating through the sugar, a portion of which it dissolves, carries with it the colouring matter and other impurities. Sugaring is effected by substituting a saturated ' "Claying Sugar, at they report here, was first found out in Brazil: a hen having her feet dirty, going over a pot of Sugar by accident, it was found under her tread to be whiter than elsewhere."—Sloanes Ja- maica, vol. i. p. 61. 54 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. solution of pure sugar (called liquor) for the clay and water: it dissolves the colouring matter but not the pure sugar. The loaves are afterwards dried in a stove, and put in blue paper for sale.1 ., The following may be regarded as an approximation to the produce ot 112 lbs. of raw sugar by the above process :— Refined Sugar.................................. ™bs- Treacle'.' '.'■'.'.'.'.' '•'.''. '■ '■ '■ '■ '■ '■ '■ • • '• • '• • • • '• • • • • • • • • '■ ' 16 (12lbs-solid matter) Water. ..'..'■'.'■................................. 4 Raw Sugar..................................... 112 Properties.—Common sugar, when pure, is white and odourless. It is the sweetest of all kinds of sugar. By the slow evaporation of its aqueous solution, it crystallizes: in this state it is called White Sugar Candy (Saccharum can- dum album,). The crystals are colourless; have, for their form, the oblique rhombic prism ; and in consequence have two axes of no double refraction. Their sp. gr. is 1-6065. Common sugar is permanent in the air, and phospho- rescent in the dark on being struck or rubbed. When heated, it melts, and soon becomes coloured. By this process its tendency to crystallize is dimin- ished or destroyed. Sugar thus altered by heat and flavoured constitutes several preparations of the confectioner; as Barley Sugar, (Saccharum hordeatum), &c. If the melted sugar be rapidly and repeatedly extended, it becomes opaque and white : in this state, it is called Penides (Saccharum Penidium). When sufficiently heated, sugar becomes brown, evolves a remarkable odour, loses its sweet taste, and acquires bitterness: in this state, it is called Burnt Sugar, or Caramel (Saccharum tostum). Caramel enjoys acid properties, and is com- posed (Peligot, Ann. Chim. et de Phys. lxvii. p. 175) of C24 H18 0"». Common sugar is very soluble in water: a saturated solution of it is called Syrup: it is thick, adhesive, and, by drying on paper, forms a kind of varnish. A watery solution of sugar, aided by heat, decomposes some of the metallic salts (as those of copper, mercury, gold, and silver); but several of them (as the diacetate of copper and nitrate of silver) require nearly a boiling temperature to change them. Sugar promotes the solubility of lime in water, and forms both a soluble and an insoluble compound with oxide of lead. It is soluble in alcohol, but not so in ether. A dilute watery solution of common sugar, with a little yeast, undergoes the vinous fermentation. 1. Purified or Refined Sugar. (Saccharum, L.; Saccharum purum, E.; Succus concretus purificatus, D.; Saccharum purificatum) is met with in the shops in conical loaves (Loaf Sugar) or truncated cones called lumps (Lump Sugar) of various sizes and degrees of purity. Small lumps are called Titlers. The finest refined sugar (Saccharum albissimum) is perfectly white, and is termed double refined; the inferior kind (Saccharum album) has a slightly yellowish tint, and is called single refined. Both varieties are compact, porous, friable, and made up of small crystalline grains. 2. Brown Sugar (Saccharum commune, E.; Saccharum fuscum; Succus concretus non pu- rificatus, D.) occurs in commerce in the form of a coarse powder composed of shining crystal- line grains. It is more or less damp and sticky, and has a peculiar smell and a very sweet taste. Its colour is brownish yellow, but varying considerably in intensity. Muscovado or raw sugar has the deepest colour, and is intermixed with lumps. Bastard is a finer kind, prepared from molasses and the green syrups. The Demerara crystal sugar is the finest: its colour is pale yellow, and its crystals are larger and more brilliant than the preceding varieties. 3. Treacle (Fax Sacchari, L. E; Syrupus empyreumaticus, anglice Molasses, D.) is the viscid, dark brown, uncrystallizable syrup which drains from the sugar-refining moulds. It is thicker than the West Indian molasses, and has a different flavour. Its sp. gr. is generally 1.4; and it contains, according to Dr. TJre, on an average, 75 per cent, of solid matter. Chemical Characteristics.—Sugar is known by its sweet taste, its solubi- lity in hot and cold water and alcohol, its being decomposed, with the evolution t For further delails.consult a paper by Messrs. Guynne and Young, Brit. Ann. of Med. June 23 and Julv 14, 1837; also Dr. Ure's Diet, of Arts, art. Sugar. « «= *■>, aim juiy THE SUGAR CANE. 55 of charcoal, by sulphuric acid, its conversion into oxalic and other acids by nitric acid, its fusing, charring, emitting a remarkable odour (called the odour of caramel), and inflaming by heat, and, lastly, by its not causing, when pure, any precipitate with acetate or diacetate of lead. Cane sugar is crystallizable, susceptible of vinous fermentation, and has a strongly sweet taste. Its relation to other sugars has already been pointed out. (See vol. i. p. 77.) Composition.—The following is the ultimate composition of sugar. Atoms. Eq.Wt. Pr.Ct. Atoms. Eq.Wt. Pr.Ct. Carbon.......... 12........ 72........ 4705 Anhydrous Sugar.. 1 ........ 153........ 89 47 Hydrogen ....... 9........ 9........ 5-9 Water............ 2........ 13........ 1053 Oxygen ......... 9........ 72........ 4705--------------------—--------------------- ------------------------------------------- Crystallized Sugar. 1 ........ 171........10000 Anhydrous Sugan 1........ 153........ 100 00 Dr. Prout (Phil. Trans. 1827, p. 355.) regards sugar as a secondary compound of carbon and water. Dobereiner, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. 2, 735,) on the other hand, views crystallized sugar as a carbonate of hydrocarbon. Dr. Prout found that while, in the different varieties of sugar, the ratios of carbon to the elements of water varied, yet, that the relative quantity of hydrogen to oxygen was always in the proportion to form water. His statement with regard to the composition of different kinds of sugar has been already noticed (see vol. i. p. 76). Physiological Effects.—The dietetical qualities of sugar have been already stated (see vol. i. pp. 78,79). It a generally received opinion that sugar has a tendency to cause flatulency and preternatural acidity of the primce vice. Oc- casionally, perhaps, it may do so, but I have never observed it. Though a dyspeptic myself, and obliged to be careful as to diet, I have never experienced any injurious effects from the use of sugar, of which I am remarkably fond. In a medicinal point of view, sugar is to be regarded as a demulcent and emollient. Uses.—The dietetical uses of sugar have been before noticed (see vol. i. p. 78). Medicinally, sugar is but little employed. In the form of lozenges, sugar candy, &c, it is slowly dissolved in the mouth to allay tickling cough. As a chemical antidote, it has been recommended in poisoning by the salts of copper, mercury, silver, gold and lead. (Vogel and Buchner, in Schweigger's Journ. xiii. 162; xiv. 224.) But any advantage procured by its use, in these cases, is referrible to its demulcent and emollient properties, and not to its chemical influence. The same remark may be made with respect to the benefit said to have been obtained by the use of the juice of the sugar-cane in poisoning by ar- senious acid. (Chisholm, Quart. Journ. of Science, x. 193.) Powdered white sugar is sometimes sprinkled over ulcers, to remove spongy granulations, de- nominated proud flesh. The same remedy has also been employed for the re- moval of specks on the cornea. In pharmacy the uses of sugar are much more extensive. It serves to pre- serve, to give flavour, bulk, form, colour, cohesiveness, and consistency ; to sub-divide and to suspend oily substances in aqueous liquids. To fulfil one or more of these objects, it is a constituent of syrups, elceosacchara, conserves, elec- tuaries, confections, lozenges, some pills and powders, &c. Its remarkable power of checking the oxidation of some ferruginous compounds has been already noticed. 1. SYRUPUS, L. (U. S.); Syrupus simplex, E. D.; Syrup ; Simple Syrup. (Sugar, lb. x. [3xxix. D.] (Ibiiss., U. S.); Water, Oiij. [Oj. D. U. S.] Dis- solve the sugar in the water by a gentle heat.)—It is used to give flavour, cohesiveness, and consistence. 2. LIQUOR SACCHARI TOSTI; Caramel; Burnt Sugar.—This is an useful in- nocuous colouring agent. It is prepared by melting half a pound of brown sugar in an iron pot, and applying heat until the liquid acquires a deep brown colour; then adding a gallon of boiling water. ' Peligot, Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. lxvii. p. 124. 56 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. 2. HOR'DEUM DISTICHON, Linn., L. E. D. (Hordeum, U. S.)—COMMON OR LONG- EARED BARLEY. Sex. Syst. Triandria, Digynia. (Semina integumentis nudata, 2,.—Decorticated Seeds, E.—Semina decorticata, D.) History.—Pliny, (Hist. Nat. xviii. 14,) on the authority of Menander, says, barley was a most ancient aliment of mankind. It was cultivated in Egypt nearly 1500 years before Christ. (Exodus, ix. 31.) Hyppocrates mentions three kinds of barley: they were, probably, H. vulgare, H. distichum, H. hexastichum. Botany. Gen. char.—Spikelets three together, the lateral ones usually with- ered, two flowered, with an upper flower reduced to a subulate rudiment. Glumes two, lanceolate-linear, with subulate awns, flattish, unequal sided, at right angles [contraries] with the paleae almost unilateral, turned inwards [anticce], herbaceous, rigid. Palece two, herbaceous ; the inferior one (turned inwards), concave, ending in an awn ; the superior one (turned outward) conti- guous to the rachis, bicarinate. Stamina three. Ovarium hairy at the apex. Stigmata two, sessile, somewhat terminal, feathery. Scales two, entire or augmented by a lateral lobe, usually hairy or ciliated, Caryopsis hairy at the point, oblong, with a longitudinal furrow internally, adherent to the paleae, rarely li ee (Kunth). (Fig. 122, 3.) Sp. char.—The lateral florets male, awnless: the hermaphrodite ones disti- chous, close-pressed to the stem, awned (Kunth). Hah.—A native of Tartary, cultivated in this country along with three other species; viz, H. vulgare (Spring Barley), H. hexastichon (Winter Barley), and H. Zeocitron (Sprat or Battledore). Fig. 122. 1 2 3 Description.—The grains (semina hordei cruda) are too well known to need description. Deprived of their husk by a mill, they form Scotch, hulled, or pot barley (hordeum mundatum). When all the integuments of the grains are removed, and the seeds are rounded and polished, they constitute pearl barley (hordeum perlatum). The farina obtained by grinding pearl barley to powder is called patent barley. Composition.—According to Einhof (Gmelin's Handb. ii. 1344.) 100 parts of ripe barley corns consist of husk 18-75, meal 70-05, water 11-20. The same COMMON OR LONG-EARED BARLEY. 57 chemist obtained from 100 parts of barley meal, fibrous matter (composed of gluten, starch, and woody fibre) 7-29, starch 67-18, gum 4-62, uncrystaUizable sugar 5-21, gluten 3-52, albumen 1-15, superphosphate of lime with albumen 0-24, water 9-37, loss 1-42. Fourcroy and Vauquelin detected an odorous acrid oil, to which the odour of spirit from raw grain has been ascribed : it re- sides in the integuments of the grains. The hordein of Proust is said, by Ras- pail (Chim. Org. ii. 112,) to be nothing but bran more minutely divided than that which remains in the sieve. The grains of barley starch have the same form and appearance as those of wheaten starch; they do not exceed -00098 of an inch in size. Chemical Characteristics.—Iodine forms the blue iodide of starch when added to the cold decoction of barley. Decoction of whole barley has an acrid bitter taste, which it derives from the husk. Physiological Effects__The husk of barley is slightly acrid and laxative. Deprived of this (as in Scotch and pearl barley) the seeds are highly nutritious (see vol. i. p. 79). The aqueous decoction of Scotch or pearl barley is emol- lient, demulcent, and easy of digestion. Uses.—Barley water is employed as a demulcent and emollient drink in feb- rile disorders, pulmonic inflammation, and irritation of the alimentary canal, whether produced by acrid poisons or other causes. Administration.—Scotch and pearl barley are used in medicine. Count Rumford (Essay on Feeding the Poor, p. 291, 1800,) says, the entire grains of barley may be employed in broth with equal advantage. 1. DECOCTUM HORDEI, L. D.; Aqua hordeata; Barley Water. — (Barley, [pearl barley], Siiss.; Water, Oivss. First wash away, with water, the foreign matters adhering to the barley seeds ; then, half a pint of the water being poured on them, boil the seeds a little while. This water being thrown away, pour the remainder of the water, first made hot, on them, and boil down to two pints, and strain, L.—The process of the Dublin Pharmacopeia is not essentially different).—[The U. S. P. directs barley 3ij- to the same quantity of water].— This is a valuable drink for the invalid in febrile cases and inflammatory disor- ders, especially of the chest, bowels, and urinary organs. It is usually flavoured with sugar, and frequently with some slices of lemon. It is a constituent of the Enema Aloes, L., Enema Terebinthinae, L., and Decoctum Hordei composi- tum, L. t DECOCTUM HORDEI COMPOSITUM, L. & D.: Mistura Hordei, E.; Decoctum Pectorale ; Compound Decoction of Barley ; Pectoral Decoction.—(Decoction of Barley, Oij. [Oiv. wine measure, D.~\ ; Figs, sliced, giiss. [Jij. D.J ; Liquo- rice [root] sliced and bruised, 3v. [3ss. D.] ; Raisins [stoned], Jiiss. [Jij. D. and Water, Oj. L.~\ Boil down to two pints, and strain.—The process of the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia is essentially the same.)—This decoction is emol- lient, demulcent, and slightly aperient. It is employed in the same cases as the simple decoction. 1. Bvne; Buyx; Maltum; Brasium; Malt.—This is barley made to germinate by moisture and warmth, and afterwards dried, by which the vitality of the seed is destroyed. When scorched it is called high-dried malt. During the process the quantity of sugar in the seed is increased. }Yort (Decoctum seu lnfusum Bynes, Brasii vel Malti) is nutritious, and has been used as an antiscorbutic and tonic. Macbride (Hist. Account of anew Method of Treat. Scurvy, 17G7,) recommended it in scurvy ; (see also a paper by Dr. Badenoch, Med. Obs. and Inq. vol. v. p. 61,) but it is apt to increase the diarrhoea. As a tonic it has been used in scrofulous affections, purulent discharges, as from the kidneys, lungs, &c. and in pulmonary consumption. (Rush, Med. Observ. and Inq. iv. 367.) The decoction is prepared by boiling three ounces of malt in a quart of water. This quantity may be taken daily. 2. Cerevisia. Mall Liquor ; Beer and Ale.—A fermented decoction of malt and hops. It is a refreshing and nutritive beverage. Its dietetical and intoxicating properties have been already Btated, (see vol. i. 95, 96, 318). For medicinal purposes Bottled Porter or Stout (Cerevisia VOL. II. 8 58 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Lagenaria) is in general to be preferred. It is used as a restorative in the latter stage of fever, and to support the powers of the system after surgical operations, severe accidents, ate. « ,.,« a rv,,™,*!*-. Fkrmkntum. L. D.— \easl; Barm, Fig. 123. 3. CERF.VISIiE FERMENTUM, Zumin. The substance termed yeast from Must (Mustum) and Wort during fermentation, partly as a scum, partly as a sediment. Examined by a micro- scope it is found to consist of globular, ovoid, or some- what pyriform transparent vesicles (fig. \4i, a b). Sometimes they have appeared to me to contain one large granule (as in the mass of vesicles marked a), while at other times a number of very small granules are observed in each vesicle as at 6). These different appearances are probably presented by the vesicles at different stages of their development. Turpin,' who spent a night in a brewery that he might exa- mine the changes which these vesicles suffer during the fermentation of beer, states that on each vesicle one or two buds develope, each of which becomes a vesicle which remains attached to the parent one, and in this way rows of two or three adherent vesicles were produced. The vesicles thus described, Turpin regarded as constituting a new plant, which he called Torula Cervisice (Nat. Ord. Fungi, Subd. Mucedines). In the deposit from the Porter refrigerator of Han- bury's brewery I have observed the forms depicted in fig. 123, c, d, e, and /. These constitute the plant called by Desmazieres, (Annales des Sciences natu- relles, t. x. p. 42, 1827,) the Mycoderma Certisiaz. Turpin regards these as being produced by the gra- nules of the yeast vesicle placed under favourable cir- cumstances.3 As then, it is evident that the vesicles found in yeast are organized beings, it has been suggested that the process of vinous fermentation is the im- mediate consequence of their vegetation. When placed in a saccharine fluid they are supposed to grow at the expense of the sugar, which is partly converted into alcohol, while the plant gives out carbonic acid. According to this view, therefore, fermentation is the consequence of a vital act. By heat and the action of va- rious poisons, the yeast plant loses its vitality, and with it its power of exciting fermentation. Considered in a chemical point of view, yeast possesses many of the properties of gluten. Independently of the acids and salts which precipitate with it, it is composed of Oxygen, Hy- drogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulphur. (Quevenne, Journ. de Pharm. t. xxiv. p. 281.) Yeast has been administered internally as a tonic and antiseptic in typhoid fevers. Dr. Sto- ker (On Continued Fever, p. 121, Dubl. 1829-30,) states, that it usually acts as a mild laxative, improves the condition of the alvine evacuations, and is more effectual in removing petechias and black tongue than any other remedy. It is admissible where cinchona and wine cannot be employed, on account of the inflammatory symptoms. The dose of it is two table-spoonfuls every third hour, with an equal quantity of camphor mixture. Enemata of yeast and asafcetida are said, by the same writer, to be efficacious against typhoid tympany. Externally yeast is employed in the form of poultice. 1. CATAPLASMA FERMENTI, L.; Cataplasma Fermenti Cerevisia, D.; Yeast Poultice. (Flour, lbj.; Yeast of Beer, Oss. Mix, and apply a gentle heat until they begin to swell).—It is ap. plied, when cold, to fetid and sloughing sores as an antiseptic and stimulant: it destroys the fetor, often checks the sloughing, and assists the separation of the dead part. It should be re- newed twice or thrice a day. I have frequently heard patients complain of the great pain it causes. The carbonic acid is supposed to be the active ingredient. 2. CATAPLASMA F/ECUL/E CEREVISI/E: Poultice of the Grounds of Beer.—(Grounds of Stale Beer; Oatmeal; as much of each as may be required to make a poultice).—It is applied cold twice or thrice a day, in the same cases as the preceding preparation, to which its effects are analogous. Sometimes Maltmeal is substituted for Oatmeal (Cataplasma Bynes). Torula Cervisice Turpin and Myco- derma Cervisia Desmazieres. i Memoires de VAcademie Royale des Sciences de VInstitute, t. xvii. p. 112. Paris, 1840. a For further details respecting these vesicles I must, refer the reader to the works already quoted, as well ag to the memoirs of MM. Cagiuard Latour and Turpin, of Schwann, Keitzing, and Quevenne, referred to on a former occasion (see vol. i. p. 311, foot note). THE COMMON OAT. 59 Fig. 124. Sit 3. AVE'NA SATIVA, Linn. L. E. D.—THE COMMON OAT. Sex. Syst. Triandria, Digynia. (Semina integumentis nudata, L.— Seeds, £.—Farina ex seminibus, D.) (Avenae Farina, U. S.) History.—The oat is not mentioned in the Old Testament. Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and Pliny, speak of it. Botany. Gen. char.—Spikelets three, many flowered ; flowers remote; the upper one withered. Glumes two, thin, membranous, awnless. Palece two, herbaceous; the lower one awned on the back, above the base, at the point almost bicuspidate; the upper one bicarinate, awnless ; awn twisted. Stamina three. Ovarium somewhat pyriform, hairy at the point. Stigmata two, sessile, distant, villoso-plumose; with simple hairs. Scales two, smooth, usually two-cleft, large. Cary- opsis long, slightly terete, internally marked by a longitudi- nal furrow, hairy at the point, covered by the paleae, adhe- rent to the upper one (?) (Kunth). Sp. CHar.—Panicle equal. Spikelets two-flowered. Flo- rets smaller than the calyx, naked at the base, alternately awned. Root fibrous, annual (Kunth). Hab.—Cultivated in Europe. Several varieties are cultivated in this country; viz. the White Oat, the Black Oat, the Red Oat, the Poland Oat, the Friezland or Dutch Oat, the Potatoe Oat, the Georgian Oat, and the Siberian or Tartarian Oat, (Loudon's Ency- c/oprcdift, of Agriculture.) Description.—Oats (semina avence cruda) are too well known to need description. When deprived of their integu- ments they are called groats (semina integumentis nudata, L.; avena excorticata seu grulum): these, when crushed, are denominated Embden groats. Oatmeal farina ex seminibus, D.) is prepared by grinding the grains. It is not so white as wheaten flour, and has a somewhat bitterish taste. Composition.—The grains consist, according to Vogel,of meal 66, and bran 34. The dried meal is composed of fixed oil 2«0, bitter matter and sugar 8-25, gum 2-5, gray albuminous matter, 4-3, starch 59, husk and loss 23-95. Chemical Characteristics.—Iodine forms the blue iodide of starch with the cold decoction of oats. Physiological Effects—Oatmeal is nutritive, though less so than wheaten flour, (see vol. i. p. 90, for its dietetical properties,) considered medicinally, groats and oatmeal are nutritious, easily digestible, and yield an excellent diet for the invalid. Usi:s.—In medicine we employ gruel prepared from groats or oatmeal, as a mild, nutritious, and easily-digested article of food in fevers and inflammatory affections. In poisoning by acrid substances, it is employed as an emollient and demulcent. It is given after the u.se of purgatives, to render them more efficient and less injurious. Poultices are sometimes made with oatmeal. 1. DECOCTUM AVEM; Water Gruel.—This is prepared by boiling an ounce of oatmeal with three quarts of water to a quart, constantly stirring; strain, and when cold decant the clear liquid from the sediment. Sugar, acids, or aromatics, may he employed for flavouring, (Cullen, op. cit). t PULVIS PRO CATAPLASM ATE, D.; Powder for a Poultice.—(Linseed, which remains after the expression of the oil, one part; Oatmeal, two parts. Mix.)— This is an unnecessary formula. Moreover it is a bad one; for linseed-meal should be prepared from unpressed flax seed. I CITAPLASMA SIMPLEX, D.; Simple Poultice. (Made with the above powder and boiling water. The poultice should be smeared over with olive oil).—Used as an emollient application to allay pain and promote suppuration. Avena Sativa. 60 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. 4. TRIT'ICUM VULGA'RE, var. A HYBER'NUM, Kunth.—COMMON WHEAT. Triticum hybernum, L. D.—Triticum vulgare, E. Sex. Syst. Triandria, Digynia. (Farina; farina seminum: Amylum; seminum fKcula, L.: Amylum; fecula of the seeds, E.\ Farina seminum, D.) History.—In the earlier ages it was an esteemed article of food, (Levit. u.) and is frequentley spoken of by Hippocrates, (De Diceta.) Pliny, (Hist. Nat. xviii. 12,) describes several kinds of it. Botany. Geu. char___Spikelets three or many flowered : the fructiferous rachis generally articulated, flowers distichous. Glumes two, nearly opposite, almost equal, awnless or awned: the upper one bicarinate; the keels more or less aculeato-ciliate. Stamina three. Ovarium pyriform, hairy at the apex. Stigmata two, terminal, subsessile, feathery ; with long, simple, finely-toothed hairs. Scales two, generally entire and ciliated. Caryopsis externally convex, internally concave, and marked by a deep furrow, distinct, or adhering to the paleae (Kunth). sP.char.—Spike four-cornered, imbricated; with a tough rachis. Spikelets generally four-flowered. Glumes ventricose, ovate, truncate, mucronate, com- pressed below the apex, round, and convex at the back, with a prominent nerve. Flowers awned or awnless. Grains loose (Kunth). (Fig. 122, 2.) et. ceslivum: annual; glumes awned. $. hybernum: biennial; glumes almost awnless. Hai>.—It is a native of the country of the Baschkirs, and cultivated in Eu- rope. Besides the above two varieties, no less than five other kinds of Triticum have been cultivated for their grain. These are T. vulgare, a. aestivum ; T. vulgare, /3. hybernum ; T. turgidum, (compositum); T. turgidum ; T. poloni- cum ; T. Spelta ; T. monococcum. Description.—Wheat (semina tritici) is reduced by grinding and sifting in mills into flour (farina; seminum farina, L. D.; farina tritici) and bran (fur- fur tritici). The same wheat yields several qualities of flour, distinguished as firsts, or fine flour; seconds; and thirds, or middlings. Composition.—The following are the constituents of several kinds of wheat, (Vauquelin, Journ. de Pharm. viii. 353. French Wheat. Odessa Hard Wheat. Odessa Soft Wheat. Ditto. Ditto. Flour of Paris bakers. Ditto, of good quality, used in public establishments. Ditto, inferior kind. Starch......... 71-49 10-96 472 3-32 1000 56-5 14 55 8 48 4-90 230 12 00 0200 1200 7-56 5-80 1-20 1000 70 84 1210 4.90 4-60 800 7200 7-30 5 42 3-30 12 00 728 102 4-2 2-8 100 71-2 103 4-8 3-6 80 67-78 902 480 460 2 00 1200 Gum Rian 10049 98'73 98-56 100-44 100 02 1000 979 100 20 The substance commonly termed gluten is a compound of vegetable albumen, which is insoluble in alcohol, of mucin, soluble in hot alcohol, and of glutin or gliadine, soluble both in hot and cold alcohol. Chemical Characteristics.—The cold decoction of wheat-flour forms, with tincture of iodine, the blue iodide of starch. If wheat-flour be made into a paste, with water, and then kneaded under a stream of water until the liquid runs off colourless, the residue in the hand is gluten. The water, on standing, depo- sits starch; but retains in solution gum,, sugar, and some phosphatic salts. COMMON wheat. 61 Nitric acid gives wheat-flour a fine orange-yellow colour. Recently-prepared tincture of guaiacum forms a blue colour with good wheat-flour. Manufacture of Starch.—Starch is procured by steeping wheat-flour in water for one or two weeks, during which time acetous fermentation takes place. The acid liquor (sours) is drawn off, and the impure starch washed on a sieve, to separate the bran. What passes through is received in large vessels, termed frames. Here the starch is deposited. The sour liquor is again drawn off", and the slimes removed from the surface of the starch, which is to be again washed, strained, and allowed to deposit. When, by these processes, the starch has become sufficiently pure, it is boxed, that is, it is placed in wooden boxes, perforated with holes and lined with canvas, where it drains. It is then cut in square lumps, placed on bricks, to absorb the moisture, and dried in a stove. While drying it splits into prismatic pieces, similar to grain tin, or columns of basalt. The greater part of the starch used for stiffening linen (called Poland and glaze starch) is coloured blue by finely-powdered smalt, or by indigo. This is not adapted for medicinal purposes. White (sometimes called French) starch should be employed. A fine variety of this is termed patent white starch. Starch may also be procured by the action of a solution of a caustic alkali (soda or potash) on wheat-flour or rice meal, by which the gluten is dissolved. (See the specification of Jones's patent in the Repertory of Patent Inventions, April, 1841. Properties of Starch.—Pure wheat starch (amylum) is white and almost odourless and tasteless. Examined by the microscope it is found to consist of particles varying considerably in size ; the smallest and the largest predomi- nating, the intermediate ones being scarcest. Their Fig. 125. shape is for the most part rounded. Their surface is „, uneven. The hilum is surrounded by concentric t& °^ DUt >s very indistinct, until a gentle heat is ap- ^(ll^kt^km^^^ pYied to the water in which the particles are placed. /^^vS^§_^^ip^^ Sometimes it is indicated by a round spot or a line: •©•ji^^^^^fl^S®^ tne r'nos may De ,raced to the edge of the particle. ^^^Vm^^^r^w^ ^ne Part'c'es crack, when heated, at the edges. If •a^a$**21r»V» "• the particles be made to roll over in water, they are „ . . , „,, „ . observed to be oblate spheroids, one of the flattened Particles of Wheat Starch. r ' ' , laces perhaps being somewhat more convex than the a. a particle seen edgeways. other> viewed edgeways (fig. 125 a.) a black line is observed : this perhaps arises from the edge being out of focus. Boiled in water, wheat starch yields a mucilage, which, when sufficiently concentrated, forms a jelly (hydrate of starch) in cooking. With iodine the de- coction when cold forms the blue iodide of starch, the colour of which is de- stroyed by alkalis and by heat. Composition of Starch.—Wheat starch has the following composition; Atoms. Eq. Wt. Per cent. F. Marcet. Prout. Carbon........................ 7 ___ 42 ___ 43/5 --- 437 ___ 42 60 Hydrogen..................... 6 ___ 6 ___ 6-25 --- 6'7 ___ 6-35 Oxygen....................... 6 .... 48 .... 5000 .... 49-7 ___ 5085 Wheat Starch................ ] .... 96 ....10000 ....100-1 ___100 00 Prout's table of the composition of starchy substances has been already given (see vol. i. p. 77). Phvsiological Effects.—Wheat surpasses all other cereal grains in its nu- tritive qualities, inconsequence of containing more gluten. It yields the finest, whitest, and most digestible kind of bread. Flour is employed in medicine to form emollient and demulcent preparations. Wheat-starch, though highly nutritious, is not employed alone as an article of food. Its taste is somewhat disagreeable, and it is more difficult of digestion than other starchy substances. 62 elements of materia medica. Uses—Wheat-flour is rarely used in medicine. It is occasionally sprinkled over burnt or scalded parts, and is a constituent of some poultices, as the least Poultice (p. 58). Mixed with water, so as to form a thin mucilage, it maybe employed as a chemical antidote in some cases of poisoning, as by the bichlo- ride of mercury, sulphate of copper, iodine, &c. It is used in Pharmacy lor enveloping pills. . , Starch powder is used as a dusting powder to absorb acrid secretions and prevent excoriations. It is used as an emollient and demulcent clyster in in- flammatory conditions of the large intestines, and as a vehicle for the formation of other more active enemata. It is an antidote for poisoning by iodine, and is sometimes given in combination with this substance to prevent its local action (vide vol. i. p. 233). it enters into the composition of the Pulvis Tragacantha compositus, Ph. L. DECOCTUM AMYLI, L.: Mucilago Amyli; Decoction or Mucilage of Starch. (Starch, 3iv. [3vj. Z>.] ; Water, Oj. Rub the starch with the water gradually added, then boil'for a short time)—It is sometimes used alone, as an enema in dysentery, irritation of the rectum, &c. It is a constituent of the Enema Opii L. 1. Panis Triticeus. Wheaten Bread.—Crumb of Bread (Mica Panis) is sometimes used in the formation of pills; but is objectionable for this purpose, on account of the pills thus made becoming excessively hard by keeping. Furthermore, in some cases, the constituents of bread decompose the active ingredients of the pills. Thus the chloride of sodium of bread decomposes the nitrate of silver. Crumb of bread is most valuable for the preparation of poul- tices. The Bread and Water Poultice is prepared by covering some crumb of bread in a basin with hot water : after it has stood for ten minutes, pour off the excess of water, and spread the bread about one-third of an inch thick on soft linen, and apply to the affected part. Sometimes lint dipped in oil is applied beneath the poultice, (Abernethy, Lancet, vol. v. 1824, p. 135). Decoction of poppy, or Goulard's water, may be substituted for common water. This is a valuable application to phlegmonous inflammation. A Bread and Milk Poultice, to to which lard is sometimes added, is also used to promote suppuration; but it should be fre- quently renewed, on account of its tendency to decompose. Both poultices are used in the trcntnient of irritnble ulcers. Toasted Bread (Panis tostus) is used in the preparation of Toast-water (lnfusum Panis tosli), a mild, agreeable drink in febrile disorders, and in some dyspeptic cases. Brown or Bran Bread (Panis furfuraceus) is used by persons troubled with habituiil costiveness , it acts as a slight laxative. It sometimes causes flatulency and acidity. Biscuit (Panis biscoctus) is used by some dyspeptics as a substitute for fermented bread. Sea biscuit (Panis nauticus) is preferred by some. (The dietetical properties of bread have been before noticed, see vol. i. pp. 90, 91.) 2. Furfur Tritici. Bran.—Decoction or infusion of bran is sometimes employed as an emollient foot-bath. It is also taken internally as a demulcent in catarrhal affections. Its continued use causes a relaxed condition of bowels. 5. SECA'LE CEREALE, Linn.—COMMON RYE. Sex. Syst. Triandria, Digynia. (Semina, Offic.) History.—Rye is mentioned in the Old Testament. Botany. Gen. Char.— Spikelets two-flowered. Florets sessile, distichous, with the linear rudiment of a third terminal one. Glumes two, herbaceous, keeled, nearly opposite, awnless or awned. Palece two, herbaceous; the lower one awned at the point, keeled, unequal sided, broadest and thickest on the outer side; the upper shorter and bicarinate. Stamina three. Ovarium pyriform, hairy. Stigmata two, nearly sessile, terminal, feathery, with long, simple, finely-toothed hairs. Scales two, entire, ciliate. Caryopsis hairy at the point, loose (Kunth). (See fig. 122, 1 ; and fig. 126.) sP. char.—Glumes and awns scabrous (Kunth). Hai».—The Caucasian-Caspian desert. Cultivated in Europe. Composition.—The grains consist, according toEinhof, of meal, 65-6; husk, SPURRED RVE OR ERGOT. 63 24-2; and moisture, 10*2. The meal is composed of uncrystalliz- able sugar, 3-28; gum, 11-09; starch, 61 >07 ; husky matter (woody fibre), 6-38 ; gluten, soluble in alco- hol, 9-48; albumen, 3-28; undeter- mined acid and loss, 5-62. (Gme- lin, JIandb. d. Chemie, ii. 1343.) Chkmical Characteristics.—A cold decoction of rye forms with iodine the blue iodide of starch. Physiological Effects.—Rye- flour is nutritive, but less so than wheat-flour. (See vol. i. p. 90.) Use.—Rye-bread is in common use among the inhabitants of the northern parts of Europe, but in this country is rarely employed. Rye- pottage (Palmentum vel Jusculum secalinum) is said to be a useful article of diet in consumptive cases. (Pearson, Pract. Synop. oftlue Mat. Alim. 91.) Fig. 126. Secale cereale. 1. a. ovarium, witlVitshairs, 6; c,c. the plumose stigmata; e, c, scales; /,/, position of palea* ; g. receptacle. 2. mature grain, with the embryo at the base and the re- mains of the stigmata at the top. 3- f,f, palere; g, receptacle. 6. SECA'LE CORNU'TUM.—SPURRED RYE OR ERGOT. (Ergota, L. E. (U S.) History.—No undoubted reference to ergot is found in the writings of the ancients. The disease produced by it is supposed to be referred to in the follow- ing passage :—" 1089. A pestilent year, especially in the western parts of Lor- raine, where many persons became putrid, in consequence of their inward parts being consumed by St. Anthony's fire. Their limbs were rotten, and became black like coal. They either perished miserably ; or, deprived of their putrid hands and feet, were reserved for a more miserable life. Moreover, many crip- ples were afflicted with contraction of the sinews [nervorum contractio]." 1 The first botanical writer who notices ergot2 is Lonicerus. (Kreuterbuch, p. 885, Franckfort, 1582.) It seems to have been employed by women to promote labour pains long before its powers were known to the profession. Camerarius, (Actes des Curieux de la Nature, art. 6, obs. 82, quoted by Velpeau,) in 1683, (Dierbach, Neuest. Entd. in d. Mat. Med. 130, 1837,) mentions that, it was a popular remedy in Germany for accelerating parturition. In Italy and France also it appears to have been long in use.3 Botany.—The nature and formation of ergot are subjects on which botanists have been much divided in opinion. 1. Some ri'snrd ergot as a fungus growing between the glumes of grasses in the place of the ovary. Otto von Munchausen, (Hausvater, i. 332, 1764-1773,) Schrank, (Baiersche Flora, ii. 571, 1789,) De Candollc, (Mem. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat. ii. 401,1815,) Fries, (Syst. Mycol. ii. 268, 1822,) Wingers, (Inq. in Secale Corn. Getting. 1831, in Christison's Trea- tise,) and Jkrkelcy, (English Flora, vi. Part ii. 226, 1836,) have adopted this opinion, and have » Extract from the works of Sigebert, in the Recueil des Histor des Gauls et de la France, torn. xiii. p. 259. A passage somewhat similar to the above, with the addition of the following, " the bread which was eaten at this period was remarkable for its deep violet colour," is quoted by Bayle (Biblioth. Therap. torn iii. p. 374,) from Miierai, Abrtgi Chronologique. But I cannot find the pnssage in the first and best edition of IXW.eray's Abrtgi Chron. 3 vols. 4to. 10G8; or in his Histoirc de France; or in his Memoires Hist, et Critiques. Whether or not it be in the second and less perfect edition of Mczeray'a Abregt Chronologique, I am unable to decide, not having seen this work. » The etymology of the word ergot is very doubtful. Whiter (Etymologicon Universale, ii.594) thinks that it is deriveil from arguo, and is attached to such terms as urgeo. It was anciently written argot. • Bayle, Bibl. Therap. iii. 375. Velpeaa, in his Traiti Complet de I'Art des Accouchemens. gives an excellent literary history of ergot. 64 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MED1CA. described ergot as a fungus under the name of Spcrmoedia Clavus, (erroneously quoted in the Pharm. Lond. 1836, as Acinula Clavus,) Fries (Clavaria Clavus, Milnch.; S^erollun\^u^a De Cand.). Fries and Berkeley, however, evidently entertain some doubts respecting us nature ; for the first adds to the generic character of Spermoedia » Semina graminum rnoibosa and the second says, »it appears to be only a diseased state of the grain, and Has scarcely a sufficient claim to be admitted among fungi as a distinct genus. Against this opinion may be urged the circumstance noticed by Tessier, (quoted by ue oan- dolle?) that a part only of the grain may be ergotized. Moreover, the scales of he base of the ergot, the frequent remains of the stig.na on its top, and the articulation of it to the receptacle prove that it is not an independent fungus, but an altered grain. (Quekett, in Proceedings of the Linn. Soc. Dec. 4, 1838.) „,, 2. Some regard ergot as a diseased condition of the ovary or seed. 1 he arguments adduced against the last opinion are in favour of the present one. Though a considerable number of writers have taken this view of the nature of ergot, there has been great discordance among them as to the causes which produced the disease. et. Some have supposed that ordinary morbific causes, as moisture combined with war?nth, were sufficient to give rise to this diseased condition of the grain. Tessier, (Mem. Soc. Roy. Medec. 1776, p. 417; 1777, p. 587,) and Wildenow, (in Christison's Treatise, p. 829,) appear to have been of this opinion. j8. Some have ascribed the disease to the attack of insects or other animals. Tillet, Montana, Read, and Field, (referred to by Christison, op. cit. p. 830,) supported this view, which, I may add, has subsequently been satisfactorily disproved. y. Some, dissatisfied with the previously assigned causes of the disease, have been content with declaring ergot to be a disease, but without specifying the circumstances which induce it. Mr. Bauer, (MS. British Museum; also Trans, of the Linn. Society, vol- xviii.) who closely watched the development of ergot during eight years (1805-13), and has made some beautiful drawings of it in different stages, arrived at this conclusion; as also Phoebus. (Deutschl, kryptogam. Giftegewachse, Berlin, 1838.) S. Others have referred the disease to a parasitic fungus. This opinion, which must not be confounded with that entertained by De Candollc and others (vide supra), has been adopted and supported by Leveille, in 1826, (Ann. de la Soc. Linn, de Paris,) by Dutrochet,1 Smith, (Trans. Linn. Society, vol. xviii.) and by Quekett. (Trans. Linn. Society, vol. xviii.) The statements of Leveille, Phillipar,2 Smith, and Quekett, leave, I think, but little doubt that ergot is a disease of the grain caused by the presence of a para- sitical fungus. This view is supported by the observations of Wiggers—that the white dust (sporidia, Quek.) found on the surface of ergot will produce the disease in any plant (grass?) if sprinkled in the soil at its roots. Mr. Quekett (Op. cit. p. 104.) has infected grains of corn by immersing them in water in which the sporidia of the Ergotcetia abortifaciens were contained. The plants which were produced by the germination of the grains were all ergotized. Phoebus, (Lond. Med. Gaz. Oct. 8, 1841.) who has most accurately depicted these sporidia, denies that they are spores, on the ground that they are of vari- able size, and inclose other smaller bodies. But these objections deserve no attention, for, in the first place, by calling these bodies sporidia, we avoid de- ciding whether they are sporangia or spori; and, secondly, the sporidia of other plants, of the fungic nature of which botanists entertain no doubt, also inclose smaller bodies (sporidiola, Berk.) (See Sepedonium, in Eng. Flor. vol. v. part ii. p. 350.) Mr. Quekett, who has most carefully examined the development of ergot, says that the first appearance of the ergot is observed by the young grain and its appendages becoming covered with a white coating, composed of multitudes of sporidia (fig. 112 a, p. 45) mixed with minute cobweb-like filaments. (Er- gotcetia abortifaciens, see p. 45, fig. 112 H. I.) This coating extends over all the other parts of the grain, cements the anthers and stigmas together, and gives the whole a mildewed appearance. When the grain is immersed in water, the sporidia fall to the bottom of the liquid. A sweet fluid, at first limpid, after- wards viscid, is found in the affected flower at this stage, and, when examined by the microscope, is found to contain the sporidia ju.st referred to. (Phillipar, Smith, and Quekett.) Phillipar (Op. cit. p. 111.) says this fluid oozes from the i Memoires pour servir a Vhistoire anatomique et physiologique des v$gbt. et des animaux. vol. ii. p. 16] 1837. a Traiti Organogr. et Phys.-Agr. sur la Carie, le Charbon, VErgot, &c.8vo. Versailles, 1837. ERGOT OP RYE. 65 floral centre; and Mr. Quekett, who at first thought that it had an external ori- gin, is now convinced that it escapes from the ergot or the parts around it. If we examine the ergot when about half-grown (fig. 127), we find it just be- ginning to show itself above the palese, and presenting a purplish black colour. By this time it has lost in part its white coating, and the production of sporidia and filaments has nearlv ceased. At the upper portion of the grain, the coating now presents a vermiform appearance, which Leveille (Richards, Elem. d'Hist. JSat. i. 332.) describes as constituting cerebriform undulations. These are beautifully depicted in Mr. Bauer's drawings (fig. 127, a.d.e.). Leveille re- gards this terminal tubercle of the grain as a parisitical fungus, which he calls the Sphacelia Segetum. But these undulations are merely masses of sporidia ; for if a little be scraped off with a knife, then moistened, and examined by the microscope, we find nothing but myriads of sporidia. The ergot now increases.. in a very rapid manner. Fig. 127. Ergot of Rye. ■iuigui uj ixye. A. Aside view of a longitudinal section of an infected grain, soon rafter fecundation wh*n th* aic»»=« makes its first external appearance: magnified eight times in diameter ' the d,SeaSe P/"''t view of a section of the above infected grain, cut at letter a: .magnified sixteen times in diameter «.. Ditto.cut at letter b: magnified sixteen times in diameter. umes ,n a»amete* D. hide view of an unripe but advanced ergotized grain, at the upper pairt of which is the tubereulated nnr F. A full-grown ergot, within its floret, magnified twice in diameter. The mature ergot (fig. 127, a.) projects considerably beyond the paleae. It has a violet-black colour, and presents scarcely any filaments and sporidia. The number of grains in each spike which become ergotized varies conside- rably : there may be one only, or the spike may be covered with them. (Phil- lipar, op. cd. p. 96.) Usually, the number is from three to ten. Besides rye, many other grasses (Phoebus has enumerated 31 species) are subject to this alteration, called the spur or ergot. In the summer of 1838 nearly all the grasses growing in Greenwich marshes were found ergotized. Professor Hcnslow found it in wheat which had been sent to the miller?1 But the disease is not confined to the Grambme, the Cyperacece are also subject to it, and perhaps also Palmacece. (Phcebus, op. cit. 105.) Report on the Diseases of Wheat, p. 20, from the Journ. of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. VOL. II. 9 66 ELEMENTS Of MATERIA MEDICA. To the agriculturist, an important subject of inquiry is the predisposing causes of ergot. Very little of a satisfactory nature has, however, been ascertained on this point. One fact, indeed, seems to have Fig. 128. been fully established, viz. that moisture, which was formerly thought to be the fertile source of the spur, has little, if any thing, to do with it. (Phillipar, op. cit. 126; also, Bauer, MSS.) Commerce__Ergot is imported from Ger- many, France, and America. Mr. Butler, of Covent Garden Market, tells me that about \\ tons were imported in the year 1839. The duty is five shillings per ewt. Description of the Ergot.—Spurred rye, or ergot (ergota), consists of grains which vary in length from a few lines to an inch, or even an inch and a half, and whose breadth is from half a line to four lines. Their form is cylin- drical or obscurely triangular, with obtuse angles, tapering at the extremities (fusiform), curved like the spur of a cock, unequally fur- rowed on two sides, often irregularly cracked and fissured. The odour of a single grain is not detectible, but of a large quantity is fishy, peculiar, and nauseous. The taste is not very marked, but is disagreeable, and very slightly acrid. The grains are externally purplish brown or black, somewhat glaucous, moderately brittle, the fractured surface being tolerably smooth, and whitish, or purplish white. Their sp. gr. is somewhat greater than that of water, though when thrown into this liquid they usual- ly float at first, owing to the adherent air. The lower part of the grain is sometimes heavier than the upper. When examined by the microscope, the glaucous condition of the grains is found to de- pend on the presence of numerous sporidia of the Ergotsetia abortifaciens. The violet coat is made up of longitudinally-elongated cells. The Secale Cornutum. tissue of the internal portion of the ergot is composed of the rounded cellular tissue, the cells having the form and regularity of the cells of the normal or healthy albu- men, though they are smaller. (Phoebus, p. 101.) In each of these cells are from one to three rounded bodies, which, Mr. Quekett states, are globules of oil, for they are lighter than water, are not made blue by iodine, but are soluble in ether. If the structure of ergot be examined after the grains have been dried and remoistened, the tissue presents a most irregular appearance. Phoebus (Op. cit. p. 104) regards the inner substance of the ergot as the altered albumen, for the embryo does not appear to be formed. The violet coat he considers to be the external (or external and internal) degenerated seed-coat. The little heart-shaped body (Miitzchen) at the top of the ergot (fig. 127, f.) he regards as the remains of the degenerated and elevated pericarp, together with some other more external parts of fructification, cemented together by the violet-whitish mass (sporidia, Quek.) This mass, he observes, is obviously a new formation, originating from the already-described saccharine fluid. But ERGOT OF RYE. 67 Mr. Quekett has shown the body, at the top of the ergot, to be the remains of the hairy crown of the grain, of the stigmata, and withered elevated pericarp. Deterioration___The ergot of rye is fed on by a little acarus, which is about one-fourth the size of the cheese-mite. This animal destroys the interior of the ergot, and leaves the grain as a mere shell. It produces much powdery excrementitious matter (Quekett). In four months, 7* ounces of this faecal matter of the acarus were formed in seven pounds of ergot. I have some ergot which has been kept for four years in a stoppered glass vessel without being attacked by the acarus, and it has all the characteristics of good ergot. It is advisable, however, not to use ergot which has been kept for more than two Composition.—Ergot was analyzed, in 1816, by Vauquelin, (Ann. Chim. iii. 337); in 1817, by Pettenkofer, (Buchner's Repert. in. 65); in 1826, by Winkler, (Christison, On Poisons, 3d ed. 831) ; in 1829, by Maas, (Schwartze, Pharm. Tabell. 2" Ausg. 460); in 1831, by Wiggers, (Phoebus, Giftgewdchse, 102); and more recently by Chevallier, (Dierback, Neue. Entd. in d. Mat. Med. 1837, p. 129). The results obtained by Chevallier were analogous to those of Wiggers. Vauquelin's Analysis. Wigger's Analysis. Ergotin..................................... 1'25 Pecular fixed oil............................. 35 00 White crystallizable fat...................... 1 05 Cerin........................................ 0-76 Fungin...................................... 46-19 Vegetable osmazome........................ 7*76 Peculiar saccharine matter.................... 155 Gummy extractive, with red colouring matter 2 33 Albumen.................................... P46 Superphosphate of potash.................... 442 Phosphate of lime, with trace of iron......... 0-29 Silica........................................ 014 Pale yellow matter, soluble in alcohol, and tasteless like fish-oil. White bland oil, very abundant. Violet colouring matter, insoluble in alcohol, soluble in water. A fixed acid (phosphoric?) Vegeto-anima! or nitrogenous matter, prone to putre- faction, and yielding ammonia and oil by distilla- tion. Free ammonia, disengaged at 212° F. Ergot....................................... 102-20 1. Ergotin was procured by digesting ergot with ether, to romove the fatty matter, and then in boiling alcohol. The alcoholic solution was evaporated, and the extract treated by water. The ergotin remained undissolved. It was brownish red, with an acrid bitter taste, and, when wanned, had a peculiar but unpleasant odour. It was soluble in alcohol, but insoluble in water or ether. It proved fatal to a hen. Nine grains of it were equal to an ounce and a half of ergot. It appears then, that though a poisonous principle, it is probably not the agent which acts on the uterus, for the latter is soluble in water, whereas ergotin is not. It is possible, however, that it may be rendered soluble in water by combination with some other body. 2. Oil of Ergot.—As this is now used in medicine, its properties will be described here- after (see p. 74.) There are no good grounds for suspecting the existence of either hydrocyanic acid or phos- phate of morphia in ergot, as supposed by Pettenkofer. Chemical Characteristics.—Ergot is inflammable, burning with a clear yellowish white flame. The aqueous infusion or decoction of ergot is red, and possesses acid properties. Both acetate and diacetate of lead cause precipitates in a decoction of ergot. Iodine gives no indication of the presence of starch. Nitrate of silver causes a copious precipitate soluble in ammonia, but insoluble in nitric acid. Tincture of nutgalls also produces a precipitate (tannate of ergotin ?) Alkalis heighten the red colour of the decoction. Physiological Fffects.—Great discrepancy is to be found in the accounts published respecting the influence of spurred rye on man and animals. While the majority of experimenters or practical observers concur in assigning to it energetic powers, others have declared it harmless. a. On Vegetables.—Schubler and Zeller have tried its effects on plants, and I infer from their statements that they found it poisonous, (Marx, Die Lehre v. d. U if ten, ii. 107.) /3. On Animals.—Accidental observation and direct experiment concur in showing that in most instances spurred rye acts as a poison to the animal econo- 68 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. my. But, as Phcebus correctly observes, we cannot call it a violent poison, since drachms and even ounces are required to destroy small animals (e. g. rau- bits and pigeons). It has proved poisonous to flies, leeches, birds (geese, ducks, pigeons, common fowls, &c), and mammals (dogs, cats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, &c) birds ana mammals refuse to take it even mixed with other kinds of food. Diez (quotea by Phcebus, op. cit. p. 106,) gives the following as the symptoms produced by it in dogs who are compelled to swallow it:—" Great aversion to the ergot,dis- charge of saliva and mucus from the mouth, vomiting, dilatation of the pupil, quickened respiration and circulation, frequent moamngs, trembling of the body, continual running round, staggering gait, semi-paralysis of the extremities, es- pecially the hinder ones, sometimes diarrhoea; sometimes hot anus, increased formation of gas in the alimentary canal; faintness and sleepiness, with great thirst, but diminished appetite, remained. Death followed under gradually in- creasing feebleness, without being preceded by convulsions. To the less constant symptoms belong inflammation of the conjunctiva, and the peculiar appearance of turning round in a circle from right to left." Similar observations as to its injurious operation have been made by Robert, (Christison, op. cit. p. 832.) In some cases, abscess and gangrene of various parts of the body, with dropping off of the toes, and convulsions, have been noticed. A strong decoction injected into the vein of a dog caused general feebleness, paralysis of the posterior ex- tremities, vomiting, and death. (Gaspard, Journ. de Phyp. exper. ii. 35.) But there are not wanting cases apparently showing that spurred rye has no injurious action on animals. The most remarkable and striking are those re- lated by Block, (Phoebus, op. cit. p. 107.) In 1811, twenty sheep ate together nine pounds of it daily for four weeks without any ill effects. In another in- stance, twenty sheep consumed thirteen pounds and a half daily, for two months, without injury. Thirty cows took together twenty-seven pounds daily, for three months, with impunity ; and two fat cows took, in addition, nine pounds of ergot daily, with no other obvious effect than that their milk gave a bad caseous cream, which did not yield good butter. These statements furnish another proof to the toxicologist that the ruminants suffer less from vegetable poisons than other ani- mals. Another interesting topic of inquiry is the action of ergot on the gravid uterus of mammals. Chapman (Elem. of Therap. i. 489,4th ed.) says "it never fails, in a short time, to occasion abortion." We have the testimony of Percy and Laurent, that a decoction injected into the veins of a cow caused the animal to calve speedily; and in one out of three experiments, Mr. Combes has stated, the ergot caused the abortion of a bitch, (Neal, Researches respecting Spur or Ergot of Rye, p. 90.) Diez (Phcebus, p. 106,) found that it caused uterine con- tractions in dogs, rabbits, and sows. Large doses given to bitches induced an inflammatory condition of the uterus, and destroyed both mother and her young. However, in opposition to these statements, we have the evidence of Chatard, Warner, Villeneuve, and others, who failed in producing abortion with it. (Neal, op. cit.) I am indebted to Mr. Youatt, Veterinary Surgeon to the Zoological Society, and Editor of the Veterinarian, for the following note respecting the effects of ergot on animals:— "I have, for the last six or seven years been in the habit of administering the ergot of rye to quadrupeds in cases of difficult or protracted parturition, in order to stimulate the uterus to renewed or increased action. In the monogastric, if I may venture to use the term, I have never known it fail of producing consider- able effect, even when the uterus had been previously exhausted by continued and violent efforts. In the ruminant, with its compound stomach or stomachs, I have witnessed many a case of its successful exhibition. I have had recourse to it in the cow, the sheep, and the deer, both foreign and domestic. Parturition ERGOT OF RYE. 69 has not always been accomplished, from false presentation or other causco, but the uterus has in every case responded—it has been roused to a greater or less degree of renewed action. On the other hand, there are cases recorded by veterinary practitioners, in which it has been given in very large quantities with- out producing the slightest effect. I have always attributed this to a certain degree of forgetfulness of the construction of the stomachs of ruminants. If the medicine, as is too often the case, is poured hastily down, and from a large ves- sel, it breaks through the floor of the cesophagean canal and falls into the rumen, and there it remains perfectly inert. But if it is suffered to trickle down the cesophagean canal, although a portion of it may still enter the rumen, the greater part will flow on through the cesophagean canal and the manyplies into the fourth or villous stomach, and produce the desired effect." y. On Man___These may be noticed under two heads : 1, effects of single doses; 2, effects of its continued use as an article of food. 1. In single or few doses.—Hertwig, (Sundelin, Heilmittell, i. 513, 3te Aufl.) Lorinser, (Edin. Med. and Surg. Journ. xxvi. 453,) Jorg, (Gebrauch inn. Reizm. z. Befdrd d. Geburt. 1833,) and Diez, (Phcebus, op. cit.) who have endeavoured to ascertain the effects of ergot by experiment, agree in stating that, in doses of from half a drachm to two drachms, nausea, inclination to vomit, dryness of the throat, great thirst, aversion to food, uneasiness or actual pain in the abdomen, occasionally alvine evacuations, weight and pain in the head, giddiness, in some cases stupor and dilatation of pupils, have resulted from its use. It deserves, however, to be noticed, that these effects have not been noticed by some experimenters.1 The effects produced by the use of single or a few doses of ergot may be con- veniently arranged under four heads. a. Effects on tlie uterine system. (Uterine contractions.)—The action of spurred rye on the uterus when labour has actually commenced, is usually ob- served in from ten to twenty minutes after the medicine has been taken, and is manifested by an increase in the violence, the continnance, and the frequency of the pains, which usually never cease until the child is born; nay they often continue for some minutes after, and promote the speedy separation of the pla- centa and the firm contraction of the uterus in a globular form. The contrac- tions and pains caused by ergot are distinguished from those of natural labour by their continuance; scarcely any interval can be perceived between them, but a sensation is experienced of one continued forcing effort. If from any mechanical impediment (as distortion) the uterus cannot get rid of its contents, the violence of its contraction may cause its rupture, as in the cases alluded to by Dr. Merriman, (Syn. of Diff. Part. p. 197, 1838,) Mr. Armstrong, (Lond. Med. Gaz. Aug. 4, 1838,) and Mr. Coward.2 Ergot sometimes fails to excite uterine contractions. The causes of failure are for the most part conjectural. The quality of the ergot, peculiarities on the part of the mother, and death of the foetus, have been assigned as such. The two first will be readily admitted; but why the remedy should be altogether inert " where the foetus has been for some time dead, and putrefaction to any extent taken place" (Dr. Bibby, in Merriman's Synopsis, p. 198,) cannot be readily explained. Its occasional failure has been urged by Dr. Hamilton (Pract. Observ. relating to Midwifery, part ii. p. 84, 1836,) as an argument in favour of his notion that ergot acts "in no other way than by influencing the imagination." But on the same ground the sialogogue power of mercury might be denied. Dr. Hamilton's erroneous estimate of the powers of ergot is referrible to a want of experience of its use; for he admits that he has only had two op- portunities in practice of making a fair trial of it. i Kcil, Diss, inaug. de Secali Cornuto, Berol. 1822, quoted in Sundelin, Heilmittell; also Dr. Chapman, Elem. of Therap. vol. i. p. 488, 4th ed. » Lond. Med. Oaz. Nov. 27,1840. Did the ergot cause the rupture, in the case related in the Lancet, vol. i. 1836-7, p. 824, by Mr. Hooper? 70 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. There is usually much less hemorrhage after delivery, when ergot has been employed, than where it has not been exhibited. The lochial discharges are also said to be less ; but this is certainly not constantly the case. Moreover, it has been asserted " that the menstrual discharge has not recurred after the use of the ergot in certain cases of protracted parturition." (Dr. J. W. Francis, in the 3d Amer. ed. of Denman's Midwifery, 1829.) But the inference intended to be conveyed here, viz. that ergot caused the non-recurrence, is not correct; at least, I am acquainted with several cases in which this effect did not follow the employment of spurred rye, and I know of none in which it did. Ergot has been charged with causing the death of the child; but the charge has been repelled by some experienced practitioners as being devoid of the least foundation. " The ergot," says Dr. Hosack, (Essays, vol. ii. 296,) " has been called in some of the books, from its effects in hastening labour, the pulvis ad partum; as it regards the child, it may with almost equal truth be denominated the pulvis ad mortem, for I believe its operation, when sufficient to expel the child, in cases where nature alone is unequal to the task, is to produce so vio- lent a contraction of the womb, and consequent convolution and compression of the uterine vessels, as very much to impede, if not totally to interrupt, the cir- culation between the mother and child." However, Dr. Chapman (Elcm. of Therap. i. 488, 4th ed.) strongly denies this charge, and tells us that in 200 cases which occurred in the practice of himself and Drs. Dewees and James, the ergot was used without doing harm in any respect; and he adds, " no one here believes in the alleged deleterious influence of the article on the foetus." It is not improbable, however, where the impediment to labour is very great, that the violent action of the uterus may be attended with the result stated by Dr. Ho- sack. Dr. F. H. Ramsbotham (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xiv. p. 84,) has sug- gested that the poisonous influence of ergot may be extended from the mother to the foetus, as in the case of opium. He also states (Lond. Med. Gaz. June 15, 1839,) that of 36 cases in which he induced premature labour by puncturing the membranes, 21 children were born alive; while in 26 cases of premature labour induced by ergot only, 12 children only were born alive. This fact strongly favours the notion of the deleterious influence of the ergot on the foetus. Given to excite abortion, or premature labour, ergot has sometimes failed to produce the desired effect. Hence many experienced accoucheurs have con- cluded, that for this medicine to have any effect on the uterus it was necessary that the process of labour should have actually commenced. (Bayle, Bibl. Phi- rap, iii. 550.) But while we admit that it sometimes fails, we have abundant evidence to prove that it frequently succeeds ; and most practitioners, I think, are now satisfied that, in a large number of cases, it has the power of originat- ing the process of accouchement. Cases illustrating its power in this respect are referred to by Bayle ; (Op. cit. p. 550,) and others are mentioned by Wal- ler, (Lancet, 1826, vol. x. p. 54,) Holmes, (Lancet, 1827-8, vol. ii. p. 794,) Ramsbotham, (Lond. Med. Gaz. xiv. pp. 85 & 434; also Lond. Med. Gaz. June 15, 1839,) Muller, (Dierbach, Neuesten Entd. in d. Mat. Med. i. 139, 1837,) and others, The action of ergot on the unimpregnated uterus is manifested by painful contractions frequently denominated " bearing-down pains," and by the obvious influence which it exercises over various morbid conditions of this viscus ; more particularly by its checking uterine hemorrhage, and expelling polypous masses. Tenderness of the uterus, and even actual metritis, are said to have been in- duced by ergot. (Dr. Negri, Lond. Med. Gaz. xiv. 369.) (3. Effects on the Cerebro-Spinal System. (Narcotism.)—Weight and pain in the head, giddiness, delirium, dilatation of pupil, and stupor, are the principal symptoms which indicate the action of ergot of rye on the brain. Dr. Maun- sell (Lond. Med. Gaz. xvi. 606,) has published five cases (viz. two which oc- curred to Dr. Churchill, one to Dr. Johnson, and two to Dr. Cusack), in which ERGOT OF RYE. 71 delirium or stupor resulted from the use of ergot (in half drachm and two drachm doses), and was accompanied by great depression of pulse. (See also Dr. Cu- sack, in Dubl. Hosp. Rep. vol. v. p. 508.) Trousseau and Pidoux (Traiti. de Thirap. i. 546,) found that, under the repeated use of ergot, dilatation of pupil was the most common symptom of cerebral disorder. It began to be obvious in from twelve to twenty-four hours after the commencement of the use of the medicine, and sometimes continued for several days after its cessation. The cerebral disorder is frequently preceded by the uterine contractions, and usually remains for some time after these have subsided. y. Effects of ergot on the circulatory system.—I have known increased fre- quency and fulness of pulse, copious perspiration, and flushed countenance, fol- low the use of ergot during parturition. But in most instances the opposite effect has been induced; the patient has experienced great faintness, the pulse has been greatly diminished in both frequency and fulness, and the face has become pale or livid. In one case, mentioned by Dr. Cusack, (Dr. Maunsell, Lond. Med. Gaz. xiv. 606,) the pulse was reduced from 120 to 90. Dr. Maunsell has referred to four other cases. These effects on the circulatory system were accompanied with cerebral disorder, of which they were, probably consequences. Similar observations, as to the power of ergot to diminish the frequency of the pulse, have been noticed by others. (Merriman, Synopsis, pp. 201 and 203, 1838 ; Trousseau and Pidoux, Traiti de Thirap. i. 547.) 5. Other effects of ergot.—Nausea and vomiting are not uncommon conse- quences of the exhibition of ergot when the stomach is in an irritable condition. Various other symptoms have been ascribed to the use of ergot, such as weari- ness of the limbs and itching of the skin. (Trousseau and Pidoux, op. cit. i. 547). 2. Effects produced by the continued use of ergot as an article of food (Ergot- ism, Fr.; Raphania, Linn. Vog. Cull. Good ; Convidsio raphania, and Ec- ■ lampsia typlwdes, Sauv.; Morbus spasmodicus, Rothm.; Morbus convulsivus, malignus, epidemicus, cerealis, eye. Alt.; Kriebelkrankheit, or the creeping sick- ness, Germ.)—Different parts of the continent, e. g. France (especially in the district of Sologne), Silesia, Prussia, Bohemia, Saxony, Denmark, Switzerland, and Sweden, have been, at various periods, visited with a dangerous epidemic (known by the names above mentioned), which affected, at the same time, whole districts of country, attacking persons of both sexes and of all ages. (Tissot, Phil. Trans, vol. Iv.; Rothman, Anuen. Acad. vi. 430.) So long back as 1597 (Tissot) the use of ergotized rye was thought to be the cause of it. Various circumstances have appeared to prove the correctness of this opinion, (Mem. de la Soc. Roy. de Med. i. 1777,) which has been further confirmed by the effects of ergot on animals, as well as by the occurrence of a disease similar to, if not identical with, ergotism, in consequence of the use of damaged wheat. (Phil. Trans, for 1762 ; Henslow, op. supra cit.) Yet several intelligent writers have not acquiesced in this view; and the circumstances mentioned by Trousseau, (Traiti de Therap. i. 527,) and by Dr. Hamilton, (Practical observations rela- tive to Midwifery, pt. ii. p. 85,) are certainly calculated to throw some doubts over the usually-received opinion. Ergotism assumes two types, the one of which has been denominated the convulsive, the other the gangrenous ergotism. Whether these arise from dif- ferent conditions of the ergot, or from peculiarities on the part of the patient, or from the different quantity of the ergot taken, we are hardly prepared now to say. In convulsive ergotism the symptoms are, weariness, giddiness, contrac- tion of the muscles of the extremities, formication, dimness of sight, loss of sen- sibility, voracious appetite, yellow countenance, and convulsions, followed by death. In the gangrenous ergotism there is also experienced formication ; that is, a feeling as if insects were creeping over the skin, voracious appetite, cold- ness, and insensibility of the extremities, followed by gangrene. (Christison, Treat, on Poisons, 3d ed. p. 833 ; Orfila, Toxicol Gen.) 72 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Uses—To Dr. Stearns, of the United States, is due the credit of introducing ergot of rye to the notice of the profession as an agent specifically exciting ute- rine contractions. [Netv York Med. Repos. vol. xi. 1807, quoted in the United States Dispensatory.) In 1814 a paper was published by Mr. Prescot, (Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxxii. p. 90, 1815,) on the effects of it in exciting la- bour-pains, and in uterine hemorrhage. It was not employed in England until 1824. The following are the principal uses of it: 1. To increase tlm expulsatory efforts of the womb in protracted or lingering labours___When the delay of delivery is ascribable solely to the feeble con- tractions of the uterus, ergot is admissible, provided, first, that there be a proper conformation of the pelvis and soft parts; secondly, that the os uteri, vagina, and os externum, be dilated, or readily dilatable, and lubricated with a sufficient secretion ; and, lastly, that the child be presenting naturally, or so that it shall form no great mechanical impediment to delivery. A natural position of the head is not an absolute essential for the use of ergot, since this medicine is ad- missible in some cases of breech presentation. (Dr. F. H. Ramsbotham, Lond. Med. Gaz. xiv. 86.) The circumstances which especially contra-indicate or preclude the use of this medicine are those which create an unusual resistance to the passage of the child : such are, disproportion between the size of the head and of the pelvis, great rigidity of the soft parts, and extraneous growths. Moreover, " earliness of the stage" of labour is laid down by Dr. Bigelow, (Quart. Journ. of Literature, Science, and Arts, ii. 53,) as a circumstance con- tra-indicating the use of ergot. The proper period for its exhibition is when the head of the child has passed the brim of the pelvis. Some practitioners assert that a dilated or lax condition of the os uteri is not an essential requisite for the exhibition of ergot. It has been contended that one of the valuable properties of this medicine is to cause the dilatation of the uterine orifice, and cases are not wanting to confirm these statements. (Bayle, op. cit. p. 539.) 2. To hasten delivery when the life of the patient is endangered by some alarming symptom.—Thus, in serious hemorrhages occurring during labour, after the rupture of the membranes, and where the placenta is not situated over the os uteri, the ergot is especially indicated.1 It has also been employed to accelerate delivery in puerperal convulsions. Five successful cases of its use are recorded by Bayle, (Bibl. Therap. iii. 448 and 548,) on the authority of Waterhouse, Mitchell, Roche, Brinkle, and Godquin. But the narcotic opera- tion of ergot presents a serious objection to its use in cerebral affections. 3. To provoke the expulsion of tlie placenta when its retention depends on a want of contraction of the uterus.—In such cases ergot has often proved of great advantage.2 When the hemorrhage is excessive the ergot must not be regarded as a substitute for manual extraction, since, during the time required for its ope- ration, the patient may die from loss of blood. (Dr. F. H. Ramsbotham, Lond. Med. Gaz. xiv. 738.) In retention of the placenta from spasmodic or irregular contraction of the uterus, as weH as from morbid adhesion, ergot is improper or useless. (Dr. Jackson, Lond. Med Gaz. iv. 105.) 4. To provoke the expulsion of sanguineous clots, hydatids, and polypi from the uterus.—Coagula of blood collected within the womb after delivery may sometimes require the use of ergot to excite the uterus to expel them, as in the case mentioned by Mackenzie. (Neal, Researches, p. 88.) Ergot is also valu- able in promoting the expulsion of those remarkable formations called uterine hydatids, (Acephalocystis racemosa, H. Cloq,) and which are distinguished from the acephalocysts of other parts of the body by their not possessing an inde- pendent life, so that when separated from their pedicles they die. (Cruveilhier, i Dr. Blundell, Lancet for 1*27-8, vol. i. p. 805; Dr. F. II. Ramsbotham, Lond. Med. Oaz. vol. xvi. pp. 86 and 092. * Dr. Blundell, Lancet, 1827-8, vol. ii. p. 259; Bayle (Bibl. Therap. vol. iii. 541), has recorded nine cases, from Balardini, Bordol, Davies, Duchateau, and Morgan ; and many others will be found in the medical journals, ERGOT OF RYE. 73 Diet, de Med. et de Chir. prat. art. Acephalocystes, p. 260.) A successful case of the use of ergot in this affection has been published by Dr. Macgill. (Bayle, op. cit. p. 471.) In uterine polypus, ergot has been exhibited with the view of hastening the descent of the tumour from the uterus into the vagina, so as to render it readily accessible for mechanical extirpation (Dr. H. Davies, Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. liv. p. 102, 1825); for it is well known, that until this is effected, the patient is continually subject to hemorrhage, which, in some cases, proves fatal. In some instances ergot has caused the expulsion of a po- lypus. (Lancet, 1828-9, vol. i. p. 24.) 5. To restrain uterine hemorrhage, whether puerperal or non-puerperal.— Ergot checks hemorrhage from the womb, principally, if not solely, by exciting contraction of the muscular fibres of this viscus, by which its blood-vessels are compressed and emptied, and their orifices closed. The experience of physi- cians and surgeons in all parts of the civilized world has fully and incontestibly established the efficacy of ergot as a remedy for uterine hemorrhage. (See the list of cases in Bayle's Bibl. Therap. iii. 543.) Maisonneuve and Trousseau, (Bull, de Therap. t. iv.; also, Trousseau and Pidoux, Traite de Therap. i. 540.) have shown that the beneficial influence of ergot is exerted equally in the unim- pregnated as in the impregnated state ; proving, therefore, that the contrary statement of Prescott and Villeneuve is incorrect. Even in a case of cancer of- the uterus they have found it check the sanguineous discharge. In females subject to profuse uterine hemorrhages after delivery, ergot may be admi- nistered as a preventive,Just before the birth of the child. (Roche, Diet, de Med. et Chir. prat. art. Ergot, p. 455.) Even in placenta presentations, a dose or two of ergot may be administered previously to the delivery being under- taken. (Dr. F. H. Ramsbotham, Lond. Med. Gaz. xiv. 660.) To restrain ex- cessive discharge of the lochia or catamenia, this remedy is sometimes most beneficial. 6. lb provoke abortion, and to promote it when this process has commenced and is accompanied with hemorrhage.—Under certain circumstances the prac- titioner finds it expedient to produce the abortion: as in serious hemorrhage during pregnancy, and in deformed pelves which do not admit the passage of a full-grown foetus. In such cases the ergot may be employed with great advan- tage, (Lond. Med. Gaz. xiv. p. 434 ; also, Dr. Weihe, in op. cit. vol. xviii. 543). When abortion has already commenced, ergot may be employed to quicken the process and check hemorrhage. 7. In leucorrheca and gonorrhoea.—Ergot was first given in leucorrhcea by Dr. M. Hall, (Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. May 1829); and was subsequently employed by Dr. Spajrani, (Lancet, Feb. 5th, 1831,) with success; and in eight cases by Dr. Bazzoni, (Bayle, p. 509,) seven of these were cured by it. Dr Negri, (Lond. Med. Gaz. xiii. p. 369,) published seven successful cases of its use. Its efficacy has been confirmed by many other practitioners. Dr. Negri also used it with apparent benefit in gonorrhoea, in both the male and female. He concludes that " secale cornutum has a peculiar action on the mucous membranes; but if exhibited when there is a state of acute inflamma- tion, their morbid secretions may be considerably increased; on the contrary, when a more chronic form of inflammation does exist, the secale cornutum may have a beneficial influence in arresting their preternatural discharge." 8. In hemorrhages generally.—The power possessed by ergot of exciting uterine contractions, readily explains the efficacy of this agent" in restraining sanguineous discharges from the womb; but we can in no way understand how hemorrhage from other organs can be influenced by it. We are not, however, to deny the therapeutic power of a medicine merely because we cannot explain its modus medendi, though we are justified in requiring abundant proofs ere we admit it. It must be acknowledged, that a considerable number of cases have been published in proof of the power possessed by ergot of checking hemor- VOL. II. 10 74 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MED1CA. rhages from other organs (as the nose, gums, chest, stomach, and rectum) than the uterus.1 But having found it unsuccessful in my own practice, seeing that in the hands of others it has also failed, (Trousseau and Pidoux, Traiti de Therap. i. 546,) and knowing how difficult it is to ascertain the influence of remedies on hemorrhages, I think further evidence is required to prove the anti-hemorrhagic powers of ergot. 9. In amenorrhea.—Some few cases have been published tending to show that ergot possesses emmenagogue properties, (Neal, Researches, p. 79). It appears to me to be more calculated to cause than to relieve amenorrhcea. 10. In other diseases___Ergot has been employed in various other diseases with apparent success ; viz. intermittent fever, (Dierbach, op. cit. p. 444,) para- plegia, &c, (Bayle, op. cit. p. 548). Administration.—Ergot is usually given in the form either of powder or infusion. The decoction, less frequently the tincture, and still more rarely the extract, are also used. Latterly the etherial oily extract and oil have been used. 1. PULVIS SECALIS CORNUTI. Pulvis Ergotce.—This powder is only to be prepared when required for use. The dose of it, for a woman in labour, is twenty grains; to be repeated at intervals of half an hour for three times; for other occasions (as leucorrhoea, hemorrhages, &c.) five to ten or fifteeen grains, three times a day : its use should not be continued for any great length of time. It may be taken mixed with powdered sugar. It has had the various names of pulvis parturiens (more correctly parturifaciens), pulvis ad partum, pulvis partum accelerans, obstetrical powder, fy-c. %. INEUSUM SECALIS CORNUTI. lnfusum Ergotce.—Ergot, bruised, 3j.; boil- ing water, fjiv.; macerate until cold, in a slightly covered vessel, and strain. The dose, for a woman in labour, is one-third or one half of this, to be repeated, at intervals of half an hour, until the whole be taken. Sugar, aromatios (as nutmeg or cinnamon), or a little wine or brandy, may be added to flavour it. I DECOCTUM SECALIS CORNUTI. Decoctum Ergotce.—Ergot, bruised, 3j.; water, 3vj. Boil for ten minutes in a lightly covered vessel, and strain. The dose is one-third of the strained liquor, to be repeated, at intervals of half an hour, until the whole be taken. 4. TINCTURA SECALIS CORNUTI. Tinctura Ergotce.—Ergot, bruised, 3ss.; rectified spirit, gvj.; digest for four days, and strain. The dose, in lingering labours, is a teaspoonful. This is the formula of Dr. Robert, (Dierbach, Neue- sten Entd. in d. Mat. Med. i. 147, 1838). A tincture is recommended by Carus, (Lekrb. d. Gwynacologie, i. 280, 1827). At Apothecaries' Hall, Lon- don, tincture of ergot is prepared by digesting ergot, 3ij. in proof spirit, Oj. Another formula has been published, (Lancet, 1827-8, vol. ii. p. 435):— Ergot, bruised, 3j.; boiling water, gij. Infuse for twenty-four hours, and add rectified spirit, 3iss. Digest for ten days. Haifa drachm of this tincture is said to be equivalent to ten grains of the powder. One or two spoonsful of a tinc- ture of ergot (prepared by digesting 3ss of ergot in 3iv. of rectified spirit) mixed with water, has been recommended as an injection into the uterus in diffi- cult labour. It is to be introduced between the head of the child and the neck of the uterus, (Berlinisches Jahrbuch. Bd. xxxviii. 234, 1837). 5. OLEUM ERGOTiE; Oil of Ergot.—The liquid sold in the shops under the name of pure oil of ergot is obtained by submitting the etherial tincture of ergot (which is procured by percolation, see vol. i. p. 326), to evaporation by a very gentle heat. Its colour is reddish brown. Mr. Wright (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journal, vol. liv. p. 52,) states that this depends on the age of the ergot, and that when obtained from recent specimens it is not unfrequently entirely free from colour. Its taste is oily and slightly acrid. It is lighter than water, and is soluble in alcohol and in solutions of the caustic alkalis. It is probably a mixture of several proximate ■ See the cases of Drs. Spajrani, Pignacco, and Gabini, in the Lancet for 1330 and 1831; and of Dr. Negri in the Lond. Med. Gaz. xiii, 361. * CEREALIA. 75 principles. I made a guinea-pig swallow a fluidrachm of it: the only obvious effect was copious and frequent diuresis. Two fluidrachms diffused through water and injected into the jugular vein of a dog, caused trembling of the mus- cles, paralysis of the hind, and great weakness of the fore, legs, which lasted for more than two days. The respiration and action of the heart were exceed- ingly rapid. The saliva streamed copiously from the mouth. The pupil was strongly dilated before the experiment, and no obvious change in it was induced by the oil. Mr. Wright found the oil very energetic. A drachm, he states, injected into the jugular vain caused dilatation of the pupil, feeble, slow, and in- termittent action of the heart, deep and interrupted respiration, general paraly- sis, insensibility to punctures, and death in two hours and forty minutes. According to evidence adduced by Mr. Wright the oil possesses the same influence over the uterus as that of the crude drug; that is, it occasions power- ful uterine contractions. To produce this effect it should be given in doses of from 20 to 50 drops in any convenient vehicle, as cold water, warm tea, or weak spirit and water. The essential solution of ergot used by Mr. Lever (Lond. Med. Gaz. N. S. vol. ii. for 1839-40) to promote uterine contraction, is essentially a solution of the oil of ergot. It was prepared by digesting 3iv. of powdered ergot in f3iv. of ether during seven days. The tincture was submitted to spontaneous evapo- ration, and the residue dissolved in f3ij. of ether. The dose of this solution is from fllxv. to ttixxx. on a lump of sugar. Antidote.—The proper treatment to be adopted in a case of poisoning by an overdose of ergot has not been accurately determined. The first object would be, of course, to evacuate the poison from the alimentary canal by the use of emetics or purgatives. As chlorine decomposes ergotin, Phoebus recommends the employment of chlorine water. In the absence of this, nitrohydrochloric acid (properly diluted) might be exhibited. The subsequent treatment should be conducted on general principles. OTHER DIETETICAL OR MEDICINAL CEREALIA. 1. Rice (Oryza sativa, fig. 129) is the ordinary sustenance of many oriental nations. Being less laxative than the other cereal grains, it is frequently prescribed by medical men as a light, FIG« 129. Fig. 130. Fig. 131. Zea Mays, Oryza sativa. Panicum miliaceum. 76 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. digestible, uninjurious article of food in diarrhoea and dysentery and in ^n8^0*^^^ with the public, a reputed drying and astringent agent. Various M *&<**< uch »°"^™* vision, &c. have been ascribed to the use of rice;' but without any jus grou d • «ejherdoes there appear to be any real foundation for the assertions of Dr. 1 y tie,-(Lancet, lr*w-i, voi. i.j, that malignant cholera (which he calls morbus oryzeus.') is induced by it. Italic^ 2. Common Millet (Panicum miliaceum, fig. 130,) and Italian Millet (Setaria ltalica), are cultivated in Italy as articles of food. . , fi • t :n „i„tpn 3. Maize or Ind.an Corn {Zea Mays, fig. 131) is nutritive; but ^'^/^"Vl^^! is not adapted for manufacture into bread. It is apt to occasion dtarrhcea in those unaccus tomed to it. (Dunglison, Elem. of Hygiene, p. 289.) In America, Asia, and some parts of Europe, it is used largely for human sustenance.3 Order VIlI.-ACORACEiE, Lindl.-TUE SWEET FLAG TRIBE. Acoroideje, Agardh, Scholt. Essential Character.—Flowers hermaphrodite, surrounded with scales. Spalhe leafless, not rolled up. Stamens complete, opposite the scales, with two-celled anthers turned inwards. Ovaries distinct. Fruit baccate, finally juiceless. Seeds albuminous, with the embryo in the axis.—Rhizome jointed. Leaves ensiform, embracing each other in the bud (Scnolt). Properties.—Acorus Calamus is the only plant of the family whose properties are known. AC'ORUS CALAMUS, Linn. L. E. (U. S.)-COMMON SWEET FLAG. Sex.. Syst Hexandria, Monogynia. (Rhizoma, £.—Rhizome, E.) History.—This is probably the axo^ov of Dioscorides. (Lib. i. cap. 2.) Dr. Royle says that in Persian works akoron is given as its Greek appellation. It must not be confounded with the xocXcqxos d£wfiaca, printed at Athens in 1837. Botany. Gen. char.—Perianth single, tubular, very long, rising from a spatha ; limb campanulate, six-partite, petaloid. [Stamens six, inserted into the throat of the tube. Ovarium three-celled. Styles three, filiform, long. Stigmas somewhat clavate.] Capsule three-celled ; cells united at the base. (Hooker, with some additions.) Sp. char.—Leaves plane, broadly lanceolate, erect (Hooker). Root fibrous. Cormus (improperly called root or bulb) ovate, fleshy, large, covered with a loose brown membrane. The leaves are produced in the spring along with the fruit, and disappear before the flower appears. Flowers several, lilac or pale purple, arising from the cormus by a long, narrow, white tube. Fruit oblong, elliptical, composed of three cells, which may be regarded as distinct capsules, Colchicum autumnale. a. The flowering plant 6. stigmas, with a portion with intermediate fissures. Seeds small, spherical, with of the styles Leaves and fruit a rough brown testa, and large fleshy strophiola; inter- nally they are white, and consist of a minute embryo lodged in a horny elastic albumen. The flowers appear in September, and the fruit the following spring or summer. COMMON MEADOW SAFFRON. 85 Hab.—Moist rich meadows in many parts of England and in various countries of Europe. Collection.—The activity of the cormus varies at different seasons of the year. It is greatest about the months of July and August, that is, between the withering of the leaves and the sprouting forth of the flower. At this period the new cormus is fully developed, and has not exhausted itself by the production of the flower. But many of the cormi brought to market have already pushed forth their flowers, which are broken off, so as to prevent the circumstance from being observed. " 1 have seen many cwts.'" says Dr. Lindsay, (Flora Medica, p. 589,) "sent to town in this state, which nevertheless found a ready sale, and at the best price." The seeds should be gathered when fully ripe. The London market is principally supplied from Gloucestershire, but partly also from Hamp- shire and Oxfordshire. Description.—The cormus, commonly called the bulb or root, when gathered at the proper season, is about the size of a chestnut, and somewhat resembles in external appearance the bulb of the common tulip (Tulipa Gesneriana); which as well as other liliaceous bulbs, are distinguished from the cormus of Colchicum by being composed of laminse or scales, whereas the cormus of Col- chicum is solid. It is rounded on one side, flattened on the other, where is per- ceived the fibrous germ of a new cormus, which, if allowed to grow, shoots up and bears the flower, while the old cormus wastes, becomes insipid, and inert. It is covered by two coats, an inner reddish yellow one, and an external brown one. Internally, the cormus is white, fleshy, solid, contains a milky juice, is very feculent, and has an acrid bitter taste. " Before drying the cormus, it should be cut transversely in thin slices, the dry coats being previously removed," (Ph. Lond.) The slices are to be quickly dried, in a dark airy place, with a heat not exceeding 170° F. (Battley, Lond. Med. Rep. xiv. 429,) Dr. A. T. Thomson (ditto, p. 344,) recommends the slices to be dried upon clean white paper, without artificial heat, but the time required for this is an objection to it in practice. The dried slices (radix siccata, Offic.) should be about the eighth or tenth of an inch thick, rounded, oval, with one notch only on one part of their circumference (not fiddle-shaped), inodorous, of a grayish-white colour and an amylaceous appearance. The seeds (semina) are about the size of those of white mustard, odourless and have a bitter acrid taste. Their other qualities have been described above! Composition.—The Colchicum cormus was analyzed in 1810 by Melandri and Moretti, (Bull, de Pharm. vol. ii. p. 217,) in 1818 by Stoltze, (Thomson's Org. Chem. 846,) and in 1820 by Pelletier and Caventou, (Journ. de Pharm vi. 364.) Analysis of Pelletier and Caventou. Fatty matter com-5 £lem- posed of - )£te,a"?- .. ( Volatile acid. Supergallate of veratria. Yellow colouring matter. Gum. Starch. I n ii Ii ii in abundance. Lien i n. Ashes, a minute quantity. Colchicum cormus. Stoltze's Analysis. Volatile acrid matter........ Soft resin.................... Crystallizable sugar.......... Uncrystallizable sugar....... Bitter extractive............. Difficultly soluble extractive.. Gum, like tragacanth........ Starch....................... Lignin ...................... Extractive, soluble in potash. Water........................ Colchicum cormus. Cormi gathered in March. trace 004 0-41 591 1-30 0-81 746 232 061 8104 99-90 Ditto in October. Veratria will be described hereafter (vide Asagrcea officinalis) The existence in colchicum seeds of a new principle, called c< rather more 006 112 < 2-72 \ 2-17 0-52 1-65 1012 1-61 0-52 8031 100-80 — colchicina, colchicia. or rnlrhi erne, has been announced by Ge.ger and Hesse. (Journ. de Chim. x. 465.) It was iZaredL digesting colchicum seeds m boiling alcohol; this dissolved a supersalt, which was precipitated by magnesia, and the precipitate treated with boiling alcohol. By evaporation^!Siwas 86 BLEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. deposited. The following are said to be its properties .—It is a crystailizablo alkaline sub- stance, without odour, but having a bitter taste. Its hydrate is feebly alkaline, but neutralizes acids, and forms crystallizable salts, having a bitter taste. It is soluble in water, and tne soiu- tion precipitates the solution of chloride of platinum. Nitric acid colours cole ncina deep violet, which passes into indigo blue, and quickly becomes, first green, and then yellow. Con- centrated sulphuric acid colours it yellowish brown. Colchicina is said to be distinguished from veratria by the following characteristics :—1st, it is soluble in water, whereas veratria is not; 2dly, it is crystallizable, whereas pure veratria is not; 3dly, it does not possess the acridity of veratria; and it differs from the latter in this, that when applied to the nose it does not excite sneezing, whereas the least portion ot veratria occasions a most convulsive sneezing. . . Coluhicina is a powerful poison. One-tenth of a grain, dissolved in weak spirit, killed a young cat in about twelve hours. The symptoms were salivation, diarrhoea, vomiting, a stag. gering gait, cries, convulsions, and death. The stomach and intestines were violently inflamed, and had extravasated blood throughout their whole course. The above statements require confirmation. Chemical Characteristics.—A cold decoction of the fresh cormi forms a deep blue precipitate (iodide of starch) with a solution of iodine. Sesquichloride of iron communicates a faint bluish tint (gallate of iron) to the decoction. Ace- tate and diacetate of lead, and protonitrate of mercury, form white precipitates with the cold decoction. Nitrate of silver produces a precipitate which is at first white, but becomes in a few minutes black. Tincture of nutgalls produces a slight dirty-looking precipitate, which is somewhat diminished by the effect of heat. Pelletier and Caventou (Journ. de Pharm. vi. 365) regard this precipitate as a mixture of the tannates of starch and inulin (and of veratrin?). When heated to 122° F. the tannate of starch dissolves, but not that of inulin. Fresh prepared tincture of guaiacum with a kvr drops of acetic acid produces a ceru- lean blue colour with the fresh cormus, indicating the presence of gluten. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—Not yet determined. f3. On Animals.—Colchicum is a poison to animals. It acts as a local irri- tant, reduces the force of the circulation, and causes inflammation of the alimen- tary canal. Animals, for the most part, refuse to feed on it. It has, however, been eaten by deer and cattle, and proved poisonous to them. (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn. u. Gifte. Bd. ii. 150.) It is said to prove injurious at spring-time only. (Hacquet, in Wibmer, op. cit.; also, Want, Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxxii. p. 216.) Moreover, we are told that when dried it may be eaten in hay with impunity. Storck (Lib. de Colchico, p. 17) and Kratochwill (quoted by Wibmer) gave it to dogs, on whom it acted as an acrid poison, and caused death. Sir E. Home (Phil. Trans. 1816) injected 160 drops of a vinous infusion of col- chicum into the jugular vein of a dog: all power of motion was instantly lost, the breathing became slow, the pulse hardly to be felt. In ten minutes it was 84, in twenty minutes 60, in an hour 115, with the respiration so quick as hardly to be counted. In two hours the pulse was 150, and very weak. The animal was purged, vomited, and very languid : he died in five hours. On dissection, the internal coat of the stomach was found inflamed, in a greater or less degree, universally. From this experiment it appears that the action of colchicum on the alimentary canal is of a specific kind. In opposition to the above statements it deserves notice that Orfila (Toxicol. Gen.) has frequently given to dogs, in the month of June, two or three cormi without perceiving any sensible effects; from which he infers, that climate and seasons of the year have great influence on their deleterious properties. It has been said that horses eat colchicum with impunity^ but it is probable that this statement is erroneous. Withering (Brit. Plants, ii. 462, 7th ed. 1830) states, on the authority of Mr. Woodward, that, " in a pasture in which were several horses, and eaten down nearly bare, the grass was closely cropped, even under the leaves, but not a leaf bitten." Some further information on the effects of colchicum on dogs will be found in Sir C. Scudamore's Treatise on Gout and Rheumatism, 3d ed. p. 477, 1819. COMMON MEADOW SAFFRON. 87 y. On Man.—In small and repeated doses colchicum has a tendency to pro- mote the action of the secreting organs, especially of the intestinal mucous mem- brane. The kidneys, the skin, and the liver, are less certainly and obviously affected by it. The most constant effects observed from the use of larger doses are nausea, vomiting, and purging. Reduction of the frequency of the pulse is a common, though not an invariable effect. Mr. Haden (Pract. Observ. on the Colchicum autumnale, 1820) was, I believe, the first to direct attention to the advantages to be taken of this effect in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In some experiments made on healthy individuals by Dr. Lewins, (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xlvii. p. 345, 1837,) debility, a feeling of illness, and headache, were experienced. This feeling of debility is not, however, to be referred to the evacuations produced; for, as Dr. Barlow (Cyclop, of.Pract. Med. art. Gout, vol. ii. p. 371) has observed, the number of motions is some- times considerable without any proportionate depression of strength ensuing. "I have known," says Dr. B. "even twenty stools occasioned by a single dose of colchicum, the patient not complaining of the least debility." The action of colchicum on the secretory apparatus is not confined to that of the alimentary canal: after the use of three or four full doses of this medicine copious sweating is often produced, especially when the skin is kept warm. On other occasions the kidneys are powerfully acted on. In one case, mentioned by Dr. Lewins, seventy drops of Vinum Colchici caused the discharge of upwards of a pint of bile by vomiting. Violent salivation resulted in a case recorded in an Ameri- can journal. (Wood and Bache's United States Dispensatory, 3d ed.) Chelius, of Heidelberg, (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. ii. p. 830,) asserts, that in gout and rheu- matism, colchicum occasions a striking increase in the quantity of uric acid contained in the urine : in one case it was nearly doubled in the space of twelve days. But this effect is by no means constant, as Dr. Graves (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. vii. p. 548) has pointed out. Indeed, it not unfrequently happens, in acute rheumatism, when the urine is loaded with uric acid or the urates, that the use of colchicum diminishes the quantity of these matters in the urine; so that it would seem rather to prevent the formation of uric acid in the system than to provoke its elimination. Under some circumstances colchicum acts as anodyne : thus in gouty and rheu- matic cases it sometimes speedily relieves the pain in a most surprising manner. In excessive or poisonous doses colchicum acts as a powerful poison. In a case related by Mr. Fereday, (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. x. p. 160,) where two ounces of the wine of the seeds of colchicum were swallowed, the symptoms were Acute pain in the bowels, coming on in about an hour and a half after taking it, vomiting, acute tenesmus, small, slow, and feeble pulse, cold feet, and weakness of limbs. The nausea, vomiting, and pain in the stomach, continued with undiminished violence, the pulse became also imperceptible and intermit- ting, the urine was suppressed, the respiration hurried, purging of copious liquid stools came on, and loss of sight for a minute or two after getting out of bed. The patient died forty-seven hours after swallowing the poison. On a post-mor- tem examination, the skin of most parts of the body was found to be covered with a purple efflorescence : no inflammation was observed in the alimentary canal; two red patches were found, one in the stomach, and the other in the jejunum. These were produced by the effusion of a small quantity of blood, in the one case, between the muscular and mucous coats ; in the other, between the peritoneal and muscular coats. Ecchymosed spots were observed on the surface of the lungs, of the heart, and of the diaphragm. More recently a case of poisoning by a decoction of the seeds has been recorded; (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. vi. 2e Serie, p. 505,) as also by the leaves of this plant. In Mr. Fereday's case the only indications of an affection of the nervous sys- tem were weakness of the limbs, the temporary loss of sight, and the slowness and feebleness of the pulse. 88 elements of materia medica. It is deserving of notice, that in this case, also in another related by Cheval- lier, (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. viii. 351,) likewise in a third mentioned by Mr. Dillon, (Stephenson and Churchill's Med. Bot. vol. ii.,) and in Mr. Haden s case, (Majendie's Formulary, by C. T. Haden,) no convulsions were observed ; and in the three first cases no insensibility. In the last case, however, Mr. Haden mentions that at « ten p.m. she fell into an apoplectic kind of sleep, which terminated in death before morning." It is remarkable that convulsions are ascribed to veratria by Magendie, and to colchicina by Geiger and Hesse. In one case of fatal poisoning from an ounce and a half of the tincture of colchi- cum (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. xiv. 262,) delirium occurred. The above account of the effects of colchicum applies both to the cormi, the seeds, and the leaves. The flowers are likewise poisonous, and a fatal case from their use is mentioned by Dr. Christison. (Treat, on Poisons, 3d ed. p. 792.) They have been recommended for medicinal use. Uses.—The following are the principal diseases in which the Meadow Saffron has been employed : 1. In Gout.—The circumstances which of late years have led to the exten- sive employment of colchicum in gout are the following :—About seventy years ago, M. Husson, a military officer in the service of the king of France, disco- vered, as he informs us, a plant possessed of extraordinary virtues in the cure of various diseases. From this plant he prepared a remedy called Eau Medi- cinale, which acquired great celebrity for abating the pain and cutting short the paroxysm of gout. (Dr. E. G. Jones, An Account of tlie Remark. Effects of tlie Eau Medicinale d'Husson in the Gout.) Various attempts were made to discover the nature of its active principle. In 1782, MM. Cadet and Parmentier declared that it contained no metallic or mineral substance, and that it was a vinous infusion of some bitter plant or plants. Alvon (Elem de Chimic,) as- serted that it was prepared with Gratiola ; Mr. Moore (TwoLetters on tlie Com- position of the Eau Medicinale, 2d ed. 1811,) that it was a vinous infusion of white hellebore with laudanum ; Mr. Want (Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxxii. 1814,) that it was a vinous infusion of Colchicum. Although most writers have adopted Mr. Want's opinion, we should bear in mind that the proofs hitherto offered of its correctness, viz. analogy of effect, cannot be admitted to be con- clusive, as is well shown by the fact, that they have been advanced in favour of the identity of other medicines with the Eau Medicinale. The power of Colchicum to alleviate a paroxysm of gout is admitted by all: but considerable difference of opinion exists as to the extent of this power, and the propriety of employing it. Sir Everard Home, (Phil. Trans. 1816,) from observations of its effects on his own person, regarded it as a specific in gout, and from experiments on animals concluded that its beneficial effects in this malady are produced through the circulation. Dr. Paris (Pharmacologia, vol. ii. p. 175, 6th ed.) observes, " As a specific in gout its efficacy has been fully ascertained : it allays pain, and cuts short the paroxysm. It has also a decided action upon the arterial system, which it would appear to control through the medium of the nerves." But if by the word spe- cific is meant a medicine infallibly, and on all patients, producing given salu- tary effects, and acting by some unknown power on the disease, without being directed by indications, (vide Dr. Parr's Lond. Med. Diet. art. Specifca,) un- doubtedly Colchicum is no specific for gout. That Colchicum alleviates a paroxysm of gout I have before mentioned; but thr.t alleviation is palliative, not curative. It has no tendency to prevent a speedy recurrence of the attack; nay, according to Sir Charles Scudamore, (Treat, on Gout and Rheumatism, 3d ed. p. 197), it renders the disposition to the disease much stronger in the system. Furthermore, by repetition its power over gouty paroxysms becomes diminished. The modus medendi of Colchicum in gout is an interesting though not very common meadow saffron. 89 satisfactory part of our inquiry. I have already stated that some regard this remedy as a specific, that is, as operating by some unknown influence. Others, however, and with more propriety, refer its therapeutical uses to its known phy- siological effects. " Colchicum," says Dr. Barlow, (Cyclop, of Pract. Med. art. Goal, vol. ii. p. 372,) " purges, abates pain, and lowers the pulse. These effects are accounted for by assigning to it a cathartic and sedative operation, and it is this combination perhaps to which its peculiar virtues are to be ascribed." The fact that a combination of a drastic and a narcotic (as elaterium and opium, mentioned by Dr. Sutton, (Tracts on Gout, p. 201,) and white hellebore and laudanum, recommended by Mr. Moore, (op. cit.) has been found to give, in several cases of gout, marked and speedy relief, seems to me to confirm Dr. Barlow's opinion. The idea entertained by Chelius, and adopted by Dr. G. Hume Weatherhead, (Treat, on Headaches, p. 88, 1835,) that colchicum re- lieves gout by augmenting the quantity of the acid in the urine, is not supported by fact, as I have already mentioned. Whether it acts by preventing the for- mation of uric acid in the system, I am not prepared to say. In acute gout occurring in plethoric habits, blood-letting should precede the use of Colchicum. This medicine should then be exhibited in full doses, so as to produce a copious evacuation by the bowels, and then the quantity must be considerably diminished. Though purging is not essential to the therapeutical influence of Colchicum, it is admitted by most that, in a large number of cases at least, it promotes the alleviation of the symptoms. Hence, many practitioners recommend its combination with saline purgatives, as the sulphate of magnesia. Sir Charles Scudamore has experienced " the most remarkable success from a draught composed of Magnesice, gr. xv. ad xx.; Magnes. Sulphat. 3j. ad 3ij.; Aceti Colchici, 3j. ad 3ij.; with any distilled water the most agreeable, and sweetened with any pleasant syrup, or with 15 or 20 grains of Extract. Gly- cyrrhiz."1 2. In Rheumatism.—The analogy existing between gout and rheumatism has led to the trial of the same remedies in both diseases. But its therapeutical powers in the latter disease are much less marked than in the former. Rheuma- tism may affect the fibrous tissues of the joints, the synovial membrane, the muscles or their aponeuritic coverings, the periosteum, or the neurilemma, con- stituting thus five forms of the disease, which may be denominated respectively •hefibrous, or ligamentous; the synovial, arthritic, or capsular; the muscu- lar; the periosteal; and the neuralgic forms of rheumatism. (Dr. Macleod, Lond. Med. Gaz. xxi. 120.) Of these colchicum is said to produce its best effects in the synovial form. It is remarkable, however, that in all the severe cases of this variety of rheumatism which have fallen under my notice, the dis- ease has proceeded unchecked, or was scarcely relieved by the use of Colchi- cum. In one instance, that of my much-lamented friend, the late Dr. Cummin (whose case is noticed by Dr. Macleod, in the Lond. Med. Gaz. xxi. 358), the disease proved fatal by metastasis to the brain. In another melancholy, but not fatal case, the gentleman has lost the sight of both his eyes, and has both knee- joints rendered stiff. In neither of these cases was colchicum of the slightest avail. Of the mode of administering colchicum " in rheumatic gout," recommended by Mr. Wigan, (Lond. Med. Gaz. June 30, 1838,) 1 have no experience. He gives eight grains of the powder in some mild diluent every hour until active vomiting, profuse purging, or abundant perspiration, take place; or at least till the stomach can bear no more. The usual quantity is eight or ten doses ; but ■ Under the name of Lartigues' Pills, a remedy for gout has recently been employed with some advantage in Philadelphia. The following recipe is that given by M. Bouchardat, in the Journal de Chemie Medicate, May, 1H-11,—Tako of compound extract of Colocynth dr. ss.; alcoholic extract of Colchicum seeds, alcoholic oxirnri ot Digitalis, each, gr. iss—make into mass and divide into ten pills; two or three to be given in the twenty-four houra. The proportion of extract of Colchicum might be doubled.—J. C. VOL. II. 12 90 elements of materia medioa. while some take fourteen, others can bear only five. Though the ?*™™™**' the more active effects of the colchicum do not take place for some hours aiier the last dose. Thus administered, Mr. Wigan declares colchicum the most easily managed, the most universally applicable, the safest, and the most cer- tain specific, in the whole compass of our opulent Pharmacopoeia. tfut us use in these large doses requires to be carefully watched. 3. In Dropsy.—Colchicum was used in dropsy with success by btorck. (Libellus.) It has been employed in dropsical cases with the two-told view ot purging and promoting the action of the kidneys. Given in combination with saline purgatives, I have found it beneficial in some cases of anasarca of old persons. , , 4. In inflammatory diseases generally.—Colchicum was recommended as a sedative in inflammatory diseases in general by the late Mr. C. T. Haden. (Pract. Observ. on the Colchicum autumnale, 1820.) He used it as an auxili- ary to blood-letting for the purpose of controlling arterial action ; and gave it in the form of powder, in doses of six or seven grains, three or four times daily, in combination with purgatives, in inflammatory affections of the lungs and their membranes, and of the breasts and nipples. In chronic bronchitis it has also been found useful by Dr. Hastings. (Treat, on Inflammation of tlie Mucous Membrane of tlie Lungs, 1820.) 5. Infevers.—The late Mr. Haden, (op. cit.), andmore recently Dr. Lewin, (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. April, 1837,) have spoken favourably of the use of colchicum in fever. In my opinion it is only admissible in those forms of the disease requiring an active antiphlogistic treatment. In such it may be use- ful as an auxiliary to blood-letting and cathartics. 6. In various other diseases.—For expelling tape-worm, colchicum has been found efficacious by Chisholm and Baumbach. In some chronic affections of the nervous system, as chorea, hypochondriasis, hysteria, &c. Mr. Raven (Lon- don Medical and Physical Journal, Jan. 1817,) employed it with advantage. In humoral asthma, and other chronic bronchial affections, I have found it of great service, especially when these complaints were accompanied with anasar- cous swellings. Administration.—The cormi and seeds of meadow saffron have been em- ployed in substance, in a liquid form, and in the state of extract. 1, PULVIS CORMI COLCHICI.—Dose, from two to eight or nine grains. To pre- serve it Mr. Wigan recommends it to be kept mixed with sugar. 2. PULVIS SEMINUM COLCHICI—Dose the same as that of the cormus. The seeds are to be preferred to the cormi, as being more uniform in their properties. I. TINCTURA [SEMINUM] COLCHICI, L. Ed.; Tinctura seminum Colchici, D. [Tinctura Colchici seminis, U. S.] (Meadow Saffron seeds bruised [ground finely in a coffee-mill, Ed.], 3v. (3ij. D.); Proof Spirit, Oij. (Oj. wine measure, Dub.) Macerate for fourteen days, and strain, L. "Percolation is much more convenient and speedy than digestion,E.) [Colchicum seed bruised four ounces; diluted alcohol, two pints. Macerate for fourteen days, express and filter through paper, or moisten the powder with the diluted alcohol, allow to stand for twenty-four hours, and then displace. U. S.]—Dr. Williams (London Med. Rep. vol. xiv. p. 93,) objected to this preparation as being " turbid, unpalatable, and disposed to precipitation." The same writer (op. cit. vol. xv. p. 442,) also asserts, that the active property of the seeds resides in their husk or cordical part, and, therefore, protests against bruising them. But were his assertion correct (and it is most improbable that the embryo is devoid of activity), bruis- ing them cannot destroy or injure their activity. The average dose is from f3ss. to f3j. I have repeatedly given f3ij. at a dose without any violent effect. Dr. Barlow, who prefers this to the other preparations of colchicum, advises that in gout a drachm, a drachm and a half, or two drachms of the tincture, should be given at night, and repeated the following morning. If this quantity common meadow saffron. 91 fail to purge briskly, a third dose may be administered the ensuing night. Ex- ternally, the tincture has been employed as a liniment, to relieve rheumatic, gouty, venereal, and other pains. (Laycock, London Med. Gaz. vol. xxm. p. 899; and vol. xxiv. 388.) 4. TINCTURA [SEMINUM] COLCHICI COMPOSITA, L.; Spiritus Colchici ammo- niatus, L. 1824. (Meadow Saffron seeds, |v.; Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia, Oij. Macerate for fourteen days, and strain). Dose, r#xx. to f3j.—This pre- paration was recommended by Dr. Williams as being « of greater value wnen acidity or flatulence prevails, than the Vin. sem. Colchici, and better adapted to the palates of those who object to the flavour of white wine." It is seldom em- ployed. Mr. Brande (Diet, of Mat. Med. 1839) says, doubts are entertained as to the propriety of emploving ammonia in it. 5. V1NIM SEMINIM COLCHICI. [Vinum Colchici seminis, U. S.]—No formula for this exists in any of the British pharmacopoeias. The following is Dr. Williams' formula :—Meadow Saffron seeds, dried, Jij.; Sherry Wine, Oj. (%'jine measure). Macerate for eight or ten [fourteen] days, occasionally agitating, then filter. The average dose is f3ss. to f3j- I have given it to the extent of f3ij. Dr. Williams says it may be gradually increased to f3iij. [This formula has been adopted by the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, which directs double the proportions each of the ingredients, and directs maceration for fourteen days.] (i. VINI M [CORMI] COLCHICI, L. E. [Vinum Colchici radicis, U. S.] (Meadow Saffron cormus, dried and sliced, 3viij. Sherry Wine, Oij. Macerate for four- teen [seven, E.\ days, [express strongly the residuum, E.] and strain).—Ave- rage dose, toss, to f3j. [The formula of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia is Colchicum Root well bruised, a pound ; Wine, two pints. Macerate for fourteen days and filter, or by displacement]. Sir E. Home (Phil. Trans. 1837,) thought that the second and subsequent deposits which take place from this wine, contain the principle which acts on the stomach and bowels, while that which cures the gout is retained in permanent solution. But Sir C. Scudamore (Treatise on Gout, 3d edit. p. 513,) found the sediment to be inert. 7. ACETUM [CORMI] COLCHICI, L. E. D. (U. S.) (Fresh Meadow Saffron cor- mus, sliced, 3j.; Distilled vinegar, f3xvj.: Proof spirit, f3j. Macerate the meadow saffron cormus with the vinegar, in a covered glass vessel, for three days; afterwards press and strain the liquor, and set it by, that the dregs may subside : lastly, add the spirit to the clear liquor).—[The U. S. Pharmacopoeia directs: Colchicum root (dried) bruised, two ounces; distilled vinegar, two pints ; alcohol, a fluid ounce. Macerate the root with the distilled vinegar, in a close vessel, for seven days; then express the liquor and set it by that the dregs may subside ; lastly, pour off the clear liquor and add the alcohol, or pre- pare by displacement. Diluted acetic acid may be substituted for distilled vine- gar.]—Though the colleges order the fresh cormus to be used, druggists fre- quently prepare it with the dried, on account of the impossibility of procuring the fresh at all seasons of the year. Hence it is to be regretted that the colleges have directed the latter to be employed, as it leads to variation in the mode of preparation. In practice, one part of the dried cormus may be considered equal to three parts of the fresh : for Mr. Battley (Lond. Med. Gaz. xii. 463,) says the cormus loses about 67 per cent, of its weight in drying; and Mr. Bain- bridge (Haden, Practical Observations on Colch. autumn, p. 77,) obtained 2 lbs. 15 ozs. of dried slices from 8 lbs. of fresh cormi. The proof spirit used in preparing the acetum is for the purpose of checking decomposition. By the ac- tion of the acetic acid on the colchicina of the cormus, an acetate of this alka- loid is obtained. Sir C. Scudamore (Observations on the Use of Colchicum,) regards an acetic preparation of colchicum as milder than the wine or tincture made with the same relative weights of cormi and liquids, though it is a most efficient preparation in gout. He advises, as I have before mentioned, that it should be given in combination with magnesia, by which its acid menstruum is 92 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. destroyed (acetate of magnesia being formed), and the active principle of'the colchicum left in the most favourable state for administration, I he average dose is from f3ss. to f3ij. „ ^ , -., A .„ «„«•„„„ 8. EXTRACTUM [CORMI] COLCHICI ACETICUM, L.E.-(Fresh M^ow Mron cormus, lb. j.; Acetic [pyroligneous, Ed.] acid, f 3uj. Bruise the cormus gra- dually sprinkled with the acetic acid, then press out the juice, and evaporate it in an earthen vessel which is not glazed with lead [over the vapour ba h, Ed.] to a proper consistence.)—This compound contains the acetate of colchicina. It is a very favourite remedy in the treatment of gout and rheumatism, and was introduced into practice by Sir C. Scudamore. Dr. Paris (Append, to the 8th ed. of the Pharmacologia,) observes that he has « found it useful in promoting healthy discharges of bile." He occasionally combines it with blue pill, calo- mel, or potassio-tartrate of antimony. The dose is from gr. j. to gr. nj. twice or thrice a day. 9. EXTRACTUM COLCHICI CORMI, L.—(Fresh Meadow Saffron cormus, lb. j. Bruise the cormus, sprinkled with a little water, in a stone mortar ; then press out the juice, and evaporate it, unstrained, to a proper consistence.)—This is a favourite preparation with Dr. Hue, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, in the early stage of acute rheumatism. The dose is gr. j. every four hours. 10. OXYMEL [CORMI] COLCHICI, D.—(Fresh Cormus of Meadow Saffron, cut in thin slices, 3j.; Distilled Vinegar, Oj. (wine measure); Clarified Honey, by weight, lb. ij. Macerate the meadow saffron with the vinegar in a glass vessel for two days; to the liquor, strongly expressed from the cormus and filtered, add the honey, and then boil down the mixture to the consistence of a syrup, frequently stirring it with a wooden rod.)—The active principle of this prepara- tion is apt to be injured by boiling, and hence its strength is uncertain. It is used in gout, rheumatism, dropsy, and humoral asthma. The dose is 3j. gra- dually increased to 3ij. or more, twice in the dayi 11. SUCCUS COLCHICI; Preserved Juice of Colchicum.—The mode of preparing and preserving vegetable juices has been already described (see vol. i. p. 325.) Mr. Bentley informs me that from one cwt. of very fine cormi gathered at the end of August, and well bruised and pressed, he obtained four imperial gallons and f3xij. of a light fawn coloured juice. This juice becomes darker coloured by exposure to the air. After standing forty-eight hours the spirit is added to it. A large quantity of fecula is deposited, and the liquor acquires a paler tint. Exposure to light appears to render it somewhat paler. The smallest dose of Mr. Bentley's succus colchici is five minims. Antidote.—See Veratrum album. 2. HERMODAC'TYLUS, Auct.—HERMODACTYL. History.—Among the later Greek and the Arabian physicians, a medicine called hermo- dactyl (tp/jLofa.K'rvxo;, from E/^itc, Mercury or Hermes: and JstxTuxoc, a finger) was in great repute as a remedy for arthritic diseases. It was first mentioned by Alexander of Tralles, (Lib. xi.,) who flourished A. D. 560. Paulus of Egiua, (opera, lib. iii. cap, 78,) who lived A. D. 650. Avicenna, (Lib. ii. cap. 352,) Serapion, (De simplicibus, cap. 194,) and Mesue, (opera, p. 37, Ed. Bonon. 1484,) also speak of it. It is deserving of especial notice, that under the name of Surugen or Hermodactyl, Sorapion comprehends the kox^izIv and «»,Kf/>ov of Dioscorides, and the tp/uoftfx'rvxoc of Paulus. Natural History.—The cormi brought from Oriental countries in modern times under the name of hermodactyls, answer to the descriptions given of the ancient substance bearing this name. I am, therefore, induced to believe them to be identical with the latter. Their resem- blance to the cormi of Colchicum autumnale leads me to reject the notion of Matthiolus, at one time entertained by Linnaeus, (Murray, App. Med. vol. v. p. 215,) and adopted by Martius, (Pharmakognosie, 42,) that they are produced by Iris tuberosa. That they are the under- ground stems of some species of Colchicum can scarcely, I think, be doubted by any one who carefully examines them. Notwithstanding the statements of Mr. Want (Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxxii.,) and of Sir H. Halford, (On the Treatment of Gout,) I cannot admit hermodactyls to be the cormi of Colchicum autumnale, though this is the only species of Colchicum admitted into the new Greek Pharmacopoeia. Though resembling the latter in several circumstances, hermodactvl. 93 they possess certain distinctive peculiarities. Some of the most eminent pharmacologists of J£v---- '- - r>..:i.-.._. n~„u„l n„;„0» rionflVnir Ar.r.^ alsn reward them as distinct. 1 he COi- cAtci botai.i.-^t.-.. iiivw.rn.ww --------- -j----- „ dactyl. Colchicum variegatum has been supposed by several botanists and pharmacologists to be the source of hermodactyl, but further evidence is required to establish the opinion. Inis plant is a native of Sicily, Crete, Greece, and Portugal. Dr. Siblhorp (Prod. Fl. Grcecce u. 250,) found it on Helicon, Parnassus, and other mountains of Greece. It is not improbable, 1 think, that Colchicum bulbocodiodes may yield hermodactyl, which Dale (Pharmacologia, p. 245, ed. 3"1.) tells us is brought from Syria. For Dr. Lindley informs me that this species ot Colchicum was found by Colonel Chesney near the Euphrates, where it was very common, flowering in March. The cormi were not brought over. Iris tuberosa was not found there. Forskal (Fl. Mgypt. Arab. p. 77,) found Colchicum montanum (which Sprengel, in his Syst. Veg. regards as identical with C. bulbocodiodes) at Kurma, in Arabia. Description.—Mesue says that hermodactyl is either long, like the finger, or round. Ot the round, he adds, there are three kinds,—the white, the red, and the black, the white being the best. Through the kindness of my friend, Professor Royle, I have had the examination of two kinds of hermodactyl, procured by him in the bazaars of Northern India, brought, he thinks, from Surat or Bombay, and probably imported there from the Red Sea. I. Tasteless Hermodactyl. Sorinjan sheeran (i.e. sweet sorinjan). Royle. Hermodactylus, Auct. nostras aHatis.—In their general form, these cormi resemble those of Colchicum autum- nale. They are flattened, cordate, hollowed out or grooved on one side, convex on the other. At their lower part (forming the base of the heart) is a mark or disk for the insertion of the root fibres. Their size varies: the specimens I have examined were from | to 1£ inches in length or height, 1 to 1J inches in breadth, and about \ an inch in depth. (Lib. xi.) They have been deprived of their coals, are externally dirty yellow or brownish, internally white, easily broken, farinaceous, opaque, odourless, tasteless, or nearly so, and worm-eaten. They agree precisely with hermodactyls furnished me by Professor Guibourt. They are readily distinguished from the cormi of Colchicum autumnale by the following characters, which are correctly stated by Geoffroy : (Trait, de Mat. Med. t. ii. p. 79,)—They are not rugose, are white internally, are moderately hard, easily broken, and form a whitish powder; whereas the dried cormi of Colchicum autumnale are rugose, softer, and have a reddish or grayish tint both in- ternally and externally. 2. Bitter Hermodactyl. Sorinjan tulkh (i. e. bitter sorinjan,) Royle. ? Bulbs of another Colchicum. (Gocbel, Pharm. Waarenk. p. 271.) ? ? Hermodactylus rubeus et niger (Avicenna and Mesue). The cormi of this variety are distinguished from the preceding by their bitter taste, their smaller size, and by having externally a striped or reticulated appearance. Their colour for the most part is darker; in some specimens it is blackish. One cormus is ovate- cordate: 1 inch in height or length, J of an inch broad, and about £ of an inch thick, grooved or hollowed on one side, convex on the other; of a brownish yellow colour, semi-transparent, has a horny appearance, and is marked by longitudinal stripes, indicating a laminated struc- ture. A second is opaque, amylaceous, reticulated externally, white internally, less flattened, and of a remarkable shape, the concave or hollow side of the cormus being continued half an inch below the mark for the attachment of the root fibres. The other cormi are of the size and shape of a large orange pip, but flattened or grooved on one side; some of them are worm-eaten, and one is blackish brown externally. Composition.—Lecanu (Journ. de Pharm. xi. 350,) analysed hermodactyls (the tasteless variety), and obtained the following results:—Starch (forming the principal constituent of the hermodactyl), fatty matter, yellow colouring matter, gum, supermalates of lime and potash, and chloride of potassium Is the absence of veratria or colchicina to be ascribed to the cormi having undergone de- composition by keeping? No inulin was detected. Chemical Characteristics.—Both the tasteless and bitter hermodactyls are blackened by tincture of iodine, showing the presence of starch. A cold decoction of the bitter variety pro- duced an intense blue precipitate (iodide of starch) with a solution of iodine. Tincture of galls, and solutions of protonitrate of mercury, and of diacetate of lead, caused a cloudiness in the cold decoction. Effects and Uses.—No modern experiments have been made to determine the activity of hermodactyl. The tasteless variety is probably inert, or nearly so: but the bitter variety, I suspect, possesses some activity. Is its operation analogous to that of the cormus of Colchicum autumnale ? Speaking of the treatment of gout and arthritis, Paulus says, "some, in the paroxysms of all arthritic diseases, have recourse to purging with hermodactylus; but it is to be remarked, that the hermodactylus is bad for the stomach, producing nausea and anorexia, and ought, therefore, to be used only in the case of those who are pressed by urgent business; for it removes rheu- matism speedily, and after two days at most, so that they are enabled to resume their accus- toniod employment." (Adams's Translation vol. i. p. 357.) 94 elements of materia medica 3. VERATRUM ALBUM, Linn. L. E. D. (U. S.)_\VHITE HELLEBORE. Sex. Syst. Polygamia, Monrecia. (Radix. L. D— Rhizoma, E.) History.—This is, I think, the ZKkefaps XsuxV of Dioscorides, and probably, therefore, of other ancient writers, as Hippocrates and Theophrastus. On this point, however, considerable difference of opinion has existed. Schulze (Diss. inaug. sist. Toxicol. Veterum, Halse, 1788,) while he acknowledges the great similitude between Veratrum album, Linn, and the white hellebore of Diosco- rides, is of opinion that the true hellebore (both white and black) of Theophrastus is wholly lost. And Dr. Sibthorp (Prod. Fl. Graces, i. 439,) regards Digitalis ferruginea as the white hellebore of Dioscorides, an opinion from which Sir J. Smith, the editor of the Prodromus, expresses his dissent.1 The term veratrum is said by Lemery to be derived from vere atrum (truly black), in reference to the colour of the rhizome; but this etymology is improbable. Botanv. Gen. char.—Flowers polygamous. Periatith six-parted ; segments broad, concave, imbricating, nearly equal, striated, not excavated at the base. Stamens six, equal, inserted into the base of the seg- ments ; filaments subulate ; anthers reniform, with confluent cells. Ovary with three divaricating stig- mas. Capsule three-horned, separating into three many-seeded follicles. Seeds compressed, winged at the apex. (Lindley.) Sp. char.—Panicle decompound. Bracts equalling the flowers. Pedicels pubescent. Segments of the perianth somewhat erect and obtuse, serrulate. Leaves ovate-oblong, plaited. (Sprengel.) Root composed of numerous fleshy, brownish-white fibres, arising from a perennial, cylindrical, fleshy, subterraneous stem or rhizome, which is brown ex- ternally, brownish-white internally, and is placed obliquely in the earth. Stem one to four feet high. The plant flowers from June to August. Two varieties (by some considered distinct species) are included here: ^ a. albifiorum (V. album, Bcrnh.) with decompound raceme Veratrum album, Linn."" a"d ™hite fl°weIs- .. _ , . ... , var albifiorum. P" "oirxdiflorum (V. Lobehanum, Bernh.) with compound ra- ceme and greenish flowers. Hah.—Mountainous regions of Europe. Abounds in the Alps and Pyrenees. Description.—The rhizome (radix veratri, offic. radix hellebori albi) is single, double, or many-headed, having the form of a cylinder, or, more frequent- ly, of a truncated cone. It is from two to four inches long, and about one inch in diameter, rough, wrinkled, grayish or blackish-brown externally, whitish in- ternally. Portions of the root fibres are usually attached to it, as well as some soft, fine, hair-like fibres. At the upper extremity of the rhizome we frequently observe the cut edges of numerous concentric, woody, or membranous scales: they are portions of the dried leaf-sheaths. When cut transversely, the rhizome presents a large central portion (frequently called medulla), which varies in its qualities, being woody, farinaceous, or spongy, in different specimens. This is separated by a brown fine undulating line from a thick woody ring, in which the root fibres take their origin. On the outside of this is a narrow but compact, brown, epidermoid coat. The odour of the dried rhizome is feeble: the taste is at first bitter, then acrid. By keeping, the rhizome is apt to become mouldy. i For some interesting information respecting the ancient hellebore, consult Dierbach, Arzneimitlel d. Hippocrates, p. 107. white hellebore. 95 Composition.—White hellebore rhizome was analized in 1820 by MM. Pel- letier and Caventou, (Journ. de Pharm. vol. vi. p. 363,) who obtained the follow- ing results -.—Fatty matter (composed of olein, stearin, and a volatile [cevadic .] acid), super gallate ofveratria, yellow colouring matter, starch, ligneous matter, and gum. The ashes contained much phosphate and carbonate of lime, carbo- nate of potash, and some traces of silicia and sulphate of lime, but no chlorides. They could not obtain the volatile [cevadic?] acid in a crystalline form. Simon (Pharmaceutisches Central Blatt fur 1837, S. 191,) has discovered two new vegeta- ble bases in the rhizome of this plant; one of these he has called Jervin, the other Barytm. 1. Veratria (see p. 100). 2. Barytin. This has been so called in consequence of its being precipitated from its solu- tion in acetic or phosphoric acid by sulphuric acid or the sulphates, like baryta. 3. Jervin. So called from Jerva, the Spanish name for a poison obtained from the root of white hellebore, (Bauhin's Pinax, p. 186). It is a crystalline substance, which forms, with sulphuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acids, difficultly soluble compounds.1 Chemical Characteristics.—A decoction of the rhizome underwent, on the addition of a solution of gelatin, no change, showing the absence of tannic acid ; but with the sesquichloride of iron, it became olive green (gallate ? of iron). With tincture of galls it became slightly turbid (tannate of veratria and starch). With acetate and diacetate of lead, and protonitrate of mercury, it formed copious precipitates. The rhizome left after the decoction had been prepared from it, became, on the addition of a solution of iodine, black (iodide of starch). Piivsiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—Not ascertained. (3. On Animals generally.—" The best account of its effects is contained in a thesis by Dr. Schabel, published at Tubingen, in 1817. Collecting together the experiments previously made by Wepfer, Courten, Viborg, and Orfila, and adding a number of excellent experiments of his own, he infers that it is poi- sonous to animals of all classes—horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, jackdaws, star- lings, frogs, snails, and flies ; that it acts in whatever way it is introduced into the system—by the stomach, windpipe, nostrils, pleural membrane of the chest, on external wounds, or the veins; that it produces in every instance symptoms of irritation in the alimentary canal, and injury of the nervous system; and that it is very active, three grains of the extract applied to the nostrils of a cat having killed it in sixteen hours," (Christison's Treatise on Poisons, 3d ed. p. 790). y. On Man.—Its local action is that of a powerful acrid. Applied to the Schneiderian membrane, it excites violent sneezing. Epistaxis even is said to have been induced by it. Its operation when swallowed, or placed in contact with the skin, is also that of an energetic irritant. Its remote action is on the secretory apparatus, the stomach and intestines, and the nervous system. In small and repeated doses it promotes secretion from the mucous surfaces, the salivary glands, the kidneys, and the uterus, and increases the cutaneous exhalation, (Greding, Sdmmtl. med. Schrift. Th. 1, S. 179). In larger doses it causes vomiting, purging, pain in the abdomen, tenes- mus, and occasionally bloody evacuations, and great prostration of strength. In some instances a few grains even have had these effects. Schabel says there is no substance which so certainly and prompty provokes vomiting; and Horn, (Archiv, B. x. H. 1, S. 161,) employed it as a sure emetic. In addition to the local action which it exercises, when swallowed, on the stomach and in- testines, it possesses a specific power of influencing these viscera: for Etmul- ler, (opera omnia, torn. ii. pt. 2, p. 144,) has seen violent vomiting result from the application of the rhizome to the abdomen; and Schroder, (Orfila, Toxicol Gen.) observed the same occurrence where the rhizome was used as a suppo- l/£?r"l- C' Lard, Sviij.; Oil of Lemons, f^cxx. Mix., L. (U. S.)—The Dublin College omits the oil of lemons.)— This ointment is used in the treatment of the itch as a substitute for the dis- agreeable, though far more effective, sulphur ointment. Like the decoction, there is danger of the absorption of the active principle of the rhizome when the ointment is applied to raw surfaces ; it is, therefore, an unfit remedy for chil- dren. Antidotes—Astringent solutions have been recommended; and in one case, which fell under my notice, infusion of nutgalls seemed to give relief. The supposed benefit has been referred to the union of tannic acid with veratria, by which the solubility and activity of the latter are diminished ; but Schabel (quoted in Brandt and Ratzburg's Giftgewdchse, Abt. 1, p. 28,) found that three drachms of a tincture of white hellebore, given with infusion of galls, to a cat, proved fatal in twenty minutes. Hahnemann recommends coffee, both as a drink and in clyster. Demulcent liquids, and in some cases opiates, may be useful. The other part of the treatment must be conducted on general principles. Stimulants will be usually required on account of the failure of the heart's action. 4. ASAGR/E'A OFFICINALIS, Lind.—SPIKE-FLOWERED ASAGR^A. Veratrum officinale, Sehlecht; Helonias officinalis, Don. L. E. Sex. Syst. Hexandria, Trigynia, (Soinina; Sabadilla, L—Sabadilla; Fruit of Veratrum Sabadilla' of Helonias officinalis, and probably of other Melanthacete, E.) History.—This plant was described by Schlechtendahl, (Linnea, vi. 45,) afterwards by Mr. Don, (Ed. New Phil. Journ. Oct. 1839,) and subsequently by Dr. Lindley. (Bot. Reg. June, 1839.) The seeds were known to Monardes in 1573. They were called Sabadilla, or Cevadilla, or more properly Ceba- dilla (from the Spanish Cebada, barley,) on account of the supposed resemblance of the inflorescence of the plant to that of Hordeum. Botany. Gen. cuar.—Flowers polygamous,—racemose, naked. Perianth s\x-y*Tt\te;segme?its linear, veinless, almost equal, with a nectariferous excava- tion at the base, equal to the stamens. Stamens alternately shorter; anthers cordate, as if unilocular, after dehiscence shield-shaped. Ovaries three quite simple, attenuated into an obscure stigma. Follicles three, acuminate, papery ; ' See p. 103. VOL. II. 13 98 elements of materia medica. seeds scimetar-shaped, corrugated, winged.—Bulbous herbs, with grass-like leaves, and small, pale, densely-racemed./towers. (Lindley.) Sp. char.—The only species known. Leaves linear, acuminate, subcarinate, roughish at the margin, four feet long, and three lines broad. Scape round, about six feet high. Raceme, a foot and a half long, very dense, very straight, spiciform. Flowers white, with a bractea at the base. Anthers yellow. Hab___Eastern side of the Mexican Andes, near Barranca de Tioselo (Schiede). Neighbourhood of Vera Cruz (Hartweg). Description.—The cebadilla, cevadilla, or sabadilla of the shops (sabadilla; semina sabadillce mexicance) comes from Vera Cruz and Mexico. It consists of the follicles, (some containing seeds, others empty,) loose seeds, stalks, and abortive flowers of the Asagraea officinalis, and perhaps of Veratrum Sabadilla also. The follicles, commonly termed capsules, rarely exceed, or even equal, half an inch in length, and are about one line or a line and a half in diameter. They are ovate-oblong, acuminate. Their colour is pale yellowish-brown, or reddish gray. The coat of each is thin, dry, and of a papery consistence. Each fruit is composed of three follicles mutually adherent towards the base, open at the superior and internal part. The receptacle, fruitstalk, and the remains of the dried and withered calyx, are usually present in the cebadilla of the shops. Seldom more than one or two, though sometimes three, seeds are found in each follicle. The seeds are two or three lines long, scimetar-shaped, pointed, blackish brown, shiny, wrinkled or corrugated, slightly winged. Internally they are whitish or horny. Embryo straight, next the hilum, lodged in fleshy albumen. They have little odour, but a bitter, acrid, persistent taste. Composition.—Two analyses of cebadilla have been made about the same time (1819); one by Meissner (Schweigger's Journ. f. Chem. xxxi. 187); and a second by Pelletier and Caventou. (Journ. de Pharm. vi. 353.) The follow- ing are the results: Meissner's Analysis. Fatty matter (olein and stearin)..............2463 Wax (myricin)............................... (CIO Sabadillin (veratria).......................... 058 Resin (soluble in ether)....................... 145 Hard resin (insoluble in ether)................ 8-45 Bitter extractive with the acid which is united \ -Q7 to the sabadillin..........................j oy7 Sweet extractive.............................. 0-65 Extractive separable by alkalis...............2414 Gum......................................... 4-90 Vegetable jelly (phyteumacolla) with chloride ) -, n of potassium and vegetable salts of potash.. } Oxalate of lime combined with bassorin...... 106 Pelletier and Caventou's Analysis. c Olein. Fatty matter composed of...........< Stearin. ( Cevadic acid. Wax. Supergallate of veratria. Yellow colouring matter. Starch. Lignin. Gum. f Carbonate of potash. |------------lime. Ashes composed of...........* Phosphate lime. Ch , _hloride potassium. Li?"'"......................................20-56 i ^Silica. Water........................................ 640 ' Cebadilla. Cebadilla...................................100 00 j The ashes contained oxide of copper. 1. Cevadic or Sabadillic Acid.—This is a crystalline, fusible, volatile, fatty acid, having an odour analogous to butyric acid. It is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether. It is obtained by the saponification of the oil of cebadilla (fatty mat'er). Cevadate of ammonia causes a white precipitate with the persalts of iron. The composition of this acid is unknown. Oil of cebadilla given me by Mr. Morson is green, lighter than water, and has a faint, some- what rancid taste. 2. Veratric Acid, of Merck (Pharmaceutisches CentralBlalt fur 1839, S. 235).—This is a crystalline, fusible, volatile acid, soluble in alcohol, slightly so in water, but insoluble in ether. According to Schroetter it consists of C'8 H° O7 -f. aq. 3. Resin.—The two resins found by Meissner, but overlooked by Pelletier and Caventou, are probably endowed with activity. Couerbe obtained from cebadilla seeds, sabadillina, resin of veratria, and gum resin of sabadillina. Resin of veratria (veratrin. Couerbe) is a brown solid, fusible at 365°. Insoluble in ether SPIKE-FLOWERED ASAGRJEA. 99 (by which it is distinguished from veratria), and in water. It combines '^^jjfJ*?1 "eeith,e' saturates them, nor forms with them any crystallizable salts. It consists ot C n *> u . action on the animal economy has not been determined. , . • Gum resin of sabadillina (resinigomme, Couerbe: monohydrate of sabadillina, Alter) is a reddish solid, soluble in water and alcohol, but slightly so in ether. It saturates acids, dui docs not form crystalline compounds with them. Alkalis throw it down from Us saline com- binations. It consists of C30 H'< N O8. Hence it differs from anhydrous sabadillina in containing an atom more water. Furthermore it is distinguished from this alkali in not beinir crystallizable. , , n Sabadillina is said, by Simon, (Berl. Jahrb. Bd. xxxix. S, 393,) to be merely a compound of resinate of soda and resinate of veratria. Dr. Turnbull found it inferior in activity to veratria. 4. Veratkia.—(Sec p. 100.) Chemical Characteristics___The brownish coloured decoction of cebadilla reddens litmus, owing to the presence of free acid. Sesquichloride of iron deepens the colour of the decoction, and causes an olive brown precipitate. Alkalis deepen, whilst acids diminish, the colour of the decoction (by their action on the yellow colouring matter, Pelletier.) Acetate and diacetate of lead, protonitrate of mercury, and sulphate of copper, form precipitates in the decoc- tion. Oxalate of ammonia renders it turbid (oxalate of lime). Nitrate of silver forms a coloured precipitate, which is, for the most part, soluble in nitric acid: the insoluble portion is chloride of silver. Solutions of iodine and tincture of nutgalls have no obvious effect. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—Not ascertained. f3. On Animals.—Are similar to those of Veratrum album. Cebadilla has proved poisonous to dogs and cats. (Willemet, Nouv. Mem. de VAcad. de Di- jon, 1782.) A pinch of it produced violent spasms in cats ; half a drachm caused vomiting and convulsions in dogs. It is a poison to insects. Thus bugs die from it in convulsions : hence its use as a bug poison ! (Seeliger, in Schmuc- ker's Vermischt. chirurg. Schrift. vol. ii. p. 272.) Its efficacy in destroying pediculi has long been known. y. On Man___The action is probably similar to, though more acrid than, white hellebore. The effects of small and repeated doses have not been satis- factorily ascertained. Large and poisonous doses cause burning and pain in the throat and stomach, nausea, vomiting, purging, prostration of strength, con- vulsions, delirium, and sometimes a cutaneous eruption. Even the external ap- plication of the powder has caused dangerous effects. Plenck tells us of a young man who was rendered temporarily insane by the application of powder of ceba- dilla to the head. Lentin says an infant, whose nurse had sprinkled the pow- der in its hair, died in convulsions. (Murray, App. Med. vol. v. p. 172). Rubbed on ihe skin, the tincture causes a stinging sensation similar to that produced by veratria. After its use for some days, a slight eruption appears on the skin. Rubbed over the cardiac region, it in some instances reduces the fre- quency and force of the pulse in a marked degree. The alcoholic extract has nearly the same effects, when taken internally, as veratria. It also induces sen- sations of heat and tingling on the surface of the skin, and sometimes acts as a diuretic. (Turnbull, On the Medicinal Properties of the Ranunculacea, p. 7.) Uses.—Cebadilla has been employed internally, as an anthelmintic, in both thread-worms and tape-worms. (Schmucker's Verm, chirurg. Schrift. Bd. ii. S. 271.) Dr. Turnbull (op. cit. p. 7,) has given the extract with benefit in painful rheumatic and neuralgic affections. Though it is applicable in all the maladies for the relief of which veratria has been recommended, it is rarely ad- ministered by the mouth. Externally the powder of the seeds has been used to destroy pediculi; hence the Germans called the seeds Ldusesaamen or lice-seeds. But it cannot be ap- plied with safety to children, and especially when the skin is broken. I have already referred to the dangerous consequences of its employment. The tinc- ture has been used as a rubefacient in chronic rheumatism, and, rubbed over the heart, in some cases of nervous palpitation. (Turnbull, op. cit.) It may, 100 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. in fact, be employed as a cheap though efficient substitute for the tincture of veratria. . , , But the principal use of the seeds, for which indeed they have been introduced into the Pharmacopceia, is for yielding veratria. Administration.—The following are the preparations of Lebadilla which have been employed in medicine. . 1. PULVIS SABADILLvE.—Pulvis contra pediculos ; Poudre de Capucm ; Pow- der of Cebadilla___The dose for an adult is from two to six grains ; gradually increased. In one case of tape-worm, half a drachm was taken daily for four- teen days. (Seeliger, in Schmucker, op. cit. vol. ii. p. 271.) 2. TINCTURA SABADILLJE.—Saturated Tincture of Cebadilla, Turnbull. (Ce- badilla seeds, freed from their capsules and bruised, any quantity; Rectified Spirit, as much as will cover them. Digest for ten days).—Used as a rubefa- cient liniment in chronic rheumatism and paralysis. It is rubbed over the heart in nervous palpitation. i. EXTRACTUM ALCOHOLICUM SABADILLA; Alcoholic Extract of Cebadilla.— Evaporate the saturated tincture, with a very gentle heat, to a proper consist- ence. Dose, l-6th of a grain, gradually increased. It is given, in the form of pill, in rheumatic and neuralgic cases. 4. VERATRIA, L. E.; (U. S.) Veratrine; Veratrina, Thomson; Sabadillin, Meissner.—This vegetable alkaloid was discovered about the same time (1819), by Meissner in Cermany, and by Pelletier and Caventou in France. Couerbe (Ann. de Chim. etde Phys. t. 52, p. 368,) probably was the first who obtained it pure. Preparation.—The following process for making veratria, contained in the London Pharmacopceia, is nearly identical with that described by Soubeiran, (Nouv. Traite de Pharm. t. ii. p. 190,) and is a modification of one given by Couerbe. (It has been adopted by the U. S. P.) "Take of Cebadilla, bruised, lb. ij.; Rectified Spirit, Cong, iii.; Diluted Sulphuric Acid; So- lution of Ammonia; Purified Animal Charcoal; Magnesia; each as much as maybe suffi- cient. Boil the Cebadilla with a gallon of the spirit, for an hour, in a retort to which a receiver is fitted. Pour off the liquor, and boil what remains with another gallon of spirit and the spirit recently distilled, and pour off the liquor: and let it be done a third time. Press the Cebadilla, and let the spirit distil from the mixed and strained liquors. Evaporate what remains to the proper consistence of an extract. Boil this three or more times in water, to which a little diluted sulphuric acid has been added, and with a gentle heat, evaporate the strained liquors to the consistence of a syrup. Into this, when cold, put the magnesia to saturation, frequently shaking [them]; then press, and wash. Let this be done twice or thrice: then dry what re- mains, and digest with a gentle heat in spirit two or three times, and as often strain. After- wards let the spirit distil. Boil the residue in water, to which a little sulphuric acid and ani- mal charcoal are added, for a quarter of an hour, and strain. Lastly, the charcoal being thoroughly washed, cautiously evaporate the [mixed] liquors until they have the consistence of a syrup, and drop into them as much ammonia as may be sufficient to throw down the vera- tria. Separate this, and dry it." The process of the Edinburgh Pharmacopceia is as follows: " Take any convenient quantity of Cevadilla : pour boiling water over it in a covered vessel, and let it macerate for 24 hours; remove the Cevadilla, squeeze it, and dry it thoroughly with a gentle heat. Beat it now in a mortar, and separate the seeds from the capsules by brisk agi- tation in a deep narrow vessel. Grind the seeds in a coffee-mill, and form them into a thick paste with rectified spirit. Pack this firmly in a percolator, and pass rectified spirit through it till the spirit ceases to be coloured. Concentrate the spirituous solutions, by distillation, so long as no deposit forms, and pour the residuum, while hot, into twelve times its volume of cold water. Filter through calico, and wash the residuum on the filter so long as the washings precipitate with ammonia. Unite the filtered liquid with the washings, and add an excess of ammonia. Collect the precipitate on a filter, wash it slightly with cold water, and dry it fust by imbibition with filtering paper, and then in the vapour bath. A small additional quantity may be got by concentrating the filtered ammoniacal fluid, and allowing it to cool. " Veratria thus obtained is not pure, but sufficiently so for medicinal use. From this co- loured substance it may be obtained white, though at considerable loss, by solution in very weak muriatic acid, decolorization with animal charcoal, and re-precipitation with ammonia." VERATRIA. 101 Theory.—The following statement applies to the process of the London Col- lege, and is perhaps correct as far as it goes :—Cebadilla yields to rectified spirit veratria in combination with a vegetable acid. When the alcoholic extract is treated with water and sulphuric acid, an impure solution of the sulphate of ve- ratria is obtained. Magnesia decomposes this, unites with the sulphuric and vegetable acids, and sets free the alkaloid, which is taken up by rectified spirit. The extract obtained by distilling off the spirit is then boiled in water with sul- phuric acid and animal charcoal: the acid unites with the alkaloid, while the charcoal abstracts colouring matter. Ammonia being added to the strained solution, combines with the sulphuric acid, and occasions a precipitate, which, when dried, constitutes commercial or medicinal veratria (veratria, L. and E.) By Couerbe's process, a drachm of commercial veratria may, it is said, be procured from one pound of cebadilla. Commercial veratria was said by Couerbe to be composed of pure veratria, sabadillina, resin of veratria (veratrin, Couerbe), and gum-resin of veratria (resinigomme, Couerbe). These are separated from each other by the successive action of water, ether, and alcohol, as shown by the following table:— !,;ioi,u in kn;i;n» ..,«.„k S 1. Sabadillina, which crystallizes on cooling. yieias to Doning water......j 2 Resin gf Veratria< ,eft in the cold solution. ( 3. Veratria, soluble in ether. insoluble in boiling water. ..< 4. Gum resin of veratria. insoluble in ether, ( but soluble in alcohol. The nature of sabadillina has been already pointed out (p. 99). Properties.—Commercial veratria is pulverulent, odourless, and grayish or brownish white. All the samples I have tasted were bitter and acrid, and pro- duced a feeling of numbness and tingling when applied to the tongue. But pure veratria is an almost white, friable solid, having the aspect of a resin: it is un- crvstallizable, odourless, has a very acrid taste, without any mixture of bitter- ness. It is fusible at 240° F. It is sparingly soluble in ether, readily so in alcohol, scarcely so in cold water. It possesses alkaline properties: thus, it restores the blue colour of reddened litmus, and saturates acids. Its salts crys- tallize with difficulty : indeed the sulphate and hydrochlorate alone have been obtained in the state of crystals ; the other salts have a gummy aspect. Both the hydrochlorate and sulphate are soluble in water. Characteristics.—Veratria is known by the following characters :—Its alka- linity, its combustibility, its uncrystallizability, the difficult crystallizability of its salts, its solidity at ordinary temperatures, its ready solubility in alcohol, its being almost insoluble in water, but sparingly soluble in ether, and by the in- tense red colour which it assumes when mixed with strong liquid sulphuric acid (see Salicin). Nitric acid renders commercial veratria reddish, and forms a yellow solution with it (see Morphia and Narcotina). A solution of veratria in dilute acetic acid produces a whitish precipitate (tannate of veratria) with tincture of nutgalls, a white one (hydrated veratria) with ammonia, and an in- tense red colour with concentrated sulphuric acid. Carbazotic acid does not occasion a precipitate (see vol. i. p. 182). To these chemical peculiarities must be added those characteristics derived from its physiological effects :—A minute portion of veratria causes violent sneezing, and a small quantity of a solution of four grains of veratria in a fluidrachm of rectified spirit, rubbed on the wrist or forehead, produces, within three or four minutes, heat and tingling. wXhref and ^ bitter t Jste. It is to be cautiously administered. to CouerbeI-I°N'~The f°ll0Wing is the comPosition of pure veratria, according ■*««••. Eq. Wt. Per Cent. Couerbe. hvSenV.7.7.:: g .........»} .......... ™« .......... to™ Nitrogen......... I .. ...... 14 .......... ''£ .......... 7-636 Oxygen.......... 6 .......... A .......... ,1£ .......... 5*10 _____________ .......... 48 .......... 16-G7 .......... 16368 VerBtria........ » ........-288 .......... 10000 .......... 100000 102 elements of materia medica. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals.—Magendie (Formulairc, p. 16;. 8me ed.) has shown that the local action of veratria is that of an irritant. Placed in the nostrils of a dog the acetate of veratria provoked violent and continued sneezing. When introduced into the intestinal canal it caused inflammation. Applied to parts whence absorption goes on actively (as the pleura and tunica vaginalis), it occasions tetanus and death in a few minutes. Fovcke(Untersuch. iiber d. Veratrin, 1837,) gave moderate and gradually increased doses (j to i. of a grain) of veratria for 20 days. It caused vomiting, and occasionally foam- ing at the mouth. The stools continued hard. Dr. Bardsley (Hosp. Facts and Observ. 1829,) observed vomiting and giddiness (reeling) produced in animals to whom he gave veratria. /3. On man.—Applied to the nose a minute quantity excites excessive sneez- ing. Rubbed on the skin in the form of ointment, it causes a sensation of heat and tingling (called by Dr. Turnbull electro-stimulation). This effect is not confined to the part and its immediate neighbourhood where the application has been made: for somewhat similar sensations are occasionally experienced in distant parts. Taken internally, in small or medicinal doses, veratria excites a feeling of warmth in the stomach and bowels, which extends to the chest and extremities. Tingling and various anomalous sensations (as of a current of hot or cold air or water passing over the skin) are perceived in various parts of the body. Nausea and vomiting are occasionally excited by a full dose. On the secre- tions and exhalations its action is not very uniform. It frequently produces perspiration, and not unfrequently diuresis. Forcke (op. cit. p. 22,) mentions increased secretion of saliva and of tears produced without the contact of the veratria either with the conjunctiva or mouth. The bowels are for the most part confined, so that purgatives are not unfrequently required during the use of it. Yet in some cases veratria has caused copious bilious evacuations. In some instances it has promoted, in others diminished, the appetite. Forcke mentions that a pustular eruption is sometimes induced by it. Dr. Bardsley generally found the pulse become slower and depressed after the use of veratria. I am not acquainted with any cases of poisoning in the human subject by excessive doses of veratria. Vomiting and convulsions would probably be induced. Uses.—Veratria is employed externally or internally : sometimes in both ways at the same time. It has been tried in the following cases: a. In neuralgia it has been used by Dr. Turnbull, Dr. Ebers, of Breslau, (Dierbach, Neuist. Entd. in d. Mat. Med. 1837,) and Dr. Forcke. It is ap- plied in the form of ointment, containing from twenty to forty grains of veratria to an ounce of lard. The frictions are to be continued until the heat and tin- gling caused by the veratria have acquired a considerable degree of intensity. Though, according to my own experience, it fails to give relief in a large majo- rity of cases, yet in some few its effects are highly beneficial, and in none is it injurious. As a remedy for neuralgia, it is, however, far inferior to Aconitum and its alkali Aconitina. /3. In some nervous diseases (Neuroses, Cull.)—Veratria has been exten- sively used in this class of diseases, but for the most part empirically. If it possess any therapeutical power, " a more extended experience is required to establish its claim to our regard," (Paris, Appendix to the 8th ed. of the Phar- mac^logia). Among the maladies against which it has been used (in some in- stances internally, but mostly externally) are,—nervous palpitation, paralysis, hooping-cough, epilepsy, hysteria, hypocondriasis, &c. (see the treatises of Turnbull and Forcke, before referred to.) y. In rheumatism and gout.—Dr. Bardsley gave it internally in rheuma- tism, but with no remarkable results. Externally it has been employed in the form of ointment by Sir C. Scudamore and Dr. Turnbull. It should not be ap- veratria. 103 plied while the inflammation is of an active kind. It would appear to be best adapted for the neuralgic forms of rheumatism. S. In dropsy.—Dr. Bardsley administered it internally in dropsy, but says it possesses " no particular claims to the attention of the profession." Ebers em- ployed veratria endermically, and also, in the form of ointment, epidermically. It acted as a diuretic, and gave relief. (See Forcke, op. supra cit.) Administration.—The ordinary veratria of the shops is administered in doses of one-sixth of a grain, three times a day. On account of its acridity it should not be given in solution, but in the form of pills. *. Pilulee Veratria; Veratria Pills; Turnbull.—Veratria, gr. j.; Extract of Hyoscyamus; Liquorice powder, aa gr. xij. Let 12 pills be made, of which one must be taken every three hours. [i. Tinctura Veratria ; Veratria Embrocation ; Turnbull.—Veratria, 3j.; Rectified Spirit 3ij. Dissolve. This embrocation is sometimes used as a substitute for the ointment. Ma- gendie (Formulaire) directs a tincture of veratria to be prepared by dissolving four grains of the alkali in an ounce of alcohol. Of this from 10 to 25 drops are taken, in a cup of broth, as a substitute for the tincture of colchicum. y. Unguentum Veratria; Veratria Ointment; Turnbull.—Veratria, 3ss.; Olive Oil, 3j.; Prepared Lard, 3j. M. . a I have received from Dr. D. Maclagan, Lecturer on Materia Medica in Edinburgh, two specimens of aloes, one marked " True Socotrine Aloes garnet red in their fragments ;" the other " Aloes given to me as True Socotrine, rough fracture nearly garnet red in thin fragments. Included under Aloe indica Ed. Pharm.' Both kinds are Socotrine aloes. 31 am informed that they are the skins of the Gazelle. ALOES. 107 able acidity, and Mr. Hennell informs me, that in the preparation of the Com- pound Extract of Colocynth he has frequently observed the fatty acid of the soap set free by the acid of the Socotrine aloes. When a package of Socrotine aloes arrives at a druggist warehouse, it is usually garbled or sorted. The finest, clear, and hard pieces are separated for sale. The soft portions are placed upon slabs or in shallow tin trays, or other vessels, and exposed* to a very gentle heat to harden them (hardened Socotrine aloes), and at the same time to preserve the favourite colour of this kind of aloes. Mr. Whipple, who has had great experience in these matters, informs me, that " the loss would be frightful, if after selecting or separating the clean aloes, the skins were not washed and the aloes obtained by subsequent evapo- ration." In the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia the following characters are assigned to the Aloe" socotrina : " In thin pieces, translucent, and garnet red; almost entirely soluble in spirit of the strength ofsherry. Very rare.'1'' But Socotrine aloes as imported is not " in thin pieces ;" this character being given to it in the garbling process, or by drying the soft portions in thin layers as above mentioned. Translucency and a garnet red colour are qualities not possessed by many fine specimens of Socotrine aloes. The alcoholic strength of slier ry is subject to variation, and, therefore, the statement of the College as to the solubility of Socotrine aloes is not very definite. Lastly, as to Socotrine aloes being very rare, I may observe that Mr. Hennell, of Apothecaries' Hall, informs me (Dec. 21, 1841), that he will be happy to take an order for 500 lbs. of it. The impure and dirty pieces of Socotrine aloes are sometimes melted and strained (Strained Socotrine Aloes) by which its colour and odour are impaired, and its other qualities somewhat altered. Socotrine aloes has long been regarded as the best kind of aloes, though its commercial value is now below that of Barbadoes aloes. It is, 1 suspect, infe- rior in activity. Socotrine aloes is mentioned by Avicenna and Mesue, both of whom regarded it as the best kind. By Fee, (Cours d'Hist. Nat. Pharm. t. i. p. 325,) and some other continental writers, it is confounded with Cape aloes. The aloes prepared in the island of Socotra is probably procured from Aloe socotrina. In 1833, the quantity exported from this island was 83 skins, or 2 tons. But a much larger quantity might be procured if required. (Wellstead, Journ. Geograph. Soc. vol. v.) Sir Whitelaw Ainslie (Materia Indica, vol. i! p. 9,) says that the greater part of the extract now sold under the name of So- cotrine aloes is prepared in the kingdom of Melinda. Two samples (one of which I have in my museum) brought direct from the island of Socotra, by a friend of Professor Royle, are largely intermixed with foreign substances, as sand, skins, &c. i. Genuine Hepatic Aloes: Liver-coloured Socotrine Aloes (Aloe hepatica vera. 1 Aloe indica E.).1 I have never met with any description of this kind • and I suspect continental writers confound it with the foregoing variety In English commerce it is always regarded as distinct. It is brought to us from Bombay (hence it is sometimes called Bombay or East India Aloes) in skins, contained in casks holding from 200 to 300 pounds a Its odour is very much the same as that of the Socotrine kind, or perhaps it is a ■ I suspect hepatic, aloes is included by the Edinburgh Collece under " nini ,„j;, » w • these, except the last, contain the skin packages." ' a"d hold,nG about & »«• AH of 108 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. little less fragrant. It is distinguished from the latter by its opacity and its liver colour. I have a sample of this aloes quite soft or semiliquid. 1 he similarity of the odour of Socotrine and hepatic aloes leads to the suspicion that they are obtained from the same plant; and which is further confirmed by the two be- ing sometimes brought over intermixed, the Socotrine occasionally forming a vein in a cask of the hepatic aloes. By digestion in rectified spirit ol wine, a yellowish granular powder (in appearance something like lycopodium) is ob- tained, which is insoluble in water, alcohol, ether, and dilute sulphuric ac.d, but is readily soluble in a solution of caustic potash, forming a red-coloured liquid. 3. Barbadoes Aloes: Aloes in gourds (Aloe barbadensis, Ph Ed.)—Ihis is the kind denominated by most continental writers (as Geiger, Theod. Martius, Pfaff, Fee, and others), Hepatic Aloes (Aloe hepatica), but its colour is not con- stantly that of the liver. It is imported from Barbadoes or Jamaica in gourds, weighing from 60 to 70 pounds, or even more than this. It varies in colour from a dark brown or black (brown or black Barbadoes aloes) to a reddish brown or liver colour (liver-coloured or hepatic Barbadoes aloes): even in the same gourd a difference of colour is occasionally observed. The fracture also varies, sometimes being dull, at other times glossy. Its unpleasant odour, (which is much increased by breathing on it) will always distinguish it from the foregoing kinds. Its powder is of a dull olive-yellow colour. This kind of aloes is obtained from the Aloe vulgaris. 4. Cape Aloes (Aloe capensis : A. lucida of Geiger).—This kind is imported, as its name indicates, from the Cape of Good Hope. It is brought over in chests and skins, the latter being preferred, as the aloes contained therein are usually purer and more glossy. It has a shining resinous appearance, is of a deep brown colour, with a greenish tint, and has a glossy or resinous fracture; its edges, or thin laminae, viewed by transmitted light, have a yellowish red or ruby colour; its odour is stronger and more disagreeable than the Barbadoes aloes; its powder is greenish yellow. Some of the commoner kinds of Cape aloes have a rough fracture. The finest kinds of Cape aloes is called Bethels- dorp aloes (see p. 106). Occasionally it has been imported of a reddish brown colour, like that of the liver, and opaque liver-coloured or hepatic Cape aloes). Some years since an experienced dealer bartered 3 lbs. of Cape aloes for 1 lb. of what he thought to be the genuine hepatic aloes, but which turned out to be a fine sort of Cape aloes. I presume this is the kind which Professor Guibourt, (Hist, des Drog. simpl. t. ii. p. 418, 3me ed.) to whom I sent a specimen of it, terms Alois hepa- tiquefaux. Its odour, when breathed on, instantly detects it. Cape aloes is procured from Aloe spicata, and perhaps also from other spe- cies, as A. arborescens, Mill., A. commelyni, Willd., A. mitriformis, Willd. (Lindley, Flora Medica.) 5. Fetid, Horse or Cattaiiinc Aloes. (Alo't caballina).—I have never met with any aloes under this name in English commerce. From Prof. Guibourt I have received two substances, which he denominates Aloes Caballin. tt. One is impure or foot Cape aloes. /8. The other is in black opaque masses. Its fracture is uniform. It is difficult to pulverise, adheres to the pestle, gives a greenish powder, has very little odour, and yields a dark brown decoction. It is probably an extract prepared by boiling the leaves in water. Professor Guibourt (Hist, des Drog. ii. 419) says Caballine aloes is procured either in the countries which furnish ordinary aloes, or in Spain or Senegal. 6. Mocha Aloes (Aloe de Mochd).—Under this name I found in a drug ware- house, where it had lain for many years, an impure kind of aloes, in large irre- gular masses, opaque, and black externally, intermixed with sand, strings, &c. In its brittleness, odour, and the pale colour of its decoction, it resembles Cape aloes. The interior of the mass is not uniform: in some places it is dark and opaque, somewhat like Barbadoes aloes, in other places it resembles Socotrine ALOES. 109 aloes, and here and there we find portions having the transparency and resinous appearance of Cape aloes. Recently this kind of aloes has been imported under the name of Mocha aloes from Muscat, in chests containing nearly 2 cwt. each.1 7. Indian Aloes (AM indica; not the Aloe indica of the Edinburgh Pharma- copoeia.)—Through the kindness of Professor Royle, I have examined four kinds of aloes brought from the interior of India : a. Aloes from Northern India.—Is dull, black, and brittle, and has little odour. It came from the northern parts of India, where it is common in the bazaars. It is probably the kind which Ainslie (Mat. Ind. vol. ii. p. 10) says resembles Barbadoes aloes. /3. Guzerat Aloes.—Is dark, more gummy in its appearance and feel, more difficult to frac- ture. It came from Guzerat. y. Salem Aloes.—In blackish masses. It was brought from Salem. It is distinguished from all the preceding by the numerous large air cavities observed in its interior. Its odour is analogous to that of Socotrine aloes. Its price is marked one anna and nine pice [about twopence-halfpenny] per pound. t. Tricliinopoli Aloes.—Resembles Cape aloes in its brittleness, odour, and colour, but is more opaque. Its price is marked two annas [about threepence] per pound. These aloes are probably the produce, in part at least, of AM indica (Royle, Bot. of the Himalayan Mountains); a species with reddish flowers, common in dry situations in the northwestern provinces of India, and which, if known to Roxburgh, was included by him in the A. perfoliata, Linn, and perhaps also of A. vulgaris, or the plant mentioned by Rheede. (Hort. Malab. ii. t. 3.) Composition.—Aloes has been analysed by Trommsdorf, (Ann. de Chim. t. Ixviii. p. 11, 1808,) by Bouillon-Lagrange and Vogel, (Ann.de Chim. t. Ixviii. p. 155,) by Braconnot, (Journ. de Physiq. t. Ixxxiv. p. 334, 1817,) and by Winkler. (Ceiger, Hand. d. Pliarm. Bd. ii. p. 782, 1829.) Trommsdorf. Bouillon-Lagrange and Vogel. Braconnot. Winkler. Socotrine. Saponaceous principle 7.5 Vegetable albumen... 0 Barbadoes 8125 (i-25 125 trace Soc. Extractive 08 Vegetable ) „ albumen j Bar. 52 42 0 Soc. Bitter princ. 73 Puce do. 26 Impurities 1 Soc. Bitter matter 50 Resin.......50 Albumen--- 0 Bar. 60 35 5 10000 100 100 100 100 100 1. Aloksin, Pfaff, (Saponaceous Matter; Extractive; Bitter Principle). This is the princi- pal constituent of aloes. It is contained in the cold infusion of aloes, and also in a decoction which has cooled ; it may be obtained from either by evaporation. Thus procured it is a brown and bitter mass, readily soluble in water, but difficultly so in spirit of wine. In pure alcohol or ether it is said to be insoluble, or nearly so. Besides carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, it con- turns nitrogen, for it yields ammonia by destructive distillation, and furnishes carbazo'ticacid when treated by nitric acid. Aloesin is probably a mixture or compound of various proximate principles. Obtained as above, Braconnot says it contains some of the puce-coloured principle which may be removed by oxide of lead. ' 2. Resin.—The substance which deposits from a decoction of aloes as it cools is usually denominated rcsm. Braconnot says it is a mixture of aloesin and puce-coloured principle- while Berzehus regards it as apoMme combined with unaltered extract. It is transparent' brown, fusible, soluble in alcohol, ether, and alkaline' solutions. The puce-coloured principle of Braconnot is an odourless and tasteless powder, combustible, but not fusible; and is nrcDared by digesting aloes with water and oxide of lead: a compound of the puce principle and the ox.de is procured, which is to be washed and decomposed by weak nitric acid: the oxide is dissolved, and the puce principle left. From Braconnot's observations, this principle seems to bo rather oxidized extractive (apotheme, Berz.) than resin. ' rmcipie seems to akohol'UETABLE Albumen—This term 's applied to a substance insoluble in both water and I. Aloetic Acio.-This is the acid which Trommsdorf supposed to be gallic acid A snln t.on of aloes reddens litmus, darkens ferruginous solutions, but does not prociSe «£laiin" hence Trommsdorf assumed the presence of gallic acid. But while gdlc'cd'causef blue colour with the persalts of iron, infusion of aloes produces an olive brown one FurthermorT if excess of diucotate of" lead baj|ddedtoU» infusion, and sulphuretted hydrogen^ oe passed nSbto^wl1^^1" aDd "--^-^o^^^^v^^, than 25 per 110 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. through the filtered liquor, to throw down the excess of lead, he boiled and . ratned hqnor possesses the property of becoming olive brown on the addition of sesqu chJojule °f .on 1 lence it appears to me that the acid is a peculiar one, and I have accordingly £rmcd i. «*ojlicacuL Itm!»t not be confounded with an acid obtained by the action of nitric acid on aloes, and which has also been termed aloetic acid. .... e Alnin* to a snnnnord Meissner (PfafTs Mat. Med. vol. vii p. IT I) has given the name of /.^f l° * fSUP!™ alkali in aloes. Its solulion was brown, and acted as an alkali on reddened litmus paper. With sulphuric acid, aloine formed a crystalline salt. „0„.r~l v».-ret»Kln Winkler (Schwartz, Pharm. Tabell. p. 294, 2" Ausg.) regards aloes as a neutral vegetable saircomposed of two peculiar basic substances (viz. a non-bitter resin, and a bitter substance), and an acid, viz. a colouring, non-bitter matter. . Fabroni (Ann. de Chim. Ixv. 301) obtained a fine violet colour from the recent juice of the Aloe, which has been proposed as a dye for silk. It is formed by the action of the oxygen of the air on the juice. Chemical Characteristics—Aloes is almost completely soluble in boiling water. The cold decoction of Cape aloes is much paler coloured than that of any other kind of aloes. Barbadoes aloes yields the deepest coloured decoction. When the decoction of aloes cools, the substance called resin is deposited. The clear solution reddens litmus, strikes a deep olive brown tint (aloetate of iron) with sesquichloride of iron, is deepened in colour by alkalis, but is unchanged by gelatin. Diacetate of lead forms a copious yellow precipitate with it. When aloes is heated with nitric acid, nitrous fumes are evolved, and the principles of which aloes consist are oxidized. The residuum has an intensely bitter taste, and is termed Artificial Aloebitter (Kmstliches Aloebilter). It is probably a mixture of several principles. The products of the action of nitric acid on aloes have occupied the attention of several dis- tinguished chemists; but the results of their experiments, though highly interesting, are not uniform. Braconnot (Ann. de Chim. Ixviii. 28), and Chevreul (Ann.de Chim. lxxiii. 46,) ex- amined the reaction. The former applied the term aloetic acid to the residual solid; which Liebig1 subsequently declared to be a mixture of nitric or nitrous acid, carbazotic acid, and a peculiar, non-acid, resinous red matter. Boutin (Journ. de Pharmacie, t. xxvi. p. 185,) has more recently examined the reaction of nitric acid on aloes, and he states the products to be polychromatic acid (the aloetic acid of Braconnot) composed, according to Pelonze, of C15 Ha N2 O'3, oxalic acid, carbazotic acid, and cyanile. Schunck (Kane's Elements of Chemistry,?. 1034,) states that by the action of nitric acid on aloes, he obtained four peculiar acids, viz. aloetic acid, aloeresinic acid, chrysammic acid, C15 HsNa 012-f.Aq., and chrysolepic acid, Cia Ha N3 013-j-Aq. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—Not ascertained. 8. On Animals___Aloes is the ordinary purgative for solipedes (the horse, the ass, the zebra, &c.) as it is both safe and sure. In horses, previously pre- pared by two or three bran-mashes to soften the dung, the dose is from five to seven drachms. (Youatt, The Horse, p. 211.) It acts slowly, requiring from eighteen to forty-eight hours for its operation. (Moiroud, Pharm. Veter. p. 26.) Mr. Youatt informs me that aloes is a valuable purgative for the dog, in doses of from one to three drachms, and with the addition of from one to three grains of calomel. Barbadoes aloes is preferred by veterinarians, as being more effective than Cape aloes, in the ratio of about seven to five. Aloes proves purgative to oxen, sheep, and pigs, but, as in the other cases, it operates slowly. (Wibmer's Wirk. d. Arzneim.) Moiroud (op. cit.) injected into the veins of a horse four drachms of aloes dissolved in water with a little alcohol, and the next day an ounce more, without any other effect than the evacuation of a large quantity of urine. The dung, however, was enveloped by a thin pellicle formed by altered intestinal mucus. This was collected and analyzed subsequent to the death of the animal (which followed three days after the injection): it offer- ed scarcely any traces of the constituents of the bile. y. On man.—Taken internally in small doses, aloes acts as a tonic to the alimentary canal, assisting the digestive process, strengthening the muscular fibres, and promoting the secretions, especially that of the liver, which organ it Poggendorf's Annalen, xiii. 205; also Liebig and Poggendorff's Handworterbuch d. Chem. S. 263. 1837. ALOES. Ill is thought specifically to influence. In large doses it acts as a purgative. There are, however, some peculiarities attending its cathartic operation deserving ot notice. In the first place, these effects are not so speedily produced as by some other purgatives ; for eight, twelve, and sometimes twenty-four hours elapse before they are produced. Secondly, aloes acts especially on the large intes- tines, and a full dose is in some persons apt to produce heat and irritation about the rectum and tenesmus, and, in those troubled with hemorrhoids, it is said not unfrequently to increase, or even to bring on, the sanguineous discharge. Fal- lopius (opera omnia, p. 109, Francof. 1600,) tells us that of one hundred per- sons who used aloes as a purgative, ninety were affected with the hemorrhoidal flux, which ceased when the use of aloes was omitted. But though this state- ment has been often quoted as an objection to the use of aloes, it is of little im- portance, as there is no evidence that the disease was brought on by aloes. The uterus, in common with all the pelvic viscera, is stimulated by aloes. A deter- mination of blood towards these organs, and a fulness of the blood-vessels (espe- cially of the veins), are produced, and thus uterine irritation and monorrhagia arc apt to be increased by aloes, while in amenorrhoea and chlorosis it may oc- casionally act as an emmenagogue. Dr. VVedekind (Rust's Magazin, 1827, Bd. 24, Heft. 2, S. 304,) says that small doses of aloes often occasion erection, and increase the sexual feelings. The purgative effects of aloes do not arise merely from their local action on the alimentary canal, since this effect is sometimes produced when the medicine has been neither swallowed nor given by the rectum. Thus Monro primus (Works, p. 306, 1781,) tells us, that the tincture of aloes applied to a caries of the bone produced purging; and it is said (Mem. de la Soc. Roy. de Med. Paris, torn. ii. p. 162,) that an aloetic pill used as a stimulant to an issue had a similar effect; lastly, applied to a blistered surface it has the same operation. So that the purgative action of aloes appears to be of a specific kind. According to Dr. Wedekind, (op. cit.; also Lancet, vol. i. 1827-8, p. 347,) the operation of aloes depends on the increased secretion of bile, which is pro- duced by the specific action of this medicine on the liver. He founds this opi- nion on the results of various experiments. Thus he says, that if aloes be added to purgatives (a laxative infusion and sulphate of soda,) whose operation is speedy, its effects do not take place for some hours after those caused by the other purgatives; and he also asserts, that the evacuations in the second purging differ from those of the first both in appearance and smell. Moreover, he found that as long as the stools were white or gray in icterus, the aloes did not purge even when exhibited in large doses; but the purgative effect super- vened immediately after the faecal matter began to contain bile, proving that the presence of bile in the intestinal canal is a necessary condition of the purgative effect of aloes. But in Moiroud's experiment above quoted, no effect seemed to be produced on the hepatic secretion. In all probability, the increased secretion of bile, the irritation about the rec- tum, the disposition to hemorrhoids, and the vascular excitement of the sexual organs, all of which are said to be produced by aloes, are the effects of a stimu- lant action exerted by this medicine over the venous system of the abdomen, and especially of the pelvis. I Jr. (Jreenhow (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol xix. p. 270,) ascribes a diuretic effect to aloes, and his statement is corroborated by Moiroud's experiment. Socotrine aloes is said not to be so apt to occasion hemorrhoids as the Bar- badoes kind. Some years since, Dr. Clutterbuck instituted numerous experi- ments at the General Dispensary, Aldersgate Street, which I witnessed, to de- termine the effects of the different kinds of aloes, but scarcely any difference in their operation on the human subject was perceptible. However, it is probable that Cape aloes is less powerful in its action on man, as it is on the horse, than the Barbadoes kind. But the difference is less obvious in the human subject, on 112 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. account of the comparative smallness of the dose required to produce the purga- tivc effect* As a purgative, aloes holds an intermediate rank between rhubarb and senna. Vogt (Pharmakodynamik, Bd. ii. S. 331, 2- Aufl.), places it between jalap and rhubarb. From rhubarb it is distinguished by its more stimulant influence over the large intestines and the pelvic organs: from senna by its feebler action asa purgative, by its slow operation, and by its tonic influence when given in small doses. It irritates less powerfully than cither jalap or scammony ; further, its influence over the blood-vessels of the pelvic viscera is greater than these. Use.—The uses of aloes may be readily inferred from the remarks already made. It is evidently not adapted for those cases in which a speedy effect is required; and it is, therefore, useless to add it to purgatives to quicken their operation. It is well fitted for cases of'costiveness where there is a scanty se- cretion of bile, and for torpid conditions of the large intestines, especially when attended with deficient uterine action. Some of the ill effects ascribed to the use of aloes are probably imaginary, and others are much exaggerated. (On the Use and Abuse of Aloes, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. iv. p. 139.) It is, however, advisable to avoid the use of this purgative in inflammatory conditions and or- ganic diseases of the liver, in biliary calculi, in mechanical impediments to the passage of the blood through the branches of the portal veins, in hemorrhage from any of the pelvic organs (as the uterus and rectum), in irritation of the rectum, prostate gland, or bladder, in pregnancy, &c. For we have many other equally efficient purgatives, to the use of which, in these cases, no ill conse- quences have been ascribed. While, therefore, I concur with Dr. Fothergill (Med. Obs. and Inq. vol. v. p. 173,) in advising that the exhibition of aloes should be avoided when the menses are about to cease, I am not prepared to admit that " the piles, strangury, immoderate discharges of the menses, racking pains in the loins, representing labour pains, and other similar complaints," are frequently induced by this medicine. On the contrary, I suspect this catalogue of the evils of aloetic purges to be much overcharged. " Aloetic medicines," says Dr. Denman, (Introd. to the Pract. of Midwifery,) " are forbidden during pregnancy, lest they should do mischief by their supposed deobstruent qualities ; but they are cheap and conveniently given in the form of pills, and I have not observed any bad effects from them." The emaciation, stricture of the rectum, and enteritis, referred by Dr. Greenhow (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xix. p. 270) to the long-continued use of aloetic medicines, ought doubtless to be ascribed to other causes. The following are some of the cases in which the use of aloes has been ad- vised : 1. In loss of appetite, and dyspepsia, depending on a debilitated condition of the digestive organs, accompanied by costiveness, but unattended with any signs of local irritation, aloes may be given in small doses as a stomachic. 2. In habitual costiveness, depending on deficiency of bile, or on a sluggish condition of the large intestines—particularly in hypochondriacal or studious persons, or in those whose habits or occupations are sedentary—aloes, given in sufficient doses to purge, will be found a very useful medicine. A torpid state of the colon, with large faecal accumulation, is not unusual in females. (Cop- land, Diet. Pract. Med. art. Colon, torpor of.) In such the use of aloes is often attended with much benefit. 3. To excite the menstrual discharge aloes is frequently employed. It has been supposed that by determining an afflux of blood to the pelvic organs, aloes would stimulate the uterine vessels, and thus relieve deficient menstruation con- nected with atonic conditions of the uterus. But it often fails : indeed Dr. Cul- len (Treat, of the Mat. Med.) says that it rarely succeeds. 4. To reproduce the hemorrhoidal discharge, aloes has been frequently em- ployed in large doses. Serious affections of the head, or of other parts, have ALOES. 113 sometimes disappeared on the occurrence of the hemorrhoidal flux ; and, there- fore, in persons who have been subject to this discharge, but in whom it has stopped, it is advisable to attempt its re-establishment, with the view of relieving other more serious disorders. 5. To promote the secretion of bile where a deficiency of this fluid does not arise from hepatic inflammation—as in some forms of jaundice which are un- connected with biliary calculi, inflammation, mechanical obstruction of the ducts, &c. . 6. In cerebral affections—The compound decoction of aloes is a most valua- ble stimulating purgative for elderly persons in whom a tendency to apoplexy exists, especially in cold and phlegmatic habits. It will frequently be necessary to conjoin other cathartics, as the infusion of senna. 7. As an anthelmintic, a decoction of aloes, used as an enema, has been efficacious in the small thread-worm (Ascaris vermicularis). Administration.—On account of its nauseous taste, aloes is frequently given in the form of pill (pilulee aloeticce, offic.) One or two grains seldom fail to produce one stool, which seems to be merely an evacuation of what may be supposed to have been present for the time in the great intestines (Cullen). The ordinary dose is five grains; but ten, fifteen, or even twenty grains are some- times given. 1. PILUL7E ALOES COMPOSITE, L. D.; Pilulee Aloes, E.; Compound Pills of Aloes.—(Aloes [hepatic, D.], powdered, 3j.; Extract of Gentian, 3ss.; Oil of Caraway, n^xl. ; Syrup, as much as may be sufficient, L. D. Beat them to- gether until incorporated.—The Edinburgh College orders of Socotrine Aloes, and Castile Soap, equal parts ; Conserve of Red Roses, a sufficiency. Beat them into a proper pill mass. This pill may be also correctly made with the finer qualities of East Indian Aloes, as the Socotrine variety is very scarce; and many, not without reason, prefer the stronger Barbadoes Aloes. E.)—The addition of Syrup, ordered by the London and Dublin Colleges, is unnecessary and improper, for rhe aloes and extract react on each other, and become so soft, that not unfrequently some powder is necessary to give the mass, a proper con- sistence. (Duncan, Edinburgh Dispensatory.) This pill is a valuable purga- tive in habitual costiveness. Dose, five to fifteen grains. 2. PILULE ALOES CUM MYRRHA, L. D.; Pilulee Aloes et Myrrhce, E. (U. S.); Pi/idee Rufi, offic. ; Pills of Aloes and Myrrh ; Rufus"s Pills.—(Aloes [hepa- tic, D.; Socotrine or East Indian, E.], 3ij- [four parts, E.~\ ; Saffron [one part, 2?.], Myrrh, of each 3j- [two parts, E.'j ; Syrup [Conserve of Red Roses, _E.], as much as may be sufficient. Rub the aloes and the myrrh separately to powder; then beat the whole together until incorporated.) [Aloes, 3ij. ; Myrrh, 3j.; Saffron, 3ss.; Syrup, q. s.; f%. To be divided into 480 pills, U. S.] Used as a purgative in chlorosis and amenorrhoea. Dose, ten to twenty grains. I IMLULtE ALOES ET ASSAFffiTIU'E, E. (U. S.); Pills of Aloes and Asafxtida. —(Aloes (Socotrine or East Indian), Assafoetida, and Castile Soap, equal parts. Beat them, with Conserve of Red Roses, into a proper pill mass.)—Used in dys- pepsia attended with flatulence and costiveness. Dose, ten to twenty grains. I VlllhM ALOES ET FERRI, E.; Pills of Aloes and Iron___(Sulphate of Iron, three parts ; Barbadoes Aloes, two parts ; Aromatic Powder, six parts ; Con- serve of Red Roses, eight parts. Pulverize the aloes and sulphate of iron sepa- rately ; mix the whole ingredients, and beat them into a proper mass, which is to be divided into five-grain pills.)—A valuable emmenagogue in atonic ame- norrhoea and chlorosis. Dose, one to three pills. X PULVIS ALOES COMPOSITUS, L. D.—Compound Powdei- of Aloes. (Aloes [hepatic, I).], 3iss.; Guaiacum Resin, 3j.; Compound Powder of Cinnamon, 3ss. Rub the aloes and the guaiacum resin, separately, to powder; then mix VOL. n. 15 114 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. them with the compound powder of cinnamon).—Purgative and sudorific. Sel- dom used. Dose, ten to twenty grains. 6. PULVIS ALOE'S CUM CANELLA, D. (U. S.); Hiera Picra, offic—Powder of Aloes and Canella.—(Hepatic Aloes, lb. j.; Canella bark, 3iij- Powder them separately, and then mix. A popular emmenagogue. Dose, five to fifteen grains. 7. DECOCTUM ALOES COMPOSITUM, L. D.; Decoctum Aloes, E.; Compound Decoction of Aloes.—(Extract of Liquorice, 3vij. [3ss. E.] ; Carbonate of Po- tash, 3j. [9ii. E.] ; Aloes, [hepatic, D. or socotrine, E.] powdered ; Myrrh, powdered; Saffron, of each 3iss. [3i. E.] ; Compound Tincture of Cardamom, f3vij. [f3iv. E.]; Distilled Water, Oiss. [f3xvi. E.] Boil down the liquorice, carbonate of potash, aloes, myrrh, and saffron, with the water, to a pint [fjxii. E.] ; and strain; then add the compound tincture of cardamom.)—A most valu- able preparation. A mild cathartic, tonic, antacid, and emmenagogue. Used in the before-mentioned cases, in doses of f3ss. to f3ij- Acids, acidulous salts, and most metallic salts, are incompatible with it. If it be desirable to conjoin chalybeates with it, either the Ferri Potassio-tartras, L., or the Ammonia Ferro-tartras, may be added to the cold decoction without undergoing decom- position. 8. EXTRACTUM ALOES PURIFICATUM, L; Extractum AMs Hepaticce, D.; Pu- rifled Extract of Aloes.—Aloes powdered, 3xv., Boiling Water, Cong. j. Mace- rate for three days with a gentle heat; afterwards strain, and set by, that the dregs may subside. Pour off the clear liquor, and evaporate it to a proper con- sistence).—A most unnecessary preparation. It is intended to deprive the aloes of the substance called resin, on which its irritating and griping qualities have been erroneously supposed to depend. Dose, five to fifteen grains. 9. TINCTURA ALOES, L. D. E. (U. S.); Tincture of Aloes.—Aloes [Socotrine, D. Socotrine or Indian, E.~\ coarsely powdered, 3j.; Extract of Liquorice, giij.; Water, Oiss.; [Oj. and f Sviij. £.] ; Rectified Spirit, Oss. [f3xii. E.1 Macerate for fourteen [seven, D. E. with occasional agitation, E.~] days, and strain.—The Dublin College dissolves the liquorice in 3xvj. of water, and adds f3xvj. of proof spirit, instead of the water and rectified spirit used by the Lon- don and Edinburgh Colleges.—«This tincture cannot without difficulty and delay be prepared by percolation, E.)—Purgative and stomachic. Dose, 3ii. to3j- J 10. TINCTURA ALOES COMPOSITA, L. D.; Tinctura Aloes et Myrrhce E (U. S.); Elixir Propnetatis of Paracelsus, Compound Tincture of Aloes.—(Aloes, [Socotrine or Indian, E.l coarsely powdered, giv. (3iij. U. S.); Saffron, 3ij. (3i. U. S.); Tincture of Myrrh, Oij. Macerate for fourteen [seven, Xi days, and strain, L The Dublin College omits the saffron. This tincture cannot be well prepared by percolation, ^-Purgative, stomachic, emmenagoffue. Used in cold, sluggish habits. Dose, 3ss. to 3j. " 11. VINUM ALOES, L. D. E. (U. S.); Tinctura Sacra. Wine of Aloes.- Aloes [Socotrine, Z».] rubbed to powder, 3ij.; Canella, powdered, 3iv.; Sherry Wine Oij. [Oiss. and Proof Spirit Oj. wine measure, D.] Macerate for four- teen days, frequently shaking, and strain. The Edinburgh College uses Aloes (Socotnne or East Indian), 3.ss. ; Cardamom seeds ground; Ginger in coarse powder, of each 3iss ; Sherry, Oij. Digest for seven days, and strain through linen or calico. [The IT. S P. directs Aloes, 3i.; Cardamom, Ginger, aa. 3i. 5 Wine, Oj. Macerate for fourteen days and filter.] Wine of aloes s purga' tive in doses of f3ss. to f3ij.: stomachic in doses off 3j. to f 3ij. 12. ALOE COLATA; Strained Aloes (Melt Aloes in a metallic vessel heated bv steam or hot water and strain through a hair or wire sieve). By this process aloes is deprived of foreign matters with which it is frequently mixed. Its phy- sical properties suffer some change. Its colour for example is deepened SQUILL. 115 Aloes is a constituent of several other preparations, (as Extractum Colocyn- thidis compositum, L. D., Pilulee Colocynihidis, E.; Pilulee Rhei composite, L. E.; Pilute Cambogice, E., Pilulee Cambogice composite, L. D.; Pilulee Sagapem composite, L.; Tinctura Rhei et Abes, E.) which will be described hereafter. 2. SQUIL'LA MARIT'IMA, Steinheil, E.—THE SEA ONION, OR OFFICINAL SQUILL. Scilla maratima, Linn. L. D. Sex. Syst. Hexandria, Monogynia. (Bulbus recens, L Bulbua, D. Bulb, E.) (Scilla, U. S.) History. — The Egyptians worshipped a bulbous plant called by Lucian Kpofx/iuov, and which Pauw (Phil. Diss, on the Egypt, and Chinese, vol. i. p. 130, 1795,) asserts to be the squill, and further suggests that it was the red variety ( 1 Squilla Pancration var. a. Bulbo rufo, Steinheil. Pythagoras (Pliny, Jlist. Nat. lib. xix. cap. 30,) is said to have written a volume on the medicinal properties of squill, and to have invented the acetum scillee. Hippo- crates employed squill (rfxiXXa) internally, (de victvjs ratione,) externally, (de ulccribus,) and as a pessary. (De Nat. Mul.) Botany. Gen. Char.—Sepals three, coloured, spreading. Petals very like them, and scarcely broader. Stamens six, shorter than the perianth ; filaments smooth, somewhat dilated at the base, acuminate, entire. Ovary three-parted, glandular and melliferous at the apex; style smooth, simple; stigma obscurely three-lobed, papillose. Capsule rounded, three-cornered, three-celled. Seeds numerous, in two rows, flattened with a membranous testa. (Lindley, from Steinheil.) gp. char.—Leaves very large, consequently spreading. Bracts long. Flow- ers white; flower-bud somewhat acute. Anthers yellow. Ovarium thick, yellowish. Bulb very large (Steinheil). (Ann. Sc. Nat. t. vi. p. 272, 2de Ser.) Bulb roundish-ovate, half above ground. The leaves appear after the flowers; they are broad, lanceolate, twelve to eighteen inches long. Scape about two feet high, terminated by a dense long raceme. iiab.—Shores of the Mediterranean, viz. Spain, France, Sicily, Africa, &c. Navarino has long been celebrated for its squills. In its native soil the plant flowers about August. Description.—The fresh bulb (bulbus recens, L.; radix recens, offic.) is pyriform, of the size of the fist to that of a child's head, and is composed of thick, fleshy, smooth, shiny scales, attenuated at their edges, closely applied over each other, and attached to a conical disk (a rudimentary stem) which projects mfenorly, and gives origin to the root fibres, the remains of which are to be frequently found in the bulbs of commerce. The outer scales are usually dry, thin, coloured, membranous, or papery. By cracking the inner or fleshy scales, numerous spiral vessels may be drawn out. On submitting the cuticle of the scales to a microscopic examination, numerous acicular crystals (ra- phules) are perceived in cells, which are distinguished from the surrounding angular cells, by being larger and elliptical. The pulvis scillee, offic. contains nine or ten per cent, of these crystals. Two kinds of squills, both abounding in an acrid juice, and having a very b.tter taste, are met with in commerce; viz. the white (squilla alba), and the red (squilla rubra), (is the red kind the Squilla Pancration var. a. Bulbo rujo, bteinheil ?) both of which are so called from the colour of the scales. The white is preferred in England. In the London Pharmacopceia the fresh bulbs are directed to be preserved in dry sand ; and, before drying them, the dry rind is to be removed; they are then to be cut transversely into thin slices, and dried as quickly as possible with u jicnlie heat. •' r 116 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Dried squill (radix scillee siccata, offic.) is, however, for the most part nn- ported, in consequence of the duly being no higher for this than Tor the recent bulb. It occurs in white or yellowish white, slightly diaphanous pieces, which, when dry, are brittle, but when moist are readily flexible. As their affinity for moisture is great, they should be preserved in well-stoppered bottles, or in a very dry place. Squill is imported from Malta, and other countries of the Mediterranean. Also from Petersburg and Copenhagen. (Trade List, Sept. 11, and Nov. 20, 1838.) Composition.—The more recent analyses of squill are those of Vogel, in 1812, (Ann. de Chim. t. 83, p. 147,) and of Tilloy, in 1826. (Journ. de Pharm. xii. p. 635.) Buchner, (Bed. Jahrb. xv. p. 1,) in 1811, examined the juice of the fresh bulb. Vogel's Analysis of Squills, dried at 212° p. Scillitin with some sugar...... 35 Tannin...................... 24 Gum........................ 6 Woody fibre, and some ci- ) trate (and perhaps tar- > 30 trate of lime.............) Acrid volatile matter......... Loss......................... 5 Squill bulb................... 100 Tilloy's Analysis of dried and fresh Squills. Acrid, bitter, resinous extractive (Scillitin). Uncrystallizable sugar. Gum. Fatty matter. Piquant, very fugaceous matter. Squill bulb. Buchner's Analysis of fresh Squill bulb juice. Peculiar bitter extractive.... SH7 Mucilage................... 3 0i) Gelatinous matter (Tra-1 „g4 gacanthin?).............J Phosphate of lime.......... 031 Fibrous matter.............. 3 38 Water......................7901 Astringent Acid............traces Loss........................ 440 Squill juice.................100 CO 1. Acid, volatile? matter.—It is well known that squill, in the recent state, is vtvy acrid, and, when applied to the skin, causes irritation, inflammation, and even vesication. By drying;, the greater part of this acridity is got rid of; and hence the acrid principle is usually described as being of a volatile nature, and, in confirmation of its volatility, Athanasitis (Pfaff, Mat. Med. Bd. v. S. 18,) states, that two ounces of water distilled from fresh squills caused the death of a dog in six hours. However, by others, its volatility is denied; and Vogel says, that six ounces of water distilled from fresh squills had no effect on dogs. Buchner (Toxikologie, 340,)states, that besides the bitter scillitin, squill contains, according to his experiments, another principle, which is combined with phosphate of lime, and which is capable of exciting itching and in- flammation. This acrid matter may be easily decomposed, but is not volatile, as is generally supposed. 2. Scillitin (Scillitite, Thomson).—The substance to which Gogel gave the name of Scil- litin is a whitish transparent deliquescent substance, which, when dry, has a resinous frac- ture, and may be easily rubbed to powder. Its taste is bitter, and subsequently sweetish. It readily dissolves in water, spirit of wine, and acetic acid. The substance sold in the shops under the name of Scillitin is a thick treacle-like liquid. Landerer (Thomson's Org. Chem. p. 717,) obtained crystals of Scillitin. He says they possessed alkaline properties. 4. Raphides (Phosphate of Lime?) The acicular crystals found in the cuticle of the scales of the bulb, as before mentioned, probably consist of phosphate of lime. These perhaps are the needle-like crystals obtained by Vogel by evaporating the juice of the bulb, and which he regarded as citrate of lime. Chemical Characteristics.—An aqueous decoction of squills is pale, and very bitter. Sesquichloride of iron communicates an intense purplish blue colour (gallate of iron) to it. Gelatin has scarcely any effect on it. Nitrate of silver forms a white precipitate (chloride of silver) soluble in ammonia, but inso- luble in nitric acid. Oxalate of ammonia renders the decoction turbid, and after some time causes a white precipitate (oxalate of lime). Diacetate of lead and protonitrate of mercury form percipitates in the decoction. Tincture of nut- galls has no effect on it. Starch is not recognizable in it by iodine. Alkalis heighten the colour of the decoction. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables—Not ascertained. /3. On Animals.—An ounce of powdered squill acts as a diuretic on horses and other large animals ; the same effect is produced on smaller animals by half a drachm. (Moiroud, Pharm. Veter.) When the dose is large, squill acts as a poison. It first causes local irritation ; then its active principle becomes ab- sorbed, affects the nervous system, and thereby quickens the respiration, causes convulsions, and death. (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) Hillefeld (Marx, Die Lehre SQUILL. 117 von d. Giften, vol. ii.) mentions paralysis produced in a rabbit by nineteen grains of powdered squill. Emmert and Hoering (Meckel's Archiv, B. 4, Heft 4, S. 527,) state that squill juice introduced into the abdominal cavity, became absorbed. y. On Man.—In small doses it acts as a stimulant to the excretory organs. Thus it promotes secretion from the mucous membranes (especially the bronchial and gastro-intestinal) and the kidneys. Its most marked effect is that of a diuretic. Its expectorant effects are less obvious and constant. Sometimes, when it fails to act on the kidneys, it increases cutaneous exhalation. Its in- fluence on secreting organs is probably to be referred to the local stimulus com- municated to their vessels by the active principle of squill in its passage out of the system, for Emmert and Hoering (op. cit.) have shown that the juice is absorbed, so that squills may be regarded as an acrid even for these remote parts. When it proves diuretic in dropsies, it usually promotes the absorption of the effused fluid—an effect which is, I think, indirect, and a consequence of the diuresis. But Sundelin (Handb. d. sp. Heilm. Bd. ii. p. 17,) observes of squill, that it promotes the secretion of urine less by its local irritation of the kidneys, than by its general excitement of the absorbent apparatus. By the continued use of squill in gradually increased doses, it disturbs the functions of digestion and assimilation. In full medicinal doses, squill excites nausea and vomiting. Purging, also, is not unfrequently produced. When squill proves emetic or purgative, its diuretic operation is much less obvious—a circumstance which Cullen (Treat, of the Mat. Med. p. 557,) refers to the squill being prevented reaching the blood- vessels and kidneys. Home, (Clinical Experiments, p. 384, 1783, 3d ed.) how- ever, alleges that the diuretic effects are not to be expected unless there be some operation on the stomach. But the operation on the stomach may be, as Cullen suggests, a mere test of the activity of the squills. However, that the effect of squill, in strong doses, is not confined to the alimentary canal, is proved by the fact, that when the vomiting and purging were present, the pulse has been ob- served to be reduced in frequency, often to forty beats per minute (Home). In excessive doses, squill acts as a narcotico-acrid poison, and causes vomiting, purging, griping pain, strangury, bloody urine, convulsions, inflammation and gangrene of the stomach and intestines. (Murray, App. Med. vol. v. p. 97.) Twenty-four grains of the powder have proved fatal. (Vogel, Journ. de Phus. Ixxv. 194.) y Considered with reference to its diuretic effect, squill is comparable with fox- glove. But it exceeds the latter in its stimulant influence over the urinary organs. On the other hand, foxglove is characterized by its powerfully seda- tive effect on the vascular system ; for though squill has, in some instances, re- duced the frequency of the pulse, this effect is by no means common. Squill, says Vogt, (Pharmakodyn, ii. 343, 2te Aufl.) preponderates in its action on the inferior or vegetative [organic] life ; foxglove, on the other hand, in its action on the higher or animal life. Uses.—The principal uses of squill are as an emetic, diuretic, and expecto- rant. 1. As a diuretic in dropsies.—It is applicable to those cases of dropsy re- quiring the use of stimulating or acrid diuretics, and is improper in inflammatory cases. It is an unfit remedy for dropsy complicated with granular kidney or vesical irritation; but when these conditions are not present, it is adapted for torpid leucophlegmatic subjects. Hence, it is more serviceable in anasarca than in either ascites or hydrothorax. It should be given so as to excite a slight degree of nnusea (not vomiting), as recommended by Van Swieten. (Comment, upon Boerhaaves Aphorisms, vol. xii. p. 435.) By this means its absorption is pro- moted The acetate or bitartrate of potash may be conjoined. Calomel is usually regarded as a good adjunct for promoting the diuretic influence of 118 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. squill. When it does hot purge it is beneficial, but its tendency to affect the bowels is an objection to its use. 2. As an expectorant in chronic pulmonary affections admitting of the use of a substance stimulating the capillary vessels of the bronchial membrane. Thus, in chronic catarrh, humid asthma, and winter cough, it is often em- ployed with considerable benefit. It is of course improper in all acute cases accompanied with inflammation or febrile disorder. In old persons it is often combined with the tinctura camphorce composita, and with good effect. The oxymel or syrup of squill may be given to relieve troublesome chronic coughs in children. 3. As an emetic it is occasionally used in affections of the organs of respira- tion requiring or admitting of the use of vomits. Thus, the oxymel is given, with the view of creating sickness and promoting expectoration, to children affected with hooping-cough ; and sometimes, though with less propriety, in mild cases of croup. The great objection to its use is the uncertainty of its operation : in one case it will hardly excite nausea, in another it causes violent vomiting. Furthermore, it is of course'highly objectionable as an emetic for delicate children with irritable stomachs, on account of its acrid properties, and the irritation it is capable, in these cases, of setting up. Administration.—The following are the preparations of squills usually employed: 1. PULVIS SCILLJ], D.; Powdered Squill—The directions of the Dublin Col- lege for the preparation of this are as follows :—Remove the membranous integu- ments from the bulb of the squill, cut it into slices, and dry with an inferior heat (between 90° and 100° F.); then reduce them to powder, which ought to be kept in glass bottles with ground stoppers. The bulb loses about four-fifths of its weight by drying: so that six grains of the dry powder are equal to half a drachm when fresh. Powdered squill readily attracts water from the atmo- sphere, and becomes soft and mouldy ; hence the necessity of preserving it in stoppered bottles and in a dry place. It is usually administered in the form of pill. The dose of the powder, as an emetic, is from six to fifteen grains; ten grains being the average. As an expectorant or diuretic we should commence with one grain, and gradually increase the dose until slight nausea is excited. 2. PILULE SCILLA COMPOSITE, L. D. (U. S.); Pilulee Scillee, E. Compound Squill Pills.—(Squill, fresh dried and powdered, 3j.; Ginger, powdered [3iij. D.] ; Ammoniacum, powdered, each 3ij.; Soap, 3iij.; Syrup [Molasses, D.] as much as may be sufficient. Mix the powders together; then beat them with the soap, and add the syrup [molasses, D.] so as to obtain a proper consistence. The Edinburgh College takes of powdered Squill, five parts ; powdered Am- moniac, and Ginger, and Spanish soap, each four parts ; Conserve of Red Roses, two parts ; and forms them into five-grain pills.)—Expectorant and diuretic. Principally used in chronic bronchial affections. Dose from five to twenty grains. It readily spoils by keeping. I TINCTURA SCILL.E, L. D. E.; Tincture of Squills.—(Squill, fresh dried [in coarse powder, E.] 3v.; Proof Spirit, Oij. ; macerate for fourteen days, and strain, L. The directions of the Dublin College do not essentially differ from these. "Prepare this tincture by percolation, as directed for tincture of cin- chona, but without packing the pulp firmly in the percolator. It may likewise be obtained by the process of digestion from the sliced bulb." E.)—Expectorant and diuretic. Used in chronic bronchial affections. Dose fl\x. to f3ss 4. ACETUM SCILL.E. L. D. E. (U. S.); Vinegar of Squills.—(Squill, fresh dried, 3xv. [3vnj. D.] ; Distilled Vinegar, Ovj. [Oiii. D. wine measure-]; Proof [rectified, D.] Spirit, Oss. [fjiv. D.] The relative proportions used by the Edinburgh College are the same as those of the London College, except that one-tenth less spirit is employed. Macerate the squill with the vinegar, with a gentle heat, in a covered vessel, for twenty-four hours [seven days, D. Ed.]; COMMON OR CULTIVATED GARLIC. 119 afterwards press out [the liquor] and set it by, that the dregs may subside : lastly, add the spirit to the clear liquor.)—[The U. S. Pharmacopceia directs Squill, bruised, four ounces ; Distilled Vinegar, two pints; alcohol, a fluid ounce. The process is the same as that of the Dublin College; or it may be made by displacement.]—A most ancient preparation. Expectorant and diuretic. Used in chronic pulmonary affections and dropsies under the regulations before de- scribed. Dose 3ss. to 3iss. in some aromatic water. It is a constituent of the Mistura Cascarillce composita, Ph. L. ■5. OXYMEL SCILL.E, L. D. (U. S.); Syrupus Scillee, E.; Oxymel of Squills. Syrup of Squills.—(Honey [despumated] lb. iij. ; Vinegar of Squill, Oiss. (Oij. b. S.) Boil down in a glass vessel, with a slow fire, to a proper consistence, L. D.—Vinegar of Squills, Oiij.; Pure sugar, lb. vij. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar of squills with the aid of a gentle heat and agitation, E.)—Used as an expectorant in chronic catarrhs and asthma, in doses of f3j. or f3ij. As an emetic it is sometimes given to children affected with the hooping-cough or croup, in doses of a teaspoonful repeated every quarter of an hour until vomit-' ing occurs. Antidote.—No antidote is known. The first object, therefore, in a case of poisoning, is to evacuate the stomach; the second, to allay the inflammatory symptoms which may supervene. 5. ALLIUM SATI'VUM, Linn., L. E. D.—COMMON OR CULTIVATED GARLIC. Sex. Syst. Hexandria, Monogynia. (Bulbus, Z. Z>.-Bulb, E.) (Allium, U. S.) History.—This plant was well known to the ancients. The Greeks called it Cxo'poJov. It was used by Hippocrates. Botany. Gen. char.—Flowers umbellate, with a membranous spathe. Pe- rianth six-parted, permanent, equal. Stamens inserted into the base of the pe- rianth ; filaments either all alike, or every other one tricuspidate, with the an- ther on the middle point. Style subulate; stigma simple. Capsule usually obtusely three-cornered or three-lobed, depressed, three-celled, bursting into three valves through the dissepiments, and containing two or one black angular seed in each cell. (Lindley.) sii. char.—Bulb surrounded by smaller ones. Leaves linear, entire. Umbel bulbiferous, globose. Spathe ovate, rounded. Segments of the perianth ovate obtuse. Pistil and stamens exsert. (De Candolle, Bot. Gall.) Stem about two feet high. Flowers whitish. nab.—? South of Europe. ?Egypt. '/Persia. Cultivated in kitchen gar- dens. It flowers in July. Description—The bulb (bulbus) is composed of cloves, each furnished with its proper envelopes. Its odour is strong, irritating, and characteristic : its taste is acrid. Composition—Cadet (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1336,) analysed garlic. He ound the constituents to be acrid volatile oil, extractive (a little)"sum woody fibre, albumen, and water. The ashes contained alkaline and earthy salts. Bouillon-Lagrange has detected, besides these, sulphur, starch, and sac- cluxrine matter. (Journ de Pharm. t. ii.p. 358.) On. of Garlic has a very acrid taste, a strong smell, and yellow colour. It is heavier than water, and ,s soluble ,„ alcohol. It contains sulphur, and hence, in burning produces sul opplied lo the .kin causes irritalio,^^ us^ie'^^ SSC^1 "«" .—hidf i,lcygive i^T^i Phvsiological Effects—Garlic is a local irritant. When swallowed it 120 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MED1CA. operates as a tonic and stimulant to the stomach. Its volatile oil becomes ab- sorbed, quickens the circulation, occasions thirst, and is thrown out of the system by the different excretories; the activity of which it promotes, and to whose excretions it communicates its well-known odour. Large doses occasion nausea, vomiting, and purging. Puihn, (quoted by Wibmer, Die Wirk. d. Arzneim,) says the expressed juice has proved fatal. Uses.—Employed by the cook as a flavouring ingredient in various made- dishes, sauces, &c. Rarely used by the medical practitioner. Internally it has been exhibited as a stimulant and stomachic in enfeebled digestion; as an ex- pectorant in old chronic catarrhs; as a diuretic in atonic dropsies; and as an anthelmintic. Externally it has been employed as a resolvent in indolent tumours; as a local irritant or rubefacient applied to the feet to cause revulsion from the head or chest; as an antispasmodic liniment (composed of oil and garlic juice) in infantile convulsions ; as a remedy for some cases of deafness, a clove or a few drops of the juice being introduced into the ear. ' Administration.—A clove may be swallowed either entire, or, more con- veniently, cut into small pieces. The dose of the fresh bulbs is one or two drachms. The expressed juice mixed with sugar, the infusion of garlic, and a syrup, are sometimes employed. [Syrupus Allii.—Take of fresh Garlic, sliced, six ounces; distilled vinegar, a pint; sugar, two pounds. Macerate the garlic in the vinegar in a glass vessel for four days, then express the liquor and set it by that the dregs may subside. Add the sugar to the clear liquor and proceed in the manner directed for syrup. This formula was adopted from the recommendation of Mr. Daniel B. Smith, of Philadelphia, who demonstrated the futility of the old method of preparing syrup of garlic, of whose formula (Journal of Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, No. 1, p. 50,) it is a modification. Dose 3i.—J. C] 4. ALLIUM CE'PA, Linn. D.—TH.E ONION. Sex. Syst. Hexandria, Monogynia. (Bulbus, D.) History.—The onion was known and used in the most ancient times. It was employed in medicine by Hippocrates. An onion taken from the hand of an Egyptian mummy, perhaps 2000 years old, has been made to grow. (Mul- ler's Physiol, by Baly, vol. i. p. 29.) Botany. Gen. char.—Vide Allium sativum. sP. ciiar.—Stem fistulous, ventricose beneath ; longer than the terete, fistu- lous leaves. Umbel capsuliferous, globose. Segments of perianth linear-eliptic, obtuse ; shorter than the stamens and pistil. (Botanicon Gallicum.) Biennial. Flowers whitish. July. Loudon (Encycl. of Gard.) enumerates eighteen varieties deserving of cul- ture. Hai).—Egypt. Cultivated in kitchen gardens. Description.—The bulb (bulbus) is tunicated. When cut it evolves an acrid principle, having a well-known odour, and a powerful action on the eyes, causing a flow of tears. Its taste is sweet and acrid. Onion juice is colour- less, but by exposure to the air becomes reddish. Composition.—According to Fourcroy and Vauquelin (Ann. Chim. Ixv. 161, 180S,) the onion contains an acrid volatile oil, uncrystallizable sugar, gum, woody fibre, albumen, acetic and phosphoric acids, phosphate and citrate of lime and water. Volatile Oil or Onions.—This is acrid, piquant, colourless, and, like that of garlic, con- tains sulphur. Physiological Effects.—Analogous to those of garlic, but milder. By POISONOUS LILIACEJE. 121 boiling onions, the volatile oil is dissipated, and the bulb is deprived of its irri- tating qualities, and becomes a mild esculent substance. Uses.—Extensively used as an article of food and as a condiment. It is very rarely employed in medicine, but is adapted to the same cases as garlic. Raw onions are occasionally taken as an expectorant, with advantage, by elderly persons affected with winter cough. Administration.—A roasted onion is sometimes employed as an emollient poultice to suppurating tumours, or to the ear to relieve earache. The express- ed juice has been given to children, mixed with sugar as an expectorant. OTHER DtKTKTICAIi, MEnifilNAL, OR POISONOUS LILIACEJE. 1. The Crown Imperial (Fritilla'ria Imperia'lis) is said to be a narcotic poison, (Brandt and Ratzburgh, Giftgewachse,) though Orfila (Tox. Gen.) could not recognise any acridity in it. 2. The recent bulb of the Common White Lilly (Lil'ium can'didum) has been used as a diuretic in dropsies. The boiled bulb is employed as an emollient cataplasm. 3. Various species of Allium, besides those already mentioned, are cultivated for culinary purposes: as, A. Por'rum, the Leek ; A. ascalon'icum, the Shallot; A. Schazno'prasum, the Chive; A. Scorodo'prasum or Rocambole. Their virtues are analogous to those of the onion and garlic. 4. Sacir/LA Pancra'tion. Steinh. (n*.yxi>*.riov, Dioscorides) is said by Steinheil to yield a small bulb of a reddish colour, found in commerce under the name of squill. 5. The root of Ale'tris farino'sa is used in the United States as a tonic. 6. I.'ilvthro'nium america'nim is emetic. (Wood and Bache, United States Dispensatory.) 7. The fresh rhizome of Solomon's Seal (Convalla'ria Polygona'tum) is a popular applica- tion to bruised parts (the eye, for example), to remove the marks. 8. Xanthor'rosa HASTi'LEand X. arbo'rea, natives of New Holland, yield resinous substances. That FlG. 143. obtained from the first species somewhat resembles gamboge, and is called yellow gum [resin] of New Holland. It has been described by Mr. Kite (Essays and Observ.), who used it in several diseases. More recently Dr. Fish (Dierbach, Neuesten Entd. in d. Mat. Med. from the Boston Journ. vol. x.) has used it in the form of tincture, with opium, in Jluxus he- patictis and diarrhoea. Mr. Johnston (Phil. Trans. for 1839,) sayn, this resin contains more oxygen than any other resinous substance hitherto analysed. Its composition is C40 ll"° 0,a. A red resin, probably from A", arborea has been recently imported under the name of black-boy gum. '.). The young shoots of Aspa'ragus officinalis are well-known articles of food. They are diuretic, and communicate a peculiar odour to the urine. As/iaramide (formerly called asparagin) is contained in this plant. Its composition is C9 H6 NO54- Nil. T 10. Draoe'na Dra'co (fig. 143), a native of the Canary Islands and of the East Indies, yields a sub- Btunce called Dragon's blood. One of these trees growing at Orotava had long been celebrated for its great size and age. Next to the Baobab trrcs (Adansoma digitala), it is regarded as one of the oldest inhabitants of the earth. (Hum- boldt, Tabl. de la Nature.) v Dracce'na Draco. Order XIII.—SMILACEyE, Lindl—THE SMTLAX TRIBE. E?n.Wi,A,L ClIARA"ER-F/o"'«" hermaphrodite or dioecious. Calyx and corolla confounded, in It .or s,x-par led. Stamens six, inserted into the perianth near the base; seldom hypogy noua Omryr thrce-celled, the cells one, or many-seeded: style usually trifid • stomasI three wrd;ho w.-S:rvt;!;Tunder sMs>with a tenden<*».«*■* *~ Properties.—Those of Smilax are alone known. VOL. II. jg 122 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. SMl'LAX, Linn.—SEVERAL SPECIES OF SMILAX YIELDING SARSAPARILLA. Smilax officinalis,L.; and probably other species, E.; Smilax Sarsaparilla,!). Scz. Syst. Dioecia, Hexandna. (Radix dicta Sarza seu Sarsaparilla.) (Sarsaparilla, U. S.) History.—Sarsaparilla first appeared in Europe in 1530, and was employed as an antivenereal remedy. (Voigtel, Mat. Med. Bd. i. S. 117.) The Spanish term Zarzaparilla (from zarza a bramble, and parilla a vine) signifies a thorny vine. Botany. Gen. ch&r.—Dioecious. Perianth six-parted, nearly equal, spread- ing. Male Flowers: stamens six ; anthers erect. Female Flowers: perianth per- manent ; ovary three-celled, the cells one-seeded ,• style very short; stigmas three. Berry one to three-seeded. Seeds roundish ; albumen cartilaginous; embryo remote from the hilum. (R. Brown, Prodromus, p. 293.) Species.—The following species yield at least part of the sarsaparilla of com- merce : 1. Smilax officinalis, Kunth, L. E.—Stem twining, shrubby, prickly, quad- rangular, smooth ; the young shoots are unarmed, and almost round. Leaves ovate-oblong, acute, cordate, netted, five to seven-nerved, coriaceous, smooth, a foot long, and four to five inches broad; the young ones are narrow, oblong, acuminate, and three-nerved. Petioles smooth, an inch long, bearing two ten- drils above the base. Flowers and fruit unknown.—Grows in New Granada, on the banks of the Magdalena, near Bajorque. This is called Zarzaparilla by the natives, who transmit large quantities to Carthagena and Mompox; whence it is shipped for Jamaica and Spain. (Humb. Nov. Gen. et Spec. i. p. 215.) It is probably the source of Jamaica, and perhaps also of Lima and Honduras sarsaparillas. 2. Smilax medica, Schlecht.—Stem angular, armed at the joints with straight prickles, with a few hooked ones in the intervals. Leaves shortly acuminate, smooth, five to seven-nerved; inferior ones, cordate, auriculate-hastate; upper ones cordate-ovate. Peduncle axillary, smooth, about an inch long. Inflores- cence an eight to twelve-flowered umbel. Fruit red, size of a small cherry; contains one to three reddish-brown seeds. Embryo cylindrical, lodged in horny albumen—(T. F. L. Nees, PI. Med. Suppl.) Schiede found it on the Eastern slope of the Mexican Andes. It is carried from the villages of Papantla, Taspan, Nautla, Misantla, &c. to Vera Cruz, under the name of Zarzaparilla, and is there introduced into the European market. The roots are gathered all the year long, dried in the sun, and then tied in bundles for sale. (Linneea, iv. 576, quoted from Lindley's Fl. Med.) This species yields Vera Cruz sarsaparilla. 3. Smilax Siljllilitica, Willd—Stem round, strong, with two to four straight prickles at the knots. Tendril long, attached to the apex of the stipules. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, three-nerved, coriaceous, smooth, and shining___Humboldt and Bonpland discovered it in New Granada, on the river Cassiquiare, between Mandavala and San Francisco Solano. (Nova Gen. et Sp. Plant, t. i. 271.) Von Martius (Reise in Brasilien, Bd. iii.,) found it in the Brazils at Yupara and Rio Negro. It yields Brazilian sarsaparilla. 4. Similax Sarsaparilla, Linn, D.—Stem prickly, somewhat quadrangular. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, cuspidate, almost five-nerved, beneath glaucous (Will- denow). It is a native of Virginia, and other southern states of the American union. There is no evidence that it yields any of the sarsaparilla of the shops. Yet Th. Martius (Pharmakognosie) ascribes the Vera Cruz variety, which, he says, sometimes comes over under the name of American sarsaparilla, to it. Description.—The roots of the preceding, and perhaps of other species, constitute the Sarsaparilla or Sarza of the shops. These are imported, made up in bundles, formed either of the spirally folded roots (sarsaparilla rotunda), SARSAPARILLA. 123 as in the Jamaica and Lima varieties, or of unfolded parallel roots (sarsaparilla longa), as in the Brazilian variety. Attached to the roots are, m some vane- ties (as the Lima and Vera Cruz kinds), portions of the rhizome and aerial stem ; these constitute what druggists call the chump. On the aerial stem are fre- quently found the aculei or prickles. The roots are usually several feet long, about the thickness of a writing quill, wrinkled more or less longitudinally, with root-fibres in greater or less abun- dance attached to them. Their colour varies, being more or less red or brown, frequently with a grayish tint. Greater or less care in drying, time of year when collected, soil, and many other circumstances, doubtless modify the co- lour. The taste of the root is mucilaginous, and slightly acrid. The acridity is only perceived after chewing the root for a few minutes. The odour is some- what earthy. The radix or runners are composed of two parts, the cortex and meditullium. (See figs. 144 and 145.) The cortex consists of—1st, the cuticle or epidermis ; 2dly, a layer of elongated cellular tissue, which 1 shall call the subcuticular tissue ; 3dly, a layer oUiexagonal cellular tissue. The last-mentioned layer is red in Jamaica sarsaparilla: but in the Honduras variety it is thick, white, and amylaceous. The meditullium consists of—1st, a ring of elongated cellular tissue analogous to the subcuticular tissue; 2dly, a woody zone, composed prin- cipally of reticulated ducts ; 3dly, a central tissue analogous to medulla ox pith, consisting of hexagonal cellular tissue, which frequently abounds in starch. The apertures seen in the woody zone, on a transverse section of the root, are the cut extremities of ducts. In structure, then, sarsaparilla root much resem- bles an exogenous stem, except that it has no medullary rays. The starch globules are small, and are frequently united in masses of three or four; when of four, the masses have a tetrahedral form. Quality.—It is not easy to lay down criteria of the goodness of sarsaparilla ; for, on the one hand, in the absence of a correct knowledge of the active prin- ciple of this root, we have no chemical tests on which we can rely; and, on the other hand, the immediate and obvious effects of sarsaparilla are so slight that we are unable to ascertain by experience the relative value of different samples. In the drug trade, Jamaica sarsaparilla is esteemed the best; but though I do not doubt the correctness of this opinion, I confess I am unac- quainted with any accurate comparative experiments on which it is founded. The colour of the root is not to be absolutely depended on; but roots having a deep orange-red tint are preferred. Taste perhaps is the best criterion : the more acrid and nauseous the taste, the better is the quality of the root. This test has been much insisted on by Dr. Hancock. (Trans. Med.-Bot. Soc. 1829.) Many druggists prefer mealy sarsaparilla, that is, sarsaparilla whose cortex is brittle and powdery, and which, on being fractured transversely, throws out a white dust. But this quality, which is so obvious in Honduras sarsaparilla, de- pends on the presence of starch ; and, instead of being a test of goodness, is to be regarded as the reverse. The quantity of extract yielded by a given weight of the root has been much depended on by Mr. Battley and Mr. Pope as a test of goodness; both these writers have asserted the superiority of Jamaica sarsa- parilla, because it yields a larger quantity of extract. But though a sarsaparilla which yields very little extract cannot be regarded as good, yet it does not fol- low, especially in the absence of comparative trials, that a sarsaparilla which yields the most abundant extract is necessarily the best, since the quantity may arise from the presence of mucilage and other inert matters. The beard is another criterion of goodness : the greater the quantity of root fibres (techni- cally called beard) the better the sarsaparilla. 1. Jamaica Sarsaparilla, offic.; Red-bearded Sarsaparilla (Radix Sarzee jamaicoms. The roots are folded and made up in bundles (sarsaparilla ro- tunda) of about a foot or half a yard long, and four or five inches broad. These 124 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. bundles are neither trimmed nor closely packed. They consist of long, slender runners, furnished with numerous small fibrous rootlets (called the beard) Its cortex is brownish, but with an orange-red tint, which distinguishes it from Fig 144 other kinds of sarsaparilla, and has given rise to its name of red sarsaparilla. The cortex is reddish, and when ex- amined by the microscope is found to contain some starch globules. The meditullium has frequently a reddish tint. When chewed, Jamaica sarsaparilla tinges the saliva. Its taste is not remarkably mucilaginous, but slightly bitter, and after a few minutes slightly acrimonious. Its decoc- tion is deepened in colour by a solution of iodine; but no blue is perceptible. Its powder is pale reddish brown, and when rubbed with water and tincture of iodine becomes blue, but less intensely so than the powder of the Hondu- ras variety. It yields a larger quantity of extract than the other varieties: its extract is perfectly soluble in cold water. From three pounds of average quality about one Magnified JewTfV pound of extract may be obtained (Hennell; also Bat- section af Jamaica tley); but from the same quantity of root of very fine Sarsaparilla. quality, nearly one pound and a quarter of extract may «, cuticle. be procured (Hennell). 874 grains of the cortical portion e, HexagonarceMular'tissue. of the root yielded 484 grains of extract (Battley). Ac- rf cellular ring. cordins to Mr. Pope, the cortex yields five times as much e, Woody zone. £> ,,• /, Medulla. as the meditullium. Jamaica sarsaparilla is not the produce of the island whose name it bears, but, as I am informed, of the Mosquito shore on the eastern coast of Honduras and of St. Juan, from whence it is brought to England by way of Jamaica. Oc- casionally it is brought from Guatemala. In the collection of Materia Medica at Apothecaries' Hall, London, is a sam- ple of sarsaparilla grown in Jamaica. Its colour is pale cinnamon brown. Internally it is mealy. Jamaica sarsaparilla is perhaps the root of Smilax offi- cinalis. 2. Brazilian Sarsaparilla: Lisbon, Portugal, or Rio Negro Sarsaparilla (Radix Sarsce braziliensis). This is usually exported from Maranham. It is brought over unfolded, tied in cylindrical bundles (sarsaparilla longa) of from three to five feet long, and about a foot in diameter. It is free from chump. It has fewer longitudinal wrinkles than the Jamaica kind, fewer radicles, espe- cially at one end ; has a reddish-brown colour, and abounds in amylaceous matter, both in the cortex and pith. Its decoction is much paler coloured than the Jamaica variety. Martius (Reise, Bd. iii. S. 1280) says it is the produce of Smilax siphilitica, and is gathered all the year round. After being dried over a fire, the roots are tied up in bundles with a flexible stem called Timbotitica; and to prevent them being worm-eaten, they are preserved in the gables of the houses, where they are exposed to smoke. Dr. Hancock (Trans. Med.-Bot. Soc. 1829) has denied that the " Rio Negro Sarsa" is the produce of S. siphilitica, because he found no auxiliary spines on a portion of stem adhering to the roots, and Dr. Lindley (Fl. Medica, p. 597) has admitted the correctness of the inference. But until we know the extent of stem examined, we are not authorised, I conceive, to adopt Dr. Hancock's conclusion; for in the same bale of apparently the same kind of sarsaparilla, we frequently find portions of stem (not exceeding three or four inches in length), some of which have prickles, others are without them, and there is not the least ground for supposing them to have been procured from different species. Professor Guibourt, who has described (Hist, des Drog. i. 578) a second kind of Caraccas sarsaparilla as devoid of prickles, tells me that he has since met with them in other samples of the same kind of sarsaparilla. SARSAPARILLA. 125 3. Lima Sarsaparilla (Radix Sarzee de Limd). Originally imported from Lima, but is now frequently brought from Valparaiso, and sometimes from Costa Rica. I know of one importation of 99,000 lbs. from the latter place. It has a close resemblance to Jamaica sarsaparilla, for which I am told it is ex- tensively sold, but it yields a smaller quantity of extract. It is imported folded (sarsaparilla rotunda) in bundles of about three feet long, and nine inches in diameter, with the attached chump contained in the interior of the bundle. Its colour is brown or grayish brown. Occasionally a few roots are found in the bale of good Lima sarsaparilla, which, as well as their rhizome and stem, are light clay-coloured. The stems are square and prickly; the prickles are few and small, except in the clay-coloured variety. It is probably the produce of Smilax officinalis. Occasionally a knobby root, (rhizome?) like the radix Chinee, with a round stem, and long, smooth, wiry, brown root-fibres, is found in a bale of Lima sar- saparilla. A transverse section of the stem presents, to the naked eye, a struc- ture somewhat similar to the common cane. I have received the same root (under the name of Salsepareille- Squine de Macaraibo) from Professor Gui- bourt, who found it in Caraccas sarsaparilla. 4. Honduras Sarsaparilla ; Mealy Sarsaparilla (Radix Sarza de Hondu- ras). Is imported from Belize and other parts of the Bay of Honduras. The roots are folded and formed into bundles (sarsaparilla rotunda), two or three feet long, in the interior of which are found roots of inferior quality, stones, clumps of wood, &c. The roots or runners are furnished with but few rootlets. The colour is dirty or grayish brown. The cortex consists of a thin epidermis, within which is a thick, white, amylaceous layer, which gives to this variety its remarkable mealy appearance when broken. This cortical portion readily cracks transversely, and shells off, leaving the meditullium, which is thinner than in the Jamaica kind. The taste of the root is amylaceous, and ultimately somewhat acrid. Its decoction becomes intensely blue by the addition of a so- lution of iodine. Its powder is fawn-coloured, and when rubbed with water and tincture of iodine, becomes in- tensely bluish black. From five pounds of the root of fine quality about one pound of extract may be produced (Hennell). A sample, examined by Mr. Battley, yielded six and a half ounces of extract from three pounds of root, which is about ten and a half ounces from five pounds : 874 grains of the cortical portion of the root yielded 230 grains of extract (Battley). In one operation, in the laboratory of a friend of mine, 170 lbs. of root yielded 45 lbs. of extract. According to Mr. Pope, the cortex yields twice as much extract as the meditullium. 5. Vera Cruz Sarsaparilla (Radix Sarzee de Vera- Cruz). This is occasionally imported from Vera Cruz, but is seldom met with in the drug market. The roots are unfolded (sarsaparilla longa) and have the chump attached. They are thin, tough, of a light grayish brown colour, and devoid of starch in the cortex. Mr. Pope terms this variety, " lean, dark, and fibrous." The roots or runners give off very few rootlets. It yields a deep- coloured decoction, which is unchanged by a solution of iodine. Vera Cruz sarsaparilla is the produce of Smilax me- dica. 1 have received from Professor Guibourt the following kinds of sarsaparilla. 1. Caraccas Sarsaparilla, Guib. (Hist, des Drosr. t. ii. p. 577.1 Of thi« tho™ .,,„ ♦ i • a both of which liave portions of the rhizome an/aerial ll, alL£d tothem! One Ld1« Fig. 145. Magnified view of a section of Honduras Sarsaparilla. This and the preceding woodcut are from draw- ings made by Mr. Letheby. The letters refer to the same parts as those of fig. 144. s The hexagonal cellular tissue(c) abounds in starch. 126 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. premiere sorte) (op. cit.) occasionally presents spines on the aerial stem. The other (la seconde sorte) (op. cit. comes from Macaralbo (Maracalbo?). Professor Guibourt tells me "found, about three years ago, a bale of this second kind, one half of which was made_ up of the root above referred to, which he calls Salsepareille-Sauine de Macaraibo, and which he thinks ought rather to be regarded as a CAtna root (Squtne, Fr.) than a sarsaparilla. Caraccas sarsaparilla has considerable resemblance to the Lima sarsaparilla of English com. "The tuberosities possess a yellow colouring prin- merce. 2. Peruvian Sarsaparilla, Guib. (MS.) ciple,' and the stems are rather spongy than ligneous." This kind also appears to me to be closely allied to, if not identical with, Lima sarsaparilla. 3. Brazilian, called Portugal, Sarsaparilla, Guib. (Hist, des Drog. t.u p. 578.) Accom- panying this is a portion of the stem of some monocotyledonous plant (Timbolitica) used in tying tHe roots in bundles. The sample sent me by Professor Guibourt has some resemblance to what I have above called Vera Cruz Sarsaparilla; but the quantity is too small to draw any accurate conclusion from it. . , . , 4. Brazilian Sarsaparilla en Souches, Guib. (MS.) This, I think, is identical with our Vera Cruz sarsaparilla. "I thought at first," says Professor Guibourt, "that it came from the Brazils, because it appeared to me identical with that which constitutes the sarsaparilla called Portugal. But a druggist tells me he has received it wholly under the name of Tampico Sar- 5. Mexican, called Honduras, Sarsaparilla, Guib. (op. cit. t. ii. p. 574.) This is not the Honduras sarsaparilla of English druggists. Its colour is paler and yellowish. The roots are more shrivelled, the cortical part is tougher; and, when broken, does not give out a white dust, in consequence of being deficient in the white amylaceous layer which is so abundant in the Honduras variety of our commerce. The sarsaparilla which Guibourt (MS.) regards as the washed Honduras kind (Salsepareille Honduras lavtel Guib.) appears to me to be a distinct species. 6. Jamaica Sarsaparilla, Guib. (op. cit. p. 515.) This is not Jamaica sarsaparilla of English druggists. It appears to me to be very similar to the Salsepareille Honduras lavee, Guib. Both kinds have a roseate amylaceous cortex. 7. Woody Sarsaparilla, Guib. (op. cit. p. 576.) 8. Unknown Sarsaparilla, Guib. (MS.) "It approaches Caraccas sarsaparilla." Composition.—Sarsaparilla was analyzed by Cannobio ; (Brugnatelli, Gior- naledi Fisica, &c. Dec. 2, vol. i. p. 421, 1818,) by Pfaff; (Syst. de Mat. Med. Bd. vii. S. 90, 1824,) by Batka; (Journ. de Pharm. t. xx. p. 43, 1834.) and by Thubeuf. (Journ. de Pliurm. t. xx. 682, 1834.) Cannobio's Analysis. Pfaff's Analysis. Batka's Analysis. Thubeuf s Analysis. Bitter acrid resin .. 2 8 Gummy extractive . 55 Starch............. 542 Woody fibre.......27 6 Loss............... 97 Sarsaparilla [Hon- duras?].........100 0 Balsamic resin..... 20 Acrid extractive .... 2 5 Extractive similar to cinchona..... 3'7 Common extractive 9-4 Gummy extractive 14 Starch.............trace Albumen.......... 2-2 Woody fibre.......750 Moisture.......... 30 Loss............... 0-8 Sarsaparilla [Vera Cruz].......... 1000 1. A crystalline matter (parallinic acid) 2. A colouring crystal- line matter 3. An essential oil 4. Gum 5. Bassorin 6. Starch 7. Albumen 8. Extractiform matter 9. Gluten and gliadine 10. Fibrous and cellular tissue 11. Lactic acid 12. Acetic acid 13. Salts— namely, chlo- rides of calcium, po- tassium, and magne- sium, carbonate of lime, oxide of iron, and alumina. 1. A crystalline sub- stance (salseparine) 2. A colouring matter 3. A resinous matter 4. Ligneous matter 5 Starch 6. Chloride potassium 7. Nitrate potash 8. Fixed aromatic thick oil 9. Waxy substance Sarsaparilla. Sarsaparilla. 1. Oil of Sarsaparilla.—Berzelius (Traiti de Chim. t.vi.p.211,) states that 100 lbs. of the TW1? c„ ■ 6i' of volatlle oil; but there must be some error in this statement. I he following experiments were made by a friend, a manufacturing chemist, who gave me the products for examination. 140 lbs. of Jamaica sarsaparilla were distilled, by steam heat, at twice, with 220 gallons of water. 50 gallons of a milky liquor were obtained, which were a?jlfl °ub7,l"fd .l° d'st,1lation until 20 gallons had passed over. 20 lbs. of common salt were added to the distilled product, and heat being applied, 3 gallons were drawn over. The liquor SARSAPARILLA. 127 was milky, held in solution carbonate of ammonia, and contained a few drops of a volatile o I, which was heavier than water, was soluble in rectified spirit, and had the odour ana acna taste of sarsaparilla. 100 lbs. of Jamaica sarsaparilla were distilled with 100 gallons ot water. The distilled liquor was acid, and formed a white precipitate with solutions of acetate ot lead. It was re-distilled: the liquor that first passed over was not ammoniacal, but towards tne ena oi the process became so. _,,„, , , j ■* 2. Smilacin.—Discovered in 1824 by Palotta, (Journ. de Pharm. x. 543,) who termed A fan. glin. Folchi, about the same time, also procured it, and gave it the name of smilacin. 1 hubeui, in 1831, called it salseparin. In 1833, Batka announced that the active principle of this root was an acid, which fie termed parallinic acid. Lastly in 1834, Poggiale (Journ. de Chim. Med. x. 577,) showed the identity of these different substances. •„ , • i It is procured by decolorizing a concentrated hot alcoholic tincture of sarsaparilla by animal charcoal. The tincture deposits, on cooling, impure smilacin, which may be purified by re- peated solution and crystallization. Soubeiran (Nouv. Traite de Pharm. n. 166,) has proposed a more economical process. . It has been frequently asserted that the active principle of sarsaparilla resides in the cortical portion only of the root; but Poggiale asserts that the meditullium is not inert. Smilacin is a white, crystallizable, odourless, and, in the anhydrous state, almost tasteless substance; very slightly soluble in cold water, more so in boiling water, and depositing from the latter by cooling. Its solution has the bitter acrid taste of sarsaparilla, and froths on agita- tion. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, and oils. It does not combine with acids to form salts. Strong sulphuric acid colours it red, then violet, and lastly yellow, It dissolves in cold and pure hydrochloric acid; the solution becomes red and afterwards gelatinous, when heated. It is soluble in strong nitric acid: if the solution be heated, nitrous gas escapes; and by evapora- tion a solid residuum is obtained, which is soluble in boiling water, from which it precipitates in while flocks, as the liquid cools. Smilacin is closely allied to, if it be not identical with, saponin. Now, as the latter is readily converted into an acid (esculic acid), so probably is the former : hence, perhaps, the parallinic acid of Batka may not be absolutely identical with smilacin, but bear the same relation to it that esculic acid does to saponin. Smilacin has the following composition : Poggiale. (Mean of 12 analyses.) Henry. Petersen. Carbon................ 62 53 ................ 62 84 ................ 62-80 Hydrogen.............. 867 ................ 9-76 ................ 914 Oxygen................ 28-80 ................ 27-40 ................ 2806 Anhydrous Smilacin.. 10000 ................ 10000 [Parillina] 10000 Poggiale gives the following formula for its atomic constitution, C8 H7i O3; while O. Henry Journ. de Pharm. xx. 682,) assumes C° H9 O3, and Petersen (Thomson, Org. Chem. 279,) Ca II8 O3. As no definite compound of smilacin has been obtained, these formulas are of little value. Tlinbcuf says that hydrated [crystallized] smilacin contains 856 water. Cullerier (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. i. p. 45, Scconde Ser.) gave it to nine syphilitic patients. In doses of six grains the stomach readily supported it; but nine grains caused weight at the stomach and nausea. It appeared to relieve the patients' symptoms, and in one case, seemed to effect a cure. According to Palotta, pariglin, in doses of from two to thirteen grains, acts as a dcbililant, reducing the circulation, sometimes producing constriction of the oesophagus, and exciting nausea and diaphoresis. He thinks it might be useful in chronic rheumatism, skin discuses, &c. 3. Starch.—The large quantity of starch found in Honduras sarsaparilla must render this variety nutritive. In the Jamaica and Vera Cruz varieties the quantity is very small. 4. Rksi.n and Extractive.—These principles require further examination. On them pro- bably depends a part, at least, of the medicinal properties of sarsaparilla. Chemical Characteristics.—A decoction of sarsaparilla froths greatly when shaken. It scarcely, if at all, reddens litmus. Diacetate of lead, and protonitrate of mercury, cause precipitates. Alkalis deepen the colour of the decoction. Solution of iodine forms a copious blue precipitate (iodide of starch) in the decoction of both Honduras and Lisbon sarsaparilla. Sesquichloride of iron slightly deepens the decoction (in different degrees in different specimens), and in some cases causes a flocculent precipitate, which subsides slowly. A strong decoction of Honduras sarsaparilla forms a copious precipitate (starch) on the addition of alcohol. Commerce.—The following are the quantities of sarsaparilla on which duty (sixpence per lb.) was paid for the last six years, (Trade List for 1835-6-7-8-9 and 40.) 128 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. For 1835 .......... 125.413 lbs. I For 1S37 .......... 10J.298 lbs. I For 1839 ......... llTJSSlb.. 1836.......... 125,140 | 1838 .......... 121,888 | iow The countries from which sarsaparilla was imported in 1831 are thus stated in a parliamentary return : (statements of tlie imports and exports for lbul). „ , . .................... le.noibs. Portugal ..................................... ,Q7 Italy and the Italian Tslands................................ 7J British Northern Colonies................................... 45 063 British West Indies..................................... 29 12° United States of America................................... 43 254 Mexico...................................... ' ' j^ Guatemala................................................ 31972 ^\::::::::v■v■v■v■v■^v■"v■v■v■v^^^v""■^^^^^•••••^•^••^^•^••^^• ".'"* Total import........................................ \lS,'8A5,t Retained for home consumption..................... 107,4IU Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—Not ascertained. /3. On Animals.—Not ascertained. y. On Man.—Imperfectly determined; no experiments having been made to ascertain its physiological effects. To the taste, sarsaparilla is slightly acrid, and somewhat nauseous. Diapho- resis is by far the most common effect of its internal use. When the skin is kept cool, diuresis is not unusual. But in estimating the diaphoretic or diuretic power of sarsaparilla, we must take into consideration the amount of liquid in which the medicine is usually taken, and the other medicines which are fre- quently conjoined with it: for in many instances the diaphoresis or diuresis is referrible rather to these than to sarsaparilla. In several cases I have given the powder of this root in very large doses, in order to ascertain its effects. Nausea, vomiting, and temporary loss of appetite, were alone observed. Dr. Hancock (Trans. Med. Bot. Soc. 1829,) says, that on one patient, an African, an infusion of four ounces of Rio Negro sarsa acted as a narcotic, pro- ducing nausea, great prostration of strength, torpor, and unwillingness to move. The pulse was scarcely altered, unless it were a little retarded. Though the effects here stated agree, to a certain extent, with those ascribed to smilacin, they cannot be regarded as the ordinary effects of this root. In some conditions of system, especially those of a cachetic kind, sarsa- parilla acts as a powerful and valuable alterative tonic. Its continued use is often attended with improvement of appetite and digestion, augmentation of strength, increase of flesh, the production of a more healthy tone of mind, and the palliation, or, in some cases, complete disappearance of various morbid symptoms—as eruptions, ulcerations, pains of a rheumatic character, &c. Sarsaparilla differs in several respects from the bitter vegetable tonics. Though it is not devoid of, yet it does not, as they do, abound in a bitter princi- ple. It is not adapted for the cure of intermittents, or of simple debility. But its best effects are seen in those depraved conditions of system which the public, and even some medical men, ascribe to the presence of a morbid poison, or to a deranged condition of the fluids. Hence it is frequently denominated a purifier of the blood. Those who do not adopt the pathological notion here referred to, call it an alterative. Those varieties of sarsaparilla which abound in starch (as the Honduras kind) possess demulcent and nutritive properties. Uses.—By many practitioners sarsaparilla is considered to possess no reme- dial properties ; by others it is regarded as a medicine of great efficacy. Con- sidering that more than 100,000 lbs. of it are annually consumed in this coun- try, the number of those who entertain the latter opinion cannot be small. It has been justly remarked by Mr. Lawrence, (Led. on Surg, in the Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. v. p. 770,) that physicians have no confidence in it, and surgeons a great deal. I think that this fact is readily explained by the circumstance, SARSAPARILLA. 129 that physicians are much less frequently called in to prescribe for those forms of disease, in the treatment of which, surgeons have found sarsaparilla so efficacious. Many practitioners have doubted or denied its remedial activity on what, it must be admitted, are very plausible grounds; viz. that the root possesses very little taste and no smell; that by the ordinary mode of using it, it produces very slight, if any, obvious effects on the animal economy; and that it has failed in their hands to relieve or cure diseases in which others have asserted they found it effectual. They are, therefore, disposed to refer any improvement of a pa- tient's health, under the long-continued use of sarsaparilla, either to natural changes in the constitution, or to the influence of remedial means with which the sarsaparilla was conjoined. But I would observe, that hitherto no experi- ments had been made to ascertain what effects the long-continued employment of sarsaparilla may give rise to in the system of a healthy man, and we are not warranted in assuming that none would result because none are observable from the employment of a few doses. Moreover, it is to be remembered that some of our most powerful poisons prove the most efficacious remedies, when given in such small doses that they excite no other obvious effect on the system than the removal of morbid symptoms. Witness the beneficial influence of the minute doses of arsenious acid in lepra. Furthermore, no one has ascribed to sarsaparilla the power of a specific, and its warmest advocates admit its occa- sional failure. But so often has it been found, that various diseases, which had resisted all other tried remedial means, and were gradually increasing, became stationary, and afterwards subsided, under the use of sarsaparilla, that a large majority of British surgeons, including the most eminent of the present day, have been compelled to admit its therapeutic power. As no obvious relationship exists between its known physiological effects and its apparent therapeutic agency, an argument has been raised against its medi- cinal activity, on the ground that we cannot explain its methodus medendi ; but, for the same reason, we might refuse to admit the power of cinchona to cure ague. Mr. Lawrence (op. cit. p. 769,) justly observes, that, although we can- not point out the manner in which a remedy " operates, we are not, on that ac- count, to withhold our confidence in its power. It is enough for us, in medical science, to know that certain effects take place. In point of fact, we are in many cases unable to distinguish the modus operandi of medicines—the man- ner in which their influence is produced." The most plausible explanation of the agency of alterative medicines is that offered by Miiller, (Physiology, vol. i. pp. 56 and 363,) and which I have before had occasion to notice, (vol. i. p. 121). It assumes that these remedies cause changes in the nutritive fluids (the chyle and blood), and thereby produce slight chemical alterations in organs morbidly changed in composition, by which already existing affinities are annulled, new ones induced, and the vital principle enabled to effect the further restoration and cure. This hypothesis may be used to explain the remedial influence of sarsa- parilla. Sarsaparilla has been found especially serviceable in the following maladies: 1. In inveterate venereal disease—It is beneficial principally when the malady is of Ions continuance, and the constitution is enfeebled and emaciated, either by the repeated attacks of the disease, or by the use of mercury. In such cases it is, as Sir William Fordyce (Med. Obs. and Inq. vol. i. p 169 ) correctly observed, «the great restorer of appetite, flesh, colour, strenoi'h, and W hen the disease resists, or is aggravated, by the use of mercurv, lieve venereal to promote the .. the bones are affected. In recent chancre, or bubo, it is of little use; nor does it appear to possess the least power of preventing secondary symptoms. We cannot ascribe VOL. II. 17 130 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. it to " the same anti-syphilitic properties—that is, the same power of arresting or curing the venereal disease—that experience warrants us in attributing to mercury."1 Sarsaparilla is sometimes given alone, but more frequently with other remedies: as with stimulating diaphoretics (mezereon, sassafras, and guaiacum), or with mercurials in small or alterative doses, or with acids (espe- cially the nitric), or with alkaline substances (as potash or lime), or with the bitter tonics. It is difficult to lay down concise rules to guide us in the selection of these adjuncts. In venereal pains and eruptions, sudorifics, the copious use of warm diluents and warm clothing, are especially applicable, and should be conjoined with sarsaparilla. In scrofulous constitutions, with en- larged glandsj it will be for the most part advisable to avoid the use of mer- cury. In such I have seen the alkalis most serviceable. When extreme de- bility is present, the bitter tonics and nitric acid are often added to sarsaparilla with benefit. 2. In chronic rheumatism sarsaparilla is often advantageously conjoined with powerful sudorifics and anodynes (as opium or hyoscyamus), especially when any suspicion exists as to the venereal origin of the disease. 3. In obstinate skin diseases benefit is frequently obtained by the use of sar- saparilla. Its employment is not confined to cutaneous affections of one parti- cular elementary form, since it is given with good effect in papular, vesicular, pustular, and tubercular skin diseases, of a chronic kind, when they occur in enfeebled and emaciated constitutions. Though, in these cases, its value prin- cipally depends on its tonic and alterative effects, its diaphoretic operation is to be encouraged by the use of diluents, warm clothing, &c. 4. In cachectic conditions of the system generally, sarsaparilla may be given, often with the best effects, and never with any ill consequences, save that of occasionally producing slight nausea. Indeed, one of the great advantages of sarsaparilla over many other alteratives and tonics, is, that although it may fail in doing good, it never does any harm beyond that of now and then causing slight disorder of stomach. In chronic abscesses, attended with profuse dis- charge, diseases of the bones, obstinate ulcers, chronic pulmonary affections accompanied with great wasting of the body, enlarged glands, and various other maladies connected with a depraved state of the system, sarsaparilla is often a very useful medicine. Administration.—Sarsaparilla is administered in substance, and in the form of infusion, decoction, extract, and syrup. 1. PULVIS SARZA; Powdered Sarsaparilla.—The ordinary dose of this is from half a drachm to one or two drachms. Half an ounce frequently nauseates, and in some cases gives rise to vomiting. Powder of Jamaica sarsaparilla is to be preferred to that of other varieties. It is redder than that of the Honduras kind, and produces a much less intense blue colour when rubbed with water and tincture of iodine. I have been informed that some druggists employ, in the preparation of the powder, the roots from which the extract has been prepared. This fraud may be detected by the powder being almost devoid of taste, mace- rating it in water, and carefully comparing the infusion with one prepared from an unadulterated sample. 2. INFUSUM SARSAPARILLA COMPOSITUM, D. Compound Infusion of Sarsapa- rilla.—(Sarsaparilla root previously cleansed with cold water and sliced, 3j.; Lime Water, Oj. [wine measure]. Macerate for twelve hours in a covered vessel, with occasional agitation, and strain.)—According to Mr. Battley (Lond. Med. Rep. xix. 169,) lime water is not so good a solvent for the constituents of sarsaparilla root as distilled water: for 874 grains of the root lost only 140 grains by maceration in lime water; whereas the same quantity of root lost 175 « Lawrence, op. cit. p. 769; sec also Mr. Pearson's Observations on the Effects of Various Articles of the Materia Medica in the cure of Lues Venerea, p. 39, 1800. SARSAPARILLA. 131 grains in distilled water. The dose of his infusion is from f3iv. to f3vj. two or three times a day. [). INFUSI M SARSAPARILLA, (U. S.) Take Sarsaparilla, bruised, an ounce; Boiling Water, a pint. Digest for two hours in a covered vessel and strain, or by displacement.] 4. DECOCTUM SARZA, L. E. Decoctum Sarsaparillce, D.; Decoction of Sar- saparilla.—(Sarza, sliced [in chips, E.; and cleansed with cold water, D.], 3v. [3iv. D.]; Boiling water, Oiv. [wine measure, D.] Macerate for four hours, in a vessel lightly covered, near the fire, then take out and bruise the sar- saparilla. When bruised return it to the liquor, and again macerate in the same manner for two hours; afterwards boil down to two pints, and strain.)— An objection has been taken to this, as well as to all preparations of sarsapa- rilla made by boiling, that the heat employed volatilizes or decomposes the ac- tive principle of the root. " An infusion of sarsaparilla," says Soubeiran, (Nouv. Traite. de Pharm. t. ii. p. 168,) "which is odorous and sapid, loses both its odour and taste by boiling for a few minutes : these changes speak but little in favour of the decoction. On the other hand, it is known that the fibrous parts of vegetables always give less soluble matters to water, when treated by decoction ; and if it be added, that sarsaparilla is completely exhausted by hot water, I cannot see what advantages the decoction can possess over preparations made by other methods." Without denying the injurious effects of long boiling, and, therefore, the superiority of preparations made without it, I cannot admit that either the decoction or extract of sarsaparilla is inert. No objection, how- ever, exists to the substitution of an infusion for a decoction. But it is advisable to employ a somewhat larger quantity of the root, and to have it crushed before macerating it. The proportions of root and water, in the above preparation, are such that one ounce of the decoction contains the extractive of one drachm only of the root. Hence the extract or syrup is usually conjoined. An infusion or decoction of Jamaica sarsaparilla produces little or no blue colour with tinc- ture of iodine : whereas the corresponding preparations of Honduias sarsapa- rilla (the kind usually met with, cut in small split lengths, in the shops) becomes bluish black on the addition of a solution of iodine. The dose of Decoctum Sarzee is f^iv. to f3viij. three or four times daily. 5. DECIM'THl SARSA COMPOSITUM, L. E. Decoctum Sarsaparillce compositum, D. (U. S.); Compound Decoction of Sarsaparilla.—(Decoction of Sarsaparilla, boiling hot, Oiv. [wine measure, D.]; Sassafras, sliced and bruised; Guaiacum wood shavings ; Liquorice root, bruised, of each 3x. (3j. D.) ; Mezereon [bark of the root], 3iij. [3ss. E.] Boil for a quarter of an hour, and strain.)—[Take of Sarsaparilla, sliced and bruised, six ounces; Bark of Sassafras Root, sliced; Guaiacum wood, rasped; Liquorice root, bruised, each an ounce; Mezereon', sliced, three drachms; Water, four pints. Boil for a quarter of an hour, and strain.] This preparation is an imitation of the celebrated Lisbon Diet Drink. The objections made to the use of ebullition in preparing the simple decoction^ apply equally to the present preparation. The additions are for the most part valueless. The guaiacum wood is useless, water not being able to dissolve the resin. The volatile oil contained in the sassafras-wood is in part dissipated by the boiling. The mezereum, an active agent, is used in such small quantity that it can confer but little medicinal power. The liquorice is employed merelv to communicate flavour. An improvement in the present formula would be to omit the guaiacum, to increase the quantity of sarsaparilla and mezereum to substitute maceration for decoction, and to add oil of sassafras. The dose of'the officinal preparation is from fjiv. to fjvj. three or four times a day The syrup or extract is usually conjoined with it. During its use the skin should be kept warm. r (i. SVRUPl'S SARZA, L. E Syrupus Sarsaparillce, D.; Syrup of Sarsapa- > m on intal- lible remedy for the venereal disease, and obtained great celebrity in consequence of the benefit which the Emperor Charles the Fifth is said to have derived from it in gout. Its cttecls are not very obvious, but it is said to be diaphoretic. It tinges the sweat. It has been used in the same maladies as sarsaparilla ; viz. venereal diseases, rheumatism, gout, obstinate skin diseases, &c. It is given in the form of decoction. . . . The American China root (Radix China Americanos) is brought from Mexico, and is said to be the produce of Smilax Pseudo-China. 2. Smilax Aspera is used in the south of Europe as a substitute for sarsaparilla; but the substance sold in London under that name is brought from India, and is the produce of Htmi. desmus indicus, and will be described hereafter. Order XIV.—IRIDAOE, Lvhdl.—THE CORNFLAG TRIBE. Iridea:, Juss. Essential Characters.—Calyx and corolla superior, confounded, their divisions either par- tially cohering, or entirely separate, sometimes irregular, the three petals being sometimes very short. Sta?nens three, arising from the base of the sepals ; filaments distinct or con- nate; anthers bursting externally lengthwise, fixed by their base, two-celled. Ovary three- celled, cells many-seeded; style one; stigmas three, often petaloid, sometimes two-lipped. Capsule three-celled, three-valved, with a loculicidal dehiscence. Seeds attached to the inner angle of the cell, sometimes to a central column, becoming loose; albumen corneous, or densely fleshy; embryo inclosed within it.—Herbaceous plants, or very seldom under-shrubs, usually smooth ; the hairs, if any, simple. Roots tuberous or fibrous. Leaves equitant, dis- tichous in most genera. Inflorescence terminal, in spikes, corymbs, or panicles, or crowded. Bracts spathaceous, the partial ones often scarious; the sepals occasionally rather herbace- ous (Lindley). Properties.—The underground stems and roots usually abound in fecula and mucilage; but these nutritive substances are generally combined with an acrid principle, which excludes their employment as articles of food. However, Moraza edulis, M. sisyrinchium, Gladiolus edulis, and a species of Tigridia, have been used as esculent substances. The rhizomes of several species of Iris (as /. Pseud-acorus, I. germanica, 1. sibirica, and /. versicolor) are remarkable, especially in the fresh state, for their acridity, in consequence of which some of them have been used as purgatives, sialogogues, or errhines, or for issue-peas. The rhizomes of some species (as I.florenlina and I. germanica) have an agreeable smell. The colour and the odour of tne saffron are to be regarded as part of the petaloid qualities of the stigmata of Crocus. The effects of this medicine on the nervous system are regarded by Dc Candolle (Essai sur les Proprietes Med.) as similar to those of [certain odorous] flowers. CROCUS SATI'VUS, Allioni, L. E. D.—THE SAFFRON CROCUS. Ser. Syst. Triandria, Monogynia. (Stigmata exsiccata, L. Stigmata, E. D.) (Crocus, U. S.) History.—Saffron is mentioned in the Old Testament. (Solomon's Song, iv. 14.) Homer (Iliad, xiv. 346,) speaks of the Crocus, (xpoxo?). Hippocrates (opera, Ed. Foes. pp. 407, 575, 614, 626, and 876,) employed Saffron in ute- rine and other maladies. The word Saffron (zafaran, Avicenna) is of Arabic origin. Botany.—Gen. Char.—Perianth [coloured], with a slender tube twice as long as the limb; limb six-partite, equal, erect. [Stamens three, inserted into the tube; antliers sagittate.] Stigmas three, thick, convoluted, generally crested. Capsule under ground, elevated by a short peduncle from the root, which pe- duncle elongates after the decay of the flowers, and the capsules appear above ground. (Hooker, with some additions.) sP. char.—Stigma protruded, drooping, in three deep linear divisions.— (Hooker.) Cormus roundish; its brownish coats reticulated, separating superiorly into distinct parallel fibres. Leaves linear, with a white central°stripe, and sur- rounded at their base with long membranous sheaths. Flowers light purple, shorter than the leaves, with a two-valved membranous spathe. Anthers pale yellow. Stigmas deep orange-coloured. Hah.—A native of Asia Minor. Now naturalized in England, France, Spain, THE SAFFRON CROCUS. 135 and some other European countries. It is a doubtful native of the Eastern parts of Europe. It is said to have been introduced into Spain by the Arabs. (Dil- lon, Travels through Spain.) It flowers in September and October. Preparation.—The flowers are gathered in the morning, and the stigmata, with part of the style, plucked out for use, the rest of the flower being thrown away. The stigmata are then dried on paper, either by means of portable kilns over which a hair-cloth is stretched, (Douglas, Phil. Trans, for 1728,) or in a room by the sun. (Fiske, Stephenson and ChurchilVs Med. Bot. vol. iii.) When dried between paper under the pressure of a thick board and weights, the saffron is formed into cakes now no longer to be met with. Description.—Two kinds of saffron are kept in the shops, viz. hay saffron and cake saffron. 1. Hay Saffron. (Crocus infxno.)—Consists of the stigmas with part of the style, which have been very carefully dried. They are from an inch to an inch and a half long, thin, brownish red ; the upper portion, (stigma) is ex- panded, notched at the extremity; the lower portion, which constitutes part of the style, is called by Th. Martius, (Plmrmakogn,) F'aminelle: it is narrow, capillary, yellowish. The odour is penetrating, aromatic, and of large quanti- ties, narcotic. The taste is bitter, somewhat aromatic. When chewed, saffron tinges the mouth and the saliva yellow. I find by careful examination that one grain of good commercial saffron contains the stigmata and styles of nine flowers ; hence 4,320 flowers are required to yield one ounce of saffron. a.. English Saffron (Crocus anglicus) is no longer found in commerce. /S. Spanish Saffron (Crocus hispanicus) constitutes the best saffron of Ihe shops. It is im- ported from Gibraltar (principally), Cadiz, Denia, Santander, and Malaga. From the concur- rent accounts of pharmacologists it would appear that formerly Spanish saffron was spoiled by being dipped in oil to preserve it. But the saffron now imported from Spain has not been subjected to this treatment. Occasionally, Spanish, as well as any other kind of saffron, is oiled by the dealers to give it an appearance of freshness, but this fraud is, I suspect, usually performed in this country. y French Saffron (Crocus gallicus) is usually considered in commerce to be of second qua- lity. It is the produce of Gulinais (Gatinais Saffron) and Orleanais, which comprehend part of the departments of Seine-ct-Marne and Eure-et-Loire, and the whole of the department of Loiret. The saffron of Angouleme is the worst. (Guibourt, Histoire des Drog.u. 254.) French saffron is shipped for England at Calais, Boulogne, and Havre. Besides the preceding, several other varieties of saffron are mentioned by pharmacologists, but they arc not distinguished in English commerce, and I am unacquainted with them. Such are Austrian, Bavarian, Oriental, and the Sicilian saffron (C. austriacus, bavaricus, orientalis, and sicilienses) mentioned by Murray, (App. Med. vol. v.) Geiger, (Handb. de Pharm.) and others. From the Customs report (Trade List for 1837-8-9), it appears that saf- fron is occasionally imported from Hamburgh, Antwerp, Genoa, Naples, and Bombay. But I am ignorant of its place of growtrrand quality. According to Gussone, (Lindley, Flora Medica,) Crocus odorus yields Sicilian saffron. Dioscorides (Lib. i. cap. xxv.) considered the saffron of Corycus (a mountain of Cilicia, in Asia Minor, now called Curco,) to be the best, and that of Lycia and Olympus to be of second quality; while Cyrenaic saffron, as well as that from Cen- turipinum (Centorbe) in Sicily, he declares to be the worst. 2. cake Saffron. (Crocus in Placenta.)—Formerly this was compressed hay saffron. But the cakes now met with in the inferior shops are composed of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) and gum-water, made into a paste, and rolled out on a tin plate with a rolling-pin into oval cakes of 11 inches long, 10 inches broad, and about one-tenth of an inch thick. These are dried on brown paper in a stove. They are shining, and of a brownish red colour. I can detect neither saffron nor marigolds (Calendula officinalis) in them. Their price is about one-fifth of that of good hay saffron. I am informed, by a maker of cake saffron, that there is only another person besides himself by whom this sub- stance is made in London. Adi-i.tkration.—The only adulteration practised on saffron, which has come under my notice, is that of mixing safflower with saffron, and this I have met with once only. It must have been effected abroad, since the druggist who 136 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. pointed it out to me bought the saffron in bond, and did not discover the fraud until the saffron had been for some time in his warehouse. I he pieces of sal- flower readily escape the eye of a superficial observer. If rubbed with the moistened finger on paper, they produce a slightly yellow mark only, whereas genuine saffron causes a very intense orange-yellow stain. The fraud may also be detected by infusing the suspected saffron in hot water, when the florets of the safflower may be readily distinguished from the stigmas which constitute saffron. I am informed that old and dry saffron is sometimes oiled, to give it the ap- pearance of freshness. The stain communicated to the fingers, or white blot- ting paper, when such saffron is compressed, readily detects the fraud. Fibres of smoked beef and the petals of the officinal marigold are said to have been used for adulterating saffron. But there is no fear of these adulterations now. Such frauds would be readily detected by the eye, especially when the suspected saffron has been infused in hot water. Commerce.—The quantity of saffron on which duty (of Is. per lb.) is paid is about 5,000 lbs. per annum. The places from which it is imported have been already mentioned. It is brought over in cases, barrels, and boxes. Composition.—Saffron was analyzed in 1811 by Vogel and Bouillon-La- grange, (Bull, de Pharm. iv. 89,) and in 1818 by Aschoff. (Gmelin. Handb. d. Chim. ii. 1334.) Vogel and Bouillon-Lagrange, Volatile oil.............................................. 7 5 Wax......................................... .......... 0 5 Polychroite.............................................. 650 Gum.................................................... 65 Soluble albumen ........................................ 05 Woody fibre............................................. 10 0 Water.................................................. 10 0 Balsamic matter, soluble in ether and alcohol............. — Saffron................................................. 100 0 Aschoff. 14 40 520 10-4 190 100 20 1. Volatile Oil of Saffron. (Oleum Croci.)—Obtained by distilling saffron with water. It is yellow, heavier than water, has a burning, acrid, somewhat bitter taste, and is slightly soluble in water. By keeping, it becomes white, solid, and lighter than water. On it depends probably the medicinal properties of saffron. 2. Colouring matter: Polychroite (so called from 7royv;, many, and ypo*, colour, in conse- quence of its being susceptible of numerous changes of colour).—By digesting the aqueous ex- tract of saffron in alcohol, and evaporating the tincture to dryness, a substance is obtained which Bouillon-Lagrange and Vogel called polychroite, but which Henry (Journ. de Pharm. vii. 397,) has separated into volatile oil and a bitter red substance (polychroite properly so called). Pure polychroite is pulverulent, bitter, scarlet-red, odourless, slightly soluble in cold water, much more so in hot water, readily soluble in alcohol and oils (both fixed and volatile,) slightly soluble in ether. Sulphuric acid turns it blue, then lilac. Nitric acid makes it green, but the colour is very fugitive. The hypochlorites destroy the yellow colour of a solution of polychroite. Chemical Characteristics.—An aqueous infusion of saffron gives no in- dication of starch on the addition of a solution of iodine. The hypochlorites bleach it. Sulphuric and nitric acids act on it as on polychroite above men- tioned. Acetate of lead causes no precipitate. By evaporation, the infusion yields an extract from which alcohol removes the colouring matter and leaves a gummy substance. Physiological Effects.—Formerly saffron was considered to be cordial, aromatic, narcotic, and emmenagogue. Some (Boerhaave, Hist. Plead, pars ii. p. 590,) have accused it of causing laughing delirium ; others (Bergius, Mat. Med. t. i. p. 38,) have ascribed to its use great mental dejection ; and several (Boerhave, op. cit.; Riverius, Op. Med.) have declared that they have seen immoderate uterine hemorrhage produced by it, which, in the case referred to THE SAFFRON CROCUS. itJI by Riverius, is said to have terminated fatally. But modern experience has proved that most of these statements are erroneous. Alexander (Experim. Es- says, p. 88, 1768,) swallowed four scruples of saffron without perceiving any obvious effects therefrom; and Wibmer (Wirk. d. Arzneim. Band 2, S. 204,) took a drachm without observing the slightest effect. By the long-continued use of saffron, the colouring particles become absorbed, and tinge the secretions, especially the urine and perspiration. In some in- stances The fetus in utero has been stained by it. (Wibmer, op. cit.) The failure of Alexander to detect the yellow tinge in his secretions arose probably from the short time he had been using this medicine. Mr. Gibson1 gave a con- siderable quantity of saffron to a pigeon, which thereby had its faeces tinged, yet no perceptible alteration was produced in its bones. Headache, prostration of strength, apoplexy, and even death, have been ascribed to the inhalation of the vapour arising from large quantities of saffron ;a and perhaps correctly so, for it is well known that the odours of other plants (as the rose, the pink, &c.) act on some individuals as narcotic poisons. (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) Uses.—Saffron is employed, especially on the continent, as a flavouring and colouring ingredient in various culinary preparations, articles of confectionary, liqueurs, &c. It was used by the ancients as a perfume as well as a seasoning agent. (Beckmann, Hist of Invent, and Discov. vol. i. p. 278.) in the modern practice of medicine it is chiefly used as a colouring ingredient. It is a popular remedy for assisting the eruption of exanthematous diseases; on the same principle, I suppose, that bird-fanciers give it to birds when moulting. It wa3 at one time esteemed as an antispasmodic in asthma, hysteria, and cramp of the stomach; and was formerly used as an emmenagogue, and to promote uterine contractions and the lochial discharge. Lastly it has been employed as a stimulant to the nervous system in hypochondriasis. Administration.—It may be given in doses of from ten grains to a drachm in the form of powder or pill. It is popularly used in the form of infusion or tea. 1. SYRUPUS CROCI, L. E.—(Saffron, 3x.; Boiling water, Oj.; Sugar, lb. iij. Macerate the saffron in the water for twelve hours, in a vessel lightly covered, then strain the liquor, and add the sugar to it).—It is employed principally for its colour. I TINCTURA CROCI, E.; Tincture, of Saffron (Saffron chopped fine, 3ij.; Proof Spirit, Oij. This tincture is to be prepared like tincture of cinchona, either by percolation or by digestion, the former method being the more conve- nient and expeditious.)—Used as a colouring liquid. It is also employed as a stimulant and emmenagogue in doses of from f3j. to f3ij. As a colouring and flavouring ingredient saffron is a constituent of several other preparations. OTHER MEDICINAL IRIDACEiE. The Orris Root of the shops is the rhizome of Irisjlorentina, and perhaps also of/, pallida. It is imported in casks from Leghorn and Trieste. It consists according to Vogel, (Journ. de Pharm. i. 181,) of volatile oil, acrid resin, astringent extractive,gum, starch, and ligneous mat- ter. Raspail (Chim. Organ.) detected in it crystals of oxalate of lime. Orris root is an acrid Hubstance, and in full doses causes vomiting and purging. It is principally used on account of its violet odour. Thus hair and tooth powders, perfumed oils, &c. are frequently scented with it. During teething, infants are sometimes permitted to rub their gums with, and bite, the rhizome: but the practice is objectionable, since it is not unfrequently attended with irritation of the mouth and disorder of the stomach and bowels. Furthermore, the danger of the rhizome 1 Mem. of the Lit. and Phil. Soc. of Manchester, 2nd Ser. vol. i. p. 148. »doe ihu Report* of Borelius, Tralles, Forster, and others, quoted by Wibmer and Murray op. cit. VOL. II. 18 138 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. getting into the oesophagus or trachea is not to be overlooked. One fatal case of this kind is recorded. (Kraus, Heilmittellehre, S. 541.) Powdered orris root is sometimes used as an err- hine. Order XV.—TACCACE^E, Lindley.-THE TACCA TRIBE. Taccere, Prest. r This is a small and imperfectly-known order of plants. It contains the Tacca pinnatifida, Forst. a native of the Molucca Isles, and of the Islands of the Pacific Ocean. T he roots are tuberose, fleshy, intensely bitter, and acrid. By cultivation FlG. 146. they become larger and somewhat milder. They yield a highly nutritious fecula. At Tahiti (Otaheite) this fecula is procured by washing the tubers, scraping off their outer skin, and then reducing them to a pulp by friction on a kind of rasp made by winding coarse twine (formed of the cocoa- nut fibre) regularly round a board. The pulp is washed with sea-water through a sieve, made of the fibrous web which protects the young frond of the cocoa-nut palm. The strained liquor is received in a wooden trough in which the fecula is deposited; and the supernatant liquor being poured off, the sediment is formed into balls, which are dried in the sun for 12 or 24 hours, then broken and reduced to powder, which is Bpread out in the sun to dry. (Matthews, Gardener's Maga- zine, vol. viii. p. 585, Lond. 1832.) [Mr. Nuttall states, (Am, Journal of Pharmacy, vol. ix. p. 306,) that the plant affording Sandwich Island arrow root is not the Tacca pinnatifida of the East Indies, but a new and distinct species, to which he has given the name Tacca oceanica.—J. C.] Tacca vinnatifida. Tahiti Arrow-root, sometimes called Otaheite Salep (Rees' " Cyclopcedia, art. Tacca pinnatifida,) is imported into London, and sold as " Arrow-root prepared by the native converts at the Missionary stations in the South Sea Islands." It is a white amylaceous powder, with a slight musty odour. Examined by the microscope I find it to consist of particles which appear cir- FlG. 147. cular, mullar-shaped, or polyhedral. Some of the mullar-shaped particles are slightly narrowed at the base. Moreover the base of the mullar, instead of being flat, appears to me to be hollowed out. The hilum is small and circular ; it cracks in a linear or stellate manner. The rings are few and not very distinct. This fecula is used as a substitute for the West Indian Arrow-root. In some parts of the world cakes are made of the meal of the tubers of T. pinnatifida, "which are the tacca youy of some naviga- tors : they form an article of diet in China and Cochin China, as Particles of also in Travancore," where, according to Dr. Ainslie, they attain a Tahiti Arrow-Root. large size, and are eaten by the natives with some acid to subdue their acrimony. (Royle, Illustrations of the Botany of the Hitna. layan Mountains, p. 378.) Fig. 148. Fig. 149. Fig. 150. Narcissus Tazetta. The Banana. The Plantain. THE ARROW-ROOT TRIBE. 139 Order XVI.—AMARYLLIDACEiE, Lindl.—THE NARCISSUS TRIBE. None of the plants of this order are employed in England as articles of the Materia Medica. Yet many of them act powerfully on the system, and one of them (Hcemanthus toxicarius) is Baid to be used by the Hottentots to poison their arrow heads. The prevailing property of the order is acridity, which is possessed principally by the bulbs, several of which (as those of Pancratium maritimum and Hasmanthus coccineus) seem to be endowed with properties very similar to those of squill. The leaves and flowers of Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus are enume- rated among the simples of the French Codex. In doses of 20 or 30 grains they sometimes cause vomiting. They have been employed in spasmodic affections, (as hooping-cough,) in diarrhoea, and in agues. (Merat and De Lens, Diet, de Mat. Med. t. iv.) Several other species of Narcissus, as N. Tazetla and N. odorus, also possess emetic properties. (De Candolle, Essai sur les Proprietes Med.) Narcissus Tazetla is supposed by Dr. Sibthorp to be the Nar- cissus of the poets. Order XVII.—MUSACE^E, Agardh—THE BANANA TRIBE. None of the Musaccse are used in medicine. But the importance of the Banana (Mu'sa Sa- pikn'tum) and Plantain (M. Paradisi'aca), as articles of food, is so great to the inhabitants of some tropical countries, that it would be almost inexcusable to pass by the order without a no- tice. " But for plantains," says Dr. Wright, (London Med, Journ. vol. viii.) Jamaica " would scarcely be habitable, as no species of provision could supply their place. Even flour, or bread itself, would be less agreeable and less able to support the laborious negro, so as to enable him to do his business, or to keep in health." (See also Humboldt's PI. ASquinoc.) Boussingault (Journ.\de Pharm. xxii. 385,) analysed the fruit of Musaparadisiaca, and found in it sugar, gum, malic, gallic,\&nd pectic acids, albumen, and lignin. Order XVIII.—MARANTACEtE, Lindl.—THE ARROW-ROOT TRIBE. Essential Characters.—Calyx superior, of three sepals, short. Corolla tubular, irregular, with the segments in two whorls; the outer three-parted, nearly equal, the inner very irregu- lar ; one of the lateral segments usually coloured, and formed differently from the rest; some- times by abortion fewer than three. Stamens three, petaloid, distinct, of which one of the laterals and the intermediate one are either barren or abortive, and the other lateral one fertile. Filament petaloid, either entire or two-lobed, one of the lobes bearing the anther on its edge. Anther one-celled, opening longitudinally. Pollen round (papillose in Canna coccinea, smooth in Calathea zebrina). Ovary three-celled; ovules solitary and erect, or numerous and attached to the axis of each cell; style petaloid or swollen; stigma either the mere denuded apex of the style, or hollow, hooded and incurved. Fruit capsular, as in Scitaminese. Seeds round, without aril; albumen hard, somewhat floury; embryo straight naked, its radicle lying against the hilum (Lindley). ' Properties.—The rhizomes abound in fecula. MARAN'TA ARUNDINA'CEA, Linn. L. E.—THE WEST INDIAN ARROW-ROOT. Sex. Syst. Monandria, Monogynia. (Arrow-root: Rhizomatis fecula. Lond.—Fecula of the tubers : Arrowroot. Ed.) (Maranta, U. S.) History.—This plant was brought from the island of Dominica, by Colonel James Walker, to Barbadoes, and there planted. From thence it was sent to Jamaica. That gentleman observed that the native Indians used the root against the poison of their arrows, by mashing and applying it to the poisoned wounds. (bloane s Jamaica, vol. i. p. 254.) Botany. Gen. char—Corolla unequal, one of the inner segments in the form of a lip. Stamens petaloid, with half an anther on its edge. Style hooded adhering to the edge of a sterile filament. Ovary three-celled, smooth : ovules solitary. Iruit even, dry one-seeded. Caulescent plants with fleshy rhizomata or tubers. Stems branched, often dichotomous. Inflorescence terminal panicled jointed, with glumaceous, deciduous bracts. (Lindley.) ' ' sP. ci.nr.-CW0* branched, herbaceous. Leaves ovate, lanceolate, somewhat hairy underneath. Peduncles two-flowered (Willdenow) lihtzome white, articulated, tuberous, placed horizontally in the earth and giving origin to several tuberous jointed stoles (stolones tuberosi,) similar to it- self, but covered with scales. Those stoles are often more than a foot long, and curved, so hat the points rise out of the earth and become new plants (Ne% and hiT2a 'h, Fl tW° l° ? "* fT High- Lmt alternate> ™th l0"g> Mfc hairy, sheaths. Flowers white and small. 140 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Fig. 151. The Maranti smooth on careful examination nacea, Linn. (Nees v. Esenb. and Eberm. Handb. d. Med. Pharm. Bot.) Hao.-West Indies. In Jamaica it is cultivated in gardens and provision ^Extraction of the FECULA—The roots (tubers), when a year old ore dug up, well washed in water, and then beaten id large, deep, wooden mortara lo a pu p. This is thrown into a large tub of clean water. The whole .s then well stirred, and the fibrous part wrung out by the hands and thrown away. The milky liquor being passed through a hair-sieve, or coarse cloth, is suffered to settle, and the clear water is drained off. At the bottom of the vessel is a white mass, which is again mixed with clean water and drained; lastly, the mass is dried on sheets in the sun, and is pure starch. (Wright, Lond. Med. Journ. vol. viii.) Properties.—The fecula (fcecula marantce) called in the shops West Indian arrow-root, is white, odourless, and tasteless. It is in the form either of a light opake Particles*of W^Indian white powder or of small pulverulent masses. When Arrow-root. pressed between the fingers it feels firm, and, when rubbed produces a slight crackling noise. Examined by the microscope1 it is found to consist of oblong, somewhat ovate-oblong, or irregu- larly-shaped convex particles, with small mamillary processes occasionally pro- jecting from some portion of the surface, and which are especially evident after the particles have been in water for a few minutes. The rings are very fine. The hilum is circular, and cracks in a linear or stellate manner. Portland Arrowroot is obtained from Arum maculatum (see p. 78). East India Arrow-root is the fecula procured from Corcuma angustifolia, and will be de- scribed hereafter. Brazilian Arrowroot is the fecula of Jatropha Manihot. It is described by M. Guibourt (Hist, des Drag. ii. 456, 3me ed.) under the name of Moussache or Cipipa, and will be noticed hereafter (vide Euphorbiacese). Tahiti Arrow-root is the fecula of Tacca pinnatifida, and has already been noticed (p. 138). Composition.—Arrow-root has been analyzed by Dr. Prout (Phil. Trans. 1827,) and by Payen, (Ann. des Scien. Nat. 2nde Ser. Botanique, 1839, pp. 183, 184,) who obtained the following results - Payen. Prout. Air dried. Carbon.......... 36 4 . Water........... 63 6 . Dried between 200° & 212° for 20 hours. 42-8 57 2 Dried at 212° for 6 hours. longer. .... 44-4 ... 55 6 Arrowroot......100 0 1000 Portion most easily disagregated dried at 2120 F. Carbon........ 44-3 Hydrogen...... 62 Oxygen........ 496 100 0 Amidon intact purified by al- cohol 4" water, and dried at 382° F. 44-33 6-25 49'42 100 00 The formula which agrees with Prout's third analysis is C8 H5 O5. Dr. Prout regards arrow-root as a low variety of starch analogous to the low sugar of honey ; while wheat-starch he considers to be the most perfect form of starch, analogous to sugar-candy. Commerce.—Arrow-root is brought, in tin cases and in barrels and boxes, from the West India Islands (Jamaica, Barbadoes, Antigua, St. Vincent, Domi- nica, Bermuda, St. Kitt's, Grenada, Demerara, and Berbice). Bermuda arrow- root is the most esteemed variety; whether justly or otherwise I know not. Importations of a fecula called arrow-root are occasionally made from Calcutta, and sometimes from Para, Maranham, and Sierra Leone. i Raspail has depicted the grains of the fecula of Convolvulus Batatas for arrowroot (see Payen, Ann. Scien. Nat. 2na« Ser. t. x. Botanique, 1838, p. 16. THE GINGER TRIBE. 141 The quantity of arrow-root on which duty (of one shilling per cwt.) was paid during the last six years, is as follows: Cwts. Cwts- In IKJ.i lfc3u Cwts. . 3,581 . 3,260 In 1837..................2,853 1838 .................. 2,538 In 1839 .................2,264 1840 .................2,124 Adulteration.—Potato-starch (sold in the shops as English arrow-root) is said to be sometimes substituted for the Indian arrow-root. The fraud may be readily detected by the naked eye as well as by a good microscope (see Potato- starch). Physiological Effects.—Nutritive, emollient, and demulcent. It is some- what less nutritive than wheat starch, but more palatable and digestible. tjses.—Employed at the table, as an article of food, in the form of puddings. It forms a nutritious, easily-digested, agreeable, non-irritating diet for invalids or infants. In irritation of the alimentary canal, of the pulmonary organs, or of the urinary apparatus, it is especially valuable, as a nutritive, emollient, and demulcent. Administration.—To invalids and infants it is exhibited when boiled in water or milk and flavoured. Milk disagrees with some patients, and in such is of course to be avoided. The addition of sugar improves the flavour and in- creases the nutritive qualities. Spices, lemon juice, or wine, may be employed according to circumstances. other dietetical marastacej;. Fig. 152. Canna.—An imperfectly determined species of Canna, E.—Within the last three or four years considerable quantities of a feculent substance, called Tous les Mois, or Starch of the Canna coccinea, have been imported. It comes from St. Kitt's, and is said to be prepared, by a tedious and troublesome process, from the root (rhizome) of the above-mentioned plant. It is, however, very doubtful whether it be really produced by the Canna coccinea of botanists. and the Edinburgh College, therefore, properly declares Tous les Mois to be the " fecula of the root of an imperfectly determined species of Canna." When examined by the microscope its particles are found to be distinguished from those of all other commercial feculas by their great size, which exceeds that of every other starch particle which I have hitherto examined. Their shape is oval or oblong; generally more or less ovate. The circular hilum is usually placed at the nar- row extremity; very rarely it is double. The rings are numerous, regular, close, but somewhat unequally so. The hilum and the body of the particle are frequently cracked. Examined by the nuked eye, tous les mois has a slightly satiny appearance, and is devoid of that dead while or opaque character presented by some amylaceous Bubstances. It approaches more nearly to potato starch than to any other fecula with which I am acquainted; but its particles are larger than those of the latter. Like the other amylaceous sub- stances, it forms a valuable and nutritious article of food for the invalid. (See the Medico Chi rurgical Review for Oct. 1, 1836.) Order XIX.—ZINGIBERACE^, Lindl.—THE GINGER TRIBE. Drymtrhize.e, Vent.—Scitamine*, R. Brown. Essential Character.—Calyx superior, tubular, three-lobed, short. Corolla tubular irre?u- Inr, with six segments in two whorls; the outer three-parted, nearly equal, or with the odd segment sometimes differently shaped; the inner (sterile stamens) three-parted, with the intermediate segment (labellum) larger than the rest, and often three-lobed, the lateral se^ mens sometimes nearly abortive. Stamen, three, distinct, of which the two lateral afe ;!?££ 5 ,£" '?ler,^dre °ne feni'C! lhis 'Jlaced °PP°site lhe 1" WhHn, anTaris ng from the base of the intermediate segment of the outer series of the corolla. Filament not peta- lt£ed£i on!"! ,^ond the anther in the shape of a lobed or entire appendage. Anther Iwo-celled, opening longitudinally, Us lobes often embracing the upper part of the style. Particles of Tous les Mois. 142 ELEMENTS of materia medica. Pollen globose, smooth. Ovary three-celled, sometimes imperfectly so; ovules several, at- tached to a placenta in the axis ; style filiform ; stigma dilated, hollow. Fruit usually cap- sular three-celled, many seeded [sometimes by abortion one-celled]; occasionally berried (the dissepiments generally central, proceeding from the axis of the valves, at last usually separate from the latter, and of a different texture, R. Br.) Seeds roundish or angular, with or without an aril (albumen floury, its substance radiating, and deficient near the hilum, R Br)- embryo inclosed within a peculiar membrane (vitellus, R. Br. Prodr. membrane of the amnios, ibid, in King's Voyage, 21) with which it does not cohere.—Aromatic, tropical, herbaceous plants. Rhizoma creeping, often jointed. Stem formed of the cohering bases of the leaves, never branching. Leaves simple, sheathing their lamina, often separated from the sheath by a taper neck, and having a single midrib, from which very numerous, simple, crowded veins diverge at an acute angle. Inflorescence either a dense spike, or a raceme, or a sort of panicle, terminal or radical. Flowers arising from among spathaceous mem- branous bracts, in which they usually lie in pairs. (Lindley.) Properties.—Rhizomes and seed aromatic. The rhizomes of .some species are remarkable for the colouring matter which they contain. 1. ZINGIBER OFFICINA'LE, Roscoe, L. E.—THE NARROW-LEAVED GINGER. Amomum Zingiber, Linn. D. Sex. Syst. Monandria, Monogynia. (Rhizoma, L. E.—Radix, D.) (Zingiber, U. S.) History.—Dioscorides, (Lib. ii. cap. 190,) and Pliny, (Hist. JXat. lib. xii.) were acquainted with ginger, which was called ^yy'^o\c by the former, zingi- beri and zimpiberi by the latter of these authors. Botany. Gen. char.—Corolla with the outer limb three-parted, inner one- lipped. Filament lengthened beyond the anther into a simple incurved beak. Capsule three-celled, three-valved. Seeds numerous, arillate.—Rhizocarpial plants. Rhizomata tuberous, articulated, creeping. Stems annual, inclosed in the sheaths of distichous leaves. Leaves membranous. Spikes cone-shaped, radical or rarely terminal, solitary, consisting of one-flowered imbricated bracts (Blume.) (Enumerat. Plant Javce.) Sp. char.—Leaves sub-sessile, linear-lanceolate, smooth. Spikes elevated, ■ oblong. Bracts acute. Lip three-lobed. (Roxburgh.) Rhizome biennial. Stems erect and oblique, and invested by the smooth sheath of the leaves; generally three or four feet high, and annual. Leaf- sheaths smooth, crowned with a bifid ligula. Scapes solitary, six to twelve inches high. Spikes the size of a man's thumb. Lip dark purple. Ovary oval, with numerous ovules ; style filiform ; stigma funnel-shaped, ciliate. Cap- sule roundish, unilocular. Seeds numerous ; mostly abortive, (Roxburg, op. cit., and Dr. P. Browne, History of Jamaica). Hab.—Cultivated in the tropical regions of Asia and America. Native soil doubtful, probably Asia. Preparation.—The young shoots put forth every spring by the perennial rhizome, are used in the manufacture of tho delicious preserved ginger (conditum zingiberis). These shoots are carefully picked, washed, scalded, scraped, peeled, and then preserved in jars with syrup. (Dr. P. Browne, Hist. Jamaica.) The ginger-root of the shops is prepared when the stalks are wholly withered, and the rhizomes are about a year old. In Jamaica this happens in January or February. The rhizomes are dug up, picked, cleaned, and scalded. Black ginger is dried, after being scalded, without being scraped: white ginger, on the contrary, requires to be carefully scraped. Both kinds are dried in the sun in the open air. The difference between the black and white ginger of the shops are ascribed, by Dr. P. Browne, (op. cit. p. 120,) and others, to different methods merely of curing the rhizomes; but this is scarcely sufficient to account for them, and we cannot help suspecting the existence of some difference in the plants themselves. That this really exists is proved by the statement of Rumphius, (Herb. Amboin. lib. viii. cap. xix. p. 156,) that there are two ginger plants, the white and the red, Moreover, Dr. Wright, (Lond. Med. Journ. vol. viii.) says, that two sorts are narrow-leaved ginger. 143 cultivated in Jamaica ; viz. the white and the black ; and he adds, " black gin- ger has the most numerous and largest roots." When brought to this country, the common kinds of ginger are bleached by washing them in a solution of chloride of lime, and sometimes by exposing them to the fumes of burning sulphur. This treatment, though it may improve the colour, must injure the acridity and aromatic qualities of the rhizomes. Description.—The rhizome, called in commerce ginger-root (radix zingi- beris), occurs in flattish, branched, or lobed, palmate pieces, called races, which do not exceed four inches in length. The unscraped pieces are covered with a wrinkled epidermis; but those which have been scraped (as the Jamaica va- riety) are without it. Ginger breaks moderately short, but the fractured sur- face presents numerous projecting pointed fibres, imbedded in a mealy or fari- naceous tissue. A transverse section of the larger and more perfect pieces shows an outer, horny, resinous-looking zone, surrounding a farinaceous centre, which has a speckled appearance from the cut extremities of the fibres and ducts. The taste of ginger is aromatic, hot, and biting: the odour of a fresh broken piece is peculiar and pungent, though aromatic. In commerce several varieties, distinguished by their colour and place of growth, are met with. a. white Ginger. (Radix Zingiberis albi.)—The finest is that brought from Jamaica. Jamaica white ginger occurs in larger, rounder, and thinner races than the other kinds. Its epidermis has been carefully removed by scrap- ing. Externally it is yellowish-white or very pale buff; internally it has a pale buff tint: inferior kinds have an ash tint externally. It forms a beautiful bright straw yellow, somewhat buffy, powder. A great part of the Jamaica ginger of the shops has been washed in whiting and water (or white-washed, as it is tech- nically termed), under the pretence of preserving it from insects. (Brande, Diet. of Mat. Med.) The dark-coloured kinds are frequently bleached with chloride of lime. Barbadoes ginger is in shorter, flatter races of a darker colour, and covered with a corrugated epidermis. African ginger is in smallish races, which have been partially scraped, and are pale-coloured. East India ginger is unscraped; its races are dark ash-coloured externally, and are larger than those of the African ginger. Tellicherry ginger is in large plump races with a remarkable reddish tint externally. f3. Black Ginger. (Radix Zingiberis nigri).—Jamaica black ginger is not frequently found in the shops. The Malabar dark ginger is in unscraped short pieces, which have a horny appearance internally, and are of a dirty brown colour both internally and externally. Commerce.—Ginger is imported in bags, weighing about a hundred weight each. The quantities on which the duty of eleven shillings per cwt. has been paid for the last six years, are as follows: Brit. IV. Indies. East Indies. Total. cwts. cwts. cwts. In 1835...........6,496................... 867 = 7,363 !«<«...........4,426...................1,912 = 6,338 1«»...........9,157...................3,520 = 12,677 Brit. W. Indies. East Indies. Total. cwts. cwts. cwts. In 1838...........9,305...................1,911 = 11,216 1839...........6,357................... 818 = 7,175 1840...........7,528...................1,535 = 9,063 Composition.—Ginger was analyzed in 1817 by Bucholz, (Gmelin's Handb. d. Chem.) and in 1823 by Morin, (Journ. de Pharm. ix. 253.) Bucholz's Analysis. Pale yellow volatile oil...................... 1-56 Aromatic, acrid, soft resin....................3-60 Extractive, soluble in alcohol.................065 Acidulous and acrid extractive, insoluble in al- coho1......................................10-50 (Journ. de Pharm. ix. 253.) Monti's Analysis (Jum . .1205 Starch (analogous to bastorin)...............19-75 Apoihemu, extracted by potash (ulmin?)......2600 llaspnrin..................................... g.30 Woody fibre.................................. g-00 u'«tL'r.................................'■■'.'■'. .11-90 White Ginger.........................102-31 Volatile oil. Acrid soft resin. Resin insoluble in ether and oils. Gum. Starch. Woody fibre. Vegeto-animal matter. Osmazome. Acetic acid, acetate of potash, and sulphur. The ashes contained carbonate and sulphate of potash, chloride of potassium, phosphate of lime, alumina, silica, and oxides of iron and manganese. Ginger. 144 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA 1. Volatile Oil of Ginger.—Is pale yellow, very fluid, lighter than water, odour that of ginger, taste at first mild, afterwards acrid and hot. 2. Soft Resin.—Obtained by digesting the alcoholic extract of ginger first in water, then in ether, and evaporating the etherial tincture. The residual resin is yellowish brown, soft, com- bustibie, has an aromatic odour, and a burning aromatic taste. Is readily soluble in alcohol, ether, oil of turpentine, and hot almond oil. Physiological Effects.—Ginger is one of the acrid aromatics, whose effects have been already noticed (vide vol. i. p. 183). Its dust applied to the mucous membrane of the nostrils acts as an irritant, and provokes sneezing. The rhi- zome chewed is a powerful sialogogue. The powder mixed with hot water, and applied to the skin, causes a sensation of intense heat and tingling. When taken into the stomach it operates as a stimulant; first, to the alimentary canal, secondly, to the body generally : but especially to the organs of respiration. Like some other spices (the peppers for instance), it acts as an excitant to the genital organs. Furthermore, it is said to increase the energy of the cerebral functions. It is less acrid than pepper. Uses.—Its principal consumption is as a condiment. Its powers in this way are considerable, while its flavour is by no means disagreeable, and its acridity scarcely sufficient to enable it, when taken with food, to irritate or inflame. As a stomachic and internal stimulant it serves several important purposes. In enfeebled and relaxed habits, especially of old and gouty individuals, it pro- motes digestion, and relieves flatulency and spasm of the stomach and bowels. It checks or prevents nausea and griping, which are apt to be produced by some drastric purgatives. It covers the nauseous flavour of many medicines, and communicates cordial and carminative qualities to tonic and other agents. As a sialogogue it is sometimes chewed to relieve toothache, relaxed uvula, and paralytic affections of the tongue. As a counter-irritant I have frequently known a ginger plaster (prepared by mixing together powdered ginger and boil- ing water, and spreading the paste on paper or cloth) relieve violent headache when applied to the forehead. Administration.—Powdered ginger may be administered, in doses of from ten grains to a scruple or more, in the form of pill. Made into a paste with hot water it may be applied as a plaster, as already mentioned. Preserved ginger (conditum zingiberis), though commonly used as a sweet- meat, may be taken with advantage as a medicine to stimulate the stomach. Ginger loze?iges, ginger pearls (commonly termed ginger seeds) and ginger pipe, are useful articles of confectionary, frequently of benefit in dyspepsia accompanied with flatulence. 1. TINCTURA ZINGIBERIS, L. E. D. (U. S.) Tincture of Ginger.—(Ginger, sliced, [in coarse powder, E. D.~] 3ijss.; Rectified Spirit, Oij. \wine measure, D.] Mace- rate for fourteen [seven, I).] days, and strain, L. t>. " Proceed by percolation or digestion, as directed for tincture of cinchona." E.)—A very valuable car- minative. It is commonly employed as an adjunct to tonic, stimulant, and pur- gative mixtures. Its dose is f3j. or f3ij. The tincture, made with proof spirit, becomes turbid by keeping in consequence of the mucilage it contains. Essence of ginger is prepared as a tincture, except that the quantity of rhi- zome should be increased. Some preparers of it concentrate the tincture by distilling off part of the alcohol. I SYRUPUS ZINGIBERIS, L. E. D. (U. S.) Syrup of Ginger.—{Ginger, sliced, [bruised, £>.] Jijss. [3iv. Z>.]; Boiling water, Oj. [Oiij. wine measure, D.]; Sugar, lb. ijss. [glxxxvij. D.] Macerate the ginger in the water for four hours, and strain; then add the sugar, and dissolve it.)—Used for flavouring. It is scarcely strong enough to be of much value. An extemporaneous syrup may be prepared by adding the tincture of ginger to common.syrup. The syrupus zingiberis of the United States Pharmacopceia is made by adding fjiv. of tinc- ture of ginger (prepared with gviij. of ginger and Oij., wine measure, of alcohol) to a gallon of syrup, and evaporating the alcohol by a water bath. THE LONG-ROOTED TURMERIC. 145 3. INF I SUM ZINGIBERIS; Infusion ofGinger ; Ginger Tea. This is a very useful domestic remedy, and is prepared by digesting from 3ij. to 3iv.ot dinger, in ftvj. of Boiling Water, for two hours.—When flavoured, it is employed as a carminative in flatulence, &c. in doses of one or two tablespoonsful. 4. GINGER BEER. For the following excellent formula for the preparation of this popular and agreeable beverage, I am indebted to Mr. Pollock, of Fenchurch Street:—» Take of White Sugar, lb. xx.; Lemon (or Lime) juice, f3xvuj.; Honey, lb. j.; Ginger bruised, 3xxij.; Water cong. xviij. Boil the ginger in three gallons of water for half an hour; then add the sugar, the juice, and the honey, with the remainder of the water, and strain through a cloth. When cold, add the White of one Egg and ftss. of Essence of Lemon : after standing four days, bottle." This yields a very superior beverage, and one which will keep for many months. Lemon juice may be purchased for sixpence a pint in Botolph Lane, Thames Street. A formula for the preparation of Ginger Beer Powders has already been given (see vol. i. p. 474). 2. CURCUMA LON'GA, Linn. L. E. D.—THE LONG-ROOTED TURMERIC. Sex. Syst. Monandria, Monogynia. (Rhizoma, L. E.—Radix, D.) History.—Turmeric is probably the Kvirstpog 'Iv&xos, (Cyperus indicus) of Dioscorides. (Lib. i. cap. iv.) Both Dioscorides and Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xxi. cap. lxx. ed. Valp.) state that this Indian Cyperus has the form of ginger, and that, when chewed, it colours the saliva yellow like saffron. The word Curcuma is derived from Kurkum, the Persian name for saffron. (Royle, Essay on the Antiq. of Hindoo Med. p. 87.) Botany. Gen. char.—Tube of the Corolla gradually enlarged upwards; limb two-lipped, each three-parted. Filament broad. Anther incumbent, with two spurs at the base. Style capillary. Capsule three-celled. Seeds nume- rous, arillate.—Stemless plants, with palmate tuberous roots. Leaves with sheathing petioles, bifarious, herbaceous. Scape simple, lateral or central. Spike simple, erect, comose, somewhat imbricated at the base with bracts or saccate spathes. Flowers dull yellow, three to five together, surrounded by bracteola?. (Blume, op. cit.) *i». char.—Bulbs small, and with the numerous, long, palmate tubers, in- wardly of a deep orange yellow. Leaves long-petioled, broad-lanceolar, of a uniform green (Roxburgh). iiat>.—Much cultivated about Calcutta, and in all parts of Bengal, also in China and Cochin-China. One acre yields about 2000 lbs. of the fresh root. Description.—The tubers, called in the shops turmeric (radix curcumce, seu terra merita), are distinguished by their place of growth into China, Bengal, and Java turmerics; the first being the best and most valuable. From their shape they are sometimes divided into the round and long. The first (curcu- ma rotunda) is round, oval, or ovate, about two inches long, and one inch in diameter, pointed at one end, marked externally with numerous annular wrin- kles. The second (curcuma longa) is cylindrical, not exceeding the thickness of the little finger ; two or three inches long, somewhat contorted, tuberculated. Both kinds are grayish-yellow externally, internally more or less orange-yel- low passing into brown. The fractured surface has a waxy appearance. The odour is aromatic, somewhat analogous to ginger, but peculiar : the taste is aromatic. When chewed it tinges the saliva yellow. Its powder is orange-yel- low. The tubers are frequently worm-eaten. Composition—Two analyses of turmeric have been made: one by John, (Gmelin's Handb. d. Chem.) and a second by MM. Vogel and Pelletier. (Journ. de Pharm. i. 2s>9.) vol. ii. 19 146 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. John's Analysis. Yellow volatile oil........................ 1 Curcumin.................................10 to 11 Yellow extractive.........................11 to 12 Gum..................................... 14 Woody fibre............................. 57 Water and loss............................ 7 to 5 Vogel and Pelletier's Analysis Acrid volatile oil. Curcumin. Brown colouring matter. Gum (a little). Starch. Woody fibre. Chloride of calcium. Turmeric. Curcumin. Yellow Colouring Matter.—Is obtained, mixed with some volatile oil and chlo- ride of calcium, by digesting the alcoholic extract of turmeric in ether, and evaporating the etherial tincture to dryness. In the mass, curcumin is brownish-yellow, but when powdered it becomes full yellow. It is tasteless, odourless, almost insoluble in water, but readily soluble in alcohol and ether. These properties show that it is of a resinous nature. The alkalis colour it reddish-brown, and readily dissolve it. The alcoholic solution, evaporated with boracicacid, becomes red. Hydrochloric acid also reddens it. The alcoholic solution of curcumin produces coloured precipitates with several salts, as acetate of lead and nitrate of silver. Chemical Characteristics.—The alkalis change an infusion of turmeric, or turmeric paper, to reddish-brown. A similar alteration of colour occurs when turmeric paper is exposed to the vapour of hydrochloric c.cid gas, or is touched with oil of vitriol. If, to tincture of turmeric, boracic acid be added, and the mixture be evaporated to dryness, an orange-red residue is obtained, whereas, without the acid, the residue is yellow. Sulphate of copper causes a yellowish precipitate with an infusion of turmeric. A similar effect is produced by sesquichloride of iron. Physiological Effects.—Are those of a mild aromatic, vide vol. i. p. 183. The colouring matter becomes absorbed, and communicates a yellow tinge to the urine. (Lewis, Mat. Med.; and Reiger, quoted by Murray, App. Med.\o\. v. p. 78.) According to Mr. Gibson, (Mem. of the Lit. and Phil. Soc. of Man- chester, vol. i. Sec. Ser. p. 148,) the colouring matter of turmeric is somewhat changed by the digestive organs; for the stools of animals fed with this root were green, whilst either logwood or madder exhibited its respective hues after passing through the intestines. Uses.—Employed as a condiment, colouring ingredient, and test. It is a con- stituent of the well-known curry powder and curry paste, and of many other articles of Indian cookery. Formerly it had some reputation in hepatic and other visceral diseases, and especially in jaundice. As a test it is used to detect the presence of free alkalis, which change its yellow colour to a reddish-brown. But some acids, and several salts, produce the same effect on it. CHARTA CURCU1IIUE ; Charta exploratoria jtava ; Turmeric Paper.—This is prepared with white, bibulous, or unsized paper, which is to be brushed over with, or soaked in, a tincture of turmeric (prepared by digesting one part of bruised Turmeric in six parts of Proof Spirit), and drying in the air, the access of alkaline and acid fumes being prevented. Mr. Faraday (Chemical Manipu- lation^) directs it to be prepared with a decoction of turmeric (prepared by boil- ing one ounce of the coarsely-powdered turmeric in ten or twelve ounces of water, straining through a cloth, and allowing the fluid to settle for a minute or two). Turmeric paper is employed as a test for alkalis, which render it reddish or brownish. 3. CUR'CUMA ANGUSTIFO'LIA, Roxburgh.—THE NARROW-LEAVED TURMERIC. (Fcecula tuberis. East Indian Arrowroot, Offic.) History.—This plant was found by H. T. Colebrook, Esq. in the forests ex- tending from the banks of the Sona to Nagpore, and was by him introduced into the Botanic garden at Calcutta. (Roxburgh, Flora Indica.) Botany. Gen. char.—Vide Curcuma longa. gP. char.—Bulb oblong, with pale, oblong, pendulous tubers only. Leaves stalked, narrow lanceolate. Flowers longer than the bracts. THE ROUND CARDAMOM. 147 Hab.—East Indies : from the banks of the Sona to Nagpore. The fecula ob- tained from its tubers is sold in the markets of Benares, and is eaten by the na- tives. (Roxburgh, op. cit.) Grows also in abundance on the Malabar coast, where, especially at Travancore, large quantities of fecula are extracted from the tubers. (Ainslie, Mat. Indica, i. 19.) Description.—Under the name of East Indian Arrow-root I have found in commerce two kinds of fecula, both of which are imported from Calcutta. a. 'While East Indian Arrow-root.—A fine white powder, readily distin- guishable, both by the eye and the touch, from West Indian Arrow-root. To the eye it somewhat resembles a finely-powdered salt (as bicarbonate of soda or Rochelle salt). When pinched or pressed by the fingers, it wants the firmness so characteristic of West Indian Arrow-root, and it does not crepitate to the same extent when rubbed between the fingers. Examined by the microscope it is found to consist of ovate, or oblong-ovate, flattened particles, often with a very short neck, or nipple-like projection. On account of their flatness, they have but little lateral shading, except when viewed edgeways. The hilum is placed at the narrow extremity ; it is circular, very small, and not very distinct. The rings are seen both on the flat surface and on the edges : they are numerous, close, and very fine. Particles oFwhite E (3. Pale Buff-coloured East Indian Arrow-root.— "Indian °Arrow-root!S In the form of powder, or of pulverulent masses, which are dirty or buffy white. Paddy husks, woody fibre, and various impurities, are intermixed. To the microscope both kinds present the same appearance, from which it is probable that they are obtained from the same plant, but with unequal degrees of care. However, this is somewhat doubtful, as Dr. Roxburgh (Fl. Indica, vol. i. p. 126), says that a fecula, like arrow-root, is procured from several spe- cies of Curcuma, (as C. rubescens and C. leucorrhiza ; the fecula of the latter is called Tikor). The particles of East Indian arrow-root are very unequal in size, but on the average are larger than those of West Indian arrow-root. Composition—Not ascertained, but doubtless analogous to that of West In- dian arrow-root. Effects and Uses.—Analogous to those of the West Indian fecula. Its commercial value, however, is much below that of the latter. i. AMOMUM CARDAMOMUM, Linn. D.—THE CLUSTER OR ROUND CARDAMOM. Sex. Syst. Monandria, Monogynia. (Fructits. Cardamomum rotundum, Offic.) History.—The fruit of this plant is the *AfUjf«>v of Dioscorides, (lib. i. cap. 14,) the Amomiuva of Pliny. (Hist. Nat. lib. xii. cap. 28, ed. Valp.) Botany. Gen. char—Inner limb of the corolla one-lipped. Filament di- lated beyond the anther, with an entire or lobed crest. Capsule often berried, three-celled three-valved. Seeds numerous, arillate.—Herbaceous perennials, with articulated creeping rhizomes. Leaves in two rows, membranous, with their sheaths split. Inflorescence spiked, loosely imbricated, radical (Blume). (oj). cit.) ^ ' s„. ch„, -Leaveswith short petioles, lanceolate. Spikes half immersed in the earth oosely imbricated with villous, lanceolate, acute, one-flowered bracts. Lip, with the anterior margin, three-lobed. Crest three-lobed. (Roxburgh ) iiab.—bumatra, Java, and other islands eastward to the Bay of Bengal Description.-^ fruit 0f this plant is the round cardamom*(carda- momum rotundum) of the shops. It varies in size from that of a black cur- 148 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. rant to that of a cherry. It is roundish, or roundish-ovate, with three con- vex, rounded sides or lobes, more or less striated longitu- Fig. 154. dinally, yellowish or brownish-white, sometimes with a red tint, and when examined by a pocket lens shows the remains *^^ of hairs, the greater part of which have been probably rubbed JSk. off. The seeds are brown, angular, cuneiform, shrivelled /^OTvlfek with an aromatic, camphoraceous flavour. The fruits in their (\i\W vmk native clusters or spikes (constituting the Amomum racemo. Ill i i llllliir sum) are rare'y met w'l^: a fine sample is in the Sloanian XSbLM lluMeml collection of the British Museum. ^JIjgEgpS^ Composition.—It has not been analyzed. Its constituents Round Cardamom, are probably analogous to those of the Malabar cardamom, (Elettaria Cardamomum.) Effects,and Uses.—Similar to those of the Malabar cardamom. Round cardamoms are rarely employed in this country. They are officinal in the French Codex, and are principally consumed in the southern parts of Europe. The seeds are directed to be used by the Dublin Pharmacopoeia, but I presume those of the Elettaria Cardamom are meant. 5. AMOMUM GRANA-PARADISI, Smith and 6. A. MELEGUETTA, Roscoe. History.—Afzelius1 refers the seed called, in the shops, grains of paradise, and which, he says, are the true Malaguetta pepper, to his Amomum Granum Paradisi.31 Roscoe, (Monandrian Plants,) on the other hand, asserts most positively, that Malaguetta pepper is the produce of his Amomum Melegueta, which he considers to differ from any previously-described plant. I strongly suspect the seeds of at least two species have been confounded in commerce, un- der the names of grains of paradise, or Malaguetta pepper. Afzelius (Sierra Leone Company's Report in 1791, 8vo. p. 173,) states that there are four sorts of Malaguetta pepper, viz. Mabooboo, Massa aba, Massa amquona, and Tossan, the last being the native and true one; but Sir J. E. Smith (Rees' Cyclop, vol. xxxix. art. Amomum,) has shown that the two first of these are distinct species; Maboobo being A. macrospermum, Smith, and Massa Aba being A. strdbih- ceum, Smith. Botany. Gen. char.—Vide Amomum Cardamomum. species.—l, A. Grana-paradisi, Smith. Rhizome perennial, woody, creeping horizontally. Stems erect, simple, slender, three feet high, leafy, but destitute of flowers. Leaves numerous, crowded, two-ranked, alternate, a span long and an inch broad, lanceolate, or slightly ovate, with a long taper point, entire, smooth, single-ribbed, striated with innumerable oblique veins. Their flavour is slightly aromatic, after having been dried 20 years. Fool-stalks sheathing, linear, very long, smooth, striated. Flower-stalks radical, solitary, an inch or two in length, ascending, clothed with numerous, close, sheathing brads, all abrupt, ribbed, somewhat hairy and fringed; the lower ones very short, the upper gradually much larger. Of the parts of the flower nothing could be made out in Sir J. Smith's specimens. [Afzelius (Beschr. offic. Planz.) declares them to be formed like those of A. excapum, Sims.] Capsule an inch and a half long, half an inch in diameter, oblong, bluntly triangular, scarcely ovate, beaked, of a dark reddish-brown, ribbed, coriaceous, rough, with minute deciduous bristly hairs. When broken it is very powerfully aromatic, even after being kept twenty years, with a peculiar pepper-like flavour, rather too strong to be agreeable. Seeds numerous, enveloped in membranes formed of the dried pulp, roundish or somewhat angular, of a shining golden brown, minutely rough or granulated, extremely hot and acrid (Smith).—Native of Guinea, about Sierra Leone. %. A. Melegueta, Roscoe. Stem erect, six feet high. Leaves two-ranked, subsessile, narrow-lanceolate. Scape radical, covered at the base with about seven imbricated, ovate, concave, pointed, and somewhat cuspi- date bracts. Calyx cylindrical, of one leaf, green, spotted with red. Flowers cylindrical, ex- panding in a double border; outer border in three sections, the middle section largest, ovate, i Rented. Ouineens. x. n. 1, quoted in the Besehreib. offic. Plant, of Nees, &c. » A. Grana-paradisi of Smith in Rets' Cyclop, vol. xxiii. art. " Melegelta:' AMOMUM MELEGUETTA. 149 the two others linear and opposite; inner lip very large, broad-ovate, crenate, pale-yellow at the base, crimson at the margin. Filament strong, erect, clavate, terminating in three lobes, middle lobe erect and bifid, the other two pointed and recurved; a pair of hornlets on the fila- ment, near the base of the lip. Anther in two lobes, seated in front of the filament, a little below the apex, bright yellow. Style erect, tubular, expanding into a dilated stigma or cup, supported at the base by two linear processes, about an inch in length, and one-eighth of an inch in breadth, by much the largest specimen of this part observable in any scitamineous plant. Capsule cylindrical coriaceous, six inches long, yellow, spotted with orange, supported at the base by the large ovate, concave, cuspidate bracts, and containing a columella or recep- tacle about four inches long, covered with seeds beautifully arranged, arilled, and imbedded in a tomentose substance. Seeds angular, light brown, with a highly aromatic and grateful flavour (Roscoe).—Cultivated at Demerara: probably from Africa. Description.—In the Sloanian Collection of the British Museum are several capsules of Malaguetta pepper, one of which is labelled " Melegetta, a pod from Fig. 155. Fig. 156. Guinea.'1'' (Fig. 155 is taken from one of these). They are two and a half in- ches long, and one inch in diameter, ovate or ovate-oblong, coriaceous, wrinkled as if shrivelled, yellowish- brown. The seeds are identical with those called, in the shops, Guinea grains, or grains of Paradise. Are these capsules the fruit of A. Melegueta, Roscoe 1 In Dr. Burgess's collection of Materia Medica, in the College of Physicians, is a capsule smaller than the preceding, oval or oval-oblong, somewhat reddish- brown, wrinkled longitudinally. (Fig. 156 is taken from it.) The seeds very closely resemble, if they be not identical with, the grains of paradise of the shops. They have also the same vehemently hot taste. This capsule appears to me to be the fruit of A. Grana Paridisi, Smith. The seeds, called in the shops grains of paradise (grana paradisi), or Guinea grains, are roundish or ovate, frequently bluntly angular, and some- what cuneiform ; shining golden brown; minutely rough, from small warts and wrinkles; internally white. Their taste is aromatic and vehemently hot or pep- pery : when crushed and rubbed between the fingers their odour is feebly aro- matic. Their greatest diameter rarely exceeds \\ lines. The acrid taste resides in the seed coats. Commerce—Grains of paradise are imported in casks, barrels, and pun- cheons, from the coast of Guinea. The quantities on which duty (two shillings per lb.) has been paid during the last six years, is as follows (Trade List): ln\**............ 14,603 lbs. I In 1837............. 17.134 lbs. 1 In 1839............ 19 036 lbs 1836............ W.234 | 1838............. 16,199 1840............ 9,910 " Extract or preparation of Guinea grains'" is mentioned by Frewin (Di- gested Abrulgm. of the Laws of the Customs, 1819,) in his table of Imports as paying a duty of two shillings per. lb. Capsules of Malaguetta Pepper. The heavy duty imposed on grains of paradise is intended to act as a prohibi- tion of their use. (Fourth Report of the African Institution, p. 16 ) Composition.—Grains of paradise were analyzed in 1811 bv Willert (Trommsdorff's Journ. xx. St. 2, 1811,) who obtained the following results:- l^Zii ' aCri1ttXTn n'40' ******* 1-27, tragacanthin\nd woody fibre b2-8 [ 7 water and loss 12«0ll. 3 150 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEOICA. 1. The volatile oil has a light yellow colour, a campboraceous smell, and a hot penetrat- ing taste. 2. The resin is brown, soft, odourless, and has an acrid, burning taste. Physiological Effects.—Analogous to those of pepper. A very erroneous notion prevails that these seeds are highly injurious. (Roscoe, op. cit.) Uses.—Rarely employed as an aromatic. Esteemed in Africa as the most wholesome of spices, and generally used by the natives to season their food. (Fourth Report of the African Institution.) Its principal consumption is in veterinary medicine, and to give an artificial strength to spirits, wine, beer, and vinegar. By 56 Geo. III. c. 58, no brewer or dealer in beer shall have in his possession or use grains of paradise, under a penalty of £200 for each offence: and no druggist shall sell it to a brewer, un- der a penalty of £500 for each offence. 7. AMO'MUM ANGUSTIFO'LIUM, Sonnerat.—THE GREATEST OR MADAGASCAR CARDAMOM. Amomum madagascariense, Lamarck. This species is a native of Madagascar, growing in marshy ground, and was first described by Sonnerat. (Voyage aux Indes, t. ii. p. 242.) Its fruit is the cardamomum majus of Matthiolus, (Cmnment. in vi. lib. JDiosc. Venet. 1583,) Geoffroy, (Mai. Med. ii. 366,) Smith, (Rees' Cyclop, art. Millegetta,) and Geiger. (Handb. d. Pharm. Bd. ii.) In Dr. Burgess's Collection of Materia Medica at the College of Physicians, there are several fine specimens (from one of which the accompanying figure was taken), marked " Cardamomum maximum Matthioli." The capsule is ovate, pointed, flattened on one side, striated, with a broad, circular umbilicus or scar at the bottom, around which is an elevated, notched, and corrugated margin. Some authors, who have mistaken the base of the capsule for its summit, have compared the shape to that of a fig. The seeds are rather larger than grains of paradise, roundish or somewhat angular, abrupt at the base, olive-brown, with an aromatic flavour analogous to that of the Malabar cardamom, but totally devoid of the vehemently hot acrid taste of the grains of paradise. Fig. 157 Fig. 158. Fig. 159. Madagascar Cardamom. Amomum Clusii. Amomum macrospermum. GREAT-WINGED AMOMUM. 151 8. AMO'MUM CLU'SII, Smith.—LONG-SEEDED AMOMUM. I have received from a druggist a capsule (fig. 158), which agrees with one noticed and figured by Clusius (Exoticorum, pp. 37, 38). Another specimen is described by Sir J. E. Smith, (Rees, Cyclop, vol. xxiii. art. Mellegetta, and vol. xxxix. Addenda art. Amomum). This capsule must be confounded nei- ther with that of the Madagascar cardamom, nor with that of the grain of para- dise. It is ovate, pointed, slightly triangular, cartilaginous, striated, smooth, yellowish [reddish, Smith] brown. The seeds distinguish it from all other species: they are oblong or ovate, inclining to cylindrical, dark-brown, highly polished, as if varnished ; with a pale yellowish-brown, corrugated, and notched, margin surrounding the scar. They are very slightly aromatic. 9. AMO'MUM MACROSPER'MUM, Smith. LARGE-SEEDED GUINEA AMOMUM. Zingiber Melegueta, Gartner. Mabooboo, Afzelius. Banda Cardamom, Th. Martius. This was mistaken by Gaertner for Malaguetta pepper. The capsule is ovate, pointed, somewhat striated, about two inches long, and six lines broad, with a corrugated beak. Seeds ovate, or nearly globular, or somewhat oblong, scarcely . larger than grains of paradise, smooth, polished, greenish-gray, or lead-coloured, with a strong umbilicated scar at their base, with a whitish or pale-yellow mar- gin ; flavour slightly aromatic. A native of Sierra Leone. (Fig. 159 is from a specimen in the Sloanian Collection of the British Museum.) 10. AMO'MUM MAX'IMUM, Roxburgh.—THE GREAT-WINGED AMOMUM. (Fructus: Java Cardamom, offic.) History.—This plant was first described by Roxburgh. (Asiatic Researches, xi. p. 344.) That it yields the Java cardamom of commerce I entertain but little doubt; for the latter agrees precisely with the characters assigned by Rox- burgh and Blume, (Enum. PI. Javce,) to the fruit of this plant, the seeds of which, the first of these botanists says, " are aromatic, and pass for a sort of cardamom." (Fl. Indica, vol. i. p. 44, 1832.) Moreover, Amomum maxi- mum, being a native of Java, accounts for its fruit being called in commerce the Java cardamom. Lastly, no other plant noticed in the works of Roxburgh and Blume agrees precisely in the characters of its fruit with the cardamom in question. Elettaria cardamomum medium, Roxburgh, which I at one time, (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol xviii p. 4G3,) with some other botanists, fancied might be the parent plant, disagrees in several re- spects: the shape and size of its fruit, the inequality of its wings, and the qualities of its seed coats, arc the most essential points of disagrcemenl. The fruit of Amomum aromaticum fDr Roxburgh s drawing of which was kindly shown me by Dr. Horsfield) has no resemblance to the Java cardamom. Lastly, I have examined the fruits of Amomum grandiflorum A Afze- In, and A. dealbatum [a specimen of the latter in the British Museum is erroneously marked A. maxmium] m the collections of the Linnean Society and the British Museum, and find that none of them are the Java cardamom. Botany. Gen. char.—Vide Amomum Cardamomum. Sp.char.—Leaves stalked, lanceolate, villous underneath. Spikes oval even with the earth Bracts lanceolate. Lip elliptical. Coronet of one semilunar lobe. Capsules round, nine-winged. (Roxburgh.) Jll CaP$UlC iS, lA&lmT ?l0brlar' Size of a g°osebe"7, three-celled, three- valved, ornamented with nine [seven to thirteen, Blume], firm, short rao-Jd (when old and dry), membranaceous wings. The seeds possess a warm nun fiiT» ^bur^rTn01^"1'"; tHaJ °f Car,dam°mS' but b' "° -eans so grTte. iul. (Roxburgh.) The ^rpal cardamom, described by Dr. Hamilton (An Ac count of the Kingdom of Nepal, ed. 1819,) appears to be identica withtt JaVa" cardamom. Dr. Hamilton says, the plant y Jding it « is a species Tlmomum, 152 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. as that genus is defined by Dr. Roxburgh, and differs very much from the car- damom of Malabar." . . Ha*.—The Malay Islands (Roxburgh) ; Java (Blume). Cultivated in the mountainous parts of Nepal, where it is propagated by cuttings of the root [rhi- zome]; the plants yield in three years, and afterwards give an annual crop. (Hamilton.) Description.—Greater Java cardamoms (cardamomz majores javanenses, Th. Martius ; Java cardamoms, offic.; Nepal Cardamoms, desi elachi [i. e. country cardamoms] of Hindustan, Hamilton ; the bura elachee [i. e. great car. damoms] of Saharunpore,—the Bengal cardamoms of the Calcutta market, Royle; cardamome fausse-maniguette, Guibourt) are oval or oval-oblong, frequently somewhat ovate, three-valved, from eight to fifteen Fig. 160. lines long, and from four to eight lines broad, usually flat- tened on one side, convex on the other, occasionally curved, sometimes imperfectly three-lobed, and resembling in their form the pericarp of the cocoa-nut. Their colour is dirty grayish-brown. They have a coarse, fibrous, aged appear- ance, are strongly ribbed, and when soaked in hot water be- come almost globular, and present from nine to thirteen ragged, membranous wings, which occupy the upper half or three- fourths of the capsule, and are scarcely perceptible in the dried state of the pericarp. By the possession of wings, these cardamoms are distinguished from all others of commerce, and hence might be called the winged cardamoms. Occa- ^f~f, sionally the footstalk is attached, with, now and then, portions with its foot-stalk. °f brown, membranous, imbricated scales, as long as the fruit. At the opposite or winged extremity of the capsule are fre- quently the fibrous remains of the calyx. Seeds somewhat larger than grains of paradise, dull, dirty brown, with a shallow groove on one side, internally white; taste and odour feebly aromatic. One hundred parts of the fruit consist, according to Th. Martius, (Pharmakogn.) of seventy parts seeds, and thirty parts pericarpial coats. They are imported from Calcutta in bags. Composition.—Analogous probably to that of the Malabar cardamom, except in the quantity of volatile oil which it yields ; for Martius procured only four scruples of it from a pound of the fruit. The oil obtained was white and thickish. Effects and Uses.—Java cardamoms are not used here. They are of infe- rior quality, and when brought to this country are usually sold in bond for con- tinental use. In 1839 a quantity of them was sold at seven-pence per lb. 11. ELETTA'RIA CARD AMO'MUM, Maton —THE TRUE OR OFFICINAL CARDAMOM. Alpinia Cardamomum. Roxb. L.—Renealmia Cardamomum, Ed.—Amomum Cardamomum, D. Sex. Syst. Monandria. Monogynia. (Semina, L. D— The fruit; Cardamoms, Ed.) (Cardamomum, U. S.) History.—A medicine called Cardamom (Kap5af/.w/Aov), is mentioned by Hip- pocrates, (pages 265, 572, 603, 651, ed. Fees.,) Theophrastus, (Hist. Plant. lib. xi. cap. vii.,) and Dioscorides, (lib. i. cap. 5,) the first of whom employed it in medicine. But it is now scarcely possible to determine what substance they referred to, as their notices of it are brief and imperfect, though I believe it to have been one of the fruits which we call cardamoms. Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xii. cap. xxix. ed. Valp.) speaks of four kinds of cardamoms, but it is almost impossible to ascertain with any certainty what, species he refers to. Botany. Gen. ciiar.—The same as that of Amomum, but the tube of the corolla filiform, and the anther naked (Blume). Sp. char.—Leaves lanceolate, acuminate, pubescent above, silky beneath. OFFICINAL CARDAMOMUM. 153 Spikes lax. Scape elongated, horizontal. Lip indistinctly three-lobed. (Blume.) Rhizome with numerous fleshy fibres. Stems perennial, erect, smooth, jointed, enveloped in the spongy sheaths of the leaves; from six to nine feet high. Leaves subsessile on their sheaths, entire; length from one to two feet. Sheaths slightly villous, with a roundish ligula rising above the mouth. Scapes several (three or four) from the base of the stems, flexuose, jointed, branched, one to two feet long. Branches or racemes alternate, one from each joint of the scape, suberect, two or three inches long. Bracts solitary, oblong, smooth, membranaceous, striated, sheathing, one at each joint of the scape. Flowers alternate, short-stalked, solitary at each joint of the racemes, opening in suc- cession as the racemes lengthen. Calyx funnel-shaped, three-toothed at the mouth, about three-quarters of an inch long, finely striated, permanent. Tube of corolla slender, as long as the calyx; limb double, exterior of three, oblong, concave, nearly equal, pale greenish white divisions; inner lip obovate, much larger than the exterior divisions, somewhat curled at the margin, with the apex slightly three-lobed, marked chiefly in the centre with purple violet stripes. Filament short erect: anther double emarginate. Ovary oval, smooth: style slender : stigma funnel shaped. Capsule oval, somewhat three-sided, size of a small nutmeg [! ], three-celled, three-valved. Seeds many, angular (Roxburgh). Hnb.—Mountainous part of the coast of Malabar. Production.—Cardamoms are produced naturally or by cultivation. Be- tween Travancore and Madura they grow without cultivation ; (Hamilton, [Bu- chanan], Journey through Mysore, Canara, and Malabar, vol. ii. p. 336,) and also at certain places in the hills which form the lower part of the Ghauts in Cadutinada and other northern districts of Malayata. (Hamilton, op. cit. vol. ii. p. 510.) The cardamoms of the Wynaad, which are esteemed the best, are cultivated: the spots chosen for the cardamom farms are called Ela-Kandy, and are either level or gently-sloping surfaces, on the highest range of the Ghauts after passing the first declivity from their base. (White, Trans, of Linn. Soc. vol. x. p. 237.) " Before the commencement of the periodical rains, in June, the cultivators of the cardamom ascend the coldest and most shady sides of a woody mountain ; a tree of uncommon size and weight is then sought after, the adjacent spot is cleared of weeds, and the tree felled close at its root. The earth, shaken and loosened by the force of the fallen tree, shoots forth young cardamom plants in about a month's lime. (Capt. Dickson, in Roxburgh's Fl. Indica.) The quantities of cardamoms brought for sale at Malabar is about 120, or, according to another account, only 100 candies, from the followino- places (Hamilton, op. cit. vol. ii. p. 538) : Candies of Candies of 640 lbs. 640 lbs. c"0,g-v....................... 40 ....................... 30 Wynaad....................... 57 ...................... 65 Tamnrachery................... 20 ...................... 3 Cadutinada or Cartinaad........ 3 ...................... 2 120 100 The cardamoms of the Wynaad are shorter, fuller of seed, and whiter, than those of Malabar, and sell for 100 rupees a candy more. Those of Coorg have fewer fine grains, but they have also fewer black or light ones. The cardamoms of Sersi (western part of Soonda) are inferior to those of Coorg. (Hamilton, op. cit. vol. ii. p. 538, and vol. iii. p. 228.) Di-scription.—The fruit of the Elettaria Cardamomum constitutes the small, official, Malabar cardamom (cardamoms, Ed.; cardamomum minus, Clusius, Matthiolus, Boniius, Geoffroy, Dale, Geiger, Th. Martius, and Guibourt; car- damomum malabarense). It is an ovate-oblong, obtusely triangular capsule, from three to ten lines long, rarely exceeding three lines in breadth ; coriaceous, vol. ii. 20 154 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. ribbed, grayish or brownish yellow. It contains many angular, blackish or reddish brown, rugose seeds (cardamomum, L.; cardamomum excorticatum, Offic.) which are white internally, have a pleasant aromatic odour, and a warm, aromatic, agreeable taste.1 100 parts of the fruit yield 74 parts of seeds and 26 parts of pericarpial coats. (Th. Martius, Pharmakogn.) Three varieties of Malabar cardamoms are distinguished in commerce, viz. shorts, short-longs, and long-longs. et. Shorts : Malabar cardamoms properly so called: Petit FlG. 161. cardamome (Guib.); ? Wynaad cardamom (Hamilton); ? ? Prima species Elettari plane rotunda et albicans, (Rheede, pars xi. tab. 4, 5, and 6.)—From three to six lines long, and from two to three lines broad; more coarsely rib- bed, and of a browner colour, than the other varieties. This is the most esteemed variety. 0. Short-longs : ? Secunda species Elettari oblongior sed vilior (Rheede).—Differs from the third variety in being somewhat shorter and less acuminate. ^ w~- ^ Long-longs.—Moyen cardamome (Guib.); ? ? Tertia "" Malabar Cardamoms. species Elettari vilissima et plane acuminata (Rheede).— From seven lines to an inch long, and from two to three o. shorts. lines broad : elongated, somewhat acuminate. This, as well 6. short-longs. as tjje jast variety, is paler and more finely ribbed than var. c. ong- ongs. ^ shorts. The seeds also are frequently paler (in some cases resembling those of the Ceylon cardamom) and more shrivelled. Composition.—The small cardamom was analyzed by TrommsdorrT, in 1834. (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. i. p. 196, 2nde Ser.) He obtained the follow- ing results :—Essential oil 4*6, fixed oil 10*4, a salt of potash (malate?) com- bined with a colouring matter 2*5, fecula 3-0, nitrogenous mucilage with pJws. phate of lime 1-8, yellow colouring matter 0-4, and woody fibre 77«3. 1. Volatile or Essential Oil of Cardamom.—Is obtained from the seeds by distilling them with water. 50 lbs. of good short Malabar cardamoms yielded, at one operation, about f3viss. of oil for every lb. of fruit. (Private information.) It is colourless, has an agreeable odour, and a strong, aromatic, burning taste. Its sp. gr. is 0-943. It is very soluble in alcohol, ether, oils (both fixed and volatile), and acetic acid. It is insoluble in potash-ley. By keeping, it becomes yellow, viscid, and loses its peculiar taste and smell. It then detonates with iodine, and takes fire when placed in contact with concentrated nitric acid. On this oil depends the odour, flavour, and aromatic qualities of the seeds. Its composition is analogous to that of ail of turpentine, being C10 H8. 2. Fixed Oil of Cardamom.—Is soluble in alcohol, ether, and the oils, both fixed and vola- tile. Nitric acid, assisted by heat, reddens it. It has some analogy to castor oil. Physiological Effects.—The effects of cardamoms are those of a very agreeable and grateful aromatic, devoid of all acridity. (See the effects of the Spices, vol. i. p. 183.) Uses.—Cardamoms are employed partly on account of their flavour, and partly for their cordial and stimulant properties. They are rarely administered alone, but generally either as adjuvants or correctives of other medicines, espe- cially of stimulants, tonics, and purgatives. Administration.—Though cardamoms enter into a considerable number of pharmaceutical compounds, only two preparations derive their names from these seeds. They are the following : 1. TINCTURA CARDAMOMI, L. E. (U. S.) Tincture of Cardamoms.—(Cardamom seeds, bruised, Siijss. [3ivss. Ed. (U.S.)] ; Proof Spirit, Oij. Macerate for fourteen [seven, Ed.] days, and strain. " This tincture may be better prepared by the process of percolation, in the same way with the tincture of capsicum, the seeds being first ground in a coffee-mill," E.)—This compound is agreeably aromatic. It is used as an adjunct to cordial, tonic, and purgative mixtures.—Dose, f3j« to f 3ij. i For some drawings of the minute structure of the seeds, vide Bischofl's Handb. d. botanic. Ttrminal. Ter- zliii. fig. 1876 and 1954. CEYLON ELETTARIA. 155 2. TINCTURA CARDAMOMI COMPOSITA, L. E. D. Compound Tincture of Carda- moms.—(Cardamom seeds, bruised; Caraway seeds, bruised, of each 3ijss. [3ij. U.]; Cochineal, powdered, 3j.; Cinnamon, bruised, 3v. [3ss. L>.]; Rai- sins [stoned], 3v.; Proof Spirit, Oij. [wine measure, D.] Macerate for four- teen [seven, Ed.'] days, and filter. " This tincture may also be prepared by the method of percolation, if the solid materials be first beat together, moistened with a little spirit, and left thus for twelve hours before being put into the per- colator," Ed. The Dublin College omits the cochineal and raisins.)—This tincture is used for the same purposes and the same doses as the former prepa- ration, over which it ha3 the advantage of a more agreeable flavour. Moreover, its colour often renders it useful in prescribing. 2. ELETTARIA MAJOR, Smith.—THE GREATER OR CEYLON ELETTARIA. Alpinia Granum paradisi, Moon. (Fructus; Ceylon Cardamom, Offic.) History.—The fruit of this plant was known to Clusius, (Exoticorum, lib. i. p. 186, 187,) who has noticed and figured it under the name of the Cardamo- mum majus vulgare. Botany.—The flower has not yet been described, but the other parts of the plant are so similar to the corresponding parts of Elettaria Cardamomum, that I have felt no difficulty in referring this plant to the genus Elettaria. Sir James Edward Smith, (Rees's Cyclopaedia, vol. xxxix. art. Elettaria,) who was ac- quainted with the fruit only, observes, " we are persuaded they must belong to the same genus as the Malabar Cardamom." Gen. char.—See Ellettaria Cardamomum p. 152. Sp. char.—Capsule lanceolate-oblong, acutely triangular, with flat sides. Calyx three lobed. (Smith.) Rhizome with numerous fibres. Stem erect, smooth, enveloped by leaf sheaths. sessile on their sheaths, silky beneath, accuminate; the shorter ones lanceolate, the larger ones oblong. -p r -i/»p lanceolate: breadth 2 to 3 inches, length not exceed. Ing 15 J inches. Sheaths about half the length of the leaves, with a roundish ligula. Scape from the upper part of the rhizome, flexuose, jointed, nine inches long, branched; the branches alternate, one from each joint of the scape, sub-erect, half an inch long, supporting two or three pedicels of about 3-10ths of an inch. Bracts solitary, sheathing at each joint of the scape, withered; partial ones, solitary, ovate, acute. Flowers not present. Capsules one or two on each branch of the scape, with the permanent calyx attached to them: their characters are described in the text. The plant from which the above description has been drawn, formed part of a collection made for me in Ceylon by my much lamented friend and pupil, the late Mr. Fred. Sauer, Assistant-Surgeon in her Majesty's 61st regiment. He received it from Mr. Li-ar, Acting Superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Ceylon, whose letter, describing it as "Alpinia [Amomum] Granum paradisi," I have in my possession. I presume, therefore, that it is the plant which Mr. Moon,1 the former superintendent* of the Gardens, has described under the same name. The following facts favour this conclusion: 1. Mr. Moon stales that its Singhalese name is Ensal, a term which both Hermann (Musaum Zey- lanicum, p. 66, Ed. $***. Lugd. Bat. 1726,) and Bur- mann (Thesaurus Zeylanicus, p. 54, Amslelsed. 1737,) gave us the nulive name for Cardamom. Elettaria major. Leaves ' A Catalogue of the hdigenous and Exotic Plants groxmS in Ceylon. Colombo, 1824. 156 elements op materia medica. 2. Mr. Moon states that it is cultivated at Candy. If the real grain of paradise plant were cultivated in Ceylon, it would be somewhat remarkable that its seeds are never exported. Now I have carefully examined the list of exports from that island for several years, but tlie word grain of paradise never once occurs; and all the seeds imported into England under that name, 1 find, by the Custom-House returns, come from the western coast of Africa. On the other hand, the Ceylon Cardamom comes, as its name indicates, from that island. It is probable, I think, that the plant which yields the grains of paradise of European com. merce does not grow in the East; and that writers who have stated otherwise have confounded it with the plant yielding Ceylon Cardamom. But the term "grains of paradise" is so truly oriental in its character, that I suspect it was first applied to Ceylon Cardamoms, a supposition rendered probable by the much more agreeable flavour of the latter seeds, as well as by the observation of Dale, (Pharmacologia, p. 252, 3tia ed. Lond. 1737,) that grains of paradise were often substituted for the Ceylon Cardamom.1 Hah.—Cultivated at Candy. Commerce.—Bertollacci3 says that the Ceylon cardamom is collected chiefly in the Candian territory, and that he was informed it is not indigenous, but was introduced by the Dutch. The quantity exported from 1806 to 1813 in- clusive varied from 4-i- to 18 candies annually. Percival (Account of Ceylon. 1805,) states that cardamoms grow in the south-east part of Ceylon, particularly in the neighbourhood of Matura. I am informed that occasionally Ceylon car- damoms come from Quillon. Description.—The Ceylon cardamom, or, as it is sometimes termed in Eng. lish commerce, the Wild Cardamom (cardamomum zeylanicum ; cardamomum medium, Matth. and Geoffr.; cardamomum majus, Bont. and Fig. 163. Dale ; cardamomum majus vulgare, Clusius; cardamomum majus officinarum, C. Bauhin; cardamomum longum, Th. Martius and Geiger; grande cardamome, Guib.) is a lanceolate- oblong capsule, acutely triangular, more or less curved, with flat and ribbed sides, about an inch and a half long and one-third of an inch broad. At one extremity we frequently find the long, cylindrical, permanent, three-lobed Calyx; at the other, the fruit stalk, which is sometimes branched. The pericarp is coriaceous, J| tough, brownish, or yellowish ash-coloured, three-celled. The jjl seeds are angular, rugged, have a yellowish red tinge, a fragrant and aromatic but peculiar odour, and a spicy flavour. The long diameter of the vitellus is parallel to that of the embryo. Th. Martius (Pliarmakognosie,) says that 100 parts of these fruits yield 71 parts of seeds, and 29 parts of pericarpial coats. Composition, Effects, and Uses.—Ceylon cardamoms have CeylonCardamom. not been analysed. Their constituents, as well as their effects °' Rc!uyxS °f theand uses' are doubtless analogous to those of the Malabar car- ft.staik. ' damom. Their commercial value is about one-third that of the latter. OTHER MEDICINAL ZINGIBERACEjE. at. Cardamoms. Besides the Cardamoms already mentioned there are several other kinds which I have met with, and which I notice in order to make the account of these fruits as complete as possible. 1. Alpinia alba, Roscoe; Hellenia alba, Willd.; Amomum medium, Loureiro.—The fruit of this plant is called by Loureiro, (Flora Cochinchinensis,) Tsao quo. He gave specimens of it to the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle of Paris. For my specimens I am indebted to Professor Guibourt,^ who calls the fruit the Ovoid China Cardamom. Tlie dried fruit is about the size and shape of a large nutmeg: it is ovoid, from ten to four- teen lines long, and from six to eight lines broad, rather rigid, striated longitudinally, yellow- «It would appear however, that the term Grain of Paradise is also applied, in CVylon to Alpinia Allughai. tt"lw"rl?tS,;,!d *'r J B; ?,mith' '" Ree9'8 Ciretoii*.. vol. xxx™ i? AlpinZ. ' a Agricult. Commerc and Financ. Interests of Ceylon, p. 157. 1817. » Bistoire Abrigie des Drogues simples, t. ii. pp. 287 and 288, 3d ed. Paris, 1836. cardamoms. 157 ish-brown with a reddish tint [scarlet when recent: Konig]. Seeds numerous, very large, pyramidal, brown externally, flavour and odour terebinthinate; albumen white, embryo yellow. 2. Round CniNA Caroamoms, Guibourt.—"The Museum d'Histoire Naturelle possesses two varieties of this fruit mixed together. The seeds, merely united in globular and coherent masses are marked Cao-Keu; and the entire fruits Tsao-Keou." (Histoire Abrcgee des Dro- gues simples, p. 287.) «■ LARGE ROUND CHINA CARDAMOM, Guibourt (MS.)-Probably the fruit of Amomum globosum, Loureiro. The accompanying (fig. 165) was made from specimens kindly lent me for that purpose by Professor Guibourt. Capsule thin, round or oval. Seeds in globular masses, marked, on the surface opposed to the pericarp, by a linear depression or groove. I have observed specimens in the Sloanian Collection, as also in a collection of Chinese medi- cines at the College of Physicians. On comparing Professor Guibourt's specimen with the fruit of Alpina nutans in Dr. Wallich's Collection, in the possession of the Linnean Society, the two are scarcely distinguishable externally. The seeds, however, are quite dissimilar. Fig. 164. Fig. 165. Fig. 166. Fig. 167. Ovoid China Cardamom. Large Round Cardamom. a. Fruit. &, Globular mass of seeds. Small Round China Cardamom. a. Fruit, b, Globular mass of seeds. Black Car da. mom. j8. SMALL ROUND CHINA CARDAMOM, Guibourt, (MS.)—I am indebted to Professor Gui- bourt for my specimens of this fruit. Capsules ovate, oblong, obtusely triangular. Seeds have no linear depression or groove as those of the larger variety, and by the absence of this they may be readily distinguished from the preceding; coherent in masses, which are three-lobed, not quite globular. In my specimens the epicarp is eroded. The flavour of the seeds is aro- matic and terebinthinate but not powerful. 3. Black Cardamoms, Gartner.—For specimens of these I am also indebted to Professor Guibourt. It is unknown from what plant it is obtained. Capsule larger than the short Ma- labar cardamoms, acuminate at its two extremities, and formed, as it were, of two obtusely- triangular pyramids joined base to base. Pericarp ash-brown, aromatic, but less so than the seeds (Guibourt). Seeds angular, brown, slightly aromatic, but devoid of the terebinthinate flavour. 4. Cardamomum majus, Burgess.—In Dr. Burgess's collection at the College of Physicians is a capsule (in a bad state of preservation) marked " Cardamomum mf/jus." Its size and shape arc analogous to the grain-of-paradise pod (fig. 156.) It has a fibrous tuft (remains of calyx ">) at one extremity, and is much split at the other. The seeds are angular, oblong, larger than those of Malabar cardamoms, shining brownish yellow, and have a large concave depression (hilum) at one extremity. They have a warm aromatic flavour and an agreeable odour some- what analogous to that of the oil of lemon-grass. fi. Aromatic Rhizomes. ,„5\A™A Galanpga. Roxburgh.—The rhizome of this plant constitutes the Galangal Root (Radix Galangce) of English druggists. It occurs in pieces which are as thick as the fWer seldom exceeding three inches in length, cylindrical or somewhat tuberous, often forked' sometimes slightly striated longitudinally, and marked with whitish circular rines Exter' nally its colour is rcdd.sh-brown; internally pale, reddish-white. Its colour is ajrreeablv aromatic; .Is taste peppery and aromatic. It is the rhizome of Alpinia Galanga Rox It de doHCN, lire ;milupous to ginger. Jd^ZTptTi^ Ro.^urSh--Tl'e 8li<*d t«ber of this plant is the Zedoary Root (Radix Zedoana) ot English druggists, which appears to rae to agree with Professor Guibourt's de- 158 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEOICA. scription of Round Zedoary (Zedoaria rotunda). It occurs in segments (halves, quarters, or flat sections) of a roundish or ovate tuber. The external portion of the tuber is marked by the remains, membranes, and fibres, and is of a pale brownish-gray or whitish appearance. When cut it presents a yellowish marble appearance, not very dissimilar to the cut surface of rhu- barb. It has a warm, aromatic, bitter taste, and an aromatic odour. It has been analyzed by Bucholz, (Trommsdorff's Journal, xxv. 2, p. 3,) and by Morin (Journ. de Pharm, t. ix. p. 257). Its constituents, according to the latter chemist, are—Volatile oil, Resin, Gum, Starch, Woody fibre, Vegeto-animal Matter (?) Osmazome (?) free Acetic Acid, Acetate of potash, Sul. phur, and in the ashes Carbonate and Sulphate of potash, Chloride of potassium, Phosphate of Lime, Alumina, Silica, Oxides of Iron and Manganese. It possesses aromatic and tonic pro- perties. It is less heating than ginger and galangal, and is more analogous to turmeric. 7. Zingiber Cassamunar, Roxburgh.—This perhaps is the plant from whence is derived the root known by English druggists as Cassamunar Root, and which they regard as identical with Zerumbet Root. (Private information; also Gray, Pharmacology.) It appears to me to be the Turmeric-coloured Zedoary of Ainslie. (Materia Indica, vol. i. p. 490.) It occurs in segments (halves or quarters) of an ovate tuber (which in the dried state must have been about the sizo of a pigeon's egg), the external surface of which is marked with circular rings and the bases of the root-fibres, and is of a dirty turmeric-yellow colour. Internally it is reddish-brown, and has some resemblance, in its colour and pellucidity, to a fresh-fractured surface of Socotrine aloes. Its flavour is warm and aromatic; its odour is aromatic. It has not been analyzed. Its effects must be similar to those of ginger. It was atone time used in convulsive and other cerebral diseases. (Sir Hans Sloane, Phil. Trans, vol. xxii. No. 264, p. 580.) 8. Curcuma Zerumbet, Roxburgh.—This I suspect to be the origin of the Zerumbet Root given me by Dr. Royle. It is very similar in shape to a curved or arched piece of long turmeric. Its colour is yellowish-gray. Order XX.—ORCHIDEtE, R. Brown.—THE ORCHIS TRIBE. Orchides, Jussieu. Orckisacea and Vanillace*, Lindley. This remarkable order of gynandrous monocotyledons is, in reference to its dietetical and medicinal properties, of little importance. The tuberous or palmate roots abound in gummy and, at certain times, in farinaceous mat- ters, which render them nutritive, emollient, and demulcent. Salep is the prepared and dried roots of several orchideous plants, and is sometimes sold in the state of powder. Indigenous Salep is procured from Orchis mascula, O. lalifolia, and other native plants of this order, (Dr. Percival, On the Preparation, Culture, and Use of the Orchis Root, 1773.) Oriental Salop is procured from other Orchideoe. Professor Royle states that the salap of Cachmcre is obtained from a species Fig. 168. of Eulophia. The notion of the aphrodisiac properties of salap seems to be founded on the doctrine of signatures. The Vanilla of the shops is the fruit of Vanilla aroma- tica, Sw., a native of Peru, Mexico, Jamaica, and Cuba. Schiede (Schlechtendal's Linnea. Oct. 1829, S. 573) mentions three other Mexican species (V. sativa, V. syl vestris, and V. Pompona) which yield vanilla. Notwith- standing the strong odour of this fruit, no volatile oil can be obtained by distillation. (See Bucholz's analysis in Buchner's Repert. ii. 253.) The white acicular crystals found on the fruit are a kind of solid volatile oil. Vanilla is employed in this country for flavouring chocolate, ice- creams, «&c. But on the continent it is used as a medi- cinal agent. It is an aromatic stimulant; has an exhila- rating effect on the mental functions, prevents sleep, increases the energy of the muscular system, and excites the sexual feelings. (Sundelin, Heilmittellehre, ii. 203, 3ta Aufl.) It has been administered in asthenic fevers, rheu- matism, hysteria, impotence of the male, melancholy, &c. The dose of it is from 8 to 12 grains. (Vogt. Pharmak. ii. 600, 2 Aufl.) Vanilla aromotica. 3. EXOGENiE, De CW.—EXOGENS. DlCOTYLEDONES, JltSSieil. Essential Characters.— Trunk, consisting of bark, wood, and pith, placed one within the other; the pith being innermost. Bark, composed of strata (the younger and inner being called liber), increasing by the deposit of new cortical matter on its inner side. Wood, con- sisting of ligneous strata, traversed by medullary rays, and increasing by the deposit of new woody matter on its outer side (exogenous growth): the older and inner strata are called duramen, or perfect wood; the younger and outer strata are termed alburnum, or sap wood. THE CYCAS TRIBE. 159 Leaves articulated with the stems; their veins branching and ^^^^^^T^- reticulated). Flowers, if with a distinct calyx, often having a quinary arrangement. Xim Fig. 169. Exogens, or Dicotyledons. y Embryo with many cotyledons. 2 Stem and leaves of a cotyledon, showing the arti- culation and the anastomosing veins of the leaves. Fig. 170. v Transverse section of a dicotyledonous stem, showing medullary rays, and the distinction of bark, wood, and pith. v> Emliryo with two cotyledons. z Embryo with four cotyledons. bruo with two or more cotyledons (dicotyledonous); if two, they are opposite; if more than two, they are verticillate: radicle naked; i. e. elongating, without penetrating any external case (exorrhizous). Order XXI.-CYCADACE^, Lindl.-THE CYCAS TRIBE. Cycadeje, Richard and R. Brown. I notice this order for the purpose of stating;, that a feculent matter is obtained from the soft centre of some species of Cycas (as C. circinalis, C. revoluta, C. inermis). This fecula (Japan sago) is quite unknown to me; and I doubt whether it ever reaches this country.1 [To this family also belongs the genus Zamia, the species of which afford a nutritive fecula. Zamia, Lin. Gen. des. Male flowers : anthers open, collected in pedunculated terminal strobiles, inserted all round a common rachis. Each one ovoid, attenuated at base into a stipe, with an apex uniformly pcltiform, sub-bilohate, lobes poll- eniferous beneath. Female flowers: carpels nu- merous, one-leafed, open, collected in peduncu- lated terminal strobiles inserted all round a com- mon rachis, each at base attenuated to the form of a 6talk, dilated at the free extremity, which is hexagonal and peltiform, face, beneath, bearing a single inverted ovule. Fruit sub-discrete. Seeds ovoid, sub-globose, testa bony, enveloped by a thin fleshy epidermis. Embryo inverted, in the axis of the fleshy albumen, radicle centripetal with respect to the common rachis. (Endlicher. Gen. Plant.) Zamia integrifolia.—Fronds pinnate, folioles lanceolate, rotundoobtuse, attenuated at base, serrulate at the apex, stipe smooth, sub-tetragonal. (Willdenow.) The leaves arise immediately from the root in a cluster, and are from a foot to two feet or more in height. The leaflets are from ten to twenty pairs, opposite or alternate, sessile, each two to three inches long, and varying in breadth from a quarter to three-fourths of an inch, shining, striated with parallel ribs. The cones arise from among the leaves on stalks several inches in length : the male are three inches Ionian inch wide, of a reddish brown colour; the female thicker and larger. The fruit is three or four inches long, elliptical, pointed, downy ; the scales finally separate widely, each is pellato and angular, remaining after the drupe has fallen. The drupe is ellip- ■ Consult on this subject Schenk'i Maturguckichte der voniiglichsten Handelspfiamen, 4to. Bd. Sex. S. 139, Tof. xivi. Cycas revoluta, or the Japan Sago-tree. 160 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. tical, about half an inch in length, with a small quantity of sweet orange coloured pulp, and a large, rather pointed nut. Pursh states that this plant grows in Florida. Zamia Media.—This is an intermediate species, between Z. inlegrifolia and Z. angustifolia. It differs from the former in having more numerous, longer, and narrower leaflets, which are perfectly entire, or nearly destitute of the serratures at the apex. Tlie foot-stalk is hairy at base, and the female cone is obtuse, not pointed. Specimens have been brought me from Flor- rida by Dr. Godon, of the U. S. Navy, which agree with those from the same locality in the Herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences. The root of these plants is a large spheroidal or somewhat tapering coated tuber, rough and dark-coloured externally, fleshy, internally white and succulent, and when incised pouring forth a fluid of gummy consistence, which hardens in small tears at the point of exit. This root is called coonti root in Florida, by the Indians and white settlers, and the farina prepared from it is also called coonti. As a nutriment it is found in the shops of the northern cities of the United States, under the name of Florida arrow-root. When carefully prepared, it has a mealy appearance and feel, is of a pure white colour, and somewhat of a lustrous appearance; it is apt to be lumpy. The mode of preparation is the same as that of Bermuda arrow-root. The form of the granule is that of the "half, fourth or third of a solid sphere," some of the granules are completely muller shaped, in fact the form is exactly that given by Raspail for the granule of the Maranta Arundinacea, which is invariably round. Florida Arrow-root is employed for the same purposes and in the same manner as the other species of farina in use.—J. C] Order XXII.—CONIFERS, Jussieu.—THE FIR TRIBE. Conace.e or PiNACE-iE, Lind. Essential Characters.—Flowers monoecious or dioecious. Males monandrous or monadel- phous; each floret consisting of a single stamen, or of a few united, collected in a deciduous amentum, about a common rachis; anthers two-lobed or many-lobed, bursting outwardly; often terminated by a crest, which is an unconverted portion of the scale out of which each stamen is formed; pollen large, usually compound. Females in cones. Ovary spread open, and having the appearance of a flat scale destitute of style or stigma, and arising from the axil of a membranous bract. Ovule naked; in pairs on the face of the ovary, having an in- verted position, and consisting of one or two membranes, open at the apex, and of a nucleus, Fruit consisting of a cone formed of the scale-shaped ovaries, become enlarged and indurated, and occasionally of the bracts also, which are sometimes obliterated, and sometimes extend beyond the scales in the form of a lobed appendage. Seed with a hard crustaceous intcgn. ment. Embryo in the midst of fleshy oily albumen, with two or many opposite cotyledons; the radicle next the apex of the seed, and having an organic connexion with the albumen, Trees or shrubs, with a branched trunk abounding in resin. Wood, with the ligneous tissue marked with circular disks. Leaves linear, acerose or lanceolate, entire at the margins; sometimes fascicled in consequence of the non-development of the bracts to which they be. long; when fascicled, the primordial leaf to which they are then axillary is membranous, and enwraps them like a sheath. (Lindley.) Properties.—Every part of coniferous plants contains an oleo-resinous juice, which yields by distillation a volatile oil, differing often in odour but agreeing in composition in each species. This juice is a local irritant, and acts as a powerful stimulant to the vascular system and the organs of secretion (especially the kidneys and the mucous membranes). Moreover, it appears to possess a specific influence over the nervous system : for oil of turpentine, in large doses, has operated as an inebriant and soporific; savin is said by Orfila (Toxicol. Gen.) to act on the nervous system; and the leaves of the yew are narcotic. 1. PINUS, De Candolle.—THE PINE. Pinus sylvestris, L. D.—Various species, E. Sex. Syst. Moncecia, Monadelphia. Terebinthina vulgaris L. D.; (Terebinthina, U. S.); Oleum Terebinthina;, L. E. D. (U. S V Resina, L. E. D. (U. S.); Pix liquida. L. E. D. (U. S.); Pix nigra, L.; Pix arida, E.) Botany.—Gen. char.—Flowers monoecious. Males;—catkins racemose, com- pact and terminal; squamose; the scales staminiferous at the apex. Stamens two; the anthers one-celled. Females \—catkins or cones simple, imbricated with acuminate scales. Ovaries two. Stigmas glandular. Scales of the cone oblong, club-shaped, woody; umbilicato-angular at the apex. Seeds [nuts, Be C) in pairs, covered with a sharp-pointed membrane. Cotyledons dio-itato-partite. Leaves two or many, in the same sheath (De Candolle and Dubuy° Bot. Gall.) Hardy, evergreen trees. species.—1. Pi'nus sylves'tris, Linn. L. D.; Wild Pine or Scotch Fir.— Leaves in pairs, rigid. Cones ovato-conical, acute; young ones stalked, recurved, THE PINE. 161 as long as the leaves; generally in pairs. Crest of the anthers very small. Embryo five-lobed. (Bot. Gall.)—Highlands of Scotland, Denmark, Norway, and other northern countries of Europe. Flowers in May and June. A tall, straight, hardy, long-lived tree, determinately branched. Its wood is the red or yellow deal. It yields common turpentine, tar and pitch. 2. Pi'flUS Pinaster, Aiton, Lambert; P. maritima, De Cand.; The Pinaster or Cluster Pine.—Leaves twin, very long, rigid, pungent, furnished at the base with a reflexed scale. Cones oblong-conical, obtuse, very smooth, bright, shorter than the leaves. Scales bristly. (Bot. Gall.)—Southern maritime parts of Europe. Very abundant in the neighbourhood of Bordeaux, and between this city and Bayonne. It is a much larger tree than the Scotch fir. Flowers in May. It yields Bordeaux turpentine, galipot, tar, and pitch. Fig. 171. Fig. 172. Fig. 173. of a brillia«t green colour and un.ed ,n bunches at the ends of the branches. The names by which the tree is known in the Southern States are long-leaved pine, yellow vine »T^h pine; but the first is the most appropriate, as the"last two ar^Cp ied alfot (United State, Dispensatory!) ' ^ ^ thlS t0 0ther countries." i. Pinus TtEda, Lambert; the Frankincense Pine.—Abundant in VirmmQ VOL. II. 2i 162 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. 5. Pi'MIS Pi'nea, Lambert, De Candolle; the Stone Pine.—Grows in the south of Europe and northern part of Africa. Yields the cones called, in the shops, pignoli pines, the seeds of which, termed pine nuts, (ifirviSsg, Diosc.; pityida, Pliny; nucleipineai,pineoli) are used as a dessert. 6. Pinus Pumil'io, Lambert; the Mughoox Mountain Pine.—A native of the mountains of the south of Europe. An oleo-resin, called Hungarian balsam (balsamum hungaricum), exudes spontaneously from the extremities of the branches and from other parts of the tree. By distillation of the young branches with water, there is obtained in Hungary an essential oil, called Krummholzbl, or Oleum Templinum. 7. Pi'nus Cem'bra, Lambert; De Candolle; the Siberian Stone Pine.—The seeds, like those of Pinus Pinea, are eaten. By distillation the young shoots yield Carpathian Balsam (Balsamum Carpathicum; B. Libani). A'BIES, De Candolle.—THE FIR. Pinus Abies and P. balsamea, L. D— Abies excelsa and A. balsamea, E. Sex. Syst. Moncecia, Monadelphia. (Abietis resina, L.; Thus, D.; Pix Abietina, L.; Pix Burgundica, E. D. (Pix Abietis, U. S.) Terebinthina Canadensis, L. (U. S.) Balsamum Canadense, E. D.) (Pix Canadensis, U. S.) Botany. Gen. char.—Floivers, monoecious. Males—catkins solitary, not racemose; the scales staminiferous at the apex. Stamens two; the anthers one-celled. Females — catkins simple. Ovaries two. Stigmas glandular. Scales of the cone imbricated; thin at the apex, rounded, (neither thickened, angular, nor umbilicated on the back). Cotyledons digitato-partite. Leaves solitary in each sheath (Bot. Gall.) species.—1. A'bies excelsa, De Cand. E.; Pinus Abies, Linn. L. D.; th Norway Spruce Fir.—Leaves tetragonal. Cones cylindrical; the scales rhom- boid, flattened, jagged, and bent backwards at the margin (Bot. Gall.).—A na- Fig. 175. Fig. 176. Abies excelsa. THE COMMON LARCH. 163 live of Germany, Russia, Norway, and other parts of Europe; also of the north- ern parts of Asia. Commonly cultivated in England. Flowers in May and June. A very lofty tree, growing sometimes to the height of 150 feet. , It yj^ds> by spontaneous exudation, Common Frankincense (Abietis resina, L.; Thus, D.), from which is prepared Burgundy Pitch (Pix Abietina, L., Pix Burgun- dica, E. D.) (Pix Abietis, U. S.) 2. Abies Balsamea, Lindley, E.; Pinus balsa'mea, Linn. Lambert, L. D.; the Canadian Balsam Fir: Balm of Gilead Fir—Leaves solitary, flat, emar- ginate, subpectinate, suberect above. Scales of the flowering cone acuminate, reflexed. An elegant tree, seldom rising more than 40 feet. Inhabits Canada, Nova Scotia, Maine, Virginia, and Carolina. Yields Canada Balsam (Tere- binthina Canadensis, L. (U. S.); Balsamum Canadense, E. D.) 1. A'bies Canaden'sis, Lindley ; (Loudon's Encycl. of Plants,) Pinus cana- densis, Linn., Lambert; the Hemlock Spruce Fir.—Said to yield an oleo-resin analogous to Canada balsam. 4. A'bies Pi'cea, Lindley ; Abies pectinata, De Candolle ; Pinus Pi'cea, Lin- naeus ; the Silver Fir. — Mountains of Siberia, Germany, and Switzerland. Yields Strasburgh Turpentine. 5. A'bies Ni'gra, Michaux ; Pinus nigra, Lambert; the Black Spruce Fir.— The. concentrated aqueous decoction of the young branches is Essence of Spruce, used in the preparation of Spruce Beer. (United States Dispensatory.) 3. LA'RIX EUROPCE'A, De Candolle.—THE COMMON LARCH. Abies Larix, Lam. E.; Pinus Larix, Linn. D. Sex. Syst. Monoecia, Monadelphia. (Terebinthina Veneta, L. D.) Botany. Gen. char.—Flowers monoecious. Character as in Abies; but the Cotyledons are simple, and never lobed. Cones lateral. Leaves, when first expanding, in tufted fascicles, becoming somewhat solitary by the elongation of the new branch. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. char.—Leaves fascicled, deciduous. Cones ovate-oblong. Edges of scales reflexed, lacerated. Bracts panduriforni. (Lambert.) Hab.—Alps of Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Siberia, &c. Cultivated in woods. Products.—This species yields Larch or Venice turpentine. When the larch forests of Russia take fire, a gum issues forth from the medullary part of the trunks, during combustion, which is called Orenburgh gum (gummi oren- burgense). A saccharine matter exudes from ihe larch, about June, which is cnlled Manna of the Larch, or Manna de Bria?igon. Lastly, a fungus, called Polyporus Laricis, (vide p. 46,) is nourished on this tree. Medicinal Substances oetained from the preceding Coniferous Plants. The term Turpentine (Terebinthina) is ordinarily applied to a liquid or soft solid oleo-resinous juice of certain coniferous plants, as well as of the Pistachia Terebinthus, a plant of the order Terebintacea, Juss. Indeed this last-mentioned plant, Pistachia Terebinthus, is probably the true Terebinthus of the ancients, (TEpfiivdos, Theoph. and Dioscorides). When submitted to distillation, these juices are resolved into a Volatile Oil (Oleum Terebinthince) and a Resinous Residuum. The roots and other hard parts of coniferous trees yield, by a kind of distillatioper descensum, the thick liquid called Tar, from which Pitch is procured. Hence it will be convenient to speak of the coniferous terebinthi- nntes under four heads:—1st, the oleo-resinous juices ; 2dly, the volatile oil obtained therefrom by distillation ; 3dly, the resinous residuum ; 4thly tor and pitch. 164 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. 1. Oleo-Resinons Tereblnthinre.—Terebinthinate Oleo-Resins. Preparation ; Properties ; and Composition.—At first these oleo-resins are liquid, but by age and exposure to the air they become, more or less speedily in the different varieties, solid, partly by the volatilization, partly by the resini- fication, of the volatile oil. They have a certain general similarity in taste and odour. They soften and become very fluid by heat, readily take fire in the air, and burn with a white flame, and, if the supply of air be limited, with the copi- ous deposition of finely-divided carbon (lamp black). They are almost com. pletely soluble in alcohol and ether; and yield, by distillation, a volatile oil, which passes over (usually with a small quantity of succinic acid'?), and a resi- nous residuum. Water acquires a terebinthinate flavour when digested with them; and by the aid of the yolk or the white of an egg, or still better by that of vegetable mucilage, forms an emulsion with them. 1. Common Turpentine ( Terebinthina vulgaris, L. D.)—Under this name we find oleo-resins brought from various parts of the world, obtained from different species of Pinus, and, though agreeing in the main in their properties, possess- ing certain distinctive characters. At the present time the London market is almost exclusively supplied from New York, a small quantity only being im- ported from Bordeaux. In the years 1830 and 1831, the quantities of turpen- tine (not of greater value than 12s. per cwt.) which were imported from the United States and France, were as follows : 1830. I 1831. cwts. qrs. lbs. cicts. qrs. lbs. FromFrance.......................... 43 1 12 799 3 19 United States of America......... 234,747 0 12 317,095 1 7 Total.................. 234,790 1 24 | 317,895 0 26 a. American or White Turpentine (Terebinthina, U. S.) (the Terebenthine de Boston of the French) " is procured chiefly from the Pinus palustris, partly also from the Pinus Tczda, and perhaps some other species inhabiting the Southern States. In former times large quantities were collected in New Eng- land; but the turpentine trees of that section of the Union are said to be nearly exhausted; and our commerce is almost exclusively supplied from North Caro- lina and the south-eastern parts of Virginia." (United States Dispensatory.) The method of procuring this turpentine is as follows :—A hollow is cut in the tree, a few inches from the ground, and the bark removed for the space of about 18 inches above it. The turpentine runs into this excavation from about March to October ; more rapidly, of course, during the warmer months. It is trans- ferred from these hollows into casks.1 It is imported from New York in casks; those from North Carolina holding 2 cwts., while those from South Carolina contain 2\ cwts. It is yellowish-white, with an aromatic odour, and a warm, pungent, bitterish taste. It is translucent or opaque. Its consistence varies, being semifluid, or, in cold weather, that of a soft solid. It contains various im- purities (leaves, twigs, chips, &c.) That got from the first tappings is the best, and is called Virgin Turpentine. Recent American turpentine is said (United States Dispensatory) to yield 17 percent, of essential oil. (3. Bordeaux Turpentine is obtained by making incisions in the Pinus Pi- naster, Lambert (P. maritima, De Candolle), and collecting the turpentine in hollows at the foot of the tree. Every month these hollows are emptied, and the oleo-resin conveyed in pails to a reservoir. In this state it is called soft gum (gomme molle). It is purified either by heating it in large boilers, and filtering through straw (terebenthine galipot), or by exposing it in a barrel, the bottom of which is perforated by holes, to the sun ; the liquid which drains through is called terebenthine au so'leil. The last method yields the best product, since less volatile oil is dissipated by it. (Guibourt, Hist des Drog. t. ii. p. 578 ; Duhamel, i Michaux, JV. Am. Sylv. iii.; Way, Tram, of the Soc. of Arts, vol. xxviii. p. 89; Duhamel, Traiti du At- bres, t. ii. p. 146. Paris, 1755. TURPENTINE. 165 Traite des Arbres, t. ii. p. 147.) The turpentine which flows during the winter is called galipot in Provence, barras in Guienne. It is in the form of semi- opaque, solid, dry crusts of a yellowish-white colour, a terebinthinate odour, and a bitter taste. (Guibourt, op. cit.) f: Bordeaux turpentine is whitish, thickish, and turbid. It has a disagreeable odour, and an acrid, bitter, nau.seous taste. On standing it separates into two parts: one thinner, yellow, and almost transparent; another thicker, whitish, and of the consistence of thick honey, having a granular consistence. Bor- deaux turpentine readily becomes hard and dry by exposure to the air. It en- joys, with balsam of copaiva, the property of solidifying with magnesia, and in this respect is distinguished from Strasburgh turpentine. Common turpentine has been analyzed by MM. Moringlane, Duponchel, and Bonastre, (Journ. de Pharm. t. viii. p. 329,) and by Unverdorben. (Berzelius, Traite de Chim. and Gmelin, Hand. d. Chan.) The last mentioned chemist found it to consist of two Volatile Oils (oil of turpentine), Pinic acid, a little Sylvic acid, a trace of an Indifferent Resin not soluble in oil of petroleum, and a small quantity of Bitter Extractive. The quantity of volatile varies from 5 to 25 per cent, of the weight of the turpentine. 2. Larch or Venice Turpentine. (Terebinthina veneta, E. D. Terebinthina la- ricea.)—Obtained from Lurix europaia, De Cand. by boring the trunks of the trees, and adapting to each hole a wooden gutter, which conveys the juice into a tub or trough, from which it is afterwards withdrawn for filtration. (Duhamel, Traite des Aubres, torn. i. p. 335.) Through the kindness of Professor Guibourt I have received an authentic sample of larch turpentine. It was collected in the wood of the Bishop of Mau- rienne, in Savoy, by order of the bishop, and at the urgent solicitation of M. Bonjean, Pharmacien, naturalist of Chambery. The same kind of turpentine, collected in Switzerland (Swiss turpentine) (Guib. MSS.), is sold in Paris as Strasburgh turpentine (Terebenthe de Strasbourg) (Guib. MSS.; Hist, des Drog. t. ii. p. 577, 3ine ed.), and was formerly called Venice turjocntine. It is a thick and consistent fluid, flowing with difficulty, is sometimes transparent, but more frequently cloudy, has a yellow or greenish-yellow tint, an odour which is peculiar, not very agreeable, weaker than that of either Strasburg or common turpentine, but less disagreeable than the latter, and an acrid, very bit- ter taste. It has little or no tendency to concrete by keeping—a property known to Pliny, (Hist. JXat. lib. xvi. cap. 19, ed. Valp.) and which distinguishes it from common turpentine. A factitious substance (Terebinthina venetafactitia) is sold by London drug- gists for Venice turpentine. It is prepared by mixing fjv. of oil of turpentine with lb. j. of black rosin. A similar preparation is found in the shops of the United States of America, (United States Dispensatory,) and is probably iden- tical with that imported from America under the name of Venice turpentine, (Dr. Mr.ton, in Lambert's Descrip. of the genus Pinus ; and Dr. A. T. Thom- son, Lond. Disp.) It is, in fact, absurd in the Dublin and Edinburgh Colleges to retain Venice turpentine in their pharmacopoeias, seeing that not a grain of that oleo-resin has been imported (commercially) for many years past. Berzelius and Unverdorben, (Berzelius, Traite de Chim, t. v p. 477; and Gwehn, Handb. d.Chem.) have submitted Venice turpentine to examination, and with the following results: Berzelius's Analysis. 1. Oil of turpentine, probably composed of two oils '.. Renin m.-oluble in cold oil of petroleum 3. Renin >oluble in cold oil of petroleum. Old Venice Turpentine. Vnverdorben's Analysis. 1. Volatile oil, which readilv distils. 2. Volatile oil, which distils less readily, and has : tendency to resinjfy. 3. Succinic acid (small quantity). 4. Much Pinic acid. 5. A little Sylvic acid. 6. Indifferent resin, insoluble in oil of petroleum. 7. Bitler Extractive. Fresh Venice Turpentine. 166 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Larch resin yields from 18 to 25 per cent, of volatile oil. (Berzelius, op. cit.) %. Strasburgh Turpentine (Terebinthina argentoratensis; Terebenthine au citron, ou Terebenthine cVAlsace, Guib.)—This is obtained from Abies Picea. The peasantry, in the vicinity of the Alps, collect it by puncturing the vesicles adhering to the bark with sharp-pointed hooks, and receiving the juice in a bot- tle. It is afterwards filtered through a rude kind of bark funnel. (Duhamel, Traite de Arbres, t. i. p. 9.) Strasburgh turpentine is very fluid, transparent, of a yellowish colour, has a very agreeable odour of citron, and a taste moderately acrid and bitter. It con. sists, according to Caillot, (Journ. de Pharm. xvi. p. 436,) of Volatile Oil 33-5, Resin insoluble in alcohol 6-20, Abietin (a crystallizable resin) 10-85, Abietic acid (1 Pinic and Sylvic acids) 46-39, Extractive and Succinic acid 0-85, Loss (principally volatile oil) 2-21. 4. Canadian Turpentine or Canada Balsam (Terebinthina canadensis, L. (U. S.) Balsamum canadense, E. D.) is obtained from Abies balsamea in Ca- nada and the state of Maine. Between the bark and the wood of the trunks and branches of these trees are vesicles containing this oleo-resin, which exudes when they are broken, and is received in a bottle. It is imported in casks con- taining each about one cwt. In 1838 the quantity imported was7259 lbs. (Trade List for 8th Jan. 1839.) When fresh it has the consistence of thin honey, but by age gradually solidifies; it is yellow, transparent, very tenacious, of a pecu- liar and agreeable terebinthinate odour, and of a slightly bitter, somewhat acrid, taste. Canada balsam has been analized by Bonastre, (Journ. de Pharm. viii. 337,) who obtained the following results:—Volatile oil 18-6, Resin easily soluble in alcohol 40-0, Subresin difficultly soluble 33-4, Fibrous CaoiUchouc, like Sub- resin, 4-0, Acetic acid traces, Bitter Extractive and Salts 4-0. §, Common Frankincense (Abietis resina, L. Thus. D.) This is the sponta- neous exudation of Abies communis. It concretes in distinct drops, or tears, which are compact, opaque, of a deep yellow colour. What is found in the shops of London is a soft solid, having considerable resemblance to the dried opaque portion of common turpentine. The turpentine (? Thus) of the Abies communis has been analyzed by Caillot, (Journ de Pharm. t. xvi. p. 436,) who obtained the following results:—Volatile Oil 32-00, Resin insoluble in alcohol 7-40, Abietin (a crystallizable resin) 11-47, Abietic acid (? Pinic and Sylvic acids) 45-37, Extractive and Succinic acid 1-22, Loss (principally volatile oil) 2-54. Physiological Effects.—The effects of terebinthinate substances have been before noticed (vol. i. p. 184). Locally they operate as irritants. Applied to the skin they cause rubefaction, and sometimes a vesicular eruption. Swal- lowed they give rise to a sensation of warmth at the stomach, in large doses oc- casion sickness, and promote the peristaltic movement of the intestines. After their absorption they operate on the general system as stimulants, and excite the vascular system, especially of the abdominal and pelvic viscera. Their in- fluence is principally directed to the secreting organs, more especially to the mucous membranes and the urinary apparatus. They act as diuretics, and communicate a violet odour to the urine. This odour depends on a portion of the oil having undergone a slight change in its nature during its passage through the system. Part of the oil, however, is thrown off unchanged ; for Moiroud (Pharmacol.-Veterin. p. 312) has observed, that at the same time that the tur- pentines cause a violet odour, they flow in part with the urine. " I have veri- fied," says he, " this double phenomenon on many horses, to whom turpentine has been given, for some days, in the enormous dose of ten or twelve ounces.' But the kidneys are not the only parts engaged in getting rid of the absorbed turpentine. All the secreting organs, but more especially the bronchial sur- faces and the skin, are occupied in the same way. By these the oil is exhaled TURPENTINE. 167 apparently unchanged, or at least with its usual odour. During the circulation of the terebinthinate particles in the system, they exercise a local influence over the capillaries and secerning vessels, in the vital activity of which they effect a change. In certain morbid conditions, this change is of a most salutary nature. In catarrhal affections of the mucous membranes the secerning vessels become constringed under the use of terebinthinates, and the discharge is, in conse- quence, checked. The most important, because by far the most active, constituent of the tere- binthinate oleo-resins is volatile oil. Hence their effects are almost identical with those of the latter. (Vide Oleum Terebinthince, p. 168.) Some slight differences, however, are to be noticed. They are less rapidly absorbed, are more permanent in their operation, confine their influence principally to the apparatus of organic life, not affecting, at least to the same extent, the brain, and act less powerfully on the cutaneous system. We have few data on which to rely in judging of the comparative influence of the different terebinthinates ; but as their most active constituent is volatile oil, we may fairly infer that those which possess the greatest liquidity, and which, in consequence, contain the largest quantity of oil, are the most power- ful preparations. Venice and Strasburgh Turpentines stand in this respect pre-eminent. Canada Balsam is valuable on account of its purity and agree- able flavour. In activity, purity, and flavour, Common Turpentine holds the lowest rank. Uses.—The terebinthinate oleo-resins are, with some exceptions, applicable fd: the same purposes as the volatile oil. The following are the principal cases in which they are employed: 1. In mucous discharges from the urino-genital organs; as gonorrhoea, gleet, leucorrhcea, and chronic cystirrhoea. 2. In chronic catarrh, both mucous and pituitous, occurring in old persons of a lax fibre and lymphatic temperament. 3. In chronic mucous diarrhasa, especially when accompanied with ulceration of the mucous follicles. 4. In colic and other cases of obstinate constipation, Cullen (Treat, of the Mat. Med.) found a turpentine emulsion used as a clyster " one of the most certain laxatives." 5. In chronic rheumatism, especially sciatica and lumbago, the turpentines are occasionally used. 6. As detergents and digestives they have been sometimes applied to indolent and ill-conditioned ulcers. Aoministration.—The dose of the terebinthinate oleo-resins is from a scru- ple to a drachm. They are given in the form of pill, emulsion, or electuary. To give the softer kinds a consistence fit for making pills, liquorice powder may be added to them. Bordeaux turpentine, mixed with about one-twenty-eighth part of its weight of calcined magnesia, solidifies in about twelve hours: the acid resins of this turpentine combine with the magnesia, and form solid resi- nates, which absorb the volatile oil. A turpentine emulsion is made with the yolk of egg, or mucilage of gum Arabic, sugar, and some aromatic water. To form an electuary the turpentine is mixed with sugar or honey. An emulsion, containing from half an ounce to an ounce of turpentine, may be used as a clys- ter, in obstinate constipation, ascarides, &c. The terebinthinate oleo-resins yield several officinal substances, and enter into several preparations: 1. Tkrkbinthina vulgaris, L. D. yields Oleum Terebinthince, L. E. D. and Resina, L. E. L>.; and enters into the composition of Emplastrum Galbani, L. and Unguentum Llum, L. 6 2. Terebinthina veneta E. D. is a constituent of Emplastrum Cantharidis compositum, E. and Unguentum Infusi Cantharidis, E. 168 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. 3. Abietis Resina, L. Thus, D. yields Pix Abietina, L. {Pix Burgundica, E. D.); and enters into the composition of Emplastrum Galbani, L., Emplastrum Opii, L., Emplastrum Picis, L.; Emplastrum Aromaticum, D., and Emplastrum Thuris, D. [already described.] 3. Oleum Terebinthince, L. E. D. (U.S.)—Oil of Turpentine. This essential oil is frequently, though erroneously, called Spirits of Tur- pentine. Preparation.—It is obtained by submitting to distillation a mixture of Ame- rican turpentine (which has been melted and strained) and water in due propor- tions, in the ordinary copper still, with a naked fire. The distilled product is found to consist of oil of turpentine swimming on water; the residue in the still is resin. If no water be employed a much higher temperature is required to effect the distillation, and danger is thereby incurred of causing empyreuma. Mr. Flockton, a large distiller of turpentine in this metropolis, informs me that the average quantity of oil yielded by American turpentine is from 14 to 16 per cent. He also tells me that Bordeaux turpentine yields an oil having a more disagreeable odour, and a rosin of inferior quality. The Dublin College directs oil of turpentine to be prepared as follows: Take of common turpentine, by weight, lb. v.; Water, Oiv. [wine measure}. Distil the oil from a copper alembic; yellow resin will remain after the distillation. To deprive it of all traces of resinous and acid matters, oil of turpentine should not be re-distilled from a solution of caustic potash, and this is actually done, as Mr. Flockton informs me. The British Colleges, however, direct it to be puri- fied by distillation with water only. The directions given by the.British Colleges for the preparation of Rectified Oil of Turpen- tine (Oleum Terebinthince purificatum, L. E. Oleum Terebinthina rectifcatum, D.) are as follows: Take of Oil of Turpentine, Oj. [Oij. wine measure, D.]; Water, Oiv. [wine measure, D.] Let the oil cautiously distil.—The Dublin college directs a pint and a half only of the oil to be distilled. Properties.—Pure oil of turpentine is a colourless, limpid, very inflamma- ble fluid. It has a peculiar, and, to most persons, disagreeable odour, and a hot taste. When pure it is neutral to test paper. Its sp. gr. is 0-86 at about 70° F. It boils at about 314° F. ; the density of its vapour is 4-76 (Dumas). When moist and cooled down to 1°4 F. it deposits, after a considerable time, a crystallized hydrate compound of C10 H8-f 2 Aq. It is very slightly soluble in hydrated alcohol. Exposed to the air, it absorbs oxygen, becomes yellowish, and somewhat denser, owing to the formation of resin (pinic and sylvic acids). Crystals (hexahydrate of oil of turpentine) sometimes form in old hydrous oil of turpentine. By submitting to distillation a mixture of water and old oil, an aqueous liquid is obtained, which yields more or less of the same crystals. Nitric acid resinifies oil of turpentine : the resin, by long boiling with nitric acid, is converted into crystals of Turpentinic Acid C1* H9 0?-f Aq. Oil of turpentine is composed of Atoms. Eq. Wt. Per Cent. Carbon.................... 10 .............. 60 .............. 88 23 Hydrogen.................. 8 ............... 8 ................ 1176 Oil of Turpentine............. ] .................. 68 ................... 9999 It yields two or more distinct, but probably isomeric oils. One of these (Dadyl, Terebene ,• Camphilene) forms with hydrochloric acid a crystalline compound (Artificial Camphor ; Hydrochlorate of Oil of Turpentine), whose formula is Cao H1? CI.; another (Peucyl or Peucylene) forms with the same acid a liquid compound. But as the boiling points of the two oils, called by Blanchet and Sell, dadyl and peucyl, are higher than the boiling point of the oil of tur- pentine, these substances ought rather to be regarded as products than educts. OIL OF TURPENTINE. 169 Physiological Effects, a.. On Vegetables.—Plants exposed to the vapour of this oil are rapidly destroyed. (De Candolle, Phys. Veg. p- 1347.) /3. On Animals.—On both vertebrated and invertebratcd animals it operates as a poison. Injected into the veins of horses and dogs it excites pneumonia. (Hertwich and Gaspard ; quoted by Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn. u. Gifte. Bd. iv. p. 212.) Two drachms thrown into the veins of a horse, caused trembling, reeling, falling, inclinaiion to pass urine and stools, and frequent micturition. Inflammatory fever, with cough, continued to the 8th day ; then putrid fever appeared. On the 9th day death took place. The body presented all the signs of putrid fever and pneumonia (Hertwich). Schubarth (Wibmer, op. cit.) found that two drachms of the rectified oil, given to a dog, caused tetanus, failure of the pulse and breathing, and death in three minutes. The skin of the horse is \ery sensible to the influence of oil of turpentine, which produces acute pain. "It is a remarkable circumstance," says Moiroud, (Pharm.-Veter. p. 314,) " that this pain is not accompanied with any considerable hypersemia. It is quickly produced, but it is of short duration." Oil of turpentine is sometimes employed by veterinarians as a blister, but it is inferior to cantharides, and, if frequently applied, is apt to blemish (i. e. to cause the hair of the part to fall off). In doses of three ounces it is a most valuable antispasmodic in the colic of horses. (Youatt, Tli£ Horse, in Lib. of Useful Knoivledge.) In small doses it acts as a diuretic. Tiedomann and Gmelin (Versuch ii. d. Wege auf welch. Subst. ins Blut gelang,) detected oil of turpentine in the chyle of a dog and a horse, to whom this agent had been given. y. On Man.—In small doses (as six or eight drops to f3j.) it creates a sensa- tion of warmth in the stomach and bowels, becomes absorbed, circulates with the blood, and in this way affects the capillary vessels, and is thrown out of the system by the different excretories, on the secerning vessels of which it acts in its passage through them. The exhalations of the skin and bronchial membranes acquire a marked terebinthinate odour, while the urine obtains the smell of vio- lets. By its influence on the renal vessels it proves diuretic. By the same kind of local influence on the cutaneous vessels it proves sudorific. It appears to have a constringing effect on the capillary vessels of the mucous membranes, for, under its use, catarrhal affections of, and hemorrhages from, these parts are frequently checked, and often are completely stopped. Its continued use some- limes brings on irritation of the urinary organs, or when this state pre-existed, it is often aggravated by the use of turpentine. In a medium dose (f3j. or f3ij.) its effects are not constant. Dr. Ed. Percival (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. ix.) saw two drachms given without any un- pleasant effect being produced either on the digestive or urinary organs; they acted as an agreeable stomachic, and promoted the catamenia. Mr. Stedman, (Ldtnb. Med. Essays, vol. ii. p. 42,) on the other hand, has seen this dose pro- duce strangury, bloody urine, suppression of this secretion, fever, thirst, and vomiting, rhese two cases, however, may be regardrd as the opposite ex- tremes ; and, in general, we may expect, from a medium dose, a feelino- of heat in the stomach and bowels, accelerated peristaltic motion, increased frequency ot pulse, diaphoresis, diuresis, and sometimes irritation of the urinary organs Uccasionally it provokes the catamenia. In a large or maximum dose (ftiv. to f3ij.) its effects are not constant. It usually causes a sensation of abdominal heat, sometimes nauseates, and in ge- nera operates as a tolerably active purgative, without causing any unpleasant clKcts. |mVo g.ven from one to two fluidounces in a considerable number of cases ot tapeworm and never saw any ill consequences therefrom. "It has ounceTIn'o (r7S ^'^^ (^ ^^ " eVen to ^nd scarcely more in- conveni, nee than would follow irom an equal quantity of gin." Cases are re- ported, however, ,n which it has failed ^produce purging* and in such it h"s 22 VOL. II. 170 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. acted most violently on the system, accelerating the pulse, depressing the mus- cular power, and giving rise to a disordered state of the intellectual functions, which several persons have compared to intoxication. A remarkable and well- detailed instance of this occurred in the person of Dr. Copland, (Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. 46, p. 107,) who refers the disorder of the cerebral functions, in his case, to diminished circulation of blood in the brain ; while the gastric heat, &c. he ascribes to increased vascular activity in the abdominal region. The oil passed off most rapidly by the skin and lungs (principally by the latter), and the air of the apartment became strongly impregnated with its effluvia. In some cases it has caused sleepiness. Purkinje (quoted by Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn.) experienced this effect from one drachm of the oil. Dr. Duncan has sometimes seen it produce " a kind of trance, lasting twenty-four hours, without however, any subsequent bad effect." The same writer adds, " the largest dose I have known given has been three ounces, and without injury. A scarlet erup- tion is mentioned by Wibmer as being produced in one case by an ounce of the oil. Uses.—The following are the principal uses of the oil of turpentine: 1. As an Anthelmintic.—It is the most effectual remedy for tapeworm we possess. It both causes the death of, and expels the parasite from the body. To adults it should be given in doses of an ounce at least. I have frequently administered an ounce and a half, and sometimes two ounces. In no instance have I ever seen any ill effects arise from its use. Yet occasionally, as in Dr. Copland's case, it fails to purge, but becoming absorbed, operates most severely on the system, causing disorder of the cerebral functions. It is said to be more apt to act thus in persons of a full and plethoric habit. To prevent these ill consequences an oleaginous purgative should be either conjoined with it, or given at an interval of four or five hours after it. An excellent and safe method of employing it is to combine it with a castor-oil emulsion. Chaberfs empyreu- matic oil (described in vol. i. p. 374) used by Bremser (Traite sur les Vers In- test, p. 488) against tape-worm, consists principally of oil of turpentine. Avery effectual remedy for the small thread-worm (Ascaris vermicularis) is the tur- pentine enema. 2. In Blennorrluza—Oil of turpentine sometimes checks or stops profuse chronic discharges from the mucous membranes. It appears to effect this by a topical influence over the capillary and secerning vessels, in its passage through them out of the system.' In many cases it would appear to confine its opera- tion to the production of an increase of tonicity in the vessels which pour out mucus; but in other instances, especially in blennorrhea of the urinary appa- ratus, it seems to set up a new kind of irritation in the affected membrane, which supersedes the previously existing disease. Hence its use is not admissible in acute or recent affections of these tissues. In gonorrhoea and gleet I have fre- quently employed it as a substitute for balsam of copaiva with success. In leu- corrhcea it has occasionally proved serviceable. In catarrhus vesicae or cys- tirrhcea it now and then acts beneficially, but it requires to be used in small doses and with great caution. In chronic pulmonary catarrh, either mucous or pituitous, it is said to have been employed with advantage. In chronic diarrhoea and dysentery it has proved advantageous: in these cases it has a direct local action on the affected part, besides exerting its influence over this in common with other mucous membranes after its absorption. 3. In Hemorrhages.—In sanguineous exhalations, called hemorrhages, from the mucous surfaces, oil of turpentine may, under some circumstances, act effi- caciously. On the same principle that it checks excessive secretion of mucus in catarrhal conditions of these tissues, so we can readily conceive it may stop the exhalation of blood. But it is only admissible in cases of a passive or ato- nic character, in the absence of plethora and a phlogistic diathesis. (Adair, Med. Facts and Observ. vol. iv. p. 25; Copland, Lond. and Med. Phys. Journ. OIL OF TURPENTINE. 171 vol. xlvi. p. 194.) In purpura haemorrhagica it has been recommended as a purgative, by Dr. Whitlock Nichol, (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xviii. p. 240,) Dr. Magee, (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xxiv. p. 307,) and others. I have seen it act injuriously in this disease, while blood-letting has seemed to relieve. 4. In Puerperal Fever.—The use of the oil of turpentine as a specific in this disease was introduced by Dr. Brenan, of Dublin: (Thoughts on Puerperal Fever, and its Cure by Spirits of Turpentine: Lond. 1814,) and strong testi- monies were subsequently borne to its efficacy by several highly respectable practitioners. (Vide Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. iv.) Dr. Brenan gave one or two tablespoonsful of the oil, every three or four hours, in cold water, sweetened, and applied flannel soaked in oil to the abdomen. But the apparent improba- bility of a stimulant like turpentine curing an inflammatory disease, has pre- vented many practitioners placing any faith in it, or even giving it a trial. In other instances the unconquerable aversion which patients have manifested to it, has precluded its repetition. Lastly, it has failed, in the hands of some of our most accurate observers, to produce the good effects which Dr. Brenan and others have ascribed to it, and in some instances has appeared to aggravate the malady. These reasons have been conclusive against its employment, at least in the way advised by Dr. Brenan. But there are two valuable uses which may be made of turpentine, in puerperal fever: it may be given in the form of clyster, to relieve a tympanitic condition of the intestines, and for this purpose no remedy perhaps is superior to it; secondly, flannel soaked in the hot oil may be applied to the abdomen, to cause rubefaction, as a substitute for a blister, to the employment of which several objections exist. 5. In Ordinary Fever.—As a powerful stimulant in some forms of low fever, oil of turpentine has been well spoken of by Dr. Hoist, (Hufeland's Journ. Bd. 20, St. 2, S. 146,) Dr. Chapman, (Elem. of Therap. vol. ii. p. 129, 4th ed.) Dr. Douglas, (Dubl. Hosp. Rep. vol. iii.,) and more recently by Dr. Wood, (North Amer. Med. and Surg. Journ. April, 1826.) When the skin is dry, the bowels flatulent, and ulceration of th# mucous membrane suspected, it often proves most serviceable. 6. In Rheumatism.—-In chronic rheumatism oil of turpentine has Ion* been celebrated. Its beneficial influence depends on its stimulant and diaphoretic operation, and is more likely to be evinced in old and debilitated persons. I have found medium doses occasionally succeed when small ones had failed But for the most part I have not met with that success with it in chronic rheuma^ tism, to induce me to place much confidence in it. In the form of liniment it has often proved serviceable. 7. In Sciatica and other Neuralgic affections.—Oil of turpentine was pro- posed as a remedy for sciatica by Drs. Pitcairn and G. Cheyne Its efficacv was subsequently confirmed by Dr. Home. (Clin. Experiments.) More re- cently it has been extensively employed, and with great success, in France in sciatica as well as in various other neuralgias. (Martinet, Lond. Med and Phys. Jnam. March 1829; Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. iv.) But it has proved more successful in those which affect the lower extremities. My own experience does not lead me to speak very favourably of it. In a disease the patholoay 0f which is so imperfectly understood as is that of neuralgia, it is in vain to at tempt any explanation of the methodus medendi of an occasional remedy for it 1 have known o. of turpentine now and then act most beneficially in sciatica w.thout givmg rise to any remarkable evacuation by the bowel, skm or kid' neys so that the relief could not be ascribed to a catharti, Tdiaphoretic o a" diuretic operation. ' uiaFllureuc, or a 8. In Suppression of Urine.-l have seen oil of turpentine succeed in reoio duc-ng the urinary secretions when other powerful diuretics had faS P 9. In Infantile Diabeles.-Dr. Dewees (Treatise on the Phy and Moral 172 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Treatment of Children,) has cured three cases of diabetes P] in infants under fifteen monihs old, "by keeping the bowels freely open, and putting a quantity of the spirits of turpentine upon the clothes of the children, so as to keep them in a terebinthinate atmosphere." 10. In Nephritic Diseases.—In some diseases of the kidneys, as ulceration, the use of oil of turpentine has been much extolled. It has proved successful in renal hydatids. (Bayle op. cit.) • ., • , 11. In Dropsy.—Oil of turpentine has occasionally proved serviceable in the chronic forms of this disease. (See the authorities quoted by Dr. Copland, Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xlvi. p. 201.) Its efficacy depends, in part, on its derivative operation as a stimulating diuretic; and in part, as I conceive, on its powerful influence over the capillary and secerning vessels, by which it exer- cises a direct power of checking effusion. It is inadmissible, or is contraindi- cated, in dropsies accompanied with arterial excitement, or with irritation of stomach or of the urinarv organs. When the effusion depends on obstruction to the return of venous blood, caused by the pressure of enlarged or indurated viscera, tumours, &c. turpentine can be of no avail. But in the atonic forms of dropsy, especially in leucophlegmatic subjects, attended with deficient secretion of the 'skin and kidnevs, this oil is calculated to be of benefit. Dr. Copland (op. cit. p. 202,) has used it in the stage of tumescence, or invasion of acute hydrocephalus, as a drastic and derivative. 12. In Spasmodic Diseases.—Oil of turpentine has been employed success- fully in the treatment of epilepsy, by Drs. Latham, Young, Ed. Percival, Lith- gow, Copland, and Prichard. (Copland's Diet, of Pract. Med. p. 806.) No benefit can be expected from this or any other medicine, when the disease de- pends on organic le?ion within the osseous envelopes of the nervous centres. But when the disease is what Dr. Marshall Hall terms centripetal or eccentric, (as the convulsion of infants frequently is,) that is, takes its origin in parts distant from the cerebro-spinal axis, which becomes affected only through the incident or excitor nerves, we can easily understand that benefit may be ob- tained by the use of agents like this, which, while it stimulates the abdominal viscera, operates as a cathartic and anthelmintic, and produces a derivative ac- tion on the head. A more extended experience of its use in chorea, hysteria, and tetanus, is requisite to enable us to speak with confidence of its efficacy in these diseases, though a few successful cases have been published.1 13. In Inflammation of the Eye.—Mr. Guthrie (Loyid. Med. Gaz. vol. iv. p. 509,) has employed oil of turpentine in inflammation of the iris and choroid coat, on the plan recommended by Mr. Hugh Carmichael. (Loc. cit. vol. v. p. 836.) In some cases, especially those of an arthritic nature, it succeeded ad- mirably, in others it was of little or no service. It was given in doses of a drachm three times a day. 14. In Tympanites.—To relieve flatulent distension of the stomach and bow- els, and the colic thereby induced, both in infants and adults, oil of turpentine is a most valuable remedy. It should be given in full doses, so as to act as a purgative; or when, from any circumstance, it cannot be exhibited by the mouth, it may be employed in the form of clyster. Dr. Ramsbotham (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xvi. p. 118,) speaks in the highest terms of the efficacy of the oil of turpentine in the acute tympanites of the puerperal state, and thinks that most of the cases of the so-called puerperal fever, which yielded to this oil, were in fact cases of acute tympanites; and in this opinion he is supported by Dr. Marshall Hall. 15. In obstinate Constipation.—Dr. Kinglake, (Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xlvi. p. 272,) in a case of obstinate constipation, with a tympanitic i Copland, Lond. Med and Phys. Journ. vol. ilvi. p. 199; Phillips, Med. (Mr. Trans, vol. vi.; Elliolson, Lancet, May, ISoO; Gibbon, Lond. Mid. Gaz. vol. vn. p. 428. OIL OF TURPENTINE. 173 condition of the intestines, found oil of turpentine a successful cathartic, after the ordinary means of treating these cases had been assiduously tried in vain. Dr. Paris (Pharmacologia) also speaks highly of it in obstinate constipation depending on affections of the brain. 16. To assist the passage of Biliary Calculi.—A mixture of three parts sul- phuric ether and two parts oil of turpentine has been recommended as a solvent for biliary calculi.1 But there is no foundation for the supposition that the re- lief which may be obtained by the use of this mixture in icterus and during the passage of a biliary calculus, depends on the dissolution of the latter. 17. As an External Remedy—Oil of turpentine is employed externally, as a rubefacient, in numerous diseases, on the principle of counter-irritation, be- fore explained (vol. i. p. 154). Thus, in the form of liniment, it is used, either hot or cold, in chronic rheumatism, sprains, sore throat, neuralgic affections of the extremities, &c. In the form of fomentation the hot oil is applied to pro- duce redness of the skin in puerperal peritonitis, as I have already mentioned. As a powerful local stimulant, it was recommended by Dr. Kentish (Essay on Burns) as an application to burns and scalds, his object being to restore the part gradually, not suddenly, to its natural state, as in the treatment of a case of frost-bite. The practice is most successful when the local injury is accom- panied with great constitutional depression. I can bear testimony to its efficacy in such cases, having employed it in several most severe and dangerous burns with the happiest results. In that form of gangrene which is not preceded by inflammation, and is called dry or chronic, oil of turpentine may occasionally prove serviceable, especially when the disease affects the toes and feet of old people. There are many other topical uses to which it has been applied; but as they are for the most part obsolete, at least in this country, I omit any fur- ther mention of them. They are fully noticed in the works of Voigtels (Arznei- mittell. Bd. ii. S. 260), and Richter. (Arzneimittell. Bd. ii. S. 74.) Oil of tur- pentine is the principal ingredient in Whitehead's Essence of Mustard, which contains also camphor and a portion of the spirits of rosemary. St. John Long's liniment consisted of oil of turpentine and acetic acid, held in suspen- sion by yolk of egg. (Dr. Macreight, Lancet for 1837-8, vol. ii. p. 485.) Administration.—When given as a diuretic, and to affect the capillary and secerning vessels (in catarrhal affections of the mucous membranes, dropsy, suppression of urine, hemorrhage, &c.) the dose is from six or eight minims to f3j.; as a general stimulant (in chronic rheumatism, chorea, &c.) or to produce a change in the condition of the intestinal coats (in chronic dysentery), from f3j. to f3ij.; as an anthelmintic (in tape-worm) or as a revulsive (in apoplexv, in epilepsy previous to an expected paroxysm, &c.) from f^ss. to fgij. It may be taken floating on some aromatic water, to which some hot aromatic tincture, as tinctura capsici, has been added ; or it may be diffused through water by the aid of mucilage or an emulsion ; or it may be made into a linctus with honey or some aromatic syrup. 1. ENE1IA TEREKINTMN.E, L. E. D.; Clyster of Turpentine.—(Oil of turpen- tine, (3j.; Yolk of Egg, q. s. "Rub them together, and add, Decoction of Barley, t^xix. L.— The Edinburgh College substitutes plain Water for Barley Water.—The Dublin College directs gss.'of Common Turpentine to be rubbed with the Yolk of one Egg, and ten Ounces of Water, of a temperature not ceeding 100° F., to be added.)—Used as an anthelmintic in ascarides • as antispasmodic and purgative in colic, obstinate constipation, and tympanites Dr. Montgomery (Observ. on the Dublin Pharmacopceia), says, "it is much used in cases of peritoneal inflammation." I LINIMENTUM TEREB1NT1I1N.E, L. D. (U. S.); Linimentum Terebinthina- turn, b.; I urpentine Liniment.—(Soft Soap, Jij.; Campohor, 3j.; Oil of Tur- 174 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. pentine, fjxvj. " Shake them together until they are mixed," L.—Resinous Ointment, 3'iv.; Oil of Turpentine, fjv.; Camphor, 3ss. " Melt the ointment, and gradually mix with it the camphor and oil, till a uniform liniment be ob- tained," E.—Ointment of White Resin, lb. j.; Oil of Turpentine, lb. ss. " Hav- ing melted the ointment, gradually mix the oil of turpentine with it," D.)—[The U. S. Pharmacopceia directs Oil of Turpentine, half a pint; Resin Cerate, a pound. Add the turpentine to the melted cerate and mix them.]—Introduced by Dr. Kentish (Essay on Burns) as a dressing for burns and scalds. The parts being first bathed with warm oil of turpentine, alcohol, or camphorated spirit, are to be covered with pledgets of lint thickly spread with this liniment. When the peculiar inflammation, excited by the Tire, has subsided, milder ap. plications are then to be resorted to. This liniment may also be used in any other cases requiring the employment of a more stimulant application than the ordinary soap liniment. 3. Resinee Terefointhinne.—Terebinthinate Resins. 1. Resina, L. E. D. (TJ. S.)—Rosin, or Common Resin. Preparation.—This is the residue of the process for obtaining oil of turpen- tine. It is run, while liquid, into metallic receivers coated with whiting to pre- vent adhesion, and from these is ladled into wooden moulds or casts. When the distillation is not carried too far, the product contains a little water, and is termed Yellow Rosin (Resina jiava). A more continued heat expels the water and produces Transparent Rosin; and if the process be pushed as far as it can be, without producing a complete alteration of properties, the residue ac- quires a deep colour, and is termed Brown or Black Rosin or Colophony (Re- sina nigra seu Colophonium). If melted rosin be run into cold water contained in shallow tanks, and a supply of cold water be kept up until the rosin has so- lidified, a pale yellow product is obtained, called Flockton's Patent Rosin. Properties.—Rosin is compact, solid, brittle, almost odourless and tasteless, with a smooth shining fracture, becomes electric by friction, is fusible at a mo- derate heat, decomposable at a higher temperature, yielding among other pro- ducts a volatile oil (Luscombe's rosin oil), and an inflammable gas (Daniell's rosin gas), and burning in the air with a yellow smoky flame. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, ether, and the volatile oils. With wax and the fixed oils it unites by fusion ; with the caustic alkalis it unites to form a resinous soap (the alkaline resinates, principally the pinates). Heated with concentra- ted sulphuric or nitric acid mutual decomposition takes place. Yelloiv rosin is opaque and yellow, or yellowish-white. Its opacity is owing to water, with which it is incorporated. By continued fusion this is got rid of, and the rosin then becomes transparent (transparent rosin). Broivn rosin or colophony is more or less brown and transparent. U- Composition.—Rosin is a compound or mixture of pinic acid (principally) colophonic acid (variable in quantity), sylvic acid (a small quantity), and traces of an indifferent resin. (Unverdorben, in Gmelin, Hand. d. Chim. ii. 520.) 1. Pinic Acid.—May be regarded as an oxide of oil of turpentine. It is soluble in cold al- cohol ofsp. gr. 0-883. The solution forms a precipitate (pinate of copper) on the addition of an alcoholic solution of acetate of copper. Pinate of magnesia dissolves with difficulty in water. The ultimate composition of pinic acid (the essential constituent of rosin) is as follows: Dumas. Liebig. Moms. Eq. Ji't. Per Cent. Atoms. Eq. Wt. Carbon................... 20 ........ 120 ........ 789 ........ 20 ........ 120 Hydrogen................. 16 ........ 16 ........ 10-5 ........ 15 ........ 15 Oxygen................... 2 ........ 16 ........ 105 ........ 2 ........ 16 PinicAcid................. i ........ 152 ........ 999 ........ 1 ........ 151 2. Colophonic Acid.—(Colopholic Acid)—Formed by the action of heat on pinic acid, and, therefore, the quantity of it contained in rosin varies according to the heat employed. Rosin BURGUNDY PITCH. 175 owes its brown colour to it. It is distinguished from pinic acid by its greater affinity for sali- fiable baseB, and its slight solubility in alcohol. (Berzelius, Traite de Chim. t. v. p. 489.) 3. Sylvic Acid.—Is distinguished from Pinic Acid by its insolubility in cold alcohol of sp. gr. 0-883. Dumas regards it as isomeric with Pinic acid. Its formula according to Tromms- dorff is C30 H10 0s. and according to Rose C20 H10 .—Asia Minor, from the Bosphorus to Syria, and from the Archipelago to the frontiers of Persia. Formation of Nutgalls.—The Hymenopterous insects of the tribe called Gallicolce, or Diploleparice, (Cuvier, Regne Animal, t. v. p. 290,) are furnished with a terebra, or borer, by means of which they are enabled to perforate the foliaceous or cortical parts of plants for the purpose of depositing their eggs, along with an acrid liquor, in the wound thus made. The irritation thereby pro- duced gives rise to an influx of the juices of the plant to the wounded part, and an excrescence is formed, which is termed a gall (galla). Here the insect undergoes its transformations : the egg produces the larva (or maggot), which feeds on the juices of the plant, and is changed into the pupa. This afterwards becomes the perfect insect (imago), and, perforating the gall, escapes from its prison-house. The external form and appearance of these productions are very constant, when formed by the same insect, on the same part of the same plant ; but the galls of different species of vegetables, as well as those of the same species, pro- duced by a different insect, vary considerably. There is reason for believing that the form and appearance of the gall is determined more by the insect than the gall, or dyer's oak. 191 by the plant; for we sometimes have on the same oak two kinds of galls, of very dissimilar appearance, produced by different insects. As familiar instances of galls, I may mention, first, the red carbuncular pro- tuberances in the leaves of Salix Helix. The gall of the Sweet Briar or Eglan- tine (Rosa rubiginosa) is called Bedeguar, or the Sweet Briar Sponge, and will be noticed hereafter. Another well-known indigenous gall is the Oak Apple, produced on Quercus pedunculata. It is usually spheroidal, but of variable Bize ; commonly, however, not exceeding one or two inches in diameter. Its texture is spongy. It has been employed, on account of the tannic acid which it contains, asa substitute for nutgalls in dyeing. The gall of the Quercus infectoria is the nutgall of the shops. It is produced by the Cynips GalUe tinctoria. Olivier (op. cit.) says, that this insect lives on the Quercus infectoria only. On the sides and at the ends of the branches and shoots of this tree, the fe- male makes a puncture and deposits her egg. An excrescence is soon formed, within which the larva is developed, which is changed first into the pupa, and then into the imago. As soon as the perfect insect is produced, it eats its way out. If we examine those galls from which the animal has escaped, we observe externally a circular hole, of about a line in diameter, leading to a canal of from pj to 3£ lines long, which passes to the centre of the gall. But in those galls in which the insect has not put off its pupa state, we find neither an external hole nor an internal canal. Those galls from which the insect has escaped are commonly longer, lighter coloured, and less astringent: they are termed white galls. Commerce.—Nutgalls are imported principally from Turkey : hence their name of Turkey Galls (Gallee turcicce). They usually come from Constanti- nople, but sometimes from Smyrna. Those brought from Aleppo are the pro- duce of Mosul (Aleppo or Mosul Galls), and are the best. Smyrna Galls are not so heavy, are lighter coloured, and contain a larger admixture of white galls than those brought from Aleppo. East India Galls are brought from Bombay. Ainslie (Mat. Indica, vol. i. p. 145,) thinks, " that the greater part of the galls found in Indian bazaars grows in Persia, and are brought to the peninsula by Arab merchants." Description.—In commerce three kinds of galls are distinguished, viz. black or blue, green, and white. But there is no essential distinction between the two first. 1. Black or Blue Nutgalls (Gallee nigra seu carulece); Green Nutgalls (Gallee virides).—These are gathered before the insect has escaped, and are called by the natives Yerli. They vary from the size of a pea to that of a ha- zel-nut, and have a grayish colour. The smallest have a blackish-btoe tint and are distinguished by the name of black or blue galls, while the larger and greener varieties are called green galls. Externally they are frequently tuber- culated, but the surface of the tubercles and of the intervening spaces is usually smooth. The.r texture is compact, but fragile. They have no odour, but a styptic and powerfully astringent taste. 2. White Galls (Gallee alba).—These are for the most part gathered after the insect has escaped, and hence thev are perforated with a circular hole Thev hlL gerft'.llghte'; coloured (b^ng yellowish or whitish), less compact, less heavy, and less astringent. They are of inferior value. wh?zs°rhe"7„Si srlyzed by Sir H-Davy- (^ **«•■ i83°-> ! Tannin...............................,........ Gallic acid, with a little extractive............................~o'2 Mucilage and matters rendered insoluble by evaporation....... 2-4 Carbonate of lune and .a.ine matter.....f.... I".?.1.'"".-.-.-.".".": 8-4 -----------------------—---'.................................................................630 Good Aleppo Nutgalla............... " —----—---------------------- ...........................................................100 0 192 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. 1. Tannic Acid (Acidum Tannicum; Acidum Quercitannicum).—The substance formerly described in chemical works by the name of tannin, is tannic acid mixed with some foreign matters, from which it is very difficult to free it. When extracted from nutgalls by ether, in the percolation or displacement apparatus, (see vol. i. p. 326) as recommended by Pelouzc, (Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. liv.) this acid presents itself as a non-crystalline, white solid, sometimes having a yellowish tinge. 100 parts of nut- galls yield from 36 to 40 parts of tannic acid. The followino' are the essential characteristics of this substance :—It has an intensely astrin- gent taste, and produces with a solution of gelatin, a white precipitate (tannate of gelatine); with a solution of sesquisalt of iron, a deep blue compound (tannate of iron); and with solu- tions of vegetable alkalis, white precipitates (tannates), slightly soluble in water, but very so- luble in acetic acid. The mineral acids also cause precipitates with concentrated solutions of tannic acid, as do the alkalis and their carbonates. Gelatinous alumina rapidly absorbs tannic acid from its solution, and forms an insoluble compound with it. Tannic acid is composed ofC18 H8 012=C18 W 0*4-3 aq.; consequently its equivalent or atomic weight is 212. Tannic acid is a very powerful astringent. Given to dogs to the extent of 12 grains it caused constipation. One of the animals being killed, the intestinal mucous membrane was found dry, and the faecal matter hard, and collected in the colon. In doses of two grains and a half it produced constipation in the human subject. (Cavarra, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xx. p. 171.) To the presence of this acid the vegetable astringents principally owe their medicinal activity (vide vol. i. pp. 188 and 189). It has been employed in hemorrhages, (from the lungs, uteru9, and rectum), and in profuse mucous discharges (diarrhoea, pulmonary catarrh, leucorrhek, and gonorrhoea). It may administered in doses of three grains, in the form of pills or solution, It presents but few advantages over the astringent extracts. 2. Gallic Acid (Acidum Gallicum).—Though we obtain 20 per cent, of gallic acid from nutgalls, these excrescences contain very little of it,—at least in the free state; our produce being principally the result of the decomposition of the tannic acid. Nay, Pelouze thinks that even the small quantity of gallic acid which does exist in nutgalls is formed by the decomposi- tion of the tannic acid during or subsequent to the prooess of drying these bodies. The conversion of tannic into gallic acid is effected, according to Pelouze, by the agency of the air, the oxygen of which is absorbed, while an equal volume of carbonic acid is evolved. One atom of tannic acid and eight atoms of oxygen contain the elements of two atoms of gallic acid, four atoms of carbonic acid, and two atoms of water. Carb. Hyd. Oxyg. atoms, atoms, atoms 1 atom Tannic acid consists of 18 8 12 8 atoms Oxygen of the air--- 0 0 8 Total............ 18 20 Carb- Hyd. Oxyg. atoms, atoms, atoms. 2 atoms Gallic acid consist of 14 6 10 4 atoms Carbonic acid........ 4 2 8 2 atoms Water............... 0 2 2 Total............ 18 - 20 When the air is excluded no gallic acid is formed. The production of gallic acid may also be accounted for by supposing that it is a constituent of tannic acid. Thus, three atoms of tannic acid contain the elements of six atoms of gallic acid and two atoms of pyrogallic acid. Pure gallic acid is a colourless, crystallizable acid, with an acidulous and styptic taste. It produces a deep blue colour with the sesquisalts of iron, in which circumstance it agrees with tannic aqjd ; but it differs from the latter acid in not precipitating gelatin or the vegetable alka- line salts. To detect gallic acid mixed with tannic acid, the latter is to be previously removed from its solution by immersing in it a piece of skin depilated by lime. Tlie tannic acid is ab- sorbed. The gallic acid may then be detected by the salts of iron. Gallic acid consists of C7 H3 0s; hence its equivalent or atomic weight is 85. When heated to 410° or 420° F., it gives out carbonic acid, and is resolved into pyrogallic acid (Ce H3 O3). If the heat is raised to 480° F., both water and carbonic acid are evolved, and metagallic acid (C12 H3 03 + aq.) is produced. The effects and uses of gallic acid have been before noticed (vol. i p. 189.) 3. Ellagic Acid (Acidum Ellagicum).—Discovered by Braconnot, who named it ellagic acid, from the French word for a gall (galle) spelt backwards. It is obtained from galls in the process for making gallic acid, and hence is probably a product, and not an educt. It is a white, insipid powder, which becomes of a blood-red colour on the addition of nitric acid. It consists of C7 H2 O'*-)-Aq.=C7 H3 0s; hence the equivalent or atomic weight of thehydrated acid is 85. Chemical Characteristics.—Infusion of nutgalls reddens litmus paper, forms an inky compound (tanno-gallate of iron) on the addition of a sesquisalt of iron, and a yellowish white precipitate (tannate of gelatin) with a solution of gelatin. If a piece of skin, depilated by lime, be immersed in the infusion, and GALL, OR OYER'S OAK. 193 agitated with it from time to time, all the tannic acid is absorbed, the filtered liquor striking a blue colour (gallate of iron) with the sesquisalts ol iron, but giving no precipitate with a solution of gelatin. Infusion of galls forms precipi- tates (metallic tannates or tanno-gallates) in many metallic solutions, (bee the table given in Mr. Brande's Manual of Chemistry, p. 1106, 5th ed.) Physiological Effects.—As nutgalls contain a larger portion of tannic acid than any other known vegetable production, they possess in the highest degree the properties of an astringent (vide vol. i. p. 18S). Uses.—The following are the principal uses of nutgalls: I.Asa tonic in intermittents.—Notwithstanding Poupart's favourable report of the use of galls in these cases, they scarcely deserve notice, as we have in arsenic, cinchona, and sulphate of quina, much more effective and certain febrifuges. . 2. As an astringent in hemorrhages, especially passive alvine hemorrhages. 3. In chronic mucous discharges, as old diarrhoeas. 4. As a chemical antidote.—Nutgalls may be given in poisoning by ipeca- cuanha, emetina, the organic alkalis generally, and those vegetable productions whose activity depends on an organic alkali, as opium, white hellebore, colchi- cum, nux vomica, &c. Their efficacy arises from the tannic acid, which com- bines with the vegetable alkali to form a tannate possessing less activity than the other salts of these bases ; perhaps because of its slight solubility. Nutgalls are recommended as an antidote in cases of poisoning by emetic tartar, but I very much doubt their efficacy. 5. As a topical astringent.—Nutgalls are applicable in any cases requiring the topical use of a powerful vegetable astringent. Thus, in the form of gargle, in relaxation of the uvula; as an injection, in gleet and leucorrhcea ; as a wash, in flabby ulcers, with profuse discharge; prolapsus ani seu vagina; in the form of ointment, in piles, &c. Administration.—The dose of the powder is from ten to twenty grains. The infusion is prepared with four drachms of nutgalls and six ounces of water: the dose is from f^ss. to f|ii. or, in cases of poisoning by the vegetable alkalis, f ^iv. Besides the following officinal formula? for the use of galls, others have been published by Mouchon. (Gaz. des Hop. Civ. et Milit. 13 Avril, 1837.) 1. TINCTURA MILE, L. (U. S.); Tinctura Gallarum, E. D.; Tincture of Galls—(Galls, bruised, 3v. [3iv. D. (U. S.)J ; Proof Spirit, Oij. [wine mea- sure, D.] [Distilled Alcohol, Oij., (J. S.] Macerate for fourteen [seven, -D.] days, and filter. "This tincture may be prepared either by digestion or perco- lation, as directed for tincture of capsicum, E.)—A powerful astringent. Dose from f3ss. to f3ij. Diluted with water, it forms a very useful and convenient astringent gargle and wash. Its principal use is as a chemical test, especially for the salts of iron. >. IMiUDTU.lI GALLARUM, D.; Ointment of Galls. [Unguentum Gallae, U. S.] —(Galls, in very fine powder, 3i.; Lard, 3iij. Mix them.)—[Galls, in powder, one ounce; Lard, seven ounces; U. S.]—Astringent. Mixed with zinc oint- ment it is applied to piles after the inflammatory stage is passed. The above is Dr. Cullen's formula; but Mr. B. Bell (Syst. of Surgery,) recommends an oint- ment composed of equal parts of powdered galls, and hog's lard or butter, in ex- ternal hemorrhoidal swellings. S. UNGUENTUM UALLjE COMPOSITUM, L.; Unguentum Gallee et Opii, E.; Compound Ointment of Galls—(Galls, in very fine powder, 3ij. ; Opium, pow- dered, 3ss. [3i. E.]; Lard, 3ij. [^i. E.] Mix.)—An excellent astringent appli- cation to MindpUes (i. e. piles without hemorrhage) and prolapsus ani. The opium diminishes the pain which the galls might otherwise occasion, where the hemorrhoidal tumors are very sensible. From 3ss. to 3i. of camphor is fre- quently added to this ointment. vol. ii. 25 194 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. OTHER MEDICINAL CUPUI.IFERJE. Quercus Tinctoria, or the Black Oak is a native of America. (Officinal, U.S.) Its bark, ^ called quercitron, is used by dyers. In the United FlG. 177. States it is employed medicinally, but it is said to be disposed to irritate the bowels. [The Q. alba is also officinal in U. S. P.] 2. Quercus Suber, or the Cork Oak, is a native of the northern parts of Africa, and of the southern parts of Europe, particularly of France, Spain, and Portugal. Although no medical agent is obtained from it, yet the important pharmaceutical uses of its corti- cal portion must be my excuse for noticing it. According to Mohl, (Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag. 1838, vol. xii. p. 53,) the bark of a young branch of Quercus Suber consists of four distinct layers. 1st, an exterior layer or epidermis, SJdly, colourless cellular tissue, 3dly, green parenchyma, and 4thly, the liber or fibrous layer. When the branches are from three to five years old, the epidermis cracks by distension, and the second layer enlarges on the inner side by the deposition of new layers. These constitute cork. (See also Dutrochet, Cornptet Rendus, t. iv. p. 48, Paris, 1838.) It falls naturally Quercus Suber. every eight or nine years, but for commercial pur- poses is usually removed one or two years before this period. That season of the year is selected when the bark adheres the most firmly to the wood, in order that the cork may be raised without endangering the separation of the liber from the alburnum. By this precaution, the trees are not at all injured by the corking process; nay, they are said to be more healthy and vigorous than when the cork is allowed to accurau- late'on their stems. The trees yield these crops from the age of 15 to 150 years. To remove the cork, an incision is made from the top to the bottom of the tree, and a trans- verse circular incision at each extremity; the cork is then stripped off. To flatten it, a number of layers are piled up in a pit of water, and loaded with weights to keep them down. Subse- quently they are dried, and in that state exported. Our supply is principally derived from Spain and Portugal. To close the transverse pores, cork is charred. The physical properties of cork are too well known to need description. Its leading charac- ter is elasticity. In this respect it is similar to the wood of Anona palustris, called cork wood. When thin slices of cork are examined by the microscope, they present a cellular appearance. When cork has been deprived of all its soluble matters by successive digestions in water and alcohol, it differs but little from ordinary cork: it is, however, then termed Suberin. This suberin is analogous in its nature to lignin ; but, as it yields a peculiar substance (suberic acid, composed of C8 H° O3), when treated by nitric acid, it has been regarded as a distinct princi- ple. Suberic acid is also a product of the action of nitric acid on oleic, margaric, and stearic acids. Raspail contends that suberin is only lignin undeprived of some of its foreign matters, such as wax, resin, &c. By distilling suberate of lime, Bossingault obtained an oleaginous substance, which has been denominated suberone. The soluble principles of cork are gallic acid, some gallates, resin, a waxy-like substance, colouring matter, &c.; hence the impropriety of employing cork in closing vessels containing chalybeate liquids, as the iron is part absorbed by the cork. Cork was formerly employed in medicine. Reduced to powder, it was applied as a styptic: hung about the necks of nurses, it was thought to possess the power of stopping the secretion of milk; lastly, burnt cork, mixed with sugar of lead and lard, has been used as an application to piles. 3. The large capsules or acorn-cups of Quercus ^gilops are imported from the Levant, under the name of Velonia. They are astringent, and are employed by dyers. 4. A saccharine substance exudes from the leaves of Quercus Mannifera in Kurdistan. (Lindley, Botanical Register, May and June, 1840.) Order XXVI__ULMACEjE, Mirbel.—THE ELM TRIBE. Essential Characters.—Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous, never in catkins. Calyx divided, campanulate, inferior, irregular. Stamens definite, inserted into the base of tno calyx; erect in aestivation. Ovary superior, two-celled; ovules solitary, pendulous; stigmas two, distinct. Fruit one or two-celled, indehiscent, membranous, or dupraceous. Seed soli- tary, pendulous; albumen none, or in very small quantity; embryo straight or curved, with foliaceous cotyledons; radicle superior. Trees or shrubs, with scabrous, alternate, simple, deciduous leaves, and stipules (Lindley). Properties.—Elm bark is tonic aud astringent. THE COMMON SMALL-LEAVED ELM. 195 IX'MUS CAMPESTRIS, Linn. L. D.-THE COMMON SMALL-LEAVED ELM. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia, (Cortex, L. Cortex interior, D.) History.—Dioscorides (lib. i. cap. Ill,) speaks of the astringent property of elm bark. . Botany. Gen. char.—Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx campanulate, tour to five-toothed, coloured, persistent. Stamens three to six. Ovary compressed. Stigmas two. Fruit (a samara) suborbicular, with a broad membranous mar- gin. (Bot. Gall.) sP. char___Leaves doubly serrated, rough; Flowers nearly sessile, four-cleft. Fruit oblong, deeply cloven, naked. (Sir J. E. Smith.) A large tree, with rugged bark. By the latter character it is readily distin- guished from Ulmus glabra, which has a smooth, dark, lead-coloured bark. iiab.—Southern parts of England. Flowers in March or April. Description.—The officinal part of the elm is the inner cortical portion, or liber. To obtain it, the bark should be separated from the tree in spring; and, after the epidermis and a portion of the external cortex, have been removed, the liber should be quickly dried. As met with in the shops, the inner elm bark (cortex ulmi) consists of thin, tough pieces, which are inodorous, and have a brownish-yellow colour, and a mucilaginous, bitter, very slightly astringent taste. Composition.—According to Rinck, (Geiger, Hand. d. Pharm.) 100 parts of elm bark contain: Resin 0-63, gum and mucus 20-3, impure gallic acid (tannin ?) 6*5, oxalate of lime 6«3 (?), chloride of sodium (?) 4*6. 1. Tannic acid.—Davy (Phil. Trans. 1803, p. 233) states, that 480 grs. of elm bark yielded 13 grs. of tannin. 2. Ulmic Acid : Ulmin.—On many trees, especially the elm, there is not unfrequently ob- served a substance, which was supposed to be a morbid production. When dried it consists of a mucilaginous matter, and carbonate or acetate of potash. By the combined agency of the air and the carbonate, the organic matter is altered in its properties, and is converted into a brown substance, which combines with the potash. This brown matter has been termed ulmin, or ulmic acid. It may be formed, artificially, by a variety of processes ; as by heating a mixture of wood and potash, by the action of sulphuric acid on vegetable matters, and by other methods. Chemical Characteristics.—Infusion of elm bark becomes green (tannate of iron) on the addition of a sesquisalt of iron, and forms a precipitate (tannate of gelatin) with a solution of gelatin. Physiological Effects.—The effects of elm bark are those of a mild as- tringent tonic, containing a considerable quantity of mucilage, which gives it a demulcent property. Hence, in the classification of Richter (Arzneimitt. Bd. 1,) it is arranged as a mucilaginous astringent. The decoction, taken in full doses, accelerates the pulse, and acts as a diaphoretic and diuretic. Uses.—Lysons (Medical Transactions, vol. ii. p. 203) recommended the decoction of this bark in cutaneous eruptions; and Dr. Lettsom (Medical Me- moirs, p. 152) found it successful in ichthyosis. It has now fallen almost into disuse. It has been employed as a. cheap substitute for sarsaparilla. (Jeffreys, Cases in Surgery, Lond. 1320.) Administration.—Used only in the form of decoction. DKfOCTTfl FLM, L. D.; Decoction of Elm Bark.—(Fresh Elm Bark, bruised, Jijss. [3ij. D.~\; Distilled Water, Oij. [wine measure, D.] Boil down to a pint, and strain).—Formerly given in skin diseases, now fallen into disuse. Dose, fjiv. to fjvi. three or four times a day. OTHER MEDICINAL ULOIACEJE. Dr. M'Dowall, of Virginia has proposed the bark of Ulmas fulva for bougies, tents, Cathe- ters, X.C-. (Bnt. and For. Med. Review, July, 1838, art. Elm Bark Surgery p. 259.) [The bark of this is used as a demulcent and is officinal in U. S. P.i 196 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Order XXVII.—URTICACEJE, Endlicher.—TEE NETTLE TRIBE. Urticeje, Jussieu. Essential Character.—Flowers small, greenish, monoecious or dioecious, solitary, amenta- ceous, or surrounded by a monophyllous involucrum. Calyx monosepalous, three to fire- lobed, persistent. Stamens definite, inserted into the base of the calyx. Ovary simple,free; styles two or one, bifurcate. Fruit an achenium, surrounded by the persistent calyx, solitary, or inserted into the dilated fleshy receptacle. Seeds pendulous, with or without albumen. Embryo straight, curved, or spiral. Radicle generally superior.—Herbs or trees usually with hispid and spathulate leaves. Flowers capitate or racemose. (Bot. Gall.) Properties.—Variable. 1. HU'MULUS LU'PULUS, Linn. L. E. D.—THE COMMON HOP. Sex. Syst. Dioecia, Pentandria. (Strobili e.xsiccati, L. (Humulus, U. S.) Catkin, E. Strobili siccati, D.) History.—This plant is probably the Lupus salictarius of Pliny. (Hut. Nat. lib. xxi. cap. 1, ed. Valp.) Its culture was introduced into this country from Flanders, in the reign of Henry VIII. (Beckmann, Hist, of Invent, vol. iv. p. 340.) . . Botany. Gen.char.—Diozcious. Males:—Calyx five-partite. Stamina five. Females:—Strobiles consisting of large, persistent, concave scales [bracts], having a single flower in the axilla of each. Ovary one. Styles two. Seed one, with an arillus. Embryo spirally contorted. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. char.—The only species. Perennial. Stems annual, long, weak, and climbing, scabrous. Leaves pe- tiolate, three to five-lobed, serrated, veiny, rough. Flowers greenish yellow. Hah.—Thickets and hedges in many parts of Europe. Indigenous [?]. Flowers in July. Cultivation.—The female plant is cultivated in several counties in Eng- land, especially Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire. The third year after planting it generally comes into full bearing. Slacking or set- ting the poles is performed in April or May. The gathering or picking takes place in September. The cones are dried in kilns, and are then packed in hempen sacks, called bags ox pockets. This operation is called bagging. (Lou- don's Ency. of Agricult.) Description.—The aggregate fruits of the Humulus Lupulus are strobiles or catkins (strobili seu amenta lupuli), in commerce termed hops. They consist of scales, nuts, and lupulinic glands or grains. The scales are the enlarged and persistent bracts, which inclose the nuts : they are ovate, membranous, and at their base glandular. The nuts (achenia) are small, hard, nearly globular, and covered with aromatic, superficial, globose glands. The lupulinic glands or grains commonly termed yellow powder or lupulin) are the most important parts of the strobiles. By thrashing, rubbing, and sifting, Dr. Ives (Journ. of Science, vol. xi. p. 205,) procured 14 ounces from six pounds of hops; and he therefore concluded that dry hops would j'\e\d about a 178. sixth part of their weight of these grains. They are usually mixed with sand. They are rounded, of a cellu- lar texture, golden yellow, and somewhat transparent. They are sessile, or nearly so. The common centre, around which the cells are arranged, has been called the hilum. By drying they lose their spherical form. Placed in water they give out an immense number of minute globules. Under other circumstances they hc- Drwithitrhi\l\ng(man' come ruPtured> and allow an inward envelope to escape. nifiecly Um g According to Turpin (Mem. de VAcad. Roy. des Science, t. xvii. p. 104, 1840; see also Raspail, Chim. Org.) IHE COMMON HOP. 197 they consist of two vesicles, one inclosing the other. The inner one contains globules, an aromatic oil, and a gas. He also states, that in the bubbles of the disengaged gas, an immense number of crystals are formed. Composition.—Payen, Chevallier, and Pelletan, (Journ. de Pharm. t. viii. p. 209 ; and Journ. de Chim. Med. t. ii. p. 527,) analyzed the scales and lupu- linic grains. Dr. Ives (Journ. of Science, vol. xi. p. 205,) also examined the latter. Lupulinic Grains Payen, Chevallier, and Pelletan'a Analysis. Volatile oil .................... 200 Bitter principle (Lupulite) ...... 10 30 Resin .................... 50 to 5500 Ligfl i n......................... 3200 Fatty, astringent, and gummy' matters, osmazome, malic and carbonic acid, several salts (malate of lime, acetate of ammonia, chloride of po- tassium, sulphate of potash), &c.........................j 99-30 Ives's Analysis. Tannin ........ 4'16 Extractive...... 8-33 Bitter principle .. 9-16 Wax........... 10 00 Resin ........... 3000 Lignin .......... 3833 10000 Scales. Payen, Chevallier, and Pelletan's Analysis. Astringent matter. Inert colouring matter Chlorophylle. Gum. Lignin. Salts (of potash, lime, and ammonia, containing acetic, hydrochloric, sul- phuric, nitric, &c. acids). The scales usually contain a portion of lupulinic matter, from which it is al- most impossible to free them. 1. Volatile Oil of Hops.—Resides in the lupulinic grains. Obtained by submitting these, or hops which contain them, to distillation with water. Its colour is yellowish, its odour that of hops, its taste acrid. It is soluble in water, but still more so in alcohol and ether. Its sp. gr. is 0*910. By keeping, it becomes resinified. It is said to act on the system as a narcotic. The water which comes over, in distillation, with the oil, contains acetate of ammonia, and blackens silver; from which circumstance the presence of sulphur is inferred. 2. Bitter Principle of Hops: Lupulite; Lupuline.—Is procured by treating the aqueous extract of the lupulinic grains, united with a little lime, with alcohol. The alcoholic tincture is to be evaporated to dryness, the residue treated with water, and the solution evaporated. The residue, when washed with ether, is lupulite. It is uncrystallizable, yellowish white, very bitter, soluble in 20 parts of water, very soluble in alcohol, and slightly so in ether. The aqueous solulion froths by agitation; it forms no precipitate with either tincture of nutgalls or acetate of lead. Lupuline contains no nitrogen. It is devoid of the narcotic properly of the oil. In small doses it is said to have caused loss of appetite and diminished digestive power; but a repetition of the experiment is very desirable. 3. Rksin.—Is of a golden yellow colour, and becomes orange-yellow by exposure to the air. It is soluble in both alcohol and ether. It appears to be the oil changed into resin, partly by oxidizement. Chemical Characteristics.—A decoction of hops reddens litmus, owing to the presence of free acid. Sesquichloride of iron strikes an olive-green colour (tannate of iron). A solution of gelatin renders the filtered decoction turbid (tannate of gelatin). Chloride of barium occasions with it a white pre- cipitate (sulphate of baryta). Oxalate of ammonia also causes a white precipi- tate (oxalate of lime). Physiological Effects.—The odorous emanations (vapour of the volatile oil) of hops possess narcotic properties. Hence a pillow of these cones promotes sleep, as I have several times witnessed. Moreover, we are told that stupor has occasionally been induced in persons who have remained for a considerable time in hop warehouses. The lupulinic grains are aromatic and tonic. They appear also to pos- sess soothing, tranquillizing, and, in a light degree, sedative and soporific pro- ------ .... .---- v,...v.,t„t nines, » Green fecula. l'hosphatc Lime. s Urown extractive Sweetish bitter extractive. Hrown gum. Lignin. Soluble albumen. Salts of ammonia potash, lime, and magnesia. Alumina. Silica. Schlesinger. Bitter matter.............................. 125 Chlorophylle soluble in ether............... 4-75 Chlorophylle soluble in alcohol.................. 9-375 Green resinous extractive......................... 5-0 Colouring matter.................................... 10T5 Gummy extract...................................... 19-45 Malate of lime with extractive.................. 6-775 Extractive............................................. 6875 Vegetable albumen........................ 80 Lims, Magnesia, and Iron.................. 9-5 Lignin................................................ 120 Loss...................................... 6-875 Leaves of Cannabis sativa. I Leaves dried at 200 degrees F.............. 100000 The most important constituents, in a medicinal point of view, are probably volatile oil and resin. Bohlig failed to detect a trace of any organic basic matter. The volatile oil of hemp lias hitherto been procured in such small quantities that its properties are but imperfectly known. When the dried plant is distilled with a large quantity of water, traces of the oil pass over, and the distilled liquor has the powerful narcotic odour of the plant. The resin of hemp (cannabin) is soluble in alcohol and ether. It has a warm, bitterish, acrid taste, and a fra- grant and narcotic odour. Dr. O'Shaughnessy gave ten grains of Nipalese churrus dissolved in spirit to a middling. sized dog :—" In half an hour he became stupid and sleepy, dozing at intervals, starting up, wagging his tail as if extremely contented, he ate some food greedily, on being called to he staggered to and fro, and his face assumed a look of utter and helpless drunkenness. These symptoms lasted about two hours, and then gradually passed away; in six hours he was per- fectly well and lively." The general effects on man, as stated by Dr. O'Shaughnessy, from his own observations, arc alleviation of pain (mostly), remarkable increase of appetite, unequivocal aphrodisia, and ■ This agrees with n remark in the Horhis Cliffortianns, " Quod mas in Horto Malabarirn exhibitus nos- tra sit plunla n n I In i»i 1I111.....mlelur; fmnin.-i mucin paruin recedit loliis ternatis, tanien et ejusmodi plant as in ''ile macro apud noa uliservamus 11011 inlrequeuter." 204 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. great mental cheerfulness. Its more violent effects were delirium of a peculiar kind, and a cataleptic state. These effects are so remarkable that I shall quote some cases by way of illustration. "At two p. m. a grain of the resin of hemp was given to a rheumatic patient. At four p. m. he was very talkative, sang, called loudly for an extra supply of food, and declared himself in perfect health. At six p. m. he was asleep. At eight p. m. he was found insensible, but breath- ing with perfect regularity, his pulse and skin natural, and the pupils freely contractile on the approach of light. Happening by chance to lift up the patient's arm, the professional reader will judge of my astonishment," observes Dr. O'Shaughnessy, " when I found that it remained in the posture in which I placed it. It required but a very brief examination of the limbs to find that the patient had by the influence of this narcotic been thrown into that strange and most extraordinary of all nervous conditions, into that state which so few have seen, and the existence of which so many still discredit—the genuine catalepsy of the nosologist" (vol. i. p. 178). " We raised him to a sitting posture, and placed his arms and limbs in every imagina- ble attitude. A waxen figure could not be more pliant or more stationary in each position, no matter how contrary to the natural influence of gravity on the part. To all impressions he was meanwhile almost insensible. He continued in this state till one a. m. when conscious- ness and voluntary motion quickly returned. "Another patient who had taken the same dose fell asleep, but was roused by the noise in the ward. He seemed vastly amused at the strange aspect of the statute-like attitudes in which the first patient had been placed. On a sudden he uttered a loud peal of laughter, and ex- claimed that four spirits were springing with his bed into the air. In vain we attempted to pacify him ; his laughter became momentarily more and more uncontrollable. We now ob- served that the limbs were rather rigid, and in a few minutes more his arms and legs could be bent, and would remain in any desired position. He was removed to a separate room, where he soon became tranquil, his limbs in less than an hour gained their natural condition, and in two hours he experienced himself perfectly well and excessively hungry." Dr. O'Shaughnessy was kind enough to send me from Calcutta specimens of Gunjah, Nipa- lese Churrus, and an alcoholic extract of Gunjah. The two former only came to hand. I have submitted them to experiment both on animals and man, and have given specimens of them to medical friends for trial, but their effects have hitherto proved comparatively slight. Whether this be owing to the preparations having undergone some deterioration in their passage, or to the comparative phlegmatic temperament of the English, I know not. My experiments on animals were made in the lecture-room of the London Hospital before the students of the ma- teria medica class ; and the trials on the human subject were made in the wards of the Hos- pital. The following are brief notices of some of the experiments : Expt. 1. Ten grains of Churrus in fine powder were given to a small terrier with his food. In fifteen minutes he appeared somewhat drowsy. In fifty-five minutes, when left quiet, he would sleep as he sat, and nod forward or to the side, so as nearly to fall. When roused, however, he appeared quite well, but when left alone soon fell asleep again. One of the stu- dents (Mr. Porter) took charge of him for the remainder of the day, and reported that he fell asleep, but presented no other symptom. Expt. 2. One drachm of Churrus in fine powder was given to a large cat, but no effects were observed. Expt. 3. My colleague, Mr. Curling, to whom I had given some Churrus, informs me that 69 grs. were given, in 16 hours, to a tetanic patient on board the hospital ship the Dread- nought, without any obvious effect. Expt. 4. Four grains of an alcoholic extract of Gunjah were given to a girl, aged 14, in the London Hospital, affected with a convulsive disorder partaking of the characters of both chorea and hysteria. She was troubled with a spasmodic action of the diaphragm, and had been for several days and nights without sleep. About half an hour after taking the third four-grain dose the spasms entirely ceased, and the patient complained of vertigo and headache. The pupils were not perceptibly affected. The pulse was 93, soft and regular. She fell into a tranquil sleep, in which she remained several hours. When she awoke she had no spasms, but complained of headache and vertigo. The pupils were dilated and the skin moist. On raising her up to take another pill she complained of great fainlness, and broke out into a pro- fuse perspiration. The fainlness having subsided she again sat up, when the pulse suddenly rose from 93 to 130. Some days afterwards convulsive movements appeared in other muscles. The extract was again resorted to, but its effects were never more than palliative, and notwith- standing the dose was increased to thirty grains twice, and even thrice, it ceased to produce any obvious effect. The extract never appeared to affect her appetite, which was all through good. Expt. 5. A scruple of the green alcoholic extract of Cannabis indica grown at the Chelsea Garden was dissolved in about a fluidrachm of spirit, and thrown into the peritoneal sac of a middle-sized dog, but no effect was observed. Expt. 6. Two drachms of the powder of the female plant of Cannabis indica, grown at Chelsea, were given to a small dog, but no effect was observed. I have also tried the alcoholic extract of Gunjah, prepared at Madras, and sent me by my BLACK PEPPER. 205 late pupil Mr. T. Brydon; but have failed with it also to produce the remarkable effects ob- served by Dr. O'Shaughnessy. I have seen weakness in the hind extremities of a cat caused by it, so as to prevent her taking her customary leap on to a wall to escape. This effect was observed 21 hours after the exhibition of the medicine, which did not appear to produce any other result. The preparations of hemp are used in India for the purpose of intoxication. They are em- ployed in the form of beverages, smoke, or confection. There are seven or eight makers of Majoon or hemp confection in Calcutta. Dr. O'Shaughnessy has described the method of making it as followed by the proprietor of a celebrated place of resort for hemp-devotees in Calcutta. Dr. O'Shaughnessy has suggested the employment of Indian hemp in rheumatism, tetanus. hydrophobia, and cholera, and has published some cases illustrative of its beneficial effects. In the case of hpdrophobia it alleviated the patient's suffering, though it did not save him. The preparations used by Dr. O'Shaughnessy were the extract and tincture. a. Extractum Cannabis. Alcoholic or Resinous Extract of Indian Hemp.—This is prepared by boiling the rich adhesive tops of the dried Gunjah in rectified spirits until all the resin is dissolved. "The tincture thus obtained is evaporated to dryness in a vessel placed over a pot of boiling water. The extract softens at a gentle heat, and can be made into pills without any addition." (O'Shaughnessy). In hydrophobia from ten to twenty grains of the resin, in soft pills, are to be chewed by the patient, and repeated according to the effect. /3. Tinctura Cannabis.—Dr. O'Shaughnessy directs three grains of the extract to be dis- solved in one drachm of proof spirit. Dose, in tetanus, 3j. every half hour, until the paroxysms cease, or catalepsy is induced; in cholera, ten drops every half hour. 4. Parietaria officinalis, or Common Wallpellitory, is a common indigenous plant, which was formerly in great repute as a diuretic and lithontriplic. By some practitioners it is still highly esteemed. It is used in calculus and other urinary affections, and also in dropsies. The expressed juice may be taken in doses of one or two fluidounces. Or the decoction (pre- pared by boiling §j. of the herb in a pint of water) may be substituted. The extract and dis- tilled water have also been used. On account of the nitre which the plant contains, the ex- tract is said to take fire in making it. (Withering, Arrangement of British plants, vol. ii. p. 237, 7lh edit.) Order XXVH.—PIPERACEtE, Kunth.—-THE PEPPER TRIBE. Essential Character.—Flowers naked, hermaphrodite, with a bract on the outside. Stamens definite or indefinite, arranged on one side, or all round the ovary; to which they adhere {. more or less ; anthers one or two-celled, with or without a fleshy connective; pollen smooth. Ovary superior, simple, one-celled, containing a single erect ovule; stigma sessile, simple, rather oblique. Fruit superior, somewhat fleshy, indehiscent, one-celled, one-seeded. Seed erect, with the embryo lying in a fleshy sac, placed at that end of the seed which is opposite the hilum, on the outside of the albumen.—Shrubs or herbaceous plants. Leaves opposite, verlicillate, or alternate, in consequence of the abortion of one of the pair of leaves, without stipules. Flowers usually sessile, sometimes pedicellate, in spikes which are either terminal or axillary ; or opposite the leaves (Lindley). Properties.—Fruits remarkable for their hot taste, and acrid and stimulant properties. These qualities they owe to the presence of an acrid oil and resin. 1. PIPER NIGRUM, Linn. L. E. D.—THE BLACK PEPPER. Sex. Syst. Diandria, Trigynia. (Baccte, L.—Dried unripe Berries, E— Semina, f>.) (Piper, U.S.) History.—The ancient Greeks were acquainted with pepper (irsirspi); their knowledge of which must have been derived, directly or indirectly, from the Hindoos. Hippocrates (de morb. mid. &c) employed it in several diseases. Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xii. cap. 14, ed. Valp.) notices its uses as a condiment, and expresses his astonishment that it should have come into general use, since it has neither flavour nor appearance to recommend it. Botany.—Gen. char.—Spadix covered with flowers on all sides. Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely dioecious, each supported by a scale. Stamina two or more, Ovarium with one, solitary, erect ovule. Stigma punctiform, obtuse, or split. Berry one-seeded. Embryo dicotyledonous [monocotyledonous, Blume'], inverted (Blume). (Enum. Plant. Java, p. 64.) sp. char.—Stem shrubby, radicant, climbing, terete. Leaves ovate or ellipti- 206 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. cal, acuminate, occasionally somewhat oblique, subcordate, five to seven-nerved, coriaceous, smooth, recurved at the margin, glauco-greenish beneath. Spadices shortly pedunculated, pendulous. Fruits distinct (Blume). (Op. cit.) Fig. 183. Stem eight to twelve feet long, jointed, dichotomous. Fruit at first green, then red, afterwards black. According to Dr. Roxburgh (Fl. Indica, vol. i. p. 153,) Piper trioicum is cultivated, and yields excellent pepper. Hat}.—Cultivated in various parts of Tndia and its islands (Roxburgh) ; also in the West Indies. Preparation.—When any of the berries on a spadix change from green to red, the whole are considered fit for gathering; for if they are allowed to become fully ripe, they are somewhat less acrid, and, moreover, easily drop off. When collected they are spread out, and dried in the sun, and the stalks separated by hand- Piper nigrum. rubbing. They are afterwards winnowed. (Marsden, History of Sumatra, 2d. ed. p. 137.) The dried and shrivelled berries consti- tute black pepper (piper nigrum). White pepper (piper album) is prepared from the best and soundest grains, taken at their most perfect stage of maturity. These being soaked in water, swell and burst their tegument, which is afterwards carefully separated, by dry- ing in the sun, hand-rubbing, and winnowing. (Marsden, op. cit.) Commerce.—The pepper countries extend from about the longitude of 90° to that of 115° E., beyond which no pepper is to be found ; and they reach from 5° S. latitude to about 12° N., where it again ceases. The following estimate of the production of pepper is drawn up by Mr. Crawford. (M'Culloch, Diet. of Comm.) Production of Pepper. lbs. Sumatra (west coast...................................... 20,000 000 Do. (east do.)...................................... 8,000,000 Islands in the Straits of Malacca.......................... 3,600,000 Malay peninsula......................................... 3,733,333 Borneo................................................... 2,066,667 Siam.................................................... 8,000,000 Malabar................................................... 4,000,000 Total................................ 50,000,000 In the year 1839, the number of pounds of pepper which paid duly (Is. per lb.) was 2,169,438. In 1842, 2,271,174 lbs. paid duty. Pepper is usually imported in bags. Description.—Black pepper (piper nigrum) is round, covered externally with a brownish-black, corrugated layer (the remains of the succulent portion of the berry), which may be readily removed by softening it in water. Inter- nally we have a hard, whitish, spherical, smooth seed, which is horny exter- nally, but farinaceous internally. The finest kind of black pepper is called shot pepper, from its density and hardness. Fulton's decorticated pepper is black pepper deprived of its husk by mechanical trituration. It is sometimes bleached by chlorine. (Brande, Diet, of Mat. Med.) The taste of pepper (both of nucleus and covering) is acrid and hot. White pepper (piper album) is the fruit deprived of the external fleshy portion of the pericarp. The grains are larger than those of black pepper, spherical, whitish, and smooth, horny exter- nally; internally they are farinaceous, or hollow in the centre. They are less acrid and pungent than black pepper. Composition.—In 1819, Oersted discovered pipcrin in black pepper. In 1821, black pepper was analyzed by Pelletier. (Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. xvi. 344.) In 1832, white pepper was analyzed by Luca. (Schwartze, Pharm. Tabellen.) BLACK PEPPER. 207 Black pepper (Pelletier.) Acrid soft resin. Volatile oil. Piperin. Extractive. Uuni. Bassriorin. Starch. Malic acid. Tartaric acid. Potash, calcareous, and magnesian salts. Woody fibre. White Pepper (Luca.) Acrid resin............................... 16 60 Volatile oil............................... £61 Extractive, gum, and salts................ 12-50 Starch.................................... '£ 50 Albumen................................. 2 50 Woody fi bre..............................29"°° Water and loss........................... 19'29 Black Pepper. ) White pepper............................100 00 Luca found nopiperin in white pepper; but Poutet (Journ de Pliarm. t. vii.) subsequently detected it. Probably, therefore, in Luca's analysis, the piperin was contained in the resin. 1. Resin of Pepper (resina piperis).—This is a very acrid substance, soluble in alcohol and ether, but not so in volatile oils. It possesses in high perfection the acrid properties of pepper. Dissolved in ether, it was employed by Dr. Lucas, in intermittents, and in two out of three cases with success. (Dierbach, Neuest. Enid, in d. Mat. Med. Bd. 1, S. 252,1837.) 2. Volatile Oil of Pepper (oleum piperis).—When pure this is colourless ; it has the odour and taste or pepper. Its sp. gr. is 0-9932 (Luca). Its composition is C10 H8. It absorbs hy- drochloric acid in large quantity, but does not form a crystalline compound with it. Accord- ing to Mcli, (Dierbach, op. cit.,) it possesses the same febrifuge properties as piperin, perhaps because it retains some of the latter principle. It has been used in some forms of dyspepsia depending on general debility. 3. Piperin.—This substance was discovered by Oersted in 1819, but was more accurately examined by Pelletier in 1821. It exists in black, white, and long pepper, and also in cubebs. It is a crystalline substance, the crystals being rhombic prisms, with inclined bases. It fuses at 212° F., is insoluble in cold water, and is only very slightly soluble in boiling water. Its best solvent is alcohol; the solulion throws down piperin when water is added to it. Ether dissolves it, but not so readily as alcohol. Acetic acid likewise is a solvent for it. Piperin, when pure, is white; but, as met with in commerce, it is usually straw-yellow. It is tasteless and inodorous. It was at first supposed to be an alkali; but Pelletier has shown that it possesses no analogy with vegetable alkalis, and that it is related to the resins. With strong sulphuric acid it forms a blood-red liquid. Nitric acid colours it first greenish-yellow, then orange, and afterwards red. The action of hydrochloric acid is similar. Its formula, according to Regnault, is C34 H19 N 0G. Piperin has been recommended and employed by Meli and several other physicians (Dier- bach, Neuest. Entd. in d. Mat. Med. B. i. S. 176, 1828) as a febrifuge in intermittent fevers. It is said to be more certain and speedy, and also milder in its action, than the cinchona alkalis. Moreover, we are told it might be procured at a cheaper rate than sulphate of quinia. Its dose is about six or eight grains in powder or pills. Sixty grains have been taken in twenty-four hours, without causing any injurious effects. Mali considers two or three scruples sufficient to cure an intermittent. Magendie (Formulaire) proposes it in blennorrhagia, instead of cubebs. Physiological Effects.—Pepper is one of the acrid spices whose general effects have been already noticed (see vol. i. p. 183). Its great acridity is re- cognised when we apply it to the tongue. On the skin it acts as a rubefacient and vesicant. (Richard, Diet, de Med. t. xvii. p. 307.) Swallowed, it stimu- lates the stomach, creates a sensation of warmth in this viscus, and, when used in small doses, assists the digestive functions, but, if given in large quantities, induces an inflammatory condition. Thirty white pepper-corns, taken for a sto- mach complaint, induced violent burning pain, thirst, and accelerated pulse, which continued for three days, until the fruits were evacuated. (Wibmer, Arzneim, a Gifte, Bd. iv. S. 220.) Wendt, Lange, and Jager, (quoted by Wibmer, op. cit. S. 119,) have also reported cases in which inflammatory symp- toms supervened after the use of pepper. On the vascular and secerning sys- tems pepper acts as a stimulant. It accelerates the frequency of the pulse, pro- motes diaphoresis, and acts as an excitant to the mucous surfaces. On one of my patients (a lady) the copious use of pepper induces burning heat of skin, and a few spots of the Urticaria evanida usually on the face. " I have seen," says Van Swieten, (Commentaries, vol. v. p. 57, Engl. Transl.,) "a most ar- dent and dangerous fever raised in a person who had swallowed a great quan- tity of beaten pepper." It has long been regarded as a stimulant for the urino- 208 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. genital apparatus. The opinion is supported by the well-known influence of the peppers over certain morbid conditions of these organs. Moreover, the bene- ficial effect of pepper in some affections of the rectum leads us to suspect that this viscus is also beneficially influenced by these fruits. Uses.—It is employed as a condiment, partly for its flavour, partly for its sti- mulant influence over the stomach, by which it assists digestion. As a gastric stimulant it is a useful addition to difficultly-digestible foods, as fatty and muci- laginous matters, especially in persons subject to stomach complaints from a torpid or atonic condition of this viscus. Infused in ardent spirit it is a popular remedy for preventing the return of the paroxyms of intermittent fevers, given shortly before the expected attack. The practice is not recent, for Celsus (lib. iii. cap. 12) advises warm water with pepper to relieve the cold fit. The febri- fuge power of this spice has been fully proved, in numerous cases, by L. Frank ; (Journ. Complem. du Diet, des Scienc. Med. t. viii. 371;) Meli, (Journ. Com- plem. du Diet, des Scienc. Med. t. xiii. p. 124,) Riedmiiller (Dierbach), and others; though Schmitz (Rust's Magaz. Bd. xvi.) denies it. Barbier (Traite Elan, de Mat. Med. 2d. ed. t. ii. p. 57) says, that in some instances, where large doses were exhibited, death occurred in consequence of the aggravation of a pre-existent gastritis. It has been employed in gonorrhoea as a substitute for cubebs. In relaxed uvula, paralysis of the tongue, and other affections of the mouth or throat requiring the use of a powerful acrid, pepper may be employed as a masticatory. In the form of ointment it is used as an application to tinea capitis. Mixed with mustard it is employed to increase the acridity of sinapisms. Administration.—The dose of black pepper (either of corns or powder) is from five to fifteen grains; the powder may be given in the form of pills. 1. CONFECTIO PIPERIS NIGRI, L. E.: Electuarium Piperis, E. Confection of Black Pepper.—(Black Pepper; Elecampane-root [Liquorice-root in powder, E.~\ of each, lb. j.; Fennel seeds, lb. iij.; Honey ; White Sugar, of each, lb. ij. Rub the dry ingredients together to a very fine powder. The London College keeps this in a covered vessel, and directs the Honey to be added when the Confection is to be used. But the Edinburgh and Dublin Colleges order the Honey to be added immediately after the dry ingredients have been mixed.)— This preparation is intended to be a substitute for a quack medicine, called " Ward's Paste," which has obtained some celebrity as a remedy for fistula?, piles, and ulcers about the rectum. Its efficacy doubtless depends on the gentle stimulus it gives to the affected parts. Sir B. Brodie (Lectures in Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xv. p. 746,) observes, that severe cases of piles are sometimes cured by it; and he thinks that it acts on them topically, the greater part of the paste passing into the colon, becoming blended with the faeces, and in this way coming into contact with the piles, on which it operates as a local application, much as vinum opii acts on the vessels of the conjunctiva in chronic opthalmia. In confirmation of this view, he mentions the case of a patient attended by Sir Everard Home, who was cured by the introduction of the paste into the rectum. Confection of black pepper is adapted for weak and leucophlegmatic habits, and is objectionable where much irritation or inflammation is present. The dose of it is from one to two or three drachms twice or thrice a day. " It is of no use," says Sir B. Brodie, " to take this remedy for a week, a fortnight, or a month: it must be persevered in for two, three, or four months." As it is apt to accu- mulate in and distend the colon, gentle-aperients should be exhibited occasion- ally during the time the patient is taking the confection. 8. UNGUENTUM PIPERIS NIGRI, D., Ointment of Black Pepper.—(Prepared Hog's Lard, lb. i.; Black Pepper, reduced to powder, 3iv. Make an ointment.) —Formerly in vogue for the cure of tinea capitis. CUBEB PEPPER. 209 2. PIPER LONG'UM, Linn. L. E. D.—THE LONG PEPPER. Sex. Syst. Diandria.Trieynia. (Fructiw immaturus exsiccatus, L.—Dried Spikes, JE.—Semina, D.) Botany. Gen. char.—Vide Piper nigrum. sP. char.—Stem shrubby, climbing. Lower leaves ovate-cordate, three to five-nerved ; upper ones on short petioles, oblong, acuminate, oblique, and some- what cordate at the base, obsoletely four to five-nerved and veined, coriaceous, smooth, grayish-green beneath, Peduncles longer than the petiole. Spadices almost cylindrical (Blume). (Enum. Fl. Java, p. 70.) Hab.—India. Found wild among bushes, on the banks of water-courses, up towards the Circar mountains. It flowers and bears fruit during the wet and cold seasons (Roxburgh). It is cultivated in Bengal, and in the valleys amongst the Circar mountains. The root and thickest parts of the stems, when cut into small pieces and dried, form a considerable article of commerce all over India, under the name of Pippula moola. Description.—When fully grown, but yet unripe, the spadices are gathered and dried by exposure to the sun. They are then packed in bags for sale. As met with in commerce, long pepper (piper longum) is grayish-brown, cylindrical, an inch or more in length, having a mild aromatic odour, but a violent pungent taste. Composition.—This pepper was analyzed by Dulong in 1825. (Journ. de Pharm. t. xi. p. 52.) The following are the substances he obtained from it:— Acrid fatty matter (resin?), volatile oil, piperin, nitrogenous extractive, gum, bassorin, starch, malates and other salts. The volatile oil of long pepper is colourless, and has a disagreeable odour and an acrid taste. Physiological Effects and Uses.—The effects of long pepper are analo- gous to those of black pepper. Cullen (Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 209,) and Beargius (Mat. Med. Ed. 2nd% t. i. p, 29) consider it less powerful; but most other pharmacologists are agreed on its being more acrid. Medicinally it may be employed in similar cases. It is used principally for culinary purposes. It is a constituent of several pharmacopoeial preparations. 3. PITER CUBE'BA, Linn. L. E. D.—THE CUBEB PEPPER. Sex. Syst. Diandria, Trigynia. (Baccs; cubebs, L.—Fruit, E.—Fructus, D.) (Cubeba, U.S.) History.—It is uncertain when the cubebs of our shops were first introduced into medicine, or who first alludes to them. There does not appear to be any foundation for the opinion that the ancient Greeks were acquainted with them. "Many, indeed, pretend that the Carpesion (xagtfrjtfiov) of Galen is our cubeb, and that the round pepper of Theophrastus, the pepper of Hippocrates, were all names for them; but this is a conjecture founded on a very bad basis. The Arabians are at the head of these blunders. Serapion has translated all that Galen says of carpesion into his chapter of cubeb, and attributed all its virtues to it, and has even added every thing to the account that Dioscorides has left us of the Rusc/ts. Avicenna is also in the same error, and calls the carpesium cubeb; and from these authors Actuarius and the other Greeks have collected their accounts. It is plain from all this, that either the carpesium of the Greeks and the cubeb of the Arabians are the same things, or else that the Arabians have been guilty of confounding different things in a strange manner together : if the latter be the case, there is no judging of any thing from what they say; and if the former, it is very evident that our cubebs are not the same with theirs—that is, with the carpesium of Galen ; for he expressly assures us that this was not a fruit or seed, but, as he tells us, a kind of slender woody twig, vol. n. 27 210 BLEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. resembling in smell and virtues the root of the valerian. Nothing is more evi- dent than that the carpesium, therefore, was either a fibrous root, or the small twigs and branches of a climbing plant, not a round small fruit. If the Arabians, therefore, were acquainted with our cubebs at all, it appears that, not knowing what the carpesium and ruscus were, they ignorantly attributed the virtues ascribed by the Greeks to these medicines to these fruits." (Hill, Hist, of the Mat. Med. p. 473.) Cubebs were in use in England 500 years ago, for in 1305 Edward I. granted to the corporation of London the power of levying a toll of one farthing a pound on this article in its passage over London Bridge. (Liber Niger Scaccarii, vol. i. p. *478; also The Chronicles of London Bridge, p. 155.) Botany. Gen. char.—Vide Piper nigrum. Sp. char.—Stem shrubby, terete, climbing. 'Leaves petiolate, oblong or ovate- oblong, acuminate, rounded or oblique cordate at the base, nerved, coriaceous, smooth. Peduncles almost equal to the petiole. Berries with elongated pedun- cles (Blume). (Enum. Fl. Java, p. 70.) Dr. Blume says that the cubebs of the shops are the fruit of P. caninum, which has a smaller and shorter-stalked fruit, having a distinct anise flavour, and less pungency than the fruit of P. Cubeba; but Dr. Lindley (Flora Medica) observes, that he cannot perceive any difference in the flavour of the dried fruit of P. Cubeba and of the cubebs sold in the London shops. P, Cubeba is readily distinguishable from P. caninum by the leaves being coriaceous, smooth, and shining, with the veins proceeding from the side of the midrib, not from its base. Hah.—Java and the Prince of Wales's Island. Description.—The dried unripe fruit of this plant constitutes the cubebs (cubeba vel piper caudatum) of the shops. In appearance, cubebs resemble black pepper, except that they are lighter coloured, and are each furnished with a stalk two or three lines long, and from which circumstance they have received their name caudatum. The cortical portion of cubebs (that which constituted the fleshy portion of the fruit) appears to have been thinner and less succulent than in black pepper. Within it is a hard spherical seed, which is whitish and oily. The taste of cubebs is acrid, peppery, and camphoraceous; the odour is peculiar and aromatic. Composition.—Three analyses of cubebs have been made: one by Tromms- dorf, in 1811 (Schwartz, Pharm. Tabell.); a second by Vauquelin, in 1820 (Ann. Phil. 2d Series, vol. iii. p. 202); and a third by Monheim, in 1835. (Journ. de Pharm. xx. 403.) Vauquelin. 1. Volatile oil, nearly solid. 2. Resin like that of copaiva. 3. Another coloured resin. 4. A coloured gummy matter. 5. Extractive. 6. Saline matter. Monheim. 1. Green volatile oil........................ 2 5 2. Yellow volatile oil....................... 10 3. Cubebin.................................. 45 4. Balsamic resin........................... 15 5. Wax..................................... 30 6. Chloride of sodium....................... 10 7. Extractive............................... 60 8. Lignin.................................... 650 Loss..................................... 155 Cubebs. Cubebs.............................. 1000 1. Essential Oil of Cubebs.—(See p. 212.) 2. Resin of Cubebs.—Vauquelin has described two resins of cubebs: one is green, liquid, acrid, and analogous, both in odour and taste, to balsam of copaiva; the other is brown, solid, acrid, and insoluble in ether. 3. Cubebin (Piperin).—From cubebs is obtained a principle to which the term cubebin has been applied. It is very analogous to, if not identical with, piperin.. Cassola, a Neapolitan chemist, (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. x. p. 635,) says, it is distinguished from the latter principle by the fine crimson colour which it produces with sulphuric acid, and which remains unaltered for twenty or twenty-four hours: moreover, Cubebin is not crystallizable. Monheim, (op. cit.) however, declares Cubebin to be identical with piperin, and that it is combined with a soft acrid resin. In this state it is soluble in ether, alcohol, the fixed oils, and acetic acid; but it is insoluble in oil of turpentine and dilute sulphuric acid. It fuses at 68° F. Dr. Gorres (Dierbach, Neuesten, Entd. in d. Mat. Med. S. 253,1837) gave cubebin, in both CUBEB PEPPER. 211 acute and chronic gonorrhoea, to the extent of one drachm, four times daily. But he premised the use of phosphoric acid. 4. Extractive Matter of Cubebs.—Vauquelin says, the extractive matter of cubebs is analogous to that found in leguminous plants. It is precipitable by galls, but not by acetate of lead. Physiological Effects.—Cubebs belong to the acrid species, already (vol. i. p. 181,) noticed. Their sensible operation is very analogous to that of black pepper. Taken in moderate doses, they stimulate the stomach, augment the appetite, and promote the digestive process. In larger quantities, or taken when the stomach is in an irritated or inflammatory condition, they cause nausea, vomiting, burning pain, griping, and even purging. These are their local effects. The constitutional ones are those resulting from the operation of an excitant,— namely, increased frequency and fulness of pulse, thirst, and augmented heat. It probably stimulates all the mucous surfaces, but unequally so. In some in- stances, cubebs give rise to an eruption on the skin, like urticaria. Not unfre- quently they cause headache; and occasionally disorder of the cerebro-spinal functions, manifested by convulsive movements or partial paralysis, as in a case related by Mr. Broughton. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. i. p. 405.) Cubebs appear to exercise a specific influence over the urino-genital appa- ratus. Thus they frequently act as diuretics, and at the same time deepen the colour of, and communicate a peculiar aromatic odour to, the urine. Their stimulant operation on the bladder is well illustrated by a case related by Sir Benjamin Brodie. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. i. p. 300.) A gentleman, labouring under chronic inflammation of the bladder, took fifteen grains of cubebs, every eight hours, with much relief. Being anxious to expedite his cure, he, of his own accord, increased the dose to a drachm. This was followed by an aggra- vation of the symptoms : the irritation of the bladder was much increased, the mucus was secreted in much larger quantity than before, and ultimately the pa- tient died,—" his death being, I will not say occasioned," adds Sir Benjamin, " but certainly very much hastened, by his imprudence in overdosing himself with cubebs." Three drachms of cubebs caused in Pul (Arzneim ii. Giften. Bd. iv. S. 217,) nausea, acid eructations, heat in the pit of the stomach, headache, uneasiness, and fever. Uses.—The principal use of cubebs is in the treatment of gonorrhoea. They should be given in as large doses as the stomach can bear, in the early part of the disease; for experience has fully proved that in proportion to the length of time gonorrhoea has existed, the less amenable is it to the influence of cubebs. In some instances an immediate stop is put to the progress of the malady. In others, the violent symptoms only are palliated ; while in many (according to my experience in most) cases no obvious influence over the disease is manifested. The presence of active inflammation of the urethra does not positively preclude the use of cubebs, though I have more than once seen them aggravate the symptoms. Mr. Jeffreys (Observ. on the Use of Cubebs, or Java Pepper, in the Cure of Gonorrhoea, 1821,) thinks the greatest success is met with in the more inflammatory forms of the disease. Cubebs have been charged with inducing swelled testicle; but I have not observed this affection to be more frequent after the use of cubebs than when they were not employed. Mr. Broughton (Med. Chir. Trans, vol. xii. p. 99,) gave them to fifty patients, and in forty-five they proved successful. Of these only two had swelled testicle. The explanation of the metluodus medendi is unsatisfactory. Sir A. Cooper (Lancet, vol. iii. p. 201, 1824,) thinks that cubebs produce a specific inflammation of their own on the urethra, which has the effect of superseding the gonorrheal inflammation. The occasional occurrence of a cutaneous eruption from the use of cubebs de- serves especial attention, as I have known it to create a suspicion of secondary symptoms. 212 ELEMENTS of materia medica. Cubebs have been recommended in gleet and leucorrhcea. (Dr. Orr. Ed. Med. Journ. vol. xviii. p. 318.) In abscess of the prostate gland, twenty or thirty grains of cubebs, taken three times a day, have in many cases appeared to do good. (Sir B. Brodie, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. i. p. 396.) They seemed to give a gentle stimulus to the parts, and to influence the disease much in the same way that Ward's Paste operates on abscesses and fistulse, and ulcers of the rectum. In cystirrhoea also they have occasionally proved serviceable in small doses. (Sir B. Brodie, Lond. Med. Gaz. p. 300.) In piles, likewise, they are given with advantage. (Sir B. Brodie, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xv. 747.) The efficacy of cubebs in mucous discharges is not confined to the urino- genital mucous membrane. In catarrhal affections of the membrane lining the aerian passages, it proves exceedingly useful, especially when the secretion is copious and the system relaxed. Formerly cubebs were employed as gastric stimulants and carminatives in dyspepsia, arising from an atonic condition of the stomach. They have also been used in rheumatism. The Indians macerate them in wine, and take them to excite the sexual feelings. Administration.—Cubebs, in the form of powder, are given in doses vary- ing from ten grains to three drachms. In affections of the bladder and prostate gland the dose is from ten grains to thirty grains. In gonorrhoea, on the other hand, they should be administered in large doses. Mr. Crawford (Hist, of tlie Indian Archipelago, vol. i. p. 465,) says, that in Malay countries they are given in doses of three drachms, six or eight times during the day. 1. OLEUM CUBEBA, E. (U. S.); Volatile Oil of Cubebs— (Prepared by grind- ing the fruit, and distilling with water). By distillation, cubebs yield about 10-5 per cent, of a transparent, slightly-coloured (when pure, colourless), volatile oil, which is lighter than water (sp. gr. 0-929), and has the cubeb odour, and a hot, aromatic, bitter taste. It is composed of carbon and hydrogen, in the same relative proportion as in oil of turpentine; but its formula is C15 Hla. By keeping, it sometimes deposits crystals (cubeb stereoptene or cubeb camphor), the primary form of which is the rhombic octohedron. (Brooke, Ann. Phil. N. S. vol. v. p. 450.) Their odour is that of cubebs; their taste, at first, that of cubebs and camphor, afterwards cooling. They are fusible at 133° F. soluble in alcohol, ether, and oils, but are insoluble in water. Their composi- tion is C18 H14 O, so that they are the hydrate of the oil of cubebs. Oil of cu- bebs is an excellent and most convenient substitute for the powder. The dose of it, at the commencement of its use, is ten to twelve drops. This quantity is to be gradually increased as long as the stomach will bear it. In some in- stances, I have given it to the extent of a fluidrachm for a dose. It may be taken suspended in water by means of mucilage, or dropped on sugar. Gela- tinous capsules of cubebs, containing the oil of cubebs, are prepared by Mr. Will- denow. The mode of preparing these will be described when noticing the ge- latinous capsules of copaiva. A combination of oil of cubebs and oil of copaiva forms a very useful medicine in some cases of gonorrhoea. On the continent, a preparation, called the oleo-resinous extract of cubebs, is used. It is prepared by adding the oil to the resinous extract of cubebs, which is prepared by digesting the cake left after the distillation of the oil in alcohol, and distilling off the spirit. (Journ. de Pharm. t. xiv. p. 40.) 2. TINCTURA CUBEBA, L.; Tinctura Piperis Cubeba, D. Tincture of Cu- bebs.—(Cubebs, 3v. [3iv. D.;] Rectified [Proof, D.] Spirit, Oij. [wine measure, D.] Macerate for fourteen days, and filter).—Dr. Montgomery (Observ. on the Dubl. Pharm. p. 439, Lond.) says, " I have found this tincture cure gonorrhoea both speedily and satisfactorily." The dose of it is one or two drachms, three times a day. EUPHORBIACEiE. 213 OTHER NON-OFFICINAX PIPERACE E. The Piper Betle is extensively used by the Malays and other nations of the East, who con- sider it as a necessary of life. The mode of taking it in Sumatra consists simply in spreading on the FlG. 184. sirih (the leaf of the Piper Betle) a small quantity of chunam (quick-lime prepared from calcined shells) and folding it up wilh a slice of pinang or Areca nut. From the mastication there proceeds a juice which tinges the saliva of a bright red, and which the leaf and nut, without the lime, will not yield. This hue being communicated to the mouth and lips, is esteemed ornamental, and an agreeable fla- vour is imparled to the breath. The juice is usually, but not always, swallowed. To persons who are not habituated to this composilion, it causes giddi- ness, astringes and excoriates the mouth and fauces, and deadens for a time the faculty of laste. Indi- viduals, when toothless, have the ingredients pre- viously reduced to a paste, that they may dissolve without further effort. (Marsden, Hist, of Sumatra, 3rd ed. p. 281.) Piper Betle. Order XXVIII.—EUPHORBIACEiE, Juss.—THE EUPHORBIUM TRIBE. Essential Character.—Flowers monoecious or dioecious. Calyx monosepalous; the seg- ments definite, sometimes none, very often increased on the inside by various squamiform or glandular appendages. Stamens indefinite, or generally definite, distinct [or monadelphous]; sometimes inserted into the centre of the flower, beneath the rudiments of the pistil. Anthers two-celled; the cells sometimes distinct, dehiscing longitudinally on the outer side. Ovary superior, sessile, or stipitate, two to three or many-celled; the cells arranged in a circle around the central placenta. Ovules solitary or in pairs; suspended from the inner angle beneath the apex. Styles as many as the cells; either distinct, or united, or none. Stigmas single and compound or many-lobed. Capsule of two to three distinct bivalved cells, which often burst elaslically. Seeds solitary or twin, with an arillus, and attached above to the central placenta. Embryo surrounded by a fleshy albumen ; cotyledons flat; radicle supe- rior.—Herbs or Shrubs generally lactescent. Leaves mostly stipulate, alternate, or rarely opposite. Flowers axillary or terminal, usually with bracts; bracts in some cases large and involucriform. (Bot. Gall.) Some of the Euphorbiacese are succulent (as Eaphorbia meloformis, and E. antiquorum, figs. 185 and 186), and have a considerable Fig. 185. Fig. 186. resemblance to Cacteaceae, from which they may in general be distinguished by the presence of an acrid milky juice. However, the genus Mammit- laria (of the family Cactcacere) pos- sesses a milky juice. Properties.—Acridity is the leading quality of the plants of this family. Some species also possess a narcotic property nnd depress the action of the heart. The acridity resides in the milky juice. In some plants the acrid principle is volatile, as in Hippomane Mancinella and Croton Tigtium : in the last-mentioned species it is of an acid nature. Some poisonous species, by roasting, are deprived of this volatile principle, and thereby become esculent. In some cases tho acrid principle is fixed, as in the substance called, in the shops "gum" euphorbium. Some euphorbaceous plants are devoid of acridity, or possess it in a very slight degree only. Von Buch (Nees and Ebermaier, Med. Pharm. Bot. Bd. i. S. 355,) says, the branches of Eu- phorbia balsamifera contain a mild swret juice, which is eaten by the inhabitants of the Canary Isles. The aromatic tonic bark of the Croton Cascarilla is another excentinn to the very general acridity of cuphorbiaccous plants. This i corti Euphorbia meloformis. Euphorbia antiquorum. another exception to the ■onous ........... „„..„----^ ..,„ „„„,„ „, iBllcl„lc aa uculg m ine „aDU ot removing ... bark from the Euphorbia cananenses, and then sucking the inner portion of the stem in or- 214 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. der to quench their thirst, this part containing a considerable quantity of limpid and non- elaborated sap." (Henslow, Botany, in Lardner's Cyclop, p. 217.) 1. CRO'TON TIGLIUM, Lamarck, L. E. D.-THE PURGING CROTON. Croton Jamalgota, Hamilton. Sex. Syst. Moncecia, Monadelphia. (Oleum e seminibus expressum, L. D.—Expressed Oil of the Seeds, E.) (Oleum Tiglii, U. S.) History.—Croton seeds are mentioned by Avicenna, (lib. 2n Brown gum................................. 191 S. 2382 ( Ligneous fibre................................ 20 00 ) r Fatty oil.................................... 46-19 \ \ Gum........................................ 240 / b. Nucleus of the seeds < Caseum (albumen)........................... 0 50 > 6909 J Ligneous fibre with starch 1 [hardened albu- \ \ men?)...................................... 2000 J Loss (moisture)................................................................ 709 Castor seeds....................................................................10000 1. Volatile acrid principle. (? Ricinic and Ela'iodic acids).—This principle is not men- tioned by Geiger, and its existence has been doubted or denied by others. But the following as well as other facts establish, in my opinion, its presence :—First, Guibourt (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. i. p. Ill,) experienced a feeling of dryness of the eyes and throat, in consequence of having been exposed to the vapour arising from a vessel in which bruised castor seeds and water were boiling. Secondly, Planche obtained a permanent odorous principle, by distilling a mixture of water and castor oil. Bussy and Lecanu (Journ. de Pharm. t. xiii. p. 80,) ascribe the occasional acridity of the oil to the production of fatty acids, by the action of the air on it. The acrid principle (whatever its nature may be) appears to reside in bolh the albumen and embryo of the seeds. Jussieu (quoted by De Candolle, Essai sur les Propr. des Plantes, p. 263,) and some others have asserted that it resided exclusively in the embryo; while Boutron- Charlard and Henry, jun. (Journ. de Pharm. t. x. p. 466,) declared the albumen to be the ex- clusive seat of it. But any unprejudiced person may soon satisfy himself by tasting separately the embryo and albumen, that both parts possess acridity. Dierbach (quoted by Nees and Ebermaier, Handb. de Med.-pharm. Botan.) states that in the fresh seeds the innermost seed- coat contains the acrid principle. If this be correct, it is most remarkable that tfie same coat, when dry, contains none. 2. Fixed Oil; Castor Oil (Oleum Ricini,!.. E.D.) (U.S.) Preparation.—The following are the modes of preparing castor oil in India, America, and Jamaica. At Calcutta castor oil is pre- pared as follows:—the fruit is shelled by women; the seeds are crushed between rollers, then placed in hempen cloths, and pressed in the ordinary screw or hydraulic press. The oil thus procured is afterwards heated with water in a tin boiler until the water boils, by which the mucilage or albumen is separated as a scum. The oil is then strained through flannel and put into canisters. Castor seeds are distinguished according to the country yielding them. Two principal kinds are known, the large and the small nut; the latter yields the most oil. (Private information from an oil-presscr of Calcutta.) Ainslie (Materia Medica, vol. i. p. 256,) describes the method of preparing the oil in India by coction. The best East Indian Castor Oil is sold in London as cold drawn.—In the United States the cleansed seeds are gently heated in a shallow iron reservoir, to render the oil liquid for easy expression, and then compressed in a powerful screw-press, by which a whitish oily liquid is obtained, which is boiled with water in clean iron boilers, and the impurities skimmed off as they rise to the surface. The water dis- solves the mucilage and starch, and the heat coagulates the albumen, which forms a whitish layer between the oil and water. The clear oil is now removed, and boiled with a minute portion of water until aqueous vapours cease to arise: by this process an acrid volatile matter 224 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. is got rid of. This oil is put into barrels and in this way is sent into the market. Good seeds yield about 25 per cent, of oil. (United States Dispensatory.)-In Jamaica the bruised seeds are boiled with water in an iron pot, and the liquid kept constantly stirred. The oil, winch separates, swims on the top, mixed with a white froth, and is skimmed off. 1 he skimmings are heated in a small iron pot, and strained through a cloth. When cold, it is put in jars or bottles for use. (Wright, Med. Plants of Jamaica, in Lond. Med. Journ. vol. vm.) Physical properties and varicties.-Czslor oil is a thickish fluid oil, usually of u pale yellow colour, with a slightly nauseous odour and a mild taste. It is lighter than water, its sp.gr. being, according to Saussure, 0-969 at 55° F. When cooled down to about 0°, it congeals into a transparent yellow mass. By exposure to the air it becomes rancid, thick^ and ultimately congeals, without becoming opaque, and hence it is called u drying oil. When heated to a little more than 500° F. it begins to decompose. , . , . . T. • ■ . j «. East Indian Castor Oil is the principal kind employed in this country It is imported from Bombay and Calcutta. It is an oil of exceedingly good quality (both with respect to colour and taste), and is obtained at a very low price. It is procured from Ricinus communis and R. lividus. . , , ,, . &. West India Castor Oil I am not well acquainted with, not having been able to procure authentic samples of it. . , , - ,T ,.. , y. American or United States Castor Oil is, for the most part imported from New York. All the samples, which I have examined, have been of very fine quality, and, in my opinion, had a less unpleasant flavour than the East Indian variety. Our druggists object to it, on the ground of its depositing a white substance (margariline) in cold weather—a circumstance which has led some, persons to imagine it had been mixed with olive oil. «f. I have seen one sample of Castor Oil from New South Wales. It was of a very dark colour. . ., . , . i i n Solubility.—In absolute alcohol, and in pure sulphuric ether, castor oil is completely soluble. In this respect it agrees with palm oil, but disagrees with all the ordinary fixed oils. Hence alcohol has been proposed as a means of detecting adulteration of castor oil, the adulterating oil not being soluble in alcohol. [Castor oil "is entirely dissolved by its own volume of alco- hol." Ph. Ed.] Sloltze (Gmelin, Handb. d Chemie,) says benzoic acid promotes the solution of castor oil in rectified spirit. Commerce.—Castor oil is imported in casks, barrels, hogsheads, and duppers." 1 he duty on it is Is. 3d. per cwt. Of 393,191 lbs. imported in 1831, there came from the East Indies 343 373 lbs., from British Northern Colonies of America 25,718 lbs., from the United States 22,669 lbs., and from the British West Indies 1047 lbs. (Parliamentary Returns for 1831.) Composition.—The following is the ultimate composition of castor oil: Saussure. Ure. Parboil ................................. 74-178............ 7400 Slro-n • ......................... H034........... 1029 Sxyge°n.....................................• 14788............ 1571 Castor oil.................................... 10°000............100000 The proximate constituents have not been accurately determined. As by saponification castor oil yields three fatty acids (ricinic, elaiodic, and margaritic acids) and glycerine, analogy leads us to infer that it is a compound of three fatty suits, respectively composed of glycerine and one of these acids; but hitherto, however, these salts have been imperfectly separated. They may be provisionally denominated ricinine (ricine), elaiodine" (ricino-oleine), arid mar- garniline (ricino-stearine). Ricinine is regarded as the ricinate of glycerine; eluiodine, as elu'iodate of glycerine; and margaritine, as margaritate of glycerine. All these salts are soluble in alcohol. As margaritic acid constitutes only 0002 of the products of saponification, it fol- lows that castor oil contains but a small portion of margariline. By distillation these salts undergo decomposition. By the action of hyponitrous acid, castor oil yields a peculiar fatty matter called palmine, which is analogous to, but not identical with, elaldine. Product of the Action of Hyponitrous Acid. Products of Saponification. 100 parts of Castor oil yielded: 1. Fatty acids (viz. ricinic, ela- iodic, and margaritic acids) 94 Glycerine....................... 8 Total........................ 102 Products of Distillation. (Average of two experiments:) 33 5 1. Distilled liquid...... (a.) Water. (6.) Acetic acid. tc.) Volatile oil. (d.) Fatty acids (ricinic, elaiodic, [and margari tic ?] acids.) 2. Solid residuum.......... 63 0 3. Loss (inflammable gas).. 35 Castor oil................ 100 0 Palmin (yielding by saponification, and, therefore, probably consist- ing of, palmic acid and glycerine). > 1 am informed that duppers are made of gelatine (prepared by boiling cuttings of skins) moulded in earthen moulds. » The student must be careful not to confound tlaiodine with the fat described under the name of elaidine. THE CASTOR-OIL PLANT. 225 *. Volatile Oil.—This oil, obtained by distillation, is analogous to acroleme. It is to be separated from acetic acid by washing with water, and from the fatty acids by distillation with water. It is limpid and colourless, has a peculiar odour, an acrid taste, and a sp. gr. of 0 815. It is soluble in alcohol and ether, but is insoluble in a solution of potash. By long- continued exposure to a temperature of 23° F. it becomes crystalline- (J. Fatty acids (Ricinic, Elaiodic, and Margaritic acids).— These are very acrid, soluble in alcohol, ether, and a weak aqueous solution of potash. They unite with bases to form salts. The saline compounds formed by the union of these acids with potash, soda, magnesia, and lead, are soluble in alcohol: those with potash and soda are also soluble in water. a.%. Ricinic acid is crystalline, solid at ordinary temperatures, and fusible at 72° F. Its crystallized hydrate consists of carbon 73-56, hydrogen 9-86, and oxygen 1658. For- mula Css H31 O" (Laurent). 0/3. Elaiodic or Ricino-oleic acid is a yellow-coloured liquid at 32° F.; but at many degrees below it becomes crystalline. yy. Margaritic or Ricino-stearic acid crystallizes in pearly scales. It is distinguished from the two preceding acids by its high fusing point, by its partial decomposition when submitted to distillation, and by the insolubility of the margaritate of magnesia in alcohol. The crystallized hydrate consists of carbon 70-5, hydrogen 10-91, and oxygen 18-59. Formula C3S II31 O" (Laurent). ■). Solid residuum of distillation.—Pale yellow, elastic, gelatiniform, odourless, tasteless, combustible, solid. It is insoluble in alcohol, ether, and the oils (both fixed and volatile). i. Palmine.—A solid odorous fat formed by the action of hyponitrous acid on castor oil. By saponification it yields pulmic acid and glycerine. «. (Enanthylic Acid.—By Ihe action of nitric acid on castor oil, Mr. Tilly obtained, besides suberic and lipinic acids, a peculiar acid called oenanlhylic acid, whose formula is C14 H13 0I8-f- Aq. Physiological Effects.—l. Of Castor Seeds.—These seeds possess consi- derable acridity. Bergius (Mat. Med. t. ii. p. 823, ed. 2nda.) states, that a man masticated a single seed at bed-time: the following morning he was attacked with violent vomiting and purging, which continued the whole day. Lanzoni also states that the life of a woman was endangered by eating three grains of the seeds. (Marx, Die Lehre von d. Giften. i. 128.) More recently, a girl, 18 years of age, was killed by eating "about twenty" seeds: the cause of death was gastro-enteritis. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xix. p. 944.) a. Of castor Oil.—a. On Animals generally castor oil acts as a laxative or mild purgative. Large animals, as the horse, require a pint or more for a dose; smaller ones need only a few ounces. (Moiroud, Pharm. Veter. p. 280.) Mr. Youatt, however, declares this oil to be both uncertain and dangerous in the horse. (The Horse, in Libr. of Useful Knowledge, pp. 212 and 387.) (3. On Man.—Injected into the veins, castor oil gripes and purges, and causes a nauseous oily taste in the mouth (Dr. E. Hale, in Begin's Traite de Therapeutique, p. 114): hence it would appear to have a specific influence over the mucous lining of the alimentary canal. Swallowed to the extent of one or two ounces, it usually acts as a mild but tolerably certain purgative or laxative, without producing any uneasiness in the bowels. " It has this particular advan- tage," says Dr. Cullen, (Mat. Med.) " that it operates sooner after its exhibition than any other purgative I know of, as it commonly operates in two or three hours. It seldom gives any griping, and its operation is generally moderate—. to one, two, or three stools only." It not unfrequently occasions nausea, or even vomiting, especially if somewhat rancid ; in many cases, I believe, rather from its disgusting flavour than from any positively emetic qualities. It has been stated by continental writers that castor oil is most unequal in its action, at one time operating with considerable violence, at another with great mildness; but I have never found it so, nor is it usually considered to be so in this country. I can, however, readily believe that a difference in the mode of its preparation, especially with reference to the heat employed, may materially affect ils purgative property. When castor oil has been taken by the mouth, it may be frequently recog- nized in the alvine evacuations; but it presents itself under various forms, " sometimes resembling caseous flakes, or a soap-like scum, floating on the voi.. ii. 29 226 ELEMENTS of materia medica. more fluid part of the dejection: occasionally it has been arranged in a form not unlike branches of grapes, or more nearly of hydatids of a white colour; more generally, however, it is found mixed up with the faeces as a kind of emulsion, and in some few instances it has been discharged under the form of solid tallow- like masses. (Mr. Golding Bird, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xv. p. 225.) Mr. Brande (Diet, of Mat. Med.) says, in one case it was discharged from the bowels in the form of indurated nodules, which were at first regarded as biliary concretions. A remarkable case is mentioned by Dr. Ward, of a woman on whom this oil does not act as a purgative, but exudes from every part of her body. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. x. p. 377.) Uses.—Castor oil is used to evacuate the contents of the bowels in all cases where we are particularly desirous of avoiding the production of abdominal irri- tation (especially of the bowels and the urino-genilal organs). The principal, or I might say the only, objection to its use in these cases, is its nauseous taste. The following are the leading cases in which we employ it: 1. In inflammatory affections of the alimentary canal, as enteritis, perito- nitis, and dysentery, a mild but certain purgative is oftentimes indicated. No substance, I believe, answers the indication better, and few so well, as castor oil. 2. In obstructions and spasmodic affections of the bowels, as intussusception, ileus, and colic, especially lead colic, this oil is the most effectual evacuant we can employ. 3. After surgical operations about the pelvis or abdomen, (for example, litho- tomy, and the operation for strangulated hernia), as well as after parturition, it is the best and safest purgative. 4. In inflammatory or spasmodic diseases of the urino-genital organs, in- flammation of the kidneys or bladder, calculous affections, gonorrhoea, stricture, &.c, castor oil is a most valuable purgative. 5. In affections of the rectum, especially piles, prolapsus, and stricture, no better evacuant can be employed. 6. As an anthelmintic for tape-worms, castor oil was first employed by Odier. Arnemann, however, has shown that it possesses no peculiar or specific vermifuge properties. 7. As a purgative for children it has been used on account of its mildness, but its unpleasant taste is a strong objection to its use. 8. In habitual costiveness, also, it has been recommended. Dr. Cullen ob- served that if castor oil be frequently repeated, the dose might be gradually diminished ; so that persons who, in the first instance, required half an ounce or more, afterwards needed only two drachms. Administration.—The dose of castor oil for children is one or two tea- spoonsful ; for adults, from one to two or three tablespoonsful. To cover its unpleasant flavour some take it floating on spirit (especially gin), but which is frequently contra-indicated ; others on coffee, or on peppermint or some other aromatic water ; or it may be made into an emulsion by the aid of the yolk of egg or mucilage. 4. EUPHORBIA, Linn.; AN UNDETERMINED SPECIES YIELDING EUPHOR- BIUM, E. Euphorbia officinarum, L. Euphorbia canariensis, D. Sex. Syst. Dodecandria, Trigynia, Linn.; Monoecia, Monandria, Smith, (Euphorbium ; gummi-resina. L. D. Concrete resinous juice, E.) History.—The saline waxy-resin, called in the shops gum euplwrbium, is said both by Dioscorides (lib. iii. cap. 96) and Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xxv. cap. 38, ed. Valp.) to have been first discovered in the time of Juba, King of Mauri- tania ; that is, about, or a few years before, the commencement of the Christian aera. Pliny says that Juba called it after his physician, Euphorbus; and that he wrote a volume concerning it, which was extant in Pliny's time. Salmasius, EUPHORBIUM. 227 however, states that this is mentioned by Meleager the poet, who lived some time before Juba. Botany. Gen. char.—Flowers collected in monoecious heads, surrounded by an involucrum, consisting of one leaf with five divisions, which have exter- nally five glands alternating with them. Males naked, monandrous, articulated with their pedicel, surrounding the female, which is in the centre. Females naked, solitary. Ovarium stalked. Stigmas three, forked. Fruit hanging out of the involucrum, consisting of three cells, bursting at the back with elas- ticity, and each containing one suspended seed (Lindley). Sp. char.—Branclws channelled, with four, rarely five, angles, armed with double, straight, spreading, dark, shining spines. These specific characters are taken from the branches found mixed with the euphorbium of commerce. They agree with the description and figure of Tilhymalus aizoides laclijluus seu Euphorbia canariensis of Plukenet. (Almagest. Bot. vol. ii. p. 370.) From the E. canariensis of Willdenow and of some other botanists, this plant is distinguished by its straight spines. On examining the E. canariensis at the Kew Garden, I find as many of the spines straight as uncinate. But the diameter of the stems, and even of the young shoots, is greater than that of the stems found in the euphorbium of commerce. The species which most closely agrees with the latter in the size of the steins, the number of angles, and the number and direction of the spines, is Euphorbia tetragona. This species has mostly square stems; though some of the larger stems are somewhat channelled. The dried sterns found in the euphorbium of com- merce appear to be uniformly channelled. The E. officinarum has many angles : the Derg- muse of Jackson (Account of Morocco, 3d ed. p. 134) has many scolloped angles. Euphorbia antiquorum (fig. 186) has been said to yield euphorbium, but the statement is denied by both Hamilton (Trans, of the Linn. Soc. vol. xiv.) and Royle. (Bot. of the Himalayan Mountains, p. 328.) Hab.—Africa, in the neighbourhood of Mogadore? Extraction.—Euphorbium is thus procured. The inhabitants of the lower regions of the Atlas range make incisions in the branches of the plant, and from these a milky juice exudes, which is so acrid that it excoriates the fingers when applied to them. This exuded juice hardens by the heat of the sun, and forms a whitish yellow solid, which drops off in the month of September, and forms the euphorbium of commerce. "The plants," says Mr. Jackson, (op. cit.) " produce adundantly once only in four years ; but this fourth year's produce is more than all Europe can consume." The people who collect it, he adds, are obliged " to tie a cloth over their mouth and nostrils to prevent the small dusty particles from annoying them, as they produce incessant sneezing." Properties.—Euphorbium consists of irregular, yellowish, slightly friable tears, usually pierced with one or two holes, united at the base, and in which we find the remains of a double aculeus. These tears are almost odourless; but their dust, applied to the olfactory membrane, acts as a powerful sternuta- tory. Their taste is at first slight, afterwards acrid and burning. When heated, euphorbium melts, swells up imperfectly, evolves an odour somewhat like that of Benzoic acid vapour, takes fire, and burns with a pale flame. Alcohol, ether, and oil of turpentine, are its best solvents; water dis- solves only a small portion of it. Composition.—Euphorbium has been the subject of several analyses ; name- ly, in 1800, by Laudet (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem.); in 1809, by Braconnot (Ann. Chim. Ixviii. 44); in 1818, by Pelletier (Bull, de Pharm. iv. 502); and by Muhlman (Gmelin, op. cit.); in 1819, by Brandes (Ibid.); and more re- cently by Drs. Buchner and Herberger (Christison, Treatise on Poisons). Pelletier'1 s Analysis. Brandes1 Analysis. H'^sin...................................... fin. 8 Wax...................................... l-j-4 Bassorin................................... 20 IWalatc of Lime............................ ]-2 o i\l,il;ite of potash............................. 18 Water and loss............................. 8 8 Euphorbium................................. 100-0 Resin.................................... 43-77 Wax...................................... 14-93 Caoutchouc................................. 4-84 Malate of Lime............................ 1882 Alalale of potash........................... 4 90 Sulphates of potash and lime, and phos- / ft „n plwteoflime......................... j ° '° Water and loss............................ 0 4-1 Woody fibre.............................. 5(30 Euphorbium............................... 10000 228 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Resin is the active ingredient of euphorbium. It coincides in many of its properties with ordinary resins: thus, it is reddish-brown, hard, brittle, fusible, soluble in alcohol, ether, and oil of turpentine, and somewhat less so in oil of almonds. Its leading and characteristic pro- perty is intense acridity. It differs from some resins in being slightly soluble only in alkalis. It is a compound of two resinous substances. *. One resinous substance is soluble in cold alcohol. Its formula, according to Mr. John- ston, (Phil. Trans. 1840, p. 365,) is C40 H31 O8. fi. The other resinous substance is insoluble in cold alcohol. The mean of Rose's analyses (PoggendorfTs Annalen, xxxiii. 52,) of it gives as the composition of this resin, carbon 81-58, hydrogen 11-35, and oxygen 7-07. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals generally.—Euphorbium acts on horses and dogs as a powerful acrid substance, irritating and inflaming parts with which it is placed in contact, and by sympathy affecting the nervous sys- tem. When swallowed in large quantities, it causes gastro-enteritis (two ounces are sufficient to kill a horse); when applied to the skin, it acts as a rubefacient and epispastic. Farriers sometimes employ it as a substitute for cantharides, for blistering horses, but cautious and well-informed veterinarians are opposed to its use. (3. On Man. The leading effect of euphorbium on man is that, of a most vio- lent acrid ; but under certain circumstances a narcotic operation has been ob- served. When euphorbium dust is inhaled, and also applied to the face, as in grinding this drug, it causes sneezing, redness and swelling of the face, and great irritation about the eyes and nose. To prevent as much as possible these effects, various contrivances are adopted by different drug-grinders; some employ masks with glass eyes ; others apply wet sponge to the nose and face; while some cover the face with crape. The pain and irritation, I am informed, are sometimes very great. Individuals who have been exposed for some time to the influence of this dust, suffer with headache, giddiness, and ultimately be- come delirious. All the workmen of whom I have inquired (and they comprise those of three large firms, including the one alluded to by Dr. Christison), agree that these are the effects of euphorbium. An old labourer assured me that this substance produced in him a feeling of intoxication : and I was informed at one drug-mill of an Irish labourer who was made temporarily insane by it, and who, during the fit, insisted on saying his prayers at the tail of the mill-horse. Insensibility and convulsions have been produced by euphorbium. The only instance 1 am acquainted with is the following:—A man was engaged at a mill where euphorbium was being ground, and remained in the room longer than was considered prudent. Suddenly he darted from the mill-room, and ran with great velocity down two pairs of stairs. On arriving at the ground-floor or yard he became insensible, and fell. Within five minutes I saw him; he was lying on his back, insensible, and convulsed ; his face was red and swollen ; his pulse frequent and full; and his skin very hot. I bled him, and within half an hour he became quite sensible, but complained of great headache. He had no recollection of his flight down stairs, which seems to have been performed in a fit of delirium. When powdered euphorbium is applied to the skin, it causes itching, pain, and inflammation, succeeded by vesication. When swallowed, it causes vomiting and purging, and, in large doses, gastro- enteritis, with irregular hurried pulse and cold perspirations. Uses.—Notwithstanding that it is still retained in the Pharmacopceia, it is rarely employed in medicine. It was formerly used as an emetic and drastic purgative in dropsies ; but the violence and danger of its operation have led to its disuse. Sometimes it is employed as an errhine in chronic affections of the eyes, ears, or brain ; but its local action is so violent that we can only apply it when largely diluted with some mild powder, as starch or flour. Mixed with turpentine or Burgundy pitch (or rosin), it is employed in the form of plaster, as a rubafacient, in chronic affections of the joints. As a vesi- cant, it is rarely employed. As a caustic, either the powder or alcoholic tine- the cassava or tapioca plant. 229 ture (Tinctura Euphorbii, Ph. Bor. prepared by digesting euphorbium 5j. in rectified spirit, Oj.) is sometimes employed in carious ulcers. Antidote.—In a case of poisoning by euphorbium, emollient and demulcent drinks, clysters (of mucilaginous, amylaceous, or oleaginous liquids), and opium, should be exhibited, and blood-letting and warm baths employed. In fact, as we have no chemical antidote, our object is to involve the poison in demulcents, to diminish the sensibility of the living part by opium, and to obviate the inflam- mation by blood-letting and the warm bath. If the circulation fail, ammonia and brandy will be required. 5. JANIPHA MANIHOT, Kunth, E.—THE CASSAVA OR TAPIOCA PLANT. Jatropha Manihot, Linn. Sex Syst. Moncecia, Monadclphia. (Fecula of the root; Tapioca, E.) (U. S.) History.—Tapioca (Tipioca) is mentioned by Piso (Hist. Nat. Brazilia, p. 52-4) in 1648. The terms Janipha and Manihot are Indian appellations. Botany. Gen. char.—Flowers monoecious. Calyx campanulate, five-parted. Petals none. Stamens ten ; filaments unequal, distinct, arranged around a disk. Style one. Stigmas three, consolidated into a rugose mass (A. de Jussieu). Sp. char.—Leaves palmate, five to seven-parted, smooth, glaucous beneath; segments lanceolate, quite entire. Flowers racemose (Hooker). (Bot. Mag. t. 3071.) — Root large, thick, tuberous, fleshy, and white; containing an acrid, milky, highly poisonous juice. Flowers axillary. Hah.—Brazil. Extraction.—The tuberous root consists prin- cipally of starch and a white milky poisonous juice. It is rasped and pressed to separate the juice, which deposits a fecula; this, when washed and dried in the air without heat, is termed Mous- sache (from mouchaco, a Spanish word, signifying boy or lad), or Cipipa, and for some years past has been imported into France from Martinique, and sold as arrow-root. (Guibourt, Hist, des Drog. t. ii. p. 466, 3me ed.) I believe it to be identical with the Brazilian Arrow-root of English commerce. When this fecula has been prepared by drying on hot plates, it acquires a granulur character, and is then termed Tapioca. The compressed pulp is dried in chimneys, exposed to the smoke, and after- wards powdered. In this state it constitutes Cassava powder, or Farine de Ma- nioc. If it be granulated by agitating it in a heated iron pan until incipient tu- mefaction, it is called Couaque or Couac. Lastly, when dried or baked into cakes on plates of iron or clay, it constitutes Cassava or Cassada bread. Properties.—Two kinds of tapioca are imported. One is in the form of small lumps or granules, and is the ordinary tapioca of the shops: the other is a white amylaceous powder. 1. Granular Tapioca, or Tapioca commonly so called, is imported from Ba- hia and Rio Janeiro. It occurs in irregular small lumps or grains, which are partially soluble in cold water, the filtered solution yield- ing a blue colour with iodine. When these grains are mixed with water, and examined by the microscope, they are found to consist of entire and broken particles. The entire ones appear either circular or mullar-shaped, with very distinct and marked hilums (see fig. 189). But when they are made to roll over, the apparently rounded ones are then seen to be mullar-shaped, so that their rounded appearance arose from viewing them end. Janipha Manihot. Particles of Tapioca as seen by the microscope. 230 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. ways. Sometimes the mullar-shaped particles have a contracted base. At times, instead of the flat end of the mullar, we have two faces meeting at an oblique angle, so that the particles are like the third of a sphere. The base of the mullar is not, I think, really flat, but hollow. The hilum is surrounded by rings, and cracks in a stellate form. 2. Tapioca Meal: Brazilian Arrow root:—Moussaihe or Cipipa.--Imported from Rio Janeiro. It is white and pulverulent. When examined by the micro- scope, the particles seem identical with those of the common or granular tapioca. Composition.—Tapioca has not been analysed. Its composition is doubtless analogous to that of other amylaceous matters. Chemical Characteristics.—The filtered cold infusion is coloured blue by tincture of iodine, showing that tapioca is partially soluble in cold water. In boiling water tapioca becomes tremulous, gelatiniform, transparent, and viscous. Submitted to prolonged ebullition in a large quantity of water, it leaves an inso- luble residue, which precipitates. This residue, diluted with water, and coloured with iodine, appears under the microscope to consist of mucous flocks, and to have no resemblance to the primitive ingredient. Physiological Effects, a. of the Recent Juice.—The milky juice is a powerful acrid or acro-narcotic poison; and to this the root owes its poisonous properties. The symptoms which it gives rise to, when swallowed, are pain and swelling of the abdomen, vomiting and purging, giddiness, dimness of sight, syncope, and rapid diminution of the powers of life. (Sloane's Jamaica, vol. i. p. 131, and vol. ii. p. 363.) The scrapings of the fresh root are successfully applied to ill-disposed ulcers. (Wright, Med. Plants of Jamaica.) The root is used to catch birds, which, by eating it, lose the power of flying. (Martius, in Wibmer, Arzneim u Gifte, Bd. iii. S. 273.) The poisonous principle of the root may be destroyed or dissipated by heat, fermentation, &c. Hence it is either very volatile or readily decomposable. Guibourt (Hist, des Drog. t. ii. p. 455, 3me ed.) says it appears to be of the nature of hydrocyanic acid. (3. Of the Fecula (Tapioca) of the Root.—When the root has been deprived of its poisonous principle, it becomes highly nutritious. Of the preparations of it before referred to, the only one met with in this country is the fecula (Tapioca). This is both highly nutritious and easy of digestion. Its local action is emollient and demulcent. Uses.—Made into puddings, tapioca is employed as a dietetical substance. Boiled in water or milk, and flavoured with sugar, spices or wine, according to circumstances, it is used as an agreeable, nutritious, light, easily digestible article of food for the sick and convalescent. It is devoid of all irritating and stimulating properties. OTHER MEDICINAL EUPHORBIACESE. 1. Croton Pseudo-China, Schiede (Croton Cascarilla, Don, Ph. L.) grows in the vicinity of Jalapa, at Actopan, and in the district of Plau del Rio, in the province of Vera Cruz, Mexico. Its bark, called Quina Blanca, or Copalche bark, has been confounded with both cinchona and cascarilla barks. In 1817 a quantity of it was carried to Hamburgh as Cascarilla de Trini. dad de Cuba. In 1827 no less than 30,000 lbs. of the same bark were sent from Liver- pool to Hamburgh as genuine cinchona, but it was soon recognized to be a bark nearly allied to cascarilla, and by those on board the vessels coming from Para was declared to be Quina, dit Copalchi. Subsequently the minister, Von Altenstein, procured some of it from Mexico, under the name of Copalche; and in 1829 the plant yielding it was declared by Dr. Scheide to be a species of Croton, which he called Pseudo-China. Mr. Don (Ed. New Phil. Journ. xvi. 368,) mistook it for cascarilla bark. Copalche bark, in its form, size of the quills, nnd general appearance, very much resembles what our druggists call Ash Cinchona bark; but its casca- rilla-like flavour instantly distinguishes it. A sample of it was given to me as a Cinchona bark. From cascarilla bark it is distinguished by the length of the quills, their colour, and the ab- sence of transverse cracks.' i For further details, consult Guibourt, Hist, des Drog.; and Goebel and Kunze, Pharm. IVaarenkunde. THE VIRGINIAN SNAKE-ROOT. 231 2. Jatropha Curcas is a native of South America and of Asia. Its fruit is the nux caihar- tica americana or nux barbadensis of some writers. Its seeds, which are occasionally met with in the shops, are called physic nuts (semina ricini majoris, or gros pignon d'lnde). Pel- letier and Caventou analyzed them under the name of Croton seeds, (Journ. de Pharm. t. xv. p. 514,) and extracted from Ihem a volatile acrid acid, called jatrophic acid (see p. 220). Mr. Bennett (Lond. Med. Gaz. ix. 8,) swallowed four seeds, and experienced a very unpleasant burning sensation in the stomach and bowels, with nausea, which, after an interval of nearly two hours, terminated in vomiting: their purgative effects followed soon afterwards, and were mild; the sickness had then nearly passed away, but the burning sensation continued for some time longer. In large doses they are energetic poisons. The oil Oleum Jatropha Curcadis seu Oleum infernale) is analogous in its properties to croton oil. It is occasionally used as a drastic purgative. In India it is used for lamps. 3. Euphorbia Latuyris, or Caper Spurge, is an indigenous biennial. It is mentioned as an officinal substance in the Paris Codex. Its milky juice is violently acrid. In a case of poison- ing by the seeds, narcotic symptoms were also present. (Christison, Treatise on Poisons.) The oil Oleum Euphorbias Lathyridis), extracted from the seeds, may be employed as an indigenous substitute for croton oil. The dose of it is from three to ten drops. (Dierbach, Neuest. Enid. in d. Mat. Med. S. 76, 1837; Bailly, Lancet, June 10th, 1826.) 4. Euphorbia Ipecacuanha is a native of the United Stales of America, in whose Pharma- copoeia, it is mentioned. It is emetic and purgative. As an emetic it is given in doses of from ten to fifteen grains. (United States Dispensatory.) [The root of the E. corrollala, large flowering spurge, is also employed for the same purposes.] 5. The juice of Crozopiiora tinctoria becomes, under the united influence of air and am- monia, blue. Linen impregnated with this blue dye is called rag turnsole (bezetta ceerulea): it is a test for acids, which redden il, but it is not used in this country. It must not be con- founded with litmus. (Vide p. 42.) Order XXX.—ARISTOLOCHIACEAE, Lindley.—THE BIRTH WORT TRIBE. AristolociiiejE. Jussieu. Essential Character.—Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx adherent to the ovary [i. e. superior], monosepalous; the limb three-lobed or tubular, and irregularly dilated at the upper part; valvate in aestivation. Stamens definite, generally in ternary numbers, free and distinct or adherent to the style and stigma, and epigynous. Ovary three to six-celled ; style short; stigma divided. Capsule or berry coriaceous, three to six celled, many seeded; the placentas lateral. Embryo very small, at the base of a cartilaginous albumen.—Usually climbing herbs or shrubs, with alternate, simple, petiolated leaves. (Bot. Gall.) Properties.—Not important. The roots possess stimulant properties, owing to the presence of volatile oil. Some of them are acrids. Bitter extractive renders them somewhat tonic. ARISTOLO'CHIA SERPENTA'RIA, Linn. L. E. D.—THE VIRGINIAN SNAKE- ROOT. Aristolochia officinalis, Nees and Ebermaier. Sex. Sysl. Gynandria, Hexandria. (Radix, L. D.—The Root, E.) (Serpentaria, U. S) History.—The first writer who distinctly mentions Virginian snake-root, ox snake-weed, is Thomas Johnson, an apothecary of London, in his edition of Gerarde's Herbal, published in 1633. Botany.—Gen. char.—Calyx tubular, ventricose at the base, dilated at the apex, and extended into a ligula. Anthers six, subsessile, inserted on the style. Stigma six-lobed. Capsule six-angled, six-celled. (Bot. Gall.) sP. char.—Stem flexuous, ascending. Leaves cordate, acuminate, on both sides pubescent. Peduncles nearly radical, unifloral. Lip of the calyx lanceo- late. (Beschr. offic. Planzen). Hah.—North America. Collection and Properties.—The root (radix serpentaria) is collected in Western Pennsylvania and Virginia, in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. (United Slates Dispensatory.) It is imported in bales, usually containing about 100 lbs. As met with in the shops, it consists of a tuft of long, slender, yellowish, or brownish fibres, attached to a long contorted head or caudex. The odour is aromatic, the taste warm and bitter. 232 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Composition.—It was analyzed by Bucholz in 1807 (Gmelin, Hand. d. Chim.); by Chevallier in 1820, (Journ. de Pharm. vi. 365,) and by Peschier in 1823. (Gmelin, op. cit.) Bucholz's Analysis. Volatile oil ........................ 0 50 Greenish yellow soft resin .......... 2 85 Extractive matter .................. 170 Gummy extractive................. 18-10 Lignin............................. Ii- 40 Water............................. 1445 Chevallier's Analysis. Volatile oil. Resin. Extractive. Starch. Ligneous fibre. Albumen. Malate and phosphate of lime. Serpentary root.................... 100 00 | Oxide of iron and silicia. I Serpentary root. 1. Volatile Oil.—Grassman (quoted by Dr. W. C. Martius, Pharmacogn.) obtained only half an ounce from 100 lbs. of the root. Its colour is yellowish, its odour considerable, its taste not very strong. (Lewis, Mat. Med.) Grassman compares the odour and taste to those of valerian and camphor combined. 2. Bitter Principle: Extractive, Bucholz and Chevallier.—This is very bitter and slightly acrid. It is soluble in both water and spirit. Its solution, which is yellow, is rendered brown by alkalis, but is unchanged by the feruginous salts. Physiological Effects—These have been examined by Jorg and his pu- pils (Wibmer, Arzneim ii. Gifte, Bd. i. S. 221 ; also, Journ. de Chim. Med. t. vii. p. 493). In small doses, serpentary promotes the appetite. In large doses, it causes nausea, flatulence, uneasy sensation at the stomach, and more frequent but not liquid stools. After its absorption, it increases the frequency and fulness of the pulse, augments the heat of the skin, and promotes secretion and exhalation. Furthermore, it would appear, from the experiments before referred to, that it causes disturbance of the cerebral functions, and produces headache, sense of oppression within the scull, and disturbed sleep. In these properties, serpentary bears some analogy to, but is much weaker than, camphor. It is more powerful than contrayerva. Uses.—Its employment is indicated in cases of torpor and atony. It was formerly termed alexipharmic, on account of its fancied power of curing the bite of the rattlesnake and of a mad dog. (Dale, Pharmacologia.) At the pre- sent time it is rarely employed. It has been much esteemed as a stimulant in fevers, both continued and intermittent. A scruple of serpentary, taken in three ounces of wine, is mentioned by Sydenham (Works, translated by Dr. Pechey, 4lh ed. p. 233,) as a cheap remedy for tertians in poor people. Dr. Cullen (Mat. Med.) considered it as suited for the low and advanced stage of typhus only. In an epidemical affection of the throat (called the throat-distemper), it was given internally as a diaphoretic, and used with sumach berries, in the form of a decoction, as a gargle, with benefit. (Med. Observ. and Inq. vol. i. p. 211.) Administration.—The dose of it in substance is from ten to thirty grains. The infusion is the best form for the administration of serpentary. 1. INFUSUM SERPENTARIJ, L. E. (U. S.); Infusion of Serpentary or Snake- root.—Serpentary, gss.; Boiling Water, Oj. Infuse for four hours in a [lightly, L.~\ covered vessel, and strain [through linen or calico, E.~\—Dose, f3j. or f3ij- every two or three hours, according to the circumstances. % TINCTURA SERPENTARY, L. E. D. (U. S.); Tincture of Serpentary or Snake-root.—Serpentary, bruised, [in moderately fine powder, E.] Siijss. L. [3iij. D.] (U. S.); Proof Spirit, Oij. [wine measure D.; and Cochineal, bruised, 3j. E.]. Macerate for fourteen [seven D.] days, and filter. " Proceed by per- colation or digestion as for the tincture of cinchona," E.)—used as an adjunct to tonic infusions.—Dose, from f3j. to f3ij. COMMON ASARABACCA. 233 2. AS'ARUM EUROP2EUM, Linn. L. D.—COMMON ASARABACCA. Sex. Syst. Dodecandria, Monogynia. (Folia, L. D.) History.—This plant was used in medicine by the ancients. Dioscorides (lib. i. cap. ix.) calls it atfapov. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx campanulate, three-lobed. Stamens twelve, inserted on the ovary ; anthers adnate to the middle of the filaments. Style short. Stigma stellate, six-lobed. Capsule six celled. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. Char.—Leaves two on each stem, kidney-shaped, obtuse, [somewhat hairy]. (Smith.) (Eng. Flora.) The branching root-fibres arise from an underground stem or rhizome. The aerial stems are several from each rhizome. Leaves petiolated. From the axil of the two leaves springs a solitary, rather large, drooping flower, upon a short peduncle, of a greenish brown colour and coriaceous substance. Segment of the calyx incurved. Capsule coriaceous. Seeds ovate, with horny albumen. Hah.—Indigenous. Perennial. Flowers in May. Description.—The whole plant (root-fibres, rhizome, and aerial stems, with leaves and flowers) are kept in the shops under the name of asarabacca (radix cum herbd asari), but the leaves only are directed to be used in the Pharma- copceia. Dr. Batty (Eng. Flora.) states that the plant is gathered for medicinal uses in the woods near Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmoreland. The rhizome is about as thick as a goose-quill, grayish, quadrangular, knotted. It has a pep- per-like odour and an acrid taste. The leaves are almost inodorous, but have an acrid, aromatic, and bitter taste. Composition.—Goerz, (Pfaff, Mat. Med. Bd. iii. S. 229,) published an an- alysis of the root in 1784; Lassaigne and Feneulle another in 1820 (Journ. de Pharm. t. vi. p. 561); Regimbeau a third in 1827 (Journ. de Pharm. t. xiv. p. 200) ; and Grager a fourth in 1830. (Goebel and Kunze, Pharm. Waarenk.) Oriiger's Analyses. Root. Volatile oil Herb. Asarin..................................... 0 10 Tannin.................................... 004 Extractive........;......................... 549 Chlorophylle................................. 152 Albumen................................... 212 Citric acid.................................. 0-54 Ligneous fibre.............................. 1500 Water..................................... 7484 Loss...................................... 0-35 Fresh Herb of Asarabacca.................... 10000 Asarum-camphor >.......................-. 0630 Asarin [? Asarite] ) Asari n.................................... 1172 Tannin.................................... 1072 Extractive................................ 3-972 Resin..................................... 0 150 Starch................................... 2'048 Gluten and albumen........................ 1010 Citric acid................................ 0-316 Ligneous fibre............................. 12 800 Salts, (citrates, chloride, sulphate, and phos- phates) ................................. 3042 Water................................... 74600 Fresh Root of Asarabacca.................. 100818 1. Volatile Oily Matters.—By submiting asarabacca root to distillation with water, three volatile oily matters are obtained; one liquid and two solid, at ordinary temperatures. a. Liquid Volatile Oil (Oleum Asari). It is yellow, glutinous, lighter than water, and has an acrid, burning taste, and a penetrating valerian-like odour. It is slightly soluble in water, more so in alcohol, ether, and the oils (volatile and fixed). Its constituents are C8 H4 O. /3. Asarite of Grager.—In small needles, of a silky lustre. It is odourless and tasteless. It is fusible and volatilizable by heat; its vapour being white and very irritating. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, and the volatile oils, but not in water. Both nitric and sulphuric acids dis- solve the crystals without the evolution of gas: if water be added to the sulphuric solution, the asarite is thrown down unchanged. y. Asarum-camphor.—Is distinguished from asarite by the following characters:—Water throws it down from ils alcoholic solution in cubes or six-sided prisms, whereas asarite is pre- cipitated in delicate flexible needles. It dissolves in nitric acid without effervescence. Water added to its sulphuric solution throws down a brown resin. After fusion it has the form of a crystalline, striated mass. Its composition is C8 H5 Oa. Blanchet and Sell regard it as the hydrate of the liquid volatile oil. 2. Bitter principle of Asarabacca (Asarin of Grager and of some other pharmacologists). —Brownish, very bitter, soluble in alcohol. vol. ii. 30 234 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Physiological Effects.—Every part of the plant possesses acrid proper- ties. Applied to the mucous membrane of the nose, it excites sneezing, in- creased secretion of the mucus, and even a discharge of blood. Swallowed, it causes vomiting, purging, and griping pains. It is said also to possess diuretic and diaphoretic properties. Dr. Cullen has enumerated it in his list of diuretics, but expresses his doubts whether it possesses any specific power of stimulating the renal vessels. Uses.—Asarabacca has been employed in medicine to excite vomiting, and as an errhine. As an emetic, it is now superseded by ipecacuanha and tar- tarized antimony. As an errhine, to excite irritation and a discharge of mucus from the nasal membrane, it has been used in certain affections of the brain, eyes, face, mouth, and throat, on the principle of counter-irritation: thus, in paralytic affections of the mouth and tongue, in toothache, and in ophthalmia. ADMiNiSTRATioN.-r-We may administer either the root or leaves, recollecting that the latter are somewhat milder than the former.—As an emetic, the dose is half a drachm to a drachm. As an errhine, one or two grains of the root, or three or four grains of the dried leaves, are snuffed up the nostrils every night.— The powder of this plant is supposed to form the basis of cephalic snuff. PULVIS ASARI COMPOSITUS, D. Compound Poioder of Asarabacca.—^(Asara- bacca leaves, dried, 3i-> Lavender flowers, dried, 3i. Reduce them together to powder).—Used as an errhine, in headache and ophthalmia.—Dose from grs. v. to grs. viii. OTHER MEDICINAL, ARISTOLOCHIACEAE. Aristolochia.—The roots of Aristolochia longa and A. rotunda are found in the shops. The long aristolochia root is several inches in length, one or two inches broad, and has a more or less cylindrical form. The round aristolochia root has a more rounded and knobby form. Both kinds are bitter and acrid, and have, especially when powdered, a disagreeable odour. They contain extractive matter and starch. Lassaigne found ulmin in the long species. Their effects are stimulant and tonic. Their stimulant effects are supposed by some to be principally directed to the abdominal and pelvic viscera. They have been employed in amenorrhcea as an emmenagogue. Their dose is from 9i. to 3i- Round aristolochia root is a constituent of the Duke of Portland's powder for the gout, which consisted of equal quantities of the roots of Gentian and Birthwort (Aristolochia rotunda), the tops and leaves of Germander (Chamadrys), Ground Pine (Chameepitys), and lesser Centaury (Chironea Centaurium), powdered and mixed together.1 [Asardm Canadense—Asarum, U. S., Canada Snake-root, Wild Ginger, the Root.—This plant has been introduced into the secondary list of the U. S. Pharmacopceia. It has a creeping fleshy root, somewhat jointed; the leaves are kidney-shaped, pubescent on both sides, two in number, on longish, round, hairy, petioles; flower solitary, growing in the fork of the petioles on a pendulous hairy peduncle; calyx very hairy, consisting of three broad concave segments, of a dull purple colour; stamens twelve; germ inferior. It is found in all parts of the United States, from Canada to Carolina, in low moist woods and thickets; it flowers in June. The root, alone officinal, is prepared by removal during the summer, cleansing and drying in the shade; in this process the radicles, from their delicacy, are separated ; when fresh it has a yellowish colour. As found in the shops it is in long, more or less contorted pieces, about the thickness of a straw, or larger; the external covering is brownish and wrinkled; the internal substance is white, hard, and brittle; occasionally the fragments of the radicles are attached. It comes either in mass or in square packages from the Shakers; when it is connected with the leaves, and is subject to rnouldiness, from the partially dry state necessary to packing by pres- sure. The taste is agreeably aromatic and slightly bitter; the smell is aromatic. A chemical investigation of this root was made by Dr. Bigelow, which has been repeated by the late Mr. Richard Rushton, (Amer. Journ. of Pharm. vol. x. p. 186,) who found it to con- tain gum, starch, resin, fatty matter, chlorophylle, volatile oil, salts of lime and potassa, iron, and lignin. The volatile oil has a light, greenish-yellow colour, a warm, fragrant, slightly bitterish, aro- matic taste. It is soluble in all proportions in alcohol and ether, sp. gr. "9452. Wild ginger i See Dr. Clephane's Inquiry into the Origin of the Gout Powder, in the Med. Observ. and Inq. vol. i Lond. Dr. Clephane concludes that " CiElius Aurelianus's diacentaureon and Aetius's antidotes exduobus eentaurea generibus were the same medicine, and are the old names for the Duke of Portland's Powder. THE CINNAMON. 235 is spoken of by Cornutus as affording a grateful potion when the roots are steeped in wine. Lemery, in his Dictionnaire Universel des Drogues Simples, published in 1733, alludes to its substitution for ginger by the aborigines of America. Dr. B. S. Barton, in his Collections, states that the compressed juice of the leaves is emetic, and that the leaves are errhine. The best account of its properties are by Drs. Bigelow and William P. C. Barton. Like its conge- ners it is stimulant and tonic, but like all other articles of the same class, the effects on the ani- mal economy must vary with the mode of exhibition ; thus its sudorific power will be manifested by exhibition in warm infusion; and in large quantities, in this form, it will prove emetic; in cold infusion or tincture, it is cordially stimulating and tonic to the system. It may be em- ployed as a succedaneum for serpentaria.—J. C] Order XXXI.—LAURACEvE, Lindley.—THE CINNAMON TRIBE. Lauri, Jussieu.—Laorine*, Vent, and Rob. Brown. Essential Character.—Calyx four to six-cleft, with imbricated sestivation, the limb sometimes obsolete. Stamens definite, perigynous opposite the segments of the calyx, and usually twice as numerous ; the three innermost, which are opposite the three inner segments of the calyx, sterile or deficient; the six outermost scarcely ever abortive; anthers adnate, two to four- celled; the cells bursting by a longitudinal persistent valve from the base to the apex; the outer anthers valved inwards, the inner valved outwards [or both valved inwards, Lindl.] Glands usually present at the base of the inner filaments. Ovary single, superior, with one or two single pendulous ovules; style simple; stigma obtuse. Fruit baccate or drupaceous, naked or covered. Seed without albumen ; embryo inverted ; cotyledons large, plano-convex, peltate near the base!; radicle very short, included, superior; plumule conspicuous, two- leaved.— Trees, often of great size. Leaves without stipules, alternate, seldom opposite, en- tire, or very nearly lobed. Inflorescence panicled or umbelled (Rob. Brown). Properties.—The plants of this order owe their most important qualities to the presence of volatile oil, which is found, more or less abundantly, in all parts of the vegetable. This oil is sometimes liquid and highly aromatic, as oil of cinnamon; at others it is solid at ordinary temperatures, and is endowed with narcotic properties, as camphor. The acrid principle of some species is probably a volatile oil. In the bark and leaves, the volatile oil is usually associated with tannic acid, which gives them astringency, as in cinnamon. In the fruit and seeds, on the other hand, it is usually com- bined or mixed with fixed oil, as in bay-berries. 1. CINNAMO'MUM ZEYLAN'ICUM, Nees, E.—THE CINNAMON. Laurus Cinnamomum, Linn. L. Z>. Sex. Syst. Enneandria, Moriogynia. (Cortex ; et Oleum e cortice destillatum, L.—Bark ; and Volatile oil of the bark, £.—Cortex et Oleum vola- tile, D.) (Cinnamomum, the Bark; and Oleum Cinnamomi, the Oil, U. S.) Historv.—Cinnamon (Kinman, Hebr.) is mentioned in the Old Testament, (Exod. xxx. 23,) about 1490 years before Christ. In all probability the He- brews received it from the Arabians, who must, therefore, have had commercial dealings with India at this early period. (Pictorial Bible, vol. i. p. 222.) The first notice of Cinnamon (x1vvau.c41.ov) by the Greek writers occurs in Herodotus, (Thalia, cvii. and cxi.) who died 413 years before Christ. Probably both the Hebrew and Greek names for this bark are derived from the Cingalese cacyn- nama (dulce lignum), or the Malayan kaimanis. (Royle, Essay on Hindoo Medicine, pp. 64 and 141.) Hippocrates (pp. 265, 575, and 609, ed. Fees.) employed cinnamon externally. Dioscorides (lib i. cap. 13,) describes several kinds of cinnamon. Botany. Gen. char.—Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous. Calyx six- cleft ; with the limb deciduous. Stamina twelve, in four rows; the nine ex- ternal ones fertile, the three inner ones capitate, abortive; the three most inter- nal of the fertile stamina having two sessile glands at the base : anthers four- celled, the three inner turned outwards. Ovary one-celled, with one ovule. Fruit (a berry) seated in a cup-like calyx. Leaves ribbed. Leaf-buds naked. Flowers panicled, rarely fascicled. (Condensed from Endlicher.) (Gen. Plant.) Sp. thar.—Branches somewhat four-cornered, smooth. Leaves ovate or ovate-oblong, tapering into an obtuse point, triple-nerved, or three-nerved, reti- 236 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. culated on the under side, smooth, the uppermost the smallest. Panicles ter- minal and axillary, stalked. Flowers hoary and silky; segments oblong, deci- duous in the middle (Nees). (Systerna Laurinarum.) Botanists admit several varieties of this species : the most important arc,—<*. Broad-leaved, Moon (Cat. of Ceylon Plants): Mu-pat Fig. 190. Cinnamomum zeylanicum. (Cingalese). The plant above described. /3. Narrow-leaved, Moon. Cinnamomum zeylanicum var. y. Cassia, Nees. Heen-pat (Cingalese). This variety, which I have received from Ceylon, under the name of Bastard Cinnamon, has oblong or elliptical leaves, much tapering to the point, and acute at the base. Percival (Account of the Island of Cey- lon,) mentions four varieties which are barked : 1st, Rasse curundu, or honey cin- namon, with broad leaves, yields the best bark ; 2dly, Nai curundu, or snake cinna- mon, also wilh large leaves, not greatly in- ferior to the former; 3dly, Capuru curun- du, or camphor cinnamon, an inferior kind; 4thly, Cabatte curundu, or astringent cin- namon, with smaller leaves ; its bark has a harsh taste. Hai>.—Cultivated in Ceylon and Java. Production.—The cinnamon bark of Ceylon is obtained by the cultivation of the plant. The principal cinnamon gardens lie in the neighbourhood of Co- lumbo. (See Percival's Account of Ceylon, 2d ed. 1805.) The bark-peelers, or choliahs, having selected a tree of the best quality, lop off such branches as are three years old, and which appear proper for the purpose. Shoots or branches, much less than half an inch or more than two or three inches in diameter, are not peeled. The peeling is effected by making two opposite, or when the branch is thick three or four, longitudinal incisions, and then elevating the bark by in- troducing the peeling-knife beneath it. When the bark adheres firmly, its sepa- ration is promoted by friction with the handle of the knife. In twenty-four hours the epidermis and greenish pulpy matter (rete mucosum) are carefully scraped off. In a few hours the smaller quills are introduced into the larger ones, and in this way a congeries of quills formed, often measuring forty inches long. The bark is then dried in the sun, and afterwards made into bundles with pieces of split bamboo twigs. (Percival, op. cit.; and Marshall, in Thom- son's Ann. of Philosophy, vol. x.) Commerce.—Cinnamon is imported in bales, boxes, and chests, from Ceylon principally ; but in part also from Madras, Tellicherry, and rarely from Can- ton. (Trade List for 1837 and 1838.) In 1830, 14,345 lbs. ; and in 1831, 2,305 lbs. of cinnamon were imported from the Cape of Good Hope. (Parlia- mentary Returns.) The quantities of cinnamon on which the import duty of 6d. per lb. was paid, during the last six years, are the following (Trade List): In 1835.............16,255 lbs. 1836.............17,398 lbs. In 1837.............13,607 lbs. I In 1^3!).............15.533 lbs. 1838.............16,605 lbs. | 1840.............16,515 lbs. Cinnamon exported from the island of Ceylon is subject to the exorbitant duty of 3s. per lb. This has been put on as a substitute for the previous mono- poly in the cultivation and sale of cinnamon, held by the government. (M'Cul- loch, Commerc. Diction.) A few years ago it was the practice to sprinkle black pepper among the bales of cinnamon in stowing them, in order to preserve and improve the quality of the bark. (Percival, op. cit., and Marshall, loc.cit.) Description.—When cinnamon comes into dock, it is unpacked and ex- amined ; all the mouldy and broken pieces are removed from it. It is then re- THE CINNAMON. 237 made into bales. These are cylindrical, 3 feet 6 inches long, but of variable diameter, perhaps 16 inches on the average. These bales are enveloped by a coarse hempen cloth, called gunny. The cinnamon in boxes and chests is usu- ally the small, inferior, and mouldy pieces. The kinds of cinnamon which I have seen and examined1 are the Ceylon, the TeUicherry, and the Malabar or Madras. l. Ceylon cinnamon. (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, seu Cinnamomum acu- tum.)—This is the most esteemed kind. The fasciculi or compound quills, of which the bales are made up, are about 3 feet 6 inches long, slender, and shi- very, and are composed of several smaller quills inclosed one within the other. The bark is thin (the finest being scarcely thicker than drawing paper), smooth, of a light yellow-brown, or brownish yellow (somewhat similar to that of Vene- tian gold), smooth, moderately pliable, with a splintery fracture, especially in the longitudinal direction. The inner side or liber is darker and browner, and contains, according to Ness, small medullary rays filled with a red juice, and which he regards as the peculiar bearers of the aroma. The odour of the bark is highly fragrant. The flavour is warm, sweetish, and agreeable. Inspection and tasting are the methods resorted to for ascertaining the qualities of cinna- mon. (See Percival, op. supra cit.; also Marshall, op. supra cit.) Ceylon cinnamon is characterised by being cut obliquely at the bottom of the quill, whereas the other kinds are cut transversely. In the London market three qualities of Ceylon cinnamon are distinguished, viz. first, seconds, and thirds. Inferior kinds are thicker, darker, browner, and have a pungent, suc- ceeded by a bitter, taste. a. Telliclierry or Bombay Cinnamon is grown On One estate Only, at Telli- cherry, by Mr. Brown, and is wholly consigned to Messrs. Forbes and Co. Only 120 or 130 bales are annually imported. In appearance it is equal to the Cey- lon kind; but the internal surface of the bark is more fibrous, and the flavour is inferior. It is superior to the Malabar variety. 3. Madras or Malabar cinnamon is of inferior quality. It is grown, I am in- formed, on the Coromandel coast. It is coarser and inferior in flavour to the other kinds. In thickness it approximates to Cassia lignea. Its quality has annually deteriorated since its introduction into the market. It does not meet with a ready sale, and it is expected that its importation will cease. Besides the above three kinds of cinnamon, another has appeared in the mar- ket, from Java. I have not, however, had an opportunity of seeing it. Java cinnamon is said to be equal in quality to that from Ceylon,3 over which it has the advantage of paying only a trifling export duty. French pharmacologists describe a cinnamon cultivated at Cayenne.3 Ca- yenne cinnamon is, however, unknown in the London market. Its volatile oil is more acrid and peppery than the oil from Ceylon cinnamon. (Vauquelin, Journ. de Pliarm. t. iii. p. 434.) Substitution.—In commerce, Cassia lignea is frequently substituted for cinnamon. It is distinguished by its greater thickness, its short resinous frac- ture, its less delicacy but greater strength of flavour, its shorter quills, and its being packed in small bundles. The difference of flavour is best distinguished when the barks are ground to powder. The great consumers of cinnamon are the chocolate-makers of Spain, Italy, France, and Mexico, and by them the dif- ference of flavour between cinnamon and cassia is readily detected. An exten- sive dealer in cinnamon informs me that the Germans, Turks, and Russians, prefer cassia, and will not purchase cinnamon, the delicate flavour of which is ■ In the year* lJ3i) and 1840,1 examined above 1000 bales of cinnamon in the Dock warehouses. In 1840 I was kindly agisted in my examination by Mr. Carroll, of Mincing Lane, one of the most experienced London dealers, who attended with me, and from whom I derived much practical information. a Proceedings of the Committee of Commerce and Agriculture of the Asiatic Society, p. 147. * See Guibourt, Hist, abrtg. des Drogues, ii. 14. French pharmacologists apply the term Cannelle to Cin- namon as well as to Cassia. 238 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. not strong enough for them. In illustration of this, I was told that some cin- namon (valued at 3s. 6d. per lb.) having been by mistake sent to Constantino- ple, was unsaleable there at any price ; while cassia lignea (worth about 6d. per lb.) was in great request. Composition.—In 1817, Vauquelin (op. cit. 433,) made a comparative analysis of the cinnamons of Ceylon and Cayenne. The constituents of both were found to be volatile oil, tannin, mucilage, colouring matter (partially so- luble in water and in alcohol, but insoluble in ether), resin, an acid, and ligne- ous fibre. On. of Cinnamon. See below. Chemical Characteristics.—Sesquichloride of iron causes a greenish floc- .culent precipitate (tannate of iron) in infusion of cinnamon. Solution of gela- tine also occasions a precipitate (tannate of gelatine) in the infusion. Physiological Effects.—Cinnamon produces the effects of the spices already described (vol. i. p. 181). In moderate doses it stimulates the stomach, produces a sensation of warmth in the epigastric region, and promotes the assi- milative functions. The repeated use of it disposes to costiveness. In full doses it acts as a general stimulant to the vascular and nervous sys- tems. Some writers regard it as acting specifically on the uterus. (Sundelin, Heilmittel. Bd. ii. S. 199, 3tte Aufl.; and Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn. il. Gifte. Bd. ii. S. 137.) Uses.—The uses of cinnamon are those of the species generally, and which have been before noticed (vol. i. p. 182). It is employed by the cook as an agreeable condiment. In medicine, it is frequently added to other substances; as, to the bitter infusions, to improve their flavour ; and to purgatives, to check their griping qualities. As a cordial, stimulant, and tonic, it is indicated in all cases characterized by feebleness and atony. As an astringent, it is employed in diarrhoea, usually in combination with chalk, the vegetable infusions, or opium. As a cordial and stimulant, it is exhibited in the latter stages of low fever. In flatulent and spasmodic affections of the alimentary canal, it often proves a very efficient carminative and antispasmodic. It checks nausea and vomiting. It has also been used in uterine hemorrhage. Administration.—The dose of it in substance is from ten grains to half a drachm. 1. OLEUM CINNAMOMI, L. E. D. (U. S.) Oleum Cinnamomi veri offic.; Oil of Cinnamon.—(Obtained in Ceylon, by macerating the inferior pieces of the bark, reduced to a gross powder, in sea-water for two days, when both are sub- mitted to distillation.)—As imported the oil varies somewhat in its colour from yellow to cherry-red ; the paler varieties are most esteemed: hence London druggists frequently submit the red oil of cinnamon to distillation, by which they procure two pale yellow oils ; one lighter (amounting to about the quarter of the whole), the other heavier than water. The loss on this process is consi- derable, being near 10 per cent. Percival (op. cit.) says, that the oil obtained from the finer sorts of cinnamon is of a beautiful gold colour, while that from the coarser bark is darker and brownish. Its odour is pleasant, and purely cinna- monic. Its taste is at first sweetish, afterwards cinnamonic, burning, and acrid. The following is the composition of the oil according to Mulder (Ber- linisches Jahrbuchfiir die Pharmacie, Bd. xxxviii. S. 176) : Atoms. Eq. Wt. Per Cent. Mulder. Carbon............ 20 ............ 120................8163 ............ 81-99 Hydrogen.......... 11 ............ 11............... 7-48........... 7 29 Oxygen............ 2 ............ 16............... 1089 ............ 1082 Cinnamon Oil..... 1 ............ 147...............100-00............ 100 00 By exposure to the air oil of cinnamon absorbs oxygen, becomes coloured, and produces cinnamic acid, two resins, and water. (Pharmaceutisches Central Blatt filr 1839, S. 881.) The coloration depends on resinification. THE CINNAMON. 239 Reagents. C H Atoms Cinnamon Oil................60 33 8 Atoms Oxygen...................... — — Total.......................... 60 33 et. Cinnamic Acid.—This acid is colourless and crystalline. It is sometimes formed by ex- posing oil of cinnamon for some time to the air. Cinnamule (C8 H7 0s) is the hypothetical base of this acid. (i. Resins. Alpha resin has a reddish-brown colour. It is soluble in both cold and hot alco- hol. Beta resin is soluble in hot, but very slightly so in cold, alcohol. Its colour is cinnamon- brown. To the latter resin Mulder ascribes the colour of cinnamon. With nitric acid, oil of cinnamon forms a white crystalline substance, com- posed of C18 H.9 N O7; and a red oil. The Edinburgh College gives the following characters of oil of cinnamon : "Cherry-red when old, wine-yellow when recent: odour purely cinnamonic ; nitric acid converts it nearly into a uniform crystalline mass." These characters, however, are not peculiar to this oil, as they are also pos- sessed by oil of cassia. Oil of cinnamon is sometimes employed as a powerful stimulant in paralysis of the tongue, in syncope, or in cramp of the stomach. But its principal use is as an adjuvant to other medicines. The dose of it is from one to three minims. Oil of Cinnamon Leaf has been recently imported. I am informed by a gentleman on whose estate in Ceylon it was obtained, that it is procured by macerating the leaves in sea-water, and afterwards submitting both to distillation. It is a yellow liquid, heavier than water, and has an odour and taste analogous to those of oil of cloves. 2. AQUA CINNAMOMI, L. E. D. (U. S.); Cinnamon Water.—(Cinnamon, bruised, lb. iss. [3xviij. E., lb. j. D.; or Oil of Cinnamon, 3ij. L.~\ ; Proof Spi- rit, f3vij. [Rectified Spirit, fgiij. E. No Spirit, D.]; Water, Cong. ij. [as much as may be sufficient to prevent empyreuma, D.~\ Let a gallon distil. The Dub- lin College macerates the bark in the water for one day previous to distillation.) —This water is usually prepared in the shops, by diffusing the oil through water by the aid of sugar or of carbonate of magnesia. According to a formula given in the London Pharmacopoeia, 3j of oil is to be carefully triturated with 3i. of carbonate of magnesia, and afterwards with Oiv. of distilled water, and the water subsequently filtered. [The U. S. Pharmacopceia employs this method, and directs, oil of cinnamon, f3ss.; carbonate of magnesia, 3ss.; distilled wa- ter, Oij.] Cinnamon water is principally employed as a vehicle for other medi- cines. It is aromatic and carminative. Goeppert says it is poisonous to plants. By dissolving iodine and iodide of potassium in cinnamon water, a crystalline compound is produced, consisting of iodide of potassium 12-55, iodine 28-14, oil of cinnamon 59-31. (Apjohn, Athenaeum, No. 517, for 1837, and No. 559, 1838.) I SPIRITUS CINNAMOMI, L. E.D. Spirit of Cinnamon.—(Oil of Cinnamon, 3ij.; Proof Spirit, Cong. j. ; Water, Oj. Mix them; then .with a slow fire let a gallon distil, L.—Cinnamon, in coarse powder, lb. j.; Proof Spirit, Ovij. Macerate for two days in a covered vessel: add a pint and a half of water; and distil off seven pints, E.—Cinnamon bark, bruised, lb. j.; Proof Spirit, Cong. j. [wine measure^ ; Water sufficient to prevent empyreuma. Macerate for twen- ty-four hours, and distil a gallon, D.) Stimulant.—Dose, f3j to f3iv. 4. TINCTURA CINNAMOMI, L. E. D. (U.S.) Tincture of Cinnamon.—(Cin- namon, bruised, 3"jss. (3iij. U. S.) [in moderately fine powder, E.] ; Proof Spi- rit, Oij. [wine measure, Z>.] Macerate for fourteen days and strain. [Proceed by percolation or digestion as directed for tincture of cassia, E.])—Commonly used as an adjuvant to cretaceous, astringent, tonic, or purgative mixtures. It Products. C H 1 Atom Cinnamic Acid.............. 18 7 1 Atom beta Resin.................. 12 5 2 Atoms alpha Resin................ 30 15 6 Atoms Water...................... — 6 Total.........................60 33 240 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. has also been employed in uterine hemorrhage. (Voigtels, Arzneim, Bd. ii. S. 465.)—Dose, 3i. to f3iv. 5. TINCTURA CINNAMOMI COMPOSITA, L. E. (U. S.) Cojnpound Tincture of Cinnamon.—(Cinnamon bruised [in fine powder, if percolation be followed, £.] 3j.; Cardamom, bruised, 3ss. [3j. E.l; Long Pepper, powdered [ground finely, E.], 3ijss. [3iij. E.]; Ginger, 3ijss. [not used by the Ed. College]; Proof Spi- rit, Oij. Macerate for fourteen days, and strain, L. " This tincture is best prepared by the method of percolation, as directed for the compound tincture of cardamom. But it may also be made in the ordinary way by digestion for seven days, straining and expressing the liquor, and then filtering it." E.)— Cordial and aromatic. Used in the same cases as the last.—Dose f3j. to f3ij. [The U. S. P. leaves out the pepper and orders ginger 3iij.] 6. PULVIS CINNAMOMI COMPOSITUS, L. Pulvis Aromaticus, E. D. (U. S.); Compound Powder of Cinnamon ; Aromatic Powder.—(Cinnamon, 3ij-; Car- damom, 3iss. [3j. D.]; Ginger, 3j.; Long Pepper, 3ss. [3j. D.] Rub them together, so that a very fine powder may be made. L. D.—The Edinburgh College employs cinnamon, cardamom seeds, and ginger, of each equal parts.) —[The U. S. P. directs Cinnamon, Ginger, of each two ounces; Cardamom seeds, Nutmeg, grated, each one ounce.]—Aromatic and carminative.—Dose, gr. x. to gr. xxx.—Principally employed as a corrigent of other preparations. 7. CONFECTIO AROMATICA, L. D. (U. S.); Electuarium Aromaticum, E.; Aromatic Confection.—(Cinnamon; Nutmegs, each 3'j-; Cloves, 3j-; Carda- mom Seeds, 3ss.; Saffron, 3ij- ; Prepared Chalk, 3xvj.; Sugar, lb. ij. Rub the dry ingredients together to a very fine powder. The Dublin College orders this powder to be mixed by degrees with lb. j. of water, and the whole beaten to a pulp. The London College, on the other hand, directs the powder to be kept in a close vessel, and the water to be added when the confection is wanted. —The Edinburgh College orders of Aromatic Powder, one part; Syrup of Orange Peel, two parts. Mix and triturate them into a uniform pulp.)—The preparation of the Edinburgh Pharmacopceia differs essentially from the Aroma- tic Confection of the London and Dublin Pharmacopoeias, in not containing chalk. The London College directs the water to be added when the prepara- tion is wanted, with the view of preventing fermentation, to which the prepara- tion is subject. Some druggists substitute a strong infusion of saffron for the solid saffron; and precipitated carbonate of lime for chalk. [The U. S. P. di- rects, Aromatic Powder, five ounces and a half; Saffron, in powder, half an ounce; Syrup of Orange Peel, six ounces ; Clarified Honey, two ounces.] Aromatic con- fection, Ph. L. and D. is antacid, stimulant, and carminative. It is usually added to the ordinary chalk mixture in diarrhoea, and is employed on various other occasions where spices are indicated. Dose, grs. x. to 3j. 8. EMPLASTRUM AROMATICUM, D.; Aromatic Plaster—Frankincense [Thus], 3iij.; Yellow Wax, 3ss. ; Cinnamon Bark, powdered, 3vj.; Essential Oil of Allspice; Essential Oil of Lemons, of each, 3ij. Melt the Frankincense and Wax together, and strain; when they are beginning to thicken by cooling, mix in the powder of cinnamon rubbed up with the oils, and make a plaster.)—By keeping, as well as by the application of heat in spreading, the volatile oils of this preparation are dissipated. " It is used as a stimulant, applied over the region of the stomach, in dyspepsia and increased irritability of that organ, to allay pain and nausea and expel flatus." (Montgomery, Observ. on the Dublin Pharm.) 2. CINNAMOMUM CAS'SIA, Blume, E.—THE CINNAMON CASSIA. Cinnamomum aromaticum, Nees. Sex. Syst. Enneandria, Monogynia. (Cassia-bark. Oil of Cassia, E.—Cassia lignea, and Cassia buds, offic.) (Cinnamomum, the bark, U. S.) History—It is highly probable that the bark, now called cassia-lignea, was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans; but we cannot positively prove this. 1HE CINNAMON CASSIA. 241 The barks termed by the ancients cinnamomum (xiw.) (Myristica, Nutmeg, U. S.) History.—Both nutmegs and mace were unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans; unless, indeed, the xwfjoaxov of Theophrastus, (Hist. Plant, lib. ix. cap. 7,)—the cinnamum, quod comacum appelant of Pliny, (Hist. Nat. lib. xii. cap. 63, ed. Valp.) be our nutmeg, as some have suggested. Both mace and nutmegs are noticed by Avicenna. (Lib. ii. tract ii. cap. 436 and 503.) Botany.—Gen. char.—Flowers dioecious. Calyx urceolate, three-toothed. Males :—Filaments monadelphous : anthers six to ten, connate. Females:— Ovary simple; style none; stigma two-lobed. Pericarp fleshy, two-valved, one seeded. Seed enveloped in a fleshy aril (Lindley). Sp. char.—Leaves oblong, acuminate, smooth, whitish beneath, and with simple nerves. Pedun- cles one to four-flowered. A tree from 20 to 25 feet high, similar in appear- ance to a pear tree. Bark dark grayish-green, smooth, with a yellowish juice. Leaves aromatic. Racemes axillary. Peduncles and pedicels glabrous, the latter with a quickly deciduous ovate bract at its summit, often pressed close to the flower. Male flowers:—Three to five on a peduncle ; calyx fleshy, pale yellow, with a reddish pubescence. Female flowers scarcely different from the males, except that the pedicel is frequently solitary. Fruit pyriform, smooth externally, about the size of a peach, marked externally by a longitudinal groove. Pericarp fleshy, dehiscing by two nearly equal longitudinal valves. Arillus (mace) large, fleshy, branching, scarlet; when dry, yellow, brittle, and somewhat horny. Nucleus or nut (nutmeg in the shell, offic.) within the arillus, orval or ovate: its outer coat (testa, tunica externa or shell) is dark brown, hard, glossy, marked by the mace: its inner coat (endopleura seu tunica interna) closely invests the seeds and dips down into the substance of the albumen, giving it a marbled or rumi- nated appearance. The great body of the nutmeg consists of the oleaginous albumen; its so-called veins are processes of the endopleura, which have a reddish-brown colour, and abound in oil. Embryo at the base of the seed ; radicle inferior hemis- pherical ; cotyledons two, large, flat, foliaceous, fan-shaped ; plumule two-lobed. iiab.—Moluccas, especially the Isle of Banda. The Dutch have endeavoured to confine the nutmeg tree to three of the little cluster of the Banda isles, viz. Pulo Ay, Banda, and Nera. Curing.—Mace is prepared for the market by separating it from the nutmeg, and drying it for some days in the sun, when its rich crimson changes to dusty yellow. Nutmegs require more care in curing, on account of the attacks of an insect (the nutmeg-insect). They are first sun-dried for three days: then laid on hurdles and smoke-dried by a slow wood-fire for three months, at the end of which time they are freed from their shells, and dipped twice or thrice in lime water, or rather a thick mixture of lime and water, to secure them from the depredations of insects. It is said that while the nutmegs are in their shells, Myristica officinalis. Nutmeg in the shell surrounded by the Mace. 256 ELEMENTS 0E MATERIA MEDICA. they are secure from the attack of these insects. (Crawford, Hist, of the Ind. Archip.) Description. 1. of Nutmegs. (Nuces moschata.)—The ordinary nutmeg of commerce (formerly called the female nutmeg,—nux moschata fiemina, Clusius) rarely exceeds an inch in length. Its shape is roundish or elliptical, like that of the French olive. Externally it is marked with reticular furrows. The colour of the projecting parts is brownish; that of the depression some- times whitish, from the lime used in curing (limed nutmegs), at other times brown (brown nutmegs). Internally it is pale reddish-gray, with red veins. The odour is strong, but pleasant, peculiar, and aromatic. The taste is agree- able and aromatic. Occasionally this kind of nutmeg is imported in the shell. A long kind of nutmeg, called, in the shops, the wild nutmeg in the shell (the male nutmeg,—nux moschata mas. Clusius), is frequently met with. Its shape is oblong, like that of the date; its length about an inch and a half. Its shell is bony, somewhat brittle, externally shiny and brown, internally dull, grayish- white. The contained seed is paler coloured, less furrowed, and less aromatic, than in the preceding sort. Sometimes these nutmegs are imported with the mace dried around them (wild nutmegs covered with mace). Long nutmegs are said to be the produce of Myristica officinalis var. sphenocarpa (Dierbach). (Nees and Ebermaier, Handb. der Med.-Pharm. Bot.) A specimen of the fruit and leaves, preserved in spirit in the Banksian collection, is marked the long nutmeg from Sumatra, e=.' 2. of Mace. (Macis.)—Mace, as met with in the shops, is a flat, irregularly slit, smooth, slightly flexible or brittle membrane, of a pale cinnamon yellow colour, and an odour and taste analogous to those of nutmegs. Under the name of False Mace I have received from Dr. Martiny a red mace, with scarcely any flavour or odour. It is perhaps the mace of the long nutmeg just described. Commerce.—Nutmegs and mace are imported from the Indian Archipelago either directly or indirectly by the Cape of Good Hope or Holland." In 1840, the duty of 2s. 6d. per lb. was paid on 114,160 lbs. of nutmegs, and on 16,333 lbs. of mace. Composition.—Nutmegs were analyzed, in 1804, by Schrader (Pfaff, Mat. Med. Bd. iv. S. 210); and, in 1823, by Bonastre. (Journ. de Pharm. t. ix. p. 281.) In 1824 an analysis of mace was made by N. E. Henry. (Journ. de Pharm. t. x. p. 281.) Nutmeg. Schroder's Analysis. Light volatile oil................ 270 Heavy ditto...................... 052 Expressed, reddish, soft oil... 10-41 White solid oil............... 1772 Gummy extract............. 25 00 Resin.......................... 312 Ligneous fibre................ 34-38 Loss....................... 6-25 Bonastre's Analysis. . 6-0 . 76 Solid fat........ Acid (?)........... Mace. JV. E. Henry's Analysis. Volatile oil. Red fat oil soluble in alcohol. Yellow ditto insoluble in ditto. Alcoholic extractive. Amidin. Ligneous fibre with lime. Macs See p. 257. Nutmeg......................100 00 1. Volatile Oil of Nutmegs 2. Volatile Oil of Mace. 3. Fixed Oil of Nutmegs. Chemical Characteristics—The presence of starch in both nutmegs and mace may be detected by a solution of iodine, which gives them a blue tint (iodide of starch). Both of these substances yield, by distillation with water, a volatile oil, characterized by its peculiar odour; and both yield, by expression, a fixed butyraceous oil. Physiological Effects.—The activity of both nutmegs and mace depends on the volatile oil which they contain. Swallowed in moderate quantities, they produce the before-described effects of the spices (see vol. i. p. 181). In large doses they prove narcotic, and cause giddiness, delirium, praecordial anxiety, the nutmeg tree. 257 sleepiness, or actual stupor. Instances of this kind are mentioned by Bontius, (De Med. Indor.,) Rumphius, (Herb. Amboyn. vol. ii. p. 21,) Lobel, (quoted by Murray, App. Med. vol. vi. p. 145,)Schmid, (quoted by Murray, App. Med. vol. vi. p. 145,) and Cullen. (Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 204.) In the case related by the last-mentioned authority two drachms of powdered nutmegs produced drowsiness, which gradually increased to complete stupor and insensibility. The patient continued for several hours alternately delirious and sleeping, but ultimately recovered. Purkinje (quoted by Wibmer, Die Wirk. d. Arzneim. u Gifte, Bd. iii. S. 308) has confirmed these statements by experiments made on himself. I am acquainted with a case in which the narcotic effects of a whole nutmeg have been several times experienced. Uses.—The principal consumption of nutmegs and mace is for dietetical pur- poses. They serve to flavour, and, by their stimulant properties, to assist the digestive process. Food highly seasoned with these substances may prove in- jurious in cerebral affections (apoplexy, for example), on account of their nar- cotic properties. Medicinally they are used, like other spices (see vol. i. p. 181), as stimulants, carminatives, and flavouring ingredients. Nutmeg is an important constituent in the confectio aromatica (see p. 240), so frequently employed as a cordial and antacid in bowel complaints. In mild cases of diarrhoea I frequently employ nutmeg as a substitute for opium. It may be taken in warm brandy and water, unless the use of spirit be contra-indicated. Administration.—Either nutmeg or mace may be taken to the extent of a scruple or half a drachm, in powder obtained by grating; or the volatile oil of these substances mav be used, in doses of rnj. to rn_ v. 1. OLEUM MYRISTICiE, L. E. (U.S.); Oleum Nucis Moschatce; Essential Oil of Nutmeg. (Procured by submitting nutmegs and water to distillation.) It is usually imported. It is colourless or pale yellow,-has the odour and taste of nutmegs, and a viscid consistence. By agitation with water it separates into two oils, one lighter, the other heavier than water. By keeping, it deposits crystals of stearoptene (myristicine), which are fusible at 212° F. volatile, soluble in alcohol, in ether, and in boiling water; from the latter liquid myristicine separates in a crystalline form as the liquid cools. According to Mulder the stearoptene consists of C8 H18 O3. Volatile oil of nut- meg is seldom employed medicinally. Its dose is Try. to rr|,v., taken on sugar or dissolved in spirit. 1 OLEUM MACIDIS; Essential Oil of Mace. This is colourless or pale yel- low, lighter than water, and has the flavour and odour of mace. Its composi- tion, effects, and uses, are similar to those of nutmegs. t MYRISTICiE ADEPS, E. Myristicce Oleum expressum, L. ;l Butter of Nut- megs ; Expressed Oil of Nutmegs. In the shops it is usually denominated Ex- pressed Oil of Mace. It is prepared by beating the nutmegs to a paste, which is to be inclosed in a bag, and then exposed to the vapour of water, and after- wards expressing by heated plates. It is imported in oblong cakes (covered by some monoctyledonous leaves, commonly called flag leaves), which have the shape of common bricks, but whose size is somewhat smaller. Its colour is orange, its consistence firm, its odour fragrant, like that of the seeds from which it is obtained. It is soluble in 4 parts of boiling alcohol. According to Schra- der 16 parts of butter of nutmeg are composed of Tallow-like Oil "I, Yellow Oil 8^., and Volatile Oil $. More recently it has been examined by Playfair, who states its composition to be volatile oil, sericine, a fat oil, and colouring matter. Cold alcohol dissolves the volatile oil, the fat oil, and the colouring matter, leaving from 25 to 30 per cent, of sericine. > The London College have omitted it in their list of Materia Medica, though it is directed to be used in the preparation of Emplastrum Picis. The Edinburgh College has also committed an error respecting it; for while, in ihe list of Materia Medica, it is called Myristica Adeps, in the formula for the preparation of Emplastrum Picis it is termed Oil of Mace. vol. u. 33 258 BLEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Sericine is a white crystalline faf, fusible at 87° F., and composed of sericic or myristic acid (C28 H"7 O3) and glycerine. It is soluble in hot alcohol. Expressed oil of nutmegs is occasionally employed externally in chronic rheu- matism and palsv. It is a constituent of Emplastrum Picis (see p. 176). 4. SPIRITUS MYRISTICM, L. E. D. (U. S.) Spirit of Nutmeg.— Nutmegs, bruised, 3ijss. [3ij. D. (U. S.)]; Proof Spirit, conj. i. [wine measure D.]; Water, Oj. [sufficient to prevent empyreuma, D.] Mix them [macerate for twenty-four hours, D.], then, [with a slow fire, £.] let a gallon distil.)—It is frequently prepared by mixing volatile oil of nutmegs with proof spirit. It is cordial and carminative; and is employed in doses of f3i. tof3iv., as a pleasant addition to stimulant, narcotic, or purgative draughts. Order XXXIII.—THYMELACE.E, Lindley.— THE MEZEREUM TRIBE. Thymele/e, Jussieu. Essential Character.—Calyx inferior, tubular, coloured ; the limb four-cleft, seldom five-clcfi, with an imbricated aestivation. Corolla none, or sometimes scale-like petals in the orifice of the calyx. Stamens definite, inserted in the tube or its orifice, often eight, sometimes four, less frequently two; when equal in number to the segments of the calyx or fewer, opposite to them; anthers two-celled, dehiscing lengthwise in the middle. Ovary solitary, with one solitary pendulous ovule; style one; stigma undivided. Fruit hard, dry, and nut-like, or drupaceous. Albumen none, or thin and fleshy; embryo straight; cotyledons plano-convex; radicle short, superior; plumule inconspicuous.—Stem shrubby, very seldom herbaceous, with tenacious bark. Leaves without stipules, alternate or opposite, entire. Flowers capi- tate or spiked, terminal or axillary, occasionally solitary (R. Brown). Properties.—The prevailing property of the plants of this order is acridity. DAPHNE MEZEREUM, Linn. L. E. D.—COMMON MEZEREON OR SPURGE- OLIVE. Sex. Syst. Octandria, Monogynia. (Radicis cortex, L.—Root-bark, E.— Cortex, D.) (Mezereum, the Bark, U. S.) History.—Tragus (Hist. Stirpium. 1532,) is the earliest author who men- tions this plant. (Sprengel, Hist. Rei Herb. Prsef. xi.) He calls it Thymelcea. The mezereon of Avicenna, (lib. 2ndus. tract. 2ndus, cap. 464,) and of other Arabian authors, is declared, by C. Bauhin, to be Chamelcea tricocca (now called Cneorum tricoccon), a plant of the order Euphorbiacese; but it is pro- bably identical with the ^au-eXaia of Dioscorides, which is declared by Sibthorpe (Prod. Fl. Grcecce,) to be Daphne oleoides. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx four-lobed. Stamens eight. Styles short, ter- minal. Berry one-celled, one-seeded. (Bot. Gall.) sp. char.—Flowers naked on the stem, sessile, about three together. Leaves lanceolate, deciduous (Smith). Stem bushy, four or five feet high, with upright, alternate, smooth, tough, and pliant branches; leafy while young. Leaves scattered, stalked, lanceolate, smooth, two inches long, appearing after the flowers, and soon accompanied by flower-buds for the next season. Flowers highly, and to many persons too powerfully, fragrant, seated in little tufts on the naked branches, with several brown, smooth, ovate bracteas underneath. Calyx like a corolla in texture, crimson all over; the tube, externally hairy. Berries scarlet.—There is a variety with white flowers, and the berries also vary to a yellow or orange hue. Hah.—Indigenous. Plentiful near Andover. Flowers in March. Description of the Bark.—The bark of the root (cortex radicis mezerei) is alone employed in this country. It is tough, pliable, and fibrous; externally brown and corrugated; internally white and cottony. Its taste is at first sweetish, afterwards highly acrid : it has no odour. In Germany the bark of the stem and larger branches is removed in spring, folded in small bundles, and dried for medicinal use. Composition.—The bark of the stem was analyzed by C. G. Gmelin and Bar, (L. Gmelin's Handb. d. Chem. Bd. ii. S. 1317,) and found to consist of THE SPURGE-OLIVE. 259 wax, an acrid resin, daphnin, a trace of volatile oil, yellow colouring principle, uncrystallizable but fermentable sugar, nitrogenous gummy matter, reddish brown extractive, woody fibre, free malic acid, and malates of potash, lime, and magnesia. 1. Acrid Resin.—Obtained by boiling the bark in alcohol: when the solution cools, some wax is deposited. The supernatant liquid is to be evaporated, and the residual extract washed with water. The resin then left behind is dark-green, and soluble in both alcohol and ether. To this substance mezereon owes its acridity. There is, however, some reason to suspect that this resin is itself a compound of two principles, viz. an acrid, vesicating, fixed oil, and another substance. The resin is rendered soluble in water by means of the other constituents of the bark. 2. Daphnin.—A peculiar crystalline principle, having a bitter, slightly astringent taste. It is soluble in alcohol and ether, but possesses neither basic nor acid properties. Gmelin and Bar consider it to be analogous to asparagin. It is not the active principle of mezereon. Physiological Effects.—All parts of the plant, but more especially the bark and the fruit, are endowed with excessive acridity; in virtue of which they cause irritation and inflammation in tissues to which they are applied. When swallowed, therefore, in large quantities, they prove poisonous. The topical action of mezereon bark is that of an irritant, and, when the bark has been ap- plied to the skin, vesicant. A decoction of mezereon bark, taken in moderate quantities, sometimes ap- pears to promote the action of the secreting and exhaling organs (especially the kidneys and the skin). But Dr. Alex. Russell (Med. Observ. and Inq. vol. iii. p. 194,) could not observe, upon the strictest inquiry, " that it sensibly increases any of the secretions, more than the same quantity of any small liquor would do." In some cases it proves laxative, where the patients are easily moved, and large doses disturb and irritate the stomach. Richter (Ausfuhr. Arznei- mittell. Bd. ii. S. 193,) says, that under the long-continued use of mezereon, the saliva acquires a peculiar odour. In larger doses it causes dryness and heat in the throat, increased saliva, pain in the stomach and bowels, and some- times vomiting and purging ; the stools being occasionally bloody. The urinary organs are sometimes specifically affected by it; irritation, analogous to that produced by cantharides, being set up by it. An affection of the cerebro-spinal system (marked by great feebleness, giddiness, incapability of keeping the erect posture, and slight convulsive movements) is occasionally brought on (Vogt. Pharmakodynamik, Bd. ii. S. 395, 2te Aufl.) I am unacquainted with any cases which have proved fatal from the use of mezereon bark. Vicat (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) mentions the case of a dropsical patient, in whom the wood caused diarrhoea, pain, and vomiting, which continued for six weeks. Uses.—In this country mezereon is scarcely ever employed alone. It is usu- ally administered in conjunction with sarsaparilla, (vide Decoctum Sarzee com- positum, p. 131,) and is employed as a sudorific and alterative in venereal, rheumatic, scrofulous, and chronic cutaneous diseases. Decoction of the root- bark of mezereon was recommended to the notice of the profession, by Dr. Alexander Russell, (op. supra cit. vol. iii. p. 189,) as a very efficacious remedy in cases of venereal nodes and nocturnal pains. Dr. Home (Clin. Exper. and Hist.) also speaks of it as " a powerful deobstruent in all venereal tumours of the scirrhous kind, where mercury has failed." But Mr. Pearson, (Observ!on the Effects of Various Articles of the Mat. Med. 1890,) after many years obser- vation of it, says, " I feel myself authorized to assert unequivocallv, that the mezereum has not the power of curing the venereal disease in any one' stage or in any one form." Dr. Cullen (Mat. Med.) employed it with success in some cutaneous diseases. As a topical remedy, it is sometimes applied to relieve toothache. It is oc- casionally used as a masticatory. Dr. Withering (Arrangement of Brit. Plants, vol. ii. p. 499, 7th ed.) cured a case of difficulty of swallowing (arising from a paralytic affection) by mezereon, which he directed to be chewed frequently. 260 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. , i c v. .u -r> r.~.0 TVTezereum and D. Gnidium is used as a tlTo" ^^^ *•bark b* soaki Hm hot vinegar and water, and then apply it to the part by a compress and bandage. The application is to be renewed night and morning, until vesication Administration.__Mezereon is administered in the form of decoction. Asa masticatory, two grains of the bark may be chewed. Antidote.__In a case of poisoning by mezereon, evacuate the contents of the stomach as speedily as possible, and give emollient drinks, opiates, and the vegetable acids. To counteract inflammatory symptoms, the usual antiphlogistic treatment should be adopted. DECOCTUM MEZEREI, E. D.; Decoction of Mezereon. — (Mezereon bark, in chips, Jij.; Liquorice root, bruised, 3ss.; Water, Oij. [Oiij. wine measure, D.] Mix them, and boil down with a gentle heat to a pint and a half [two pints wine measure, D.~] and strain.)—Stimulant and sudorific. Used in chronic rheuma- tism, and secondary syphilis. Dose f 3iv. to f 3iij. three or four times a day. OTHER MEDICINAL THTMELACE1!. 1. Daphne Gnidium is the Qv/u(\mu, or Thymelaa, of Dioscorides, whose fruit is the Mum Kiittot, or Gnidian berry, used by Hippocrates. Its properties are similar to those of D. Me- zereum. In France the bark (called garou) is employed, in the way before described, as a vesicatory. 2. Daphne Laureola is an indigenous plant, having yellowish-green flowers and black ber- ries, lis effects are analogous to the last-mentioned species. 3. Lagetta LrNTEARM, or the Lace Bark Tree, possesses the medicinal properties of meze- reon, and has been used in the same cases (Wright, Med. Plants of Jamaica). Its bark may be separated into 20, 30, or more laminae, which are fine and white, like gauze : of these, caps, ruffles, and even whole suits of ladies' clothes, have been made (Sloane's Nat. Hist, of Jamaica, vol. ii. p. 22). Order XXXIV—POLYGONACELE, Lindley.—THE BUCKWHEAT TRIBE. PoLVGONEiE, Jussieu. '"C Essential Character.—Calyx free, simple, persistent, monosepalous, deeply divided; the seg- ments imbricate in aestivation, disposed in a double row; the inner opposite the sides of the ovary, the outer opposite the angles. Stamens definite, inserted into the base of the calyx. Anthers two-celled, four-furrowed, dehiscing laterally by a double chink. Ovary one, free. Styles numerous, or stigmas numerous, sessile. Cariopsis, or nut, one-seeded, generally triangular, more or less covered by the calyx. Embryo generally lateral, sometimes central, often curved. Albumen farinaceous. Radicle distinct from the hilum.—Herbaceous plants, rarely shrubs. Stems nodose. Leaves alternate, sheathing, or adnate to an intrafoliaceous sheath or ochrea: revolute when young. (Bot. Gall.) Properties.—Oxalic acid is an abundant product of this order. In the free state, or rather in the form of a supersalt, it exists in the leaves and petioles, to which it communicates re- freshing refrigerant qualities. In the root of rhubarb it is found in combination with lime. Tannic acid is another important principle of this order; it exists in the roots, the stems, and the leaves. Colouring matter, in considerable quantity, exists in the roots. In many species the roots are purgative. Some species of Polygonum contain a volatile acrid princi- ple. Nutritive (mucilaginous) matters are yielded by several species. 1. RHE'UM, Linn.—ONE [OR MORE] UNDETERMINED SPECIES, E. Rheum palmatum, L. D.—R. Undulatum, D. Sex. Syst. Enneandria, Monogynia. (Radix, L. E. D.) (Rheum, Rhubarb, U. S.) History.—Dioscorides (lib. iii. cap. 11,) speaks of a root which he calls Rha, or Rheon (^a *p^ov), and which has been regarded by some as identical i Leroy, J. A. Essai sur F Usage de FEcorce du Garou, ou Traiti des EffeU des Exutoires employ is contrelei Maladies rebelles. Pans, 1774. RHEDM. 261 with our rhubarb; but the description he has given of it does not apply to the latter substance, and it is therefore fair to presume some other root must be meant. " Rha, by some called Rheon, grows," says Dioscorides, " in those countries which are beyond the Bosphorus, and from which it is brought. It is a root which is black externally, like to great centaury, but smaller and redder, odourless, loose or spongy, and somewhat smooth internally." Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xxvi. cap. 105, ed. Valp.) gives a similar account of it, under the name of Rhacoma: it comes, he says, from the countries beyond Pontus, resembles the black costus, is odourless, and has a hot, astringent taste. Prosper Alpinus (De Rhapontico, 1612,) was of opinion that the Rha of Dioscorides was the root of Rheum Rhaponticum, which Alpinus obtained from Thracia, in 1608, A. D., and cultivated at Pavia. The later Greek writers are supposed to have been acquainted with our rhubarb. Alexander of Tralles (lib. viii. cap. 3,) is the first who speaks of it. He used it in weakness of the liver and dysentery. Paulus jEgineta seems to make a distinction between Rha and Rheon. For, he says, that in the crudities and vomiting of pregnant women, we may give " the blood-wort, boiled in water, for drink; and likewise dill, and the Pontic root, called Rha in the dialect of that country." (Adam's Translation of the Med. Works of Paulus bk. i. ch. 1.) In noticing the practice of the ancients, he says " Alvine discharges they promoted by giving turpentine to the extent of an olive, when going to rest; or, when they wished to purge more effectually, by adding a little rhubarb''' [Rheon]. (Adam's Translation of the Med. Works of Paulus, ch. 43.) This is the first notice of the purgative properties of rhubarb. In one of the Arabian authors (Mesue, the younger) we find three kinds of rhubarb mentioned:—The Indian, said to be the best: the Barbarian; and the Turkish, which is the worst of all. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx petaloid, six-parted, withering. Stamina about nine, inserted into the base of the calyx. Styles three, reflexed. Stig- mas peltate, entire. Achenium three-cornered, winged, with the withered calyx at the base. Embryo in the centre of the albumen (Lindley). It is not yet ascertained what species of Rheum yields the officinal rhubarb. Several spe- cies, now cultivated in this country, have been at different times declared to be, partially or wholly, the source of it. Formerly, Rheum Rhaponticum was supposed to yield it. (Alston, Mat. Med. vol. i. p. 502.) In 1732, R. undulatum, was sent from Russia to the Messrs. Jussieu at Paris, and to Rand of Chelsea, as the true rhubarb. This is the species which Linnaeus described as R. Rhubar- barum. (Op. cit.) About 1750, at the desire of Kauw Boerhaave, first physician to the Empe- ror of Russia, the senate commissioned a Tartarian merchant, a dealer in rhubarb, to procure them some seeds of the genuine plant. This he did, or pretended to do; and, on sowing them, two species of Rheum were obtained; namely, the undulatum and the palmalum. (Murray, App. Med. vol. iv. p. 363.) In 1762, seeds of the latter species were received by Dr. Hope, of Edinburgh, from Dr. Mounsey, at Petersburgh : they were sown, and the plants cultivated with success. (Hope, Phil. Trans, vol. Iv. for the year 1765, p. 290.) The root of this spe- cies being found to agree, in many of its characters, with that of genuine rhubarb, led to the belief that the palmatum was the true species. The inquiries of Pallas, however, raised some doubts about the correctness of this opinion ; for the Buchanans declared themselves unac- quainted with the leaves of the palmatum, and described the true plant as having round leaves, with a few incisions only at the margin. This description agreed best with Rheum compactum, the roots of which were declared, by Millar, who cultivated the plant, to be as good as foreign rhubarb. (Murray, 365-6.) Georgi says, that a Cossack pointed out to him the leaves of the R. undulatum as the true species. (Murray, p. 360.) These accounts were not satisfactory to the Russians; and in consequence, in 1790, Sievers, an apothecary, went to Siberia, under the auspices of Catharine II., with a view of settling the question; hut, after four years of per- severing attempts to reach the country where the true rhubarb grew, or even to obtain the seeds, he was obliged to be satisfied with negative results only. "My travels," says he, "as well as acquaintance with the Buchanans, have satisfied me that as yet nobody—that is, no scientific person—has seen the true rhubarb plant. All that is said of it, by the Jesuits, is miserable, confused stuff; all the seeds procured under the name of true rhubarb are false; all the plantations, from those of the Knight Murray down to the flower-pot of a private indivi- dual, will never yield true rhubarb. Until further determination, I hereby declare all the de- 262 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. wnptions m all the Materia Medicas to be incorrect." (Duncan, Suppl. to the Edinb. New Himalayan rhubarb is obtained from several species of Rheum: viz. R. Emodi, Wallich Hot. Mag. t. 3508); R. Webbianum, Royle (Illust. of the Bot. of the Himal. Mount.); R. spiciforme, Royle; and R. Moorcraftianum, Royle. But there are no reasons for supposing that they yield any of the rhubarb of European commerce. It is not improbable that the species yielding the officinal rhubarb is yet undescribed. Dr. Royle, (op. cit.) after referring to the accounts of different authors, as to the precise locality of the country yielding Russian rhubarb, concludes that it is within 95° of E. long, in 35° of N. latitude—that is, in the heart of Thibet. And he adds, "as no naturalist has visited this part, and neither seeds nor plants nave been obtained thence, it is as yet unknown what species yields this rhubarb." Further, it is probable, I think, that the Russian and Chinese rhubarbs are procured from different species. Mr. Anderson, of the Apothecaries' Botanic Garden, Chelsea, has kindly furnished me with the fresh roots of thirteen species of Rheum: viz. R. palmatum, undulatum, compaclum, Rha. ponlicum, Emodi, crassinervium, capsicum, taluricum, hybridum, conjluens, Fischeri, bardani. folium and bullatum. Having carefully dried these by artificial heal, I found that one species only, viz. R. palmatum, closely resembled Asiatic rhubarb in the combined qualities of odour, colour, and marbling: R. undulatum agreed tolerably well in colour and marbling, but not in odour. It deserves, however, to be noticed that the specimens examined were of unequal ages, —some forming the root-stock, others root-branches of the respective plants,—a circumstance which considerably diminishes the value of a comparative examination of them. Furthermore, all the samples were probably injured by the wet season. The root-branches of R. crassiner- vium (from a strong plant of six or seven years old, but which had not flowered) did not re- semble Asiatic rhubarb in either colour or odour. Species.—1, Rheum palmatum, Linn. L. D.—" Leaves roundish-cordate, half palmate ; the lobes pinnatifid, acuminate, deep dull green, not wavy, but uneven, and very much wrinkled on the upper side, hardly scabrous at the edge, minutely downy on the under side ; sinus completely closed ; the lobes of the leaf standing forwards beyond it. Petiole pale green, marked with short purple lines, terete, obscurely channelled quite at the upper end. Flowering stems taller than those of any other species" (Lindley).—Perennial. Grows spontaneously in the Mon- golian empire, on the confines of China. (Murray, App. Med. vol. iv. p. 363.) Extensively cultivated near Banbury, in Oxfordshire, for the supply of English rhubarb to the London market. Its leaf-stalks make excellent tarts and puddings. Prof. Guibourt (Hist, des Drog.) observes that of the roots of R. palmatum, undulatum, compactum, and Rhaponticum, those of the first species only pos- sess the exact odour and taste (grittiness excepted) of the China rhubarb. But rhubarb procured from this species cultivated in England is distinguished by several characters from Asiatic rhubarb. How far these may be the result of climate I am not prepared to say. %. Rheum nndlllatlim, Linn. D.—" Leaves oval, obtuse, extremely wavy, deep green, with veins purple at the base, often shorter than the petiole, distinctly and copiously downy on each side, looking as if frosted when young, scabrous at the edge; sinus open, wedge-shaped, with the lower lobes of the leaves turned upwards. Petiole downy, blooded, semicylindrical, with elevated edges to the upper side, which is narrower at the upper than the lower end" (Lindley).— Perennial. Grows in Siberia (Georgi and Pallas, cited by Murray), (App. Med.) and China (Ammann, quoted by Lindley). Cultivated in France, and yields part of the French rhubarb. (Guibourt, Hest. des Drog.) It was formerly cultivated in Siberia as the real officinal plant; but, as genuine rhubarb could not be procured from it, its cultivation has been given up. (Guibourt, Hist. des Drog.) r. T , %. Rheum Compactum, Ltnn.—" Leaves heart-shaped, obtuse, and wavy, deep green, of a thick texture, scabrous at the margin, quite smooth on both sides, glossy and even on the upper side; sinus nearly closed by the parenchyma. Petiole green, hardly tinged with red, except at the base, semicylindrical, a little compressed at the sides, with the upper side broad, flat, bordered by elevated edaes and of equal breadth at each end" (Lindley)—Perennial. Grows in Tartary and China. Cultivated in France, and yields part of the French rhu- RHEUM. 263 barb. (Guibourt, supra cit.) This rhubarb is a very fair imitation of that f China; but is distinguished by its reddish tint, its different odour (common t< to it. undulatum, and R. rhaponticum), its close and radiated marbling, its tinging the saliva, and its not grating under the teeth. Fig. 195. Fig. 196. Rheum palmatum. Rheum compactum. 4. Rheum Emodi, Wallich ; R. australe, Don.—" Leaves cordate, acute, dull green, but little wavy, flattish, very much wrinkled, distinotly rough, with coarse short hairs on each side; sinus of the base distinctly open, not wedge-shaped, but diverging at an obtuse angle, with the lobes nearly turned upwards. Petioles very rough, rounded angular, furrowed ; with the upper side depressed, bordered by an elevated edge, and very much narrower at the upper than the lower end" (Lindley).—Perennial. Grows on the Himalays. Its stalks make excellent tarts and puddings. 6, Rheum Webbianum. (Royle, Must, of the Bot. of the Him. Mountains, p. 318.) 6. Rheum spiciforme. (Royle, Illust. of the Bot. of the Him. Mountains, p. 318.) 7. Rheum Moorcroftianum. (Royle, Must, of the Bot. of the Him. Mountains, p. 318.) These three are Himalayan species. R. Emodi and Webbianum furnish Himalayan rhubarb, whose properties are very different to those of officinal rhubarb. 8. R. Rhaponticum, Linn—Grows in Thrace; borders of the Euxine sea ; north of the Cas- pian ; Siberia, &c. Cultivated in this country for the leaf-stalks, which are used for tarts and puddings. Cultivated also in France, and yields part of the French rhubarb. 9. R. Crassinervium, Fischer.—Habitation un- known. Its roots possess, according to Mr. An- derson, of the Apothecaries' Garden, Chelsea, the colour and odour of Turkey rhubarb. (Lindley, Fl. Med.) 10. R. leucorrtlizum, Pallas; R. nanum, Sievers.—Said to yield White or Imperial rhubarb. Preparation.—The method of curing or preparing Asiatic rhubarb for the market varies somewhat in different localities. In China it is as follows:—The Fig. 197. Rheum Emodi. 264 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. roots are dug up, cleansed, cut in pieces, and dried on stone tables heated be- neath by a fire. During the process the roots are frequently turned. They are afterwards pierced, strung upon cords, and further dried in the sun. (Du Halde, Descrip. Geograph. et Hist, de la Chine, t. iii. p. 492.) In Tartary the Moguls cut the roots in small pieces, in order that they may dry the more readily, and make a hole in the middle of every piece, through which a cord is drawn, in order to suspend them in any convenient place. They han<* them for the most part, about their tents, and sometimes on the horns of their sheep! (Bell, Travels from St. Petersburgh to divers parts of Asia, vol. i. p. 311.) Sie- vers, however, states that the roots are cut in pieces, strung upon threads, and dried under sheds, so as to exclude the solar rays ; and the same author tells us, that sometimes a year elapses from the time of their collection until they are ready for exportation. (Duncan, Suppl. to the Edinb. New Disp. p. 88.) Description—I am acquainted with six kinds of rhubarb, namely, Russian, Dutch-trimmed, Chinese, Himalayan, English, and French. l. Russian or Bucharian Rhubarb; Turkey Rhubarb, offic. (radix rhei rus- sici seu muscovitici, s. bucharici, s. sibirici, s. turcici)—This kind of rhubarb is imported from St. Petersburgh. It is said formerly to have been brought by way of Natolia: hence the name of Turkey rhubarb, which it ordinarily bears in the shops. (Murray, App. Med. vol. iv. p. 379.) According to the treaty entered into between the Russians and Chinese, the commerce between the two nations takes place at the frontiers. Kiachta is the Russian, Maimatschin the Chinese, frontier town. All the so-called Russian rhubarb is brought to Kiachta by Bucharian merchants, who have entered into a contract to supply the government with that drug in exchange for furs. It is collected on that long chain of mountains of Tartary, destitute, for the most part of woods, and which arises not far from the town of Selin, and extends to the south as far as the lake Kokonor, near Thibet. It is conveyed in woollen sacks, on camels, to Kiachta, where it is examined with much care, in the pre- sence of the Bucharians, by the apothecary stationed at Kiachta for the purpose. The worm-eaten pieces are rejected, the others bored to ascertain their sound- ness, and all the damaged or decayed parts are cut awa)\ In accordance with the terms of the contract, the pieces which do not pass the examination are burned; the remainder is then transmitted to Petersburgh, and from thence to us. (Pallas, Voyages en differ. Prov. del'Empire de Russie, t. iv. p. 216, et seq.) It is imported in boxes or cases, covered with a pitched cloth, on the outside of which is a hide. The size of the pieces is various; but, in commerce, the small ones are preferred, and they are, therefore, picked out, and sold as radix rhei turcici electa—the larger pieces and the dust being employed for powdering. Their shapes are various, being angular, rounded, irregular, &c. The external appearance of many of the pieces seem to show that the cortical portion of the root had been shaved off longitudinally by successive strokes of a knife ; hence the angular appearance of the external surface. Holes are observed in many of the pieces: some of them extend completely, others only partially, through. Those which extend only to the centre have been evidently made for the pur- pose of examining the condition of the interior of the pieces. Externally the pieces are covered with a bright yellow-coloured powder, usu- ally said to be produced by the mutual friction of the pieces in the chests, during their passage to this country ; though many druggists believe it is derived from the process of rouncing (that is, shaking in a bag with powdered rhubarb), be- fore its exportation. The odour is strong and peculiar, but somewhat aromatic; it is considered by druggists to be so delicate, that in all wholesale drug-houses a pair of gloves is kept in the Russian rhubarb drawer, with which only are the assistants permitted to handle the pieces. When chewed it feels gritty under the teeth, from the presence of numerous crystals of oxalate of lime : it commu- RHEUM. 265 nicates a bright yellow colour to the saliva, and has a bitter, slightly astringent taste. Beneath the dust with which the pieces are covered, the surface has a reddish- white tint, owing to the intermixture of white and red parts. The yellowish- white parts have the form of lines or veins, which, by their union with each other, assume a reticular form. Irregularly scattered over the surface we ob- serve small star-like spots and depressions, of a darker colour. The transverse fracture is uneven, and presents numerous brownish-red or dark carmine-coloured undulating veins. The longitudinal fracture is still more uneven, and shows the longitudinal direction of the veins, which are often interrupted with white. The surface obtained by cutting is more or less yellow, and often exposes the veins, disposed in groups. By boiling very thin slices of the root in water, and then submitting them to the microscope, we observe the cellular tissue, annular ducts, and numerous conglomerate raphides (clumps of Fig. 198 crystals of oxalate of lime). From 100 grs. of Russian rhubarb, Mr. Quekett procured between 35 and 40 grs. of these raphides. (Lindley's Introduction to Botany, 3d ed. p. 553.) Turpin considered the presence of these crystals sufficient to distinguish Russian and Chinese rhubarb from that grown in Europe; but in some specimens of English rhubarb I have met with these crystals in as great abun- dance as in foreign rhubarb. According to Raspail (Chim. Organ.) they are situated in the interstices of the elongated cellular tissue; but this statement is erroneous, the situa- tion of the crystals being in the interior of the cells. „ . , f „ , . * t.] Mix them [macerate for twenty-four hours, D.~\ ; then, with a slow fire, [the heat of a vapour bath, E.] let a gallon [seven pints, E. five pints, D.] distil.)— The dried flowers may be substituted for the fresh ones. Druggists frequently prepare this compound by dissolving a few drops of oil of lavender in a fluid- ounce of rectified spirit. Employed only in the preparation of the Linimentum Camphorce compositum (p. 251) and the Tinctura Lavandulce composita. Lavender Water.—The fragrant perfume sold in the shops, under the name of Lavender Water, is a solution of the oil of lavender and of other odoriferous substances in spirit. There are various formulae for its preparation, scarcely two manufacturers adopting precisely the same one. Tlie following yields a most excellent product:—Oil of Lavender, Oil of Bergamot, aa. f3iij.; Otto of Roses, Oil of Cloves, aa. gtt. vj.; Musk, gr. ij.; Oil of Rosemary, f 3j.; Honey, 3j.; Benzoic Acid, 9ij.; Rectified Spirit, Oj.; Distilled Water, 3iij. Mi.v, and, after standing a sufficient time (the longer the better), filter. This agreeable perfume may be em- ployed for scenting spirit washes, .] ; [Cloves! bruised, 3ij. E. (U. S.) D.] Red Sandal [Saunders, offic] Wood, raspings, 3v. [3iij E. (U. S.) 3j- D.] Macerate for fourteen [seven, E. ten Df\ days,' and filter [through calico, E.] )—Stimulant, cordial, and stomachic. Employed to relieve gastric uneasiness, flatulence, low spirits, languor, faintness, &c. A favourite remedy with hysterical and hypochondriacal persons—Dose, from f3ss. to f3ij. administered in water or on sugar. The red Saunders wood is merely a colouring ingredient. 278 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. 2. MENTHA VIR'IDIS, Linn. L. E. D. (U. S.)—SPEARMINT. Sex. Syst. Didynamia, Gymnospermia. (Herba, D— Herb, E.) History.—Hippocrates employed in medicine a plant which he terms Mivdrj, (p. 359, &c. ed. Foes.); but it is uncertain what particular species he referred to. On account of its agreeable odour it was also called 'HSuotf^ov (from ytivg, sweet; and oo^r), smell), a name by which Dioscorides (lib. iii. cap. 41,) desig. nates it. Slrabo tells us that Minthe was a concubine of Pluto, and that she was changed by Proserpine into a plant, which was called after her. Ovid (Metamorph. lib. x. ver. 729,) also alludes to this fable. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx campanulate or tubular, five-toothed, equal or somewhat two-lipped, with the throat naked inside or villous. Corolla with the tube inclosed, the limb campanulate, nearly equal, four-cleft: the upper seg- ment broader, nearly entire or emarginate. Stamens four, equal, erect, dis- tant ; filaments smooth, naked ; anthers with two parallel cells. Style shortly bifid, with the lobes bearing stigmas at the points. Achenia dry, smooth (Bentham). Sp. char.—Stem erect, smooth. Leaves subsessile, ovate lanceolate, un- equally serrated, smooth; those under the flowers are all bract-like, rather longer than the whorls; those last and the calyxes hairy or smooth. Spikes cylindrical, loose. Whorls approximated, or the lowest or all of them distant (Bentham).—Creeping-rooted. Hab.—Marshy places. Indigenous. A native of the milder parts of Europe; also of Africa and America. Perennial. Flowers in August. Selected for medicinal use when about to flower. Properties.—The whole herb, called green-mint or spearmint (herba men- thai viridis), is employed in medicine. It has a strong but peculiar odour, and an aromatic, bitter taste, followed by a sense of coldness when air is drawn into the mouth. Sesquichloride of iron communicates a green colour (tannate of iron) to the cold watery infusion. Composition.—Its odour and aromatic qualities depend on volatile oil. It also contains tannic acid, resin ? a bitter principle, and woody fibre. Volvtile Oil. (S e below.) Physiological Effects. — Aromatic, carminative, mildly stimulant and tonic. Feebler than Peppermint. Said, though without sufficient foundation, to check the secretion of milk, and to act as an emmenagogue. (Linnaeus, in Murray's App. Med. vol. ii. p. 180-1.) Uses.—Employed as a salad and sweet herb. In medicine it is principally used as a flavouring ingredient, and to alleviate or prevent colicky pains. The following are its officinal preparations, with their uses: 1. INFUSUM MENTHA SIMPLEX, D.; Infusion of Spearmint; Spearmint Tea.—(Spearmint leaves, dried, 3ij.; Boiling water, a sufficient quaniity to afford six ounces of strained liquor.)—Stomachic and carminative. Used in irritable conditions of the stomach ; but is ordinarily a vehicle for other reme- dies.—Dose, f3j. to f3ij. or ad libitum. 2. INFUSUM MENTHA COMPOSITUM, D. Compound Infusion of Spearmint.— (Spearmint leaves, dried, 3ij-; Boiling water a sufficient quantity to afford six ounces of strained liquor. Digest for half an hour in a covered vessel, and, when the liquor has grown cold, strain; then add Refined Sugar, 3ij. ; Oil of Spearmint, gtt. iij. dissolved in Compound Tincture of Cardamoms, 3ss. Mix.)— A grateful stomachic, slightly stimulant, and diaphoretic. Employed to allay nausea and vomiting, and to cover the taste of disagreeable medicines.—Dose, f3j- to f3ij- I OLEUM MENTHA VIRIDIS, L. E. D. (U. S.) Oil of Spearmint.—(Obtained by submitting the fresh herb to distillation with water.) It is of a pale yel- PEPPERMINT. 279 lowish colour, but becomes reddish by age. It has the odour and taste of the plant, and is lighter than water; sp. gr. 0-014. It boils at 320° F.; and is composed, according to Dr. Kane, of C35 H28 O. The average produce of the essential oil is not more than l-500th of the fresh herb. (Brande, Diet. Mat. Med. p. 328.) It is carminative and stimulant. Dose, gtt. ij. to gtt. v. rubbed with sugar and a little water. 4. SPIRITUS MENTHA VIRIDIS, L. D. Spirit of Spearmint.—(Oil of Spear- mint, 3iij. [by weight, 3ss. D.]; Proof [Rectified, D.] Spirit, Cong. j. [wine measure, D.]; Water, Oj. [as much as may be sufficient to prevent empyreuma, D.] Mix them; then, with a slow fire, let a gallon distil.)—Dose, f3ss. to f3ij.—This preparation has no advantage over, while it is much weaker than, the more simple and elegant preparation, the essence of spearmint of the shops. Essence of Spearmint.—Dissolve f 3j. of Oil of Spearmint in f 3j. of Rectified Spirit. It may be coloured green by spearmint or spinach leaves. Dose, gtt. x. to gtt. xx. taken on sugar or in water. [This is the same as the Tinctura Olet Mentha Viridis (U. S. P.), for which the formula is, Oil of Spearmint, f 3 i j -; Alcohol, Oj. Dissolve the oil in the alcohol.] 5. A QUA MENTM VIRIDIS, L. E. D. (U. S.) Spearmint WW.—(Spear- mint leaves, if dried, lb. ij. ; if fresh, lb. iv. [or Oil of Spearmint, 3ij- L.]; Proof Spirit, 3vij. [Rectified Spirit, f3iij. E.]; Water, Cong. ij. Mix. Let a gallon distil. The Dublin College employs no spirit; and distils a gallon of water from lb. jss. of herb.)—Spearmint water is usually made extemporaneously by suspending or dissolving a drachm of the oil in four pints of distilled water, by means of a drachm of rectified spirit and a lump of sugar, [or by means of mag- nesias carb. (U. S.) without the alcoho'l.] Spearmint water is carminative and stomachic. It is commonly used as a vehicle for other medicines. Its dose is f3j. to f3 iij. 3. MENTHA PIPERITA, Linn. L. E. D. (U. S.)—PEPPERMINT. Sex. Syst. Didynamia, Gymnospermia. (Herba, D.—Herb: Volatile Oil, £.) History.—This plant was probably introduced into medicine in the last cen- tury; at least Hill, (Hist, of the Mat. Med. p. 358,) in 1751, says that it " has lately got into great esteem;" and Geiger (Handb. d. Pharm. Bd. iii. S. 1230) says, it was introduced into Germany as a medicine, through the recommenda- tions of the English, in the latter half of the last century. Botany. Gen. char.—See Mentha viridis. Sp. char.—Stem smooth. Leaves petiolated, ovate-oblong, acute, serrate, rounded-crenate at the base, smooth. Spikes lax, obtuse, short, interrupted at the base. Pedicels and calyx at the base smooth; teeth hispid (Bentham).— Creeping-rooted. Hub.—Watery places. Indigenous. Extensively cultivated at Mitcham, in Surrey, from whence the London market is principally supplied. Found in various parts of Europe; also in Asia, Africa, and America. Properties.—The whole herb (herba menthce piperitee) is officinal. It has a peculiar aromatic odour, and a warm, burning, bitter taste, followed by a sen- sation of coolness when air is drawn into the mouth. Sesquichloride of iron communicates a green colour (tannate of iron) to the cold infusion of pepper- mint. Composition.—The principal constituents are volatile oil, resin ?, a bitter principle, tannic acid, and woody fibre. Volatile Oil (see p. 280). Physiological Effects.—Peppermint is an aromatic or carminative, stimu- lant, and stomachic. It is the most agreeable and powerful of all the mints. Uses—It is employed in medicine for several purposes, but principally to expel flatus, to cover the unpleasant taste of other medicines, to relieve nausea, 280 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. griping pain, and the flatulent colic of children. The following are the officinal preparations, with their uses: 1. OLEUM MENTHiE PIPERITvE, L. E. D., (U. S.) Oil of Peppermint.—.(Ob- tained by submitting the fresh herb to distillation with water.)—It is colourless, or nearly so, sometimes having a pale yellow or greenish tint, and becoming reddish by age. It has a penetrating odour like that of the plant, and a burning aromatic taste, followed by a sensation of cold. The vapour of it applied to the eye causes a feeling of coldness. English Oil of Peppermint is superior to the foreign kind. Its sp. gr. is 0-902. It boils at 365° F.; and consists, according to Dr. Kane, of C31 Ha0 O3. The stearoptene or camphor of oil of peppermint is isomeric with the liquid oil. By the action of oil of vitriol it yields a light oil called menthen (Cai H18). The stearoptene of American oil of peppermint is said to consist of C10 H10 O or C30 H20 O3. In a warm, dry, and favourable season, the produce of oil, from a given quantity of the fresh herb, is double that which it yields in a wet and cold season. The largest produce is three drachms and a half of oil from two pounds of fresh peppermint, and the smallest about a drachm and a half from the same quantity. (Brande, Diet, of Mat. Med. p. 356.) I was informed by a distiller at Mitcham, that twenty mats of the herb (each mat containing about 1 cwt.) yields about seven lbs. of oil. It is carminative and stimulant, and is used occasionally as an antispasmodic. It is taken on sugar, in doses of from gtt. ii. to gtt. v. %. SPIRITUS MENTHA PIPERITA, L. D.; Spiritus Menthce, E.—(Prepared with the Oil of Peppermint, in the same way as the Spiritus Menthce viridis, L. D. before described. The Edinburgh College prepares it thus :—Peppermint, fresh, lb. iss.; Proof Spirit, Ovij. Macerate for two days in a covered vessel; add a pint and a half of water; and distil off seven pints.)—A solution of the oil of peppermint in spirit may with great propriety be substituted for the prepara- tion of the Pharmacopoeias. The spirit of peppermint is given in doses of from f3ss. to f3ij. Essence of Peppermint.—Dissolve f 3j. of Oil of Peppermint in f 3j. of Rectified Spirit. Some persons add peppermint or spinach leaves to communicate a green colour.—[This is the Tinctura Olei Menthae Piperitse, TJ. S. P. See formula for Tr. Ol. Menthse viridis, p. 279.]— The dose of this essence is from gtt. xx. to gtt. xxx. on sugar. I AQUA MENTHA PIPERITA, L. E. D. (U. S.)—(Prepared with the herb or the oil of peppermint in the same way as the A qua Menthce viridis.)—Carminative and stimulant. Used to relieve flatulency, and as a vehicle for other medi- cines. Dose, f 1). to f 3iij- Besides the above, there arc several popular preparations of peppermint extensively used. et. lnfusum Mentha piperitee (Peppermint Tea) is prepared in the same way as spearmint tea. £. Elaosaccharum Mentha piperita, Ph. Bor., is prepared by mixing 3j. of the whitest sugar, in powder, with gtt. xxiv. of the oil of peppermint. y. Rotulte Mentha piperita (in plano-convex masses, called peppermint drops,—in flattened circular disks, termed peppermint lozenges,) should consist of sugar and oil of peppermint only, though flour is sometimes introduced. The liqueur sold at the spirit-shops as mint or peppermint is used as a cordial. 4. MENTHA PULE'GIUM, Linn. L. E. D.—PENNYROYAL. Sex. Syst. Didynamia, Gymnospermia. (Herba, D.—Herb, E.) History.—This plant was employed in medicine by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is the rX^ws °f Hippocrates (p. 359, &c. ed. Foes.) and Diosco- rides, (lib. iii. cap. 36,) and the Pulegium of Pliny. (Hist. Nat. lib. xx. cap. 54, ed Valp.) Botany. Gen. char.—See Mentha viridis. sp. char.—Stem very much branched, prostrate. Leaves petiolated, ovate. COMMON ROSEMARY. 281 Whorls all remote, globose, many-flowered. Calyxes hispid, bilabiate, villous in the inside of the throat (Bentham).—Creeping-rooted. Hah.— Wet commons and margins of brooks. Indigenous. A native of most parts of Europe, of the Caucasus, Chili, and Tenerirfe. Properties.—The herb with the flowers (herba seu summitas pulegii) is employed in medicine. It has a strong but peculiar odour; a hot, aromatic, bitter taste, followed by a feeling of coolness in the mouth. Sesquichloride of iron causes a green colour (tannate of iron) with the cold infusion of pennyroyal. Composition.—Its principal constituents are volatile oil, a bitter matter, resin ?, tannic acid, and woody fibre. Volatile Oil (see below). Physiological Effects.—Its effects are analogous to the other mints. Emmenagogue and antispasmodic properties are ascribed to it by the public, and formerly by medical practitioners. Uses.—A popular remedy for obstructed menstruation, hysterical complaints, and hooping-cough. Rarely employed by the professional man. The following are its officinal preparations, with their uses : 1. OLEUM MENTHA PULEGII, L. E. D.; Oleum Pulegii,offic.; Oil of Penny- royal.—(Obtained by submitting the herb to distillation with water.)—It has a pale colour, a warm taste, and the peculiar odour of the herb. It boils at 395° F. Its sp. gr. is 0-925; and is composed, according to Dr. Kane, of C10 H8 O. The fresh herb yields from 1-120th to 1-100th of its weight of oil. (Brande, Diet. Mat. Med. p. 357.) It is stimulant and carminative, and is used, as an anti- spasmodic and emmenagogue, in doses of from gtt. ij. to gtt. v. taken on sugar. 2. SPIRITUS MENTHA PULEGII, L.; Spiritus Pulegii. Spirit of Pennyroyal. —(Prepared with Oil of Pennyroyal as the Spiritus Menthce viridis).—Usually prepared by dissolving the oil in spirit. Stimulant and carminative. Employed as an antispasmodic and carminative.—Dose, f 3ss. to f3ij. Essence of Pennyroyal (prepared by dissolving f 3j. of the volatile oil in f 3j. of rectified spirit) may be given in doses of from gtt. x. to gtt. xx. %. AQUA MENTIIJ1 PULEGII, L. E. D.; Aqua Pulegii, offic.; Pennyroyal Water.—(Prepared with the herb or oil like Aqua Menthce viridis).—Carmina- tive and stomachic.—Dose, f 3j. to f ^iij. The liquid sold in the shops as Pennyroyal and Hysteric Water is prepared by adding f^ss. of the compound spirit of bryony to Oss. of pennyroyal water. 5. ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS, Linn. L. E. D.—COMMON ROSEMARY. Sex. Syst. Diandria, Monogynia. [Cacumina, L. D.—Tops, E.) (Rosmarinus, U. S.) History.—The Aif3a.vurlg oVspavw/xanx^, or Libanotis coronaria of Diosco- rides, (lib. iii. cap. 89,) is supposed to be our officinal rosemary, which received its name, AijSavwnV (from AiBuvog, Thus) on account of its odour, and tfrsipavw- u.aTixig (flVstpavwu-aTixog, coronariuS) from its use in making garlands. Pliny (Iiist. Nat. lib. xix. cap. 62, ed Valp.) calls it Rosmarinum. The flowers are termed anthos (from avdos, a fioicer), signifying they are the flowers par excel- lence ; just as we call cinchona the bark, and the inspissated juice of the poppy, opium (i. e. tlie juice). Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx ovate-campanulate, two-lipped; the upper lip entire, the lower bifid, the throat naked within. Corolla with a protruding tube, smooth and not ringed in the inside, somewhat inflated in the throat; limb bila- biate ; lips nearly equal, the upper one erect and emarginate, the lower spread- ing, trifid, with the lateral lobes erect, somewhat twisted; the middle lobe very large, concave, and hanging down. No rudiments of the superior stamina: vol. n. 36 282 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. fertile (inferior) ones, two, ascending, protruding: filaments inserted in the throat of the corolla, shortly-toothed near the base : anthers linear, subbilocular; the cells straggling, confluent, connate at the margin, Upper lobe of the style very short. Stigmas minute, terminal. Achenia dry, smooth (Bentham). Sp. char.—The only species.—Leaves sessile, linear, revolute at the edge, hoary beneath. Calyx purplish. Corolla white or pale purplish-blue. Hah.—South of Europe ; also Asia Minor. Properties.—The flowering tops (cacumina rosmarini) are the officinal parts. They have a strong and remarkable odour, and a warm, bitter taste. Composition___The peculiar odour and flavour of this plant depend on vola- tile oil. Besides this, the tops contain tannic acid, a bitter matter, resin ? and woody-fibre. Volatile Oil (see below). Physiological Effects.—Carminative and mildly stimulant, analogous to the other labiate plants. Uses.—Rarely employed medicinally. Infusion of rosemary (rosemary tea) is sometimes used as a substitute for ordinary tea by hypochondriacal persons. The admired flavour of Narbonne honey depends on the bees collecting this substance from rosemary plants which abound in the neighbourhood of Nar- bonne : hence sprigs of rosemary are sometimes added to the honey of other places, in order to imitate the flavour of Narbonne honey. 1. OLEUM ROSMARMI, L. E. D. (U. S.); Oleum Anthos, offic.; Oil of Rose- mary.—(Prepared by submitting the rosemary tops to distillation with water.) —This oil was first procured by Raymond Lully. (Thomson's Hist, of Chem. vol. i. p. 41.) It is transparent and colourless, with the odour of rosemary, and a hot, aromatic taste. Its sp. gr. is 0-897 ; and it boils at 365° F. It consists, according to Dr. Kane, of C45 H38 O3. One pound of the fresh herb yields about one drachm of the oil. (Brande, Diet, of Mat. Med. p. 466.) It is rarely taken internally, but is not unfrequently used externally, in conjunction with other substances, as a stimulating liniment; for example, in alopecia or bald- ness, and also as a perfume.—Dose, gtt. ij. to gtt. v. 2. SPIRITUS ROSMARINI, L. E. D. (U. S.); Spirit of Rosemary.—(Oil of Rosemary, 3ij.; Rectified Spirit, Cong. j.; Water, Oj. Mix them ; then with a slow fire let a gallon distil, L. (U. S.)—The Edinburgh and Dublin Colleges submit the tops [lb. ijss. E. lb. jss. D.~] to distillation with a gallon of Spirit [Rectified, E.; Proof, wine measure, D.~], so as to obtain seven [five, D.~] pints of the distilled spirit.)—It is usually prepared merely by dissolving the oil in spirit, distillation being superfluous. Seldom employed internally. Its principal use is as an odoriferous adjunct to lotions and liniments. It is a constituent of the Linimentum Saponis, and Tinctura Lavandula composita (p. 277). Aqua Hungarica ; Aqua Rosmarini seu Anthos composita; Hungary Water.—Various formulae for the preparation of this perfume have been given. The following is from the Pharm. Wurtem. and Bavar.:—Take of fresh Rosemary, in blossom, lbs. iv.; fresh Sage, in blossom, 3vj.; Zingiber, 3ij. Cut into pieces, and add Rectified Spirit, lb. xij.; Common Water, Oij. Let eleven pints distil by a gentle heat. A hermit is said to have given the for- mula for the preparation of this perfume to a queen of Hungary ; whence this water has been called the Queen of Hungary's water (Aqua Regina Hungaria). Hungary water is frequently imitated by mixing Spirit of Lavender, f 3xij. with Spirit of Rosemary, f3iv.—This liquid is employed principally as a perfume for the toilette; also as an excitant and restorative in faint- ing. Externally it is used as a stimulating liniment. G. ORIG'ANUM VULGA'RE, L. E. D.—COMMON MARJORAM. Sex. Syst. Didynamia. Gyronospermia. (Herb, E.—Oleum ex herba, D.) (Origanum, U. S.) History.—Several kinds of 'Opiyavos are mentioned by the Greek and Latin writers, but their descriptions are too vague to enable us to determine with pre- cision the particular plants referred to. SWEET MARJORAM. 283 Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx ovate, tubular, ten to thirteen-nerved, striated, with five equal or three superior scarcely longer teeth: throat villous within. Tube of the corolla almost the length of the calyx, or scarcely longer; limb sub-bilabiate; upper limb nearly erect, emarginate; the lower spreading, trifid, with nearly equal lobes. Stamina four, protruding, distant, somewhat didyna- mous, the lower ones longer. Style cleft at the point into two nearly equal parts. Achenia dry, somewhat smooth (Bentham). sp. char.—Erect, villous. Leaves petiolate, broad-ovate, obtuse, subserrate, rounded at the base, green on both sides. Spikes oblong or cylindrical, clus- tered in corymbose panicles. Bracts ovate, obtuse, coloured, half as long again as the calyx (Bentham).—Creeping-rooted. Flowers light purple. Hah.—In bushy places, on a limestone and gravelly soil. Indigenous. A native of several parts of Europe ; also of Asia. Flowers in July and August. Properties.—The whole herb (herba origani) is officinal. It has a pecu- liar aromatic odour, and a warm, pungent taste. Sesquichloride of iron pro- duces a green colour (tannate of iron) with the cold infusion of origanum. Composition.— Volatile oil, resin?, tannic acid, a bitter principle, and woody fibre, are the principal constituents of this plant. Physiological Effects.—Stimulant and carminative, like the other labiate plants. Uses.—Principally employed to yield the volatile oil. The dried leaves have been used as a substitute for China tea. (Murray, App. Med. vol. ii. p. 173.) The infusion of origanum has been administered lit chronic cough, asthma, and amenorrhoea. OLEUM ORIGANI, L. E. D. (U. S.); Oil of Common Marjoram; Oil of Thyme, offic.—(Obtained by submitting the herb to distillation with common water.) As imported it has a red colour, of which it may be deprived by redis- tillation. Mr. Whipple has shown me a sample, obtained by him, which was as colourless as water. The taste of this oil is acrid, its odour that of the plant. It boils at 354° F., and is composed, according to Dr. Kane, of C60 H40 O. Its sp. gr. is 0-867. The average produce of essential oil from the herb is one pound from two hundred weight; but it varies exceedingly with the season and culture of the plant. (Brande, Diet. Mat. Med. p. 401.)—It is a powerful acrid and stimulant; and is applied to carious teeth by means of lint or cotton, to re- lieve toothache. Mixed with olive oil, it is frequently employed as a stimulating liniment against alopecia or baldness, rheumatic or paralytic affections, sprains, bruises, &c. 7. MAJORA'NA HORTEN'SIS, Mcench.—SWEET MARJORAM. Origanum Majorana, Linn. D. Sex. Syst. Didynamia, Gymnospermia. (Herba, D.) History.—Some botanists regard the d^a^axos of Hippocrates, (page 585 and 645, ed. Foes.) the tfafx-^i^ov of Dioscorides, (lib. iii. cap. 47,) the Amaracum or Sampsuchum of Pliny, (Hist. Nat. lib. xxi. cap. 35, ed. Valp.) as being the Majorana hortensis. (Dierbach, Arzneimittell. d. Hippokrat. p. 179.) Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx very shortly campanulate at the base; the limb cleft superiorly, flattened and dilated, quite entire, orbicular; the margin rolled in beneath the base ; fauces naked. Tube of the corolla as long as the calyx ; limb sub-bilabiate, the upper lip nearly erect, emarginate, the lower one spreading, trifid, with almost equal lobes. Stamens four, protruding, distant, didynamous, the inferior ones longest. Anthers two-celled; the cells parallel, diverging or becoming straggling. Style cleft into two nearly equal parts. Stigmas minute (Bentham). Sp. char.—Brandies smoothish, racemose-paniculate. Leaves petiolate, ob- 284 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. long-ovate, obtuse, quite entire, on both sides hoary-tomentose. Spikelets oblong, on sessile, crowded branchlets (Bentham).—Flowers purple or white. Hah.—Africa and Asia. Cultivated in kitchen-gardens. Properties.—The whole plant (herba majorance) has a warm aromatic fla- vour, and a peculiar savoury smell. Its watery infusion is deepened in colour (tannate of iron) by sesquichloride of iron. Composition.—By distillation the plant yields volatile oil. The other con- stituents are tannic acid, resin ?, bitter matter, and woody fibre. Oil of Sweet Marjoram (Oleum Majorana) is pale yellow or brownish, with the strong odour and taste of marjoram. Physiological Effects.—Tonic and mild stimulant. Uses.—Principally employed as a sweet herb by the cook (see vol. i. p. 181). Its powder is sometimes used, either alone or mixed with some other powder, as an errhine. Marjoram tea is occasionally employed as a popular remedy for nervous complaints. 8. MELISSA OFFICINALIS, Linn. E. D.—COMMON BALM. Sex. Syst. Didynamia, Gymnospermia. (Herba, D— Herb, E.) (Melissa, U. S.) History.—Sprengel (Hist. Rei. Herb. t. i. p. 100,) considers this plant to be the (jusXirftfoipuXXov or fjt,sXiV.—Leaves, E.) (Digitalis, U. S.) History.—It appears very improbable that the ancients should have over- looked so common and elegant a plant as foxglove; yet in none of their writings can we find any plant whose description precisely answers to the one now under examination. Fabricius Columna (quoted by Mentzelius, Index Nom. Plant, p. 104) thought that it was the 'Ep^spov of Dioscorides, (lib. iv. cap. 85,) but the description of the latter does not at all agree with foxglove. The Bax^apif (lib. iii. cap. 51) of the same writer has also been referred to, but with little more probability of correctness. The term Foxer-glope occurs in a MS., Glossa- rium jElfrici, probably written before the Norman Conquest (A.D. 1066), and in a MS. Saxon translation of L. Apulius ; both of which are among the Cotto- nian manuscripts in the British Museum. (Lye, Diet. Saxon.) Fuchsius (Hist. Stirp. 1542) is usually regarded as the earliest botanist who mentions this plant, which he named Digitalis (from Fingerhut, a finger-stall, on account of the blos- soms resembling the finger of a glove). Fuchsius states, that until he gave it this appellation, the plant had no Greek or Latin name. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx five-partite, unequal. Corolla campanulate: the limb obliquely four-lobed ; the lobes unequal. Stamens four, didynamous; no vestige of the fifth apparent. Stigma simple or bilamellate. Capsule ovate- acuminate. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. char.—Segments of the calyx ovate, acute. Corolla obtuse ; its upper lobe scarcely cloven. Leaves downy (Smith). Herbaceous. Root of numerous long and slender fibres ; biennial. Stem erect, three or four feet high, commonly simple, roundish with several slight angles, downy. Leaves alternate, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong crenate, downy, rugged, and veiny, of a dull green ; tapering at the base into winged footstalks ; lower ones largest. Raceme terminal, erect, one-sided, long, simple, of numerous, large, pendulous, odourless flowers. Corolla crimson, elegantly marked with eye-like spots, as well as hairy, within. A variety with white flowers, spotted with shades of cream-colour or pearl, is met with in gardens: it remains toterably constant from seed. Hah.—Indigenous: in pastures and about hedges or banks, on a gravelly or sandy soil. Description.—The officinal parts are the leaves and seeds; the latter, how- ever, are rarely employed. As some doubts have been expressed as to the equal activity of cultivated specimens, wild or native plants are to be preferred. 1. Foxglore leaves (Folia Digitalis)—The leaves should be gathered when the plant is in the greatest perfection,—that is, just before or during the period of inflorescence; and those are to be preferred which are full-grown and fresh. As the petioles possess less activity than the laminae or expanded portions of the leaves, they ought to be rejected. Dr. Withering (Account of tlie Foxglove, p. purple foxglove. 287 181, 1785,) directs the leaves to be dried either in the sunshine, or in a tin pan or pewter dish before the fire; but the more usual, and, I believe, better mode of proceeding, is to dry them in baskets in a dark place, in a drying stove. Both dried leaves and powder should be preserved in well-stoppered bottles, covered externally by dark-coloured paper, and kept in a dark cupboard. As both undergo changes by keeping, whereby their medicinal activity is consider- ably diminished, they ought to be renewed annually. Dried foxglove leaves have a dull green colour, a faint odour, and a bitter nauseous taste. 2. Foxglove seeds (Semina Digitalis).—The seeds of the foxglove are small, roundish, and of a grayish-brown colour. Composition.—The chemistry of digitalis is in an unsatisfactory state. This arises from the inconclusive and discordant results obtained by those who have submitted this plant to chemical examination. Analyses of it have been published by Destouches, (Bull, de Pliarm. t. i. p. 123,) Bidault de Villiers, (Essai sur les Propr. mecl. de la Digit, pourp. 3e edit. 1812,) Rein and Haase, (Diss, de Digit, purp. 1812, quoted in Schwartze's Pharm. Tabell.) Le Royer, (Bibl. Uuivcrs. des Sciences, t. xxvii. p. 102, 1824, Geneve,) Welding, (Journ. of the Philadelphia Coll. of Pharm. July, 1833,) Radig, (Pharm. Central-Blatt far 1835, S. 209,) and Brault and Poggiale. (Journ. de Pharm. t. xxi. p. 130. 1835.) Schlesinger, (Pharm. Central-Blatt. far 1839, p. 632,) in 1839, ana- lyzed the leaves of a Digitalis (folia Digitalis ambiguce). Radig's Analysis. Picrin (Digitalin of Le Royer)................ 0-4 Digitalin (of Lancelot)........................ 8'2 Scaptin (acrid extractive)...................... 14-7 Chlorophylle.................................. 6 0 Oxide of iron................................. 3-7 Potash........................................ 3 2 Acetic acid.................................... 110 Vegetable albumen............................ 9-3 Woody fibre................................... 436 Foxglove leaves. Brault and Poggiale's Analysis. Resin. Fatty matter. Chlorophylle. Starch. Gum. Lignin. Tannin. Salts of lime and potash. Volatile oil. Fixed oil. Oxalate of potash. Foxglove leaves. 1. Digitalina of Lancelot (Pharm. Central-Blatt. fur 1833, p. 620,) and of Radig. (Op. supra cit.) This substance has been obtained by Radig in small crystals, whose forms were not accurately determined. It is colourless, has an acrid taste, is unchanged in the air, renders syrup of violets green, and restores the blue colour of reddened litmus. It is soluble in alcohol and in acids: the solutions were very bitter, and were decomposed by water, by diacetate of lead, and by infusion of nutgalls. Concentrated sulphuric acid first reddens digitalina, and then makes it olive-green. By distillation it does not evolve ammonia. Dr. David found that, when from \ to \\ grains were injected into the veins of an animal, death speedily ensues with- out convulsions, and with the same effect upon the pulse which characterizes digitalis. 2. Picrin (from ?r/K^oc, bitter).—The substance which Radig culls picrin, and which he says is identical with the digitalin of Le Royer, is bitter, hygrometric, soluble in water, alcohol, and ether, and precipilable from its watery solution by bichloride of mercury, ferrocyanide of iron, and acetate of lead. Brault and Poggiale, however, declare the digitalin of Le Royer to be a compound of chlorophylle resin, a fatty matter, and some traces of salts of lime and potash; and they ascribe the activity of foxglove to the combination of all the principles of which this plant is composed, but especially to the resin. 3. Scaptin—Radig h,is applied the term scaptin to a brown, almost tasteless extractive, which leaves an acrid sensation in the throat. 4. EinrvREuiuATic Oil. of Foxglove (Pyrodigitalina).—By the destructive distillation of the dried leaves of foxglove, Dr. Monies (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xxxix. p. 377,) obtained a coloured, disagreeable, empyreumatic oil, which was semi-solid at 60° F. and soluble in boil- ing alcohol and ether: the solution, on cooling, let fall a flocculent precipitate composed of two substances, one crystalline, the other globular. Given to a rabbit, it caused paralysis of the hind legs, convulsions, laborious and rapid breathing, and accelerated action of the heart. It does not contain the sedative principle of foxglove. Chemical Characteristics.—Sesquichloride of iron causes a dark preci- pitate (tanno-gallate of iron) with decoction of foxglove leaves, as well as with the tincture diluted with water. A solution of gelatine, added to the decoction, causes, after some time, a scanty precipitate (tannate of gelatine). Tincture of 288 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.. nutgalls has scarcely any effect (perhaps a slight turbidness) when added to the decoction or to the tincture diluted with water. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables—Marcet (Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. vol. xxix. p. 200,) found that a solution of the watery extract of fox- glove killed a haricot plant (Phaseolus vulgaris) in twenty-four hours. f3. On Animals generally.—The effects of foxglove have been tried on dogs, (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) horses, rabbits, (Le Roger, Bibl. Univ. June 1824,) turkeys, (Salerne, Hist, de VAcad. des Scien. 1748, p. 84,) the domestic fowl, and frogs ; and on all it has been found to act as a poison. One drachm of the powder may be given to horses as a sedative in inflammation. (Youatt, The Horse, in Libr. of Usef. Knowledge.) Two ounces have produced death in twelve hours. (Moiroud, Pharm. Veter. p. 354.) According to the experience of Orfila, the first symptoms of poisoning observed in [carnivorous] animals is vomiting. The influence of the poison over the heart does not appear to be uni- form; for in some cases he found the pulsations of this viscus unaltered, in others accelerated, while occasionally they were retarded. In the horse killed by two ounces of foxglove, the pulse was 130 per minute, a short time before death (Moiroud): the standard pulse of the horse being 40 or 42 per minute. The cerebro-spinal symptoms observed in animals, are diminished muscular power, convulsive movements, tremors, and insensibility. The powder acts as a local irritant, giving rise to inflammation of parts to which it is applied (Or- fila). y. On Man.—We may, for convenience, establish three degrees of the ope- ration of foxglove. In the first degree, or that produced by small and repeated doses, foxglove sometimes affects what are termed the organic functions, without disordering the animal or cerebro-spinal functions. Thus we sometimes have the stomach dis- ordered, the pulse altered in frequency, and sometimes also in fulness and regu- larity, and the secretion of urine increased, without any other marked symp- toms. The order in which the symptoms just mentioned occur is not uniform : sometimes the diuresis, at others nausea, and occasionally the affection of the circulation, being the first obvious effect. The influence of foxglove over the circulation is not at all constant. In some cases the frequency of the pulse is augmented, in others decreased, while in some it is unaffected. Lastly, in a considerable number of instances, the pulse becomes irregular or intermittent under the use of foxglove. (See the statistical resume of Sandras, Bull, de Therap. t. vi.) A few drops of the tincture will, in some cases, reduce the frequency of the pulse, and render it irregular and in- termittent, while in other instances much larger doses may be taken without any obvious effect on it. Dr. Withering (Account of the Foxglove, p. 73, 1785) men- tions one case in which the pulse fell to 40, and I have several times seen it re- duced to 50. In some cases the slowness of the pulse is preceded by an increased activity of the vascular system. From Sandras's (op. cit.) reports this would appear to occur more frequently after small than large doses of fox- glove. Dr. Sanders (Treat, on Pulm. Consumption, ed. 1808,) indeed asserts, that foxglove invariably excites the pulse, and refers to an experience of 2000 cases in proof. He says, that he has seen the pulse rise from 70 to 120 under the use of foxglove, and at the end of twenty-four hours, or sooner, fall with greater or less rapidity to forty, or even below this. But an experience of the use of foxglove in only twenty cases, will, I believe, convince most persons that Dr. Sanders has fallen into an error in the sweeping assertion which ho has made. A great deal, however, depends on the position of the patient. If it be desired to reduce the frequency of the pulse, the patient should be kept in a re- cumbent posture. The important influence of posture was first pointed out, I believe, by Dr. Baildon. (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. iii. p. 270.) His own pulse, which had been reduced by this plant from 110 to 40 beats per PURPLE FOXGLOVE. 289 minute while he was in the recumbent position, rose to 70 when he sat up, and to 100 when he stood. We have a ready explanation of this fact. In a state of health the pulsations of the heart are more frequent (usually to the extent of five or six in the minute) in the erect than in the horizontal position; and it is very obvious that greater force is required to carry on the circulation in the former than in the latter, since, in the erect position, the heart and arteries have to send blood to the head against gravity. Now, the power of the heart being enfeebled by foxglove, when a demand is made on this viscus for an increase in the force of contractions by the change from the recum- bent to the standing attitude, it endeavours to make up for its diminished force by an increase in the frequency of its contractions. I need scarcely add that the sudden change of position in those who are much under the influence of this medicine, is attended with great danger, and in several instances has proved fatal; for, in consequence of the heart not having sufficient power to propel the blood to the head against gravity, fatal syncope has been the re- sult.1 The mfluence of digitalis over the pulse is more marked in some indi- viduals or cases than in others; thus the reduction of the frequency of the pulse is in general more readily induced in weak and debilitated constitutions than in robust and plethoric ones. Occasionally no obvious effect on the num- ber, force, or regularity of the pulse is produced, though the foxglove may be given to an extent sufficient to excite vomiting and cerebral disorder. Shrock (quoted by Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. ii. Gift. Bd. ii. S. 311,) experienced, from two grains of foxglove, nausea, headache, small, soft, and quick pulse, dryness of the gums and throat, giddiness, weakness of limbs, and increased secretion of saliva. Some hours after he observed sparks before the eyes, his vision became dim, and he experienced a sensation of pressure on the eyeballs. Amost important fact connected with the repeated uses of small doses of it, is the cumulative effect sometimes observed. It has not unfrequently happened that, in consequence of the continued use of small doses of this medicine, very dangerous symptoms, in some cases terminating in death, have occurred. The most prominent of these were great depression of the vascular system, giddiness, want of sleep, convulsions, and sometimes nausea and vomiting.3 A knowledge of its occasional occurrence impresses us with the necessity of exercising great caution in the use of this remedy, particularly with respect to the continuance of its administration and increase of dose; and it shows that after the constitu- tional effect has become obvious, it is prudent to suspend from time to time the exhibition of the remedy in order to guard against the effects of this alarming accumulation. I may add, however, that I have used it, and seen others employ it, most extensively, and in full doses, and have rarely seen any dangerous con- sequences ; and I believe, therefore, the effects of accumulation to be much less frequent than the statements of authors of repute would lead us to expect. The experience of Dr. Holland (Med. Notes and Reflections, p. 544) is to the same effect. " Though employing the medicine somewhat largely in 'practice," he observes, "1 do not recollect a case in which I have seen any injurious conse- quences from this cause." The diuretic operation for which we employ foxglove is very inconstant. Dr. Withering stated, that this medicine more frequently succeeds as a diuretic than any other, and that if it fail, there is but little chance of any other remedy succeed- ing. My experience, however, is not in accordance with Dr. Witherino-'s. I have frequently seen foxglove fail in exciting diuresis, and have found the°infusion of common broom (Cytisus scoparius) subsequently succeed. It has been asserted by some, that the diuretic effect of foxglove was only observed in dropsical i For some interesting remarks on the Effects produced on posture by the pulse, by Dr. Graves consult Dubl. Ho?p. Rep. vol. x. p. 561. ' ■2 f;'o the cages published by Dr. Withering, op. cit.; also a fatal case recorded by Dr. Blackall, On Dropsy, vol. ii. 37 290 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. cases, and that it, therefore, depended on the stimulus given to the absorbent vessels, and not to any direct influence exerted over the kidneys; but the state- ment is not true, since foxglove is sometimes found acting as a diuretic even in health. In some cases the bladder has appeared more irritable than usual, the patient having a frequent desire to pass his urine. An increased flow of saliva is an occasional consequence of the continued use of moderate doses of foxglove. Dr. Withering (op. cit. S. 164) first noticed this effect. Dr. Barton (Beck's Med. Jurisprudence) has also seen it produced from ordinary doses. 2. The second degree of operation of digitalis, or that ordinarily resulting from the use of too large or too long-continued doses, is manifested by the disordered condition of the alimentary canal, of the circulating organs, and of the cerebro- spinal system. The more ordinary symptoms are nausea or actual vomiting, slow and often irregular pulse, coldness of the extremities, syncope or tendency to it, giddiness, and confusion of vision. Sometimes the sickness is attended with purging, or even with diuresis ; at other times the patient is neither vomited nor purged ; and the principal disorder of system is observed in the altered condition of the nervous and vascular organs. External objects appear of a green or yellow colour; the patient fancies there is a mist, or-sparks, before his eyes; a sensation of weight, pain, or throbbing of the head, especially in the frontal region, is experienced; giddiness, weakness of the limbs, loss of sleep, occasionally stupor or delirium, and even convulsions, may also be present. The pulse becomes feeble, sometimes frequent, sometimes slow; there may be actual syncope, or only a tendency to it, and profuse cold sweats. Salivation is sometimes induced by poisonous doses of foxglove. It was observed in a case, narrated by Dr. Henry, (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. vii. p. 148,) and has been known to last three weeks. (Rust's Magazin, xxv. 578.) The quantity of digitalis that may be given to a patient without destroying life, is much greater than is ordinarily imagined. In one instance I saw twenty drops of the tincture given to an infant labouring under hydrocephalus, three times daily for a fortnight, at the end of which time the little patient was com- pletely recovered, without one untoward symptom. I have frequently given a drachm of the tincture (of the best quality) three times daily to an adult, for a fortnight, without observing any marked effect. I know that some practitioners employ it in much larger doses (as an ounce or half an ounce of the tincture), with much less effect than might be imagined. The following communication on this subject, from my friend Dr. Clutterbuck, illustrates this point:—" My first information on this subject was derived from an intelligent pupil, who had been an assistant to Mr. King, a highly respectable practitioner at Saxmundham, in Suffolk, who, on a subsequent occasion, personally confirmed the statement. This gentleman assured me, that he had been for many years in the habit of administering the tincture of digitalis, to the extent of from half an ounce to an ounce at the time, not only with safety, but with the most decided advantage, as a remedy for acute inflammation,—not, however, to the exclusion of blood- letting, which, on the contrary, he previously uses with considerable freedom. To adults he often gives an ounce of the tincture (seldom less than half an ounce), and awaits the result of twenty-four hours, when, if he does not find the pulse subdued, or rendered irregular by it, he repeats the dose; and this, he says, seldom fails to lower the pulse in the degree wished for; and when this is the case, the disease rarely fails to give way, provided it has not gone the length of producing disorganization of the part. ' He has given as much as two drachms to a child of nine months. Sometimes vomiting quickly follows these large doses of the digitalis, but never any dangerous symptom, as far as his observa- tion has gone, which has been very extensive. In less acute cases he some- times gives smaller doses, as thirty drops, several times in a day. " Such is the account 1 received from Mr. King himself, and which was con- PURPLE FOXGLOVE. 291 firmed by h'13 assistant, who prepared his medicines. I do not see any ground for questioning the faithfulness of the report. I have myself exhibited the tinc- ture to the extent of half an ounce (never more), in not more than two or three instances (cases of fever and pneumonia). To my surprise there was no strik- ing effect produced by it; but I did not venture to repeat the dose, hi numer- ous instances I have given two drachms; still more frequently one drachm; but not oftener than once in twenty-four hours, and not beyond a second or third time. Two or three exhibitions of this kind I have generally observed to be followed by slowness and irregularity of pulse, when I have immediately de- sisted." Dr. T. Williams (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. i. p. 744) states, that a man, in a state of intoxication, took two ounces of tincture of foxglove in two doses, in quick succession, without the slightest inconvenience. 3. The third degree of the operation of foxglove, or that resulting from the use of fatal doses, is characterized usually by vomiting, purging, and griping pain in the bowels ; slow, feeble, and irregular pulse, great faintness, and cold sweats ; disordered vision ; at first giddiness, extreme debility ; afterwards in- sensibility and convulsions, with dilated insensible pupils. If we compare the effects of foxglove with those of other medicinal agents, we find they approximate more closely to those of tobacco than of any other cere- bro-spinant. Those two agents especially agree in their power of enfeebling the action of the heart and arteries (vol. i. p. 178). Green tea agrees with fox- glove in its properly of preventing sleep. Considered as a diuretic, foxglove is, in some respects, comparable with squills. I have already pointed out the pe- culiarities attending the operation of each of these. Uses.—We employ foxglove for various purposes, as—lstly, to reduce the frequency and force of the heart's action; 2dly, to promote the action of the absorbents ; 3dly, as a diuretic ; and 4thly, sometimes on account of its specific influence over the cerebro-spinal system. In the following remarks on the uses of foxglove in particular diseases, I re- fer to the administration of this remedy in the doses in which it is ordinarily employed. I have no experience of its therapeutical effects, when given in the enormous quantities mentioned by Dr. Clutterbuck. 1. In fever.—Digitalis is occasionally useful in fever to reduce the frequency of the pulse, when the excitement of the vascular system is out of proportion to the other symptoms of fever, such as the increased temperature, and the cerebral or gastric disorder. It cannot, however, be regarded, in the most remote way, as a curative means; on the other hand, it is sometimes hurtful. Thus, not un- frequently it fails to reduce the circulation ; nay, occasionally, it has the reverse effect, accelerates the pulse, while it increases the cerebral disorder, and per- haps irritates the stomach. In estimating its value as a remedial agent for fever, we must not regard it as a sedative means (I refer now to the vascular system) merely ; it is an agent which exercises a specific influence over the brain ; and, therefore, to be able to lay down correct indications and contra-indications for its use in disordered conditions of this viscus, we ought to be acquainted, on the one hand, with the precise nature of the influence of the remedy, and, on the other, with the actual condition of the brain in the disease which we wish to ameliorate. Now as we possess neither of these data in reference to fever, our use of foxglove is, with the exception of the sedative influence over the circula- tion, empirical; and experience has fully shown us it is not generally beneficial. But, I repeat, where the frequency of pulse bears no relation to the local or con- stitutional symptoms of fever, foxglove may be serviceable. '2. Inflammation.—Foxglove has been employed in inflammatory diseases, principally on account of its power of reducing the frequency of the pulse, though some have referred part of its beneficial operation to its influence over the absorbent system. Inflammation, of a chronic kind, may be going on in one part of the body, to an extent sufficient to produce complete disorganization, 292 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. and ultimately to cause the death of the patient, without the action of the larger arterial trunks (i. e. of the system generally) being remarkably increased. In such cases, digitalis is, for the most part, of little use. Again, in violent and acute inflammation, accompanied with great excitement of the general circula- tion, especially in plethoric subjects, foxglove is, in some cases, hurtful; in others, it is a trivial and unimportant remedy; and we, therefore, rely, in our treatment, on blood-letting, and other powerful antiphlogistic measures; and foxglove, if serviceable at all, can only be used after the other means. As a remedy for inflammation, foxglove is principally useful in less violent cases, particularly when accompanied with increased frequency of pulse, and occurring in subjects not able to support copious evacuations of blood. More- over, it has more influence over inflammation of some parts of the body (as the arachnoid membrane, the pleura, the pericardium, and the lungs) than of others. In gastric and enteritic inflammation, it would appear to be objectionable on ac- count of its irritant properties ; while its specific influence over the brain would make it a doubtful remedy in phrenitis- In arachnitis of children it is certainly a most valuable agent. * In conclusion, then, it appears that digitalis, as a remedy for inflammation, is principally valuable where the disease has a tendency to terminate in serous effusion. But in no case can it be regarded as a substitute for blood-letting. Its powers as an antiphlogistic remedy have, I suspect, been greatly over-rated. 3. Dropsy.—Of all remedies for dropsy none have gained more, and few so much, celebrity as foxglove. It has been supposed to owe its beneficial opera- tion to its repressing arterial excitement (a frequent cause of dropsical effusion), to its promoting the functions of the absorbent vessels, and particularly to its diuretic effects. Whatever may be its modus operandi, its powerful and salu- tary influence in many dropsies cannot be a matter of doubt. Dr. Withering has correctly observed, that "it seldom succeeds in men of great natural strength, of tense fibre, of warm skin, of florid complexion, or in those with a tight and cordy pulse." "On the contrary, if the pulse be feeble or intermit- ting, the countenance pale, the lips livid, the skin cold, the swollen belly soft and fluctuating, or the anasarcous limbs readily pitting under the pressure of the finger, we may expect the diuretic effects to follow in a kindly manner." In those with a florid complexion, blood-letting and purgatives will often be found useful preparatives for foxglove. In some forms of dropsy foxglove is more serviceable than in others. Thus, anasarca, ascites, hydrothorax, and phlegmasia dolens, are sometimes benefitted by it; whereas ovarian dropsy and hydrocephalus are not relieved by it. Its diuretic effect is greatly promoted by combining other diuretics with it, especially squills (as in the Piluhe Digi- talis et Scillee, Ph. Ed.), calomel, or the saline diuretics (as the acetate of pot- ash). A combination of vegetable bitters (as infusion of gentian or calumba) with foxglove, forms, I think, a valuable form of exhibition in many old drop- sical cases. Infusion of common broom (Cytisus scoparius) might probably be advantageously conjoined with foxglove, where a powerful diuretic is required. In old cases of general dropsy, in oedematous swellings from debility, and in anasarca following scarlet fever, where, together with weakness, there is still left an excited and irritable state of the arterial system, chalybeates (as the tinctura ferri sesquichloridi) may be conjoined with foxglove, with the happiest effects. (Holland, Med. Notes and Reflect, p. 546.) 4. In Hemorrhages.—In active hemorrhages from internal organs, accom- panied with a quick, hard, and throbbing pulse, foxglove as a sedative is often- times serviceable. Epistaxis, haemoptysis, and menorrhagia, are the forms of hemorrhage more frequently benefitted by the use of foxglove. 5. Diseases of the Heart and Great Vessels.—An important indication in the treatment of many diseases of the heart and great vessels is to reduce the force and velocity of the circulation. The most effectual means of fulfilling this indi- PURPLE FOXGLOVE. 293 cation are,—the adoption of a low diet, repeated blood-letting, and the employ- ment of foxglove. There are, perhaps, no diseases in which the beneficial effects of foxglove are more marked, than in those of the heart and great vessels. In aneurism of the aorta, our only hope of cure is by the coagulation ot the blood in the aneurismal sac, and the consequent removal of the distensive pres- sure of the circulation. To promote this, we endeavour to retard the movement of the blood within the sac, by diminishing the quantity of blood in the sys- tem generally, and by reducing the force and velocity with which it circulates. Blood-letting* and digitalis are, in these cases, very important agents : and under their use cases now and then recover. Again, in simple dilatation of the cavi- ties of the heart, our objects are to remove, if possible, the cause (usually ob- struction in the pulmonic or aortic system), to strengthen the muscular fibres of the heart, and to repress any preternatural excitement of the vascular system. Digitalis is useful to us in attaining the latter object. In simple hypertrophy or hypertrophy with dilatation, we have to reduce the preternatural thickness of the heart's parieties, and this we do by removing, when it can be done, any ob- struction to the circulation, by using a low diet, by repeated blood-letting, and by the employment of foxglove. No means, says Dr. Davies, (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xv. p. 790,) excepting the abstraction of blood, diminishes the impul- sion of the heart so completely and so certainly as digitalis. "I have been," adds he, " in the habit of using it for several years for these affections, and have rarely seen it fail in producing at least temporary relief." " The enlarged and flaccid heart," observes Dr. Holland, (Med. Notes and Reflect, p. 574,) " though, on first view, it might seem the least favourable for the use of the medicine, is, perhaps, not so. At least we have reason to believe, that, in dropsical affec- tions, so often connected with this organic change, the action of digitalis, as a diuretic, is peculiarly of avail." In some disordered conditions of innervation of the heart and great vessels—as in angina pectoris, nervous palpitation of the heart, and augmented arterial impulsion, foxglove is also at times beneficial. In patients affected with an intermittent or otherwise irregular pulse, I have several times observed this medicine produce regularity of pulsation;—a cir- cumstance also noticed by Dr. Holland. Besides the preceding, there are va- rious other affections of the heart in which foxglove may be found serviceable, either by its sedative influence over the circulation, or by its power of relieving dropsical effusion through its diuretic property. 6. In Phthisis.—Digitalis has been declared capable of curing pulmonary consumption, and numerous cases of supposed cures have been published. Bayle (Bibl. Therap. t. iii. p. 362,) has collected from the writings of Sanders, (op. ante, cit.) Kinglake, Fowler, Beddoes, (Observ. on the Management of the Consumptive, 1801,) Drake, Mossman, (Essay to elucidate the Nat. Orig. and Connex. of Scroph. and Gland. Consumption,) Maclean, Ferriar, (On Digitalis,) Magennis, Moreton, and others, reports of 151 cases treated by fox- glove. Of these, 83 are said to have been cured, and 35 relieved. But a more accurate and extended experience has fully proved, that this medicine possesses no curative, and very slightly palliative, powers in genine phthisis ; it is totally incapable of preventing or of causing the removal of tuburcular deposits, and has little, if any influence, in retarding the progress of consumption. Its power of diminishing the rapidity of the circulation cannot be doubted; but this effect is, as Dr. Holland (op. cit. p. 551,) justly remarks, "of less real moment than is generally supposed." 7. hi Insanity and Epilepsy.—In these maladies foxglove may prove occa- sionally serviceable by repressing excessive vascular excitement, which some- times accompanies them. Furthermore, the specific influence of this remedy over the cerebro-spinal system may now and then contribute to the benefical operation of foxglove. But the precise nature of this influence not having as yet been accurately asertained, while the pathology of the above-mentioned diseases is 294 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. involved in considerable obscurity, it follows that the therapeutic value of this influence can only be ascertained empirically. In insanity, Dr. Hallaran (Inq. &c, with Observ. on the Cure of Insanity, 1810,) recommends foxglove to reduce vascular action after the employment of depletion and purgation. It has been used in this disease, with success, by Dr. Currie, (Mem. of the Med. Soc. of London, vol. iv.) and by Fanzago. (Quoted by Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. iii. p. 320.) In epilepsy it is, I conceive, less likely to be serviceable, because this disease is less frequently accompanied with the vascular excitement, against which foxglove is most successful. Accordingly, while in some few cases it has proved serviceable, (Scott, Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. Jan. 1827,) in others it has either been unsuccessful, (Percival, op. cit. vol. ix. p. 274,) or has only given temporary relief. (Currie, op. supra cit.) 8. In various other diseases.—Besides the preceding, there are several other maladies against which foxglove has been employed with occasional benefit, as scrofula (Haller, Merz, Schiemann, and Hufeland, quoted by Bayle, Bibl. Ther. t. iii. p. 369,) and asthma.1 For other diseases relieved by foxglove I must refer the reader to the works of Murray (App. Med. vol. i.) and Bayle, (op. supra cit.) Administration.—The ordinary dose of foxglove, in powder, is from gr. ss. to gr. iss. repeated every six hours. Antidotes—In a case of poisoning by foxglove, or its preparations, expel the poison from the stomach by the stomach-pump or by emetics, if vomiting should not already have commenced ; assist the vomiting, when it is established, by the use of diluents ; and counteract the depressing influence of the poison on the circulation by the use of ammonia and brandy; and keep the patient in a recumbent posture, to guard against syncope. I am unacquainted with any chemical antidote for foxglove; perhaps infusion of nutgalls or green tea might prove serviceable, especially if the active principle of this plant be an alkali 1. INFUSUM DIGITALIS, L. E. D. (U. S.) Infusion of Foxglove.—(Foxglove leaves, dried, 3j. [3ij. Eq ; Spirit of Cinnamon, f 3j. [f 3ij. E.; 3ss. D.] ; Boiling, [distilled, L.J ; Water, Oj. [fgxviij, E.; Oss. wine measure, D.] Ma- cerate the foxglove leaves in the water for four hours, in a vessel lightly cover- ed, and strain [through linen or calico, E.] ; then add the spirit of cinnamon.) —I believe this, when properly made, to be the most effectual of the prepara- tions of foxglove. The dose of it is from f 3ss. to f 3j. repeated every six hours. I have known it given to the extent of fgij. % TINCTURA DIGITALIS, L.E. D. (U. S.) Tincture of Foxglove.—Foxglove leaves [rejecting the larger ones, D.] dried [in moderately fine powder, E.; coarsely powdered, D.~] 3iv. [3ij. D.) ; Proof Spirit, [Diluted alcohol, U. S.] Oij. [Oj. wine measure, D.] Macerate for fourteen days [seven, D.] and strain. " This tincture is best prepared by the process of percolation, as directed for the Tinc- ture of Capsicum. If forty fluid ounces of spirit be passed through, the density is 944 [0-944], and the solid contents of a fluid ounce amount to twenty-four grains. It may also be made by digestion," E.)—The usual dose of this pre- paration, for an adult, is from r#x. cautiously increased to rr^xl., repeated every six hours. I usually begin with trjrxx. The largest dose I have employed is f 3j.; but, as I have already stated, it has been given to the extent of one ounce! The colour of this preparation is somewhat affected by exposure to strong solar light. * & SUCCUS DlGITALIS.- aus.—The preserved jmce of foxglove may be employed as a substitute for the tincture. 1 he mode of preparing it has been already explained (see vol i. p. 325.) Mr. Bentley informs me, that from 1 cwt. 2 qrs. 26 lbs. of digitalis gathered in May, he proenred 49 pints viiiarp.°wDieitaliS'lm' F°6° tasthma cure<» by an overdose of foxglove], Ed. Med. and Surg. Jou KNOTTY-ROOTED FIGWORT. 295 I EXTRACTUM DIGITALIS, L. E. Extract of Foxglove. — (Fresh Foxglove leaves, lb. j. Bruise them, sprinkled with a little water, in a stone mortar ; then press out the juice, and evaporate it, unstrained, to a proper consistence, L.— This extract is best prepared from the fresh leaves of digitalis, by any of the processes indicated for extract of Conium," E.)—Recently introduced into the pharmacopoeias of London and Edinburgh. Its preparation requires very great care and attention, or the virtues of the plant may be destroyed during the pro- cess.—Dose, gr. j. cautiously increased. 4. PILULE DIGITALIS ET SCILLM, E. Pills of Foxglove and Squill.—(Digi- talis; Squill, of each, one part; Aromatic Electuary, two parts. Beat them into a proper mass with conserve of red roses; and divide the mass into four- grain pills.)—A valuable diuretic compound. Used in dropsies.—Dose, one or two pills. 2. VERBAS'CUM THAP'SUS, Linn. D.—GREAT MULLEIN OR HIGH TAPER. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia, (Folia, D.) History.—This plant is, according to Sprengel, (Hist. Rei Herb. vol. i. p. 161,) the For abstracts of cases illustrative of these effects, consult Orfila, Toxicol. Gin. and Wibmer Wirk d Arzneim. ii. Gift. ' » Moil, Eneykl. der gesamm. med. u. Chir. Praxis: art. Cosmetica Bd. i. S. 498. Leipzig, 1836. 300 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. find in this narcotic no useful property ; and he thinks it ought to be banished from the Materia Medica. (Op. cit. p. 312.) The following are the principal purposes for which it is ordinarily employed in this country: 1. As an anodyne where opium disagrees, or is from any circumstance ob- jectionable. It may be used in neuralgia, rheumatism, gout, periostitis, the milk abscess, painful affections of the urino-genital organs, scirrhus, and carcinoma. 2. As a soporific it is available in sleeplessness, accompanied with great rest- lessness and mental irritability, and where opium, from its stimulant or other properties, proves injurious. Sometimes, where it fails to cause actual sleep, it proves highly serviceable by producing a calm and tranquil state conducive to the well-doing and comfort of the patient. 3. As an antispasmodic it occasionally proves serviceable in spasmodic af- fections of the organs of respiration (e. g. spasmodic asthma), and of the urino- genital apparatus (e. g. spasmodic stricture and spasm of the sphincter vesicae). Notwithstanding the favourable reports of Storck to the contrary, it is rarely calculated to be of any service in epilepsy. 4. As a sedative, to allay irritation and preternatural sensibility. In trouble- some cough it sometimes proves useful by dulling the sensibility of the bronchial membrane to the influence of the cold air. In nephritic and vesical irritation, and in gonorrhoea, it is sometimes a useful substitute for opium. In the irrita- tion of teething it is valuable from its power of relieving pain and convulsion. Its advantages over opium, in the disorders of children, have been already pointed out. 5. To dilate the pupil the extract may be used as a substitute for extract of belladonna, than which it is less powerful. 6. As a topical sedative and anodyne, fomentations of the herb, or the extract, are sometimes applied to painful glandular swellings, irritable ulcers, hemorr- hoids, and parts affected with neuralgia. In irritation of the rectum or bladder it is sometimes used per anum. Administration.—The powder of the leaves is rarely employed : the dose is from three to ten grains. The extract and tincture are the preparations com- monly used. Antidotes.—The treatment of a case of poisoning by henbane is the same as that by opium. 1. TINCTURA HYOSCYAMI, L. E. D. (U. S.) Tincture of Henbane.—{Henbane leaves, dried, [in moderately fine powder, E.~\ 3v. [3'iv. U. S.] ; Proof Spirit, [Diluted Alcohol, U. S.] Oij. [wine measure, D.] Macerate for fourteen [seven, J9.] days, and strain. "This tincture is best prepared by the process of per- colation, as directed for tincture of Capsicum; but it may also be obtained, though with greater loss, by the process of digestion," E.)—Dose, f3ss. to f3ij. Succus Hyoscyami.— The Preserved Juice of Henbane (see vol. i. p. 325) may be substituted for the tincture. Mr. Bentley informs me that he obtained the following quantities of juice from henbane leaves: Imperial Quarts ofJuiee. July 24th. 3 cwt. of leaves................................................... 42 " 26th. 2cwU "................................................... 22 Aug. 3d. 2cwt. " ..........................................'........ 25 2. EXTRACTUM HYOSCYAMI, L. E. (U. S.); Succus spissatus Hyoscyami, D. Extract of Henbane.—(Fresh Henbane leaves, lb. j. Bruise them, sprinkled with a little water, in a stone mortar ; then press out the juice, and evaporate it, unstrained, to a proper consistence, L.—" This extract is to be prepared from the fresh leaves of hyoscyamus by any of the processes directed for Extract of Conium," E.—The Dublin College orders it to be prepared from the fresh plant of henbane, in the manner directed for the Succus spissatus Aconiti.)—The average produce of extract is stated by Mr. Brande (Diet. Mat. Med. p. 312) BELLADONNA. 301 to be from 4 to 5 lbs. from 112 lbs. of the fresh herb. Mr. Squire (Pharma- ceutical Transactions, p. 97) states the following as the products (obtained by a common screw press and water-bath) from 112 lbs. of matured hyoscyamus, gathered dry and in good order; the season, however, being rather more rainy than the average: Weight. lbs. The leaves, the very fine summits of the stalks, the ) 7n flowers and seed-vessels already formed, weighed j ' The stalks weighed................................ 35 . Waste leaves arid dirt............................... 3£ . Lost by 'jvaporatioii, during the two hours occupied j •>! by picking.....................................} ■ ' Yielded of Juice. Yielded of Extract. lbs. lbs. ot. . 42 — 4 10 • 175 = 0 15 112 59£ = 5 9 The quality of the extract met with in the shops is extremely variable. This arises principally from the unequal care with which it has been prepared. The dose is from gr. v. to Bj. Occasionally very much larger doses have been taken without any injurious effects. It is said to be a valuable addition to the compound extract of colocynth, whose operation it renders milder, though not less efficacious. It is sometimes used as a topical application to inflamed or tender parts : thus, alone, or in the form of ointment, it is applied to painful he- morrhoids ; spread on linen it forms a plaster, which has been used in neuralgia, rheumatic pains, painful glandular swellings, &c. My friend Dr. William Lobb and nearly a dozen other persons in 1841 experienced symp- toms like those of poisoning by belladonna, from the employment of several grains of an ex- tract sold by a most respectable country chemist as that of hyoscyamus. The greater part of the extract sold by this chemist had been most carefully prepared by himself, but not having made sufficient for the year's consumption, he purchased some in London, and the extract used on these occasions might have been that which was bought. The extract employed had an unusually greenish colour, and the hyoscyamus odour. The effects produced were difficulty of swallowing, a sensation as if the parts about the throat had been powdered with tow dust, impaired vision, eyes bloodshot, pupils dilated, feeling of suffocation, strangury, cessation of cough and expectoration which had been previonsly troublesome. The vision was greatly im- proved by the use of a magnifier. The third day the symptoms had disappeared, but great prostration of strength supervened. In some of the patients an eruption like that oi s^rlatioa appeared, with intense redness of the palms of the hands. 2. ATROPA BELLADON'NA, Linn. L. E. D.—COMMON DWALE; DEADLY NIGHTSHADE. Sea;. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Folia, L.—Leaves, E.—Folia et radix, D.) (Belladonna. The Leaves, U. S.) History.—Some persons have suggested that this plant may be the /xavopa- yopag of Theophrastus, (Hist. PL lib. vi. cap. 2,) the fruit of which, this ancient botanist says, " is black, racemed, and, to the taste, vinous." But the plant noticed under this name by Dioscorides, (lib. iv. cap. 76,) had yellow fruit and is universally admitted to be the Mandragora officinalis. The earliest undoubted notice of belladonna occurs in the work of Tragus (A. D. 1532), who calls it Solanum hortense nigrum. (Bauhin, Pinax.) It has been supposed that it was this plant which produced such remarkable and fatal effects on the Roman sol- diers, during their retreat from the Parthians. (See Plutarch's Life of Antony.) Buchanan (Rcrum Scot. Hist. lib. vii.) relates, that the Scots mixed the juice of this plant with the bread and drink, which, by their truce, they were to supply the Danes, which so intoxicated them, that the Scots killed the greatest part of Sweno's army while asleep. Shakspeare (Macbeth, Act i. Scene 3d) is sup- posed to allude to it under the name of the insane root. Botvnv. Gen. char.—Calyx campanulate, five-cleft. Corolla campanulate, twice the length of the calyx, five-lobed, equal. Filaments five, filiform. Berry globose, seated in the calyx. (Bot. Gall.) 302 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Sp. char.—Stem herbaceous. Leaves ovate, undivided. Flowers solitary (Smith). Root fleshy, creeping. Whole plant fetid when bruised, of a dark and lurid aspect, indicative of its deadly narcotic quality. Stems herbaceous, three feet high, round, branched, leafy, slightly downy. Leaves lateral, mostly two together of unequal size, ovate, acute, entire, smooth. Flowers imperfectly axillary, solitary, stalked, drooping, dark full purple in the border, paler down- wards, about an inch long. Berry of a shining violet black, the size of a small cherry, sweetish, and not nauseous (Smith). Hah.—Indigenous : hedges and waste ground, on a calcareous soil. Flowers in June. Description.—The root (radix belladonnce), when fresh, is one or more inches thick, and sometimes a foot or more long: it is branching, fleshy, inter- nally white, externally grayish or brownish-white. Its taste is slight, sweetish: its odour is feeble. It may be collected in the autumn or early in the spring. The flowering stems (herba belladonnce) are collected in June or July ; they are then deprived of leaves (folia belladonna), which are to be carefully dried. The leaves, when fresh, have a feeble, bitterish, sub-acid taste. Composition.—The leaves of belladonna were analyzed, in 1808, by Melandri (Ann. de Chim. lxv. 222); the expressed juice, in 1809, by Vauquelin (Ann. de Chim. lxxii. 53); and the dried herb, in 1819, by Brandes. (Gmelin's Hand. d. Chem. ii. 1305.) Besides these there have been several less complete exami- nations of this plant by other chemists, which have yielded more or less interest- ing results. Brandes's Analysis. Supermalate of Atropia.................................... 151 Pseudo-toxin with malate of atropia and potash salts......... 16-05 Wax........................................................ 0-70 Chlorophylle................................................. 5 84 Phytocolla (a nitrogenous substance insoluble in alcohol)...... 6-FO Gum........................................................ 8-33 Starch....................................................... 1 25 Albumen.................................................... 10 70 Lignin...................................................... 13 70 Salts........................................................ 7 47 Water........................................................ 25 50 Loss.......................................................... 2 05 Dried herb of Belladonna.................................... 100 00 1. Atropia (Atropina seu Alropium).—The most improved processes for extracting this vegetable alkali are those of Mein (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1833, S. 771) and Thomson (Org. Chem. p. 274), and Richter. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1837, S. 613.) By the first, 12 oz. of belladonna root yielded not quite 12 grains of pure atropia. This vegetable alkali crystallizes in transparent silky prisms. It is odourless, soluble in alcohol, ether, and very slightly so in water. The solution is bitter, restores the blue colour of reddened litmus paper, is precipitated white by infusion of nutgalls, yellow by chloride of platinum, and yellow by chloride of gold : the precipitate caused by the latter assumes a crystalline appearance. At a temperature above 212° F. it is converted into vapour, which is deposited like a coat of varnish. Heated in the open air, it readily becomes empyreumatic. It dissolves in acids, with which it unites to form salts. The hydrochlorate and sulphate are crystallizable. (Geiger and Hesse, Pharm. Central- Blatt fur 1825, S. 81.) Three analyses of it have been made by Liebig: according to the latest, (Ann. d. Pharm. Bd. vii.) its composition is C34 H23 O0; hence its atomic weight is 289. (Ann. d. Pharm. Bd. vii.) Atropia is a powerful poison. An imponderable quantity is sufficient, when applied to the eye, to cause dilatation of the pupil. Given to dogs and cats it caused vomiting, dilatation of the pupil, and stupor. A tenth of a grain caused, in the human subject, dryness of the mouth, constriction of the throat, difficulty of swallowing, stupor, dila- tation of pupil, and headache. (Ann. d. Pharm. Bd. vii./iir 1833, S. 775.) 2. Pseudotoxin.—A substance obtained by Brandes from the watery extract of belladonna. It is brownish-yellow, soluble in water, insoluble in absolute alcohol and ether, is coloured green by the salts of iron, and is totally precipitated from its watery solution by the salts of lead and by tincture of galls. (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1032.) 3. Belladonnin.—Under this name, Luebekind (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1839, S. 448) has described a volatile vegetable alkali, which, he says, is distinct from atropia. It is crystal- lizable, and has an ammoniacal odour. It consists of carbon 285, hydrogen 22-4, nitrogen 32-1, oxygen 17-0. The crystals contain three equivalents of water. Two grains caused extreme heat in the throat and constriction of the larynx. BELLADONNA. 303 4. Atropic acid—This name has been given by Richter (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1837, S. 614) to a volatile, crystallizable acid, distinguished from benzoic acid by its not precipitating the salts of iron. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—An aqueous solution of extract of belladonna is poisonous to plants.1 . (3. On Animals generally.—Belladonna proves poisonous to animals and birds : but much less so to herbivorous than to carnivorous animals. Eight pounds (Troy) of the leaves have been eaten by a horse without any ill effects. (Moi- roud, Pharm. Vet. p. 344.) Mr. Anderson tells me that the blackbirds eat the seeds at the Chelsea Garden. A pound of ripe berries has been given to an ass with very little effect. (Viborg, in Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arz. ii. Gift. Bd. i. S. 366.) Given to dogs, belladonna causes dilatation of pupil, plaintive cries, efforts to vomit, weakness of the posterior extremities, staggering, frequent pulse, a state like intoxication, and death. (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) Forty or fifty grains of the watery extract, injected into the jugular vein of dogs, have proved fatal. (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) Flourens (Rech. Exper. 1824,) thinks that the tuber- cula quadrigemina are the parts of the nervous centres on which this poison specifically acts. His inferences were drawn from experiments made on birds. The topical action of belladonna is that of an acrid, though not a very violent one. (Orfila, supra cit.) y. On Man.—In the first degree of its operation, belladonna diminishes sen- sibility and irritability. This effect (called by some sedative) is scarcely obvious in the healthy organism, but is well seen in morbid states, when these properties are preternaturally increased. A very frequent and sometimes the earliest ob- vious effect of belladonna is dryness of the mouth and throat, frequently attended with thirst. The other secretions and the circulation are oftentimes not affected, though occasionally they are augmented. Mr. Bailey (Observ. relative to the Use of Belladonna, p. 9, 1818,) "asserts that belladonna affects neither the stomach nor bowels, nor any of the secretions nor excretions, those of the sali- vary glands excepted." The asserted influence of belladonna over the organic functions is said to be shown by its power of inducing, in some cases, resolution of swellings and tumours of various kinds, as will be presently noticed. In the second degree of its operation belladonna manifests, both in healthy and morbid conditions, its remaikable influence over the cerebro-spinal system. It causes dilatation of the pupils, obscurity of vision, or absolute blindness (amau- rosis), visual illusions, suffused eyes, occasionally disturbance of hearing (as singing in the ears, &c.) numbness of the face, confusion of head, giddiness, and delirium, which at times resembles intoxication, and may be combined with or followed by sopor. These symptoms are usually preceded by a febrile condi- tion, attended with a remarkable affection of the mouth, throat, and adjacent parts. Besides dryness of these parts, it < auses difficulty of deglutition and of articulation, a feeling of constriction about the throat, nausea, and sometimes actual vomiting and, now and then, swelling and redness of the face. The pulse is usually hurried and small. The cutaneous, renal, and mucous secre- tions are frequently augmented. An exanthematous eruption, like that of scarlet fever, has been noticed; and irritation of the urinary organs has in some in- stances occurred. (Jolly, Nouv. Med. 1828, iii. ; and Lancet, 1828-9, vol. i. p. 45.) In some cases very severe effects have been induced by the application of the extract to abraded surfaces.3 The continued application of it to the sound skin has also been attended with similar effects. (Bacot, Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxiv. p. 383, 1810.) ' Marcel, Ann. Chim. et Phys. vol. xxix. p. 200 ; and Schubler and Zeller, Schweigger's Journ. f. d. Chem. 1827, B. 50, S 54 GO. » Wade, Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. tvii. p. 286, 1827; Davies, Lectures on Diseases of the Lungs and Heart, p. 490. B 304 elements of materia medica. In the third degree of its operation, belladonna produces effects similar to the preceding, but in a more violent form. The following are the symptoms expe- rienced by above 150 soldiers, who were poisoned by the berries of belladonna, which were gathered at Pima near Dresden:—"Dilatation and immobility of the pupil; almost complete insensibility of the eye to the presence of external objects, or at least confused vision ; injection of the conjunctiva with a bluish blood ; protrusion of the eye, which in some appeared as if it were dull, and in others ardent and furious; dryness of the lips, tongue, palate, and throat; de- glutition difficult or even impossible ; nausea not followed by vomiting; feeling of weakness, lipothymia, syncope ; difficulty or impossibility of standing; frequent bending forward of the trunk; continual motion of the hands and fingers; gay delirium, with a vacant smile; aphonia or confused sounds, uttered with pain; probably ineffectual desires of going to stool; gradual restoration to health and reason, without any recollection of the preceding state." (Gaultier de Claubry, in Orfila's Toxicol. Gen.) In comparing the operation of belladonna with that of other cerebro-spinants (narcotics, auct.), the most remarkable symptoms which attract our attention are the dilatation of the pupils, with insensibility of the irides to light, disturb- ance of vision, diminished feeling, giddiness, staggering, the delirium (extra- vagant, pleasing or furious), followed by sopor, and the remarkable aff-ction of the mouth and throat (dryness of the throat, difficulty of deglutition and of articulaion). Convulsions are rare, and, when they occur, are slight. Lethargy or sopor occurs subsequently to the delirium. Local irritation is not well-marked. These characters distinguish the effects of belladonna from those of any other substance, except henbane (see p. 299), stramonium (see p. 309), and perhaps from some other solanaceous species. When applied to the eyebrow, belladonna causes dilatation of the pupil, with- out necessarily affecting the other eye or disturbing vision. Segalas (Lancet, 1826-27, vol. xii. p. 170,) has rendered it probable that absorption or imbibition is essential to this effect. But the action on the iris depends, according to Miiller, (Physiology, vol. i. p. 630,) not on the operation of the belladonna on the central organs of the nervous system, but on its topical, paralyzing influence on the ciliary nerves. When, however, belladonna is swallowed, it is obvious that the irrides can become affected through the general system only, and in this case the dilatation of the pupil is accompanied with disturbance of vision.1 The pneumogastric nerve is obviously concerned in producing the affection of the mouth and the difficulty of deglutition and articulation. The disorder of the intellect and of the external senses caused by belladonna proves that the influence of this agent is not limited to the excito-motory sys- tem, but is extended to those portions of the nervous centres which are the seat of the intellect and of sensibility. Uses.—Belladonna has been employed to allay pain and nervous irritation (erethismus nervosus of some authors); to diminish the sensibility of the retina to the impression of light; to produce dilatation of the pupil; to counteract that condition of brain which is accompanied with contraction of the pupil; and to lessen rigidity and spasmodic contraction of muscular fibres. These uses ob- viously arise out of the ascertained physiological effects of the remedy. There are others, however, which may be regarded as altogether empirical: such as its employment to resolve or discuss scirrhus tumours. The indications and contra-indications for its use are not sufficiently esta- blished to induce us to place much confidence in them. My own experience leads me to believe that it is not a remedy fitted for plethoric constitutions, or for febrile and acute inflammatory cases; and [ am not disposed to admit the » For some interesting observations on the associated functions of the retina and iris, consult Grainger's Observations on the Structure and Functions of the Spinal Cord, p. 72, et seq. BELLADONNA. 305 observations of Dr. Graves, hereafter to be mentioned, as offering any valid objections to these statements. 1. To allay pain and nervous irritation.—As an anodyne in most internal pains no remedy hitherto proposed is equal to opium; but this agent totally fails us in many of those external pains known as neuralgia, prosopalgia, or tic doloureux. In such, belladonna occasionally succeeds in abating, sometimes in completely removing, pain; while it totally fails to give relief in the internal pains for which experience has found opium so efficacious. It is remarkable, therefore, that while both these cerebro-spinants (narcotics, auctor.) agree in lessening pain, they totally disagree as to the cases in which they succeed, and for which they are individually applicable. In the treatment of neuralgia, bel- ladonna is employed both internally and externally. I believe that, to be suc- cessful, it requires, in many cases, to be persevered in until dryness of the throat, dilatation of pupil, and some disorder of vision, are produced. Just as in many diseases for which mercury has been found a most efficient remedy, it is necessary to continue the use of this mineral until the mouth be affected, and often even to use it for some time afterwards. Of the success of belladonna in the treatment of neuralgia, we have abundant evidence in the published cases of Mr. Bailey, (Observ. relat. to the Use of Belladon. in painful Disord, of the Head and Face, 1818,) and of several other practitioners. (Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. ii.) My own experience of the use of this remedy leads me to regard it as very much inferior to aconite as a local remedy for this disease. Besides neuralgia there are many other painful affections against which bel- ladonna is used as a local anodyne. Such are arthritic pains, painful ulcers, glandular enlargements which are tender to the touch, &c. Dr. Osborne (Lond. Med. Gaz. Feb. 21, 1840,) says, that given internally it causes an immediate cessation of the migratory or flying pains of rheumatism, without producing any effect on the fixed pains. 2. As an antispasmodic.—To relieve rigidity and spasmodic contraction of muscular fibres, belladonna sometimes proves serviceable as a topical remedy. In rigidity of the os uteri, during lingering labours or puerperal con- vulsions, the extract or an ointment of belladonna (see unguentum belladonnce) has been applied to the part by way of friction. Though the practice has been lauded by Chaussier, (Consid. sur les Convuls. qui attaq. les Femmes encient., 2d. ed. 1824,) and adopted by Velpeau (Traite compl. des Accouchem.), Con- quest, (Outlines of Midwifery,) and others, yet it has not found much favour with British practitioners. It cannot be regarded as a substitute for, but only an adjuvant to, depletion; and its use is not devoid of danger: for, not to insist on the possibility of absorption, and the consequent injurious effects therefrom, it is obvious that the long-continued friction of the tender womb, and the re- moval of the lubricating mucus, may dispose to inflammation. In spasmodic stricture of tlie urethra, and of the sphincters of the bladder and rectum, and in spasmodic contraction of the uterus, the topical use of the extract (smeared on a bougie, applied to the perineum or other parts, or employed by way of a clyster) has in some cases appeared to give relief. (Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. ii. p. 261.) In strangulated hernia it has been employed to produce re- laxation of the abdominal muscles.1 In a case of angina pectoris, unconnected with organic disease, the applica- tion of a belladonna plaster to the chest (before the ulcerations caused by tartar emetic ointment had healed) produced alarming signs of poisoning; but when these had subsided, all symptoms of the angina had totally disappeared. (Davies, Led. on Diseases of the Lungs and Heart, p. 496.) Considerable relief has been gained in several cases of hooping-cough by the ■ Van Loolh, Kohlcr, and Pages, quoted by Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. ii., and Brit, and For. Med Rev. vol ii. |l. '.V.'J. vol. n. 39 306 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. use of belladonna.1 Its occasional efficacy depends in part, probably, on its lessening the necessity of respiration, (Laennec, Treat, on Dis.ofthe Chest, by Forbes, pp. 77 and 99,) as well also on its power of obviating spasm of the bron- chial tubes, and of decreasing the susceptibility of the bronchial membrane to the influence of the exciting causes of the paroxysms. But like all other vaunted specifics for this peculiar disease, it frequently fails to give the least relief. 3. In Maladies of the Eyes.—Belladonna is applied to the eye for two pur- poses : the first, and the most common, is to dilate the pupil; the other is to diminish the preternatural sensibility of the retina to the impression of light. Dilatation of the pupil is sometimes produced, in certain diseases of the eye, in order to enable us to examine the condition of the refractive humours, and thereby to ascertain the nature and extent of the malady; as in cases of incipi- ent cataract, which might otherwise be occasionally confounded with glaucoma or amaurosis. In the operation of cataract by solution or absorption (kerato- nyxis), the full dilatation of the pupil by belladonna is essential. (Lawrence,* Lect. in Lancet, for Sept. 9, 1826.) In iritis, dilatation of the pupil is impor- tant, in order to prevent, or in recent cases to rupture, adhesions of the uvea to' the capsule of the crystalline lens. Some surgeons consider it an objectionable remedy during the early stage of the disease. In prolapsus iridis benefit is, under some circumstances, gained by the use of belladonna ; as, where there is opacity of the cornea covering the pupil, the dilatation of the aperture, so as to get its circumference beyond the opaque spot, is attended with an improvement of vision. These are some of the cases in which dilatation of the pupil by bel- ladonna is advisable. It is usually effected by applying the extract (see extrac- tum belladonnce) to the parts around the eye, or to the conjunctiva. The dila- tation usually takes place within a few minutes, and sometimes continues for twenty-four hours. Belladonna is sometimes employed in inflammatory and other affections of the eye, to diminish the morbid sensibility of this organ to the influence of light (Lisfranc, Rev. Med. t. i. 1826, p. 17 ; and t. ii. p. 384.) 4. .As a resolvent or discutient.—In enlargement and induration of the lym- phatic glands, in scirrhus and cancer (or diseases which have been supposed to be such), belladonna has gained no slight repute from its supposed resolvent or discutient properties. That it may give relief by its anodyne powers we can easily understand, but that it has any real resolvent or discutient properties in the diseases just enumerated, may be reasonably doubted, notwithstanding the favourable reports of Gataker, (Observ. on the Intern. Use of the Solanum, 1757,) Cullen, (Mat. Med.), Blackett, (Essay on the Use of Atropa Belladonna, 1826,) and others. (See Bayle, Bibl. Ther. I. ii.) Bromfield (Account of the English Nightshades, 1757,) and others have reported unfavourably of it, and no one, I think, now places any reliance on it. 5. As a prophylactic against Scarlatina.—The introduction of belladonna into practice as a preventive of scarlet fever, is owing to the absurd homoeopa- thic axiom of " similia similibus curantur:" for as this plant gives rise to an affection of the throat, and sometimes to a scarlet rash on the skin, its power of guarding the system against the reception of scarlet fever has been assumed ; and the assumption has been endeavoured to be established by an appeal to ex- perience. Bayle (Bibl. Therap. t. ii. p. 504,) has collected from various publi- cations 2,027 cases of persons who took this medicine, and were exposed to the contagion; of these 1,948 escaped. Oppenheim (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xiii. p. 814,) gave it to 1,200 soldiers, and only twelve became affected. To the au- thorities here referred to may be added Hufeland (Lancet, May 2, 1829,) and Koreff, (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. iv. p. 297,) who admit, from their own personal observations, the efficacy of the remedy, though they have not specified the number of cases in which they have tried it. But bearing in mind the well- known capriciousness evinced by scarlet fever (as indeed by other contagious i See the Observations of Schaeffer and Wetzler, of Meglin, and of Kaisin, quoted by Bayle, Bib. Ther.x. ii, RF.LLADONNA. 307 disorders) in regard to the subjects of its attacks, and the large number of those who, though exposed to its influence, escape, the best evidence hitherto adduced in favour of the notion must be admitted to be inconclusive. While, therefore, the facts brought forward in favour of the existence of this prophylactic power are only negative, those which can be adduced against it are positive. For I conceive twenty cases of failure are more conclusive against the opinion here referred to, than one thousand of non-occurrence are in favour of it. Now Lehman, (Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. ii. p. 417,) Barth, (Ibid.) Wendt, (Rust and Casper's Krit. Report. Bd. xxii. S. 27,) Muhrbeck, (Rust's Magaz. Bd. xxiv. S. 495,) Hoffmann, (Ibid. Bd. xxv. S. 115,) Bock, (Ibid. S. 80,) and many others that I could refer to, declare it has failed in their hands to evince its pro- phylactic powers. In this country we have no extended series of observations to quote ; but the cases which I am acquainted with are decidedly against the efficacy of the remedy. A remarkable failure is mentioned by Dr. Sigmond, (Lancet, 1836-7, vol. ii. p. 78,) of a family of eleven persons who took the sup- posed specific, yet every individual contracted the disease. 6. In Fever, with contraction of the pupil.—Dr. Graves (Dubl. Journ. of Med. Science, July 1,1838,) has recently proposed the use of belladonna in those cases of fever with cerebral disease which are attended with contraction of the pupil. It is not unreasonable, he observes, " to suppose that the state of the brain which accompanies dilatation of the pupil is different from that which ac- companies contraction ; and if belladonna has an effect in producing that cerebral state which is attended with dilatation, it is not going too far to infer, that its ad- ministration may do much towards counteracting the opposite condition; neither is it unphysiological to conclude, that if a remedy be capable of counteracting, or pre- venting one very remarkable effect of a certain morbid state of the brain, it may also counteract other symptoms connected with the same condition." This line of argument, it must be admitted, is ingenious and plausible, and is supported by reference to several apparently successful cases treated on the principles heie laid down. But I would observe, if the above reason be valid, opium should be serviceable in cerebral diseases attended with dilatation of pupil, since it causes contraction of this aperture. Now this is in direct opposition to our every-day experience of the uses of this important narcotic. 7. In other diseases.—Cruveilhier (Lancet, 1828-9, vol. i. p. 520,) has found belladonna-smoking relieve some cases of phthisis. The fresh leaves were in- fused in a strong solution of opium, and then dried like tobacco : the patients began by smoking two pipes a day, and the quantity was gradually increased to six pipes. Perhaps this practice would be beneficial in spasmodic asthma and old catarrhs. In hydrophobia, notwithstanding the asserted prophylactic powers of this medicine, (see the authorities quoted by Bayle, Bibl. Ther. t. ii. ; and Richter, Ausf. Arzneim. Bd. ii.), there is no valid ground for believing in its efficacy. I tried it in one case without success. In epilepsy, mania, hysteria, chorea, and some other maladies of the centro-spinal system, occasional benefit has resulted by the use of belladonna. In ileus (Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. iv. p. 223,) it has been most successfully used in the form of clyster, as a sub- stitute for tobacco, which is objectionable on account of the horrible sickness and great depression which it causes. Administration.—The dose of the powder for an adult is one grain, which should be gradually increased until dryness of the throat, dilatation of pupil, or some head symptoms, are produced. For children the dose at the commence- ment should be one-eighth of a grain. For internal as well as external use the extract or tincture is, however, commonly employed. For external use an in- fusion of the leaves is sometimes used as a fomentation, or is made into a poul- tice with bread or linseed meal. Antidotes—Similar to those for opium. After the use of evacuants the vegetable acids have appeared to give great relief. Decoction of nutgalls or green tea might probably prove serviceable. 308 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. 1. EXTRACTUM BELLADONNA, L. E. (U. S.); Succus spissatus Belladonna, D.; Extract of Belladonnce.—(Fresh Belladonna leaves, lb. i. Bruise them, sprinkled with a little water, in a stone mortar; then press out the juice, and evaporate it, unstrained, to a proper consistence, L.—The Edinburgh College directs the ex- pressed juice to be filtered, and then to be evaporated, in the vapour-bath to the consistence of firm extract, stirring constantly towards the close.—The Dublin College prepares it as the Succus spissatus Aconiti, D.)—1 cwt. of fresh bella- donna yields from 4 to 6 lbs. of extract. (Brande, Man. of Pharm. 3d ed. p. 401.) Dose gr. i. to gr. v. cautiously increased. As the strength of the extract is extremely variable, some writers recommend only one-quarter or one-half of a grain to be given at the commencement of its use, and to be repeated three times a day; and the dose to be increased until the well-known effects of the remedy are produced. Mr. Bailey observes, that he at first began with one grain, and repeated it every four hours until relief followed; but further experi- ence induced him to commence with three times that quantity, and, if a repeti- tion were necessary, to give it in diminished doses afterwards. Spread upon leather the extract is frequently used as a plaster to relieve neuralgic and other pains (see Emplastrum Belladonna). Diluted with water to the consistence of cream, it is applied to the eyebrow to produce dilatation of the pupil; or an aqueous solution of the extract is dropped between the lids. Mixed with lard or spermaceti ointment it is used as a topical anodyne and antispasmodic in various diseases (see Unguentum Belladonnce). A bougie smeared over with the extract and oil, is sometimes used with benefit in the stricture. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. v. p. 735). A drachm or two of the extract, either alone or in the form of oint- ment, may be applied to the os uteri to diminish rigidity. In irritation of the bladder, urinary organs, or rectum, clysters holding in solution the extract are sometimes used. Rubbed into the perineum or over the track of the urethra, the extract or ointment is useful in preventing chordee, and alleviating spasm of the neck of the bladder. [As the fresh leaves of Belladonna are with difficulty procured in the United States, as a substitute for the above extract, the Pharmacopceia directs an ex- tract to be made from the dried leaves by means of diluted alcohol. The formula is, Belladonna, in coarse powder, lb. j. ; Diluted Alcohol, Oiv. , Moisten first with half a pint of the fluid, and allow to stand for 24 hours. Then trans- fer to a percolator and displace, driving over the last quantity of fluid with water. Evaporate the solution to the proper consistence. This constitutes the Ex- tractum Belladonna Alcoholicum, U. S. A similarly prepared extract is directed from Hyoscyamus.] %. EMPLASTRUM BELLADONNA, L. E. D. (U. S.); Plaster of Belladonna.— (Extract of Belladonna, 3iss. [3j. -D»] Plaster of Resin, 3iij. [Soap Plaster, 3:.j. D.~\ Add the extract to the plaster, melted by the heat of a water-bath, and mix.)—Anodyne and antispasmodic. Applied for the relief of neuralgic, rheu- matic, and other pains. It is said to relieve the pain of dysmenorrhoea when applied to the sacrum. In spreading it, care must be taken not to employ a very hot spatula, or the properties of the extract will be injured. I UNGUENTUM BELLADONNA, Ointment of Belladonna.—(Spermaceti Oint- ment [or Lard] 3j-; Extract of Belladonna, 3j. to 3ij. Mix.)—Though not con- tained in any of the British pharmacopoeias, it is a very useful preparation ; and may be used as an anodyne and antispasmodic in some of the before-mentioned cases. 4. TINCTURA BELLADONNA, (U. S.) Tincture of Belladonna___(Belladonna leaves, dried 3ij- [3*v. U.S.] ; Proof Spirit, f3xvj. [Diluted Alcohol, Oij. U. S.] Macerate for twenty [fourteen] days, and strain. Bailey.)—Is not contained in the British pharmacopoeias. Mr. Bailey's formula here given contains the same proportions of leaves and spirit as those used in the preparation of Tinc- tura Hyoscyami, L—Dose, TTlxx. to rrixl. Mr. Blacket (Lond. Med. Rep. vol. xix. p. 458,) prepared a saturated tincture of belladonna by macerating, for COMMON THORNAPPLE. 309 fourteen days, 3x. of extract of belladonna in lb. j. of proof spirit; then strain- ing. The dose of this is rriij. or TTiiij. gradually increased : in the form of lotion, a drachm of it was added to eight ounces of liquid. Succus Belladonna.— The Preserved Juice of Belladonna (see vol. i. p. 325) may be sub- stituted for the tincture. Mr. Bentley informs me that from 2 cwt. of belladonna leaves gathered towards the end of June he procured 36 imperial quarts of juice. 3. DATU'RA STRAMO'NIUM, L. E. D.—COMMON THORNAPPLE. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Folia et Semina, L— Herb, £.—Herba et Semina, D.) (Stramonii Folia, Stramonii Radix, Stramonii Semen. U. S.) History.—Some writers consider this plant to be the tfr^pfvov /xavixov of Dioscorides, (lib. iv. cap. 74,)—an opinion scarcely tenable, as this ancient pharmacologist describes his plant as having a black flower and black fruit. Datura Stramonium is mentioned by Fuchsius in 1542, (Sprengel, Hist. Rei Herb. t. ii. p. 326.) Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx large, tubular, ventricose, five-angled ; apex five-cleft, caducous ; base orbiculate, peltate, persistent. Corolla large, funnel- shaped ; tube long; limb five-angled, five-plicate, five-acuminate. Stamens five. Stigma two-lamellar. Capsule bristly or smooth, ovate, two-celled ; cells two or many-parted with a prominent dissepiment. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. char.—Fruit spinous, ovate, erect. Leaves ovate, smooth, sinuated (Smith). A bushy, smooth, fetid herb. Stem much branched, forked, spreading, leafy. Leaves from the forks of the stem, large, unequal at the base, variously and acutely sinuated and toothed, simple-ribbed, veiny, of a dull-green. Flowers axillary, erect, white, sweet-scented, especially at night, about three inches long. Fruit as big as a walnut, in its outer coat very prickly. Seeds black (Smith). Hah.—Indigenous: in waste ground and on dunghills. Annual. Flowers in July. Description.—The herb (herba stramonii) should be collected when the plant is in flower. The leaves (foliastramonii) are then to be carefully dried. In the fresh state their odour, when bruised, is unpleasant and narcotic; their taste nauseous and bitter. By drying the odour is lost, but the bitter taste re- mains. The seeds (semina stramonii) are small, compressed, kidney-shaped, roughish, dark-brown or blackish, dull, and odourless: they have a bitter, nau- seous, somewhat acrid taste. Composition—The herb was analyzed, in 1815, by Promnitz ; (Gmelin's Handb. d. Chem. Bd. ii. S. 1305,) the seeds, in 1820, by Brandes. (Op. cit.) Promniti's Analysis. Rosin ..................................... 0-12 Extractive [containing the Daturia]......... 060 Gummy extractive......................... 0 58 Green fecula................................ 0-04 Albumen................................... 015 Phos|ihalic and vegetable salts of lime and magnesia................................ 0'23 Water...................................... 9I-25 Woody fibre................................ 5-15 Loss....................................... 1-28 Fresh Herb of Stramonium......'.. 100 00 Brandes's Analysis. Malate of daturia with some uncrystallizable sugar..................................... i go Fixed oil with some chlorophylle............. 16-05 Wax........................................ i-4o* Resin insoluble in ether..................... g-go Extractive.................................. n-60 Gummy extractive.......................... g on Gum and Bassorin with some salts.......... 11 30 Albumen and phytocolla.................... 6 45 Glutenoin.................................. 5.50 Malates of daturia, potash, and lime, and ace- tate of potash............................. 060 Woody fibre................................ 23 35 Water.....................................'.' 15.10 Loss.......................................... 1-95 Seeds of Stramonium.............. 100 00 1. Datura (Dalurina or Daturium.)—A vegetable alkali said to exist in stramonium. The properties assigned to it by Geiger and Hesse (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1835, p. 85,) are the following—It crystallizes in colourless, odourless, brilliant prisms, which have at first a bitter- ish, then a tobacuo-like flavour. It requires 280 parts of cold, or 72 parts of boiling water, to dissolve it: it is very soluble in alcohol, less so in ether. In most of its properties it agrees with hyoscyamia. It strongly dilates the pupil, and has a poisonous action on animals. 2. Mmpvreumatic Oil of Stramonium (Pyrodaturia ?)—Resembles tar and the aqueous fluid which distils along with its acid. This arises from the woody part of the plant having been 310 elements of materia medica. employed. The oil itself does not differ, in its physical and chemical properties, from the em- pyreumatic oil of foxglove, before (p. 287) described. (Morries, Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xxxix. p. 379.) Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—A branch of stramonium was killed by immersing it in a watery solution of the extract of its own species. (Macaire, quoted by De Candolle, Phys. Teg. p. 1354.) (3. On Animals generally.—Its influence on herbivorous animals is much less than that on man. Five ounces of the expressed juice given to the horse causes merely a slight drowsiness and gaping. (Moiroud, Pharm. Vet. p. 350.) Two pounds and a half of the seeds killed a horse in fifty-two hours. (Viborg, in Wibmer's Wirk. d. Arzneim a. Gifte, B. ii. S. 292.) From Orfila's expe- riments with it on dogs (Toxicol. Gen.) it does not appear to act powerfully as a local irritant. Its effects were very similar to those caused by belladonna. y. On Man.—The symptoms produced on man closely resemble those caused by belladonna. In small but gradually increased doses it diminishes sensibility, and thereby frequently alleviates pain. It does not usually affect the pulse; it slightly and temporarily dilates the pupil, and has no* tendency to cause consti- pation, but rather relaxation. Though it allays pain it does not usually produce sleep. In larger doses it causes thirst, dryness of the throat, nausea, giddiness, nervous agitation, dilatation of the pupil, obscurity of vision, headache, disturb- ance of the cerebral functions, perspiration, occasionally relaxation of bowels, and in some cases diuresis. It has no direct tendency to induce sleep, and hence it cannot be called soporific. But indirectly, by alleviating pain, and thereby producing serenity and ease, it often disposes to sleep. In fatal doses the leading symptoms are flushed countenance, delirium (usually maniacal), dilatation of the pupil, dryness of the throat, loss of voice, difficulty of degluti- tion, convulsions, and, in some cases, palsy. A very interesting fatal case of poisoning by 100 seeds, is related by Mr. Duffin. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xv. p. 194.) The patient (his own child) was two years and a quarter old. In addi- tion to the preceding symptoms there were a hot, perspiring skin, flushed, slightly swollen face, pulse almost imperceptible, but as far as it could be felt, it was natural in regard to frequency, and coldness of the inferior extremities. The anterior fontanelle was neither tense, hot, nor in the slightest degree raised by the cerebral pulsations; so that there did not seem to be any active determina- tion of blood to the brain. During the continuance of the coma the pulse be- came extremely rapid. Death occurred twenty-four hours after swallowing the seeds. Vogt (Pharmakodyn. Bd. i. S. 164,) says stramonium is distinguished from belladonna by the following peculiarities: 1. Its effects are more similar to those of acrid vegetables, especially of Helleborus. 2. It operates more strongly, but more in the manner of the acrid substances, on the ner- vous system, especially on the central organs, viz. the ganglia, spinal cord, and brain. 3. Its secondary effects on the irritable system are not so marked ; for most observers have failed to detect any alteration of pulse, and a slow pulse is more frequently mentioned than a quick one. 4. It operates on the organic life more strongly. It more strongly and directly promotes all the secretions, especially the secretion of the skin. 5. Marcet, (Med.-Chir. Trans, vols. vii. and viii.) and Begbie (Trans, of the Med. Soc. Edinb. t. i.) have inferred, from numerous observations, that it possesses an anodyne property, which it frequently evinces where opium and belladonna fail. Uses.—A more extended experience of this plant is requisite to enable us to speak with much confidence of its employment. The similarity of its effects with those of belladonna would lead us to expect a similarity of uses. Like the last-mentioned plant it has been successfully employed to diminish sensibility, and thereby to relieve external pain. Some of the other uses made of it require a more impartial examination eie we can form any just estimate of their value. The indications and contra-indications for its employment are probably similar to those of belladonna. In persons disposed to apoplexy it is a very dangerous remedy. COMMON THORNAPPLE. 311 In neuralgia, (tic doloureux, sciatica, fyc.) it has been employed with con- siderable success, by Lentin, (Bayle, Bibl. Ther. t. ii.) Marcet, (Med.-Chir. Trans, vols. vii. and viii.) and Begbie. (Trans. Med.-Chir. Soc. of Edinb. vol. 1.) It was given internally in the form of extract. Its external application has scarcely been tried. In rheumatism it has frequently proved serviceable from its anodyne qualities. (See the reports of Kirckhoff, Engelhart, Van-Nuffal, and Amelung, in Bayle, op. cit.; also Eberle, Mat. Med.) In enterodynia (that is, spasmodic pain of the bowels unconnected with inflammatory action or the pre- sence of irritating substances), Dr. Elliotson (Lancet, 1826-7, vol. xii.; and 1827-8, vol. ii.) found it most successful. In some cases of spasmodic asthma, smoking the herb has given at least temporary relief (English, in Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. vii.; and Dr. Sims, Ibid. vol. viii.): but the practice requires very great caution, as it has proved highly injurious, and in some instances fatal. Dr. Bree (Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxvi. p. 51,) tried it in 82 asthmatic cases: in 58 of these it had no permanent effect, and in the remaining 24 it acted injuriously. General Gent, who was instrumental in introducing the practice, fell a victim to it. (Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxvi. p. 49.) Aggravation of the dyspnoea, paralytic tremblings, epilepsy, headache, and apoplexy, are some of the evils said to have been induced in the cases above referred to. In persons disposed to head affections, and in aged persons, it is, therefore, a highly dan- gerous practice. The diseases in which stramonium has been principally used are mania and epilepsy. Bayle (Bibl. Therap. t. ii.) has collected from the works of Storck, Schemalz, Razoux, Reef, Meyer, Odhelius, Durande, Maret, Bergius, Greding, Schneider, Bernard, and Amelung, fifty-five cases of the first, and forty-five of the latter malady, treated by stramonium: in both diseases a considerable ma- jority of cases are said to have been either cured or relieved by it. Without denying the occasional benefit of stramonium in these diseases, I believe the cases in which it is serviceable to be very rare, while those in which it is calcu- lated to be injurious are very common. Dr. Cullen (Mat. Med.) observes, that he has no doubt that narcotics may be a remedy for certain cases of mania and epilepsy ; but he very justly adds, " 1 have not, and I doubt if any other person has, learned to distinguish the cases to which such remedies are properly adapted." Stramonium has been used to dilate the pupil and to diminish the sensibility of the retina to the influence of light; but for both of these purposes belladonna is preferred by British oculists. Wendt (Rust's Magaz. Bd. xxiv. S. 302,) used it to lessen venereal excitement, as in nymphomania. An ointment (made with 3j. of the powdered leaves, and 3iv. of lard) has been used as an anodyne application to irritable ulcers and to painful hemorrhoids. The application of the leaves to burns has been attended with dangerous results. (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. vi. p. 722.) Administration.—The dose of the powdered leaves is one grain; of the seeds half a grain. These doses are to be repeated twice or thrice a day, and to be gradually increased until some obvious effect is produced. 1. EXTRACTUM STRAMONII, L. E. D.; (Extractum Stramonii Seminis, U. S.) Extract of Thornapple.—(Thornapple seeds, gxv. [lb. j. D.~\ ; Boiling distilled Water, Cong. j. Macerate for four hours in a vessel slightly covered, near the fire ; afterwards take out the seeds, and bruise them in a stone mortar : return them, when bruised, to the liquor. Then boil down to four pints, and strain the liquor while hot. Lastly, evaporate to a proper consistence. L. D.—The directions of the Edinburgh College are as follows:—Take of the seeds of stramonium, any convenient quantity; grind them well in a coffee-mill. Rub the powder into a thick mass with proof spirit; put the pulp into a percolator, and transmit proof spirit till it passes colourless; distil off the spirit, and evaporate what re- mains in the vapour-bath to a proper consistence.)—Of the above modes of pre- 312 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. paration, that of the Edinburgh College is doubtless the best, as yielding a more efficient preparation. [The U. S. P. directs Stramonium seed, in powder, lb. i.; Diluted Alcohol, q. s. Displace with the alcohol, and evaporate to the proper consitence.] The product, according to the London and Dublin pro- cess, is about 12 per cent. (Barker, Observ. on the Dub. Pltarm.), Recluz (U. S. Dispensatory,) states, that 16 ozs. of the seeds yield 2 ozs. 2drs. by macera- tion in dilute alcohol: this is about 14 per cent. The dose of extract of stra- monium, at the commencement, is about a quarter of a grain, which should be gradually increased until some obvious effect is produced. t TINCTURA STRAMONII, Ph. United States. Tincture of Thornapple.—{Stra- monium seeds, bruised. Ziv. ; Proof Spirit, gxxxij. Macerate for fourteen days, and filter through paper.)—Dose tT],x. to TTlxx. twice or thrice a day, gradually increased until it occasions some obvious effect on the system. This prepara- tion is applicable to all the cases for which stramonium is used. Antidotes.—The same as for belladonna. 4. NICOTIA'NA TABACUM, L. E. D.—VIRGINIAN TOBACCO. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Folia exsiccata, L.—Leaves, £.—Folia, D.) [Tabacum, U. S.j History.—The inhalation of the fumes of burning vegetable substances, both for causing inebriation and for medicinal purposes, seems to have been very anciently practised. Herodotus (Clio, ccii.) tells us, that the Babylonians in- toxicated themselves by this means; and both Dioscorides (lib. ii. cap. 126) and Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xxvi. cap. 16, ed. Valp.) declare the efficacy of smoking Tussilago in obstinate cough. Humboldt (Personal Narrative, vol. v. p. 666) says, that the tobacco plant has been cultivated, from time immemorial, by the natives of Oronoko. It does not appear, however, to have been known to Europeans prior to the discovery of America; though it is not improbable that the Asiatics were acquainted with it long before that time, as Pallas, Rumphius, and Loureiro, have supposed. But it is not probable, I think, that Europeans learned the use of it from the Asiatics, as Ulloa has endeavoured to show. When Columbus and his followers arrived at Cuba, in 1492, they, for the first time, beheld the custom of smoking cigars.1 Hernandez de Toledo intro- duced the plant into Spain and Portugal; and, from the latter place, Joan Nicol sent the seeds or the plant to France, about 1559-60. (Bauhin's Pinax.) In 1586, on the return of Sir Francis Drake, with the colonists, from Virginia, the practice of smoking was introduced into England ; and, being adopted by Sir Walter Raleigh and other courtiers, soon became common. (Biograph. Brit. vol. v. p. 3471 ; and Clusius, Exotic, p. 310.) Various attempts, by writings, imposts, or bodily punishments, were made in Europe to restrict or put down its use.3 It is said, that upwards of a hundred volumes were written to condemn its employment; and not the least curious of these is the celebrated " Counterblaste to Tobacco'"' of James I. (Works, p. 214, fol. 1616.) Despite, and partly, perhaps, as a consequence of these attempts, the use of tobacco rapidly spread, and is now universal throughout the world. (Asiatic Journal, vol. xxii.) The generic appellation Nicotiana is obviously derived from Nicot, the name of an individual above referred to. The origin of the specific name Tabacum is less satisfactorily ascertained. It is probable, however, that the word is de- rived from tabac, an instrument used by the natives of America in smoking this herb , though some derive it from Tobago, others from Tabasco, a town in New Spain. i W.Irving, Hist, of the Life and Voyages of Columbus, vol, i. p. 237; also the Narrative of Don Fernando Colon, son-in-law of Columbus, Hist, del Amir. cap. '27, in Barcia. Hist. prim, delas Indias occid. vol. i. p. 24. » Adam Clarke, Dissert, on the Use and Abuse of Tobacco, 1797; Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxiv. p. 451 ; and C. C. Antz, Tabaei Hist. Diss. Inaug. Berol. 1836. VIRGINIAN TOBACCO. 313 Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx urceolate, five-cleft. Corolla much longer than the calyx, funnel-shaped, five-cleft, regular. Stamens five. Stigma emargi- nate. Capsule two-valved. (Bot. Gall.) , sP. cuar___Leaves sessile, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, the lower ones de- current. Throat of the corolla inflate-ventricose; limb with acuminated seg- ments. (Bot. Gall.) . A viscid herb. Root branching, fibrous. Stem three to six feet high, erect, round, hairy, branching at the top. Leaves very large, pale green, with glan- dular short hairs. Bracts linear, acute. Flowers panicled on the end of the stem and branches. Calyx hairy. Corolla rose-coloured. Ovarium ovate; style long and slender ; stigma capitate, cloven. Capsule two-celled, opening cross-wise at the top, loculicidal. Seeds numerous, small, somewhat reniform, brown. HaD-America. Extensively cultivated in most parts of the world, espe- cially the United States of America, Virginia is the most celebrated for its culture. North of Maryland the plant is rarely seen. (United States Dispen- satory.) In England the cultivation is restricted; not more than half a pole being allowed "in a physic or university garden, or in any private garden for physic or chirurgery." (Loudon's Encyclopaedia of Agriculture.) Nicotiana rustica, Common Green Tobacco, is cultivated in several parts of the world. It yield.s a milder tobacco, and is said to have been preferred by Sir W. Raleigh. Syrian and Turkish Tobaccos are prepared from it. (Royle, Illust. p. 283; Lindley, Fl. Med.) " Mr. D. Don informs me," observes Dr. Royle, " that it also affords the tobacco of Salonica (.the ancient Tliessalonica); probably also that of Latakkia (Laodicea), which is much esteemed." Nicotiana repanda is said to yield the small Havannah cigars (Royle). Nicotiana tersica yields the delicate and fragrant tobacco of Shiraz (Lindley). Culture.—In Virginia and Maryland the seeds are thickly sown in beds of finely-prepared earth. When the young plants have five or six leaves, exclu- sive of the seminal leaves, they are transplanted into fields during the month of May, and set three or four feet apart, in rows. During the whole period of growth the crop requires constant attention ; and to promote the development of leaves, the tops are pinched off, by which the formation of flowers and seed is prevented. The harvest is in August. The ripe plants are cut off above their roots, dried under cover, stripped of their leaves, tied in bundles, packed in hogsheads, &c. (Loudon's Encycl. of Agricult. ; Carver, Treat, on the Cult. of the Tobacco Plant, 1779.) Commerce.—The duty (besides an additional 5 per cent, on the duty) on to- bacco, the produce of British possessions in America, is 2s. 9d. per lb.; of other parts, 3s.—on snuff, 6s. per lb.—on cigars, and other kinds of manufactured tobacco, 9s. These exorbitant duties lead to extensive smuggling. In 1840 120,SSI cwts. of tobacco, and 169,777 lbs. of cigars, paid duty. An extensive manufacturer of Tobacco has supplied me with the following facts as to the consumption of tobacco in this country : u In the year 1839, the revenue on tobacco was about £3,600,000. Of this it has been estimated yiths are drawn from the working classes, y^th from the richer classes. Of the latter, one half (or ^Lth of the whole amount) is contri- buted by Foreign and British manufactured cigars." Consumption of Tobacco per Head of Population, calculated from the number of lbs. on which duty teas paid. Year. Rate of Duty. Consumption per Head. oz. 11 7T3- England. ) 2 1801....................\ \° i................it| ( 1 0t o~ Ireland. } 1811......................2 2^ ...........................19* l^-M......................4 0 ...........................11* 1831......................3 0 ..........................123 1"1......................3 1^ .......................say1254 vol. n. 40 314 elements of materia medica. Hence the consumption is materially affected by the rate of duty. Description.—Tobacco (folia tabaci seu nicotiana) as met with in com- merce, has a brownish colour, a strong narcotic but peculiar odour, and a bitter, nauseous taste. The darker-coloured tobaccos are the strongest. For medici- nal purposes Virginian tobacco in leaf should be employed. When this cannot be procured, shag may be substituted. The following are the principal com- mercial kinds: American.—The Virginian is one of the strongest kinds, and is, therefore, not fit for cigars, Dut is adapted for pipes and snuff, and for medicinal use. It is imported in leaves or head3 contained in hogsheads. Its colour is deep mottled brown; the leaves feel unctuous. The Maryland is paler, yellower, weaker, and adapted for smoking: the pale cinnamon is the best, the scrubs the commonest. The Kentucky is intermediate between the two preceding; it is paler and weaker than the Virginian. The Carolina is less frequently met with, and is of in- ferior quality. The Havannah is most esteemed for smoking: its colour is yollowish-brown: its odour is musky or spicy. It is imported in heads. The Cuba is an excellent kind ; it is darker than the Havannah. Both these kinds, as well as the Columbian, are remarkable for the light yellow spots on the leaves. The Columbian is imported in heads and leaves, and is much esteemed for cigars; for which it is more used than any other kind. It is dark brown, but not mottled like the Virginian. The Varinas is brought over in rolls and in hands. It is spotted like the preceding. It is a mild tobacco, suitable for smoking only. The Porto Rico is allied to the Varinas. It comes in rolls. The St. Domingo is imported in leaves; it is de- ficient in flavour. Orinoko comes in leaves. 2. European.—The only European tobacco extensively consumed in this country is Amcrs- foort, a Dutch tobacco. It is very mild and deficient in flavour. The darker kind is the strongest, and is much esteemed for snuff; while the lighter and weaker kind is employed in the manufacture of the commonest cigars. Several German, Hungarian, and Ukraine tobac- cos are occasionally met wilh. (Sinsheim, Die Rauch. u. Schnupflabaks-Fabrikation, 1826.) 3. Asiatic.—East Indian tobacco has never obtained a high repute, doubtless from the inat- tention to its cultivation. (Royle, Illustrations, p. 285.) The Manilla is dark-coloured, and is much esteemed for cheroots. The Shiraz, the Salonica (the ancient Thessalonica), the La. takkia (Laodicea), are other valued Asiatic kinds. Turkey tobacco is pale and yellowish. It occurs in small, short, broad leaves. It is a weak tobacco, and is cut for smoking. Manufactured Tobacco.—Under this head are included the different forms of tobacco prepared for chewing and smoking, and "or taking as snuff. 1. chewing and Smoking Tobaccos.—Manufacturers distinguish chewing tobaccos and those used in pipes into two kinds, called respectively cut and roll tobacco. For smoking in the pipe cut tobacco is principally used in England,— the roll, in Scotland and Ireland. Cigars and cheroots form a third kind. a. Cut Tobaccos.—Among these Shag deserves the first notice. It is pre- pared by moistening (with liquor) and compressing leaves of tobacco (Virginian and Kentucky kinds principally) deprived of their midribs, then cutting the compressed mass with knife-edged chopping stamps. Returns is a lighter coloured and milder smoking tobacco. It derives its name from its being formerly prepared by returning shag for re-cutting. Bird's-eye is prepared like shag, with the exception that it contains the midribs of the leaves, the slices of which have been compared to the eyes of birds. Maryland is another kind of cut tobacco. Canaster or Kanaster is a favourite kind. It received its name from canastra (a Spanish word, signifying a basket), because it was imported in baskets. It is prepared from Varinas tobacco. Oronoko, Turkey, Persian, and Varinas, are also cut tobaccos. |3. Roll or Twist Tobaccos.—These are prepared by twisting tobacco into a kind of rope, which is moistened with liquor, and is usually made up into cylin- drical or barrel-shaped rolls, which are subjected to pressure before they are considered fit for sale. Pigtail, Negro-head, Bogie, Alloa, Cavendish, and Irish Twist, are roll tobaccos for chewing and smoking. y. Cigars.—These are small rolls of tobacco, permeable to air, and adapted for smoking. Cigars were originally derived from the New World. They are distinguished from Cheroots by their pointed extremity called the curl or twist. The Havannah Cigars are in great request by smokers. Cigars, however, are extensively made in London. Cheroots were originally derived from the East. VIRGINIAN TOBACCO. 315 They are characterized by their truncated extremities. Manilla Cheroots are much valued by smokers. Cheroots, however, like cigars, are extensively manufactured in London. 2. snuffs___In the manufacture of snuff, tobacco, cut in small pieces, is first fermented by placing it in heaps and sprinkling it with water or a solution of salt; the latter prevents the tobacco becoming mouldy. The heaps soon become hot and evolve ammonia. The extent to which this process is allowed to pro- ceed, varies with different kinds of snuff. The usual time is two or three months,—seldom less than one month. The fermented tobacco is then ground in mills, or powdered with a kind of pestle and mortar. The Scotch and Irish are prepared for the most part from the midribs; the Strasburgh, French, and Russian snuffs, from the soft part of the leaves. The siftings, sometimes termed thirds, are usually reground. Sal ammoniac is occasionally added to snuffs. The immense varieties of snuffs found in the shops are reducible to two kinds, dry and moist snuffs. a. Dry Snuffs___These derive their characteristic property from being dried at a high temperature. Scotch, Irish, and Welsh, are well known high-dried snuffs. The latter contains lime, the particles of which may be usually distin- guished by the naked eye; hence its desiccating effect on the pituitary mem- brane. Spanish snuff is also a dry snuff. (3. Moist Snuffs ; Rappees. It is sometimes said that pearlash is added to these snuffs to keep them moist, but several respectable manufacturers assure me this is not usual. The rappees of the shops may be divided into three classes: aa. Simple Rappees.—Ex. Brown, Black, Cuba, Carotte, and Bolangero. (3(3. Mixed Rappees___Ex. Hardham's Genuine No. 37. yy. Scented Rappees.—Ex. Prince's Mixture and Princeza, &c. It is said that tobacconists employ, in the preparation of tobacco, a solution of sea-salt, (sp. gr. 1-107,) which is termed the sauce or liquor, but I am assured that this is not generally the case. This liquor, it is further stated, is sometimes coloured by treacle or liquorice. Composition—The juice of the fresh leaves of tobacco was analyzed in 1809 by Vauquelin. (Ann. de Chim. lxxi. 139.) Subsequently this chemist analysed manufactured tobacco. (Annal. du Mas. d'Hist. Nat. t. xiv.) In 1821 Hermbstadt (Schweigger's Journ. fur Chem. xxxi. 441) discovered nico- tianin. In 1827 the leaves were analyzed by Posselt and Reinmann, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1303,) and in 1831 by Dr. Conwell. (Silliman's Journ. xvii. 369.) Vauquelin's Analysis. An acrid volatile principle (nicotina). Albumen. Red matter, soluble in alcohol and water. Acetic acid. Pupermalate of lime. Chlorophylle. Nitrate of potash and chloride of potassium. Hal ammoniac. Wuter. Expressed juice of the leaves. The leaves contained, in addition to the above, woody fibre, oialaic and phosphate of lime, oxide of iron, iind silica- The two latter substances were obtained from the ashes. Manufactured tobacco contained the same princi- ples; and in addition, carbonate of ammonia and chlo- ride of calcium, p-rhaps produced by the reaction of Hal ammoniac and lime, which are added to tobacco to (jive il pungency. Posselt and Reinmann's Analysis. Nicotina.................................... o 06 Concrete volatile oil (nicotianin).............. 001 Bitter extractive............................ o-87 Gum with malate of lime..................... ] 74 Chlorophylle................................ 0 2<>7 Albumen and gluten......................... I 308 Malic acid................................... rj 51 Lignin and a trace of starch.................. 4 909 Salts (sulphate, nitrate, and malate of potash', chloride of potassium, phosphate and malate of lime, and malate of ammonia)........... 0 734 S'l'c*....................................... 0 oS-8 Wat,;r.......................................88-280 Fresh leaves of tobacco......................10083G 1. Nicotina (Mcotin).—Exists not only in the leaves, but also in the root (E. Davy, Lond. and Ed. Phil. Mag. vol. vii. p. 393,) and in the seeds (Buchner, Repert. Bd. xxxii.) of tobacco! 316 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. It is obtained by infusing the leaves in water acidulated with sulphuric acid, concentrating the infusion, and distilling with lime or magnesia. The distilled product is a solution of am- monia and nicotina, and is to be saturated with sulphuric acid, and evaporated to dryness: the sulphate of nicotina is then to be dissolved out by ether, and decomposed by hydrate of baryta. The nicotina is obtained by spontaneous evaporation. To obtain it pure, it should be distilled by an oil-bath at the temperature of 288° F. The following are its leading properties:—It is a colourless, liquid, volatile alkali, with the odour of tobacco, and an acrid, burning taste. It restores the blue colour of reddened litmus, and renders turmeric brown. At 375° F. it boils, and at the same lime undergoes decomposition. By exposure to the air it becomes brown and thick. It is readily combustible with the aid of a wick. It is soluble in water, ether, alcohol, and the oils (fixed and volatile). It combines with acids and forms salts: the sulphate, phos- phate, oxalate, and tartrate, are crystallizable; the acetate is not. Its atomic weight is 210. The acetate of nicotina yields a white flocculent precipitate with a solution of bichloride of mercury, and a yellow granular precipitate with chloride of platinum. The precipitates (which are double salts) lead to a suspicion that ammonia was present in the nicotina salt. Heated with water the yellow precipitate obtained by chloride of platinum is converted into the platinum-bichloride of ammonium. (Gail, Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1836, S. 499.) Mr. E. Davy found that nicotina acted as a narcotic poison on insects. The following are the quantities of nicotina yielded by 1000 parts of various kinds of tobacco (Thomson, Org. Chem. p. 286):— Cuba, 864; Maryland, 5 28; Virginia, 1000; He de Vilain, 1120; Lot, 648; North, 11-28; Lot et Garonn, 8-20 ; for smoking, 3-86. 2. Concrete Volatile Oil of Tobacco (Nicotianin, Hermbstadt; Tobacco-camphor, Gme- lin).—Obtained by submitting tobacco leaves, with water, to distillation. Six pounds of the leaves yielded eleven grains of oil, which swims on the surface of the liquor. This oil is solid, has the odour of tobacco, and a bitter taste. It is volatile, insoluble in water and the dilute acids, but soluble in ether and caustic potash. According to Landerer, (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1835, S. 890,) fresh tobacco leaves yield no nicotianin, which, therefore, would appear to be developed by the drying of the leaves under the influence of air and water. Nicotianin excites, in the tongue and throat, a sensation similar to that caused by tobacco smoke. Hermb- stadt swallowed a grain of it, and experienced, soon after, giddiness, nausea, and inclination to vomit. Applied to the nose, it causes sneezing. 3. Empyreumatic Oil of Tobacco.—Is rather less solid than the empyreumatic oil of fox- glove (see p. 287); but it is undistinguishable from the latter by either taste or smell. (Mor- ries, Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xxxix. p. 379.) It is produced, in part at least, by the decomposition of some of the constituents of tobacco. It has been suggested, that this oil is " the juice of cursed hebenon," alluded to by Shakspeare, (Hamlet, Act i. Scene 5,) who also calls it a " distilment." 4. Tobacco Smoke.—The constituents of tobacco smoke, according to Raab, (Zenker and Schenk, Naturgesch. d. vorzug: Handelspjl. Bd. ii. S. 75,) are much carbonate of ammonia, acetate of ammonia, nicotianin, empyreumatic oil, carbonaceous matter (soot), moisture, and several gases. Unverdorben obtained, (PoggendorfF's Annalen, viii. 399,) by the distillation of tobacco, water, oil, and resin. These products consisted of, a volatile oil, an oleaginous acid, an empyreumatic acid (Brandstlure), resin, traces of a powder insoluble in potash and acids, a small quantity of odorin, a base soluble in water (nicotin l),fuscin, red matter soluble in acids, and two extractive matters, one forming a soluble, the other an insoluble, compound with lime. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals generally.—In the carnivora tobacco causes nausea, vomiting, sometimes purging, universal trembling, stag- gering, convulsive movements, and stupor. Five drachms and a half of rappee introduced into the stomach of a dog, and secured by a ligature on the oesopha- gus, caused death in nine hours. In another experiment, two drachms applied to a wound killed the animal in an hour. (Orfila, Tox. Gen.) Sir B. Brodie (Phil. Trans, for 1811, p. 178) found that the infusion of tobacco, thrown into the rectum, paralysed the heart, and caused death in a few minutes. But if the head of the animal be previously removed, and artificial respiration kept up, the heart remains unaffected ; proving that tobacco disorders this organ through the medium of the nervous system only. In the herbivora the effects of tobacco, as of other vegetable poisons, are much less marked : vomiting does not occur. Schubarth (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. ii. Gift. Bd. iii. S. 336) gave four ounces of the leaves to a horse, at three times, within two hours. The pulse became irregular, then slower, afterwards quicker: respiration and the pupils were scarcely affected. For two days the stools and urine were more frequent. Moiroud (Pharm. Vet. p. 364) observed no remarkable effect from the exhibi- tion of four ounces of tobacco to a horse. It is remarkable that the empyreumatic oil of tobacco does not possess the VIRGINIAN TOBACCO- 317 same power of paralysing the heart. Applied to the tongue of a cat, one drop caused convulsions, and in two minutes death : on opening the body, the heart was beating regularly and with force. (Brodie, op. cit.) lis operation, therefore, is analogous to that of hydrocyanic acid. Dr. Morries (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xxxix. p. 383) says, it has less tendency to induce convulsions than the empyreumatic oils of foxglove, henbane, or the thornapple. (3. On Man.—In small doses, tobacco causes a sensation of heat in the throat, and sometimes a feeling of warmth at the stomach; these effects, how- ever, are less obvious when the remedy is taken in a liquid form, and largely diluted. By repetition it usually operates as a diuretic, and less frequently as a laxative. Accompanying these effects are oftentimes nausea and a peculiar feeling usually described as giddiness, but which scarcely accords with the ordi- nary acceptation of this term. As dropsical swellings sometimes disappear under the u.se of these doses, it has been inferred that the remedy promotes the operation of the absorbents. In larger doses it provokes nausea, vomiting, and purging. Though it seldom gives rise to abdominal pain, it produces a most distressing sensation of sinking at the pit of the stomach. It occasionally acts as an anodyne, or more rarely promotes sleep. But its most remarkable effects are languor, feebleness, relaxation of muscles, trembling of the limbs, great anxiety, and tendency to faint. Vision is frequently enfeebled ; the ideas con- fused, the pulse small and weak ; the respiration somewhat laborious ; the surface cold and clammy, or bathed in a cold sweat; and, in extreme cases, convulsive movements are observed. In excessive doses the effects are of the same kind, but more violent in degree. The more prominent symptoms are nausea, vomit- ing, and, in some cases, purging, extreme weakness and relaxation of the mus- cles, depression of the vascular system (manifested by feeble pulse, pale face, cold sweats, and tendency to faint), convulsive movements, followed by paralysis and a kind of torpor, terminating in death. Taken in the form of snuffi'tts principal effect is topical. It causes increased secretion of nasal mucus, and, in those unaccustomed to its use, sneezing. Get- ting into the throat it produces a feeling of acridity and sometimes nausea. From some kinds of rappee I have experienced giddiness and great prostration of strength. Lanzoni (Christison, On Poisons) states, that an individual fell into a state of somnolency, and died lethargic on the twelfth day, in consequence of taking too much snuff. Reasonable doubt, however, may be entertained, I think, whether these accidents really arose from snuff. The habitual use of this substance blunts the sense of smell, and alters the tone of voice ; but I am unac- quainted with any other well-ascertained effects, though Cullen (Mat. Med. ii. 274) ascribes loss of appetite and dyspepsia to it; and Dr. Prout (On the Nature and Treatment of Stomach and Urinary Diseases, p. 25, Lond. 1840) observes, that " the severe and peculiar dyspeptic symptoms sometimes produced by inve- terate snuff-taking are well known ; and I have more than once seen such cases terminate fatally with malignant diseases of the stomach and liver." I have known several inveterate snuff-takers who, after many years' use of this sub- stance, have discontinued it with impunity ; but Dr. Cullen thinks that when the discharge of mucus is considerable, the ceasing or suppression of it, by abstain- ing from snuff, is ready to occasion the very disorders of headache, toothache, and ophthalmia, which it had formerly relieved. There does not appear to be any good grounds for the supposed baneful effects of the manufacture of snuff on the workmen. (Christison, op. cit.) Sir W. Temple (Letters, p. 286, fol. 1720) recommends the introduction of a tobacco leaf into the nostrils for the relief of affections of the eyes and head. The smoking of tobacco by those unaccustomed to it, gives rise to all the before-described effects of large and excessive doses. A very interesting case, which had almost terminated fatally, is related by Dr. Marshall Hall. (Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xii. p. 11.) It was that of a young man, who, for 318 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. his first essay, smoked two pipes. Gmelin (quoted by Christison,) mentions two cases of death from smoking, in the one of seventeen, in the other of eighteen, pipes at a sitting. In habitual smokers, the practice, when employed moderately, provokes thirst, increases the secretion of saliva and buccal mucus, and produces a remarkable soothing and tranquillizing effect on the mind, which has made it so much ad- mired and adopted by all classes of society, and by all nations civilized and bar- barous. I am not acquainted with any well-ascertained ill effects resulting from the habitual practice of smoking. A similar observation is made by Dr. Chris- tison. (Op. cit. p. 774.) Yet Dr. Prout says it " disorders the assimilating functions in general, but particularly, as I believe, the assimilation of the saccha- rine principle. I have never, indeed, been able to trace the developement of oxalic acid to the use of tobacco; but that some analogous and equally poisonous prin- ciple (probably of an acid nature) is generated in certain individuals by its abuse, is evident from their cachectic looks; and from the dark, and often greenish yellow tint of their blood." (Op. supra cit. p. 25.) There do not appear to be any good grounds for supposing that smoking is a prophylactic against con- tagious and epidemic diseases—an opinion at one time entertained. The practice of chewing tobacco is principally confined to sailors, and is less frequently submitted to our observation, so that we are not so competent to speak of its effects, which, probably, are similar to those caused by smoking. The application of tobacco to abraded surfaces is a very dangerous practice, and has in some instances been attended with violent or even fatal results. Mr. Weston (Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xiv. p. 305,) has related a case, in which the expressed juice of tobacco was applied to the head of a boy, aged eight years, for the cure of tinea capitis. Death took place three hours and a half after the application. In the form of clyster, tobacco has frequently proved fatal, sometimes from the use of inordinate doses by ignorant persons, (Christison, op. cit.) and occa- sionally in the hands of the well-informed practitioner. Desault (CEuvres Chir. t. ii. p. 344,) has witnessed the smoke prove fatal. Sir A. Cooper (Anatomy and Treatment of Hernia, p. 24,) has seen two drachms, and even one drachm, destroy life. In a case related by Sir Charles Bell (Surgical Observations, part 2, p. 189,) death probably occurred from the same cause. Dr. Copland (Diet. of Pract. Med. art. Colic, vol. i. p. 371,) saw half a drachm in infusion prove fatal. More recently (British and Foreign Medical Review, vol. xii. p. 562,) a decoction of 12 grs. of tobacco in six ounces of water used as an enema proved fatal. The operation of tobacco resembles that of Lobelia infiata (see Lobeliace e). With foxglove tobacco agrees in several circumstances, especially in that of en- feebling the action of the vascular system (vol. i. p. 178); though its power in this respect is inferior to that of foxglove. In its capability of causing relaxation and depression of the muscular system, and trembling, tobacco surpasses foxglove; as it does also in its power of promoting the secretions. From belladonna, stramonium, and hyoscyamus, it is distinguished by causing contraction of the pupil, both when applied to the eye and when taken internally in poisonous doses; and also by the absence of delirium and of any affection of the parts about the throat. Vogt (Pharmakodyn,) and Sundelin (Handb. d. spec. Heil- mittell,) have considered the effects of tobacco as closely allied to those of aconite; but to me the resemblance appears very slight (see PvANUNCULACEiE). The power possessed by the last mentioned substance of paralysing the sentient nerves, sufficiently distinguishes it from tobacco. Uses.—The principal remedial value of tobacco consists in its power of re- laxing muscular fibres, whereby it becomes a valuable antispasmodic. As a purgative, but especially as an antispasmodic and purgative conjoined, it is ex- ceedingly serviceable in alvine obstructions. As a sedative to the vascular VIRGINIAN TOBACCO. 319 system it has not been much used. I tried it somewhat extensively a few years since, as a substitute for blood-letting in inflammatory affections. But, while it produced such distressing nausea, and depression, that it was with difficulty 1 could induce patients to persevere in its use, I did not find its antiphlogistic powers at all proportionate, and eventually I discontinued its employment. As an anodyne, diuretic, or emetic, it is much inferior to many other articles of the Materia Medica. 1. In Colic, Ileus (Volvulus), Strangulated Hernia, and Constipation.— The efficacy of tobacco in these diseases depends principally on its power of relaxing muscular fibres and on its purgative properties. These effects are usually accompanied by nausea and giddiness. The remedy is applied in the form of clyster, consisting either of the infusion, or of the smoke. The latter was at one time supposed to be more efficacious. Heberden (Comment, on the Hist, and Cure of Diseases, p. 270, 3d ed. 1806,) says, it causes less giddi- ness than the infusion. It probably extends farther up the intestines than the liquid enema, and, therefore, acts on a larger surface. But the difficulties and inconvenience of applying it, and the uncertainty of its effects, have led, for the most part, to the discontinuance of its use. In ileus the tobacco olyster has been recommended by Sydenham, (Wlwle Works, 4th ed. by Peechey, p. 428,) by Heberden, (op. cit.) by Abercrombie, (On Diseases of the Abdominal Vis- cera,) and by several other distinguished authorities. The earlier it is resorted to, the more successful it is likely to prove. Indeed, when employed in the last stage of the disease, it sometimes hastens the fatal termination by exhausting the already depressed vital powers. As it is occasionally necessary to repeat the injection, it is of importance to begin cautiously. Dr. Abercrombie uses only fifteen grains of tobacco infused in six ounces of boiling water for ten minutes; and he repeats this in an hour if no effect has been produced. I have generally employed a scruple, and have not experienced any dangerous effects from its application ; and it is possible that, in persons long accustomed to the use of tobacco, a somewhat larger dose might be required ; but I have never met with any case in which a scruple did not produce the full effect on the sys- tem that was desired. In strangulated hernia the tobacco clyster has frequently effected the return of the protruded parts when the operation appeared almost inevitable; and every surgical writer speaks in the highest terms of its use. A tense hernial tumour sometimes becomes soft and relaxed by the diminished force of circulation produced by tobacco. Notwithstanding these facts, this remedy is much less frequently resorted to than formerly. Three circumstances have, I suspect, led to the infrequency of its use: first, the dangerous, if not fatal, consequences which have resulted from its employment; secondly, the fre- quency of its failure and the consequent loss of time, by which the chance of recovery is diminished ; thirdly, the operation for hernia being much less dreaded now than formerly, for experience has fully proved that death rarely (Mr. Pott says only once in fifty times) results from it. In colic from lead, and in obsti- nate constipation from spasmodic constriction, the tobacco clyster has some- times proved most beneficial. Of the application in lead colic, of compresses, soaked in a strong decoction of tobacco to the abdomen, as recommended by Dr. Graves, (Dublin Hospital Reports, vol. iv.) I have no experience. The practice is, of course, calculated to be beneficial, but is less certain and speedy in its effect than tobacco clysters. 2. In Ischuria and Dysury.—When retention of urine arises from spasm of the neck of the bladder or from spasmodic stricture, tobacco, by its powerfully relaxing properties, is an agent well calculated to give relief. Mr. Earle (Med. Chir. Trans, vol. vi. p. 82,) has published several cases illustrative of its effi- cacy. In-dysury, also, tobacco proves serviceable; it abates pain, relaxes the urinary passages, promotes the secretion of urine, and, by diminishing the sen- sibility of the parts, facilitates the expulsion of the calcareous matter. (Fowler, Med. Rep. of tlie Effects of Tobacco, 17 So.) 320 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. 3. Tetanus.—The relaxing influence over the muscular system possessed by tobacco, suggested the employment of this remedy in tetanus. Its effects have been, like those of most other medicines in this disease, unequal. Sir J. Mac- grigor (Med.-Chir. Trans, vol. vi. p. 456,) says, that, in the advanced stage of the malady the tobacco clyster had no effect. Mr. Earle, (op. cit. p. 92,) however, thought it afforded temporary alleviation in a case in which he tried it. Since then several cases have been successfully treated by tobacco. Dr. O'Beirne (Dubl. Hosp. Rep. vol. iii.) obtained most marked relief by its use. He employed it in the form of clyster (containing a scruple of tobacco), which was repeated twice or thrice or oftener daily during eighteen days; and it was observed, that if by design or accident the remedy was discontinued, the spasms recurred with force. Mr. Anderson (Edinb. Med.-Chir. Trans, vols. i. and ii.) employed a decoction of the fresh leaves in the form of enema, and both with good effect. Mr. Curling (Treat, on Tetanus, p. 168, 1836,) has collected accounts of nineteen cases (including those of Earle, O'Beirne, and Anderson, above referred to) treated by tobacco; of these nine recovered; and, in seven of the fatal cases, the remedy had not a fair trial; while in the eighth organic disease of the brain was found. Mr. Curling observes, that " more has now been advanced in proof of the efficacy of tobacco than can be adduced in favour of any other remedy yet resorted to. I have not," he adds, " succeeded in finding a single case, in which, being fully and fairly tried before the constitution had given way, it has been known to fail. (Op. cit. p. 177.) 4. Other Spasmodic Diseases.—The success attending the use of tobacco in tetanus, has led to its employment in hydrophobia, but hitherto without avail. In a case of periodical epilepsy, Dr. Currie (Med. Rep. vol. i. p. 163,) pre- vented the return of the disease by the application of a tobacco cataplasm to the scrobiculus cordis, half an hour before the expected paroxysm. In a very bad case of spasm of the rima glottidis, which resisted powerful depletion by the lancet, Dr. Wood (U. S. Disp.) applied with success a tobacco cataplasm to the throat. In spasmodic asthma, tobacco, either smoked or taken internally, in nauseating doses, has been found occasionally to give relief. My own obser- vation is unfavourable to the use of tobacco smoke, which I have repeatedly found to bring on convulsive cough and spasmodic difficulty of breathing in persons afflicted with chronic catarrh. Dr. Sigmond (Lancet for 1836-7, vol. ii. pp. 253-4,) says, the tincture of tobacco has been sold and used to a great extent, under the name of tincture of lobelia, and that it proved successful in spasmodic asthma. In rigidity of the os uteri, a tobacco clyster failed to pro- duce relaxation, while it caused alarming constitutional symptoms. (Dr. Dewees, Comp. Syst. of Midwifi p. 378, 1825.) 5. In Dropsy.—Tobacco was recommended, as a diuretic in dropsy, by Dr. Fowler, (op. supra cit.) who published a number of cases of anasarca and ascites which had been relieved by it. (See also Garnett, in Duncans Med. Comment. for 1797, Dec. 11, vol. vi.) Whatever benefit may have been obtained, in these cases, by the use of tobacco, should be ascribed, 1 suspect, rather to the sedative powers of this agent, than to its influence over the kidneys. In small doses it is an uncertain diuretic, and in larger doses it causes such distressing nausea and depression, that practitioners have long since ceased to use it in dropsical cases. The ashes of the tobacco plant have also been used in dropsy. (Garden, in Duncan's Med. Common. Dec. 1, vol. iii.) 6. As a topical remedy.—Dr. Vetch (Med.-Chir. Trans, vol. xvi. p. 356) recommends the infusion, as an anodyne and sedative topical application, in gouty and rheumatic inflammation of the joints, testicle, and sclerotic coat of the eye, and in erysipelatous inflammation. Bergius (Mat. Med. i. 222) recom- mends a fomentation of tobacco leaves in phimosis and paraphimosis. An infu- sion or ointment of tobacco has been used in porrigo and other skin diseases, as well as in some obstinate ulcers. The smoke, applied to the hair, is a popular VIRGINIAN TOBACCO. 321 means of destroying pediculi, and has been used in the form of clyster, to destroy ascarides. Dr. Sigmond (Lancet, 1836-7, vol. ii. p. 249) says, tobacco pro- motes the growth of the hair. Toothache has been relieved by tobacco smoke. In addition to the preceding, there are various other diseases against which tobacco has been employed. Thus in soporose affections and asphyxia, tobacco clysters have been employed; but they are more likely to do harm than good. Tobacco has also been used as an anthelmintic. Administration.—Tobacco is rarely administered in substance. Five or six grains of snuff have been taken as an emetic, and are said to have operated as effectually as two grains of emetic tartar. For internal administration the wine of tobacco is generally employed. Dr. Fowler used an infusion (prepared with an ounce of Virginian tobacco to a pound of boiling water), which he gave in doses of from sixty to a hundred drops. The best time for administering it he found to be two hours before dinner, and at bed-time. The usual tobacco enema is the infusion prepared according to the Pharmacopceia. The tobacco- smolce clyster (clyster e fumo tabaci) is applied by means of a proper apparatus, formerly kept by the instrument-makers. Various extemporaneous methods of employing it have been devised. (Murray, App. Med. t. i.) For external use tobacco is used in the form of cataplasm (made of the leaves and water and vinegar), infusion (the tobacco water of the shops), smoke, and ointment: all these, however, require great caution in their use, especially when applied to abraded surfaces. Antidotes.—If the poison have been swallowed, let the contents of the sto- mach be withdrawn as speedily as possible. No chemical antidote has as yet been demonstrated; but the vegetable astringents (infusion of nutgalls, green tea, &c.) deserve examination. As antinarcotics, the vegetable acids and coffee may be administered. The other parts of the treatment must be adapted to circumstances. When the depression of the vascular system is extreme, am- monia and brandy may be administered with good effect, and frictions employed : even acupuncture of the heart (!) has been suggested. (Stephenson and Churchill, Med. Bot.) Artificial respiration should not be omitted, when other means have failed. If apoplectic symptoms present themselves, blood-letting may, perhaps, be requisite, as in the case related by Dr. M. Hall. 1. ENEMA TABACI, L. E. lnfusum Tabaci, D. (U. S.) Tobacco Clyster—(Tobac- co, 3j. [gr. xv. to 3ss., E.]; Boiling Water, Oj. [Oj., wine measure, D.; fjviij. E.] Macerate for an hour [half an hour, E.], and strain.)—The want of uniformity in the formulae of the British Colleges is greatly to be regretted; and I cannot but think that the latitude permitted by the Edinburgh College, in the quantity of tobacco employed, is highly objectionable, and calculated to lead to serious errors in dispensing. The tobacco clyster is used, as 1 have already stated, in ileus (volvulus), strangulated hernia, obstinate constipation, retention of urine, &c. It is not to be forgotten that two drachms, one drachm, and even half a drachm of tobacco,—nay twelve grains only—infused in water, have proved fatal, as I have before mentioned. The cautious practitioner, therefore, will not use more than 15 or 20 grains. 2. VINUM TABACI, E. (U. S.); Wine of Tobacco.—(Tobacco, 3iijss. [3i. U.S.] ; Sherry, Oij. [Wine, Oj. U. S.j Digest for seven [fourteen, U. S.] days, strain, express strongly the residuum, and filter the liquors.)—Sedative and diuretic. Employed in dropsy, dysury, &c. Rarely used.—Dose from rr^x. to fl^l. '!. UNGUENTUM TABACI. Ph. United States; Ointment of Tobacco.—(Fresh Tobacco, cut in pieces, 3j.; Lard, lb. j. Boil the tobacco in the lard, over a gentle fire, until it becomes friable; then strain through linen.)—Employed as an application to irritable ulcers and skin diseases, especially tinea capitis ; but its use requires great caution. An ointment, prepared with twenty drops of the empyreumatic oil of tobacco and an ounce of simple ointment, has been applied with advantage by American vol. ii. 41 322 ELEMENTS of materia medica. practitioners, to indolent tumours and ulcers; but, like all other preparations of tobacco, when employed externally, must be used with great caution. (United States Dispensatory.) 5. SOLANUM DULCAMARA, Linn. L. E. D.—WOODY NIGHTSHADE ; BITTER-SWEET. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Caulis, L.—Twigs, E.— Caules, D.) (Dulcamara, U. S.) History.—Sprengel (Hist. Rei Herb. vol. i. p. 227,) considers this plant to be the Citocalia of the Abbess Hildegard, of Bilgen, who died A. D. 1180. But the derivation of the word Citocatia (ciio and cacare) negatives, in my opinion, this supposition. The first undoubted notice of Dulcamara occurs in the work of Tragus. (Sprengel, op. cit. p. 319.) Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx permanent, five to ten-parted. Corolla ro- tate; the tube very short;. the limb four to six-divided, spreading. Anthers four to six, oblong, dehiscing at the apex by two pores. Berry roundish, two to six-celled. Embryo spiral. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. char.—Stem shrubby, zigzag, without thorns. Upper leaves hastate. Clusters cymose (Smith). Root woody. Stem twining, branched, rising (when supported) to the height of many feet. Leaves acute, generally smooth ; the lower ones ovate, or heart- shaped ; upper more or less perfectly halbert-shaped; all entire at the margin. Clusters either opposite to the leaves or terminal, drooping, spreading, smooth, alternately subdivided. Bracts minute. Flowers elegant, purple, with two round green spots at the base of each segment. Berries oval, scarlet, juicy. Hab.—Indigenous. In hedges and thickets, especially in watery situations. Flowers in June and July. Description.—The annual stems (caules seu stipites dulcamarce) are col- lected in the autumn, after the leaves have fallen. When fresh they have an unpleasant odour, which they lose by drying. Their taste is at first bitter, afterwards slightly acrid and sweet. The epidermis is greenish-gray, the wood light, and the pith very light and spongy. Composition.—The stems have been analysed by Pfaff. (Syst. d. Mat. Med. Bd. vi. S. 506.) 100 parts of air-dried stems lost 17-4 parts of water when completely dried. From 100 parts of perfectly dried stems, Pfaff obtained— bitter sweet extractive (picroglycion) 21-817, vegeto-animal matter 3-125, gummy extractive 12*029, gluten with green wax 1-4, resin containing benzoic acid 2-74 gummy extractive, starch, sulphate and vegetable salts of lime 2-0, oxalate and phosphate of lime with extractive 4-0, and woody fibre 62-0. (Excess 9-111.) Desfosses (Journ. de Pharm. t. vii. p. 414,) discovered solanina in the stems. 1. Picroglycion, Pfaff (Dulcarin, Desfosse).—Crystalline, has both a bitter and a sweet taste, is fusible, soluble in water, alcohol, and acetic ether, and is not precipitated from its solution by either infusion of nutgalls or metallic salts. (Souberian, Traite de Pharm. t. ii. p. 52.) Pel- letier (Journ. de Pharm. vii. 416,) thinks that it is sugar combined with solanina. 2. Solanina.—Resembles sulphate of quinia, but its needle-like crystals are finer and shorter. It restores the blue colour of litmus paper reddened by an acid. It dissolves in acids, and is precipitated from its solution by the caustic alkalis. Some of the salts (as the acetate and hydrochlorate) have a gummy appearance when evaporated to dryness : others (as the phos- phate and sulphate) are crystallizable. According to Blanchet it consists of Carbon 62-11, Hydrogen, 892, Nitrogen 1-64, Oxygen 27-33. If this analysis be correct, solanina differs from the other vegetable alkalis in the small quantity of nitrogen which it contains. A grain of solanina, dissolved in dilute sulphuric acid, killed a rabbit in six hours: four grains of the sul- phate caused, in an hour, paralysis of the hind legs, and in eight hours, death. (Otto, Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1834, S. 455.) Soubeiran says it does not dilate the pupils, like the other alkalis of Solanaceae. Physiological Effects.—Not very obvious. Its decoction operates as a COMMON capsicum. 323 diaphoretic and diuretic. It is said also to promote secretion from the mucous surfaces, and to diminish sensibility. In excessive doses dulcamara is stated to have acted as an acro-narcotic. (Murray, App. Med. t. i. p. 60 ; and Schlegel, Hufeland's Journ. Bd. liv. St. 2, S. 27.) Chevallier (Diet, des Drog. t. ii. p. 228,) says, a young man experienced narcotism from carrying a bundle of the plant on his head. But the accuracy of all these observations has been called in question by Jos. Frank; (Handb. d. Toxicol. S. 61, 1803,) by Dunal, and by Fages. (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) The first gave the decoction, the latter the extract and fruit, in very large doses, without any very obvious effects. Uses.—Dulcamara has been thought serviceable in chronic pulmonary ca- tarrhs, in rheumatic and gouty complaints, in chronic skin diseases, and in various cachectic conditions of the system, in which sarsaparilla has been found beneficial. As a remedy for lepra, it was introduced to the notice of British practitioners by Dr. Crichton. For this disease it has been declared a most effectual remedy by Bateman (Sijnopsis of Cutan. Diseases); while Rayer (Treat, on Dis. of the Skin, by Dr. Willis, p. 91,) speaks of its good effects in eczema and psoriasis. In the few cases in which I have tried it, it proved useless. DECOCTUM DULCAMARiE, L. E. D. (U. S.); Decoction of Bittersweet—(Dul- camara, sliced [chopped down, E.], 3x. [3j. E. (U. S.)]; Water [distilled, i.], Ojss. [fjxxiv. E.; wine measure, D.] Boil down to a pint, and strain.)—Dia- phoretic and diuretic. The usual dose, stated in books, is fjss. to f3j. But I have given f3iv. for a dose. Rayer has given four ounces of the root in decoc- tion in twenty-four hours. 6. CAPSICUM AN'NUUM, Linn. L. E. A—COMiMON-CAPSICUM; CHILLY. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Baccse, L.—Fruit of Capsicum annuum and other species; Capsicum or Chillies, £.—Capsular cum semini- bus, D.) (Capsicum, U. S.) History.—The Piperita or Siliquastrum of Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xix. cap. 62, and lib. xx. cap. 66, ed. Valp.) is declared by Sprengel (Hist. Rei Herb. vol. i. p. 201) to be undoubtedly Capsicum annuum. But confidence in this opinion is greatly diminished by the doubt entertained as to this plant beino- a native of Asia. (Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. vol. i. p. 573; Royle, lllustr. p. 27.) Of course, if it be exclusively a native of America, there is no reason for sup- posing that Pliny could have been acquainted with it. The term capsicum (xa^ixov) occurs first in Actuarius. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx five-toothed, persistent. Corolla rotate, five- cleft. Anthers converging, two-celled, dehiscing by fissures. Berry juic'eless, papery, hollow, two to four-celled, many-seeded, naked. Seeds naked. (Trans'. Linn. Soc. vol. xvii. part i. p. 62.) (Nees von Esenbeck.) sP. char.—Peduncles solitary. Fruit oblong, pendulous. Petioles smooth Stem herbaceous. (Willdenow.) Herbaceous annual, one to two feet high. Leaves ovate or oblong, acumi- nate, long-stalked, almost entire, sometimes hairy on the veins underneath Flowers white. Berry either scarlet or yellow, variable in shape, beino- oblono-' round, or cordate. &' iiab—America. A doubtful native of the East Indies. Cultivated in En* land. ° DEscRiPTioN.—The dried fruit, sold by druggists as chillies, is flat, more or less shrivelled, oblong, blunt or pointed at one end, while the calyx or stalk is usually attached at the other end. The length of the berry (independent of the stalk) ,s two or three inches, the breadth one-half to three-quarters of an inch the colour yellowish or reddish-brown, the taste hot and pungent, the odour none. I he epidermis is tough and leathery; the seeds are flattened and whitish. 1 he recent fruit, called capsicum ox chillies, grown in this country, and sold for 324 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. pickling, is, when ripe, yellow or red, but it is frequently gathered green: its size and shape are variable: the oblong varieties are from one to three or four inches long: the round variety (cherry chilly) is about as large as a cherry. Composition.—The fruit was analysed in 1816, by Maurach (Berl. Jahrb. Bd. xvii. S. 63); in the same year by Bucholz (Gmelin, Handb. d. Cliem. ii. 1310); and in the following year by Braconnot. (Ann. de Chim. Phys. vi. 122.) Buckoh's Analysis. Acrid soft resin (capsicin)............. 40 wax....................................;;;; 76 Bitter aromatic extractive.................... 8 6 Extractive with some gum.................... 210 Gum............................. 92 Albuminous matter......................... 3 2 Woody fibre.................................. 2S0 Water..........................'............ jo-o Loss..............................,".......... 64 Braconnot''s Analysis. Acrid oil..................................... l-9 Wax with red colouring matter............... 09 Brownish starchy matter...................... 90 Peculiar gum................................ t>'0 A nimalized matter........................... 5 0 Woody fibre.................................. 678 Salts (citrate of potash 6 0, phosphate of potash, and chloride of potassium 34)............... 94 Fruit of Capsicum annuum...................1000 Fruit of Capsicum annuum without seeds......1000 Capsicin, Bucholz (Acrid Soft Resin; Acrid Oil, Braconnot).—Obtained by digesting the alcoholic extract in ether, and evaporating the ethereal solution. It is a thick liquid, of a yel- lowish-red or reddish-brown colour, which becomes very fluid when heated, and, at a higher temperature, is dissipated in fumes. Half a grain of it, volatilized in a large room, causes all who respire the air of the room to cough and sneeze. By exposure to air and light it solidifies. It is decolorized by chlorine. It is slightly soluble in water and in vinegar; but very much so in alcohol, ether, oil of turpentine, and the caustic alkalis. With baryta it forms a solid acrid combination. Physiological Effects.—Capsicum belongs to the spices (see vol. i. p. 183), and is more closely allied, by its effects, to the peppers (see p. 183) than to any other article of the Materia Medica. Sundelin, (Handb. d. sp. Heilm. Bd. ii. S. 44,3tte Aufl.,) however, considers it to be more related to pyrethrum. Its active principle is more fixed, and its operation is more permanent and violent, than mustard or horse-radish. Its hot and fiery taste is familiar to every one. Applied to the skin, capsicum proves rubefacient and vesicant. Swallowed in small doses, it creates a sensa- tion of warmth in the stomach, and in torpid and languid habits proves a valu- able stimulant, and a promoter of the digestive functions. Taken in somewhat larger quantities, it produces a glow over the body, excites thirst, and quickens the pulse: the latter effect, however, is not in proportion to its local effect. Like the peppers, it is said to exercise a stimulant influence over the urino-geni- tal organs. In excessive doses, we can easily believe that vomiting, purging, abdominal pain, and gastric inflammation, ascribed to it by Vogt, (Pharmako- dyn. Bd. ii. S. 581, 2te Aufl.,) may be induced by it, though lam not acquainted with any cases in which these effects have occurred. Richter (Ausf. Arzneim. Bd. ii. S. 179) mentions, in addition to the symptoms just mentioned, a para- lysed and altered condition of the nervous influence, an affection of the head, drunkenness, and giddiness, as being produced by large doses. tjses,—Capsicum is more employed as a condiment than as a medicine. It is added to various articles of food, either to improve their flavour, or, if difficult of digestion, to promote their assimilation, and to prevent flatulence. The in- habitants of tropical climates employ it to stimulate the digestive organs, and thereby to counteract the relaxing and enervating influence of external heat (vol. i. pp- 47, 48). As a medicine it is principally valuable as a local stimulant to the mouth, throat and stomach. Its constitutional not being in proportion to its topical effects it is of little value as a general or diffusible stimulant. Administered internally capsicum has long been esteemed in cases of cynanche maligna. It was used, in 1786, with great success, by Mr. Stephens (Duncan's Med. Com- snt Dec. 2d, vol. ii. 1788) and by Mr. Collins. (Med. Communications, vol. 372 1790.) It promoted the separation of the sloughs, and soon im- proved the constitutional symptoms. Mr. Headby (Lond. Med. and Phys. SOLAN A.CEJE. 325 Journ. vol. v. p. 425, 1801) also employed it both internally and by way of gargle. Its use has been extended to scarlatina anginosa. (Kreysig, U. d. Scharlachfieber, 1803, in Voigtel's Arzneim.) As a gargle, in relaxed condi- tions of the throat, its efficacy is undoubted. The powder or tincture may be applied by means of a camel's-hair pencil to a relaxed uvula. It is a very use- ful gastric stimulant in enfeebled, languid, and torpid conditions of the stomach. Thus, in the dyspepsia of drunkards, as well as of gouty subjects, it has been found useful. (Chapman, Elem. of Therap. vol. ii.) In various diseases, at- tended with diminished susceptibility of stomach, capsicum is an exceedingly useful adjunct to other powerful remedies, the operation of which it promotes by raising the dormant sensibility of this viscus : as in cholera, intermittents, low forms of fever, dropsies, &c. Dr. Wright (Med. Facts and Observ. vol. vii.) speaks in high terms of it as a remedy for obviating the black vomit—a symp- tom of the fever of tropical climates, at one time considered fatal. A capsicum cataplasm may be used with advantage to occasion rubefaction, in any cases in which a rubefacient counter-irritant is indicated ; as in the coma and delirium of fever, in chronic rheumatism, &c.: unless kept on for a long period it does not vesicate. Administration.—The powder of capsicum is usually given in doses of from gr. v. to gr. x., made into pills with crumbs of bread. The dose of the tincture will be mentioned presently. The infusion (prepared by digesting 3ij. of capsicum in f3x. of boiling water for two hours) may be administered in doses of f3ss. But, in malignant sore throat and scarlatina, capsicum has been employed in much larger doses. Stephen's pepper medicine consisted of two tablespoonsful of small red pepper [Capsicum frutescens], or three of the com- mon Cayenne pepper, and two teaspoonsful of fine salt, digested in half a pint of boiling water. To the liquor, strained when cold, half a pint of very sharp vinegar is added. A tablespoonful of this mixture is given to an adult every half hour. The capsicum gargle is prepared by infusing 3ss. of capsicum in a pint of boiling water ; or by adding f3vj. of the tincture to f3viij. of the infu- sion of roses; or, in some cases, Stephen's pepper medicine may be used as a gargle. TINCTURA CAPSICI, L. E. D. (U. S.); Tincture of Capsicum.—(Capsicum, bruised [or, if percolation be followed, in moderately fine powder, E.~\, 3x. ; Proof Spirit, Oij. [wine measure, D.] Digest for fourteen [seven, E.] days, and strain [squeeze the residuum, and filter the liquors. (Cayenne Pepper, 3i; Diluted Alcohol, Oij. U. S.) This tincture is best prepared by percolation, which may be commenced as soon as the capsicum is made into a pulp with a little of the spirit, E.])—Dose fftx. to f3j. Employed in the low stage of typhus and scarlet fevers, and in gangrenous sore throat, and to prevent the nausea which oil of turpentine is apt to occasion (see p. 169). Properly diluted, it may be used as a gargle, as above mentioned. OTHER DIETETICAIi, MEDICIlVAIi, OR POISONOUS SOLANACEJE. 1. Hyoscyamus al'bus is endowed with properties similar to those of H. ni'ger ; for which it has sometimes been employed in medicine. (Fouquier, Archiv. Gen. de Med. Mars 1823 • Chevallier, Journ. de Chim. Med. t. ii. p. 36.) 2. Mandrag'ora officinalis, the Mandrake, is an acro-narcotic poison : when swallowed it purges violently. (Brandt and Ratzcburgh, Deutsch. phan. Giftgewachse, S. 79.) The roots from their fancied resemblance to the human form, were called anlhropomorphon and were supposed to prevent barrenness. (.Matthiolus, Comm. Dioscor.) The root of Bryonia dioica is sold ;it the hcrbshops as a substitute for mandrake. 3. Several species of Datu'ra are employed in the East: their effects and uses are analo- gous to those of D. Slramo'nium. In 1802 General Gent introduced D.fe'rox into this coun- try as a remedy for asthma. It was employed by smoking it. (Ed. Med. and Surer. Journ. vol. _v.ii. p. 365.) Waltz (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn. ii Gift. Bd. ii. S. 286) says, that half an upright capsule acted violently on a girl. In 1811 Dr. Christie (op. cit. vol. vii. p. 158) di- 326 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Fig. 199. rected attention to D.fastu'osa. Mr. Skipton (Trans. Med. and Phys. Soc. Calcutta, vol. i. p. 121) administered the decoction of the root of this plant; and Dr. Adams (op. cit. p. 370) used a tincture (prepared as tincture of digitalis, Ph. L.) D. Met'el and D. Tat'ula appear to possess similar properties. Both species have been employed, especially in the E.-ist, to cause intoxication for criminal and licentious purposes. (Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxv. p. 383-384; and vol. xxvi. p. 22.) Schubarth (Wibmer, op. cit. p. 300) gave halt a pound of the bruised leaves of D. Tatula to a horse without effect; twenty-one ounces of the hall-ripe fruit caused dejection, increased secretion, and loss of appetite. D. arbo'rea operates like stramo- nium. (Op. cit. p. 285.) . . . 4. Sola'num ni'grum, or Black Nightshade, possesses narcotic properties, but its activity is not very great. It contains solanina. (Brandt and Ratzeburgh, Deutschl. phan. Giftgewachse, S. 83; Orfila, Toxicol Gen.) It has been employed in medicine as a resolvent. (Gataker, 06s. on the Use of Solanum, 1757; Bromfield, Account of the English Nightshades, 1757.) 5. Sola'num Tubero'sum, or the Potatoe, is, next to the Cerealia, the most important vegetable for dietetical purposes. It was introduced into England, from America, in 1586, by Sir Walter Raleigh. The part employed as food is produced by the subterranean stems, and is called a tuber: the parts on it, called eyes, are buds, which, with another portion of the tuber, are used for multiplying the species, under the name of sets. The tissue of potatoes is cellular; each cell containing from ten to twelve grains of starch.1 Both in the cells and in the intercellular spaces is an albuminous liquid. By boiling, the cells are separated, the starch grains absorb the albuminous liquid, swell up, and completely fill the cells; while the albumen coagulates, and forms irregular fibres, which are placed between the starch grains. Potatoes in which these changes are complete, are called mealy, while those in which the liquid is only partially absorbed, and the coagulation imperfectly effected, are denominated doughy or watery. (Fritzsche, in Poggcndorff's Ann. d. Phys. ii. Chem. Bd. xxxii. S. 159.) Potatoes have been repeatedly subjected to chemical examina- tion. The most important labours are those of Einhof, Lampadius, and Vauquelin. (Gmelin's Handb. d. Chem. Bd. ii.; and Thomson's Org. Chem.) The principal constituents of potatoes are starch, starchy fibrin, albumen, gum, acids, salts, and water. The relative proportions vary with the season, the varieties of the potatoe, &c. Cells of the Potatoes. Otto has discovered solanina in the potatoer especially in the bud— a, Cell before boiling contain-a fact which explains the cause of the ill effects which have been ing the starch particles. 6, Cell of a mealy potatoe af- ter boiling. Solanum tuberosum. Fig. 200. Fig. 201 Particles of Potatoe starch seen by the microscope. a, Normal starch particle (Fritzsche). 6, Irregular ditto. observed to arise from the use of germinated potatoes by cattle. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1834, S. 455.) Payen and Persoz (Thom- son, Org. Chem. p. 666,) found diastase in the neighbourhood of the bud of the potatoe. Potatoe starch (English Arrowroot, offic. Amylum Solani tuberosi) con- sists of particles of varied shapes and sizes; the normal form is probably ovale. Their size varies from one six-hundredth to one-thirtieth of a line in diameter. They are characterized by con- centric rings observed on their surface, and which Fritzsche (op. cit.) regards as indications of concentric layers, of which he asserts these grains to be composed. The hilum is circular. The cracks observed on some of the larger grains proceed usually from the hilum (see p. 81, fig. 136). The particles of the fecula of Canna coc- cinea (see p. 141, fig. 152) present similar rings, but are much larger. Sago is made of potatoe starch. It has already been described (see p. 81). Potatoe starch has been analyzed by Berzelius and Guerin-Vary. According to the latter, (Journ. de Pharm. t. xxii. p. 210,) one c, d. Particles each having two hila. i j j • . rr»'i-> , c .. • e,f,g, Particles broken by pressure and water; the hundred parts consist of 2-12 parts of matter in- internal matter remains solid (Payen). soluble in water (tegumentary amylin), of 3813 of soluble amidin, and 59-75 of amylin: the amidin consists of C14 H10 O8; the amylin of C10 II5 O". The quantity of starch obtained from potatoes varies with the kind used, as well as with the season: one hundred pounds of » See Turpin's Memoire sur VOrganisation inUrienre et extirieure des tubercles du Solanum tuberosum in the Mtmoires du Museum d'Hist. JVaturelle, t. xix. Paris, 1830. THE BORAGE TRIBE. 327 potatoes yield in August about 10 lbs., in September 14£ lbs., in October 14| lbs., in November 17 lbs., in March 17 lbs., in April 13a iDs., in May 10 lbs. (De Candolle, Phys. Veg. p. 181,) Sugar is sometimes manufactured from potatoes. By fermentation potatoes yield a vinous liquid (potatoe wine) of good quality. (Loudon's Encyl. of Agriculture, p. 853.) By distillation this yields potatoe spirit, (Donovan, in Lardner's Cyclopedia,) from which a volatile oil (oil of potatoes) has been extracted (see vol. i. p. 312). An extract, obtained from the stalks and leaves of potatoes, was declared by Dr. J. Latham (Med. Trans, vol. i. p. 92,) to possess narcotic pro- perties, in doses of two or three grains; but the cases adduced are not satisfactory. Further- more, his experiments were repeated by Dr. Worsham (United States Dispensatory,) with very different results; for 100 grains produced no sensible effects. The observations of Nauche, however, tend to confirm Latham's statements. The tubers (potatoes), when boiled, are a valuable article of food, both for men and animals. Those of good quality are not only perfectly innocuous, but highly nutritious, and easy of digestion. In the raw state they have been found less nutritive for animals, while on man they are said to prove laxative and diuretic, and to excite, slightly, the nervous system. (Nauche, Journ. de Chim. Mid. t. vii. p. 373.) The pro- cess of cooking is probably useful in two ways ; by rendering the starch digestible, and, second- ly, by extracting some noxious matter. Nauche (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. vii. p. 373,) found the decoction of po-tatoes endowed with medicinal properties; and Otto, as already mentioned, detected solanina in them. Potatoes have been praised as useful antiscorbutics. (Julia-Fon- lencllc, Ibid. t. ii. p. 129.) 6. Cap'sicim Frutes'cens, Linn, yields the capsules sold by druggists as Guinea pepper or bird pepper (baccce capsici), as I have satisfied myself by comparing the commercial article with the East Indian Solanaceae belonging to the Linnean Society. These capsules do not exceed an inch in length, and are about two or three lines broad : their colour is orange red; their odour aromatic and pungent. Their properties are similar to those of chillies (see p. 324), than which they are much hotter and more fiery. Their powder is Cayenne Pepper, so exten- sively employed as a condiment. Cayenne Lozenges and Essence of Cayenne (an alcoholic tincture) are kept in the shops. Order XXXIX.—BORAGINACE^E, Lindley.—THE BORAGE TRIBE. Boragineje, Jussieu. The plants of this order are harmless, and, for the most part, inert. Their prevailing con- stituent is mucilage. Nitre is also found in some species. The colouring principle (anchusic acid C'7 H10 O4) of Anchusa tinctoria, or Alkanet, dissolves in fatty substances, and hence is employed to colour unguents and oil (as lip salve and hair oil). It becomes blue on the addi- tion of an alkali. Order XL—CONVOLVULACEiE, R. Brown.—THE BINDWEED TRIBE. Convolvoli, Jussieu. Essential Character.—Calyx five-sepaled. Sepals persistent, equal, or unequal, in one- three rows; often becoming enlarged. Corolla monopetalous, hypogynous, regular ; the limb fivc- plicatc, or five-lobed; contorted in reslivation. Stamens five, inserted into the corolla. An- thers often contorted after the injection of the pollen. Nectary annular, often conspicuous. Ovary single, two to four-celled ; or two to four ovaries. Cells one to two-seeded. Style one, entire or bifid. Stigma bilobed. Fruit dehiscing by the valves; rarely transversely. Seeds inserted into the base of the ovaries: testa black. Cotyledons foliaceous, corrugated. Radicle incurved, inferior.—Generally twining plants, with alternate, simple, entire, or lobed leaves. Pedicels bibracteate. Stem often filled with a milky purgative juice. Properties.—The roots contain a milky purgative juice, which owes its essential properties to resin. 1. CONVOLVULUS SCAMMO'NIA, Linn. L. E. D.~ THE SCAMMONY. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Gummi-resina, L. D —Gummy-resinous exudation from incisions into the root, E.) (Scammonium, U. S.) Historv.—A purgative substance called tfxaf^xuvia, was known to the Greeks long before the time of Hippocrates. (Voigtels, Arzneimittell. Bd. i. S. 17 ; Bis- choff, Handb. d. Arzneimittell. Bd. i. S. 40.) The father of medicine, who fre- quently employed it, says that it evacuates, both upwards and downwards, bile and mucus, and expels flatus. (De Morb. Mid. p. 597, ed. Fees.) There is, however, some reason to believe that the ancients did not procure their scam- 328 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. mony from the same plant which yields ours. Dierbach (Arzneimittcl. d. Hippokrates, S. 133,) thinks they procured it from Convolvulus sagittifolius, Sibthorp. But Dr. Sibthorp (Fl. Grceca, t. 192,) refers the scammony of Dios- corides to the Convolvulusfarinosus. It deserves notice, that the term scammonia is applied by pharmacologists to purgative resinous substances obtained from Convolvulacece and Asclepiadacece. At present I confine myself to the scammony procured from Convolvulacero. The other kind will be described hereafter (see Asclepiadacece). Botany. Gen. cimr.— Sepals five. Corolla campanulate. Style one. Stig- mas two, linear-cylindrical, often revolute. Ovary two-celled, four ovuled. Capsule two-celled, two-seeded. (Bot. Gall.) sP. char.—Leaves sagittate, truncate behind. Peduncles rounded, about three-flowered. Root perennial, tapering, three or four feet long, with an acrid, milky juice. Stems numerous, twining, herbaceous, smooth. Leaves on long petioles, acu- minate, with pointed lobes at the base. Peduncles solitary, scarcely twice so long as the leaves. Bracts awl-shaped. Sepals obovate, truncated, with a reflexed po:^t, coloured at the edge. Corolla pale yellow, with purple stripes. Stamina shorter than the corolla; anthers erect, sagittate. Style as long as the stamens : stigmas white. Hab.—Hedges and bushy places in Greece and the Levant. Preparation.—The method of procuring scammony is, according to Dr. Russel, (Med. Obs. and Inq. p. 13, 1776,) as follows:—Having cleared away the earth from the upper part of the root, ihe peasants cut off the top in an oblique direction, about two inches below where the stalks spring from it. Under the most depending part of the slope they affix a shell, or some other convenient receptacle, into which the milky juice flows. It is then left about twelve hours, which time is sufficient for the drawing off the whole juice; this, however, is in small quantity, each root affording but a few drachms. This milky juice from the several roots is put together often into the leg of an old boot, for want of some more proper vessel, when in a little time it grows hard, and is the genuine scammony. It is, however, very probable that the process now mentioned is not the only one employed, but that others, similar to those described by Dioscorides and Mesue, are also resorted to. Moreover, various substances are added to scammony while yet soft. Dr. Russel says, wheat- flour, ashes, or fine sand, are used for this purpose; and, I may add, chalk. Description.—Scammony is usually imported from Smyrna. Occasionally it comes by way of Trieste. Still more rarely it is brought from Alexan- dretta. It comes over in boxes and drums, which are frequently lined with tin. The finest kind is called virgin or lachryma scammony. Other varieties are denominated seconds, thirds, &c. Formerly the term Aleppo scammony was applied to the finer, and that of Smyrna scammony to the inferior kinds. No such distinction now exists in English commerce. The scammony in shells, and the Antioch scammony, described by Martius, (Pliarmacogn.) are unknown by those names to our principal dealers; nor is any distinct kind known as Smyrna scammony. 1 am informed by a Turkey merchant, who formerly re- sided at Smyrna, that scammony is brought into Smyrna, in the soft state, on camels. Here it is mixed with various impurities by persons (Jews), who are denominated scammony makers, and who adulterate it, and thereby lower its value to suit the market. Formerly the demand in London was principally for second and third qualities ; but now virgin scammony is more in request, and is met with in much greater abundance. The characters of good scammony are as follows :—It readily fractures be- tween the fingers, or by the pressure of the nail; its sp. gr. is about 1-2; its fracture is dark, glistening and resinous; its fractured surface should not effer- vesce on the addition of hydrochloric acid; the decoction of the powder, filtered SCAMMONY. 329 and cooled, is not rendered blue by tincture of iodine; 100 grains incinerated with nitrate of ammonia, yield about three grains of ashes (according to my ex- periments) ; sulphuric ether separates at least 78 per cent, of resin (principally) dried at 280° F. "Fracture glistening, almost resinous, if the specimen be old and dry; muriatic acid does not cause effervescence on its surface; the decoction of its powder, filtered and cooled, is not rendered blue by tincture of iodine. Sulphuric ether separates at least eighty per cent, ot resin dried at 280c." Ph. Ed. 1. Virgin Scammony (Lachryma Scammony; superior Aleppo scammony, (Juib.)—It usually occurs in amorphous pieces; but a careful examination of some large lumps has led me to believe that they formed portions of a mass, which, when in the soft stale, had a rounded form. The whitish-gray powder, which covers some of the pieces, effervesces with hydrochloric acid ; and I have no doubt, therefore, that the masses have been rolled in chalk. Virgin scam- mony is friable, easily reduced to small fragments between the fingers, or by the pressure of the nail, and has, according to my experiments, a sp. gr. of 1*210. Its fractured surface is resinous, shining, greenish-black; presents small air cavities, and numerous gray semi-transparent splinters, or fragments, when ex- amined by a magnifying glass, and does not effervesce on the addition of hydro- chloric acid. When ru&bed with the finger moistened with ether, water, or saliva, it readily forms a milky liquid. If we examine thin fragments, or splin- ters, by transmitted light, we observe them to be semi-transparent at the edges, and of a gray-brown colour. In the same piece we sometimes find some por- tions shining and blackish, as above described, while others are dull-grayish. This difference depends, probably, as Dr. Russel has suggested, on different methods of drying. Virgin scammony readily takes fire, and burns with a yel- lowish flame. Its odour is peculiar, somewhat analogous to old cheese ; its taste is slight at first, afterwards acrid. The decoction of its powder, when filtered and cold, is not rendered blue by tincture of iodine. When incinerated in a crucible, it leaves a minute portion only of ash. 2. Scammony of second quality. (Seconds, Commerce.)—A few years since this kind was considered to be of the first quality. It includes two sub-varieties : a. Second Scammony in amorphous pieces.—In its external appearance, brittleness, odour, and taste, it resembles virgin scammony, from which it is distinguished by its greater sp. gr. (according to my experiments being 1-463), its fracture being dull, or very slightly shining; and by its colour, which is grayish. Hydrochloric acid causes effervescence when applied to a fractured surface. The decoction, when filtered and cold, is not rendered blue by iodine. This kind has been adulterated with chalk, but not with flour. j3. Second Scammony, in large regular masses.—This kind is imported either in boxes or drums, into which it seems to have been introduced when soft, and to have hardened subsequently: hence its form is that of the package in which it was imported. A sample of a circular cake (about twelve inches diameter, and several inches thick) presents a dull-grayish fracture. Its sp. gr., accord- ing to my experiments, is 1-359. Hydrochloric acid, applied to the surface, causes effervescence. The decoction, filtered and cooled, is rendered blue by iodine. This sub-variety, then, has been adulterated with both flour and chalk. I have sometimes met with this kind of scammony having a soft or cheesy consistence. 3. Scammony of third quality. (Thirds, Commerce.)—Under this name I have received scammony in the form of circular flat cakes, about five inches in diameter, and one inch thick. They are heavy, dense, and much more difficult to fracture than the preceding kinds. The fractured surface, in some samples, is resinous and shining, in others dull; it has air cavities, and numerous small white specks (chalk); its colour is grayish to grayish-black. The sp. gr. va- ries, in different samples, from 1-276 to 1-543. Hydrochloric acid, applied to vol. n. 42 330 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. recently fractured surface, causes effervescence. The decoction, filtered and cooled, is rendered blue by tincture of iodine. Hence both flour and chalk have Deen used for adulteration. I have received portions of five cakes of this variety ot scammony, on which were marked the actual quantity of chalk which had been intermixed in each sample. In 100 parts of the cakes the proportions of cnalk were respectively as follows:—13-07, 23-1, 25-0, 31-05, and 37-54. inese numbers were furnished by the importer to one of our most respectable wholesale druggists, from whom I received them. I he foregoing are the usual kinds of scammony found in commerce. I possess four other varieties: J et. Factitious Scammony. (Scammonium Smyrnense factitium, Gray).-^-I bought this as Smyrna Scammony, under which name I formerly described it. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xx. p. So"!.) It is in circular flat cakes, about half an inch thick. It is blackish, and has, externally, a slaty appearance; it breaks with difficulty; its fracture is dull and black. Its sp. gr.is 1-412. Moistened and rubbed it evolves the smell of guaiacum. Boiled with water it yields a turbid liquor (which is not rendered blue by iodine), and deposits a blackish powder; the latter, boiled with alcohol, yields a solution which becomes greenish-blue on the addition of nitric acid, show- ing the presence of guaiacum. 0. Indian Scammony.—From my friend, Dr. Royle, I have received a sample of scammony met with in the Indian bazaars. It is light, porous, of a greenish-gray colour; gritty under the teeth, as if containing a considerable quantity of sand, and having a balsamic olibanum-like odour. » y. Trebizon Scammony (? ).—In 1832 a substance was imported from Trebizon, under the name of scammony, which was unsaleable here. The sample I received of it is a portion of cake apparently round, flat below, and convex above. Its colour is light-grayish or reddish- brown : when moistened the surface becomes glutinous and odorous; its taste is sweet, nau- seous, and somewhat bitter. In its external appearance it has more resemblance to benzoin than scammony. if. French or Montpelier Scammony.—This is the produce of Cynanchum monspeliacum. (Sec Asclepiadacece.) Commerce.—In 1839 the quantity of scammony on which duty (2s. 6d. per lb.) was paid, amounted to 8,551 lbs. Composition, a. of the Root.—The dried root of Convolvulus Scammonia was analyzed, in 1837, by Marquart, (Pharm Central-Blatt fur 1837, S. 687), who obtained from it the following substances :—Resin 4-12, sugar, convolvu- lin, and extractive 13-68, resin and wax 0-55, gum 5-8, extractive 2-4, starch 7-0, extractive soluble in hot, but not in cold, water 1-4 [salts and woody fibre 65-05]. The resin, the wax, and a portion of the gum, are contained in the milky juice of the latex vessels (vasa laticis) ; while the sugar, gum, extractive, and salts dissolved in water, constitute the juice of the cells ; and in this juice the starch globules float. 1. Resin.—This is analogous to that of the scammony of commerce. 2. Convolvulin.—A substance supposed by Marquart to be a vegetable alkali. It reacts feebly as a vegetable alkali, and is precipitated from its watery solution by tincture of nutgalls. Marquart thinks it probably exists in jalap. (3. of scammony.—Bouillon Lagrange, and Vogel, (Ann. Chim. Ixxii. p. 69,) analyzed two kinds; one called Aleppo, the other Smyrna scammony. Mar- quart (op. supra, cit.) analyzed twelve kinds ; of these, eight he considers to be the produce of Convolvulus Scammonia, while the remaining four, which, he says, are in commerce called Smyrna scammony, he regards, though without any sufficient proof, as the produce of Periphca Secamone, Linn. SCAMMONY. 331 Mar quart's Analyses. Resin.......................... Wax......................... Extractive.................... Extractive with salts........... Gum with salts................ Starch......................... Starchy envelopes, bassorin, and gluten...................... Albumen and woody fibre...... Ferruginous alumina, chalk, and carbonate of magnesia........ Sulphate of lime................ Sand.......................... Aleppo Scammony........ 100 00 I 100-0 81-25 075 4-50 300 175 1-50 375 350 78-5 15 35 20 20 15 125 3-5 275 35 Alpha resin with traces of wax ... Beta resin........................ Extractive taken up by alcohol ... --------------------water .... Gum, with sulphate of lime ...... Mucilage ........................ Starch ........................... Colouring matter ................ Woody fibre, oxides, extractive, &c Inorganic salts, silica, &c......... Smyrna Scammony......., Resin of Fcammony (see p. 332). Physiological Effects, a. On Animals generally.—The experiments of Orfila (Toxicol. Gen.) lead us to infer that scammony is not poisonous. " We have," says he, " frequently administered four drachms of it to dogs who had the oesophagus afterwards tied, and have only observed alvine evacuations." On horses and other herbivorous animals its operation is very uncertain. Gil- bert (Moiroud, Pharm. Vet. p. 271,) states, that six drachms killed a sheep in twenty days, without having caused purging. Viborg (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn. ii. Gifte, Bd. ii. S. 181,) says, half an ounce given to a dog caused several loose stools: the same dose had no effect on a badger. It is probable, how- ever, that in all the experiments now referred to, adulterated scammony was employed. /3. On Man. The effects of pure scammony are those of a powerful and drastic purgative. As the greater part of the commercial drug is largely adul- terated, practitioners are, I suspect, scarcely acquainted with the operation of the genuine article, which appears to me to possess nearly double the activity of that usually found in commerce. As the evacuant powers of scammony de- pend on its local irritation, it operates more energetically when there is a defi- ciency of intestinal mucus, and is then very apt to gripe; and vice versa, when the intestines are well lined with secretion, it passes through with much less effect. In its operation scammony is closely allied to jalap, than which it is more active, while its odour and taste are less nauseous. It is less irritant than gamboge. Uses.—Scammony is, of course, inadmissible in inflammatory conditions of the alimentary canal, on account of its irritant qualities. It is well adapted for torpid and inactive conditions of the abdominal organs, accompanied with much slimy mucus in the intestines. It is principally valuable as a smart purgative for children, on account of the smallness of the dose necessary to produce the effect, the slight taste, and the energy, yet safety, of its operation. When used for them, it is generally associated with calomel. Where a milder purga- tive is required, it may be conjoined with rhubarb, sulphate of potash, and an aromatic. It may be employed to open the bowels in constipation ; 'to expel worms, especially of children ; to act as a hydragogue purgative, on the prin- ciple of counter-irritation, as in affections of the head and dropsies ; and for any other purpose for which an active cathartic may be required. Administration.—For an adult the usual dose of commercial scammony is i grs. to a scruple; but of virgin scammony from ten to fifteen grs. In order ten 332 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. to diminish its irritant and griping qualities, it should be finely divided. For this purpose it may be intimately mixed with some bland powder (as gum, starch, sugar, &c), or made into an emulsion with milk. 1. PULVIS SCAMMONII COMPOSITUS, L. D.; Compound Powder of Scammony. —(The London and Dublin Colleges direct it to be prepared with Scammony; Hard Extract of Jalap, of each 3ij.; Ginger 3ss. Rub them separately, to very fine powder; then mix theni.—The Edinburgh College directs it to be made of equal parts of Scammony and Bitartrate of Potash, triturated together to a very fine powder).—The effects of scammony and of extract of jalap being very similar, little or no advantage can be obtained by the intermixture of these sub- stances. The ginger is intended to correct the griping of the other ingredients. The bitartrate of potash, used by the Edinburgh College, can do little more than serve to divide the scammony. Compound powder of scammony is cathartic, and is used as a smart purge for children, especially where much mucous slime is contained in the bowels, and in worm cases.—The dose of the London and Dublin preparation for an adult is from grs. x. to 9j.; for children under a twelvemonth old, from grs. iii. to grs. v. The dose of the Edinburgh preparation for an adult is from grs. xv. to 3ss. I. PULVIS SCAMMONII CUM CALOMELANE; Powder of Scammony with Calomel. —(Scammony, 3j.; Calomel; Sugar, of each 3ss. Mix.)—Though this pre- paration is not contained in any of the British pharmacopoeias, yet the frequency of its employment in the diseases of children is a sufficient apology for its intro- duction here.—Dose, for an adult, grs. x. to grs. xx.; for children, from grs. iv. to grs. x. according to the age of the patient. This preparation may be employed as a substitute for the old Pulvis Basilicus or Royal Powder, which consisted of equal parts of scammony, calomel, cream of tartar, and antimonic acid. I CONFECTIO SCAMMONII, L.; Electuarium Scammonii, D.; Confection of Scammony.—Scammony, powdered, Sjss.; Cloves, bruised ; Ginger, powdered, each 3vj.; Oil of Caraway, f3ss.; Syrup of Roses, as much as may be suffi- cient. Rub the dry ingredients together to very fine powder, and preserve them; then, whenever the Confection is to be used, the syrup being gradually poured in, rub again; lastly, the oil of Caraway being added, mix them all, L. —The Dublin College orders the syrup to be dropped on the powders, the oil of Caraway then added, and all mixed together).—A warm or aromatic cathar- tic.—Dose, for an adult, 9j. to 3j.; for children, grs. iii. to grs. x. It is seldom employed. 4. EXTRACTUM sive RESINA SCAMMONII, E.: Extract or Resin of Scammony. —(Take any convenient quantity of Scammony in fine powder; boil it in suc- cessive portions of proof spirit till the spirit ceases to dissolve any thing;, filter; distil the liquid till little but water passes over. Then pour away the watery solution from the resin at the bottom; agitate the resin with the successive por- tions of boiling water till it is well washed; and, lastly, dry it at a temperature not exceeding 240°.)—It is brownish, and in thin layers transparent: when heated it evolves a peculiar, not disagreeable, odour; it is fusible and combus- tible. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, and oil of turpentine. Its alcoholic solu- tion is feebly acid ; the addition of water causes a white precipitate (hydrate of resin). Precipitates (metallic scammoniates ?) are also produced by alcoholic solutions of the acetate of lead and the acetate of copper. Caustic potash deepens the colour of the solution. (Marquart, op. cit.) Scammony resin may be decolorized by animal charcoal, without having its purgative qualities affected. (Journ. de Pharm. t. xiii. p. 589.) Its composition, according to Mr. Johnston, (Phil. Trans, for 1840, p. 341,) is C4° H33 O20. It is "remarkable for containing the largest quantity of oxygen of any resin hitherto analyzed" (Johnston). When pure or virgin scammony can be obtained, the resin is an unnecessary preparation. Scammony resin is a drastic cathartic.—Dose, grs. JALAP IP0MJEA. 333 viij. to grs. xij. When administered it should be intimately divided, either by some bland powder, or still better by an emulsion. „„,„.„. o5. MISTURA SCAMMONII, E.; Mixture of Scammony.-(Resin o fScam mony, gr. vij.; Unskimmed milk, f Jiij. Triturate the resin with a little of the milk, and gradually with the rest of it till a uniform emulsion ls/07ed)'7lh* 1SJ^ imitation of' Planche>s purgative potion, except that two drachms of sugar and three or four drops of cherry-laurel water are omitted. It is one ot the most agreeable purgative draughts that can be taken. 2. IPOMAEA PTJR'GA, Wenderolh, E.—THE JALAP IPOMAEA. Ipomsa Jalapa, Jfultall, L.—l. Schiedeana, Zuccarini. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Radix, L.D.—Root, E.) (Jalapa, U. S.) History.—De Paiva (Voigtels' Arzneimittell. Bd. i. S. 117,) thinks that Jalap was known to Dodoens in 1552, to Monardes in 1568-, and to Clusius in 1574. (See some remarks on this subject in Pharm. Central-Blatt fur l«d4, b. 955-6.) But Bauhin (Prodromus, p. 135,) (who calls it Bryonia Meclwacana nigricans) says it was brought from India, under the name of Chelapa or Ce- pala, about eleven years before the time he wrote (the date of the preface to his work is 1620) : that is, about 1609 or 1610. Its name seems to be derived from Xalapa, a town of Mexico. The Convolvulus Jalapa described and figured by Woodville (Med. Bot. p. 59,) and Desfontaines, (Ann. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. t. ii.) and adopted by the Dublin College as the source of the commercial jalap, is now well known to yield none of this drug. The real jalap plant was first described by Mr. Nut- tall ; (American Journ. of Med. Sciences for Feb. 1803,) but the name (Ipomcea Jalapa) he gave to it had been already applied by Pursh to another plant. In the same year Dr. Schiede (Linncea, v. 3. Juli, 1830, p. 473,) and Dr. Wen- deroth (op. cit. viii. 515,) noticed it; and in 1832 it was described and figured by Zuccarini. (Acta Acad. Reg. Monacensis, vol. x.) Botanv. Gen. Char.—Sepals five. Corolla campanulate. Stamens in- cluded. Style one. Stigma two-lobed ; the lobes capitate. Ovary two-celled; cells two-seeded. Capsule two-celled (Lindley). sP. char.—Root tuberose; incrassated, perennial. Stems annual, twining, branched, smooth. Leaves ovate, acuminate, cordate at the base, quite entire, and smooth on both sides. Peduncles one to three-flowered. Sepals unequal, obtuse, smooth. Corolla salver-shaped, with a subclavate, cylindrical tube, and a subpentagonal, horizontally-expanded limb. Stamina exserted (Zuccarini). Root perennial, tuberose, irregularly ovate-conical, terminating inferiorly in some subcylindrical fibrous branches; covered by a very thin, dirty, blackish, epidermis; internally white and fleshy. Stem herbaceous. Leaves alternate, petioled. Tube of the corolla purplish violet (red lake). Hab.—In the woods of the Mexican empire, near Chicanquiaco, at an eleva- tion of near 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. Jalapa is the only market for the root, from whence it is exported to Europe by way of Vera Cruz. Description___The dried tubers (radix jalapce) found in commerce rarely exceed a pound each in weight. They vary in size, from that of the fist to that of a nut. When entire they are usually more or less oval, and pointed at the two opposite extremities. The larger tubers are frequently incised, apparently to facilitate desiccation. They are covered with a thin, brown, wrinkled cuticle. They should be heavy, hard, and difficult to powder. When broken, good tubers should present a deep yellowish-gray colour, interspersed with deep brown con- centric circles. The slices vary in their shape, colour, and other properties. Those of inferior quality are light, whitish, and friable ; they usually appear to 334 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. be quarter segments of transverse slices: they are called spurious jalap, or, from their shape, cocked-hat jalap. The light or fusiform jalap, called in Mexico male jalap, described by Guibourt, (Hist, des Drog. i. 523,) is said to be the produce of Ipomcea Orizabensis. (Pelletan, Journ. de Chim. Med. t. x. p. 10.) Jalap is very apt to become worm-eaten ; but the insects which attack it devour the amylaceous matter, and leave the resin. Hence worm-eaten jalap is well adapted for the preparation of extract. Commerce.—Jalap is imported, in bales, from Vera Cruz direct, or indirectly by way of New York, or other places. In 1839, duty (6d. per lb.) was paid on 37,211 lbs. Composition.—Jalap was analyzed, in 1817, by Cadet de Gassicourt, (Journ. de Pharm. t. iii. p. 495,) and more recently by Gerber. (Gmelin, Handb. de Chemie, Bd. ii. S. 1299.) Other less complete analyses have been made by Henry, (Bull, de Pharm. t. ii. p. 87,) by Ledanois, (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. v. p. 508,) and by Nees v. Esenbeck and Marquart. (Pharm. Central- Blatt fiir 1834, S. 695.) In 1835 Cannobio analyzed a variety of jalap called gialappone. (Ibid.fiir 1835, S. 304.) Gerber's Analysis. Henry's Analysis. Light. ^und. £ 96 I 144 280 204 420 250 20 6 40 0 1000 Starch................. 19 Jalap.......... 100 ( 100 0 Nees v. Esenbeck and Mar quart's Analysis. Malic acid and malates of potash and Chlorides of calcium and potassium.. 14 Phosphates of magnesia and lime.... 17 Root of Jpomaa Purga. Commer- i False cial Jalap. Jalap. 27-50 6 66 13-33 j 1833 5916 | 7500 Resin................ 12083 Matters insoluble in 100 000 10000 1 10000 Jalap Resin.—Obtained by mixing the alcoholic tincture of jalap (prepared by percolation or digestion) with water. The precipitated resin is to be washed with warm water, and then dissolved in alcohol. By evaporation the tincture yields the resin. Planche (Soubeiran, Traite de Pharm. t. ii. p. 2fi,) has proposed another process. By digestion with animal charcoal the alcoholic solution of the resin is rendered nearly colourless, and by evaporation yields an almost colourless resin (resina jalapce alba of Martius). (Pharm. Cent.-Blatt fiir 1835, S. 557.) Jalap resin is soluble in alcohol, but insoluble in water. Triturated with milk, it does not form an emulsion, but its particles unite into a solid mass. By this it may be distinguished from scammony resin. (Planche, Journ. de Pharm. t. xviii. p. 181-5.) It is insoluble in the fixed and volatile ( Is. Its insolubility in oil of turpentine is a means of detecting the intermixture of some other resins, as of rosin. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1832, S37 : and fur 1838, S. 904.) Decolorized jalap resin is composed, according to Goebel, (Pharm. Waarenk. Bd. ii. S. 59,) of Carbon 36-62, Hydrogen 9-47, and Oxygen 53 91; but Johnston (Phil. Trans, for 1840, p. 343,) declares this analysis to be incorrect, and gives the following as the formula for the resin, C40 H34 O18. According to Buchner and Herberger, (Pharm. Cent.-Blatt fur 1831, S. 284,) jalap resin is composed of an electro-positive basic substance, which they term jalapin, and of an electro- negative, resinous acid, soluble in alkalis. The latter I shall call jalapic acid. a. Jalapin.—Constitutes not quite nine-tenths of jalap resin. When an alcoholic solution of acetate of lead is added to an alcoholic solution of jaiap resin, double decomposition occurs: acetate of jalapin remains in solution, while jalapate of lead precipitates. When the solution has been deprived of acetic acid, excess of lead, and alcohol, the jalapin remains. It is a trans- parent colourless resin ; very soluble in alcohol, but ingoluble in ether.—Is this the jalapin of Mr. Hume ? (Med and Phys. Journ. for April, 1824, p. 346.) JALAP IPOMiEA. 335 0. Jalapic acid.—Constitutes thirteen one-hundredths of jalap resin. Obtained from the above-mentioned jalapate of lead by sulphuretted hydrogen. It is brown, acrid, bitterish, Blightly soluble in ether, and more soluble in alkalis than jalapin. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals generally.—Jalap root in powder, as well as the resin obtained from it, is a local irritant. Its operation on the bowels is well seen in the carnivora. Cadet de Gassicourt (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn. u. Gifte, Bd. iii. S. 181,) found that the resin applied to the pleura, peri- toneum, or intestinal canal of dogs, caused fatal inflammation. Two drachms introduced into the stomach, the oesophagus being afterwards tied, killed a dog in a few hours. It is remarkable, however, that the same experimenter observed no particular effect from the application of a drachm of the finely-powdered resin to the cellular tissue of the back. Moreover, 24 grains, with the yelk of an egg, injected into the jugular vein, had, he says, a very slight effect: indeed, at first none was observed, but the two following days the animal had soft, pale evacuations, and lost his appetite, though he soon recovered from this state. In the herbivora it proves a very uncertain purgative. Gilbert (Moiroud, Pharm. Vet. p. 269,) gave two ounces to a sheep, without observing any effect. Donne (Ibid.) administered two or three ounces to horses, without observing any re- markable effect, except increased secretion of urine. /3. On Man.—In the human subject jalap acts as a powerful and drastic purgative, producing copious liquid stools, and when judiciously exhibited, is both safe and efficacious. Its objectionable effects are, that while in the stomach it causes frequently nausea, and sometimes vomiting; while, after it has passed into the intestines, it oftentimes gripes. It is tolerably certain in its operation; more so, indeed, than many other pur- gatives. In the proper dose it may be given without the least hesitation to chil- dren, in any case requiring an active purge. It has an advantage over some other evacuants, that it does not stimulate or heat the system, its effect being confined, principally, to the alimentary canal—the peristaltic motion, secre- tions, and exhalations of which, it promotes; and it is said that constipation less frequently succeeds its use than of some other purgatives. My own experience of jalap would lead me to regard it as a perfectly safe, though active cathartic. But Dr. Christison (On Poisons, p. 554) says, that " severe and even dangerous effects have followed its incautious use in the hands of the practical joker." I am not acquainted with any cases, in the human sub- ject, in which its employment has been followed by serious consequences. It is a more drastic purgative than senna. To scammony it is closely allied, not only by its effects, but also by botanical affinities and chemical properties. It is much less irritant to the intestinal mucous membrane than gamboge; and, therefore, is a much safer purgative. Vogt (Pharmakodyn. Bd. ii. S. 230, 2te Aufl.) regards it as exceeding the last mentioned substance, but as being inferior to aloes, in its stimulant influence over the abdominal and pelvic blood-vessels: and Sundelin (Handb. d. spec. Heilmittell. Bd. ii. S. 26, 3te Aufl.) observes that, while it is more irritant, it is less heating, than aloes or senna. Uses—Daily experience proves the value of jalap, as an active purgative, in various diseases both of children and adults. Of course its irritant properties unfit it for exhibition in inflammatory affections of the alimentary canal, as well as after surgical operations about the abdomen and pelvis. Moreover, it is not an appropriate purgative in irritation of, or hemorrhage from, the uterus ; or in piles and stricture, and prolapsus of the rectum. On the other hand, its use is indicated in torpid and overloaded conditions of the intestinal canal, as well as in constipation, attended with retention of the catamenia. When the object is to relieve cerebral congestion and dropsical affections, by a counter-irritant in- fluence on the mucous membrane, jalap is well adapted to fulfil it, both by the energy and safety of its operation. The following are some of the cases in which it is employed: 336 ELEMENTS of materia medica. 1. In Constipation.—When this condition is not dependent on, or connected with, irritation or inflammation of the alimentary canal or pelvic organs, jalap is admissible. Its efficiency is much increased by association with calomel. It may be employed in febrile and inflammatory diseases (those above-mentioned excepted), as well as in chronic maladies. 2. As a Vermifuge.—The compound of jalap and calomel is a most effica- cious anthelmintic, and may be used with the most happy effects in children, especially where there is an excessive secretion of mucus. "Jalap," says Bremser, (Traite sur les Vers Intest. p. 440,) "is, without contradiction, in verminous diseases, one of the best purgatives, and which, perhaps, possesses, at the same time, greater anthelmintic virtues than any others." 3. In Cerebral Affections.—Jalap, in combination with calomel, is used with the best effect, on the principle of counter-irritation, to relieve cerebral conges- tion. In inflammatory affections of the brain or its membranes, or in hydroce- phalus, it is a valuable purgative. 4. In Dropsies.—In dropsical affections it is frequently desirable to promote watery stools. Jalap, especially in combination with cream of tartar, may be used for this purpose with the best effects. Marggrave (Mat. Med. conlr. p. 40, ed. 2nde.) calls it a panacea hydropicorum. 5. In Retention of the Catamenia, or of the Hemorrhoidal Flux, jalap is one ofithe purgatives adapted, from their stimulant influence over the pelvic vessels, to promote these discharges. Administration.—The dose of jalap, in powder, is, for an adult, from ten to thirty grains: a scruple usually acts smartly and safely : for children under twelve months old, the dose is from two to'five grains. Fifteen grains of jalap and two or three grains of calomel, form an efficient, yet safe, purgative for an adult. It very readily produces salivation by repetition. From two to five grains of ipecacuanha are sometimes substituted for the calomel. To children jalap is sometimes exhibited in gingerbread cakes. Purgative cakes of this kind are kept in the shops. The Biscuits purgatifs (Panes saccharati pur- gantes) are composed of Jalap, 3xx.; Flour, gij.; 24 Eggs ; and Sugar, lbj. This quantity is sufficient for 60 biscuits. (Jourdan, Pharmacopee Universelle.) 1. PULVIS JALAPM COMPOSITUS, L. E. D. (U. S.) Compound Powder of Ja- lap.—(Jalap, giij.; Bitartrate of Potash, 3yj.; Ginger, 3ij. Rub them sepa- rately to powder; then mix them, L. The Edinburgh and Dublin Colleges use the same proportions of jalap and bitartrate of potash, but omit the ginger). [The same is the case with the U. S. P.]—Hydragogue purgative. Used in habitual costiveness, verminal diseases, and dropsies.—Dose for an adult, 9j. to 3j. 2. TINCTURA JALAP M, L. E. D. (U. S.) Tincture of Jalap.—(Jalap, bruised, 3x. [Jviij. D. (U. S.) in moderately fine powder, gvij. E.~\ ; Proof Spirit, [Di- luted Alcohol, U. S.] Oij. [wine measure, D.] Macerate for fourteen days, and strain, L. D. " This tincture may be prepared either by digestion or percola- tion, as directed for tincture of cinchona," E.)—An active cathartic. Rarely used alone: generally employed as an adjunct to purgative draughts, the ac- tivity of which it promotes—Dose, f 3j. to f3iv. As an adjuvant to a cathartic draught, the dose rarely exceeds f3ij. 3. TEXTRACTUI JALAPM, L. D. (U. S.) Extractum sive Resina Jalapce, E. Extract of Jalap.—(Jalap root, powdered, lbiiss. [lbj. D. (U. S.)]; Rectified Spirit, Cong. j. [Oiv. (U. S.) wine measure, D.]; Distilled water, Cong. ij. Cong. j. wine measure, D.] [a sufficient quantity, U. S.] Macerate the jalap root in the spirit for four days, and pour off the tincture. Boil down the residue in the water to half a gallon [two pints, D.~]; afterwards strain the tincture and the decoction separately, and let the latter be evaporated, and the former distil, until each thickens. Lastly, mix the extract with the resin, and [by a water- bath, -D.] evaporate to a proper consistence, L. D. This extract should be THE GENTIAN TRIBE. 337 kept soft, which may be fit to form pills, and hard, which may be rubbed to powder, L. The directions of the Edinburgh College are the following:— " Take any convenient quantity of jalap, in moderately fine powder ; mix it thoroughly with enough of the rectified spirit to moisten it well; put it Tor twelve hours into a percolator, and exhaust the powder with rectified spirit; distil oft the greater part of the spirit, and concentrate the residuum over the vapour-bath to a due consistence.") In this process the alcohol extracts the resin, and the water subsequently used by the London and Dublin Colleges takes up the gummy extractive: the alcoholic tincture is distilled to save the spirit, while the aqueous decoction is evaporated. The preparation of the Edinburgh College is the im- pure resin of jalap ; whereas that of the London and Dublin Colleges is a mix- ture of resin with the gummy extractive. It was formerly, and indeed is now by many persons, supposed, that the combination of these ingredients was neces- sary for the full cathartic effect of jalap. It is, however, well known, that the watery extract is inert as a purgative, though it is said to be diuretic: the only advantage, therefore, that can attend the mixture of the two extracts (the watery and the alcoholic), is," that the resin is intimately divided, and thereby prevented from causing violent irritation and griping in any one part of the intestinal tube. But it is obvious that the same advantage can be obtained by mixing the resin with some mild agent (as almonds, sugar or saline matter, as sulphate of potash). Mr. Brande (Diet. Mat. Med. p. 331,) says, that jalap yields about 66 per cent. of extract; that is, 16 of alcoholic, and 50 of watery extract. According to this statement, therefore, the extract of the Edinburgh College possesses four times the activity of that of the London and Dublin Colleges.—The dose of the resin (Ph. Ed.) is from grs. iij. to grs. vj., in a minute state of division, as above directed; of the extract, Ph. L. and D., from grs. x. to 9j. OTHER MEDICmAJL CONVOIjVUIjACE^B. Besides the species already noticed, the roots of several others have been employed in medi- cine on account of their purgative properties; as the root called Mechoacan, and the root of Ipomje'a Turpe'thum. Their use is now obsolete.—[The root of the Convolvulus panduratus is officinal, Sec. List, TJ. S. P.] Order XLI.—GENTIANACEiE, Lindley.—THE GENTIAN TRIBE. Gentiane/e, Jussieu. Essential Character.—Calyx monophyllous, divided, inferior, persistent. Corolla mono- petalous, hypogynous, usually regular and persistent; the limb divided, equal, its lobes of the same number as those of the calyx, generally five, sometimes four, six, eight, or ten; with an imbricated twisted aestivation. Stamens inserted upon the corolla ; all in the same line, equal in number to the segments, and alternate with them; some of them occasionally abor- tive. Pollen three-lobed or triple. Ovary single, one or two-celled, many-seeded. Style one, continuous; stigmas one or two. Capsule or berry, many-seeded, with one or two cells, generally two-valved; the margins of the valves turned inwards, and in the genera with one cell, bearing the seeds; in the two-celled genera inserted into a central placenta. Seeds small; testa single; embryo straight in the axis of soft fleshy albumen; radicle next the hilum. Herbaceous plants, seldom shrubs, generally smooth. Leaves opposite, entire, with- out stipules, sessile, or having their petioles confluent in a little sheath, in most cases three to five-ribbed; very rarely brown and scale-like; sometimes alternate. Flowers terminal or axillary (Lindley). Properties.—This order contains a bitter principle, which is especially abundant in the roots. On this substance depends the stomachic, tonic, and febrifuge properties of the different species. 1. GENTIA'NA LTJ'TEA, Linn. L. E. D.—COMMON OR YELLOW GENTIAN. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Radix, L. D—Root, E.) (Gentiana, U. S.) History.—Gentian is said to owe its name and introduction into medical use to Gentius, king of Illyria, who was vanquished by the Romans about 160 or vol. ii. 43 338 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. 169 years before Christ. It is, therefore, not noticed by either Hippocrates or Theophrastus, but is mentioned by Dioscorides, (Lib. iii. cap. 3,) who calls it Tevriav^; and by Pliny. (Hist. Nat. lib. xxv. cap. 34, ed. Valp.) Botany. Gen. cuar.—Calyx [four-] five-cleft. Corolla tubular, campanu- late, or funnel-shaped at the base ; the limb four, five, or six-cleft; segments entire or ciliated, sometimes with interposed, distinct smaller ones. Stamina five, inserted on the tube of the corolla ; anthers sometimes connate. Style two- parted ; stigmas two. Capsule one-celled. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. Char.—Leaves broad, ovate, nerved. Flowers whorled, pedicellate. Calyx membranaceous, unilateral. Corolla rotate, five to eight-cleft, acute. (Bot. Gall.) Root perennial, cylindrical or spindle-shaped, simple or somewhat branched, ringed, wrinkled, externally brown, internally yellow and fleshy. Stem simple, erect, two to three feet high, roundish, hollow, smooth. Leaves pale-green, opposite, ovate, or oval, pointed, entire, smooth, five to seven-ribbed, plaited; lower ones on short, sheathing petioles; upper ones amplexicaul; those next the flowers becoming concave, yellowish-green bracts. Flowers on smooth peduncles of four to six lines long. Calyx yellow. Corolla yellow; segments five to seven, lanceolate. Stamina as long as the corolla. Ovarium conical, with five greenish glands at the base. Capsule conical, two-valved. Seeds numerous, roundish, albuminous, with membranous margins. Hai».—Alps of Austria and Switzerland ; abundant on Mount Jura. Collection.—The roots are collected and dried by the peasants of Switzer- land, the Tyrol, Burgogne, and Auvergne. They are imported into this coun- try in bales, from Havre, Marseilles, &c. In 1839, duty (4s. per cwt.) was paid on 470 cwts. Description.—Gentian root (radix gentiance) is imported in cylindrical usually more or less branched pieces, varying in length from a few inches to a foot or more, and in thickness from half an inch to one or two inches. These pieces are marked by transverse annular wrinkles and longitudinal furrows. Externally the root is yellowish-brown, internally it is brownish-yellow; its texture is spongy; its odour, in the fresh state, peculiar and disagreeable; its taste is intensely bitter. The roots of other species of Gentiana are said to be frequently mixed with those of the officinal species ; their effects, however, are analogous. Martius (Pharmdkogn.) says, that the roots of G. purpurea have strong longitudinal furrows, and arc of a darker brown colour internally, but want the transverse wrinkles. The roots of G. pannonica are similar to those ofpurpurea. Both kinds are met with in Bavaria, and serve in Switzerland for the preparation of a spirit. Gentiana punctata has roots which are just as bitter, but of a more yellow colour : they are dug up in great abundance in Mo- ravia. The roots of both the last mentioned species are dug up at, and exported from, Salzburg : in the fresh state they are white when sliced. Chemistry.—Gentian root was analyzed, in 1815, by Schrader (Tromms- dorff's iV. Journ. Bd. iii. S. 281) ; in 1817, by Braconnot (Journ. de Physiq. lxxxiv. 345); in 1819, by Henry (Journ. de Pharm. t. v. p. 97); in the same year by Guillemin and Fcecquemin (op. cit. p. 110); and in 1821, by Henry and Caventou. (Op. cit. t. vii. p. 173.) In 1837 it was examined by Leconte. (Op. cit. t. xxiii. p. 465.) The constituents of Gentian root, according to Henry and Caventou, are—a volatile odorous matter, bitter crystalline matter (gen- tianin), fugaceous odorous principle (volatile oil?), yellow colouring mailer, green fixed oil, gum, uncrystallizable sugar, matter identical with birdlime, a free organic acid, and icoody fibre. But in 1837, H. Trommsdorff (Berlin. Jahrbuch, Bd. xxxvii. S. 182) and Leconte (op. supra cit.) showed, that under the name of gentianin two substances had been confounded,—the one crystal- line and tasteless; the other bitter. The first has been called gentisin; the second gentiamite. Furthermore, Leconte has shown, that the substance con- yellow gentian. 339 sidered by Henry and Caventou as identical with birdlime, is a compound of wax, oil, and caoutchouc. 1. Oil of Gentian.—By distillation with water gentian root yields a very small quantity of a butyraceous oil, which floats on water, has a powerful odour of gentian root, and is soluble in alcohol. A few drops of the melted oil were given to a rabbit without causing any remark- able effects. I have received from Mr. Whipple two samples of this oil, the one green, the other white like mutton fat. Three cwts. of the root yielded only about 3ss. of oil. Planche (Bull, de Pharmacie, t. vi. p. 551) states the distilled water of gentian caused nausea and a kind of intoxicalion. 2. Gentisin or Gentisic Acid.—Procured by washing the alcoholic extract of the root with water, and then treating with alcohol. The tincture obtained was evaporated, the extract treated by ether : the residue, by successive solutions and evaporations, yielded gentisin. It is pale yellow, crystallizable in needles, has a peculiar, but weak smell. When cautiously heated, it gives out some yellow vapours, which are condensed on the upper part of the tube. It is scarcely soluble in water, but dissolves in alcohol. With alkalis it unites to form salts. Its saturating power is about 438. Trommsdorff says, that a solution of gentisic acid is unaffected by acetate of lead, nitrate of silver, and most other tests. Chloride of iron and the salts of copper produced, in the alcoholic solution, the most characteristic changes. 3. Bitter Principle of Gentian (Gentianite).—This has not hitherto been isolated. By digesting the alcoholic extract of gentian in water, an acidulous intensely bitter solution is ob- tained. The acid may be thrown down by lead. When the excess of lead has been removed from the solution by sulphuretted hydrogen, a liquid is obtained, which, by evaporation, yields a sweet and very bitter extract, from which ether removes an aromatic fat, an odorous resin, and wax. The bitter «natter has not been separated from the sugar. 4. Pectin.—The existence of pectic acid (pectin) in gentian was ascertained, in 1836, by Denis. (Journ. de Pharm. t. xxii. p. 303.) To (his substance is to be ascribed the gelatiniza- tion of infusion of gentian, which, under certain circumstances, is not unfrequently observed. 5. Sugar.—To the presence of this matter in gentian is to be ascribed the capability of the infusion of gentian to undergo the vinous fermentation, and to form an alcoholic liquor (gentian spirit), much admired by the Swiss. (Biwald, in PfafTs Mat. Med. Bd. ii. S. 29; and Planche, Bull, de Pharm. vi. 551.) Chemical Characteristics.—The infusion of gentian is deepened in colour by the caustic alkalis. Sesquichloride of iron communicates a deep olive-brown tint. The acetate and diacetate of lead, the sulphate of copper, and the nitrate of mercury, cause flocculent or gelatinous precipitates (metallicpectates ?) Physiological Effects.—Gentian is very properly regarded as a pure or simple bitter ; that is, as being bitter, but without possessing either astringency or much aroma. It has, therefore, the usual tonic properties of medicines of this class, which I have before noticed (vol. i. p. 188). Given in full doses it appears more disposed to relax the bowels than the other simple bitters, and in susceptible individuals it is more apt to disorder the diges- tive process. In such cases both Ldseke and Voigtel (Arzneimittell, Bd. iii. S. 359) have seen it cause vomiting. Barbier (Mat. Med.) says it quickens the pulse. It is somewhat less bitter, and therefore, I presume, somewhat less powerful, than quassia. By continued use the sweat and urine acquire a bitter taste (Arnemann, Prakt. Arzneimittell, S. 183, 6te Aufl.); a sufficient proof that gentian, or its bitter principle, becomes absorbed. As some of the vegetable bitter tonics (for example, quassia and calumba) have been found to exert a specific influence over the cerebro-spinal system, and to yield preparations of a poisonous quality, we are naturally led to inquire whether any analogous facts have been made out with respect to gentian. The reply is in the affirmative. Magendie, (Formal, p. 313, 8me ed.,) indeed, dis- covered no poisonous operation in Gcntianiu; he threw several grains of this principle into the veins of an animal, without any obvious effect, and swallowed two grains dissolved in alcohol, but only observed extreme bitterness, and a slight feeling of heat in the stomach. Moreover, HartI (quoted by Wibmer Wirk. d. Arzneim. a. Gifte, Bd. ii. S. 308) inserted two grains of the extract of gentian into the inner side of the thigh of a rabbit, without any ill effects resulting: the wound was slightly inflamed, though it soon healed. These facts prove that the bitter extractive of gentian possesses no narcotic properties. But 340 elements of materia MEDICA. if the narcotic principle of gentian be of a volatile nature, these experiments of Magendie and Hartl go for nothing, since, in the preparation of both the extract and the Gentianin, this principle would be dissipated by the heat employed. Now, Planche (op. cit.) has shown, as I have already mentioned, that the dis- tilled water of gentian causes violent nausea, and, within three minutes, a kind of intoxication. Moreover, Buchner (Toxikol. S. 192) tells us, that some years ago a narcotic effect was produced in Prussia by the medicinal use of gentian root, although the presence of any foreign matter could not be detected. In the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1748, are mentioned some deleterious effects resulting from the use of gentian: but they were referred to a foreign root, said to have been intermixed with, and which greatly resembled, the true gentian root. All these facts, then, support the opinion of Haller (quoted by Buchner), that gentian is not so innocuous as is generally supposed. Uses.—Gentian is adapted to most of the cases requiring the use of the pure or simple bitters (vol. i. p. 188). It agrees best with phlegmatic, torpid individuals, and is apt to disagree with irritable or susceptible persons. It is contra-indicated in febrile disorders and inflammatory conditions of the gastro-intestinal mem- brane. It is employed principally in the following cases: 1. In dyspepsia, and other gastric disorders, attended with debility or tor- pidity, and unaccompanied by any marks of inflammation or irritation, or great susceptibility, of the digestive organs. Sesquicarbonate of ammonia is a very valuable adjunct. 2. In intermittent diseases it may be used where cinchona is admissible; but it is much inferior to the last-mentioned substance. "Joined with galls or tor- mentil, in equal parts, and given in sufficient quantity, it has not failed," says Dr. Cullen, (Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 72,) "in any intermittents in which 1 have tried it." 3. In many other diseases marked by weakness and debility, but unattended by fever or gastro-intestinal irritation, gentian is admissible and useful; as in some forms of gout, hysteria, uterine disorders, &c. It is a constituent of the Duke ofPortland's powder for the gout (see p. 234). 4. Against worms it has been used as if it possessed some specific influence. 5. In surgery it has been used for discutient fomentations, also in the form of fine powder, as an application to issues, to promote their running, and as a tent, to enlarge and cleanse fistulous apertures. (Quincy, Dispens.) Administration.—In the form of powder, the dose is from grs. x. to 3ss. But the infusion, tincture, or extract, are the usual forms of exhibition. 1. INFUSUM GEMAM COMPOSITUM, L. D., (U. S.) lnfusum Gentiance,Y>. Infusion of Gentian.—(Gentian root, sliced, 3ij. [3j. D.]; Orange Peel, dried, 3ij. [3j. D.~\; Lemon Peel, fresh, 3iv. [3j. D.]; Boiling [Distilled, £.] Water, Oj. [3xij. D.] Macerate for an hour in a vessel lightly covered, and strain. The directions of the Edinburgh College are as follow:—Gentian, sliced, 3ss.; Bitter Orange Peel, dried and bruised, 3j.; Coriander, bruised, 3j.; Proof Spirit, fgiv.; Cold Water, fgxvj. [Jxij. 77. S.] Pour the spirit upon the solids; in three hours add the water, and in twelve hours more strain through linen or calico.) The infusion of the London and Dublin Pharmacopoeias is very apt to spoil by keeping; but as it can always be speedily procured, this is not a circumstance of much importance. However, to obviate it as much as possible, the Edinburgh College orders eold water to be used (by which less of the mucilaginous matter [pectin, &c] is dissolved), and employs spirit to promote the solution of the bitter principle, while the quantity of gentian is much increased ; so that, in fact, we have a weak tincture, rather than an infusion. Besides the objections which may arise out of these deviations, a very important one is the length of time required for the maceration. Infusion of gentian is stomachic and tonic. When prepared according to the London and Dublin Pharmacopoeias, the dose is f3j- to f3ij.; when according to that of the Edinburgh, fjss. to f3j. chirayta. 341 2. MISTURA GENTLM COMPOSITA, L.; Compound Mixture of Gentian.— (Compound Infusion of Gentian, fjxij.; Compound Infusion of Senna, ijvj., Compound Tincture of Cardamoms, f3ij. Mix.)—Tonic and cathartic. Used in dyspepsia with constipation.—Dose, f3j. to f3ij- 8. TINCTURA GENTIANS COMPOSITA, L.E.D.(U.S.); Tinctura amara; Tincture of Gentian.—{Gentian, sliced and bruised, 3"ss. [3ij. U. S.]; Orange Peel, dried, 3x. [3i. U.S.]; Cardamom [seeds], bruised, 3 v. [3ss. U.S.]; Proof Spirit, Oij. L. The relative proportions used by the Dublin College are the same as those of the London. The Edinburgh College employs of Gentian, sliced and bruised, gijss.; Dried Bitter Orange Peel, bruised, 3x.; Canella, in moderately fine powder, 3vj.; Cochineal, bruised, 3ss.; and Proof Spirit, Oij. This tincture may be more conveniently prepared by percolation, as directed for the com- pound tincture of cardamom, E.).—A grateful cordial tonic and stomachic. Employed as an adjunct to the infusion, effervescing draughts, bottle soda- water, &c.—Dose, f3ss to f3ij. 4. EXTRACTUM GENTIAN J, L. E. D. (U. S.); Extract of Gentian.—(Gentian, sliced, lb. ijss.; Boiling Distilled Water, Cong. ij. Macerate for 24 hours; then boil down to a gallon, and strain the liquor while hot; lastly, evaporate to a proper consistence, L. " Take of Gentian, any convenient quantity ; bruise it to a moderately fine powder; mix it thoroughly with half its weight of dis- tilled water; in twelve hours put it into a proper percolator, and exhaust it by percolation with temperate distilled water; concentrate the liquid, filter before it becomes too thick, and evaporate in the water-bath to a due consistence," E.)—(Gentian, in coarse powder, lbj.; water, a sufficient quantity. Mix with a pint of water; allow to stand for 24 hours; and then displace until the bitter- ness of the gentian is exhausted. Evaporate to the proper consistence. U. S.)— Good Gentian root yields, by the process of the London Pharmacopoeia, about half its weight of extract, (Brande, Diet, of Mat. Med. p. 261.) Extract of Gentian is tonic. It is usually employed as a vehicle for the exhibition of the metallic substances (especially chalybeates) in the form of pill.—Dose, grs. x. to 3ss. 2. AGATHO'TES CHIRAY'TA, Don, E.—THE CH1RETTA OR CHIRAYTA. Gentiana Chirayita, Fleming. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Herb and Root, E.) History.—This plant seems to have been long in use among the natives of India. Professor Guibourt (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. i. p. 229,) thinks that it is the xdXa(j.og apw|xaTixo£ of Dioscorides. (Lib. i. cap. 17.) Various circum- stances, however, appear to me to be opposed to this opinion: one of the most conclusive is the absence of odour in the chirayta plant. (Fee, Cours d'Hist. Nat. t. ii. p. 395.) I have before stated (p. 76) that Professor Royle refers the Calamus aromaticus of the Greeks to his Andropogon Calamus aromaticus (A. nardoides, Nees ab Esenb.) Botany. Gen. char..—Corolla withering, rotate, in aestivation twisted to the right; with glandular hollows protected by a fringed scale upon the segments. Antliers not changing. Stigmas sessile. Capsule conical, one-celled, with spongy placenta; upon the sutures. Seeds indefinite, minute (Lindley). sP. char.—Stem round. Leaves ovate-lanceolate. Hollows of the corolla nectariferous, oblong, distinct. Squamulce capillaceo-fimbriate at the margin (Don) (Trans, of tlie Linn. Soc. vol. xvii. p. 522). Herbaceous. Root branching. Stem round, smooth, jointed. Leaves oppo- site, amplexicaul, lanceolate, very acute, entire, smooth, three or five-nerved. Flowers numerous, peduncled. Calyx four-cleft; divisions linear, acute. Co- rolla yellow; limb four-parted. Hab.—Mountains of Nepal and the Morungs. Description—The plant is pulled up by the root, about the time that the 342 elements op materia meoica. flowers begin to decay and the capsules are well formed. (Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. vol. ii. p. 72.) The dried plant, with the root (herba et radix chirettce sive chiraytce) is met with in the shops. The root is fibrous; the stem is round, smooth, not jointed, marked with the cicatrices of leaves, has a yellowish pith ; the leave are as above described. The whole plant is without odour, but has an intensely bitter taste. Composition.—The stems of this plant were analysed by MM. Lassaigne and Boissel, (Journ. Pharm. vol. vii. p. 283,) who obtained the following re- sults :—resin, yellow bitter matter, brown colouring matter, gum, malic acid [woody fibre'], malate of potash, chloride of potassium, sulphate of potash, phos- phate of lime, silica, and traces of oxide of iron. The bitter matter is the most important constituent. No vegetable alkali has been de- tected in it. The substance sold as sulphate of chirayitine is sulphate of quina. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xxi. p. 173.) Physiological Effects.—Chirayta is an intensely bitter substance, and produces the before (vol. i. p. 188) described effects of the simple or pure bitters. In its operation, as well as by its botanical affinities, it is closely allied to gen- tian. It appears to possess rather a relaxing than a constipating effect. (Baker, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. ii. p. 685.) Uses.—It has long been employed by the natives of India in the same class of cases in which gentian has been used in Europe. As a stomachic it is espe- cially serviceable in the dyspepsia of gouty subjects. It strengthens the sto- mach, obviates flatulency, and diminishes the tendency to acidity. (Fleming, Asiat. Researches, vol. xi. p. 167.) Combined with the seeds of Guilandina Bonduc, it is employed with success in intermittents. (Johnson, Infil. of Trop. Climates, p. 58, 3d ed.) Administration.—It may be given in powder, in the dose of 9j., or it may be employed in the form of infusion, tincture (prepared with cardamom and orange peel, like compound tincture of gentian), or extract. INFUSUM CHIREM, E.; Infusion of Chiretta.—(Chiretta, 3iv.; Boiling Water, Oj. Infuse for two hours, and strain through linen or calico.)—The dose of this is 3j« to f3ij. 3. ERYTHR^EA CENTAURIUM, Persoon, L. E. D.—COMMON CENTAURY. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Centaurium, L.—The flowering heads, E.—Folia, D.) History.—This plant was known to the ancients, and received one of its names (Chironia Centaurium) from Chiron the Centaur, who is said to have lived 1270 yearsbefore Christ. But the plant which Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xxv. cap. 30, ed. Valp.) says cured Chiron of a wound received by an arrow, which he dropped on his foot when examining the arms of Hercules, is supposed to be the Centaurea Centaurium. Botany. Gen. Char.—Calyx five-parted, equal. Corolla hypocrateriform with a cylindrical tube, withering over the capsule. Stamens five ; anthers becoming spiral. Stigmas bilamellate. Capsule one-celled, or half two-celled (Lindley). Sp. char.—Stem nearly simple. Panicle forked, corymbose. Leaves ovate lanceolate. Calyx half the length of the tube; its segments partly combined by a membrane (Smith). Root small, tapering. Stem about a foot high, leafy. Radicle leaves obo- vate; the rest acute, ovate, or elliptic-lanceolate; all three-ribbed, bright green. Facers nearly sessile. Bracts opposite, awl-shaped. Calyx slender. Tube of corolla pale-greenish ; limb brilliant pink, expanded only in sunshine, closing as soon as gathered. Hab.—Indigenous: dry gravelly pastures. Annual. Flowers in July and August. Description.—The herb or tops (herba seu summitates vel cacumina cen- MARSH TREFOIL. 343 taurii minoris) of the common or lesser centaury are without odour, but have a very bitter taste. They are collected when in flower. Composition.—According to Moretti, (Journ. de Pharm. t. v. p. 98,) com- mon centaury contains bitter extractive, free acid, mucous matter, extractive, salts [and woody fibre]. Bitter Matter (Centaurin).—The principal constituent of common centaury is the bitter extractive, called by Dulong d'Astafort (Journ. de Pharm. t. xvi. p. 502) centaunn. lius, when combined with hydrochloric acid, is said to be an excellent febrifuge. Centaunn musi not be confounded with centaurite, the bitter principle of Cnicus benedictus, De Oand. Physiological Effects.—Similar to those of gentian (p. 339), and of other simple or pure bitters (vol. i. p. 188). Uses.—Common or lesser centaury is rarely used by medical practitioners; yet it might be employed as an indigenous substitnte for gentian.—Dose of the powder, 9j. to 3j. It may be also used in infusion. 4. MENYANTHES TRIFOLIA'TA, Linn., L. E. D.—COMMON BUCKBEAN; MARSH TREFOIL. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Menyanthes, L— Leaves, £.—Folia, D) History.—Sprengel (Hist. Rei Herb. t. i. p. 82) considers this to be the plant referred to by Theophrastus (Hist. Plant, lib. iv. cap. 11) under the name of iXYjvavdos. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx five-parted. Corolla funnel-shaped ; the limb spreading, five-lobed, equal, hairy on the inside. Stamina five. Style one; stigma capitate, two to five-grooved. Capsule one-celled; the parietes semini- ferous. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. char.—Leaves ternate. Disk of the corolla densely shaggy (Smith). Rhizoma black, creeping, jointed. Leaves on long stalks, with broad sheath- ing stipules at base: they are trifoliate; leaflets nearly oval, smooth. Scape round, ascending, smooth. Bracts ovate. Calyx obtuse. Corolla white or flesh-coloured, elegant. Anthers yellow. Hab.—Indigenous ; watery meadows, ditches, &c. ; frequently cultivated in ornamental aquaria, on account of the beauty of the flowers. Perennial. Flowers in June and July. Description.—The whole herb (herba menyanthis seu trifolii fibrini) is odourless, but has a very bitter taste. Its infusion strikes a green colour (tan- nate of iron) with the sesquichloride of iron. The leaves (folia menyanthis) are the parts usually employed. Composition.—Menyanthes was analysed by Trommsdorff, (Ann. de Chim. t. lxxii. p. 191,) who found that the fresh plant consists of 75 parts of moisture and 25 of solid matter, composed of bitter extractive, vegetable albumen, green resin (chlorophylle), peculiar matter precipitable by tannic acid, but soluble in water and in weak spirit, brown gum, fecula (inulin or menyanthin), malic acid and acetate of potash. The bitter extractive is the active principle. Brandes states that he procured a white bitter powder from menyanthes ; but B. Trommsdorff (Pharm. Cent.-Blatt. fur 1832, p. 458) repeated Brandes's experiments, and procured only a yellowish-brown bitter extract. Physiological Effects.—Tonic and astringent. In large doses, cathartic, and sometimes emetic. Uses.—This plant is used by the brewers of some parts of Germany, par- ticularly Silesia and the adjacent provinces, as a substitute for hops. (Yosy, Orig. and Progress of tlie Med. Bot. Soc. p. 12.) It is rarely employed in medicine, but is applicable for the same purposes as the other bitter tonics (vol. i. p. 188). It has been esteemed efficacious as an antiscorbutic. (Murray, App. Med. t. ii. p. 34.) Administration.—It may be given in powder, infusion, or extract.—The 344 elements of materia meoica. dose of the powder is from Bj. to 3ss.; if given to the extent of 3j. it generally purges. The dose of the infusion (prepared with 3ss. of the dried herb, and fjxvj. of boiling water) is fjj. to fjij.; of the watery extract, grs. x. to grs. xv. OTHER MEDICINAIi GENTIAJVACEiE. Frase'ra Wal'teri, (Frasera, U. S. Sec. List.) or the American Calumba, is a native of the southern and western portion of the United States, and is very abundant in Arkansas and Mis- souri. The root is officinal in the Pharmacopceia of the United States. As met with in com- merce, it is in transverse circular segments, about an inch in diameter, and an eighth of an inch, or more, in thickness. It contains no starch, and hence undergoes no change of colour when touched with iodine. Its infusion or decoction becomes blackish-green (tannate of iron) when treated with sulphate of iron, and lets fall a precipitate (tannate of gelatine) on the addi- tion of a solution of isinglass. The effects, uses, and doses of Frasera are the same as those of gentian. The fresh root is said to operate as an emetic and cathartic. (United States Dis- pensatory.) Some years ago it was introduced into France,and sold for calumba; hence it got the name of False Calumba. The chemical characters above given, as well as the physical properties of the root, readily distinguish it. (Guibourt, Journ.de Chim. Med. t. ii. p. 334.) [Sabbatia Angularis. American Centaury.—This plant is officinal with the U. S. P.—Prim. List. It is a handsome plant, from a foot to two feet high, with an upright quadrangular stem, ovate, amplexicaul leaves, and showy rose-coloured flowers,—the corrolla more spreading than that of tlie E. centaurium. It is common in the United States. The herbaceous portion is employed, and is brought into the market in bundles, in the dried state. It is a mild pure bitter, agreeable to the palate, and agreeing with the stomach, and is used for the same pur- poses and in the same manner as that plant. The Erythr^ea Chilensis is used in South America, and has the properties of the Lesser Centaury of Europe. The Blue Gentian (Gentiana Catesb^ei, U.' S. Sec. List.) is a native of the southern states. It possesses the properties of a mild bitter.—J. C] Order XLIL—SPIGELIACE.E, Martius.—THE WORM-GRASS TRIBE. Essential Character.—Calyx inferior, regular, five-parted. Corolla regular, with five lobes, which have a valvatic aestivation. Stamens five, inserted into the corolla, all in the same line; pollen three-cornered, with globular angles. Ovary superior, two-celled; style articu- lated with it, inserted; stigma simple. Fruit capsular, two-celled, two-valved, the valves turned inwards at the margin, and separated from the central placenta. Seeds several,small; testa single: embryo very minute, lying in a copious fleshy albumem, with the radicle next the hilum.—Herbaceous plants, or under-shrubs. Leaves opposite, entire, with stipules, or a tendency to produce them. Flowers arranged in one-sided spikes. Pubescence simple or stellate (Lindley). Properties.—See Spigelia. SPIGE'LIA MARILAN'DICA, Linn. L. E. D.—CAROLINA PINK; PERENNIAL WORMGRASS. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Radix, L. D.— Root, E.) (Spigelia, U. S.) History.—The anthelmintic virtues of this plant were first learned from the Cherokee Indians, who became acquainted with them, according to Dr. Garden, about 1723 : they were made known to the profession about 1740. (Essays and Obs. Phys. and Lit. vol. iii.) Botany;. Gen. char.—Calyx five-parted. Corolla funnel-shaped, with a five-cleft equal limb. Antliers converging. Capsule didynamous, two-celled, four-valved, many seeded (Lindley). sP. char.—Stem simple, herbaceous. Leaves opposite, sessile, ovate, acu- minate. Root perennial. Stems composed of numerous fibres, from a short, cylindri- cal rhizome. Stems several, erect, four-sided and winged (from the decurrent leaves). Leaves decussate, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, entire, smooth, but somewhat slightly pubescent on the veins and margins. Flowers in simple, one-sided spikes (or racemes). Corolla much longer than the calyx, of a rich carmine colour externally, paler at the base, and orange-yellow within. Cap- sule obcordate, smooth. Seeds several in each cell. perennial wormgrass. 345 Hah___Southern States of North America; seldom found north of the Po- tomac. Collection.—« It is collected by the Creek and Cherokee Indians, who dis- pose of it to the white traders. By these it is packed in casks, or more com- monly in large bales, weighing from three hundred to three hundred and fifty pounds. That contained in casks is to be preferred, as less liable to be damp and mouldy. Owing to the imperfect manner in which the plant is dried, it seldom happens that packages of it reach the market free from dirt and mouldi- ness, and having the stalks of a bright colour. Some parcels have been re- cently brought free from the stalks, and have commanded more than double the price of the drug prepared in the usual way." (United States Dispensatory.) Description.—The dried plant (herba spigelice), as usually met with in the shops, is of a grayish-green colour, a faint odour, and a bitter taste. The root (radix spigelice) consists of numerous, slender, branching, dark brown fibres, issuing from a short, dark brown rhizome. Composition.—The herb and root have been analyzed by Wackenroder. (Gmelin's Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1298.) Feneuille (Journ.'de Pharm. I. ix. p. 897) probably analyzed this plant under the name of Spigelia anthelmintica. Wackenroder''s Analyses. Myricin..................................... 030 Resin, with chlorophylle.................... 2-40 Peculiar resin............................... 050 Peculiar tannin.............................1720 Woody fibre.................................75 20 Malate of potash, and chloride of potassium .. 210 Malate of lime...................................... 4 20 Fixed oil..................................a trace Acrid resin, with some fixed oil.............. 3-l3 Peculiar tannin............................ 10-56 Bitter acrid extractive...................... 489 Woody fibre (which yields K-74 of ashes).... 8269 Root of Spigelia............................101-27 Herb of Spigelia.......................................101-90 1. Bitter extractive.—Feneuille ascribes the activity of Spigelia to a brown, bitter extrac live, like that of the purgative Leguminosro. Taken internally, it causes vertigo and a kind of intoxication. It is, I presume, identical with the bitter acrid extractive of Wackenroder. 2. Resin. This is described, by Wackenroder, as having an acrid, nauseous taste. It is soluble in ammonia and in oil of vitriol. It evolves ammonia when heated. Physiological Effects.—The physiological effects of this root have not been accurately determined ; but the observations hitherto made show them to be those of a local irritant (or acrid) and narcotic substance. In the ordinary dose (one or two drachms for adults) it has very little sensible effect on the system, though it may act efficaciously as an anthelmintic. In larger doses it appears to operate as an irritant to the gastro-intestinal canal, and gives rise to purging and sometimes to vomiting, though its effects in this way are very uncertain. In poisonous doses it operates as a cerebro-spinant or narcotic, giving rise to " vertigo, dimness of vision, dilated pupils, spasms of the facial muscles, and sometimes even to general convulsions. Spasmodic move- ments of the eyelids have been observed among the most common attendants of its narcotic action. The death of two children, who expired in convulsions, was attributed by Dr. Chambers to the influence of spigelia. The narcotic effects are said to be less apt to occur when the medicine purges, and to be altogether obviated by combining it with cathartics. The danger from its employment cannot be great, as it is in very general use in the United States, both in regular and domestic practice, and we never hear at present of serious consequences. Its effects upon the system have been erroneously conjectured to depend on other roots sometimes mixed with the genuine." (United States Dispensatory.) Usns.—Employed only as an anthelmintic. Its vermifuge properties were first made known to the profession by Drs. Lining (Essay and Obs. Phys. and Lit. vol. i. p. 386,) and Garden, (op. cit. vol. iii. p. 145.) Though scarcely used in this country, it stands at the head of anthelmintics in the United States of America. Administration*.—The dose of the powder, for a child of three or four years vol. n. 44 346 elements of materia medica. old, is from grs. x. to grs. xx.; for an adult, 3j. to 3iij. This quantity is re- peated, every morning and evening, for several days, and then followed by a brisk cathartic. It is frequently combined with calomel. INFUSUM SPIGELIJE, Ph. United States. Infusion of Pink-root. (Spigelia root, 3ss.; Boiling water, f3xvj. Macerate for two hours in a covered vessel, and strain.)—The dose, for a child of two or three years old, is fjss. to f3j.: for an adult, from f giv. to 3viij., repeated morning and evening. A quantity of senna, equal to that of the spigelia, is usually added, to ensure a cathartic effect. A preparation kept in the shops of the United States, and much prescribed by physicians, under the name of worm tea, consists of spigelia root, senna, manna, and savine, mixed together in various proportions to suit the views of different individuals. (United States Dispensatory.) OTHER MEDICINAL SPIGEI.IACEJE. Spige'lia anthelmin'tica is a native of South America and the West India Islands. Its action is similar to that of the last-mentioned species. So poisonous has it been regarded, that in France it is called Brinvilliere, after the Marchioness de Brinvilliers, a woman famous for poisoning in the reign of Louis XIV., and who was executed on the 16th of July, 1676. (Gui- bourt, Hist.des Drog.t. ii. p. 227.) Its anthelmintic properties were noticed in 1751 by Dr. Browne. (Gentleman's Magazine for 1751.) This plant was analyzed by Ricord Madianna. (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1297.) Dr. Brown (Nat. Hist, of Jamaica, p. 157,) says it pro- cures sleep almost as certainly as opium. Order XLIII.—ASCLEPIADACECE, Lindley.—THE SWALLOW-WORT TRIBE. Asclepiade.e, R. Brown. The plants of this order am for the most part acrids. In large doses they are emetic and cathartic: in small doses, expectorant, diaphoretic, and alterative. The roots are the parts usually employed in medicine. Though none of the species are contained in the British pharmacopoeias, yet several have attracted the attention of practitioners in this country. 1. Calot'ropis gigante'a, R. Brown (Asclep'ias gigante'a, Linn.) has been introduced from India under the name of Mudar or Madar. It is said to contain a peculiar principle called mudarine, which coagulates by heat, and becomes again fluid on exposure to cold. (Wight, Contrib. to the Bot. of India.) The principle value of Madar is as an alterative and sudorific. It has been employed in venereal diseases, chronic cutaneous affections, and various other ma- ladies. (Playfair, Trans, of the Med. and Phys. Soc. Calcutta, vol. i. p. 84.) Mr. Robinson (Med. Chir. Trans, vol. x. p. 27,) found it decidedly useful in a species of elephantiasis, which Mr. Playfair calls jugara or leprosy of the joints. The powder of the bark of the root is given in doses of from grs. iij. to gr. x. Dr. Ainslie (Mat. Ind. vol. i. p. 486, and vol. ii. p. 488,) con- siders the dried milky juice more efficacious. 2. The root of Hemides'mus in'dicus, R. Brown, (Periploca indica, Willd. Asclepias pseudo- sarsa, Roxb.) is used in India under the name of country sarsaparilla. The attention of practi- tioners in this country was drawn to it by Dr. Ashburner in 1831; (Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. lxv.p. 1,1819,) and again in 1833. (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xii. p. 359.) It has been called In- dian or scented sarsaparilla, nannari, or the root of Smilax aspera. How this last and erroneous appellation became applied to it I cannot tell; for I find from specimens of the root of Smilax aspera brought from the south of Europe, that no resemblance exists between the latter and the root of Hemidesmus indicus. The latter is brownish externally, and has a peculiar aromatic odour, and a feeble, bitter taste. It is long, tortuous, cylindrical, rugous, furrowed longitudi- nally, and has its cortex divided, by transverse fissures, into moniliform rings. The cortical portion has a corky consistence, and surrounds a ligneous meditullium. Mr. Garden (op. cit. vol. xx. p. 800,) obtained from it a volatile, crystallizable acid (?) on which the taste, smell, and probably the medicinal properties depend. From an erroneous notion of the origin of the root, he called the acid the smilasperic acid, but it may with propriety be termed hemidesmic acid. Hemidesmus indicus has been employed as a cheap and efficacious substitute for sarsaparilla in cachectic diseases; but both its effects and uses require a more extended examination than has yet been devoted to them. Dr. Ashburner says it increases the appetite, acts as a diuretic, and improves the general health; " plumpness, clearness, and strength, succeeding to emaciation, muddiness, and debility." It has been used with benefit in venereal diseases. In some cases it NOX-VOMICA. 347 has appeared to succeed where the sarsaparilla had failed; and vice versa it has frequently failed where sarsaparilla succeeds. The Tamool doctors employ it in strangury and gravel. (Ainslie, Mat. Ind. vol. i. p. 382.) It may be administered in the form of infusion (prepared by steeping |ij. of the root in Oj. of boiling [or lime] water for twelve hours); a pint of which may be given in twenty four-hours, in doses of a wineglassful. The decoction may be substi- tuted for the infusion. Carbonate of soda is frequently added to it. The extract is objection- able, as the heat used in preparing it must volatilize part at least of the hemidesmic acid. A syrup has also been employed. The powder of the bark of the root is used in India against the thrush. (Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. vol. ii. p. 40.) 3. The leaves, flowers, and fruit of Cvnan'chum Ar'gel are employed by the Egyptians to adulterate the senna of that country. I believe all the Alexandrian senna brought to England contains some portion of these leaves. (For their characters and effects see the Order Legu- MINOS.S). 4. The substance called French or Montpellier Scammony (scammonium gallicum) is made in the southern part of France, with the expressed juice of Cynan'chum monspeli'acum, mixed with different resins and other purgative substances. It occurs in semicircular, black- ish, hard, compact cakes, which frequently have the smell of balsam of Peru. The juice of this plant has been analyzed by Marquart. (Pharm. Centr.-Blatt fiir 1837, S. 693.) 5. A substance called Smyrna Scammony (scammonium smyrneum) is said to be obtained from the Secamo'ne Alpi'ni, Romer and Schultes (Periplo'ca Secamo'ne, Linn.); and Marquart (op. cit. p. 696,) has analyzed some substances bearing this name (see p. 331). [6. Asclepias tuburosa, U. S. Sec. List. Pleurisy Root. Butterfly Weed. The stem of this plant is erect, hairy, with spreading branches; leaves oblong, lanceolate, sessile, alternate, somewhat crowded; umbels numerous, forming terminate corymbs (Beck); flowers orange- yellow. This plant is found in all parts of the United States. The portion used in medicine is the root. It is large, and formed of irregular tubers or fusiform branches; externally of a yellowish-brown colour, internally white. When recent it has a somewhat acrid, nauseous taste; in the dried state the taste is bitter, but not unpleasant. The powder is dirty white. It yields its properties to boiling water. The effects of this root upon the system are those of a diaphoretic and expectorant, it does not produce, however, any stimulating action. In larger doses, especially if recent, it acts upon the bowels. With a view to the effects mentioned, it is employed at the commencement of pulmonary affections; and sometimes by its use in combination with antiphlogistics an at- tack may be cut short. In rheumatism it has also proved serviceable. Dr. Chapman (Elem. of Therap. vol. i. p. 351,) speaks of its certainty and permanency of operation. Dr. Eberle em- ployed it in dysentery. The dose of the powder is ^i. to 3i. The form of administration best adapted to produce perspiration is decoction, made by boiling 3i. in a quart of water and ad- ministering 3ij- every two hours. The A. incarnata and A. svriaca have a place in the Sec. List of the U. S. P. The roots arc employed and produce the same effects on the system as the previous species, but to less extent. They are seldom or never used.—J. C] Order XLIV—APOCYNACESE, Lindley.—THE NUX-VOMICA TRIBE. Essential Character.—Calyx divided into five, persistent. Corolla monopetalous, hypogy. nous, regular, five-lobed, with contorted Estivation, deciduous. Stamens five, arising from the corolla, with whose segments they are alternate. Filaments distinct. Anthers two- celled, opening lengthwise. Pollen granular, globose, or three-lobed, immediately applied to the stigma. Ovaries two, or one to two-celled, polyspermous. Styles two or one. Stigma one. Fruit a follicle, capsule, or drupe or berry, double or single. Seeds with fleshy or cartilaginous albumen; testa simple; embryo foliaceous; plumule inconspicuous; radicle turned towards the hilum.— Trees or Shrubs, usually milky. Leaves opposite, sometimes whorled, seldom scattered, quite entire, often having cilia? or glands upon the petioles, but with no stipules. Inflorescence tending to corymbose (Lindley). Properties.—Extremely variable. An order which contains the Nux-vomica. Upas Tieute", the Wooraly, and the Tanghin poisons, cannot but be regarded with suspicion and dread. Yet it contains some harmless and edible species. (See Royle's Illustrations, p. 272.) STRYCH'NOS NUX-VOMICA, Linn., L. E. D.—THE POISON-NUT. Sex. SysL Pentandria, Monogynia. (Semina, L.—Seeds, £.) (Nux-vomica, U. S.) History.—We became acquainted with Nux-vomica through the Arabian authors. In the Latin translation of one of the works of Serapion (De Simplic. Med. clxiii. p. 115, Argent. 1531,) we find the word nux-vomica, but it appears to have been applied to some other substance (probably to St. lgnatius's bean). 348 BLEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. " Est nux," says he, " cujus color est inter glaucedinem et albedinem, major avellana parum et sunt in ea nodi." To which he afterwards adds, " movet vomitum ;" from which I presume the name of vomic or vomiting nut, was ori- ginally derived. Mesue also mentions nux-vomica. Avicenna (lib. 2Ddu,, tract. 2ndus, cap. 509,) says, nux-methel "est similis nuci vomicae." It is probable that the nux-mechil of Serapion is the substance which we denominate nux- vomica. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx four to five-parted. Corolla tubular, with a spreading four to five-cleft limb, and a valvate sestivation. Stamens four to five, inserted into the throat of the corolla, which is either naked or bearded. Ovary two-celled, with indefinite ovules attached to a central placenta; style one ; stigma capitate. Berry corticated, one-celled, many-seeded, or by abor- tion one-seeded. Seeds nidulant, discoidal. Albumen large, cartilaginous, almost divided into two plates. Embryo with leafy cotyledons (Lindley). Sp. char.—Leaves opposite, three and five-nerved Fig. 202. oval, lucid. Berries many-seeded (Roxburgh). Middling-sized tree. Trunk short, often crooked, pretty thick; the branches irregular; the wood white, hard, and bitter. Leaves opposite, oval, shining, en- tire, three to five-nerved. Corymbs small, terminal, Calyx five-toothed. Corolla funnel-shaped, greenish- white. Stamina five, inserted over the divisions of the corolla. Ovarium two-celled. Style the length of the corolla. Stigma capitate. Berry round, smooth, size of a pretty large apple, covered with a smooth, somewhat hard, shell, of a rich orange-colour when ripe, filled with white, soft, gelatinous pulp, which is greedily eaten by many sorts of birds. Seeds several, Strychnos Kux-vomica. immersed in the pulp of the berry, and attached to a central placenta. Hah.—Coromandel, and other parts of India ; Ceylon. Description.—a. Of the Seeds.—The seeds (nuces vomicce) of commerce are round, peltate, scarcely an inch in diameter, nearly flat, or very slightly convex on one side, and concave on the other, and are surrounded by a filiform annu- lar stria. From their fancied resemblance to gray eyes, as well as from their being poisonous to crows, the Germans term them Krdhenaugen, or crows' eyes. In the centre of the ventral surface of the seed is the orbicular hilum or umbilicus. These seeds have two coats; the outer one, or testa, is simple, fibrous, and gives origin to short silky hairs, of an ash-gray, or yellowish colour, and which are directed from the centre towards the circumference : within this is the inner coat, or endopleura, which is simple, and very thin, and envelopes the nucleus of the seed. This nucleus is composed of two parts—namely, albumen and embryo. The albumen is bipartite, cartilaginous, or horny; of a dirty-white colour, of an in- tensely bitter taste, and, has, in its interior, a cavity (loculamentum verum). Unlike that of most seeds, the albumen of nux-vomica is of a poisonous nature. The embryo, which is milk-white, is seated in the circumference of the seed, its locality being frequently indicated by a point somewhat more projecting than the surrounding parts. It consists of two large cordiform, acuminated, triple- ribbed, very thin cotyledons, a distinct cauliculus, and a centripetal radicle (i. e. a radicle directed towards the centre of the fruit). ft. of the Bark.—The bark of the Strychnos nux-vomica (nux vomica bark ; cortex strychnos nucis vomicce; cortex angusturce spurice seu falsce; cortex pseudo-angusturce seu virosce) occurs in quills or flat pieces (angustura falsa convoluta seu pla?ia), or in pieces arched backwards, having the twisted appear- NUX-VOMICA. 349 ance of dried horn. It is more compact and heavy than real angustura bark. The epidermis varies in its qualities; sometimes it consists of a dark fungoid, or spongy rust-coloured layer (hence the term angustura ferruginea, which is only the altered epidermis ; at other times it is not thick, not fungous, but covered with numerous whitish prominences, formerly supposed to be some species of lichen (Chiodecton), but now known to be only an epidermoid alteration, a kind of leprous exuberance, the more advanced stage of which constitutes the rust- coloured layer already mentioned. (Fee, Essai sur les Cryptog. des Ecorces exot. p. 16, 1824.) The powder is intensely bitter, and of a yellowish-white colour. Nux-vomica bark was formerly confounded with angustura or cusparia bark: hence its name of false angustura bark. The history of the mistake is as follows:—In 1804, Dr. Rambach, a physician at Hamburgh, observed that some specimens of angustura bark, said to be from the East Iudies, acted as a powerful poison; and as repeated cases of poisoning occurred with the same substance, an order was issued, forbidding the use of angustura bark. On the 15th of October, 1815, the Commission of Health of the Grand Duchy of Baden ordered all the angus- tura bark in the possession of the apothecaries to be seized, and placed under a seal; the phy- sicians at the same time receiving an intimation that they were not, in future, to prescribe this bark. Similar ordinances were issued in Austria, Bavaria, and Wirtemberg. (Schwartze, Pharm. Tabell. S. 95, 2te Ausg. 1833; Hufeland's Journ. Bd. xix. St. i. S. 181.) The origin of the bark is said, by Batka, to bo as follows:—A quantity of it was imported from the East into England, and not being saleable, was sent to Holland; and as bo better means of getting rid of it offered, it was mixed with, and sold as, genuine angustura or cus- paria bark. (Guibourt, Hist, des Drog. t. ii. p. 4, 3me ed. 1836.) Great obscurity long existed as to the tree which yielded it. At first it was attributed to the Brucea ferruginea or anli- dysenterica, a native of Abyssinia, belonging to the family XanthoxylaceaB ; but in 1831, Geiger had occasion to examine the bark of the B. ferruginea, and found that it had no resemblance to false angustura. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1831, S. 477.) Now, the composition and effects of this bark rendered it, in the highest degree, probable, that it was the product of some tree of the family Apocynacese, most probably of the genus Strychnos; Batka said of the & nux-vomica, or some kindred species; an opinion which was confirmed by my examination of the specimens of the nux-vomica plant in Dr. Wallicli's collection, in the possession of the Linnean Society. (London Medical Gazette vol. xix. p. 492.) In 1837, Dr. O'Shaughnessy (Madras Journal for April, 1837,) established the identity of false angustura bark and the bark of the nux-vomica tree. Since then I have examined about 1 cwt. of the latter bark brought to this country, and find it to be identical with false angustura bark contained in my museum, and which I had purchased in Paris several years before. Commerce.—In 1838 there were imported 1017 lbs. of nux-vomica ; in 1839 only 478 lbs.; in 1840, 550 lbs. The duty is 2s. 6d. per lb. Composition.—The seeds of Strychnos Nux-vomica have been analyzed by Rese, (Pfaff, Syst. d. Mat. Med. Bd". ii. S. 90,) Desportes, (Bull, de Pharm. t. i. p. 271,) Braconnot, (Ibid. t. iii. p. 315,) Chevreul, (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) and Pelletier and Caventou. (Ann. Chim. et Phys. t. x. p. 142.) The most im- portant of these analyses is that made by the last-mentioned chemists; who also examined the bark of Strychnos Nux-vomica, under the name of false angustura. (Ann. Chim. et Phys. t. x. ii. p. 113.) The leprous coating of this bark they afterwards (Journ. de Pharm. t. v. p. 546,) submitted to a separate examination, under the idea of its being a lichen. Pelletier and Coventors Analyses of the Strychnos Nux-vomica. 1. Of the Seeds. Styrchnic, or igasuric acid. Brucia* Iin coml)'nat'on w'tn strychnic acid. Wax (a small quantity). Concrete oil. Yellow colouring matter. Gum. Starch (a little). Rnssorin. Woody fibre. Carbonate of lime and chloride of potassium in the ashes. | louring matter, [and woody fibre.] Nux-vomica seeds. 1. Strychnia. (See p. 360.) 2. Brucia. Brucina; Vomicina, Guib., discovered in 1819, by Pelletier and Caventou, 2. Of the Bark. Gallate of brucia. Fatty matter (not deleterious). Gum (a considerable quantity). Yellow colouring matter and alcohol. Sugar (traces). Woody fibre. Nux-vomica (false Angustura) bark. The leprous coating was composed of a greenish yellow oil, yellow colouring matter, reddish yellow to- 350 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. exists in the bark and seeds of nux-vomica, and in St. Ignatius's bean: in the two latter sub- stances it is associated with strychnia, and is in combination with igasuric acid; while in the bark of nux-vomica it is combined with gallic acid. Brucia in the anhydrous form, as ob- tained by fusing it, has a waxy appearance; but when combined with water, it is capable of crystallizing, the form of the crystals being oblique four-sided prisms; or sometimes the crys- tals have a pearly laminated appearance, something like boracic acid. Its taste is very bitter, though less so than that of strychnia. It is soluble in 850 parts of cold, or 500 parts of boiling water; but the presence of colouring matter, of which it is difficult to deprive it, promotes its solubility. It is very soluble in alcohol, but is insoluble in ether and the fixed oils, and is very slightly soluble only in the volatile oils. Nitric acid assumes a fine red colour when added to brucia: deoxidizing agents, as sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphurous acid, decolourize this solution. Iodic and chloric acids produce the same phenomena as nitric acid. Chlorine com- municates a red colour to brucia. (Pelletier, Journ. de Pharm. xxiv. p. 159.) The following is the composition of brucia (Pharmaceutisches Central-Blatt fiir 1838, p. 490; Ann. d. Pharm. xxvi. p. 10): Regnav.lt. Atoms. Eq. Wt. Per cent. .--------«—-------> Liebig. Carbon........ 48 ........ 288 ........ 70 76 ........ 7060 ........ 7085 ........ 7088 Hydrogen...... 27 ........ 27 ........ 663 ........ 6-67 ........ 688 ........ 6 66 Nitrogen...... 2 ........ 28 ........ 6 88 ........ 705 ........ 709 ........ 507 Oxygen........ 8 ........ 64 ........ 1572 ........ 1568 ....... 1518 ........ 17 39 Brucia......... 1 ........ 407 ........ 9999 ........ 100 00 ........ 10000 ........ 10000 Regnault states, that 100 parts of crystallized brucia lose, by heat, 1841 per cent, of water. Hence 1 atom of brucia, according to the above formula, combines with 10 atoms of water to form crystallized brucia. More recently Regnault (Pharmaceutisches, Central-Blatt fiir 1839, p. 67; Ann. d. Pharm. xxix. p. 58) has given the following formula for anhydrous brucia:—C40 H*° N* O8. According to Dr. Fuss, (Berlinisches Jahrbuch fiir die Pharmacie, Bd. xliii. S. 407, 1840,) brucia is not a peculiar alkaloid, but a compound of strychnia and resin [yellow colouring matter]. He has proved this both analytically and synthetically. The property of brucia to become reddened by nitric acid and by chlorine, he ascribes to the resin present. Prof. Erd- mann, who examined the products of Fuss's experiments, has confirmed his statements. The salts of brucia are readily formed by saturating dilute acids with brucia. They possess the following properties:—For the most part they are soluble and crystallizable, and have a bitter taste. They are decomposed by potash, soda, ammonia, the alkaline earths, morphia, and strychnia, which precipitate the brucia. They produce precipitates (tannate of brucia) on the addition of tannic acid. Both nitric acid and chlorine colour them as it does free brucia. The effects of brucia on man and animals appear to be precisely similar to those of strychnia, though larger doses are required to produce them. Magendie (For?nul.) considers it to possess only one-twelfth the activity of strychnia; while Andral regards it as having one-sixth the power of impure strychnia, and one twenty-fourth that of pure strychnia.—Dose, half a grain, which is to be gradually increased to five grains. It may be given in the same way as strychnia. 3. Strychnic or Igasuric Acid.—Exists in the seeds of nux-vomica, St. Ignatius's bean, and snake wood. Dr. A. T. Thomson (Lancet, Sept. 16, 1837) thinks that igasuratc of strychnia exists in Arnica montana. Igasuric acid is crystallizable, and has an acid, rough taste. It is soluble in water and alcohol. The salts of iron, mercury, and of silver in solution, are unaffected by it; but those of copper are rendered green; and after some time a light green precipitate is deposited. 4. Yellow colouring matter.—Found in the seeds and bark of nux-vomica, in St. Igna- tius's bean, and the Upas Tieute\ Also in Strychnos pseudo-quina, Casca d'Anta, and Pereira Bark [see p. 364]. It is soluble in water and alcohol, and is reddened by nitric acid [and by chlorine]. 5. Reddish yellow colouring matter.—Resides in the rust-coloured epidermoid alteration of nux-vomica bark. Also in Strychnos pseudo-quina (see p. 364). It is insoluble in cold water and in ether, but dissolves with facility in alcohol. Nitric acid renders it deep green by combining with it. 6. Other constituents.—The wax mentioned in the above analysis is probably derived from the hairs with which the seeds are invested; it enables them to resist moisture. Resin is probably a constituent of the seeds; for tincture of nux-vomica is rendered milky by water. An odorous, non-acid, innocuous principle is obtained by. submitting nux-vomica and water to distillation. Meissner detected copper in the ashes of nux-vomica; but I have several times repeated his experiment without recognizing this metal. Chemical Characteristics, i. Of the Seeds.—Powdered nux-vomica has a fallow gray colour, a bitter taste, and a peculiar odour analogous to that of liquorice. Thrown on burning coals it inflames when the temperature is very NUX-VOMICA. 351 high; but when lower, is decomposed, evolves a thick white smoke of a peculiar odour, and leaves a carbonaceous residuum. Concentrated sulphuric acitt blackens it. Nitric acid communicates to it a deep orange-yellow colour, u the powder be digested with boiling water acidulated with sulphuric acid, tne filtered liquor is turbid and slightly yellow. Nitric acid, after some minutes, reddens it; ammonia makes it brown, and precipitates blackish flocks. It tne sulphatic solution be digested with finely powdered marble (to saturate the excess of acid), then evaporated to dryness, and the residue treated with boiling alco- hol, we obtain a spirituous solution of sulphates of strychnia and brucia, with colouring matter. This has a bitter taste, is reddened by nitric acid, produces convulsions when given to birds or other small animals, and forms a flocculent coloured precipitate on the addition of ammonia. Sometimes crystals are depo- sited from the alcoholic liquor, on standing for two or three days. (Orfila and Barruel, Arch. Gen. de Med. viii. 22; R. D. Thomson, Brit. Ann. of Med. i. 106.) Ammoniacal-sulphate of copper added to the infusion or decoction of nux- vomica, produces an emerald-green colour, and gradually a greenish-white pre- cipitate (igasuratc of copper): ammoniacal sulphate of strychnia remains in solution. Sesquichloride of iron also produces an emerald colour, which dis- appears on the addition of hydrochloric acid : this coloration does not depend, according to Pelletier and Caventou, on the igasuric acid; nor can it depend on tannic acid, for gelatin gives no indication of this substance: if the decoction be boiled with animal charcoal, it loses the power of becoming green on the addi- tion of a ferruginous salt. Nitric acid communicates an orange-red colour to the decoction, owing to its action on the brucia and yellow colouring matter. A solution of iodine communicates a yellowish-brown tint to the decoction; but after a few minutes the colour disappears (owing, perhaps, to the formation of the hydriodates of strychnia and brucia), and the iodine is no longer detectable by starch, without the addition of nitric acid or chlorine. Tannic acid, or infu- sion of nutgalls, produces in the decoction a copious precipitate (tannates of strychnia, brucia, and some other vegetable matter). Alcohol also causes a pre- cipitate (gum.) Acetate and diacetate of lead cause abundant precipitates com- posed of gummate and igasuratc of lead, with colouring and fatty matter). a. of the Bark.—An infusion of this bark reddens litmus, in consequence of the excess of acid present. . Strong nitric acid added to this solution produces a red colour; and by dropping the acid on the inner surface of the bark, a blood- red spot is produced: in both cases the effect arises from the action of the acid on the brucia and yellow colouring matter. If nitric acid be applied to the ex- ternal surface of the bark, it produces a deep green colour, in consequence of the action of the acid on the yellow colouring matter (see Strychnos pseudo- quina, p. 364). Infusion of galls added to the infusion of this bark occasions a white precipitate (tannate of brucia). Sulphate of iron colours the infusion green, from its action on the yellow colouring matter. (For other characteristics see Angustura Bark.) Physiological Effects, i. Of the Bark. a. On Animals generally.__ The experiments of Pfaff, the Vienna faculty, Emmert, Meyer, Orfila, Mao-en- die, and Jager, (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. ii. Gift. Bd. i. S. 182,) have shown that it is a powerful poison to dogs, rabbits, wolves, and other animals. Thus eight, twelve, or eighteen grains of it, kill dogs, the symptoms being precisely the same as those of nux-vomica already detailed. Emmert (quoted by Chris- tison) inferred, from experiments made on animals, that this bark acts on the spine directly, and not on that organ through the medium of the brain. /3. On Man it also acts as a powerful poison. Emmert (quoted by Wibmer Wirk. d. Arzneim ii. Gift. Bd. i. S. 188,) mentions that a boy who had taken by mistake the decoction of this bark died therefrom. His intellectual powers were unaffected ; he entreated his physician not to touch him, as violent convuL 352 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. sions were immediately brought on; he was powerfully sweated, but did not vomit. Prof. Marc was nearly poisoned by swallowing through mistake three quarters of a liqueur glassful of a strong vinous infusion. (Journ. de Pharm. t. ii. p. 507.) a. Of the Seeds. «. On Vegetables___Marcet (Ann. Chim. et Phys. t. xxix.) states, that a quarter of an hour after immersing the root of an haricot plant (Phaseolus vulgaris) in a solution of five grains of the extract of nux-vomica in an ounce of water, the petals became curved downwards, and in twelve hours the plant died. Fifteen grains of the same extract were inserted in the stem of a lilac tree, on July the 5th, and the wound closed. In thirteen days the neigh- bouring leaves began to wither. (3. On Animals generally.—Nux-vomica appears to be poisonous, in a greater or less degree, to all classes of animals. On the vertebrata its effects are very uniform, though larger quantities are required to kill herbivorous than carnivo- rous animals. Thus a few grains will kill a dog, but some ounces are required to destroy a horse. (Moiroud, Pharm. Vet. p. 266.) It occasions in all, tetanic convulsions, increased sensibility to external impressions, asphyxia, and death. (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) y. On Man.—Three degrees of the operation of nux-vomica on man may be admitted. aa. First degree : tonic and diuretic effects.—In very small and repeated doses, nux-vomica usually promotes the appetite, assists the digestive process, increases the secretion of urine, and renders the excretion of this fluid more frequent. In some cases it acts slightly on the bowels, and occasionally produces a sudorific effect. The pulse is usually unaffected. In somewhat larger doses, the stomach not unfrequently becomes disordered, and the appetite impaired. /3/3. Second degree ; rigidity and convulsive contraction of the muscles.—In larger doses, the effects of nux-vomica manifest themselves by a disordered state of the muscular system. A feeling of weight and weakness in the limbs, and increased sensibility to external impressions (of light, sound, touch, and varia- tions of temperature), with depression of spirits and anxiety, are usually the pre- cursory symptoms. The limbs tremble, and a slight rigidity or stiffness is experienced when an attempt is made to put the muscles into action. The patient experiences a difficulty in keeping the erect posture, and, in walking, frequently staggers. If, when this effect is beginning to be observed, he be tapped suddenly on the ham while standing, a slight convulsive paroxysm is fre- quently brought on, so that he will have some difficulty to prevent himself from falling. I have often in this way been able to recognise the effect of nux-vomica on the muscular system, before the patient had experienced any particular symp- toms. If the use of the medicine be still persevered in, these effects increase in inten- sity, and the voluntary muscles are thrown into a convulsed state by very slight causes. Thus, when the patient inspires more deeply than usual, or attempts to walk, or even to turn in bed, a convulsive paroxysm is brought on. The sudden contact of external bodies also acts like an electric shock on him. The further employment of nux-vomica increases the severity of the symptoms ; the paroxysms now occur without the agency of any evident exciting cause, and affect him even when lying perfectly quiet and still in bed. The muscular fibres of the pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, and bladder, also become affected, and Trousseau and Pidoux (Traite de Therap. t. i. p. 515,) say those of the penis are likewise influenced, and the nocturnal and diurnal erections become incon- venient, even in those who, for some time before, had lost somewhat of their virility. I am acquainted with two cases of paralysis, in which the use of nux- vomica caused almost constant nocturnal erection. Females also, say Trous- seau and Pidoux, experience more energetic venereal desires; and " we have," they add, " received confidential information on this point', which cannot be doubted." NUX-VOMICA. 353 The pulse does not appear to be uniformly affected ; for the most part it is slightly increased in frequency between the convulsive attacks, but Trousseau says he has found it calm even when the dose of the medicine was sufficient to cause general muscular rigidity. Previous to the production of the affection of the muscles, various painful sensations are oftentimes experienced in the skin, which patients have compared to the creeping of insects (formication), or to the passage of an electric shock ; and occasionally an eruption makes its appearance. It is remarkable that in paralysis the effects of nux-vomica are principally observed in the paralysed parts. Magendie (Formul. p. 7, 8me ed.) states he has observed sweating confined to the paralysed parts. " I have seen," says this physiologist, " the affected side covered with an anomalous eruption, while the opposite side was free from it. One side of the tongue is sometimes sensible of a very bitter taste, which is not perceptible to the other side." yy. Third degree: tetanus, asphyxia, and death.—To illustrate this third and most violent degree of operation I think I cannot do better than relate a case of poisoning by nux-vomica reported by Mr. Oilier. (Lond. Med. Repos. vol. xix. p. 448.) A young woman swallowed between three and four drachms of this substance in powder, and in half an hour was seen by Mr. Oilier. She was sitting by the fire, quite collected and tranquil; her pulse about 80, and regular. He left her for about ten minutes to procure an emetic, and on his return found that she had thrown herself back in her chair, and that her legs were extended, and considerably separated. She was perfectly sensible, and without pain, but seemed in alarm, laid hold of her husband's coat, and entreated him not to leave her. A perspiration had broken out on her skin, her pulse had become faint, and much quicker, and she called frequently for drink. She then had a slight and transient convulsion. Recovering from it, she was in great trepidation, kept fast hold of her husband, and refused to let him go, even for the alleged purpose of getting her drink. In a few minutes after she had another, and a more violent attack, and shortly afterwards, a third : the duration of these was from a minute and a half to two minutes. In them she retained her grasp; her whole body was straightened and stiffened, the legs pushed out and forced apart. I could not (says Mr. Oilier) perceive either pulse or respiration, the face and hands were livid, the muscles of the former, especially of the lips, violently agitated, and she made constantly a moaning, chattering noise. She was not unlike one in an epileptic fit, but did not struggle, though, as she was forced out, it was difficult to keep her from falling on the floor. In the short interval of these attacks she was quite sensible; was tormented with incessant thirst; perspired; had a very quick and faint pulse; complained of being sick, and made many attempts to vomit. (I should state she had swallowed some ipecacuanha powder to evacuate the poison.) She continued to refuse to let her husband move, and to the question whether she was in pain, replied, " No—no—no!" A fourth and most vehement attack soon followed, in which the whole body was extended to the utmost, and she was rigidly stiff" from head to foot, insomuch that, with all the force of the surgeon, he could not bend her thighs on the pelvis to replace her in her seat. From this she never recovered ; she fell into a state of asphyxia, and never breathed again. She now relaxed her grasp; her discoloured hands dropped upon her knees; her face, too, was livid; the brows contracted; the lips wide apart, showing the whole of the closed teeth, and a salivary foam is- sued plentifully from the corners of her mouth. The expression of the whole countenance was at this time very frightful. On removal of the body, it was discovered that the urine had been discharged. She died in about an hour after taking the poison. Five hours afterwards, she was still as straight and stiff as a statue; if you lifted one of her hands, the whole body moved witli it, but the face had become pale in comparison, and its expression more placid. Post-mortem Appearances.—In the case just related the body was observed to be rigid after death, but in the lower animals the reverse is generally noticed. As in other.cases where death takes place from obstructed respiration, venous congestion is observed. Occasionally there is redness or inflammation of the alimentary canal, and now and then softening of the brain or spinal cord. Modus Operandi.—There are several points connected with the modus operandi of nux-vomica which require investigation: 1st. Is this seed a local irritant ?—In medicinal doses it does not usually dis- order the stomach, nor is it invariably irritant in its operation, even when swal- lowed as a poison. In some instances, however, the pain and heat in the sto- mach, the burning in the gullet, and the nausea and vomiting, are evidences of vol. n. 45 354 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. its local action; and, in several cases, marks of inflammation have been ob- served in the stomach on examination of the body after death. Strychnia also is a local irritant. 2d. On what part of the body does nux-vomica exercise a specific effect ?— The symptoms clearly indicate the nervous system to be specifically affected ; and as the voluntary muscles are supplied with nervous influence from the ce- rebro-spinal portion of the nervous system, it is presumed that it is on this por- tion that nux-vomica exerts its principal or sole influence. Physiologists, how- ever, have endeavoured to ascertain what part of the cerebro-spinal system was principally affected. Now the tetanic symptoms, and the absence of narcotism, have led to the conclusion that the spinal cord was the seat of the disease—a conclusion supported by the fact, that the division of this cord, nay, even com- plete decollation, will not prevent the poisonous effects of nux-vomica ; whereas the destruction of the cord by the introduction of a piece of whalebone into the spinal canal, causes the immediate cessation of the convulsions; and if only part of the cord be destroyed, the convulsions cease in that part of the body only which is supplied with nerves from the portion of medulla destroyed. These facts, then, originally observed by Magendie, and which I have myself verified, lead to the conclusion, that the abnormal influence, whatever it may be, which causes the convulsions to take place, is not derived from the contents of the cranium, but from the medulla spinalis itself. Moreover, as the motor nerves seem principally affected, it has been presumed, that the disorder is seated in the anterior columns of the cord : but the white fibres of the nervous system are merely the conductors of nervous powers, the gray matter being apparently the source of it. (Grainger, Struct, and Fund, of the Spinal Cord, p. 17.) Hence, then, the seat of operation of nux-vomica is the seat of the reflex func- tions. (Dr. M. Hall, Led. on the Nerv. Syst.) The increased susceptibility to external impressions produced by strychnia also depends, according to Dr. Stannius, (Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. v. p. 221,) on the primary action of this substance on the spinal marrow. The same physiologist concludes from his experiments on frogs, that the centripetal nerves receive, from the spinal cord, an increase of their excitability ; and that, thus charged, they react upon the medulla, and occasion the peculiar convulsions. M. Flourens (Rech. Exper. sur les Fond, du Syst. Nerv. 1824,) asserted, that the part of the nervous system on which nux-vomica more particularly acted was the medulla oblongata. But MM. Orfila, Ollivier, and Drogartz, (Arch. Gen. de Med. viii. 22,) in their report on a case of poisoning by this substance, particularly mention that they observed no traces of alteration in the condition of the medulla oblongata, the tuber annulare, or the crura cerebri; which is in opposition to Flourens' opinion ; for he asserted, that the specific or exclusive action of each substance on each organ, always left, after death, traces of its action sufficient to distinguish the affected from other organs. But it may be asked, is the cerebrum unaffected by nux-vomica? I think we are hardly justified in replying to this in the affirmative. It is, indeed, true that the intellectual functions are not usually much disordered by this drug, but the mental anxiety commonly experienced by persons under its use, the occasional appearance of stupor, and the observations of Andral and Lallemand on the injurious effects of it ir some apoplexies, leave no doubt that, occasionally at least, the cerebrum is affected. Bally (Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. vi. p. 225,) has observed an appearance of stupor; vertigo, tinnitus aurium, sleep- lessness, and turgescence of the capillaries of the face, result from the use of strychnia. The-cerebellum is said, by some, to be acted on by nux-vomica, but for the most part on hypothetical grounds, though it must be mentioned that MM. Or- fila, Ollivier, and Drogartz, observed the cerebellum presented more evidences of lesions than the other parts of the nervous system. Another argument, NUX-VOMICA. 355 which probably would be advanced by phrenologists in favour of the affection of the cerebellum by this drug, is the observation of Trousseau, that the sexual feelings are usually excited by it. . .... Segalas (quoted by Dr. Christison,) found, in his experiments on animals, that in some cases life could not be prolonged by artificial respiration, and that alter death the heart could not be stimulated to contract. These and other reasons seem to show, that nux-vomica exhausts the irritability of the heart. But in all probability this viscus is affected only secondarily, the essential and primary action being on the nervous system. 3d. What kind of action does nux-vomica set up in tliose parts of the ner- vous system on which it acts?—As the muscles receive from the nervous system a preternatural stimulus to action, it is presumed that this system (or at least certain parts of it) is in a state of excitement or irritation. In one case men- tioned by Mr. Watt, (Christison, p. 183,) there was observed softening of the lumbar portion of the spinal cord; and in the case reported by MM. Orfila, Ollivier, and Drogartz, the whole cortical substance of the brain, especially of the cerebellum, was softened. Andral and Lallemand have both observed that this remedy, in some forms of apoplexy, produced symptoms indicating ramol- lissement. 4th. What is the reason that strychnia first displays its remarkable influence on paralytic limbs ?—Segalas has offered the following explanation of this well- known fact: the muscles of the unaffected limbs being simultaneously subject to the government of the brain and the action of the poison, are better enabled to resist the latter than paralysed muscles, which, not being under cerebral in- fluence, are more affected by the poison. To this hypothesis, however, insupe- rable objections present themselves. Under the influence of strychnia paralysed parts sometimes suffer violent pain, while the healthy parts are free from it. How, asks Ollivier, (Traite de la Motile Epiniere, p. 841, Paris, 1827,) is this specific influence on paralysed parts only to be explained 1 Does it not show, moreover, that these parts are not so entirely isolated from the influence of the nervous centres as the hypothesis of Segalas would lead us to infer? Dr. Marshall Hall (Med. Chir. Trans. 2ad Series, vol 4th. Lond. 1839,) has advanced a most ingenious explanation of the above-mentioned fact. Strychnia, he asserts, does not, in every case of paralysis, first display its influence on the paralytic limb. When the paralysis is cerebral, the irritability of the mus- cular fibre becomes augmented, from want of the application of the stimulus of volition; and in such cases, therefore, strychnia first affects the paralysed mus- cles, beeause these are more irritable than the sound ones. But in spinal para- lysis, the irritability is diminished, and in such strychnia does not firstly and mostly affect the paralysed limbs. The augmented irritability of the muscles in cerebral paralysis, and the diminished irritability in spinal paralysis, he as- certained by voltaic electricity. This explanation appeared to me so plausible and satisfactory that in the first edition of this work (pp. 911-12) I adopted it, believing it to present a clear and physiological elucidation of the facts before related. But in the summer of 1841 I made a number of observations on paralytic patients in the London Hospital, which convinced me that it does not correctly interpret the phenomena in ques- tion. The following is a brief abstract of one case, out of many similar ones : A middle aged man was admitted into the hospital suffering with hemiplegia of two years' standing, and the consequence of apoplexy. He was put under the influence of the alcoholic extract of nux-vomica. In a few days the muscles of the paralysed limbs were powerfully affected by the remedy, but those of the sound side were unaffected by it. I then resolved to try the effects of voltaic electricity on the paralysed and healthy muscles. For this purpose I directed each hand to be placed in a separate basin containing a solution of salt. The two basins were then respectively connected with the electrodes of a magneto-electric machine, mid a current of electricity thus simultaneously traversed the paralysed and healthy arms. To my fjreut surprise the muscles of the paralysed arm were comparatively but slightly affected, 356 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. while those of the sound one were most powerfully convulsed. This experiment was tried re- peatedly, and invariably with the same result. In this^case the paralysis was undoubtedly, I think, cerebral. On Dr. Hall's hypothesis the effects of strychnia on the paralysed limbs proved it to be so. Yet the paralysed muscles were less irritable than the sound ones, as manifested by voltaic electricity. I have observed the same effects in many other cases. Furthermore I may remark that in every case of paralysis, whether cerebral or spinal, I have found the muscles of the paralysed parts to be less irritable to voltaic electricity than those of the sound part. Nor have I met with a single exception to the statement that strychnia first displays its effects on the para- lysed parts; a fact of which I cannot at present offer a satisfactory explanation. 5th. Does nux-vomica or its active principles become absorbed ?—Several rea- sons, some of which have been before alluded to (vol. i. pp. 127 and 129,) may be adduced in favour of the affirmative of this question. Thus the blood of animals under the influence of this poison has been found to be poisonous (though Messrs. Morgan and Addison deny that this was the case in their be- fore-mentioned experiment, (vol. i. p. 131). Moreover, the activity of this drug seems to be in the ratio of the absorbing power of the part. 6th. Is any change produced in the blood-discs by strychnia ?—Muller (Phy- siol, by Baly, vol. i. p. 107) says, strychnia produces no change in them ; and Dr. Stannius (Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. v. p. 222) was unable to detect, by means of the microscope, any alteration in the appearance of the blood of frogs poisoned by strychnia. 7th. In what manner is death produced by nux-vomica ?—Frequently by the stoppage of respiration, in consequence of the spasmodic condition of the respi- ratory muscles (vol. i. p. 180). In other cases, death seems to arise from ex- cessive exhaustion of the nervous power (see Cloquet's case, quoted by Chris- tison). Uses.—The obvious indications for the use of nux-vomica, strychnia, or brucia, are torpid or paralytic conditions of the muscular fibre; while these agents are contra-indicated in spasmodic or convulsive diseases. Experience, however, has fully proved that when paralysis depends on inflammatory condi- tions of the nervous centres, these agents prove injurious, and accelerate organic changes. 1. In paralysis.—Of all the diseases for which nux-vomica has been em- ployed, in none has it been so successful as in paralysis ; and it is deserving of notice, that this is one of the few remedies whose discovery is not the effect of mere chance, since Fouquier (Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. ii. p. 141) was led to its use by legitimate induction from observation of its physiological effects. That a remedy which stimulates so remarkably the muscular system to action should be serviceable when that system no longer receives its accustomed natural stimulus is, a priori, not astonishing. Paralysis, however, is the common effect of various lesions of the nervous centres, in some of which nux-vomica may be injurious, in others useless, and in some beneficial. It is, therefore, necessary to point out under what circumstances this remedy is likely to be advantageous or hurtful. A very frequent, and, indeed, the most common cause of paralysis, is he- morrhage of the nervous centres. Blood may be effused on the external surface of these centres, into their cavities, or in their substance, the latter being by far the most common case—in the proportion, according to Andral, (Path. Anat. by West, vol. ii. p. 722,) of 386 out of 392 instances of cerebral hemorrhage. It is almost superfluous to add that the radical cure of these cases can be effected only by the removal (that is, absorption) of the effused blood. Now the process by which this is effected is almost entirely a natural one : art can offer no as- sistance of a positive kind, though by the removal of impeding causes she may be at times negatively useful. Nux-vomica can, in such cases, be of no avail; on the contrary, it may be injurious. NUX-VOMICA. 357 The part immediately surrounding the sanguineous clot is usually much soft- ened, a condition formerly regarded as the effect of the effusions. But Lalle- mand has satisfactorily shown that it often, though not invariably, precedes the hemorrhage. This softening, or ramollissement, is, according to the same au- thority, a constant and necessary result of an acute or chronic irritation. But the facts at present known do not warrant this generalization, since cases occur which apparently are unconnected with irritation. For this softening art can do but little; we have, in fact, no particular or uniform treatment. If we can connect with it any increased vascular action, of course bloodletting and the other antiphlogistic means are to be resorted to; whereas, if the reverse condi- tion of system exist, marked by great languor and debility, tonics and stimu- lants may be administered. Nux-vomica in these cases offers no probability of benefit; on the contrary, we might suspect that, as it irritates the spinal cord, it might probably have the same effect on the brain, and hasten the production of softening. Now experience seems to confirm our theoretical anticipations. Andral (Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. ii. p. 227) relates the case of a man who was hemiplegic, in consequence of an old apoplectic attack. A pill, containing only one-twelfth of a grain of strychnia (the active principle of nux-vomica), was given him, and it produced a strong tetanic stiffness of the paralysed members. The following day he complained of pain in the head, on the side opposite to that paralysed ; his intellectual functions were weaker, and his hemiplegia was increased ; in fact, he had all the symptoms characterizing softening of the brain. It is, therefore, probable that the strychnia set up an inflammatory condition of the nervous substance around the apoplectic deposit, and that this condition was the precursor of ramollissement. When, therefore, nux-vomica is employed in those cases of paralysis which are connected with inflammation of the brain or spinal marrow, it is very likely to increase the evils it is intended to mitigate. Lallemand (Recherches anatomico-pathologiques sur VEncephale, p. 267, 1820) reports two cases in which this drug, administered against cere- bral maladies, occasioned convulsive movements, which continued until death. On opening the bodies, the cerebral substance surrounding the sanguineous clot was found disorganized and exceedingly softened. These facts suggest some useful reflections as to the use of this powerful drug in paralysis, and prevent its indiscriminate use in all cases of this disease. But there are cases in which paralysis, arising from cerebral hemorrhage, may be advantageously treated by nux-vomica. The blood which is poured out in the apoplectic cell has at first a gelatinous consistence, some of it still re- maining fluid. " Somewhat later," says Andral, (Path. Anat. by West, vol. ii. p. 723,) " twelve or fifteen days after the attack, for instance, the coagulum is found to be firmer and more circumscribed; later still, it becomes white or yel- low, and is surrounded by a brownish-red fluid. The walls of the containing cavity are smooth, and lined with a delicate membrane. The surrounding cere- bral substance in some cases retains its natural appearance, and in others is altered both in colour and consistence. As the interval between the effusion and the examination increases, the coagula gradually disappear." The cyst is now found to contain a serous fluid, occasionally having a few cellular bridles run- ning from one side to the other ; and nature subsequently attempts to o-et rid of the cyst by producing adhesion of its sides, leaving only a linear cicatrix. Now it is well known, that by long disuse of some of the voluntary muscles, the power over them becomes gradually diminished; and it appears that occasionally in cerebral hemorrhage, after the absorption of the effused blood, the paralysis re- mains, as it were by habit. In these cases the cautious employment of nux- vomica, or of its active principle, may be attended with beneficial results, by favouring the return both of motion and sensation. But paralysis, like some other diseases of the nervous system, may exist without our being able to discover after death any lesion of the nervous centres; 358 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. and it is then denominated a functional disorder, as if there were actually no or- ganic lesion. To me, however, the fact of the lesion of action is a strong ground for suspecting that there must have been an organic lesion of some kind, though we see nothing. « It is highly probable," says Andral, (Path. Anat. by West, vol. ii. p. 709,) " that some organic lesions do exist in such cases, though they escape our notice." Be this as it may, experience has fully established the fact, that nux-vomica is more beneficial in those forms of paralysis usually unaccom- panied by visible lesions of structure; such, for example, as paralysis resulting from exposure to the influence of lead and its various compounds. Thus, of ten cases of saturnine hemiplegia, treated by nux-vomica or its active princi- ples, and which are mentioned by Bayle, three were cured, and three amelio- rated. As hemiplegia more frequently depends on cerebral hemorrhage than some other forms of paralysis, so it is, for the most part, less amenable to remedial means. Thus, while out of twenty-six cases of paraplegia, nineteen were cured by nux-vomica or its active constituents, yet in thirty instances of hemiplegia, only thirteen were cured. In six cases of general paralysis (that is, paralysis of both sides at once), four were cured by this remedy. In the paralysis which sometimes affects the muscles of certain organs, nux-vomica (or strychnia) has been employed with advantage. Thus a case of amaurosis, accompanied with paralysis of the eyelid, is said to have been cured by it; and several cases of incontinence of urine, depending on paralysis, or diminished power of the mus- cular fibres of the bladder, have also been benefited by the same means. In some cases of local paralysis strychnia has been employed endermically with benefit. 2. Paralysis of the Sentient Nerves.—The good effects procured from the use of nux-vomica in paralysis of the motor nerves, have led to its employment in functional lesions of sentient nerves, characterized by torpor, inactivity, and paralysis. That benefit may be obtained in these cases is physiologically pro- bable, from the circumstance that one of the effects of this agent is an exaltation of the susceptibility to external impressions, as I have before mentioned. Hither- to, however, the trials have not been numerous, nor remarkably successful. In amaurosis benefit has been obtained in some few instances ; and where no or- ganic lesion is appreciable, this remedy deserves a trial. The endermic method of using it has been preferred. Small blisters, covered with powdered strychnia, have been applied to the temples and eyebrows. The remedy causes sparks to be perceived in both eyes, especially the affected one; and it is said, the more of these, the better should be the prognosis : moreover, the red-coloured sparks are thought mote favourable than sparks of other colours. When the malady is complicated with disease of the brain, the remedy must be employed with ex- treme caution. 3. Other Affections of tlie Nervous System.—I have seen nux-vomica very serviceable in shaking or tremor of the muscles produced by habitual intoxica- tion. A gentleman thus affected, who had for several weeks lost the power of writing, reacquired it under the use of this medicine. Clwrea has been bene- fited by it. (Magendie, Formul.) In tetanus it has been tried at the London Hospital without any augmentation of the convulsions. Several cases of epilepsy are said to have been relieved by it (Bayle, Bibl. Therap. ii. p. 135 and 230) : but, judging from its physiological effects, it would appear to be calculated to act injuriously, rather than beneficially, in this disease ; and in one case (Ibid. p. 233,) the use of strychnia apparently caused paralysis and death. It has also been employed in hypochondriasis and hysteria. (Ibid. p. 134.) It has also been used in neuralgia with good effect. (Lond. Med. Gaz. Aug. 7, 1840.) 4. Affections of the Alime?itary Canal.—On account of its intense bitterness, nux-vomica has been resorted to as a tonic and stomachic in dyspepsia, espe- NUX-VOMICA. 359 cially when this affection depends on, or is connected with, an atonic condition of the muscular coat of the stomach. In pyrosis, resulting from simple functional disorders of the stomach, Mr. Mellor (op. cit. xix. p. 851,) considers it to be almost a specific. Even when pyrosis is symptomatic of organic disease of the stomach, he says it is of essen- tial service." In febrile states of the system, its use is contra-indicated. Dr. Belcombe (op. cit. p. 964,) has confirmed these statements, and also speaks of its good effects in gastrodynia. In dysentery, particularly when of an epidemic nature, nux-vomica has gained some reputation. Hagstrom says, he has proved its value in some hundreds of cases (Bayle, op. cit. p. 135); and his report has been confirmed by Hufeland, (op. cit. p. 136,) Geddings, (Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. i. p. 255,) and others. In coliea pidonum, a combination of strychnia and hydrochlorate of morphia has been found by Bally, highly successful, (op. cit. vol. vi. p. 225.) In prolapsus of the rectum, Dr. Schwartz (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xvi. p. 768,) has recommended the use of this remedy, which he has em- ployed for ten years, both in adults and children, with great benefit. One or two grains of the alcoholic extract are to be dissolved in two drachms of water ; and of this solution he gives to sucking infants two or three drops; to older children from six to ten or fifteen drops, according to their age. 5. In impotence.—The excitement of the sexual feelings, which Trousseau has seen produced by nux-vomica, led him to employ this remedy against impo- tence, and he has found it successful both in males and females. In some cases, however, its good effects were observed only while the patients were taking the medicine. A young man, twenty-five years of age, of an athletic constitution, who had been married for eighteen months without having any other than almost fraternal communications with his wife, acquired his virility under the use of nux-vomica, though he again lost it soon after leaving off its employment. The preceding are the diseases in which nux-vomica has proved most suc- cessful!. It has, however, been used in several others (as intermittent fevers, intestinal worms, &c.) with occasional benefit. Administration.—Nux-vomica is used in the form of powder, tincture, or extract. Strychnia and brucia may be regarded as other preparations of it. 'The powder of nux-vomica is administered in doses of two or three grains gradually increased. Fouquier has sometimes increased the quantity to fifty grains. Antidote.—Evacuate the contents of the stomach as speedily as possible. No chemical antidotes are known. Probably astringents (as infusion of galls, green tea, &c.,) would be serviceable. Donne (Journ. de Pharm. t. xvi. p. 377,) regards chlorine, iodine, and bromine, as antidotes for strychnia and brucia; but further evidence is required to establish the correctness of his infe- rences. Emmert (Buchner, Toxikol. S. 235-6,) says that vinegar and coffee increased the poisonous effects of nux-vomica (false angustura) bark. To re- lieve the spasms, narcotics may be employed. Sachs and others have recom- mended opium. As conia is the counterpart of strychnia, it deserves a trial. I applied it to a wound in a rabbit affected with tetanus from the use of strychnia: the convulsions ceased, but the animal died. In the absence of conia, the extract of hemlock should bq employed. Ether and oil of turpentine have been recom- mended. (Phcebus, Hulfsleist bei acut. Vergift. S. 14.) To relieve the excessive endermic operation of strychnia, acetate of morphia applied to the same spot has given relief. 1. TIMTURA MTIS-YOMICE, D. Tincture of Nux-vomica.—(Nux-vomica, scraped, 3ij. ; Rectified Spirit, 3viij. Macerate for seven days, and filter.)— Dose, rriv. to nvx. It is sometimes used as an embrocation to paralysed parts, and its good effects in this way seem to be increased by combining it with am- monia. I EXTRACTUM MIC1S-T0MIC-E, E. D. (U. S.) Extract of Nux-vomica— 360 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. (" Take of nux-vomica any convenient quantity; expose it in a proper vessel to steam till it is properly softened ; slice it, dry it thoroughly, and immediately grind it in a coffee-mill; exhaust the powder either by percolating it with rec- tified spirit, or by boiling it with repeated portions of rectified spirit until the spirit comes off free of bitterness. Distil off the greater part of the spirit; and evaporate what remains in the vapour-bath to a proper consistence," E.—The Dublin College order of Nux-vomica, scraped, 3viij.; Proof Spirit, Oij. [wine measure^. Digest in a close vessel for three days, and express the residuum: consume the mixed liquors by distillation, to a fourth part, and reduce to a pro- per consistence. By the Dublin process the produce of extract is about 9 per cent.) (Barker and Montgomery, Observ. on the Dubl. Pharm.) (The U. S. P. direct nux-vomica a pound ; alcohol, a sufficient quantity. The process is the same as that of the E. College.)—Dose, gr. ss., gradually increased two or three grains. The extract is given in the form of pill. I. STRYCHNIA, L. E.; (U.S.) Strychnine; Strychnina ; Vauquelina; Teta- nine. This alkaloid was discovered in 1818 by Pelletier and Caventou. It has been found in Strychnos Nux-vomica, S. Ignatia, S. Colubrina, and S. . Tieute. In these plants it is frequently associated with brucia, and is always combined with an acid. The directions of the London College for preparing this alkali are as follow: "Take of Nux-vomica, bruised, lb. ij.; Rectified Spirit, Cong. iij.; Diluted Sulphuric Acid; Magnesia; Solution of Ammonia, each as much as may be sufficient. Boil the bruised nux- vomica with a gallon of the spirit for an hour in a retort, to which a receiver is fitted. Pour off this liquor, and again a third time boil what remains with another gallon of spirit and the spirit recently distilled, and pour off* the liquor. Press the nux-vomica, and let the spirit distil from the mixed and strained liquors. Evaporate what remains to the proper consistence of an extract. Dissolve this in cold water, and strain. Evaporate the liquor with a gentle heat, until it has the consistence of syrup. To this, while yet warm, gradually add the magnesia to saturation, shaking them together. Set it aside for two days, then pour off" the supernatant liquor. Press what remains wrapped in cloth. Boil it in spirit, then strain, and let the spirit distil. Add to the residue a very little diluted sulphuric acid mixed with water, and macerate with a gentle heat. Set it aside for twenty-four hours, that crystals may form. Press and dissolve them. Afterwards to these, dissolved in water, add ammonia, frequently shaking them, that the strychnia may be thrown down. Lastly, dissolve this in boiling spirit, and set it aside that pure crystals may be produced." The directions of the Edinburgh College are as follows : "Take of Nux-vomica, lb. j.; Quicklime, 3iss.; Rectified Spirit, a sufficiency. Subject the nux-vomica for two hours to the vapour of steam, chop or slice it, dry it thoroughly in the va- pour-bath or hot air-press, and immediately grind it in a coffee-mill. Macerate for twelve hours in two pints of water, and boil it; strain through linen or calico, and squeeze the resi- duum ; repeat the maceration and decoction twice with a pint and a half of water. Concen- trate the decoctions to the consistency of thin syrup; add the lime in the form of milk of lime ; dry the precipitate in the vapour-bath; pulverize it, and boil it with successive portions of rec- tified spirit till the spirit cease to acquire a bitter taste. Distil off the spirit till the residuum be sufficiently concentrated to crystallize on cooling. Purify the crystals by repeated crystal- lization." [The process of the U. S. P. differs from either of the above. It directs Nux-vomica, rasped, lb. iv.; Lime, in powder, 3vj,; Muriatic Acid, 3iij.; Alcohol; Diluted Sulphuric Acid; Solu- tion of Ammonia; Purified Animal Charcoal; Water, each a sufficient quantity. The first step in the operation is to convert the strychnia into a muriate by boiling, with water acidu- lated by the acid, and repeat twice. Next decompose the muriate by the lime, which separates the strychnia. Take this up by alcohol, and convert it into a sulphate by boiling with dilute sulphuric acid ; decolour by the charcoal, and finally separate the strychnia by the solution of ammonia, and dry on bibulous paper.] The following is the rationale of the process of the London Pharmacopceia: the watery solution of the alcoholic extract contains the strychnate of strychnia; the magnesia decomposes this, and by abstracting the strychnic acid sets free the strychnia. MATERIALS. PRODUCTS. Magnesia___________.____________________________________________8trycbnate of Magnesia. Strychnate of Strychnia j ggH^ .'.^Z^.. .^T^TTT^Strychaia. NUX-VOMICA. 361 The strychnia is dissolved by the alcohol, and is left after distillation. Dilute sulphuric acid dissolves it, forming a sulphate, and from the sulphatic solution ammonia throws it down. MATERIALS. PRODUCTS. Ammonia________________________________________________________Sulphate of Ammonia. Sulphate of Strychnia j i^cS.f.^.T^^TTT^...........................Strychnia. The strychnia is then dissolved in boiling spirit; and from the solution crys- tals are obtained, by cooling and evaporation. In the process of the Edinburgh Pharmacopceia, a decoction of nux-vomica is prepared ; this contains the strychnate of strychnia with gum. This salt is decomposed by the lime, and the strychnia abstracted by rectified spirit. In the preceding account I have omitted, for the sake of perspicuity, all notice of the brucia which is associated with the strychnia. Pure strychnia is a white, odourless, intensely bitter, crystalline substance, the form of the crystals being the octohedron or four-sided prism. When ra- pidly crystallized, it assumes the granular form. It is fusible, but not volatile; decomposing at a lower temperature than most vegetable bodies. Though so intensely bitter, it is almost insoluble in water, one part of strychnia requiring 6667 parts of water, at 50°, to dissolve it: that is, one grain needs nearly four- teen ounces of water to hold it in solution. It requires 2500 parts of boiling water to dissolve it. It is slightly soluble in boiling rectified spirit, but scarcely so in cold water. It acts on vegetable colours as an alkali, saturates acids forming salts, and separates most of the metallic oxides (the alkaline substances excepted) from their combinations with acids. In some cases, part only of the metallic oxide is precipitated, a double salt being formed in solution. Thus, when strychnia is boiled with a solution of sulphate of copper, a green solution of cupreous sulphate of strychnia is obtained, while a portion only of the oxide of copper is precipitated. Commercial strychnia usually forms, with strong nitric acid, a red-coloured liquid, which afterwards becomes yellow. This change does not occur with pure strychnia, but depends on the presence of one or both of the two substances —viz. brucia and yellow colouring matter. As the red colour is destroyed by decolorizing agents (sulphurous acid and sulphuretted hydrogen), it appears to depend on the oxidizement of the substance referred to. If potash be added to a very concentrated solution of a strychnian salt which has been reddened by nitric acid, an orange precipitate is formed ; an excess of water dissolves this precipitate. With strychnia chlorine forms a white precipitate. A solution of bichloride of mercury, added to a solution of strychnia in hy- drochloric acid, causes a white clotty precipitate (composed of bichloride of mer- cury and hydrochlorate of strychnia). According to the Edinburgh College, strychnia for medicinal use, which is declared to be " always more or less impure," possesses the following properties : Intensely bitter: nitric acid strongly reddens it: a solution of 10 grains in four fluidrachms of water by means of a fluidrachm of pyroligneous acid, when decomposed by one fluidounce of concentrated solution of carbonate of soda, yields on brisk agitation a coherent mass, weigh- ing when dry 10 grains, and entirely soluble in solution of oxalic acid. The London College gives the following characters for crystallized strychnia: Readily dissolves in boiling alcohol, but not so in water. It melts by heat, and if it be more strongly urged, it is totally dissipated. This being endowed with violent powers, it is to be cautiously administered. The following is the composition of strychnia, (Pliarmaceutisches Central- Blatt far lh3s, p. 489): vol. ii. 46 362 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Atems. Eq. W.' Per Cent. Regnault. Mulder. Liebig. Carbon............. 44 .... 264 .... 7608 .... 75 73 .... 76-721 .... 76 43 Hydrogen .......... 23 .... 23 .... 6-63 ..-. 686 .... 6789 .... 670 Nitrogen ........... 2 .... 23 ___ 807 --- 843 --- 6186 --- 5-81 Oxygen ............ 4 .... 32 .... 922 .... 898 .... 10.304 .... 1106 Strychnia........... 1 .... 347 .... 10000 .... 100 00 .... 10000 .... 100O0 More recently Regnault (op. cit. 1839, p. 68,) has given as the formula for the composition of strychnia : C*3 H23 N3 O4. Crystallized strychnia is an- hydrous. The salts of Strychnia, when pure, are for the most part crystalline, white, and very bitter. They possess the following chemical characteristics:—1st. They are precipitated by the alkalis and their carbonates. 2dly. As usually met with in the shops, they are reddened by nitric acid. 3dly. They are pre- cipitated by tannic, but not by gallic acid. 4thly. They are unchanged by the action of the persalts of iron. a. Sulphates.—The neutral sulphate exists in the form of small cubes, solu- ble in ten parts of water at 59° F., and in a less quantity of boiling water. When heated, it fuses and loses three per cent, of its weight, probably water of crystallization. But Liebig detected no water in sulphate dried at 212° F. The bisulphate has an acid and bitter taste, and crystallizes in slender needles. (3. Nitrate.—The neutral nitrate crystallizes in pearly needles, grouped in stars. It is much more soluble in hot than cold water; is slightly soluble in alcohol, but does not dissolve in ether. When heated to a little above 212°, it decomposes and becomes yellow, swells up, detonates slightly (but without the disengagement of light), and leaves a carbonaceous mass behind. If the strychnia contain brucia, the nitrate has a reddish tint. The binitrate crystal- lizes in very fine needles. When heated, it decomposes, becomes red, and de- tonates with the disengagement of light. y. Hydrochlorate or Muriate.—This salt crystallizes in four-sided needles, which lose their transparency in the air. It is much more soluble in water than the sulphate. When heated, it is decomposed with the evolution of hydro- chloric acid. The effects of strychnia are of the same kind as those of nux-vomica, but more violent in degree. As ordinarily met with in the shops, it may be regarded as about six times as active as the alcoholic extract of nux-vomica. The fol- lowing are a few examples of its poisonous operation : Dr. Christison (Treatise o?i Poisons, p. 797, 3d ed.) says, "I have killed a dog, in two-minutes, with the sixth part of a grain, injected, in the form of alco- holic solution, into the chest: I have seen a wild boar killed, in the same man- ner, with the third of a grain, in ten minutes." Pelletier, (Ann. de Chim. et Phys. x. 172,) says, " half a grain, blown into the mouth of a dog, produced death in five minutes." Haifa grain, applied to a wound in the back of a dog, caused death in three minutes and a half. In all these and other instances death was preceded and accompanied by tetanus. The salts of strychnia act in the same manner. Some individuals are more susceptible of the action of strychnia than others. Andral (Bayle, Bibl. Therap. t. ii. p. 227,) has seen a single pill, containing one-twelfth of a grain, cause light trismus, and the commencement of tetanic stiffness of the muscles ; while in other cases the dose may be gradually in- creased beyond a grain, with comparative little effect. The largest dose I have given is a grain and a half, and this was repeated several times before the usual symptoms, indicative of the affection of the system, came on. The following case occurred on board the Dreadnought Hospital Ship, and was communicated to me by Mr. Cooper, Surgeon, of Greenwich : A Swede, aged 50—60, was admitted about the year 1833 with general paralysis, one side being more affected than the other : he was also in some degree idiotic. Strychnia was given, at first in the dose of one-eighth of a grain three times a day, which was continued for several NUX-VOMICA. 363 weeks, without apparent effect. The dose was then increased to one-quarter of a grain three times a day, which was also continued for some time, and not producing any perceptible effect, the quantity was increased to half a grain twice or three times a day, and this dose was taken for many days before any influence of strychnia was manifested. But one morning, about 9 a.m., the apothecary was suddenly summoned by a message that the man was in a fit. When seen he was insensible; face and chest of a deep purple colour; respiration had ceased, and the pulsation of the heart nearly so. The whole body (trunk and limbs) was in a state of tetanic spasm. Trunk extended, and shoulders thrown back: muscles of chest and abdomen hard and rigid. In a short time the rigidity became less; the ribs could be compressed ; and artificial respiration was kept up imperfectly by compression of the thorax. Circulation was restored in some degree, and the deep purple colour of the surface went off. Spontaneous respiration relumed. The man sighed, and became apparently sensible: all spasm had ceased, for a minute or two; but as soon as circulation and consciousness were in some degree re- stored, the spasm recurred with extreme violence, again locking up the respiratory muscles. Respiration ceased; the surface again became purple; circulation went on, however, some time after respiration had ceased. Artificial respiration was kept up when the relaxation of the muscles would allow of it, but was this time ineffectual. The heart soon ceased to beat; the deep purple colour was instantaneously replaced by the pallor of death; and life was extinct. The quick passing off of the purple colour of the surface was very remarkable; the change appeared to commence in the face, and passed downwards like the passing of the shadow of a cloud. This case gives some colour to the idea that strychnia, like digitalis and some other potent remedies, accumulates in the system. The local action of strychnia is that of an irritant. Applied to the naked dermis, it causes burning and pungent pain, lasting from half an hour to an hour; and where blisters have been applied, the raw surface inflames under the use of the remedy, and affords a copious suppuration. (Ahrensen, Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. v. p. 350.) The uses of strychnia are similar to those of nux-vomica above stated. The dose of strychnia or its salts (acetate, sulphate, nitrate, or hydrochlorate) is, at the commencement, cne-sixteenth or one twentieth of a grain, which is to be gradually increased until its effects on the muscular system are observed. The largest dose I have ever seen attained is one grain and a half. Two scruples, taken to cause self-destruction, produced death in an hour and a half. (Lancet, Jan. 27, 1838, p. 647.) Strychnia is usually given in the form of pill (made with common conserve of roses) or it may be dissolved in alcohol or acetic acid. The endermic dose of strychnia should not, at the commencement, exceed half a grain, and of its salts one-fourth of a grain. OTHER MEDICINAL, OR POISONOUS APOCYNACESE. 1. The seeds of Strych'nos Igna'tia or St. Ignatius's beans, came into the Dutch shops, according to Alston, (Led. on the Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 38,) about the latler end of the seventeenth century. But there is some reason to suspect that they were known long before this, and are probably the substances which, in the Latin translation of Serapion, were denominated nuces vomicce. Dale (Pharmacol, p. 328,) gives, as one of their synonymes, " Igasur, seu Nux- vomica Icgilima Scrapionis." They are obtained from the' Strychnos Ignatia (called by some Ignatia amaru), a tree indigenous to the Philippine Islands, whose fruit is smooth and pyriform, and contains about twenty seeds. These seeds, the St. Ignatius's beans of the shops, are about the size of olives, rounded and convex on one side, and somewhat angular on the other. Externally they are brownish, with a bluish gray tint. Within the envelopes of the seed is a very hard, horny, or cartilaginous albumen, in whose cavity is contained the embryo. These seeds have been analysed by MM. Pelletier and Caventou, (Ann. de Chim. Phys. x. 147,) who found their constituents to be the same as those of nux-vomica, though in somewhat dif- ferent proportions. Their effects, therefore, are similar. 2. Strych'nos Tir'ute, the Tshellik or Tjeitek, is a large climbing shrub, growing in Java. The aqueous extract of the bark of this tree is the poison called Upas tieute Tjeitek, or Upas Radja, and which must not be confounded with the poison of the Antiaris toxicaria, before described (sec p. 201.) The Upas tieute was analyzed by Pelletier and Caventou, (Ann. de Chim. Phys. xxvi. 44,) who found it to consist of strychnia combined with an acid (igasuric?), a reddish brown colouring matter, which becomes green when mixed with nitric acid, and a! soluble yellow colouring matter, which is reddened by nitric acid. They could detect no'brucia. The effects of this poison are precisely similar to those of the nux-vomica and strychnia. Thus, 364 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. when applied to wounds, injected into the serous sacs or blood-vessels, or applied to the mucous membrane, it produces tetanus, asphyxia, and death. Forty drops of upas dissolved in water, and injected into the pleura of an old horse, gave rise almost immediately to tetanus and as- phyxia, and the animal died after the second attack. . , 3. Ligna Colubrina, or Snake-woods.—ln countries infested with poisonous serpents, me natives have usually some substance which is fancied to possess the power of preserving mem from the bites of these poisonous animals; and thus we have various articles, seeds, roots, ana wood, which have the word snake affixed to them. , In Asia there are several kinds of lignum colubrinum, or snake-wood, supposed to be possesseu of the above-mentioned property. The specimens, however, met with in commerce, snow mat there are various substances to which this term is applied ; some being the wood ot a stem, others of a root. The most esteemed is the wood of the Strych'nos Colubrina. I he a. ugus. trina yields the ancient lignum colubrinum of Timor. Pelletier and Caventou (Ann. de VMm. Phys. x. 170,) analyzed one of these woods, and found that it had the same constituents as the bean of St. Ignatius, though in different proportions. Thus it contained more fatty and colour- ing matter, less strychnia, and, in the place of bassorine and starch, a larger quantity of woody fibre. Its action, therefore, is precisely similar to the before-mentioned poisons. . 4. Strych'nos toxif'era, Schomb. yields the basis of the celebrated Wooraly Woorari, Ourari, or Urari poison of Guayana, which produces paralysis with convulsive movements, death from, apparently, suspended respiration : hence artificial respiration is a most important means of relief.1 Dr. Hancock (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xx. p. 281,) used the bark of this plant as an application to foul ulcers. 5. The seeds of Stryciixos potatorum, or clearing nuts, are used in India to clear muddy water. (Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. vol. i. p. 575.) 6. The bark of the Strych'nos Pseudoqui'na, called Quina do Campo, is employed in the Brazils as a substitute for cinchona bark. It does not possess poisonous properties. It was analyzed by Vauquelin, (Mem. du Museum, 1823, p. 452,) FlG. 203. who discovered neither strychnia nor brucia in it. Mer- cadieu (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. i. p. 236 bis.) also analyzed it, under the erroneous name of copalchi (see p. 230), and could not discover any vegetable alkali in it. The internal surface of the bark (liber), touched by nitric acid, becomes red, while the external surface becomes blackish green. (Guibourt, Journ. de Pharm. t. xxv. p. 709.) In these characters, then, it agrees with nux-vomica bark. Two other barks (also belonging to Apocynacea)—viz. the Pe- reira Bark (obtained from a species of Valle'sia) and the Casta d'Anta (procured from a Rauwol'Jia)—likewise be- come red by contact with nitric acid. Pfaff (Berl. Jahrb. Ed. xlii. S. 95,) had discovered a new alkali (called Pereirin) in the pereira bark. 7. Cer'bera Tang'hin, or Tahghin'ia venenif'era,\s a native of Madagascar. The kernel is a most deadly poison, though not larger-than an almond^[with the shell], it is Cerbera Tanghin. said to be capable of destroying twenty persons. It was analyzed by O. Henry and Ollivier. (Journ. de Pharm. t. x. p. 49.) The active principle is a neutral crystalline principle, called ianghicin (tangin- camphor, Gmelin.) The extractive (tanginin ; tanguine, Gmelin) is also said to possess nar- cotic properties. The tanghin seed causes convulsions and violent efforts to vomit. It is (or was) used, in Madagascar, to ascertain the guilt of suspected persons: those who are able to withstand the ordeal are considered innocent; and, vice versa, those who die are said to be guilty. (Hooker, Bot. Mag. t. 2968.) [Two species of Apocynum are used for medicinal purposes in the United States. Sex. System.—PENTANDRIA DlGYNIA. Gen. Char.—Calyx very small, five cleft, persistent. Corolla companulate, half five-cleft, lobes revolute, furnished at base with five dentoid glands, alter- nating with the stamina. Anthers connivent, sagittate, cohering to the stigma by the middle. Style obsolete, stigma thick and acute. Follicle long and linear. Seed comose (Nuttall). 1. A androsaemifolium.—Dogs-bane, U. S. Secondary List. Sp. char.—Leaves ovate, smooth, on both sides, cymes lateral and terminal, smooth; tube of the corolla longer than the calyx, (Beck.) i Brodie, Phil. Trans, for 1811, p. 178; and Waterton, Brit, and For. Med. Rev. vol. viii. p. 597. INDIAN HEMP. 365 with opium, but is inferior to Fig. 204. This is a common species, found in all parts of the country, from Canada to Georgia, on hill sides, and in open woods in barren soil. It is perennial her- baceous, generally four feet high, with a smooth stem, and covered with tough fibrous bark. The flowers are white, tinged with rose colour. The part used is the root, which is large and lactescent, of a disagreeable bitter taste ; of this the active portion is the bark, which forms about two-thirds of it. Its constituents are, bitter extractive, colouring principle, caoutchouc and volatile oil. It yields its properties to water and alcohol. Dr. Zollickoffer obtained 198 grs. of alcoholic extract, and 28 grs. of watery extract, from 3240 grs. of the cortical part. The properties of this root are emetic and diaphoretic. In doses of 30 or 40 grs. it promptly induces vomiting, with slight preceding nausea, on which account it may be used in cases where it is merely requisite to evacuate the stomach, as no relaxation is induced. It may be also used with a view to its diaphoretic action, in doses of 5 or 10 grs. in combination Ipecacuanha. (Griffith, Med. Essays, vol. ii. p. 200.) Dr. Zollickoffer states that it is tonic in doses of from ten to 20 grs. and is " admirably calculated to im- prove the tone of the digestive apparatus." (Journ. of Pharm. vol. v. p. 254, from Am. Journ. of Med. Scienc.) Apocynum Cannabinum.—Indian Hemp, U. S. Secondary List. Sp. char.—Stem upright, herbaceous. Leaves oblong, tomentose beneath, cymes lateral, longer than the leaves. The Indian hemp is a perennial plant, usually about two or three feet in height, having a red or brown stem and oblong ovate, somewhat pubescent leaves. The flowers are small and of a greenish white colour externally, and pink internally in paniculate cymes. This species is also found in most parts of the United States, in waste and ne- glected places. The root is the portion used in medi- cine; it is horizontal, extending to a great distance, of a deep brown colour, becom- ing darker by age, and when wounded pours forth a thick lactescent juice. When fresh it is nauseous, somewhat acrid and permanently bitter, and possesses a dis- agreeable odour. When dried it is brittle and easily re- duced to powder, which resembles that of ipecacuanha. It is composed of two por- tions, an external cortical portion, which is brown without, and white within, and a ligneous cord, which is of a yellowish white colour. Griscom, (Journ. ofPhilada. College of Pharmacy, vol. v. p. 136, from Am. Journ. of Med. Science,) found it to contain tannin, gallic acid (?), gum, resin, wax, fecula, bitter principle or apocyrin, colouring matter and woody fibre. Knapp, also examined it with similar results. Apocynum Cannabinum. 366 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. The root of this, plant is very potent in its effects on the animal economy. Dr. Griscom, (op. citat.) states "that its first effect when taken into the stomach is that of producing nausea, if given in sufficient quantity, which need not be large, and if this be increased, vomiting will be the result." It also acts upon the bowels, giving rise to copious discharges. These effects are attended with a reduced frequency of the pulse. A general relaxation of the skin and perspira- tion follow these effects. In some of the cases observed by the gentleman men- tioned, diuresis took place, but not so marked in some cases as others. "In three or four cases related, the urinary secretion, although somewhat increased in quantity, was not such as to be commensurate with the effect produced upon the disease by the exhibition of the medicine. In other instances, its diuretic operation has been more manifest, causing very profuse discharges of urine, and in a short time relieving the overloaded tissues of their burden." The disease in which it has been found most useful is dropsy. When the powder is taken into the nostrils, it acts as a sternutatory. As an emetic the dose of the powder is from 15 to 30 grains. The best form of exhibition is in decoction, made by boiling an ounce of the root in a pint of water, the dose is 3ij. to iv. two or three times daily. The watery extract will purge in doses of from 3 to 5 grs. In the treatment of cutaneous affections the juice of the root or plant may be made use of as an application. The bark affords a fibre, which may be used in the place of hemp.—J. C] Order XLV.—OLEACE^, Lindley.—THE OLIVE TRIBE. Oleine«, R. Brown. Essential Character.—Flowers hermaphrodite, sometimes dioecious. Calyx monophyllous, divided, persistent, inferior. Corolla hypogynous, monopetalous, four-cleft, occasionally of four petals connected in pairs by the intervention of the filaments, sometimes without petals; cestivalion somewhat valvate. [Fraxinus is generally apetalous]. Stamens two, alternate with the segments of the corolla or with the petals ; anthers two-celled, opening longitudi- nally. Ovary simple, without any hypoginous disk, two-celled; the cells two-seeded; the ovules pendulous and collateral; style 1 or 0; stigma bifid or undivided. Fruit drupaceous, berried, or capsular, often by abortion one-seeded. Seeds with dense, fleshy, abundant albu- men ; embryo about half its length, straight; cotyledons foliaceous, partly asunder : radicle superior; plumule inconspicuous—Trees or shrubs. Branches usually dicholomous, and ending abruptly by a conspicuous bud. Leaves opposite, simple, sometimes pinnated. Flowers in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles; the pedicels opposite with single bracts (R. Brown). Properties.—Not very remarkable. The barks of 6ome species are tonic and astringent. Manna is obtained from several species. 1. O'LEA EUROPSEA, Linn. L. E. D.—THE EUROPEAN OLIVE. (Sex. Syst. Diandria, Monogynia.) (Oleum e drupis expressum, £.—Expressed oil of the pericarp, E— Oleum ex fructu, D.) (Oleum oliva:, U. S.) History.—Few vegetables have been so repeatedly noticed and enthusiasti- cally described by the ancient writers as the olive-tree. In all ages it seems to have been adopted as the emblem of benignity and peace. It is frequently men- tioned in the Bible (as in Gen. ch. viii. v. 12); the ancient Greeks (Homer, Od. v. 477) were well acquainted with it; and several products of it were employed in medicine by Hippocrates (Dierbach, Arzneim. d. Hippokr. p. 77); Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xv. cap. 1—8 ; and lib. xxiii. cap. 34—37, ed. Valp.) is most diffuse in his account of it. Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx small, four-toothed. Tube of the corolla short; limb four-cleft. Stamens two. Segments of the stigma emarginate. Drupe, with a two-celled, two-seeded—by abortion one-celled, one-seeded—nut. (Bot. Gall.) Sp. char.—Leaves lanceolate, quite entire; their surfaces differently coloured. Racemes panicled. THE EUROPEAN OLIVE. 367 A long-lived tree of slow growth. Wood hard; used for cabinet-work. Leaves in pairs, shortly petiolated, lanceolate, acute, green above, hoary beneath. Flowers small and white. Drupe elliptical, dark Fig. 205. bluish green; kernel (pyrena) hard, with usually only one ovule. The whitish character of the foliage gives a dull and monotonous appearance to countries where the olive is extensively culti- vated, as Provence and Languedoc. (Sharp, Let- ters from Italy.) Olea europsea, var. longifolia, is the variety chiefly cultivated in the south of France and Italy. O. europcea, var. lalifolia, is chiefly cultivated in Spain; its fruit is nearly twice the size of the common olive of Provence or Italy, but the oil is loo rank for most English palates. (Lou- don, Encycl. of Plants.) Hab.—Levant, Barbary, South of Europe. Not- withstanding that the olive is now so common in the southern parts of Europe, it is supposed by many to have been derived from Asia. Pliny tells us, on the authority of Fenestella, that there were no olive-trees in Italy, Spain, and Africa, in the reign of Tarquinius Priscus, in the 173d year from the foundation of the city of Rome. The olea *ur0Pxa- Phoenicians are said to have introduced the olive-tree into France 680 years before Christ. Near Terni, in the vale of the cascade of Marmora, is a planta- tion of very old trees, and supposed to be the same plants mentioned by Pliny, as growing there in the first century. (Loudon, Encycl. Garden.) Description.—The products of the olive-tree deserving of notice are the resiniform exudation, the leaves, and the fruit. 1. Resiniform exudation of the olive-tree (LeCCa gum).—The older Writers speak of exudation from olive-trees, and which Dioscorides (lib. i. cap. 141) describes as the tears of the Ethiopic olive. In modern times it has been im- properly termed olive gum. Pelletier (Ann. de Chim. Phys. iii. 105, li. 196) has analysed it, and found that it consists of a peculiar matter (olivile), brown resin soluble in ether, and benzoic acid. Olivile consists of C6 HH O3. It was formerly employed in medicine. 2. oiive leaves (folia olivce).—The leaves of the olive-tree have been analysed by Pallas, (Journ.de Pharm. xiii. 604,) who, among other products, found tan- nic and gallic acids. They have been employed externally as astringents and antiseptics; internally, as tonics in intermittents. (Richard, Elem. d'Hist. Nat. t. ii. p. 21.) 3. Fruit of the onve-trees; Olives (Olivce).—The preserved or pickled olives (Olivce conditce), so admired as a dessert, are the green unripe fruit deprived of part of their bitterness by soaking them in water, and then preserved in an aro- matised solution of salt. Several varieties are met with in commerce, but the most common is the small French (O. europcea, var. longifolia) and the large Spanish olive (0. europaa, var. latifolia). Olives a la picholine have been soaked in a solution of lime or alkali. Ripe olives are remarkable from the circumstance of their sarcocarp abounding in a bland, fixed oil. Expression of Olive Oil.—The process of procuring olive oil is somewhat modified in different countries, though the principle is the same in all. In Spain, the olives are pressed by conical iron rollers, elevated above the stage or floor, round which they move on two little margins to prevent the kernel being injured, the oil from which is said to have an unpleasant flavour. Spanish olive oil, however, is inferior to other kinds, from the circumstance of the time which elapses between the gathering and the grinding of the olives. 368 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. This arises from the number of mills not being in proportion to the quantity of fruit to be ground ; so that the olives are placed in heaps to wait their turn, and in consequence often undergo decomposition. (Dillon, Travels through Spain, p. 343, 1782 ; Jacob, Travels in Spain, p. 149, 1811.) In France, the finest oil is procured by bruising the fruit in the mill imme- diately they are gathered, and then submitting the paste to pressure. The first product has a greenish tint, and is termed virgin oil (oleum olivarum virgi- neum ; huile vierge). The cake or marc is removed from the press, broken up with the hand, moistened with boiling water, and repressed. The products are water, and oil of a second quality: these separate by standing. The cake, which is left, is termed grignon, and is employed by some as fuel ; others, how- ever, ferment it, and, by the aid of boiling water, obtain a very inferior oil, called gorgon, which is employed either for soap-making or burning in lamps. (Duhamel, Traite des Arbres Fruit, t. ii. p. 71-2.) With the view of increasing the quantity of oil, some persons allow the olives to undergo incipient fermentation, which breaks down the parenchyma of the fruit before they are pressed ; but the quality of the oil is thereby injured. Gui- bourt (Hist, des Drog. t. ii. p. 339,) tells us that it is a yellow, but a mild and agreeable oil, and is much used for the table. The machinery employed by the Neapolitan peasants in the preparation of the Gallipoli oil is of the rudest kind. The olives are allowed to drop in their maturity from the tree on the ground, where they are picked up chiefly by women and children, and carried to the mill. The oil when expressed is sent, in sheep or goat skins carried on mules, to Gallipoli, where it is allowed to cla- rify in cisterns cut in the rock on which the town is built. From, these it is con- veyed in uteri or skins to basins near the sea-shore, and from these basins the oil casks are filled. (M'Culloch, Did. Commerce.) According to Sieuve, (De Candolle, Phys. Veg. p. 299,) 100 lbs. of olives yield about 32 lbs. of oil; 21 of which come from the pericarp, 4 from the seed, and 7 from the woody matter of the nut (pyrena). That obtained from the pericarp is of the finest quality. Recently-drawn olive oil deposits, by standing, a white fibrous matter, which the ancients employed in medicine, under the name of amurca. (Pliny, Hist. Nat. lib. xv. cap. iii. ed. Valp.) Properties of Olive Oil.—Olive oil (oleum olivce seu olivarum ; sweet oil) is an unctuous fluid, of a pale yellow or greenish-yellow colour. When of good quality, it has scarcely any smell. Its taste is bland and mild. Its sp. gr. at 77° F. is 0.9109, according to Saussure. When exposed to a temperature of 32° F. it deposits white globules (margarine, Lecanu; stearine, Chevreul). It is soluble in about 1§ times its weight of ether ; but it is very slightly soluble only in alcohol. By exposure to the air it readily becomes rancid ; thin layers of it become thick, but do not dry. Hyponitrous acid converts it into elaidine, which, by saponification, yields elaidic acid. When mixed with sulphuric acid, and kept cool, it yields sulpho-margaric, sulpho-glyceric, and sulpho-oleic acids. With the basic metallic oxides it forms glycerine and soaps (oleo margarates): Spanish or Castile soap is made with soda; lead soap, or emplastrum plumbi with oxide of lead. Varieties.—Provence oil (oleum provinciate), the produce of Aix, is the most esteemed. Florence oil is a very fine kind of olive oil, imported from Leg- horn, in flasks surrounded by a kind of net-work formed by the leaves of a monocotyledonous plant, and packed in half chests ; it is used at the table, under the name of salad oil. Lucca oil is imported in jars holding nineteen gallons each. Genoa oil is another fine kind. Gallipoli oil forms the largest portion of the olive oil brought to England ; it is imported in casks. Apulia and Cala- bria are the provinces of Naples most celebrated for its production: the Apu- lian is the best. Sicily oil is of inferior quality ; it is principally produced at THE EUROPEAN OLIVE. 369 Milazzo. Spanish oil is the worst. The foot deposited by olive oil is used for oiling machinery, under the name of droppings of sweet oil. Adulteration of Olive Oil.—Olive oil is said to be occasionally mixed with other vegetable oils (as poppy oil). Four methods have been proposed to detect the fraud: 1. Beading.—If we shake pure olive oil in a phial half filled with it,the sur- face of the oil soon becomes smooth by repose ; whereas when poppy oil is present, a number of air-bubbles (or beads as they are termed) remain. 2. Freezing.—Olive oil is completely solidified when cooled by ice ; poppy oil, however, remains in part liquid. Even two parts of olive oil to one of poppy oil will not completely congeal. (Guibourt, Hist, des Drog. t. n. p. 603.) 3. Electrical diagometer.—Olive oil, according to Rousseau, (Journ. de Pharm. t. ix. p. 587,) conducts electricity 675 times worse than other vegetable oils. The addition of two drops of poppy or beech-nut oil to 154J- grains of olive oil is sufficient to quadruple the conducting power of the latter. To ascer- tain the conducting power of oil, Rousseau used the electrical diagometer (from Siayu, to conduct ; and fjierpsw, to measure). It consists of one of Zamboni's dry piles, and a feebly-magnetized needle, moving freely on a pivot. The elec- tricity developed by the pile produces a deviation in the direction of the needle ; but when any substance is interposed between the needle and the pile, the devia- tion is less in proportion to the bad conducting power of the interposed sub- stance. 4. Formation ofelaidine.—If recently-made nitrate of mercury (prepared by dissolving 6 parts of mercury in 7-5 parts of nitric acid, sp. gr. 1-36) be mixed with twelve times its weight of pure olive oil, and the mixture strongly agitated, the whole mass becomes solid in the course of a few hours; this, however, does not occur with adulterated oil. We judge of the presence and quantity of foreign oils by the degree and quickness of solidification of the suspected olive oil. " When carefully mixed with a twelfth of its volume of solution of nitrate of mercury pre- pared as for the Unguentum Citrinum, it becomes in three or four hours like a firm fat, with- out any separation of liquid oil."—Ph. Ed. Composition.—In 1808, Gay-Lussac and Thenard (Rech. Phys. Chim. ii. 320) examined the ultimate composition of this oil. In 1815, Braconnot (Ann. de Chim. xciii. 240) ascertained the proximate constituents of it; and subse- quently Saussure (Ann.de Chim. et Phys. t. xiii. p. 349) examined the ultimate composition of these constituents. Braconnofs Proximate Ana- lysis. Elaine (Oleine)............. 72 Margarine..................28 Olive Oil....................100 Ultimate Analyses. Gay-Lussac and Thdnard's. Saussure's. Carbon................. 77-213 Hydrogen..............13 360 Oxygen................. 9-427 Nitrogen................ 0000 Olive Oil................100-000 76 034 11545 12068 0353 Elaine.. 100 000 82170 11232 6302 0 296 Margarine 100000 1. Elaine or Oleine.—Braconnot obtained it by exposing olive oil to a temperature of about 21° F. in order to cause tlie congelation of the margarine. The elaine was a greenish yellow liquid ; at 14° F. it deposited a little margarine. 2. Margarine.—The solid matter of olive and other vegetable oils, obtained as above, is usu- ally denominated stearine, hut Lecanu (Ann.de Chim. et Phys. Iv. 204) has pointed out several characters by which it is distinguished from that principle: thus, it is more fusible, and is much more soluble in cold ether. In most other respects it agrees with stearine. Commerce.—The duty on olive oil is £4. 4s. per ton, except on that brought from Sicily, which is £8. 8s. In 1839, duty was paid on 12,374 tons. vol. u. 47 370 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—Olive oil, as well as other fixed oils, acts injuriously on the roots of plants, by obstructing their pores and meatus, and preventing the passage of water. (De Candolle, Phys. Veg.^ p. 1347.) j8. On Animals.—Injected into the veins, the fixed oils prove injurious by their mechanical operation. They obstruct trie circulation in the capillary ves- sels, and in this way cause death. Both Courten and Hertwich (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. ii. Gtfte. Bd. iv. S. 9) have destroyed dogs by injecting half an ounce of olive oil into the veins. y. On Man.—The fixed oils are extremely nutritious, but they are difficult of digestion, and hence are apt to disagree with dyspeptics (vol. i. p. 81). Some writers—as Dr. Dunglison—(Elem. of Hygiene, p. 289) are of opinion that, taken as a condiment, with salad, oil promotes the digestibility of the latter. Swallowed in large doses, olive oil acts as a laxative, in general, without occa- sioning pain. Uses.—In England, the dietetical uses of olive oil are very limited, being principally confined to its mixture with salads. In Spain and some other coun- tries it is frequently employed as a substitute for butter. Dyspeptics should carefully avoid its use. Medicinally it is not often administered by the mouth. As a mild laxative it may be used in irritation, inflammation, or spasm of the alimentary canal, or of the urino-genital organs. In irritant poisoning it is exhibited as an emollient and demulcent, to involve acrid and corrosive substances, and sheath the sto- mach from their action. At one time it was supposed to possess antidotal pro- perties for arsenical poisons ; and Dr. Paris (Pharmacol, vol. i. p. 97, 6th ed.) tells us, that the antidote on which the men employed in the copper-smelting works and tin burning-houses in Cornwall, rely with confidence, " whenever they are infested with more than an ordinary portion of arsenical vapour, is sweet oil; and an annual sum is allowed by the proprietors, in order that it may be constantly supplied." There is, however, no reason to believe that its agency is more than mechanical, as already mentioned. Oil was for- merly recommended as an antidote for cantharides, but the discovery of the solubility of cantharidin in oil has led to the suspicion, that, instead of allevia- ting, it might increase the patient's danger. There is no just ground for sup- posing that oil, applied externally, or taken internally, has any particular influ- ence in counteracting the operation or relieving the effects of the poison of venomous serpents, notwithstanding the high encomiums that have been passed on it. In pulmonary or bronchial irritation, and spasmodic cough, olive oil is sometimes taken in the form of emulsion (made with gum, albumen, or alkali) with benefit; but in such cases, almond oil is generally preferred. As an ant- helmintic, olive oil is occasionally used. Olive oil is a frequent constituent of laxative enemata, especially in dysentery, or irritation of the bowels or of the neighbouring viscera. Externally it is used in the form of liniment (as the linimentum ammonice and linimentum ammonice sesquicarbonatis ; (vol. i. p. 279 and 286). Smeared over the body, it has been recommended by Berchtold and others (HufelanxTs Journ. Bd. vi. S. 437 ; and Bd. xii. St. iii. S. 153) as a safeguard against the plague. It may be employed also to relax the skin and sheath irritable sur- faces. Frictions of olive oil have been employed in ascites and anasarca. In pharmacy, olive oil has been employed in the preparation of liniments, ointments, cerates, and plasters. In surgery, it is used for besmearing surgical instruments, as bougies, &c. Administration.—The dose of olive oil as a laxative is from f3j. to f3ij. EUROPEAN FLOWERING ASH. 371 2. OR'NLS EUROPCEA, Persoon, L.—EUROPEAN FLOWERING ASH. Fraxinus Ornus, Linn. D. Sex. Sijs>. Diandria, Monogynia, (Succus concretus, L.—Succus concretus, JtTavnn, D.—Sweet concrete exudation, probably from several species of Fraxinus and Ornus, E.) (Manna, U. S.) History.—Actuarius is believed to be the earliest writer who mentions our manna. (Friend, Hist, of Physick, i. 271.) The nature of the substance called manna (Manhul Hebr. What is it? Engl.) in our translation of the Old Testament, (Exod. ch. xvi. v. 14,) is quite unknown. (Carpenter, Script. Nat. Hist. p. 514, 1829; Pictorial Bible.) Under the names of honey-dew, altial honey, and honey-oil (8godou,s\i, and dipopeyt, Galen ; eXaio'fj-sXi, Dioscor.; elceomeli, Pliny), the ancients have been supposed to include our manna ; for it is difficult to believe they were unacquainted with it, since Theophrastus (Hist. Plant, lib. iii. cap. xi.) speaks of two kinds of ash (MsXia, Fraxinus), one of which (Towrsivoripa, humilior) is supposed to be Ornus europcea. (Sprengel, Hist. Rei Herb. i. p. 76.) Botany. Gen. char.—Calyx very small, four-cleft. Corolla divided to the base into linear segments. Pericarp a winged samara, not dehiscing (Lindley). Sp. char.—Leaves lanceolate, attenuated, stalked, serrated. A small tree. Leaves opposite, large, pinnated in three or four pairs ; leaflets ovato-long, pointed, large, irregularly-toothed. Panicles large, and many- flowered. Flowers small and polygamous. Corolla yellowish or greenish- white. Fruit flat, wedged-shaped, smooth, winged. iiah.—South of Europe; especially Calabria and Sicily. Or'nus rotundifo'lia, considered by some as a variety of Ornus europasa, grows in Calabria, and also yields manna. Fee (Cours d'Hist. Nat. t. ii. p. 363,) says that manna is probably also procured from Fraxinus excelsior and parvifolia. Exudation of Manna.—In Calabria, manna is obtained by making incisions in the stem of Ornus europsea. (Cirillo, Phil. Trans, vol. Ix. p. 233.) In Sicily it is also procured in a similar manner. (Houel, Voy. Pittoresq. de Sicile, &c. t. i. 52-3, 1782 ; Sestini, in Murray, App. Med. t. iii. p. 547.) Houel, who has described and depicted the method of extracting it, as practised at Cinesi, near Palermo, says, the collection of manna commences about the 15th of August, and terminates at the end of September, when the rainy season sets in. The incisions are made with a hooked knife, first in the lower part of the stem, and are repeated daily, extending them perpendicularly upwards. Each incision is about two inches long. A limpid water (some describe it.as a thickish white juice) exudes, and gradually concretes to form manna. Beneath the lowest incision is placed a leaf of the Ornus, to convey the exuded liquor into a recep- tacle formed of a leaf of the Indian Fig (Opuntia). In this way is obtained manna in sorts. The fine cannulated manna preferred by the English, is ob- tained during the height of the season, when the juice flows vigorously. (Houel op. cit.) Murray (apparently on the authority of Sestini) states, that Ornus ro- tundifolia and Fraxinus excelsior, as well as Ornus europaea, afford manna in Sicily ; and Fothergill (Phil. Trans, vol. xliii. No. 472, p. 86,) says, that while the Ornus yields it by artificial apertures, " it flows from the Fraxinus through every little cranny, and bursts through the large pores spontaneously."—Manna has been supposed to be a natural product of the ash, but there are some diffi- culties in the way of this supposition. It is not produced in countries more northern than Calabria. Furthermore, the exudation of manna has been said not to occur naturally, but to be owing to a foreign action ; either incision or the puncture of a little hemipterous insect (Cicada Orni) common on this tree (De Candolle, Phys. VCs. p. 23S-9.) " v 372 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEOICA. Description.—Several kinds of manna (manna) are described by pharma- cologists. The finest of English commerce is called flake m.anna (manna cannulata). It is imported in deal boxes, having partitions, and frequently lined with tin-plate. It consists of pieces of from one to six inches long, one or two inches wide, and from half an inch to an inch thick. Their form is irre- gular, but more or less stalactitic; most of the pieces being flattened or slightly hollowed out on one side (where they adhered to the tree or substance on which they concreted), and on this side they are frequently soiled. Their colour is white, or yellowish-white ; they are light, porous, and friable ; the fractured sur- face presents a number of very small capillary crystals. The odour is somewhat like that of honey, and is to me rather unpleasant; the taste is sweet, but after- wards rather acrid. Under the name of Sicilian Tolfa manna I have received an inferior kind, corresponding to the 'manna in sorts (manna in sortis) of some pharmacologists. From its name I presume it to be brought from Sicily, and that it corresponds in quality to Tolfa manna, produced near Civita-Vecchia, and which Fee (Cours d'Hist. Nat. ii. 366,) states is but little valued. The Sicilian Tolfa manna occurs in small pieces, which seldom exceed an inch in length: some of these present the same appearances, with respect to consistence, colour, friability, and crystalline appearance, as the flake manna; others, however, are soft, viscid, brownish, and uncrystallized, like those of the next variety. The commonest kind of English commerce is called Sicilian manna (manna sicili- ana). It appears to me to be the common or fatty manna (manna pinguis) of some writers. It consists of small, soft, viscid fragments, of a dirty yellowish- brown colour, intermixed with some few dark-coloured small pieces of the flake variety. It contains many impurities intermixed. Commerce.—Manna is imported into this country principally from Palermo and Messina. It is also occasionally brought from other ports of Sicily ; viz. Licata, Girgenti, Catania, Terra Nova, and Marsala. Furthermore, Naples, Leghorn, Trieste, Genoa, and Marseilles, are other places of shipment of it. In 1839, duty (3d. per lb.) was paid on 13,493 lbs. Composition.—Manna was analyzed in 1809 by Bucholz, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1295,) who found it to consist of mannite 60-0, uncrystallizable sugar (capable of fermentation) with colouring matter (purgative bitter matter ?) 5»5, sweetish gum 1*5, gummy extractive 0-8, fibro-glutinous matter 0*2, water and loss 32*0. Mannite (Manna Sugar).—Is identical with Grenadin. It is extracted from manna by boiling alcohol; the mannite crystallizes by cooling the solution. Mannite is not peculiar to manna, being found in many vegetables. It is distinguished from common sugar by its inca. pability of undergoing the vinous fermentation (see vol. i. p. 77). It is while, crystalline, odourless, has a sweet and agreeable taste, and is very soluble in water and in boiling alcohol, but is very much less so in cold alcohol. Heated strongly it is decomposed like ordinary sugar. It consists, according to the analysis of Liebig, (Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1834, S. 589,) of Carbon 39-8532, Hydrogen 7-7142, and Oxygen 52-548: these numbers correspond with the formula CB H7 O8. Mannite possesses the laxative properties of manna, without the nauseous odour. The dose of it for children is 3j. or 3ij.; for adults 3ss. or 3j. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals generally.—In moderate doses manna is nutritive, and is greedily devoured by some animals. Thus Swin- burn (Travels in the Two Sicilies, 1785,) tells us that vipers and martens are very fond of it. In large doses it acts as a mild laxative. The dose for car- nivorous animals is about two ounces dissolved in broth or milk. (Moiroud, Pharm. Vet.) It is rarely given to horses, on account of the large dose required. /3. On Man.—It has an analogous operation on man—that is, in small doses it is nutritive, and in large ones mildly laxative. It acts on the bowels without exciting vascular irritation, and is, therefore, admissible in inflammatory cases. It is apt, however, to produce flatulence and griping. The fresher and lesa changed the manna, the feebler are said to be its laxative powers; and hence OFFICINAL STORAX. 373 the Calabrians are enabled to use it frequently as an article of food. When by keeping and partial decomposition it has acquired an increase of laxative powers, it is less easily digested, and is more apt to excite flatulence. Hence also, we are told, the commoner kinds of manna are more laxative and more apt to dis- agree with the stomach than the finer varieties. The older writers imagined that manna promoted the secretion of bile. Manna approaches tamarinds as a laxative, but it is more nutritive and less refrigerant, in consequence of possess- ing more mucilaginous and saccharine matter, and less free vegetable acids. Uses___It is employed as a laxative, partly on account of the mildness of its operation, partly for its sweet flavour, in delicate persons, as females and chil- dren. Dr. Burns (Principles of Midwifery,) recommends it for new-born in- fants, if the meconium do not come away freely. On account of its sweetness, it is frequently added to flavour purgative draughts, and is used as a common laxative for children, who readily eat it. Administration.—It may be taken in substance or dissolved in warm milk or water.—The dose, for an adult, is from 3j. to 3ij.; for children, from 3j. to 3iij. Order XLVI.—STYRACE.E, Richard.—THE STYRAX TRIBE. Essential Character.— Calyx inferior or superior, with five divisions, persistent. Corolla monopetalous, the number of its divisions frequently different from that of the calyx; with imbricated aestivation. Stamens definite or indefinite, arising from the tube of the corolla, of unequal length, cohering in various ways, but generally in a slight degree only ; anthers in- nate, two-celled, bursting inwardly. Ovary superior, or adhering to the calyx, with from three to five-cells; ovules definite, the upper ascending, the lower pendulous, or vice versa; style simple; stigma somewhat capitate. Fruit drupaceous, surmounted by or inclosed in the calyx, with from one to five cells. Seeds ascending or suspended, solitary, with the em- bryo lying in the midst of the albumen ; radicle long, directed towards the hilum ; cotyle- dons flat, foliaceous.— Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, without stipules; usually toothed, turning yellow in drying. Flowers axillary, either solitary or clustered, with scale-like bracts. The hairs often stellate (Lindley). Properties.—Storax and Benjamin, obtained from the genus Styrax, are balsamic. Alstonia theiformis is used at Santa Fe as tea. The properties of the other species are but little known. 1. STY'RAX OFFICINALE, Linn. L. E. D.—THE OFFICINAL STORAX. Sex. Syst. Decandria, Monogynia. (Balsamum, L.—Balsamic exudation, E.—Resina, D.) (Styrax, U. S.) History.—Hippocrates, (De Nat. Mul. p. 575 and 587, ed. Foes.,) Theo- phrastus, (Hist. Plant, lib. ix. cap. 7,) Dioscorides, (lib. i. cap. lxxix.,) and Pliny, (Hist. Nat. lib. xii. cap. 40 and 55, ed. Valp.,) speak of a substance which they term Styrax (oVupaf). Dioscorides says it is the produce of a tree like the quince, (Styrax officinale, Sprengel, Hist. Rei Herb. i. 173,) and that there are several varieties of it (all solid), and he mentions how it is adulterated. The best, he says, is unctuous, yellow, resinous, mixed with whitish lumps, and forms a honey-like liquid when melted ; it comes, ho adds, from Gabala [a Phoe- nician city], Pisidia, and Cilicia [countries of Asia Minor]. This is evidently the sort which more modern pharmacologists denominate amygdaloid storax. A worse variety, he says, is black, branny, friable, and covered with white mouldiness. This sort I presume to be very analogous to, if not identical with, the common storax of the shops, the " mouldiness" being the efflorescent ben- zoic acid ; indeed the only character in which it differs is the colour ; but as Pliny, who copies the description of Dioscorides, omits the word " niger," it is probable that the colour was inaccurately described. A third kind mentioned by Dioscorides is a transparent tear-like gum, and emulating myrrh ; but it was very scarce. Probably this was the variety which in modern times has been termed storax in the tear. The substances employed to adulterate storax were ligneous dust (produced by eroding little worms), honey, the sediment of the iris, wax, fat, &c. 374 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. In modern times various substances have been met with in commerce under the name of storax. Some of these are certainly produced by the Styrax offici- nale, while others have been referred to a plant belonging to Liquidambar (see Balsamace.e, p. 184). Botany/. Gen. char.— Calyx rather campanulate, nearly entire or five- toothed. Corolla campanulate at the base, deeply three to seven-cleft. Sta- mens six to sixteen, seldom ten, exserted ; filaments united to the tube of the corolla, sometimes adhering at the base of the ring; anthers linear, two-celled, opening by internal longitudinal slits. Style simple. Stigma obtuse, somewhat lobed. Drupe dry, splitting imperfectly into two or three valves, with one, two, or three stones. Seed solitary, erect, with a large, leafy, thin embryo, lying in the midst of fleshy albumen with an inferior radicle (Lindley). Sp. char.—Leaves ovate, beneath villous. Racemes simple, shorter than the leaf. A small tree. Stem about twenty feet high ; bark smooth. Leaves alternate, petiolated, ovate, blunt-pointed, entire; smooth and shiny above, whitish and downy beneath. Raceme of from four to six flowers. Calyx almost hemi- spherical, with five to seven short marginal teeth. Corolla white, externally hoary, with five, six, or seven segments. Fruit (capsule, Nees) coriaceous, downy, usually with one seed. Storax Bark is supposed to constitute the cortex thymiamatis of some pharmacologists. It is probably the Ncto-x.%.—Root, E.) (Pyrethrum, U. S. Sec. List.) History.—Dioscorides (lib. iii. cap. 86) was acquainted with cJpfc^ou, and speakes of its use in toothache. The word pyrethrum is mentioned once only by Pliny. (Hist. Nat. lib. xxviii. cap. 42, ed. Valp.) Botany. Gen. char.—Head many-flowered, heterogamous. Florets of the ray female, sterile, ligulate or somewhat so, very rarely tubular; of the disc hermaphrodite, with five callous teeth. Receptacle conical or convex, palea- ceous. Involucre in few rows, somewhat campanulate, shorter than the disc. All the corollas with an obcompressed, two-winged, exappendiculate tube. Style of the disc, with exappendiculate branches. Achene flat, obcompressed, bor- dered with broad, entire wings. Pappus short, irregular, toothletted, some- what continuous with the wings on the inner side. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Stems several, procumbent, somewhat branched, pubescent. Ra- dical leaves, expanded, petiolated, smoothish, pinnatisect; the segments pinnati- partite, with linear subulate lobes ; the cauline leaves sessile. Branches one- headed. Involucral scales lanceolate, acuminate, brown at the margin. Re- ceptacle convex, with oblong-obovate, obtuse palese. (De Cand.) Root fusiform, fleshy, very pungent, and when fresh, producing a sensation of extreme cold, followed by heat when handled. Florets of the ray white on the upper side ; purplish beneath ; of the disc yellow. Hub.—Barbary, Arabia, Syria, and perhaps Candia. Description.—The root (radix pyrethri) is imported from the Levant packed in bales. It consists of inodorous pieces, about the length and thick- ness of the little finger, covered with a thick brown bark, studded with black shining points, breaking wilh a resinous fracture, and presenting internally a radiated structure. When chewed it excites a pricking sensation in the lips and tongue, and a glowing heat. None has been imported since 1836, when duty (6d. per lb.) was paid on 420 lbs. Composition. It was analyzed by John, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Cliem. ii. 1292,) by Gautier, (Journ. de Pharm. iv. 49,) by Parisel, (Ibid. xix. 251,) and lastly by Koene. (Ann. de Chim. Phys. lix. 327.) Parisel obtained acrid matter (py- rethrin) 3, inulin 25, gum 11, tannin 0-55, colouring matter 12, lignin 45, cldoride of potassium 0-79, silica 0-85, and iron a trace. Pvrethrin; Acrid Principle; R*sin.—In this resides the activity of the root. It exists in grcaier abundance in the bark than in the wood. It is brown, soft, has a burning acrid taste, is insuluble in water, but soluble in ether and alcohol; still more so in acetic acid, and the oils (volatile and fixed). Koene gays, pyrethrin consists of three substances: vol. n. 50 394 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEOICA. *. A brown acrid resin, soluble in alcohol, insoluble in water or caustic potash. 0. An acrid brown fixed oil, soluble in potash. y. A yellow acrid oil, soluble in potash. Physiological Effects.—Pellitory is an energetic local irritant. Applied to the skin it acts as a rubefacient. Uses.—Scarcely ever employed internally. Its principal use is to yield a tincture for the relief of toothache. As a masticatory and sialogogue it is chewed in some rheumatic and neuralgic affections of the head and face, and in palsy of the tongue. In relaxation of the uvula it is occasionally employed in the form of gargle. It was formerly employed internally as a gastric stimulant. Administration.—Dose, as a masticatory, 3ss. to 3j.," Tinctura pyrethri (composed of pyrethrum, water, of each, one part; rectified spirit, five parts) is used to relieve toothache. 6. ARTEMISIA ABSINTHIUM, L. E. D.—COMMON WORMWOOD. Sex. Syst. Syngenesia, Polygamia superflua. (Herb, E.—Summitates florentes, D.) (Absinthium, U. S.) History.—In all probability this plant is the cL^uvdiov of Hippocrates (Opera, pp. 491, 587, &c. ed. Foes.) and Dioscorides. (Lib. iii. cap. 26.) The term wormwood occurs several times in our translation of the Old Testament (Deut. xxix. 18; Prov. v. 4); but the plant meant would appear to be both bitter and poisonous. Botany. — Gen. char.—Heads discoidal, homogamous or heterogamous. Fiords of the ray in one row, usually female and three-toothed, with a long bifid protruding style; of the disc five-toothed, hermaphrodite, or by the absorp- tion of the ovary, sterile or male. Involucral scales imbricated, dry, scarious at the edge. Receptacle without palse, flattish or convex, naked or fringed with hairs. Achene obovate, bald, with a minute epigynous disc. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—An erect undershrub. Leaves silky, hoary, tripinnatisect; the segments lanceolate, somewhat dentate, obtuse. The heads small, racemose- paniculate, globose, nodding. Exterior scales of the involucre somewhat silky, linear, lax.; interior ones rounded, scarious, somewhat naked. (De Cand.) Herb covered with silky hoariness, intensely bitter, with a strong peculiar odour. Stems numerous, about a foot high. Leaves rather greener on the upper side; lower ones on long footstalks ; upper on shorter, broader, somewhat winged ones. Florets pale yellow, or buff. Hah.—Indigenous ; in waste grounds. Perennial. Flowers in August. Description.—The dried herb with flowers, or the tops (herba seu summi- tates absinthii), have a whitish-gray appearance, a soft feel, a strong aromatic and somewhat unpleasant odour, and an extremely bitter aromatic taste. The cold watery infusion becomes grayish, olive-green, and turbid (tannate of iron) on the addition of sesquichloride of iron. Composition.—This plant has been analyzed by Kunsemuller, (Pfaff, Mat. Med. iv. 334,) by Braconnot, (Bull, de Pliarm. v. 549,) and by Haynes. (Geiger, Handb. d. Pharm. ii. 1509.) The extract was examined by Leonardi. (Journ. de Pharm. xiv. 620.) Braconnot found volatile oil 0-15, green resin 0-50, bitter resin 0-233, albumen 1*250, starch 0*133, azotized matter having little taste, 1-333, bitter azotized matter 3*0, woody fibre 10-833, absinthate of potash 0-917, nitrate of potash 0-333, sulphate of potash and chloride of potassium traces, water 61-2. 1. Volatile oil (Oleum Absinthii).—Green, sometimes yellow or brownish oil, having a strong odour of wormwood, and an acrid, bitter, peculiar taste. Its sp. gr. is 0972. Nitric acid colours it green, then blue, afterwards brown. 2. Bitter principle (Absinthin).—Caventou (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. iv. p. 556,) obtained what he calls the pure bitter principle by precipitating an infusion of wormwood by acetate of MOXA-WEED. 395 lead, and separating the excess of lead by sulphuretted hydrogen. The liquor was then evapo- rated to dryness, and the extract digested in alcohol mixed with ether; and the solution aban- doned to spontaneous evaporation. The product was a very bitter matter, in brawn ramifications. By heat no crystalline sublimate could be obtained. 3. Absinthic acid.—May be precipitated, according to Braconnot, from the watery infusion of wormwood by acetate of lead. It is very acid, uncrystallizable, and delinquescent. It does not precipitate the solutions of the nitrates of lead, mercury, and silver; but causes flocculent precipitates when dropped into barytes or lime-water. Absinthate of ammonia crystallizes in quadrilateral prisms, insoluble in alcohol. 4. Salt op Wormwood (Sal Absinthii).—This is impure carbonate of potash obtained by incinerating wormwood. Physiological Effects.—In moderate doses it produces the ordinary effects of the aromatic bitter tonics (see vol. i. p. 189). Its bitter principle becomes absorbed: hence the flesh and milk of animals fed with it are rendered bitter. Borrich (Act. Hafn. vol. ii. p. 165,) says that the milk rendered bitter by it proves noxious to the infant. Large doses irritate the stomach and excite the vascular system. A specific influence over the nervous system, characterized by headache, giddiness, &c. has been ascribed to it. (See Lindestolpe, in Murray, App. Med. ; and Kraus, Heilmittell. p. 422.) This has usually been supposed to depend on the volatile oil; but a similar power has been assigned to the bitter principle. Uses.—Wormwood is but little employed in medicine. It is adapted for dys- pepsia occurring in debilitated and torpid constitutions. It was at one time celebrated for the cure of intermittents ; but it has been superseded by other and more powerful febrifuges. It is said to be efficacious as an anthelmintic, but is very rarely employed as such. Administration.—Dose of the powder, 9j. to 3j.; of the infusion (prepared by macerating 3j. of the dried herb in Oj. of boiling water), f3j. to fjij. EXTRACTUM ARTEMISLE ABSINTHII, D. Extract of Common Wormwood.— (Prepared in the usual way from the tops of wormwood, by water.)—It possesses the bitterness of the plant, but is devoid of the odour, flavour, and aromatic qualities dependent on the volatile oil. It is stomachic and tonic.—Dose, gr. x. to 9j. 7. ARTEMISIA MOX'A, De Cand.—MOXA-WEED. Sex. Syst. Syngenesia, Polygamia superflua. (Folia; Mosa). History.—The moxa is a small mass (usually cylindrical or pyramidal) of combustible vegetable matter, employed for effecting cauterization (moxybus- tion of Percy) (Diet. Sc. Med. xxxiv. 474). It has long been known that the Chinese and Japanese prepared it from a species of Artemisia. (Loureiro, Fl. Cochinchinenis, ii. 492; Thunberg, Voyages au Japon, &c. iv. 74.) The Dublin College has adopted A. chinensis and A. indica as yielding it. But Dr. Lindley (27 Med. 463) says it is from the A. Moxa, De Cand., and not from* A. chinensis, that it is prepared ; and Dr. Roxburgh (Fl. Ind. iii. 420) ob- serves, that the A. indica has none of the soft white down on the under side of its leaves, of which moxa is made in Japan and China. Botany. Gen. cimr,—See Artemisia Absinthium. sp. char.—Shrubby. Leaves hoary, becoming naked, bipinnatisect • seo-. ments linear-lanceolate, obtuse. Heads middle-sized, globose, drooping race- mose-paniculate. Scales of the involucre membranaceo-scariose at the'apex. Corollas smooth. (De Cand.)—An under-shrub. Hah.—China. Preparation.—The Chinese and Japanese moxa is said by some to be pre- pared from the cottony or woolly covering of the leaves of the Artemisia. Thunberg, (op. cit.) however, states, that in Japan the dried tops and leaves are beat till they become like tow: this substance is then rubbed betwixt the hands 396 elements of materia medica. till the harder fibres and membranes are separated, and there remains nothing but a fine cotton. European moxas are usually made either with cotton-wool (which has been soaked in a solution of nitrate or chlorate of potash) or the pith of the sun-flower (Helianthus annuus), which contains naturally nitrate of potash. Their shape is either cylindrical or conical : their size is variable. Percy's moxas,^ prepared by Robinet, are usually found in the London shops. They consist of pith, rolled in cotton, and enveloped in muslin. Physiological Effects.—These are two-fold, primary and secondary. 1. Primary Effects.—The moxa first excites an agreeable sensation of heat. This is speedily followed by pain, which progressively increases until it becomes most severe, and the vitality of the part is destroyed. The parts immediately around the eschar are intensely red. The eschar may be deep or superficial, according to the time the moxa is kept in contact with the skin. The action of the moxa differs from that of the metallic actual cautery in this important parti- cular, that the heat acts slowly, increases gradually, and penetrates to a greater depth. 2. Secondary Effects.—These consist in the production of inflammation, by which the eschar is separated, and establishment of suppuration more or less profound, according to circumstances. Uses.—Moxa is employed in the treatment of diseases, on the principle of counter-irritation, before explained (see vol. i. p. 153). This, indeed, has been denied by those (see Boyle, Treat, on Moxa, p. 88, 1825) who consider the production of a discharge as the only mode of effecting counter-irrilation. Moxa is adapted for chronic diseases and maladies characterized by lesions of sensation or motion. It is, on the other hand, injurious in all acute inflam- matory diseases. The following is a list of the principal diseases against which moxa has been employed ; and for further information respecting the.n, I must refer the reader to the writings ofLarrey, (Diet, des Scien. Med., art. Moxa,) Boyle, (op. supra cit.,) and Wallace, (Physiol. Enq. resp. Moxa, 1827,) as the limits and objects of this work do not admit of further details. 1. Paralysis of the sentient or motor nerves.—Great benefit has been obtained by the use of moxa in this class of diseases. Amaurosis, deafness, loss of voice and speech, hemiplegia, and especially paraplegia, have been relieved by it. 2. Painful affections of nerves, muscles, or the fibrous tissues ; as neuralgia, sciatica, lumbago, and chronic rheumatism. 3. Spasmodic diseases, either of particular parts, or of the general system; as spasmodic asthma, epilepsy, &c. 4. Diseased joints and spinal maladies ; as chronic articular inflammation, white swelling, stiff joints, hip-joint disease, curvature of the spine, &c. 5. Visceral diseases; as organic diseases of the brain, phthisis pulmonalis, chronic hepatitis and splenitis, &c. Application.—In the employment of moxa, two points deserve especial at- tention : first, the parts proper or otherwise for its use ; and secondly, the mode of applying it. 1. Parts proper or improper for its application.—The moxa has been ap- plied to nearly every part of the body. Larrey, however, considers the follow- ing parts improper for its application : J. All that part of the skull covered by skin and pericranium only. 2. The eyelids, nose, ears, larynx, trachea, sternum, glandular parts of the breasts, lincaalba, and parts of generation. 3. Over the course of superficial tendons, articular prominences, where there is danger of injuring the articular capsules, and projecting points of bone. 2. Mode of application.—The moxa is to be set on fire at the summit, and its base is then applied (by a porte-moxa, pair of forceps, wire, or other convenient COMMON TANSY. 397 instrument) to the skin. To prevent the surrounding parts being burnt by sparks, Larrey recommends them to be previously covered with a wet rag, perforated in the centre, to admit the base of the moxa. If the combustion flag, it may be kept up by the breath, blow-pipe, or bellows. After the combustion is over, Larrey recommends the immediate application of liquor ammonia, to repress excessive inflammation and suppuration. 8. TANACE'TUM VULGA'RE, Linn. P.—COMMON TANSY. Sex. Syst. Syngenesia, Polygamia superflua. (Folia, D) (Tanacetum, U. S.—Sec. List.) History—Tansy was ordered to be cultivated in gardens by Charlemagne. (Sprengel, Hist. Rei Herb.) Botany. Gen. char.—Heads either homogamous or heterogamous; namely, florets of the ray female, in one row, usually three to four-toothed. Receptacle naked, convex. Involucre campanulate, imbricated. Corollas of the disc four to five-toothed. Achene sessile, angular, smooth, with a large epigynous disc. Pappus either none, or membranous, coronet-shaped, minute; either entire or equally toothed, or somewhat unequal, being more evident on the external side. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Stem herbaceous, erect, smooth. Leaves smoothish, bipinnati- partile, the rachis and lobes inciso-serrate. Corymbus many-headed. Internal scales of the involucre obtuse, scariose at the apex. Pappus short, equal, five- lobed. (De Cand.) Root moderately creeping. Stems \\ to 2 feet high. Leaves dark green. Florets golden yellow; the marginal ones often wanting.—There are three varieties of it,—the common, the curled (generally preferred), and the variegated (chiefly for ornament). Hah.—Indigenous; hilly pastures, hedges, read-sides. Cultivated in gardens as a medicinal or pot-herb, or for ornament. Description.—The herb and flowers (herba et flores tanaceti) have a dis- agreeable, aromatic odour, and a nauseous, strong, aromatic, bitter taste. The infusion is rendered dark green and turbid (tannate of iron) by sesquichloride of iron. Composition.—Both leaves and flowers have been analyzed by Fromherz and by Peschier. (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1290.) The constituents of the leaves, according to Peschier are volatile oil, fatty oil, wax or stearine, chlo- rophylle, bitter resin, yellow colouring matter, tannin with gallic acid, bitter ex- tractive, gum, woody fibre, tanacetic acid. 1. Volatile Oil (Oleum Tanaceti).—Yellow, sometimes green. Has the peculiar odour of • the plant; and a warm, bitter taste. Its sp. gr. is 0952. < 2. Bitter Matter.—This is a substance usually denominated extractive; but, according to Peschier, it is in part resin. 3. Tanacetic Acid.—Crystallizable. Precipitates lime, baryta, and oxide of lead. With a solution of acetate of copper it causes a precipitate. Physiological Effects.—Tansy produces the usual effects of the aromatic bitter tonics (vol. i. p. 189). " A fatal case of poisoning with half an ounce of oil of tansy is recorded in the Medical Magazine for Nov. 1834. Frequent and violent clonic spasms were experienced, with much disturbance of respiration ; and the action of the heart gradually became weaker till death took place from its entire suspension. No inflammation of the stomach or bowels Avas disco- vered upon dissection." (United States Disp. from the Am. Journ. of the Med. Sciences, xvi. 256.) Uses.—The young leaves are occasionally employed by the cook to give colour and flavour to puddings, and in omelets and other cakes. In medicine 398 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. the plant is rarely employed by the regular practitioner; but it has been re- commended in dyspepsia, intermittents, and gout. (Cullen, Mat. Med. ii.) Its principal use, however, is as a vermifuge. Administration—Tansy tea (prepared by infusing 3ij- of the herb in Oj. of boiling water) may be taken in doses of from fjj. to fjiij. A drop or two of the oil may be added to vermifuge powders and pills. The seeds have been used instead of semina santonici. 9. AR'NICA, MONTA'NA, Linn, D.—MOUNTAIN ARNICA. Sex. Syst. Syngenesia, Polygamia superflua. (Flores, Folia, et Radix, D.) (Arnica, U. S. Sec. List.) History.—This plant does not appear to have been known to the ancients; at least no undoubted mention of it occurs in their writings. Botany. Gen. char.—Head many-flowered, heterogamous. Florets of the ray in one row, female, ligulate; of the disc, hermaphrodite, tubular, five-toothed. Involucre campanulate, in two rows, with linear-lanceolate equal scales. Recep- tacle fringed, hairy. Tube of the corolla shaggy. Rudiments of sterile stamens sometimes remaining in the ligulae. Style of the disc with long arms, covered by down running a long way down, and truncated or terminated by a short cone. Achene somewhat cylindrical, tapering to each end, somewbat ribbed and hairy. Pappus in one row, composed of close, rigid, rough hairs. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Radical leaves obovate, entire, five-rowed ; the cauline vases in one or two pairs. Stem one to three-headed. Involucres rough, with glands. (De Cand.) Perennial. Stem hairy, about one foot high. Florets yellow, tinged with brown. Hah.—Meadows of the cooler parts of Europe, from the sea-shore to the limits of eternal snow. Description.—The root (radix arnicce) consists of a cylindrical caudex, from two to three inches long, and two or three lines thick, from which many fibres arise. It is brown externally, has a disagreeable yet aromatic odour, and an acrid nauseous taste. The dried flowers (flores arnicce) are yellowish, and have a similar taste and smell to the root. The leaves (folia arnicce) have a like smell. Composition.—Pfaff (Mat. Med. Bd. iii. S. 210) found in the root volatile oil 1*5, acrid resin 5-0, extractive 32-0, gum 9-0, and woody fibre 5-5. The root has also been examined by Weissenburger. (Goeble and Kunze, Pharm. Waarenk. Bd. ii. S. 177.) Chevallier and Lassaigne (Journ. de Pharm. t. v. p. 248) analysed the flowers, and found in them resin, bitter acrid matter (cyti- sin), yellow colouring matter, gum, albumen, and gallic acid. In the ashes ' were salts of potash, and lime, and silica. Dr. A. T. Thomson (Lond. Disp. p. 213, 9th ed.) is of opinion that the igasurate of strychnia (or brucia) exists in the plant. 1. Volatile Oil.—The oil obtained from the root, by Pfaff, was yellowish, lighter than water, and had a burning aromatic taste. The volatile oil of the flowers is blue. 2. Resin (Arnicin).—The acridity of the root and flowers resides, according to Pfaff, in the resin, which is soluble in alcohol. 3. Extractive Matter.—According to Chevallier and Lassaigne, this is nauseous, acrid, bitter, and soluble in both water and spirit. They consider it to be analogous to cytisin. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals.—The effects of the flowers of Arnica on horses have been examined by Viborg. (Wirk. d. Arzneim. ii. Gifte, i. 231.) An infusion of six drachms of the flowers quickened the pulse, and acted as a diuretic. An infusion, thrown into the veins, caused insensibility. /3. On Man.—Jorg and his pupils have submitted themselves to the influence SENECI0NID.E. of this plant. (Op. cit. S. 226.) From their observations, as well as from the testimony of others, arnica appears to possess acrid properties. When swal- lowed it causes burning in the throat, nausea, vomiting, gastric pains, and loss of appetite. The active principle becomes absorbed, quickens the pulse and respiration, and promotes diaphoresis and diuresis. Furthermore, it appears to exert a specific influence over the nervous system, causing headache, giddiness, and disturbed sleep. Sundelin (Hand. d. sp. Heilm. ii. 170, 3tte Aufl.) con- siders it to be closely allied in operation to senega, from which, he says, it differs' in its stimulating influence over the nervous system, and in its causing consti- pation. Use.—Arnica is indicated in diseases characterized by debility, torpor, and inactivity. It is administered as a stimulant to the general system in various debilitated conditions, and in typhoid fevers; to the nervous system in deficient sensibility, as amaurosis; to the muscular system, in paralysis ; to the vascular system and secreting organs when the action of those is languid, and requires to have its energy increased, as in some forms of dropsy, chlorosis, amenorrhcea, asthenic inflammation, &c. Furthermore, it has been also employed empiri- cally, as in diarrhoea, dysentery, &c. It is rarely employed in this country. Administration.—Dose of the powder grs. v. to grs. x.; of the infusion (prepared by macerating gss. in Oj. of water), from fjss. to f3i« OTHER OFFICINAL. SENECIONIDE^S. 1. Wormseed.—The substance kept in the shops under the name of Wormseed (semen san- ionicum, semen cina, semen contra, semen sementina, &c.), is erroneously declared by the Dublin College to be the seeds (semina) of Arlemis'ia Sanlon'ica. A very superficial examina- tion shows that the substance sold under this name consists, not of seeds, but of broken pedun- cles, mixed with the calyx and flower-buds. Furthermore, the plant which Dr. Woodville (Med. Botany) has denominated A. Santonica, is said by De Candolle (Prodr. vi. 104) to be A. maritima, var. /S. suavolens. Martius (Pharmakogn.) describes three kinds of wormseed; but I am acquainted with one kind only, which is imported from the Levant (semen cince levanticum). It has been analysed by both Trommsdorff and Wackenroder, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1291,) and found to contain volatile and bitter matter. A crystalline substance called santonine (C'° H8 Oa) has been obtained from it. It is used as a vermifuge, in doses of from gr. x. to 3ss., repeated night and morning, and succeeded by a brisk purge. 2. Artemisia vulgaris or Mugwort has been used in epilepsy, infantile convulsion, chorea, hysteria, and amenorrhcea. Judging, however, from its sensible qualities, it can possess but little virtue. Its powder, infusion, and expressed juice, have been administered. 3. Guizotia oleifera, De Cand.; Verbesina stativa, Roxburgh; Ramtilla oleifera, Royle. The fruit of this plant is "called by the Canarese Nuts Yelloo, and in Dukhanie, Ram Tilla." (Ainslie, Materia Indica, vol. ii. p. 256.) They are smooth, nearly four-sided, with the angles rounded and tapering to the base. By expression they yield an oil which is much used for dressing food in Mysore, and as a common lamp oil. (Heyne, Tracts on India, p. 49.) Virey (Jour, de Pharmacie, xxiii. 349) says that the grains of this plant are extensively im- ported into France from Calcutta, under the name teel or till, on account of the oil which they yield. But the seeds imported into England under the name of teel seeds are the produce of Sesamum orientale (Nat. Ord. Pedaliaceee, Sex. Syst. Didynamia Angiospermia), a native of India, whose seeds, used in Eastern countries for dietetical purposes, yield a bland fixed oil (Gingilie oil), which has been sometimes substituted in England for almond oil. Two kinds of sesamum seeds are known,—one brown or black, the other pale (whitish or yellowish). The first is produced by a variety of Sesamum called kala til, the second by another variety termed suffed til. (Royle, Illustrations of the Botany of the Himalayan Mountains, p. 294.) 4. Senecio Jacob.kv or Common Ragwort is a bitter aromatic indigenous plant, formerly in repute for various diseases. (Boerhaave, Hist. Plantarum.) It has recently been recommended, on insufficient evidence as I believe, as a remedy for gonorrhoea. (Lond,Med. Gaz. N. S vol' ii. 1840-41.) [5. The Anthemis cotula, or wild chamomile, is a native of the United States, and is em- ployed as a substitute for the A. nobilis, which it resembles in habit and properties. It has been placed in Sec. List of the U. S. P.] 400 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Tribe IV.—CYNARE.E. 10. LAPTA MINOR, De Cand.—COMMON BURDOCK OR CLOT-BUR. Arc'tium Lap'pa.Z?. Sex. Syst. Syngenesia, Polygamia squalls. (Semina et Radix, D.) History.—This, according to Sprengel, (Hist. Rei Herb. i. 101 and 185,) is the d*apivrj of Theophrastus, (Hist. Plant, vii. 14,) the dpxsjov of Dioscorides. (Hist. Plant, iv. 107.) Botany. Gen. char.—iifcadhomogamous, many-flowered and equal-flowered. Involucre globose; the scales coriaceous, imbricated, close pressed at the base, then subulate, with a horny, hooked, inflexed point. Receptacle rather fleshy, flat, with stiff subulate fringes. Corollas five-cleft, regular, with a ten-nerved tube. Stamens with papillose filaments ; the anthers terminated by filiform appendages, and with subulate tails at the base. Stigmas free at the apex, di- verging, curved outwards. Fruit oblong, laterally compressed, smooth, trans- versely wrinkled ; the areola at their base scarcely oblique. Pappus short, in many rows; the hairs deciduous, filiform, not collected into a ring. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Involucre smooth; the scales serrulated beyond the middle; smooth at the base only ; the inner ones few, not radiating. Heads somewhat racemose. (De Cand.) Root tapering, fleshy. Stem erect, three feet or more high. Leaves stalked, cordate; the radical ones very large, and often slightly toothed. Florets purple. Hah.—Indigenous ; waste places and way-sides; common. Flowers in July and August. Physiological Effects.—The root and leaves have been considered to pos- sess mild resolvent, diaphoretic, and diuretic properties. (Murray, App. Med. i. 134.) Lieutaud (Syn. Prax. Med. t. i. p. 523, 1770) says, the root promotes the lochial discharge. The seeds are diuretic, and, according to Linnaeus, (Mat. Med.) purgative. Uses.—The root, leaves, and seeds, have been employed as alteratives and resolvents in gouty, rheumatic, calculous, and venereal complaints. Administration___The decoction of the root (prepared by boiling 3>> of the recent root in Oiij. of \vater down to Oij.) may be taken to the extent of a pint daily. The dose of the seeds is 3j. 11. CNI'CUS BENEDIC'TUS, Linn. D.—BLESSED THISTLE. Centaure'a benedic'ta, Linn. (Folia, D.) History.—Sprengel (Hist. Rei Herb. i. 102) thinks that this plant is, per- haps, the axopva of Theophrastus. (Hist. Plant, vi. 4.) Botany. Gen. char.—Involucre ovate ; the scales close-pressed, coriaceous, extended into a long, hard, spinous, pinnate appendix ; the lateral spines conical and distant. Corollas of the ray sterile, slender, almost as long as the disc. Fruit longitudinally and regularly striated, smooth ; with a broad, lateral areola. Pappus triple, as it were, the outer being the horny, very short, crenated margin of the fruit; the intermediate consisting often long stiff setae; the inner of ten short setae ; all the setae alternating with each other. (De Cand.) Sp. Char.—The only species. An annual, branched, woolly herb. Leaves amplexicaul, somewhat decur- rent, nearly entire or deeply pinnatifid. Heads terminal, bracteate. Florets yellow. Hah.—South of Europe, the Levant, Persia; introduced into China. Composition—The herb was analysed by Soltmann, (Pfaff, Mat. Med. vi. 171,) and the leaves by Morin. (Journ. Chim. Mid. iii. 105.) The latter found volatile oil, bitter principle, resin, chlorophylle, fixed oil, uncrystallizable sugar, COMMON DANDELION. 401 gum, albumen, supermalate of lime, several mineral salts, some metallic oxides and traces of sulphur. 1. Bitter principle (Cnicin).—A brown, bitter substance, soluble in alcohol, ether, and boiling water; insoluble in fixed oils. Its aqueous solution forms a precipitate on the addition of diacetate of lead. It gives no trace of nitrogen when decomposed by heat. 2. Resin.—Brownish, insipid, inodorous; very soluble in alcohol and alkaline solution, but is insoluble in ether. Phvsiological Effects.—The herb is tonic and mildly diaphoretic : its decoction causes vomiting. The seeds are diaphoretic. (Murray, App. Med. i. 151-3. U.ses.—The cold infusion is employed as a tonic in debilitated conditions of the stomach. Taken warm in bed, the infusion has been given as a sudorific, in various chronic diseases. The decoction has been employed to promote the operation of emetics. (Lewis, Mat. Med.) Administration.—The infusion (prepared by digesting 3ss. of the leaves in Oj. of water) is given in doses of from f ^j. to gij., as a tonic. The decoction (made with double or treble the quantity of leaves) is used in the same dose. OTHER OFFICINAL CYNAREJE. The flowers of the Car'thamus tinc'torius are imported, for the use of dyers, in flaky masses, from the East Indies and other places, under the name of Safflower, or Bastard Saffron. They contain two colouring matters—one yellow, soluble in water, the other red (car- thamin or carthamic acid), soluble in alkaline solutions. Safflower is used to adulterate hay-saffron, and in the manufacture of cake-saffron (see p. 13.5). The mode of detecting the fraud has been already pointed out. [It has been introduced into the U. S. P. under the name ofCARTHARMUS.] Carthamus tinctorius. Tribe V.—CICHORACEiE. 12. TARAXACUM DENS LEO'NIS, Desf. J5.-COMMON DANDELION. Leont'odon Tarax'acum, Linn. L. D. Sex. Syst. Syngenesia, Polygamia squalis. (Radix, L.—Root, E.—Herba et Radix, D.) (Taraxacum, U. S.) History.—As this plant is a native of Greece, (see Prodr. Fl. Grcecce, ii. 129,) it must have been known to the ancients. Sprengel thinks (Hist. Rei Herb. i. 100,) that it is a.—The Cinchona species inhabit the Andes from 11° N. lat. to 20° S. lat. at varying elevations. It is difficult to assign limits to these elevations, since the statements of Humboldt on this subject are not uniform. Thus the lowest true Cinchonas are variously stated, by himself and Kunth, to grow at an elevation of from 200 toises (1200 feet) to 359 toises (2154 feet); while the highest are said to grow from 1487 toises (8922 feet) to 1680 toises (10,080 feet). The temperature of the Cinchona districts necessarily varies with their altitude; perhaps the average is about 68° F. Bark-Peeling.—The mode adopted by the Cascarilloes, or bark-peelers, of obtaining cinchona, varies somewhat in different districts.—" The Indians," says Mr. Stevenson, (Narrat. of Twenty Years' Residence in South America, vol. ii. p. 66, 1825,) " discover from the eminences where a cluster of the trees grow in the woods, for they are easily discernible by the rose-coloured tinge of their leaves, which appear at a distance like bunches of flowers amid the deep- green foliage of other trees. They then hunt for the spot, and, having found it out, cut down all the trees, and take the bark from the branches:" and he adds, " after the Indians have stripped off the bark, they carry it in bundles out of the wood, for the purpose of drying it." Poppig (Compan. to the Bot. Mag. No. viii. p. 244,) says that the stems are not peeled for three or four days after they are cut down ; and that the bark when removed must be speedily dried, or its value is quickly deteriorated. This account of the method of collecting the barks is somewhat different to that given by Mr. Gray from the papers of the late Mr. Arrot, (Phil. Trans. 1737-8, vol. xl. pp. 81—86,) who says that the bark is cut from the trees as they stand. According to both Ruiz and Poppig, the peelers commence their operation about May, when the dry season sets in. Commerce—Cinchona is imported in chests (which are sometimes covered with hides) or serons (packages formed of an ox-hide, sometimes lined by a coarse cloth). The duty is Id. per lb. The quantities imported, and those re- tained for home consumption, in the years 1827, 1830, aud 1831, were as fol- lows : (Pari. Returns.) CINCHONA. 413 Total imported................. 385,690 lbs, Quantity retained for Home Con- " sumption................. 1830. 556,290 lbs. 56,879 lbs. 1831. 225.678 lbs. 112,773 lbs. 179,315 lbs. The quantities on which duty was paid during the last five years are as fol- lows: (Trade List.) In 1835...................... H3,187lbs. In 1S3H...................... 116.184 lbs. In ie37..................... 1410 libs. In l*3d...................... 103,502 lbs. In 1839...................... 50,548 lbs. In 1840...................... 41,458 lbs. In 1841...................... el,?3o lbs. Cinchona is imported from various ports of the Pacific coast of South Ame- rica. Arica, Valparaiso, Lima, Callao, and Payta, are the common places of shipment. In consequence of an apprehended danger that the trees yielding bark would be exterminated, the government of Bolivia has prohibited the cut- ting of bark, in its territory, for five years, commencing January 1st, 1838.1 This event had long been expected. In 1836 I observed (Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xviii. p. 723,) that, " when we take into consideration the immense con- sumption of Cinchona bark (Pelletier alone in one year consumed 2000 quintals, equal to 200,000 lbs. of yellow or Calisaya bark, in the manufacture of sulphate of quina); that the trees yielding it are confined to one part of the world, and that no care is taken of their preservation; it is not at all improbable that in a few years this valuable drug may totally disappear from commerce. Indeed, a report has been prevalent among the drug-dealers, that the Cascarilloes, or bark- collectors had arrived at the limits of the forests containing the yellow or Calisaya bark, but whether this be true or false, I know not. I am acquainted with one dealer who has laid in a large stock, on the speculation of the truth of this report." > 1 am indebted to Messrs. GibbsandCo. of Lime Street, for a copy of this decree. The following is a trans- lation of it :— " Andrew Santa-Cruz, Grand Citizen, Restorer, and President of Bolivia, General of her Armies, General of Brigade of Colombia, Grand Marshal Pacificator of Peru, Superior Protector of the North and South Peru- vian Stales; decorated with the medals of the Liberating of the Liberators of Quito, of Piehencha, of Junin, and that of the Liberator Simon Bolivar, Grand officer of the Legion of Honor of Fiance, Founder and Chief of the Bolivian Legion of Honor, and the National Legion of Honor of Peru, ic &c. &.c. Consider ing,—1st. That the unlimited cutting and exportation of the Cascarilla [Cinchona] has occasioned remarkable injury to this country, by its excessive abundance in the European markets; 2dly. That the woods beginning already to be drained, great difficulty is experienced in obtaining it from those Which are more distant, causing well-founded frars of the approaching extinction of this specific, for whose preservation and reproduction we ought so carefully to provide; • 3dly. That the Congress of 1834, which passed a law for the formation of a society for the prevention of the e3, denominated Cascarilla della Oja, but which Condamine more correctly termed Corteza or Cascara de Loxa. Some doubt, however, has existed in the minds of pharmacologists' whether the bark known in commerce by the name of Loxa bark, is identical with that for- merly called by that name. Haync (Goebel and Kunze, Pharm. Waarenk. i. 36,) has pointed out some differences between the Loxa bark of commerce and a bark found in Humboldt's col- lection, marked Quina de Loxa, and which has been collected from the C. Condaminea: the peculiar characteristics of the latter are the warty prominences, the transverse cracks, which do not form rings, the browner tint of the outer surface, and a more astringent taste'. In a chest of l->() lbs. of commercial Loxa bark, Goebel found only three ounces of bark correspond- ing to the description here given of the true Loxa bark. vol. ir. 53 418 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Loxa bark received the name of crown bark in consequence of its use by the royal family of Spain. In October 1804, a Spanish galley, returning from Peru, was taken by our country- men off Cadiz. Among the treasures found therein were many parcels of Cinchona bark, two sorts of which were distinguished from the others by their external appearance and mode of packing. Two of these chests were marked " Para la real familie," i. e. " For the royal fami- ly," and were lined with sheet iron : they contained fine quills, of thirteen inches long, tied up by means of bass into bundles of about three inches in diameter. Von Bergen states, he re- ceived from England, in 1824, similar bundles, under the name of second crown. The other sort was marked " Para la real corte," i. e. " For the royal court." (Bergen, Monogr. S. 310.) Botany.—Loxa bark is undoubtedly the produce of C. Condaminea. Guibourt (Hist, des Drog. ii. 55,) examined the young barks of this species, brought by Humboldt, and found them undistinguishable from Loxa cinchona. Furthermore, he found that a specimen of cinchona, sent over by M. Joseph de Jussieu, the colleague of Condamine, as being the bark of the tree described by that celebrated academician, is similar to the crown bark of commerce. Commerce.—Crown or Loxa bark is imported in serons (holding from sixty to ninety lbs.) and in chests (containing about one hundred lbs.) Essential Character.—Coat thin,- firm ; cracks numerous, annular, transverse; under surface smooth; colour cinnamon-brown (Bergen). Description.—Loxa or crown bark is met with in the form of coated quills only,, neither flat nor uncoated pieces being known. These quills vary in length from six to fifteen inches; in diameter from two lines to an inch ; in thickness from one-third of a line to two lines; they are both singly and doubly quilled. Tlie outer surface or epidermis of this bark is characterised by numerous transverse cracks, which, in the fine and middling quills, are often distant from each other only from one to one and a half lines, and frequently extend completely around the bark in the form of rings, the edges of which, as well as of the shorter cracks, are a little ele- vated. In some of the fine quills, however, these transverse cracks are hardly visible; but we then observe longitudinal furrows. On the larger quills the transverse cracks are interrupted, and do not form rings, and are not set so closely together. Some of the thicker quills have oc- casionally almost the roughness of a grater, and occasionally pieces are met with having knots or warts. The colour of the external surface of Crown bark depends principally on that of the crustaceous lichens. Gray, or grayish-brown, maybe taken as the predominating tint: the thin quills are mostly slate, ash, or roe-gray. The larger quills vary still more, and, in addi- tion to the colours now mentioned, they are sometimes blackish-gray, even passing, in places, into liver-brown. The inner surface of Loxa bark is smooth, with small irregular longitudinal fibres observed thereon: its general colour is cinnamon-brown. The transverse fracture of small quills is even, but of the larger and coarser ones fibrous. The powder of Loxa bark is of deep cinnamon-brown colour. The odour of this bark is like that of tan ; its taste astrin- gent, bitter, and somewhat aromatic. Commercial and other varieties.—The slender, finest, thinnest, and longest quills, with a short transverse fracture, form the finest or pick crown bark of the (cortex cinchonce corona electus). A somewhat larger quill, with a silvery appearance of the epidermis, derived from the adherent crustaceous lichens, constitutes the silvery crown bark. A similar kind, but in which the external coat has a speckled appearance from the whitish lichens, with the interme- diate dark-brown colour of the epidermis, constitutes the leopard crown bark. Huamalies and white Loxa Cinchona, found in the serons of pale bark, are the produce of different species of Cinchona. The young Huamalies Cinchona, sometimes called Havannah Bark, constitutes the rusty crown bark of some of our dealers. It has scarcely any transverse cracks ; and some subvarieties of it are devoid of lichens. Its epidermis is spongy or corky, longitudinally furrowed in an undulatory manner, and of a grayish or brownish gray tint. The ferruginous Huamalies of Guibourt is the same bark at a more advanced period of growth. Huamalies bark is the produce of C. micrantha, and will be described more fully hereafter. White Loxa Cinchona has a considerable resemblance to the young Huamalies bark, with a whitish epidermis, and will be noticed among the so-called White Cinchonas. Composition.—Crown bark was analysed by Pelletier and Caventou, (Journ. de Pharm. vii. 70,) and by Bucholz. (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1283.) Pelletier and Caventou's Analysis. Kinate of cinchonia. Kinate of lime. Green fatty matter. Red cinchonic. Soluble red colouring matter (tannin). Yellow colouring matter. Gum. Starch. Lignin. Gray Cinchona. Bucholz's Analysis. Cinchonia.................................. 0'36 Kinic acid.................................. 1'17 Kinate of lime.............................. 130 Hard resin (red cinchonic).................... 997 Bitter soft resin.............................. 1'56 Fatty matter, with chlorophylle.............. 0-78 Tannin, with some chloride of calcium (?).... 5'80 Gum....................................... 4-43 Starch......................................a little Lignin...................................... 7443 Commercial Loxa Bark.................. 99-80 Soubeiran (Traite de Pharm. i. 603) states, that one lb. of Loxa bark yields from one and a half to two drachms of sulphate of cinchonia. It is somewhat remarkable, that Von Santen CINCHONA. 419 (Bergen, Monogr. Tab. zur 5ten Platte) obtained quina, and but little cinchonia, from Loxa bark, as the following table shows: One lb. of Loxa Bark. Sulphate of Quina. Fine selected quills.................................................... 5 grs. Moderately thick quills and pieces...................................... 12 grg. Fine and middling quills............................................... 2 grs. M-iderately thick pieces............................................... 21 j grs. Selected thick, heavy pieces, with grater-like bark.......................53£grs. Cryptoqamia.—The following is Fee's list of the Cryptogamia found on Loxa bark: LICHENES,—Opegrapha globosa ; O. Condaminea; Graphis fulgurata; Arthonia sinensi- graphia; A. marginata; Glyphis favulosa (rare): Chiodecton effusum: Pyrenula verruca- rioides: Ascidium Cinchonarum: Lepra flava: Lecidea peruviana: Lecanora russula : L. sub- fusca: id. var. fi pulverulenta: Parmelia crenulata: P. glandulifera: Sticta aurata: Collema azureum: and C. diaphanum. 2. Cinchona Huanuco.—Gray or Silver Cinchona, E. Cinchona cinerea, E. (Bark of Cinchona micrantha, E.) Svnonymes.—Quinquina de Lima, Guibourt. China Huanuco; Graue China, Bergen. China Huanuco, Yuanuco, Guanuco, Havane, Goebel. Cascarilla provinciana, Poppig. History.—This bark was first known in Spain in 1799. One hundred and eighty chests of it were brought to Sanlander, in that year, by the frigate La Veloz; and Ruiz was appointed to examine the cargo. He found in the chests a thick bark, till then unknown to the botanists of Peru, mingled with the barks of C. niiida and C. lanceolata, and with those of the species which Tafalla has designated by the term similar to Calisaya. (Laubert's Memoir, in Lambert's Illustr. of the Genus Cinchona, p. 78.) Poppig (Hooker's Cornp. to the Bot. Mag. No. viii. p. 241) says, the trade in the barks of Huanuco commenced in 1785; but that in 1815 it almost entirely ceased. The scarcity of yellow bark will be likely again, I should think, to give a fresh impulse to it, as the quality of Huanuco bark is excellent. Botany.—It is unnecessary to detail the speculations of botanists as to the origin of this bark previous to Poppig's discovery. This celebrated traveller brought to Europe a bark called cascarilla provinciana, and which was the produce of Cinchona micrantha. Reichel, an apothe- cary at Hohenstcin, examined and carefully compared it with his own collection of cinchona barks, as well as with that of Von Bergen at Hamburg, and declared it to be identical with the Huanuco or Silver Bark of commerce. Commerce.—It is imported usually in chests containing about 150 pounds, and also, though less frequently, in serons of from 80 to 100 pounds. Essential Character.—Coat moderately thin, hard; wrinkles longitudinal, predominating; under surface splintery; colour rusty brown (Bergen). Description.—It always occurs in the form of quills,, no flat pieces being known. These quills are larger and coarser than those of Crown bark; the largest even approximating to those of yellow bark, from which they are distinguished by the greater smoothness of their external surface. The length of the quills is from three to fifteen inches; their diameter from two lines to one and a quarter, or even two inches; their thickness one-third of a line to five lines. At the edge of most of the perfect quills we distinctly observe a sharp oblique cut, made probably to loosen the bark. These oblique cuts are rarely found on other barks. The quills are frequently somewhat spirally rolled. We observe on the epidermis transverse cracks, but they do not form rings, as in the Loxa or Crown bark, and their edges are flat. On the thicker quills longitudinal furrows are observed; and in these cases the transverse cracks are frequently wanting. The colour of the epidermis is whitish : in the smaller quills it is a uniform whitish gray, while in the large quills we observe a kind of cretaceous covering. This whitish ap- pearance, from which, indeed, the terms silver and gray given to this bark are derived, depends on some crustaceous lichens. The structure of the inner surface of this kind of bark is, in the small quills, smooth; in the larger ones fibrous: the colour is rather reddish, or rusty brown, than cinnamon brown. The fracture is even, and resinous; the odour clayish or sweet and which Bergen says is peculiar to this kind. The taste is astringent, aromatic, and bitter ■ the powder of a deep cinnamon brown. ' Commercial and other Varieties.—In this country no varieties of Huanuco bark are usually made. Guibourt distinguishes the gray fine Lima, the large or white Lima, and the pha The following are the quantities of pure cinchonia and quina in this bark, according to tho undermentioned authorities: <> lu ""' 120 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. In one lb. of bark. Cinchonia. Quina. Von Santen.......................................from 74 to 210 grs....... 0 Michaelis.....{ finest "ample.............................. 50 grs....... 32 grs. ) second sample............................. 74 grs....... Jfi grs>. Goebel and Kirst........................................... 168 grs....... 0 Cryptogamia.—Mosses and Jungermannias are never found on this bark. Foliaceous lichens are much more scarce than on Loxa bark. The following is Fee's list of the Cryptogamia: Lli'HtN:Si—Opegrapha Ruiziana : O. Condaminea : O. rugulosa: O. iumidula : Graphs Acharii: G. serpentina: Arthonia confluens : A. divergens: A. obtrita : Trypethelium variolosum: Pyrenula marcida: P. myriocarpa : P. mollis: Verrucaria nitens: V. theioplaca: Ascidium Cinchonarum: Lccidea tuberculosa. 3. Cinchona Jaen.—Ash Cinchona. (Bark of Cinchona ovata, Fl. Feruv.) Synonymes.—Quinquina de Loxa cendre, Guibourt. China Jaen: Blasse Ten-China,Bergen. China Jaen, seu Tenn, s. Tcna, Goebel. Blackish Huanuco, Batka. Cascarillo pallido, Ruiz. History.—Little is known respecting the history of Ash Cinchona, in consequence, probably. of its being confounded with other kinds of pale bark. It is uncertain, therefore, at what period it was introduced into commerce. Bergen states he found it in an old collection of drugs made in 1770. Virey (Hist. Nat. des Medic, p. 210,) refers to it under the name of pale gray or female Loxa cinchona: but it does not appear to have been known to the other French pharmacologists until I sent samples of it to Professor Guibourt, who has described it, errone- ously I think, as a variety of Loxa bark. (See his Hist, des Drog. ii. 533.) Botany.—This kind of cinchona bark agrees with the one described in the Quinologia as cascarillo pallido (C. ovata, Fl. Peruv.); a specimen of which, in Ruiz's collection of barks, was examined by Bergen, (Monogr. 319,) and found to be identical with Ash Cinchona. Commerce.—It is usually imported in chests of from 110 to 140 lbs.; but we meet with it also in serons of from 70 to 100 lbs. Essential Character.—Coat thin, light, readily pulverized; cracks few; quills mostly crooked; colour dark cinnamon brown (Bergen). Description.—This bark is met with in a quilled form only: the quills being of middling size, or somewhat thick; being from 4 to 16 inches long, from 3£ lines to 1 inch in diameter, and from J to 2 lines thick. A very remarkable character of this bark is the crookedness of the quills, which are more or less arched and twisted; from which circumstance we may infer the probability of its being obtained from a tree which grows in a damp situation. On the outer or epidermoid surface we observe a few transverse cracks, and some faint Ion? "''in il cracks; but in these respects there is a manifest difference between^ this and Loxa bark. The colour of the outer surface varies between ash gray, whitish gray, and pale yellow, with blackish or brownish spots. The inner surface is either even or splintery, and of a cinnamon brown colour. The fracture is even or splintery; the odour is tan-like; the taste feebly astringent and bitter; the colour of the powder is cinnamon brown. Commercial Varieties.—No division of ash cinchona is made by English dealers. Bergen makes two varieties of it, the pale and the dark: the latter is also called False Loxa Bark, or Dark Ten Cinchona (China Pseudo-Loxa; Dunkele Ten China), a bark which has many of the properties of ash cinchona, and which is found mixed with the Loxa bark of commerce. It is principally distinguished from the pale ash cinchona by the irregular longitudinal wrinkles and transverse cracks, and by its darker colour. Guibourt regards it as an inferior kind of Loxa bark. Bergen says it agrees with a bark in the collection of Ruiz, said to be obtained from the C. lancifolia of Mutis. Composition.—Ash Cinchona has not been analyzed. It appears to be remarkably deficient in cinchona alkalis. Von Santen (Bergen, Monogr.) failed to procure either quina or cinchonia from it. Michaelis, and Goebel and Kirst, (Pharm. Waarenk. i. 67,) obtained the following quantities of quina and cinchonia from it:— lib. of Bark. Quina. Cinchonia. \ii~hv~\i* \ 1st sort (Cinchona fusca Ten)............. 44 grs......... 12 grs. Micnaelis | 2nd sort................................. 80 grs......... 12 grs. Goebel and Kirst..................................... 12 grs......... none. Cryptogamia.—Few cryptogamic plants are found on this bark. The following is a list of them, according to Bergen. (Op. cit. 318.) LICHENES!—Graphissculpturata;Porinagranulata; Pyrenulaverrucaridides; Lecanora punicea; Parmelia melanoleuca, and Usneafiorida $jCinchonce. The Dark Ash Cinchona (Bergen), of all others, abounds most in lichens. Besides some of the foregoing the following lichens have also been found on it:—Opegrapha scapella; Thelo- trema terebratum; and Sticla aurata. CINCHONA. 421 4. Cinchona Huamalies.—Huamalies or Rusty Bark. Bark of Cinchona purpurea. ' Synonymes.—Quinquina de Huamalies, and Q. huamalies ferrugineux, Guibourt. China Huamalies; Braune China, Bergen. China Huamalies, Guamalies, seu Abomalies, Goebel. Braune China ; China Huamalies ; China fusca, Geiger. History.—It is not known precisely when this kind of bark first came into Europe. Von Bergen thinks that it probably was introduced simultaneously with silver bark at the end of the last or commencement of the present century. In 1803 it was frequently carried direct from Lima to Hamburg. This bark is not used as a distinct kind in this country, and hence most druggists are unacquainted with it; but it is bought by some of our merchants for the foreign markets, especially for Germany. Botany.—The bark of Cinchona purpurea, R. and P. (Cascarilla boba Colorado), brought from South America by Poppig, was found by Reichel to be identical with the Huamalies bark. Commerce.—It is imported in chests, never in serons. Essential Character.—Coat thin and spongy; longitudinal wrinkles and warts which penetrate to the cortical layers [alburnum, Bergen]; under-surface even; colour rust-brown (Bergen). Description and Varieties.—This kind of bark presents very different appearances at dif- ferent ages, so as almost to defy arrangement. Some of the fine quills might readily be mis- taken by inexperienced persons for Crown Bark, while others greatly resemble white Loxa bark, The large flat pieces, on the other hand, I have known mistaken by an experienced dealer for what he termed " flimsy" red bark. Some of the finer quills (Huamalies simulating Crown Bark) greatly resemble those of Loxa or Crown Bark, but are paler externally, have fewer transverse cracks, are smoother, or finely wrinkled longitudinally, and, when broken, appear nearly white in the interior. Another kind (Gray-corky Huamalies Bark) I have frequently found in the Loxa Bark of commerce. It occurs in larger quills, which have a whitish or grayish corky or spongy epidermis, which is striated or furrowed longitudinally, and may be removed by the nail. On some of the pieces we observe rusty-coloured warts, which, when numerous, are disposed in irregular longitudinal lines. A flat variety (White-verrucous Huamalies Bark) has a whitish epidermis, with large red warts, from which the epidermis has been removed. Another kind (Rusty Huamalies; Quinquina ferrugineux, Guibourt) is in quills or flat pieces, distinguished by the ochre-red or rusty colour of its outer surface, the presence of warts, arranged for the most part longitudi- nally, and the almost total absence of transverse cracks. Composition.—I am unacquainted with any analysis of this bark. The following are the quantities of Cinchona alkalis, according to Von Santen, (Bergen, Monogr. Piatt, v.,) Michaelis, and Goebel, and Kirst. (Pharm. Waarenk. i. 74.) 1 lb. of Bark. Cinchonia. Quina. {1. Fine and Middling-fine quills, and flat pieces (from Cadiz in 1821)___ 60 ... 0 2. Thick warty quills, and flat pieces (from ditto)...................... 75 ___ 0 3. Sorts(from Lima in 1803).......................................... 60 .... 0 4. As No. 3 (another chest) rather heavy............................... 48 ___ 0 5. As No. 3 (a third chest) rather light................................. 95 ___ n Cist sort.............................................................. 0 ___ 12 Michaelis.-.< 2d sort................................................................ 48 .... 28 ( 3d snrt................................................................ 00 ___ 34 Goebel and Kirst (fine and thick quills of commerce).................................. 38 .... 28 Cryptogamia.—The following cryptogamic plants are mentioned by Von Bergen as existing on this bark. LICHENES.—Opegrapha enteroleuca; Graphis duplicata; Verrucaria phcea; Porina pa- pilloma ; Pyrenula discolor ; P. mastoidea ; and P. verrucarioides: Lecanorapunicea; Par- melia metanoleuca; and Usnea Florida Combining proportion, or atomic weight......................| fin water........... Solubility < in alcohol........ (.in ether.......... n.-.../«*-f. i form ana aspect ZWpAate j solubilUy |7 Neutral Sulphate......... Hydrochlorate Phosphate .... Arseniate . .Acetate.... The solution of disulphate treated by chlorine, then by ammonia, yields....................... Crystalline. Bitter. Infusible when quite dry; when moist fuses, but at the same time decomposes. One atom contains only one atom of oxygen. 154 Dissolves in 2500 times its weight of boiling water. Soluble; solution readily crystal- lizes. Sparingly soluble; solution readily crystallizes. Four-sided prisms. Soluble in 54 parts of cold water or 6 parts of spirits (sp. gr. 085). Soluble in half its weight of cold water or one part of cold spirit (sp. gr. 0-85). Crystallizes in needles. Scarcely crystallizable; aspect gum- my. Scarcely crystallizable. Very soluble; crystals small and granular. A reddish solution. Quina. Amorphous (in the anhydrous state) The hydrate is crystallizable, but with difficulty. Very bitter. Fusible. One atom contains two atoms of oxygen. 162 Dissolves in 200 times its weight of boiling water. More soluble than cinchonia; solu tion with difficulty crystallizes. Very soluble ; solution crystallizes with difficulty. Pearly silky needles. Soluble in 740 parts of cold water or 80 parts of cpirit (sp. gr. 085). Soluble in 11 parts of cold water More soluble in spirit than sul- phate of cinchonia. Crystallizes in silky or pearly tufts Crystallizes in pearly needles. Crystallizes in prismatic needles. Less soluble; crystals in silky tufts, grouped in stars, &c. An emerald-green solution. y- ARICINA : Cusco-cinchonia; Cusconin.—Discovered in Arica or Cusco-Cinchona by Pelletier and Coriol in 1829. It was procured from this bark by the same process that quina is extracted from" the yellow bark. It is a white crystallizable substance, analogous to cin- chonia in many of its properties, but is distinguished by its acquiring a green tint by the action of nitric acid, and by a boiling saturated solution of the sulphate forming, as it cools, a tremu- lous jelly, which by desiccation becomes horny. It consists of— Atoms. Eq. Wt. Per Cent. Carbon............................. 20 ............ 120 ............ 70-59 Hydrogen........................... 12 ............ 12 ............ 706 Nitrogen........................... 1 ............ 14 ............ 8 23 Oxygen............................ 3 ............ 24 ............ 1412 Aricina. 1 170 ............ 10000 *#* Several other alkaloids have been said to exist in the Cinchona barks ; but further evi- dence is required to establish their existence. Dr. Mills (Quart. Journ. of Science for April 1828, p. 379,) has given the name of Blanquinine to a supposed new alkaloid in white Cinchona C. ovatifolia, (see p. 424). The Chinoidine of Sertuerner (Jour, de Pharm. xvi. 44,) is according to Henry fils and Delondre, (Ibid. 144,) merely a mixture of quina and cinchonia with yellow colouring matter. The alkalescent matter of Cinchona nova (see p. 426) requires further ex- amination. The alkaloids of the false Cinchona barks have been already (p. 417) referred to. Chemical Characteristics.—The most important chemical characteristics of the cinchona barks are those derived from the action of the following reagents on infusions of bark: tincture of nutgalls, emetic tartar, gelatine, sulphate of iron, and neutral oxalate of ammonia. The first is a test for the alkaloids, the three following for tannic acid, and the last for lime. Tables of the changes produced by these and other tests have been published by Vauquelin, (Ann. de Chim. lix. 113,) Von Santen, (Bergen, Monogr.) Guibourt, (Hist, des Drog. ii.) and Martius. (Pharmakogn. 126.) The following table is from the last men- tioned pharmacologist:— 432 elements op materia medica. Cold Infusion, (prepared by digesting for 30 hrs. 1 part of bark in 3-2 of water). Emetic Tartar. Gelatine. Neutral Oxalate ef Ammonia. Tincture of nutgalls. Sulphate of iron. 1. Hard Carthagena Bark. 2. Fibrous Carthagena Bark 4. Huanuco Bark.......... Unchanged Unchanged Slight tur I bidness $ Unchanged Unchanged Strong / flocculent \ white tur-1 bidness ' Unchanged Turbidness Unchanged Cloudy ... Unchanged Unchang'd Unchg'd } Unchg'd } Unchg'd S UnchangM Slight -| floccu- 1 lent ^ turbid- f ness J Unchang'd Unc'd[?]' j Unchang'd Unchang'd Flocculent turbid-ness Turbidness < Slight tur- ) bidness ) Slight tur- ) bidness $ Scarcely ( changed ( Turbidness.. Very strong / yellowish-1 white tur-1 bidness ' Turbidness.. Slight tur-) bidness $ Turbid .... Turbid Extremely ^ slight tur- > bidness ) Strong yel-"~| lowish- V white tur- [ bidness. J Ditto ., j Very slight) turbidness i Turbidness.. Very strong \ yellowish- r white tur-I bidness ' Turbidness.. Strong floe- -\ culent r white tur- l bidness J Ditto ,, $ Unchanged Slightyellow-ishwhite turbidness. Colour yel-lowish. Colour green-ish yellow. Dirty brown-ish-green turbidness. Not changed. Dirty bluish-green tur-bidness. Not changed. Slight dirty violet tur-bidness. Coarsely floc-culent, slight dirty-violet tur-bidness. Very slight turbidness. Dirty green-ish-brown turbidness. r L 8. Yellow (Calisaya) Bark. 9. Red Bark............... 10. Cinchona rubiginosa.. .. The barks may be arranged, after Vauquelin, in three sets: 1. Those whose infusions precipitate infusion of nutgalls, but not a solution of gelatine:, ex. Carthagena barks. These contain the alkalis, but no tannic acid. 2. Those whose infusions precipitate a solution of gelatine, but not an infusion of nutgalls : ex. Cinchona nova. These contain tannic acid, but no appreciable quantity of cincho- nia or quina. 3. Those whose infusions precipitate both a solution of gelatine and an infusion of nutgalls : ex. Loxa Bark. These contain both alkalis and tannic acid. Chemical Characteristics of the Goodness of Cinchona Barks.—The best cinchona barks are those which contain, in the greatest abundance, the vegetable alkalis and tannic acid. For, although the essential tonic operation of cinchona depends on the cinchonia and quina, yet the 'astringency and part of the tonic effect arises from the tannic acid. " There exists a law in Sweden," says Berzelius, (Traite de Chim. v. 587,) " in virtue of which every cinchona bark imported into the country is tested by the infusion of galls, the persulphate of iron, a solution of gelatine, and emetic tartar ; and it is proved by an expe- rience of more than sixteen years, that the most efficacious bark is that which precipitates the most strongly a solution of gelatine and emetic tartar; in other words, that which contains the most tannin." Hence the chemical tests for good cinchona bark are twofold—1st, those which detect the tannic acid, and 2dly, those which detect the vegetable alkalis. 1. Tests for Tannic Acid.—These are three in number : 1. A solution of gelatine, which occasions in infusion of cinchona a whitish precipitate (tan- nate of gelatine). 2. A solution of a sesquiferruginous salt (as persulphate of iron or sesquichloride of iron) which produces a green colour or precipitate (tannate of iron). 3. A solution of emetic tartar, which causes a dirty white precipitate (the nature of which has been before discussed, p. 428). t An infusion of Calisaya, twice as strong as the above, yields a white precipitate on the addition of sul- phate of soda (see p. 434). CINCHONA. 433 a. amnometry.—Various alcaloimetrical processes, applicable to the cin- chona barks, have been recommended. They are essentially of two kinds : some consist in the use of certain reagents or tests which precipitate the alka- loids from an infusion of the bark, others are processes for the extraction of the alkaloids, which are obtained either in the free state or as salts (disulphates). 1. Processes by tests.—*. Tannic acid is a very delicate test of the Cinchona alkalis, which it precipitates from their solutions, in the form of tannates. On this depends the value of infusion or tincture of nutgalls, employed as a test of the goodness of bark by Vauquelin, (op. supra cit.,) by Berzelius, (op. supra cit.) and by O. Henry. (Journ. de Pharm. xx. 429.) £. Chloride of Platinum.—Duflos's quinometrical method (Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1831, S. 537) is founded on the property of the cinchona alkalis to form with [neutral] chloride of platinum double salts (platinum-chlorides of the alkaloids) which are inso- luble in alcohol, and very difficultly soluble in cold water. One grain of these salts dried in the air contains about half a grain of the alkaloids. y. Bichloride of Mercury.—As bichloride of mercury forms with hydrochlorates of quina and cinchona, double salts (mercury-bichlorides of the alkaloids) which are only slightly soluble in water and in alcohol, it may perhaps be applicable, in some cases, as an alcaloimetrical test. 2. Extraction op the Cinchona Alkalis.—The methods of extracting cinchonia and quina from bark for alkaloimetrical purposes are various. They may be referred to under four divisions: *. By Alcohol.—Some chemists begin by preparing an alcoholic tincture of bark, without using in the first instance either acid or mineral alkali. This is the method adopted by Pelletier and Caventou, (Journ. de Pharm. vii. 52,) by Tilloy, (Ibid. xiii. 530,) and by Bonnet. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1832, S. 900.) From this tincture the alkaloids may be extracted by various processes. /?. By Acidulated Liquids, without the previous use of alkaline solutions.—In some alkaloimetrical processes the bark is digested in spirit, acidulated with sulphuric or hydrochloric acid; as in those of Henry fils, (Journ. de Pharm. xvi. 754,) and Stoltze. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1832, S. 896.) In others acidulated water is used, as in the methods of Von Santen, (Bergen. Monogr. 343,) Henry and Plisson, (Journ. de Pharm. xiii. 270,) and Winkler. (Pharm, Central-Blatt fur 1835, S. 509.) y. By Acidulated Liquors, after the use of alkaline solutions.—Scharlau's method (Pharm. Central-Blatt fiir 1832, S. 487) is founded on the property of red cinchonic and cinchona-tannin (with both of which the cinchona-alkaloids are combined) to dis- solve in caustic alkalis, and thereby to be extracted from the bark: the cinchonia and quina which are led behind may be subsequently removed by an acidulated liquor. Badollier (Dumas, Traite de Chim. v. 745) also employed caustic potash: Stoltze (Ibid. 746) a mixture of lime and water. In the process of the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia for the manufacture of disulphate of quina, an alkaline carbonate (carbonate of soda) is used. S. By Water.—The Edinburgh Pharmacopceia gives the following directions for ascertaining the good quality of yellow bark. "A filtered decoction of 100 grains in two fluid ounces of distilled water gives, with a fluid ounce of concentrated solution of carbonate of soda, a precipitate, which, when heated in the fluid, becomes a fused mass, weighing when cold 2 grains or more, and easily soluble in solution of oxalic acid." In this process the native salts of quina extracted by the boiling water are decomposed by carbonate of soda. By heat the quina fuses. Of the above quinometrical processes I give the preference to that employed by the Edinburgh College in the manufacture of disulphate of quina. Tlie separation of quina and cinchonia, in order to estimate the quantity of each, is a matter of some importance. It is effected by the different degrees of solubility of these alkaloids or their salts, and by the easy crystallizability of cinchonia. 1. Boiling Alcohol may be employed to separate these alkaloids: when this liquid, charged with the two alkaloids, cools, the cinchonia crystallizes, but the quina remains in the mother liquor. This mode of separation was adopted by Pelletier and Caventou. (.Journ. de Pharm. vii. 305) 2. Ether was used by Scharlau (Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1832, S. 488,) as well as by others, to separate the two alkaloids: quina is more soluble than cinchonia in this liquid. 3. Disulphate of quina is less soluble in water than disulphate of cinchonia .- hence when these two salts have been dissolved in boiling water, the first crystallizes as the solution cools, while the disulphate of cinchonia remains in the mother liquor. vol. n. 55 434 ELEMENTS of materia medica. To manufacturers of disulphate of quina it is of importance to have a ready means of estimating the quantity of quina, as distinguished from cinchonia, which a bark yields. Sulphate of Soda is frequently used for this purpose. It has been found that the yellow (Calisaya) bark contains so much lime that an infusion (prepared by digesting for twenty-four hours one part of coarsely- powdered bark in sixteen parts of cold water) yields, on the addition of sulphate of soda, a white precipitate of sulphate of lime; whereas those barks (as the pale kinds) which are deficient in quina give no precipitate with this salt. Gui- bourt (Journ. de Chim. Med. ii. 624, 2nde Ser.) directs this test to be used thus: mix the powder of the bark with water, so as to form a thin paste; which is to be placed on a filter, and the filtered liquor tested with sulphate of soda (crystals). Physiological Effects—1. of the cinchona Barks.—The experiments of Dr. Adair Crawford (Experimental Inquiry into the Effects of Tonics, 1816,) on the effects of tonics in promoting the cohesion of the animal tissues, have been already (vol i. p. 189) referred to. He found that a kitten's intestines, which had been immersed in a thick mixture of cinchona bark and water, re- quired a greater weight to break them than those immersed in water merely, in the ratio of 25#5 to 20*7. He found, moreover, that the same effect was produced on the blood-vessels and nerves; but an opposite effect on the skin, the cohesion of which it diminished in the ratio of 24-5 to 7»9. Hence he inferred that cinchona bark strengthened the alimentary canal, blood-vessels and nerves, but had a debilitating or relaxing effect on the skin. The error pervading these inferences has been already pointed out. Admitting that the dead animal tissues are invariably affected by cinchona in the way Dr. Craw- ford states, the conclusion that living tissues would be influenced in the same way is not supported by facts. Cold water relaxes dead, but corrugates living, animal tissues. a. On Vegetables.—Leaves of plants, immersed in an infusion of pale bark, were dried, but not contracted, in twenty-four hours. (De Candolle, Phys. Veg. 1349.) /3. On Animals generally—Dr. Freind (Emmenol. c. xiv.) states that an ounce and a half of a strong decoction of bark injected into the jugular vein of a dog caused, in fifteen minutes, strong palpitations of the heart, and frequent spasms. Half an ounce more being injected, brought on tetanus and death. The blood was found after death liquid, the lungs red and turgid; the right ventricle was distended with blood, the left contained scarcely any. Rauschen- busch (quoted by Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzn. il. Gifte. Bd. ii. 132,) has also made experiments with cinchona bark. In animals to whom he had given it for some days, he found the stomach and alimentary canal contracted, and the coats thickened, but no traces of inflammation. The heart was firmer, the lungs covered with red spots, the liver yellowish, the bile watery and greenish. When the blood was exposed to the air, it remained dark coloured for a longer time than usual, was less coagulable, and the serum separated more slowly: it appeared like that drawn in inflammatory cases. The pulse was stronger and fuller, the animal heat increased, and when the bark had been used for a long period, the muscles were pale, and their energy enfeebled. Some experiments on the effect of cinchona on the blood discs of frogs were made by Leeuwen- hoek, (Contin. ad Epist. p. 119,) who found that the infusion of bark divided some of the discs, and coagulated others. y. On Man.—The topical effects are astringent and slightly irritant. The astringency depends on tannic acid [and red cinchonic?] : hence those barks whose infusions are most powerfully affected by gelatine and the sesquiferru- ginous salts, enjoy the greatest astringent power. Both Loxa and yellow (Ca- lisaya) bark possess this property in a pre-eminent degree: whereas Cartha- o-ena bark is deficient in it. The constitiuional effects are principally manifested CINCHONA. 435 by the disordered conditions of the vascular and cerebro-spinal systems. In some conditions of system, cinchona operates as an irritant or stimulant; in others as a stomachic, tonic, and corroborant. If a man in a state of perfect health take a small or moderate dose of bark, no obvious effects are produced,—or perhaps a little thirst, with some slight dis- order of stomach, or a temporary excitement of appetite may be brought on. If the dose be increased, the alimentary canal becomes disordered (indicated by the nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, thirst and constipation, or even purging); a febrile state of the system is set up (manifested by the excitement of the vas- cular system and dry tongue), and the cerebro-spinal system becomes disordered, as is shown by the throbbing headache, and giddiness. The disturbance of the functions of the stomach is produced not only when the bark is given in the more nauseating form of powder, but also in the form of infusion or decoction or tincture. These symptoms indicate a stimulant operation, which is still more manifest when the bark is given to a person suffering with gastro-enteritic irri- tation, accompanied with fever. All the morbid phenomena are exasperated, the febrile disorder is increased, and symptoms of gastritis come on. None of the effects now enumerated include those to which the term tonic is properly applicable. These are to be sought for in patients suffering from debility, with- out symptoms of local irritation. In such we find cinchona improves the appe- tite, promotes the digestive functions, and increases the strength of the pulse. The muscular system acquires more power, and the individual is capable of making greater exertion, both mental and bodily, than before; the tissues ac- quire more firmness to the touch, and lose their previous flabbiness; moreover, it has been asserted, and with great probability of truth, that the quality of the blood improves. The real stomachic, tonic, and corroborative effects of cinchona, as indeed of other agents of the same class, are then only observed in certain morbid conditions. " The general operation of cinchona bark," observes Sundelin, (Heilmittell. ii. 307, 3tte Aufl.) "consists in the increase and exaltation of the tone of the irritable fibres and of the fibres of the vessels (hence by its use the pulse becomes fuller, stronger and regular, and the muscular power increased); also in the general augmentation of the cohesion of the organic mass (hence it counteracts a tendency to liquefaction [Verjidssigung'] and disintegration \Entmischung~], diminishes profuse secretions which proceed from atony of the extremities of the vessels, and of the secerning surfaces and organs, and improves generally the crasis) and lastly, in augmentation of the vital energy of the sensible system. (By the last-mentioned property it restores sensibility, when defective or abnor- mally increased, and the property of reaction of the nervous system, to their normal state, and augments the influence of this system on the muscular fibre and on the reproductive system)." As these effects are not produced until the active constituents of the bark have been absorbed, they take place gradually, and by the long continued use of this agent. The power possessed by cinchona of suspending or completely stopping pe- riodical diseases, deserves to be noticed here, though it will have to be again referred to hereafter. It is doubtless in some way related to the before men- tioned effects; but the connection is, as yet, mysterious and incomprehensible. Active principles of the cinchona barks.—The cinchona alkaloids are the essential tonic principles of bark. In them also resides ^.the antiperiodic (specific, as it is frequently termed) power of this remedy (see p. 439). The tannic acid confers astringent powers, and promotes the tonic operation of the alkaloids. The red cinchonic must also slightly contribute to the general effects of the bark. The kinate of lime (supposed by Deschamps to be the active principle of cinchona) is probably inert: it has neither bitterness nor stypticity, and is insoluble in alcohol. The aromatic flavour depends on vola- tile oil. 436 elements op materia medica. Comparison of cinchona with other tonics.—Cinchona scarcely admits of comparison with any other vegetable substance. It is pre-eminently distin- guished by its great tonic and almost specific febrifuge properties. It is farther distinguished from the simple bitters (as gentian, quassia, simaruba, calumba, &c) by its astringency; from the pure astringents (as oak bark, nutgalls, catechu, kino, &c.) by its extreme bitterness; from the aromatic bitters (as cascarilla, chamomile, wormwood, elecampane, &c.) by its astringency and comparative deficiency in volatile oil, and consequently, in stimulant properties. Willow and angustura barks, perhaps more closely approximate to cinchona than other vegetable substances in ordinary use. In regard to antiperiodic or febrifuge powers, arsenious acid is the only remedy that can be compared with bark. Comparison of the cinchona barks with each other___I need not insist on the superiority of genuine over false cinchona barks. The inferiority of those barks which have a whitish epidermis (as the Carthagena barks, see p. 424 et seq.) is shown by the small quantity of cinchona alkaloids which they yield. The anecdote before-mentioned ^p. 426) proves that the Spaniards had long since ascertained the inferiority of one of these. Pale, Red, and Yellow (Ca- lisaya) Cinchona are the kinds which have been principally examined in this country : their pre-eminence over all others is now universally admitted. The experiments and observations of Saunders, (Obs. on the sup. Effic. of Red Pe- ruv. Bark, 1782,) Rigby, (Essay on the Use of Red Peruv. Bark, 1783,) Kentish, (Exp. and Obs. on a new Spec, of Bark, 1784,) Irving, (Expts. on Red and Quill. Peruv. Bark, 1785,) and Skeete (Expts. and Obs. on Quill, and Peruv. Bark, 1786,) seem to have established the superiority of red bark to the pale or quilled kind. But in adopting this statement we ought, if possible, to ascertain what kind of pale bark was used in making the above observations? And also to determine whether the red bark referred to be identical with that now in com- merce? Dr. Relph (Inq. into the Med. Effic. of Yellow Bark, 1794,) after- wards asserted the superiority of yellow bark to both the pale and red kinds. His statements are borne out by the almost exclusive consumption of this bark during the last twenty years. 3. of the cinchona Alkaloids, a. On Vegetables.—According to Goeppert, the leaves of plants plunged in a solution of sulphate of quina (gr. ss. of the salt to 3ss. of water) presented evidences of contraction in six or eight hours. (De Candolle, Phys. Veg. 1349.) (3. On Animals generally.—As soon as Pelletier had discovered the alkalis in bark, he sent some of them to Magendie for trial, who ascertained that nei- ther in the pure nor saline state were they poisonous; and he found that ten grains of the sulphate or acetate of these bases might be injected into the veins of a dog without any ill effect. (Journ. de Pharm. vii. 138.) Hartl (Wirk. d. Arzneim. il. Gifte, Bd. ii. S. 133,) found that three grains of quina, applied to a wound in a rabbit, occasioned no ill effects. y. On Man.—The constitutional effects of the cinchona alkalis are similar to those of the barks, but more energetic. It will be superfluous, therefore, to enumerate the symptoms caused by small doses of these substances. Far more interesting are the effects of large doses, as they lead to a more intimate ac- quaintance with the kind of influence exercised by the barks. In doses of from ten to twenty or more grains, disulphate of quina has pro- duced three classes of effects: 1. Gastro-enteritic irritation, marked by pain and heat in the gastric region, nausea, gri- pings, and purging. Occasionally ptyalism has been observed. Constipation some- times follows its use. 2. Excitement of the vascular system, manifested by increased frequency and fulness of pulse and augmented respiration. Furred tongue, and other symptoms of a febrile state, are also observed. 3. Disorder of the cerebro-spinal functions, indicated by headache, giddiness, contracted, in CINCHONA. 437 some cases dilated, pupils, disorder of the external sensep, agitation, difficulty of per- forming various voluntary acts (as writing), somnolency, in some cases delirium, in others stupor. A remarkable case is mentioned by Trousseau and Pidoux. (Traite de Tlie- rap. ii. 217.) A soldier took 48 grains of the disulphate of quina for the cure of an asthma [spasmodic], which returned daily at a certain hour. Four hours after taking it he experienced buzzing in the ears, diminished sensibility, gid- diness, and violent vomitings. Seven hours after taking the quina he was blind and deaf, delirious, incapable of walking on account of the giddiness, and vomited bile copiously. In fact, he was in a state of intoxication. These effects subsided in the course of the night. Difference in the operation of quina and cinchonia.—When we take into consideration the analogy of composition and of chemical properties of these two alkaloids, we are led to suspect analogy of physiological effects. When they were in the first instance submitted to examination, cinchonia and its salts were thought, principally on the evidence of Chomel, to be much inferior in activity to quina and its salts. But the subsequent observations of Dufour, Petroz, Potier, Bally, Nieuwenhuiss, Mariani, Bleynie, and others, have proved that the disulphates of these alkalis may be substituted for each other. (Diet, de Mat. Med. t. ii. 288.) Nay, Bally gives the preference to the disulphate of cinchonia, on the ground that it is less irritating than the disulphate of quina. That cinchonia is as active as quina might have been anticipated, a priori, when we recollect that those barks in which cinchonia is the predominant prin- ciple have been celebrated as therapeutic agents. This fact of the equal value of cinchonia and its salts with quina and its salts, acquires some importance from the apprehended failure of the yellow bark, in which the quina abounds. Practitioners, however, have been so long accustomed to the use of the disul- phate of quina, that as Ion'* as this can be procured, some difficulty will be ex- perienced in the introduction into practice of the disulphate of cinchonia. Comparison of the Cinchona Alkaloids with their salts.—Some of the salts of the cinchona alkaloids being more soluble than their bases, it has been in- ferred that they are, consequently, more active. But it has been asserted by Nieuwenhuiss, Mariani, Bleynie, and others, that the bases are equally active, and may be substituted for the salts with advantage. (Diet, de Mat. Med. t. v. p. 596.) Acid drinks should be given to favour their solution in the stomach. Quina, in the crude or impure state, has been employed with success by Trous- seau. (Soubeiran, Traite de Pharm. i. 604.) Its advantages over the disul- phate, are, that it is less apt to purge ; it may be exhibited in a smaller dose, and it has but little bitterness. This 1 ast property facilitates the use of it, es- pecially in children. Comparison of the salts of the cinchona alkaloids with each other___I have already described the effects of ihe disulphate of quina. The sulphate of quina is formed when we dissolve the disulphate in water, acidulated with sulphuric acid : it is somewhat more irritant than the last-mentioned salt. The phosphate of quina is said to be neither so apt to disturb the stomach, nor to excite the vascular system, as the disulphate. Hence it is better adapted for cases ac- companied with gastric irritation and febrile disorder. The ferrocyanate of quina has been recommended, in preference to the disulphate, in intermittent fevers, accompanied with inflammatory symptoms. The tannate of quina is declared, by Dr. Rolander, of Stockholm, to be the most powerful of the quina salts. The tannic acid, though not the peculiar febrifuge constituent of cin- chona bark, yet contributes to its tonic powers, and thereby promotes the ac- tivity of the alkaloids. This statement is supported by the already referred to remark of Berzelius (see p. 432), that the most active cinchonas are those which contain the largest quantity of tannin. The nitrate, hydrochlorate, acetate and citrate of quxna, have been employed in medicine; but I am not acquainted 438 elements of materia medica. with any remarkable advantages they possess over the sulphate. The kinate of quina, as being one of the native salts of the alkaloid, deserves further exami- nation. The arsenite of quina might, perhaps, be found available in some obsti- nate intermittents, and well deserves examination. The salts of cinclwnia, except the disulphate, have been imperfectly examined.1 Comparison of the cinchona barks with their alkaloids.—It has been asserted, that the cinchona alkaloids possess all the medicinal properties of the barks, and may be substituted for them on every occasion (Magendie, Fbrmul.p. 131, 8me ed.); but I cannot subscribe to either of these statements; for, in the first place, the alkalis are deficient in the aromatic quality possessed by the barks, and which assists them to sit easily on the stomach; and it is to this circum- stance that I am disposed to refer a fact which I have often observed, that disulphate of quina will sometimes irritate the stomach, occasion nausea and pain, and give rise to febrile symptoms, while the infusion of bark is retained without the least uneasiness. Moreover, we must not overlook the tannic acid, which confers on bark an astringent property. So that while we admit that the essential tonic operation of the barks depends on the alkalis which they contain, yet the latter are not always equally efficacious. In some cases, however, they are of great advantage, since they enable us to obtain, in a small volume, the tonic operation of a large quantity of bark. Uses.—From the preceding account of the physiological effects of cinchona, some of the indications and contra-indications for its use may be readily in- ferred. Thus its topical employment is obviously indicated in cases of local relaxation, with or without excessive secretion ; also in poisoning by those agents whose compounds with tannic acid are difficultly soluble, and, therefore, not readily absorbed. But as a topical remedy, or astringent, cinchona is greatly inferior to many other agents which contain a much larger quantity of tannic acid. The contra-indications for the local use of cinchona, are, states of irritation (nervous or vascular), and of inflammation. In these conditions it augments the morbid symptoms. The indications for its use, as a general or constitutional remedy, are, debi- lity with atony and laxity of the solids, and profuse discharges from the secreting organs. 1 have observed that it proves less successful, and often quite fails, when the complexion is chlorotic or anaemic, in such, chalybeates often succeed where cinchona is useless or injurious. As contra-indications for its employ- ment, may be enumerated acute inflammation, inflammatory fever, plethora, active hemorrhages, inflammatory dropsies, &c. To these may be added, an extremely debilitated condition of the digestive and assimilative organs. Thus, patients recovering from protracted fever are at first unable to support the use of bark, which acts as an irritant to the stomach, and causes an increase of the febrile symptoms. In such I have found infusion of calumba a good preparative for cinchona. Hitherto I have referred to those indications only which have an obvious re- lation to the known physiological effects of cinchona. But the diseases in which this remedy manifests the greatest therapeutic power, are those which assume an intermittent or periodical type. Now in such the methodus medendi is quite inexplicable; and, therefore, the remedy has been called a specific, an anti- periodic, and a febrifuge. But the more intimately we become acquainted with the pathology of disease, and the operation of medicines, the less evidence have we of the specific influence of particular medicines over particular maladies. Some diseases, however, are exceedingly obscure ; their seat or nature, and the condition of system under which they occur, or the cause of their occurrence, being little known. There are also many medicines, the precise action of which is imperfectly understood, but which evidently exercise a most important, though i For further details respecting the effects of the salts of quina, consult Merat and De Lens, Diet, de Mat. Med. t. v. 597; and Dierbach, JVeuwt. Entd. d. Mat. Med. Bd. i. 8. 238. CINCHONA. 439 to us quite inexplicable, influence over the system. Now it sometimes happens, that imperfectly-known diseases are most remarkably influenced by remedies, the agency of which we cannot comprehend : in other words, we can trace no known relation between the physiological effects of the remedy and its thera- peutical influence. This incomprehensible relationship exists between arsenic and lepra ; between the cinchona bark and ague. But though this connexion is to us mysterious (for I do not admit the various hypotheses which have been formed to account for it), we are not to conclude that it is necessarily more in- timate than that which exists in ordinary cases. 1. In Periodical or Intermittent Diseases.—The system is subject to several diseases, which assume a. periodical form ; that is, they disappear and return at regular intervals. When the patient appears to be quite well during the inter- val (i. c. when the intermission is perfect and regular) the disease is called an intermittent; whereas it is called remittent when the second paroxysm makea its appearance before the first has wholly subsided (*. e. when the disease pre- sents exacerbations and remissions, but no intermissions). The pathology of these affections is involved in great obscurity, and the cause or causes of their periodicity are completely unknown. Various circumstances, however, induce us to regard intermittent maladies as morbid affections of the nervous system; for the phenomena, both healthy and morbid, of periodicity, seem to be essen- tially nervous. (See some remarks on periodic movements in Miiller's Elem. of Phys. by Baly, vol. i. p. 924.) One of the most curious circumstances connected with the history of these diseases is the facility with which they are sometimes cured. It is well known that sudden and powerful impressions, both mental and corporeal (as those caused by terror, alcohol, opium, cinchona, arsenious acid, &c), made during the in- termission, will sometimes prevent the return of the succeeding paroxysm; and occasionally from that time all morbid phenomena disappear. In remittent dis- eases, on the other hand, the same impressions are much less frequently suc- cessful, and sometimes, instead of palliating, exasperate the symptoms. The agents which are capable, under certain circumstances, of making these curative impressions, are apparently so dissimilar in their nature and physiological action, that we can trace in their methodus medendi scarcely any thing in common, save that of making a powerful impression on the nervous system. Of these anti- periodic agents cinchona and arsenious acid stand pre-eminent for their greater frequency of success, and, therefore, are those usually resorted to. I have already (vol. i. p. 538) made some remarks on their relative therapeutical value. They differ in two particulars ; first, cinchona may be given, as an antiperiodic, in any quantity which the stomach can bear ; whereas arsenious acid must be ex- hibited in cautiously-regulated doses; secondly, there are two modes of attempt- ing the cure of an intermittent by cinchona;—one is, to put an immediate stop to the disease by the use of very large doses of the remedy given a few hours prior to the recurrence of the paroxysm,—the other is to gradually extinguish the disease by exhibition of moderate doses at short intervals during the whole period of the intermission, so that the violence of every succeeding paroxysm is somewhat less than that of the preceding one ;—but in the case of arsenious acid the latter method is alone safe, and, therefore, to be adopted. It has been asserted that cinchona is admissible in the interval only of an in- termittent fever; and that if it be exhibited during the paroxysm it has a ten- dency to prevent the subsidence of the latter. But this statement is much over- charged. Morton (Pyretologia,) and others have given it in almost every stao-e without injury. Dr. Heberden (Comment, art. Feb. Interm.) observes, " the only harm which I believe would follow from taking the bark even in the middle of the fit is, that it might occasion a sickness, and might harass the patient by being vomited up, and might set him against it." It is, however, more effica- cious during the interval, though it may not be absolutely hurtful in the pa- 440 ELEMENTS Of MATERIA MEDICA. roxysm. Dr. Cullen (Mat. Med. ii. 96,) was strongly of opinion that the nearer the exhibition of the cinchona is to the time of accession, the more certainly effectual will it be. I have already stated that arsenious acid may be given with good effect during the whole period (paroxysm and intermission) of the disease. A very necessary condition to its perfect success is that it sit well on the sto- mach; for if it occasion vomiting or purging it is much less likely to act bene- ficially. Hence an emetic and a purgative are recommended to precede its em- ployment. The use of these is more especially necessary if the disease be re- cent. For an adult, about 15 grains of ipecacuanha, with a grain of tartarized antimony, may be exhibited as an emetic, unless there be symptoms of determi- nation to the brain, or of inflammation of the digestive organs. A senna draught, with a calomel pill, forms a good purgative. To enable it to sit well on the stomach, cinchona (or the sulphate of quina) is frequently given in conjunction with aromatics. The infusion or decoction of cinchona, though much less ef- fective, are, however, less liable to disturb the stomach than the powder of cin- chona or the sulphate of quina. Opium is sometimes a necessary adjunct to cinchona to prevent its running off by the bowels. In some cases where the stomach was too irritable to admit of the administration of cinchona or sulphate of quina by the mouth, these agents have been otherwise introduced into the system. Thus clysters of cinchona were used by Helvetius, Torti, and Baglivi. (Murray, App. Med. i. 871.) Van Swieten (Commentaries, vii. 277) says he has often seen this method successful in young children; but that it takes three times as much bark as would suffice if the remedy were swallowed. Cataplasms of cinchona have also been employed. Rosenstein applied them to the abdo- men; Torti to the wrist. (Murray, op. cit. 872.) Alexander (Exper. Essays, 38) cured an ague by a pediluvium of decoction of cinchona ; but Heberden (Comment.) tried it without success. Bark jackets were employed with suc- cess in the agues of children by Dr. Pye. (Med. Obs. and Inq. ii. 245.) They consisted of waistcoats between whose layers powdered cinchona was quilted. The dry powder of cinchona has been applied to the skin : thus Dr. Darwin strewed it in the patient's bed. Chrestien (De la Methode latralept. 232 and 270) successfully used the tincture and alcoholic extract by the iatraleptic me- thod (vol. i. p. 156). More recently sulphate of quina has been employed in the same way. The last mentioned operation has also been applied by the endermic method (Archiv. Gen. de Med, 1826; Revue Med. 1827): but this mode of using it is sometimes attended with intense pain and eschar. (Trousseau and Pidoux, Traite de Therap. ii. 219.) To infants at the breast, Rosenstein ad- vises its indirect exhibition by the nurse, in whose milk its active principle is administered to the child. (Ibid. 231.) More recently sulphate of quina mixed with tobacco (in the proportion of 15 grs. of the former to an ounce of the latter) has been employed as a snuff \n intermittent headache. Cinchona and its preparations prove most successful in the simple or uncom- plicated form of intermittents; that is, where the disease appears to be purely nervous. But when agues are accompanied with inflammatory excitement or with visceral diseases, cinchona generally proves either useless or injurious. In remittents it proves much less successful than in regularly-formed intermit- tents. In all these cases we endeavour to promote the efficiency of the cinchona by reducing the disease to the form of a pure or simple intermittent. The means to effect this must of course depend on a variety of circumstances; but blood- letting, both general and local, purgatives, and diaphoretics, are those which for the most part will be found available. Under some circumstances mercury given in alterative doses, or even as a very slight sialogogue, proves beneficial. Intermittent fevers are not the only periodical diseases in which cinchona has been found beneficial. It is a remedy which has proved serviceable in several other cases in which a paroxysm (of pain, spasm, inflammation, hemorrhage, CINCHONA. 441 or fever) returns at stated periods. Thus intermittent neuralgia, rheumatism, headache, amaurosis, catarrh, ophthalmia, stricture, &c, have been greatly benefitted by its use. Some of these affections have been regarded as masked agues. When periodical diseases recur at uncertain periods, as in the case of epilepsy, no particular advantage can be expected from the use of cinchona. 2. In Continued Fever.—In the latter stage of continued fever, when the vital powers are beginning to sink, and when there is no marked and decided symptom of inflammatory disease of the brain or digestive organs, cinchona or sulphate of quina sometimes proves highly beneficial. If the tongue be dry, as well as furred, and the skin hot and dry, no advantage, but the reverse, can be anticipated from its employment. It is most applicable to the low forms of fever occurring in debilitated constitutions. When exacerbations or remissions, how- ever indistinct, occur at regular periods, the administration of cinchona is the more likely to be followed by good effects. Under the preceding circumstances there can scarcely be two opinions as to the admissibility of bark. But on the general propriety of administering this remedy in continued fever, considerable difference of opinion has prevailed. (Clutterbucki On the Seat and Nature of Fever, 399, 2d edit., 1825.) Dr. Heberden (Comment.) cautiously observes, " I am not so sure of its being useful as I am of its being innocent." In order to avoid offending the stomach, it is frequently advisable to begin with the infu- sion, for which, afterwards, first the decoction, then the sulphate of quina, may be substituted. In the stage of convalescence, the use of cinchona or sulphate of quina may often be advantageously preceded by infusion of calumba: without this precaution, irritation of stomach or febrile symptoms are readily set up. 3. In inflammatory diseases.—As a general rule, stimulants and tonics, as cinchona, are improper in inflammatory diseases. Yet to this statement, which applies principally to the first stage, to acute and active cases, and to the dis- ease when it occurs in strong and vigorous habits, many exceptions exist. Thus when it takes place in old and debilitated constitutions ; when it is of a mild or atonic character, and has existed for some time without giving rise to any ob- vious organic changes ; when it assumes an intermittent or even remittent form ; or when it is of a certain quality, which experience has shown to be less benefited by ordinary antiphlogistic measures, cinchona is sometimes admissible and advantageous after evacuations have been made proportioned to the activity of the disease and the vigour of the system. In scrofulous inflammation (as of the eye) its value is fully appreciated. In rheumatism, in which disease Mor- ton, Fothergill, Saunders, and Haygarth, have so strongly recommended it, its use is now obsolete, except under circumstances similar to those which regulate its employment in ordinary inflammation. The same remarks apply to its em- ployment in erysipelatous inflammation, in which it was at one time much esteemed. 4. In maladies characterised by atony and debility.—Cinchona is useful in a great variety of diseases dependent on, or attended by, a deficiency of tone or strength, as indicated by a soft and lax condition of the solids, weak pulse, in- capability of great exertion, impaired appetite, and dyspeptic symptoms. Thus, in chronic atonic affections of the alimentary canal, it proves very serviceable, especially in some forms of dyspepsia and anorexia. In these it should be given half an hour, or an hour, before meal-times. In some chronic maladies of the nervous system, as chorea, when it occurs in delicate girls ; also in the neuralgia of weakly subjects. Disulphate of quina has been used by Dr. Bright (Guy's Hospital Reports, vol. i.) in tetanus. In mortification, it is useful in those cases in which tor;cs and astringents are obviously indicated; but it has no specific power of checking the disease, as was formerly supposed. In passive hemor- rhages, from relaxation of vessels, as in some cases of profuse menstruation, or uterine hemorrhage consequent on miscarriage. In profuse mucous discharges with great debility, as in leucorrhcea, excessive bronchial secretion, old diar- vol. ii. 56 442 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. rhoeas, &c. In cachectic diseases, as enlargements and indurations of the ab- sorbent glands, of a scrofulous nature, strumous ophthalmia, obstinate ulcers, &c. (See Dr. J. Fordyce, Med. Obs. and Inq. i. 184.) Also in venereal dis- eases, when the secondary symptoms occur in shattered and broken-down con- stitutions, and after the full use of mercury. Likewise in some of the chronic skin diseases, which are seen in cachectic habits. 5. In the convalescence of either acute or chronic lingering diseases, as fever, inflammation, hemorrhage, profuse suppuration, &c ; also after important sur- gical operations, when the strength is greatly reduced. In no class of cases is the efficacy of cinchona or its alkaloids more manifest than in these. 6. As a topical astringent and antiseptic.—The efficacy of cinchona as an astringent and antiseptic depends on tannic acid. But as many vegetable sub- stances exceed cinchona in the quantity of this acid which they contain, so they surpass it in astringency. Hence the topical uses of bark are comparatively un- important ; and, for the most part, are nearly obsolete. Powdered cinchona is frequently employed as a tooth powder. Formerly it was used as an applica- tion to mortified parts, foul ulcers, caries, &c. The decoction, with or without hydrochloric acid, is applied as a gargle in putrid sore throat. 7. As a chemical antidote.—The value of cinchona bark, as a chemical anti- dote, depends on its tannic acid. I have already offered some observations on its employment in poisoning by emetic tartar. I believe, in all cases it might be advantageously replaced by. other and more powerful astringents; as nut- galls, or, on an emergency, green tea. Administration.—In the form of powder, cinchona is now rarely adminis- tered. The bulk of a full dose, its disagreeable taste, its tendency to cause nausea and vomiting, and the quantity of inert woody fibre which it contains, form great objections to its employment. Yet of its great efficacy, as a febrifuge or antiperiodic, in intermittents, and of its superiority in these cases, to the de- coction or infusion, no doubt can exist; but sulphate of quina has almost entirely superseded it. Its dose is from a scruple to a drachm, or even more than this, when the stomach can bear it. 1. INFUSUM CINCHONM, L. E. D. (U. S.); Infusion of Pale [Loxa] Bark.— (Lance-leaved Cinchona [any species of Cinchona, according to prescription, E.~]; bruised [in powder, E., in fine powder, D.~\, ^j.; Boiling [Distilled, L. Cold, D.] Water, Oj. [f gxij. D.~\ :—Macerate for six (four, E.) hours in a vessel lightly covered, and strain [through linen or calico, E.~\—The directions of the Dublin College are as follows : Triturate the bark with a little of the water, and during the trituration pour on the rest; macerate for 24 hours, shaking it from time to time, then pour off the clear liquor.)—[The U. S. P. directs Peruvian Bark, bruised, an ounce ; boiling water a pint. Macerate for two hours and strain, or prepare by displacement. The kind of bark is left to the dis- cretion of the physician.]—Water extracts from cinchona bark the kinates of quina, cinchonia, and lime, gum, soluble red cinchonic (tannin) and yellow colouring matter. The greater part of the cinchona alkaloids remains in the marc, as a very small quantity only of the compound of red cinchonic and the cinchona alkaloids is extracted.—The infusion of cinchona is stomachic and tonic, but is scarcely energetic enough to-ber febrifuge. It is a light preparation, applicable as a tonic, where the stomach is very delicate, and cannot support trie more active preparations of this medicine.—The dose is f3j. to f 3ij. thrice a day. [2. INFUSUM CINCHONA COMPOSITUM, U. S. Prepared with an ounce of Pe- ruvian Bark, a fluidrachm of aromatic sulphuric acid, and a pint of water. Maceration to be practised for 12 hours before straining. It is a stronger pre- paration than the preceding, as the alkaloids are converted into soluble sul- phates.—J. C] %, DECOCTUM CINCHONA, E.; Decoction of Bark—(Crown, Gray, Yellow, or CINCHONA. 443 Red Cinchona, 3j. bruised ; Water, fgxxiv. Mix them, boil for ten minutes, let the decoction cool, then filter it, and evaporate to sixteen fluidounces.) «. Decoctum CinchontE cordifoliffi, L.; Decoction of Yellow [Calisaya] Bark— (Heart-leaved Cinchona, bruised, 3x.; Distilled Water, Oj. Boil for ten minutes in a lightly-covered vessel, and strain the liquor while hot.) /3. Decoctum Ciliclionae lailCifoliae, L.; Decoctum Cinchonce, D.;; Decoction of Pale [Loxa] Bark.—Lance-leaved Cinchona, bruised, 3x. [3j. D.]; Distilled Water, Oj. [a sufficient quantity to afford a pint wine measure after strain- ing, D.] y. Decoctum CinchontC oblongifoliffi, L.; Decoction of Red Bark.—(k% the Decoctum Cinchona? cordifolia?, but using Oblong-leaved Cinchona.) [Decoctum Cinchona, U. S.—Peruvian Bark, an ounce; Water, a pint. Boil for ten minutes in a covered vessel, and strain the liquor while hot.—J. C] By boiling, water extracts from cinchona the kinates of quina, cinchonia, and lime, gum, soluble red cinchonic (tannin), yellow colouring matter, starch, and a portion of the compound of the red cinchonic with the cinchona alkaloids. While hot, the liquor is transparent; but, as it cools, it becomes turbid, owing partly to the deposition of the tannate of starch when the temperature falls below 88° F.; and partly because the red cinchonic compound being more soluble in hot than in cold water, is deposited on cooling. Of 146 parts of the deposit from decoction of yellow (Calisaya) bark, Soubeiran (Traite de Pharm. i. 607) found 60 parts (principally tannate of starch) were insoluble in alcohol, and the remaining 86 parts were readily soluble in alcohol, and yielded the cinchona alkaloids. The same author also found that by decoction, yellow (Calisaya) bark lost two-thirds of its weight; whereas, by infusion, it merely lost one-third of its weight. If the water employed in preparing the decoction or infusion be acidulated (with sulphuric or hydrochloric acid) the medicinal value of the pre- paration is greatly increased; for the acid decomposes the insoluble red cinchonic salt, and forms, with the cinchona alkaloids, a soluble combination. Alkaline solutions, on the other hand, yield less powerful, though highly coloured, pre- parations : they readily dissolve the red cinchonic and the acids, but they render the alkaloids insoluble. Decoction of cinchona is stomachic, tonic, and febri- fuge.—The dose is f3j. to fjij. 4. TINCTURA CINCHONA, L. E. D. (U. S.); Tincture of Bark.—(Heart-leaved [Yellow, or any other species, according to prescription, E., Lance-leaved, D.] Cinchona, bruised [in fine powder, E., coarsely powdered, D.], gviij. [3iv. E. D.]; Proof Spirit, Oij. [wine measure, D.; Oj. E.] Macerate for fourteen [seven, D.] days, and strain. The directions of the Edinburgh College are as follows:—" Percolate the bark with the spirit, the bark being previously moist- ened with a very little spirit, left thus for ten or twelve hours, and then firmly packed in the cylinder. This tincture may also be prepared, though much less expeditiously, and with much greater loss, by the usual process of digestion, the bark being in that case reduced to coarse powder only.")—[The U. S. P. directs Peruvian Bark, in powder, six ounces; Diluted Alcohol, two pints. Macerate for fourteen days, or displace.]—Spirit extracts all the bitter and astringent principles of cinchona; both the kinates of the cinchona alkaloids, as well as the combination of these substances with the red cinchonic. If the spirit be too concentrated, the kinates are less readily dissolved by it. Tincture of cinchona is stomachic, tonic and stimulant—The dose of it is f3j. to f3iij. It is usually employed as an adjuvant to the infusion or decoction of cinchona, or to the solution of the disulphate of quina. J. TINCTURA CINCHOM COMPOSITA, L. E. D. (U. S.); Compound Tincture of Bark.—(Lance-leaved Cinchona [Yellow Bark, E.}, bruised [coarsely powdered, D E.; fine, if percolation be followed, E.], 8iv. [3ij. E. D.]; Orange Peel { ■ ?? fc n'n kTBr u'] 3VJ,J3,SS'.f- 3ss' D-V> Serpentary, bruised, 3vj. [3iy. E. D.]; Saffron [chopped, E.], 3ij. [3j. E. D.]; Cochineal, powdered 444 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. 3j. [9ij. E. D.]; Proof Spirit, Oij. [Oj. and ftiij. E., f3xx. D.] Digest for fourteen days, and strain. " Digest for seven days; strain and express strongly ; filter the liquors. This tincture may also be conveniently prepared by the method of percolation, in the same way as the compound tincture of cardamom," E.)—[The proportions of the U. S. P. are, Peruvian Bark, in powder, 3ij.; Orange Peel, bruised, 3iss. ; Virginia Snake Root, bruised, 3iij-; Saffron, cut, Red Saunders, rasped, aa 3i.; Diluted Alcohol, 3xx. Macerate for fourteen days, and filter, or proceed by displacement.]—This is usually sold as Huxam's Tincture of Bark. It is a more agreeable and more stimulant, though less powerful, tonic than the simple tincture, and is less apt to disturb the stomach. Made according to the London Pharmacopceia, it contains one-half less cinchona than the simple tincture. It is employed as a tonic and stomachic.—The dose of it is f3j. to f3iij. 6. EXTRACTUM CINCHONA, .E.; Extract of Bark.—(Take any of the varieties of Cinchona, but especially the Yellow or Red Cinchona, in fine powder, 3iv.; Proof Spirit, fgxxiv. Percolate the cinchona with the spirit; distil off the greater part of the spirit; and evaporate what remains in an open vessel over the vapour- bath to a due consistence.) a. Extractum Cinchona cordifolia, L.; Extract of Yellow [Calisaya] Bark.— (Heart-leaved Cinchona, bruised, 3*v.; Distilled Water, Cong. iv. Boil down in a gallon of the water to six pints, and strain the liquor while hot. In the same manner boil down the bark in an equal measure of water four times, and strain. Lastly, all the liquors being mixed, evaporate to a proper consistence.) /3. Extractum Cinchona lancifolia, L.; Extractum Cinchonce, D.; Extract of Pale [Loxa] Bark.—(Prepared as the preceding, using Lance-leaved Cinchona, L.—Pale Bark, coarsely powdered, lb. j.; Water, Ovj. Boil for a quarter of an hour, in a vessel almost covered; then having filtered the liquor while yet hot, and laid it aside, boil the bark again in an equal quantity of water, and filler again in the same manner: proceed in the same way a third time, and then mixing all the liquors, reduce them by evaporation to a proper consistence, D.) 7. Extractum Cinchona oblongifolia, L.; Extract of Red Bark.—(Prepared as the preceding, using Oblong-leaved Cinchona.) The watery extract of cinchona (extractum cinchonce, L. D.) contains the same constituents already mentioned (p. 443) as being found in decoction of bark. Mr. Brande (Diet, de Pharm. 179) says, lance-leaved [i. e. pale] bark yields 30 per cent, of watery extract. The active principles of this preparation are the kinates of the cinchona alkaloids. The spirituous extract (extractum cinchonce, E.) is a more efficacious preparation, as it contains, besides the alka- line kinates, the compound of the red cinchonic with the cinchona alkaloids. When prepared with rectified spirit, 24 per cent, of extract is obtained from lance-leaved [i. e. pale] bark. But as the Edinburgh College direct proof spirit to be employed, the produce is larger.—Well-prepared (i.e. not decomposed by evaporation) extract is a very useful preparation, which, however, has been nearly superseded by sulphate of quina. It is given in the form of pill, in doses of from gr. v. to gr. xx. Or the watery extract may be dissolved in water, or in infusion of roses, or, for administration to children, in syrup of mulberries or of orange-peel. [The Extractum Cinchonce, U. S., is thus prepared :—Take of Peruvian Bark, in coarse powder, a pound; Alcohol, four pints ; Water, a sufficient quantity. Macerate the Peruvian Bark with the Alcohol for four days; then filter by means of an apparatus for displacement, and when the liquid ceSses to pass, pour gradually upon the bark sufficient water to keep its surface covered. When the filtered tincture measures four pints, set it aside, and proceed with the filtration until six pints of infusion are obtained. Distil off the alcohol from the tincture and evaporate the infusion, till the liquids respectively are brought to the consistence of thin honey ; then mix them and evaporate so as to form CINCHONA. 445 an extract. The remarks applicable to the extract of the Ed. Col. are appli- cable to this.] 7. QUIN^i DISULPHAS, L. E.; Sulphate of Quinine, offic.; Subsulphate of Quina. (Quinisc Sulphas, U. S.)—The directions of the London College for the preparation of this salt are as follows : Take of Heart-leaved Cinchona, bruised, lb. vij.; Sulphuric Acid, 3ix.; Purified Animal Charcoal, 3ij. ; Hydrated Oxide of Lead; Solution of Ammonia; Distilled Water, each as much as may be sufficient. Mix four ounces and two drachms of the Sulphuric Acid with six gallons of distilled Water, and add the Cinchona to them ; boil for an hour, and strain. In the same manner again boil what remains in Acid and Water, mixed in the same proportions, for an hour, and again strain. Finally, boil the Cinchona in eight gallons of distilled water and strain. Wash what remains frequently with boiling distilled water. To the mixed liquors add Oxide of Lead, while moist, nearly to saturation. Pour off the supernatant liquor, and wash what is thrown down with distilled water. Boil down the liquors for a quarter of an hour, and strain; then gradually add Solution of Ammonia to precipitate the Quina. Wash this until nothing alkaline is perceptible. Let what remains be saturated with the rest of the Sulphuric Acid, diluted. Afterwards digest with two ounces of Animal Charcoal, and strain. Lastly, the Charcoal being thoroughly washed, evaporate the liquor cautiously, that crystals may be produced. Mr. Phillips ( Transl. of the Pharm.) gives the following explanation of this process. " The quina exists in combination with a peculiar acid, called Kinic Acid, forming with it Kinate of Quina, which is soluble to a certain extent in water, and is rendered more so by the sulphuric acid employed in the process, and perhaps by decomposing it. Whatever may be the state of combination, the solution contains sulphuric acid, kinic acid, and quina, mixed with extrac- tive and colouring matter, the latter being got rid of by the animal charcoal. On adding oxide of lead the sulphuric acid combines with it, and the resulting sulphate being insoluble is precipitated, while the kinic acid and quina remain in solution ; when ammonia is added, after the separation of the sulphate of lead, the kinic acid unites with it, and the kinate of ammonia formed is soluble, while the quina is precipitated, and this, when afterwards combined with sul- phuric acid, forms disulphate of quina, which crystallizes." The directions of the Edinburgh College for the preparation of disulphate of quina are as follows : Take of Yellow Bark, in coarse powder, one pound; Carbonate of Soda, eight ounces; sulphuric acid, half a fluidounce; Purified Animal Charcoal, two drachms. Boil the bark for an hour in four pints of water, in which half the carbonate of soda has been dissolved; strain and express strongly through linen or calico; moisten the residuum with water, and express again, and repeat this twice. Boil the residuum for half an hour with four pints of water and half the sulphuric acid ; strain, express strongly, moisten with water, and express again. Boil the residuum with three pints of water and a fourth part of the acid; strain and squeeze as before. Boil again the residuum with the same quantity of water and acid ; strain and squeeze as formerly. Concentrate the whole acid liquors to about a pint; let the product cool; filter it, and dissolve in it the remainder of the carbonate of soda. Collect the impure quina on a cloth, wash it slightly, and squeeze out the liquor with the hand. Break down the moist precipitate in a pint of distilled water; add nearly one fluidscruple of sulphuric acid, heat it to 212°, and stir occasionally. Should any precipitate retain its gray colour, and the liquid be neutral, add sulphuric acid, drop by drop, stirring constantly, till the gray colour disappears. Should the liquid redden litmus, neutralize it with a little carbonate of soda. Should crystals form on the surface, add boiling distilled water to dissolve them. Filter through paper, preserving the funnel hot; set the liquid aside to crystallize; collect and squeeze the crystals; dissolve them in a pint of distilled water heated to 212°; digest the solu- tion for fifteen minutes with the animal charcoal; filter, and crystallize as before. Dry the crystals with a heat not exceeding 140°. The mother.liquors of each crystallization will yield a little more salt by concentration and cooling. The object of this process is to extract, by means of the solution of carbonate of soda, the acids, the colouring and extractive matters, the gum, &c. from the bark, but leaving the cinchona alkaloids. Stoltze used for this purpose lime ; Badollier and Scharlau caustic potash (see p. 433). The alkaline decoction has a very deep colour. By boiling the residuum in water acidulated with suL 446 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. phuric acid, the alkaloids are dissolved. On the addition of carbonate of soda, double decomposition takes place, and the impure quina is precipitated. This is afterwards dissolved in water acidulated with sulphuric acid, and the filtered liquid is set aside to crystallize. The impure disulphate of quina thus obtained is redissolved in boiling water, and the solution, after being decolorized by digestion with animal charcoal, is filtered, and put aside to crystallize. I have repeated this process, which has the great merit of obviating the use of alcohol, and I believe it to be an excellent one, combining both simplicity and economy. In one experiment I employed one lb. of picked uncoated yel- low (Calisaya) bark, and found that the precipitated impure quina required two fluidscruples and five minims of sulphuric acid to saturate it, instead of one fluidscruple, directed by the Edinburgh College. In another experiment I could not get the impure sulphate of quina to crystallize until it had been digested with animal charcoal. The method of manufacturing disulphate of quina, which has been usually followed by manufacturers in this country, is as follows: Coarsely pulverized yellow (Calisaya) bark is boiled with water acidulated with sul- phuric or hydrochloric acid. The residuum boiled a second or a third time with acidulated water. Some repeat the process a fourth time. Finely-powdered slacked lime is added to the filtered decoction (when cold), until the liquor is sensibly alkaline, and acquires a dark colour. The precipitate is* collected, drained on a cloth, and then submitted to graduated pressure (usually in a hydraulic press). The cake thus obtained is, when dry, reduced to powder, and digested in rectified spirit. The filtered tincture is distilled until the residuum (impure quina) in the retort has a brown viscid appearance. This residuum is then to be carefully saturated with very diluted sulphuric acid, the solution filtered, and set aside to crystallize. The disul- phate of quina thus obtained is yellowish-brown. It is drained in a cloth, compressed, dis- solved in water, decolorized by animal charcoal, recrystallized, and dried. This last part of the process must be very carefully conducted, to avoid efflorescence. Some persons think it preferable to convert the quina of this alcoholic solution into a sul- phate before distillation, in order to separate the fatty matter. I am informed, by a maker of this salt, that the use of spirit in the process does not, on the large scale, add much more than a penny an ounce to the cost of the disulphate, as the greater part is recovered. On the large scale the decoction of the bark is usually prepared in a large vat, the boiling being effected by the steam. The acidulated decoction contains the quina, the cinchonia, the yellow colouring matter, the red cinchonic, the kinic, and the sulphuric (or hydrochloric) acids. The lime saturates all the acids, and forms soluble salts, (if sulphuric acid have been employed, sulphate of lime is formed, the greater part of which precipitates), which remain in the liquid with a portion of red colouring matter. The precipitate is composed of quina, cinchonia, a combination of lime and red cinchonic, fatty matter, excess of lime, and, when sulphuric acid has been employed, sulphate of lime: the whole is contaminated with colouring matter. Alcohol extracts from this pre- cipitate the quina and cinchonia, the fatty matter, and the colouring matter; leaving undissolved the excess of lime, the compound of lime with the red cin- chonic, and when sulphuric acid has been used, sulphate of lime. The sul- phuric acid being added then to the impure quina, converts it into a disulphate. On account of the expense of spirit of wine, various substitutes have been proposed. Pyroxilic spirit has been tried, but I believe has not answered. Pelle- tier has taken out a patent for the employment of a volatile oil (oil of turpen- tine). The dried cake of quina and lime, obtained in the usual manner, is to be digested in oil of turpentine, which dissolves the quina. The oleaginous solution is then to be agitated with water acidulated with sulphuric acid, by which a sulphate of quina is obtained. By repose, the oil rises to the top, and after removal may be employed again, while the solution of the sulphate is to be evaporated as usual. Hitherto, however, this process has not succeeded, partly because the turpentine does not extract more than nineteen-twentieths of the quina present. If any attempts, however, should be made to procure the CINCHONA. 447 disulphate in America, it is possible that some modification of this process would be the best. Disulphate of quina occurs in small, fibrous, odourless, very bitter crystals, which have a pearly aspect, and a flexibility like amianthus. Exposed to the air, they effloresce slightly. When heated they become luminous ; friction promotes this phosphorescence. At 240° F. they melt like wax ; at a more elevated temperature the salt assumes a fine red colour; and when ignited in the air burns, leaving at first a carbonaceous residuum, but which is subse- quently dissipated. One part of this salt requires 80 parts of cold alcohol (sp. gr. 0-850) or 740 parts of cold, or 30 parts of boiling, water to dissolve it: as the saturated solution cools, part of the salt separates. A remarkable property of this salt is to give a blue tinge to water. The following is the composition • of this salt: Atoms. Eq. Wt. Per Cent. Sulphuric acid....................... 1 ............... 40 .................... 917 Quina............................... 2 ................ 324 .................... 7431 Water.............................. 8 ................ 72 .................... 1652 Crystallized Disulphate of auina..... 1 ................ 436 .................... 100 00 By exposure to the air the crystals lose four (Soubeiran says six) equivalents of water, equal to about eight per cent. When fused they evolve two more equivalents, One hundred grains of the crystals dissolved in water, acidulated with hydrochloric acid, yield by the addition of chloride of barium a quantity of sulphate of baryta, which when ignited weighs 26«6 grs. If chlorine gas or a solution of chlorine be added to an aqueous solution of the salt, and after- wards ammonia, an emerald-green colour is produced.1 Adulteration.—Various foreign bodies (as earthy and alkaline salts, gum, sugar, starch, fatty matters, sulphate of cinchonia, and salicin) are, it is said, occasionally intermixed with disulphate of quina. The following are the tests by which the presence of these bodies is ascertained :—By digesting disulphate of quina in alcohol this salt is dissolved, leaving any alkaline or earthy sul- phates, gum, or starch, that may be present. Gum is soluble in cold water; starch is coloured blue by a solution of iodine. When heated in the open air the disulphate of quina is burned and dissipated: the earthy salts, on the other hand, are left. The disulphate is soluble in water acidulated with sulphuric acid, whereas fatty matters are insoluble. To detect sugar, add to a solution of the disulphate carbonate of potash : quina precipitates, while sulphate of pot- ash and sugar are left in solution : the latter may be detected by its sweet taste, or by evaporating the liquid to dryness, and digesting the residue with spirit, which dissolves the sugar, but leaves the sulphate. Ammoniacal salts are de- tected by the ammoniacal odour emitted on the addition of caustic potash. Salicin may be recognised by oil of vitriol, which turns it red (see p. 187).. Sulphate of cinchonia may be made to crystallize, in a pulverulent form, by stirring the solution, and in this state it may be readily intermixed with disul- phate of quina. This fraud, I suspect, has been recently carried on to no very slight extent. To detect it, precipitate a solution of the suspected salt in water by potash; collect the precipitate, and boil it in alcohol. The cinchonia crys- tallizes as the liquor cools, while the quina remains in the mother-liquor. The characteristic marks of the purity of disulphate of quina are, according to the London College, as follows : "Totally dissolved in water, especially when mixed with an acid. Quina is thrown down by ammonia, the liquor being evaporated; what remains ought not to taste of sugar. One hundred parts of disulphate of quina lose eight or ten parts of water with a gentle heat. It is totally consumed by fire. Chlorine first added to it, and afterwards ammonia, it becomes green." 1 Mncson (by mistake printed Roper) in the Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. xi. pp. 320 and 362; also in the Phil. Mag. Feb. 1835; Andre, Journ. de Pharm. xxii. 127. 448 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. The characters given by the Edinburgh College are as follows: "A solution of ten grains in a fluidounce of distilled water, and two or three drops of sul- phuric acid, if decomposed by a solution of half an ounce of carbonate of soda, in two waters, « and heated till the precipitate shrinks and fuses, yields, on cooling, a solid mass, which, when dry, weighs 7-4 grains, and in powder dissolves entirely in solution of oxalic acid." The quantity of carbonate of soda required to decompose 10 grs. of disulphate of quina, to which a few drops (say six grains) of sulphuric acid have been added, is less than twenty-five grains. (Mr. R. Phillips, Lond. Med. Gaz. Aug. 17, 1839.) Disulphate of quina is given in doses of from gr. j. to grs. v. Occasionally it is exhibited in much larger doses as a febrifuge; but it is very apt to disagree, causing disturbance of stomach, febrile disorders, and headache. I have known fourteen grains taken, and have heard of a scruple or half a drachm being ex- hibited at a dose. It may be given either in the form of a pill, made with con- serve of roses, or dissolved in some aqueous liquid by the aid of an acid. Infu- sion of roses is a favourite vehicle for it. An ointment (composed of 3j. of disulphate of quina and 3ij. of lard) rubbed into the axilla has been used with success to cure ague in children. (Lond. Med. Gaz. April 3, 1840.) 2. CEPHAE'LIS IPECACUANHA, Richard, L. E. D.—THE IPECACUANHA CEPHAELIS. Callicocca Ipecacuanha, Brotero. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Radix, L. D— Root, E.) (Ipecacuanha, IT. S.) History.—Ipecacuanha is first mentioned by Michael Tristram, (Purchas, Pilgrimes, vol. iv. fol. 1311,) who calls it lgpecaya or Pigaya. In 1684 it was described and figured by Piso. (Hist. Nat. Brazil. 101.) In 1686 it was celebrated in Paris as a remedy for dysentery. It appears that Jean-Adrian Helvetius (then a young man) attended with Afforty, a member of the faculty, a merchant, named Grenier, or Gamier, who, when he recovered from his illness, gave to his physician, as a testimony of his gratitude, some of this root, as a valuable remedy for dysentery. Afforty attached very little importance to it, but gave it to his pupil, Helvetius, who tried it, and thought he had found in it a specific against dysentery. Numerous placards were placed about the streets of Paris, announcing to the public the virtues of the new medicine, which Hel- vetius sold without discovering its nature. Luckily for him, some of the gen- tlemen of the court, and even the Dauphin, the son of the king (Louis XIV.) were at this time afflicted with dysentery. Being informed by his minister Colbert of the secret possessed by Helvetius, the king deputed his physician Aquin and his confessor Le P. de Chaise to arrange with Helvetius for the pub- lication of the remedy. 1000 Louis-d'or was the price which was paid, after some trials had been made with it at the Hotel-Dieu, and which were crowned with the most brilliant success. Gamier now put in his claim for a part of the reward, saying that he, properly speaking, was the discoverer of the medicine ; but the claim was not allowed. Subsequently Helvetius obtained the first medi- cal honours of France. He wrote a treatise, describing the use of ipecacuanha in diarrhoea and dysentery. (K. Sprengel, Hist, de la Med. t. v. p. 468.) Great confusion existed for a long time respecting the plant yielding Ipecacu- anha. In 1800 Dr. Gomes returned from the Brazils, and brought with him the plant, on which he published a dissertation. In 1802 Brotero (Trans, of the Linn. Soc. vol. vi. p. 137,) described it under the name of Callicocca Ipecacuanha, which Richard (Bull, de la Soc. de la Fac. de Med. 1818,) afterwards changed to Cephaclis Ipecacuanha, IPECACUANHA. 449 Botany. Gen. char.—Tube of the calyx obovate; limb very short, five- toothed. Corolla somewhat funnel-shaped; its lobes five, small, rather obtuse. Anthers inclosed. Stigma bifid, usually exserted. Berry obovate-oblong, crowned with the remains of the calyx, two-celled, two-seeded (De Cand). Sp. char.—Stem ascending, at length erect, some- pIG 208. what pubescent at the apex. Leaves oblong-ovate, rough above, finely pubescent beneath. Stipules cleft into setaceous segments. Heads terminal, erect, at length pendulous. Bracts four, somewhat cordate, (De Cand.) Root perennial, annulated, simple, or dividing into a few diverging branches, flexuous, from four to six inches long; when fresh, pale brown externally. Stem somewhat shrubby, two or three feet long, emitting runners. Leaves rarely more than four or six, placed at the end of the stem and branches ; petioles pubescent, which are connected to each by Cephaelis Ipecacuanha. the erect stipules. Stipules membranous at their base. Peduncles solitary, erect when in flower, reflexed when in fruit. Head semiglobose, eight to ten-flowered. Involucre one-leafed, spreading, deeply four to six-parted : segments obovate. Bracts acute, pubescent; a single one to each flower. Calyx minute. Corolla white. Stamens five. Ovary obovate; style filiform, white; stigmas linear, spreading. Berry soft, fleshy, violet-black. Seeds (nucules) pale, plane-convex: albumen horny. (Condensed from .Martius, Spec. Mat. Med. Brazil, p. v. 1824). Hah.—Brazil; in moist shady situations from 8° to 20° south latitude. Abun- dant in the valleys of the granitic mountains, which run (more or less distant from the sea) through the provinces of Rio Janeiro, Espirito Santo, and Bahia; also met with in Pemambuco. Humboldt and Bonpland found it on the St. Lucar mountains of New Granada. Collection of the Roots.—The roots are gathered at all seasons of the year, though more frequently from January to March inclusive; and as no care is taken in the cultivation of the plant, it has become scarce around the principal towns. Those Brazilian farmers who reside in the neighbourhood of the plant, carry on considerable commerce with it. The native Indians also are very assiduous in the collection of it. Those called by the Portuguese the Coroados, who live near the river Xipoto, in the province of Minaes, as well as their neighbours the Puri, are the greatest collectors of it. They sometimes leave their villages for two months at a time, fixing their habitations in those places in which this plant abounds. They cut the roots from the stems, dry them in the sun, and pack them in bundles of various sizes and forms. (Martius, op. cit. p. 6.) Commerce.—Ipecacuanha is imported into this country from Rio Janeiro, in bales, barrels, bags, and serons. The duty is Is. per lb. The quantities on which this was paid, for the last six years, are as follows : In 1834............ 9,038 lbs. I In 1837........... 11,435 lbs. I In 1840................ 6483 lbs. 1M5............ 7,4(59 1638...........12,42(5 1841................ 9,623 If 30.............. 11,437 | 1839.............. 7,453 | Description—The root of this plant is the ipecacuanha (radix ipecacuanhee) of the shops. No other root is known in English commerce by this name. By continental writers it is denominated annulated ipecacuanha (radix ipecac- uanlue annulatce) to distinguish it frtJm the roots of Psychotria emetica and Richardsonia sea bra; the first of which is termed striated ipecacuanha—the second, undulated ipecacuanha: both will be described hereafter. The root of Cephaelis Ipecacuanha occurs in pieces of three or four inches vol. ii. 57 450 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. long, and about the size of a small writing-quill: variously bent and contorted ; simple or branched. It has a knotty appearance, in consequence of a number of deep circular fissures about a line in depth, and which extend inwardly to a central ligneous cord, so as to give the idea of a number of rings strung upon a thread (hence the name annulated). These rings are unequal in size, bolh Fig. 209. with respect to each other and to different parts of the same ring. This root has a resinous fracture. Its substance consists of two parts : one called the cortical portion, which is brittle and resinous, of a horny ap- pearance, with a grayish or brownish-gray colour— sometimes whitish ; and a second, called meditullium, and which consists of a thin, yellowish-white, woody, vascular cord, running through the centre of each piece. In 100 parts of good ipecacuanha, there are about 80 of cortex and 20 of meditullium. Ipecacu- anha root has an acrid, aromatic, somewhat bitter taste, and a slightly nauseous, but peculiar odour. The colour of the root varies somewhat, being brown- ish, reddish-brown, grayish-brown, or gray. Richard, (op. cit.,) Merat, (Diet, des Scien. Med. t. xxvi.; and Diet. Mat. Med. iii.,) and Guibourt, (Hist, des Drog. i.,) admit three varieties of annulated ipecacuanha, whose principal distinc- tion is the colour of the epidermis. The age of the root, the nature of the soil, and the mode of drying, are among the dif- ferent circumstances producing these varieties. Sometimes they are met with in the same bale. Var. it. Brown Annulated Ipecacuanha, Richard : Brown Ipecacuanha. Lemery.—(Radix ipecacuanha annulatce fuscce.) This is the best kind. The greater part of the ipecacuanha of commerce consists of this variety. Its epidermis is more or less deeply brown, sometimes even blackish ; its fracture is gray, or brownish: its powder is gray. The cortical portion has a horny appearance. The root which I have received from Professor Guibourt, as blackish gray ipecacuanha, is somewhat less brown. It is the gray or annulated ipecacuanha of Merat. I have occasionally found in commerce a brown non-annu- lated variety of ipecacuanha (fig. 209 6) imported in distinct ""s°" bales. It consists of slender, cylindrical, often branched pieces, frequently several inches long, smooth, or slightly warty, but not annulated or moniliform, with a very thin cortex, and a woody meditullium of the usual size, or thicker. These pieces appear to be the subterraneous bases of the stems or runners, and the ends of the roots. Occasionally pieces of the brown annulated ipecacuanha are found attached. Var. /?. Red Annulated Ipecacuanha, Richard.—This differs from the preceding by the lighter and reddish colour of its epidermis, by its less powerful odour, and by its want of aro- matic taste. Sometimes it has, when broken, the same horny and semi-transparent quality of the brown ipecacuanha, but more frequently it is opaque, dull, and farinaceous ; in which case it is generally less active. These differences probably depend on the nature of the soil in which the plant grew. The root which I have received from Professor Guibourt under the name of reddish gray annulated ipecacuanha, is scarcely so red as the pieces which I have met with in English commerce. It is the red-gray ipecacuanha of Lemery and Merat. Var. y. Gray Annulated Ipecacuanha, Richard; While Gray Ipecacuanha, Merat; Greater Annulated Ipecacuanha, Guibourt.—The colour of this variety is grayish-white. Pro- fessor Guibourt has met with it of a reddish-gray colour. Gray ipecacuanha occurs in pieces of larger diameter than either of the foregoing kinds, with fewer, more irregular, and less prominent rings. It is merely a portion of the root of Cephaelis, which has become more de- veloped, either from meeting with excess of nourishment, or from some other circumstance. I have found, in English commerce, a gray ipecacuanha, whose roots were not longer than the brown variety, but whose rings were imperfectly developed. Composition.—The most important analyses of ipecacuanha are those of Pel- letier, (Journ. de Pharm. iii. 148,) Richard and Barruel, (Ibid. vi. 264,) and Bucholz, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1281.) Brown Ipecacuanha Root. a. Ringed portion. 6. Portion of a root without IPECACUANHA. 451 Pelletier'g Analyses. Brown Annulated Ipecacuanha. Cortex. Meditullium. 115 500 66ti0 Red do. Cortex. 14 2 16 18 48 100 Buchoh's Analysis. Emetic extractive [emetina]... • 4-13 Soft resin....................... 243 Wax............................ 0-75 Gum............................25T7 Starch......................... 900 Woody fibre.................... 10 80 Bitter extractive................ 10-12 Sugar.......................... 2.00 Extractive, gum, and starch, ex- tracted by potash..............34-80 Loss............................ 080 Ipecacuanha. 100 00 1. Odorous fatty matter.—It is extracted from ipecacuanha by ether. It is of a brown- ish-yellow colour, soluble in alcohol and ether, to both of which it communicates a yellow colour. Its odour is very strong, and similar to that of the essential oil of the horse-radish : it becomes insupportable when heat is applied, but is weak and analogous to that of the ipe- cacuanha root when diluted. The taste is acrid; the specific gravity is greater than that of alcohol. This fatty matter consists of two substances; 1st, a very fugacious volatile substance, which is the odorous principle of ipecacuanha root; 2dly, a fixed fatty matter (which some chemists have mistaken, when mixed with emetina, for resin), having little or no odour. Notwithstanding its strong taste and odour, the fatty matter of this root does not seem to have any effect on the stomach. Given in large doses to animals, it had no sensible operation. Caventou took six grains at one time, but experienced no marked effects therefrom. Pelletier and Magendie swallowed some grains of it, and experienced a disagreeable impression on the throat, but it was temporary only. 2. Emetina.—When first discovered by Pelletier and Magendie, in 1817, it was termed la matiere vomitive, or emetine (from e/uia, I vomit). Pure emetina is white (when not absolutely pure it has a grayish-yellow tinge), pulverulent, inodorous, with a slightly bitter taste; fusible at 122° F.; very slightly soluble in cold, but much more so in hot, water; very soluble in alcohol, but scarcely soluble in ether and oils. It dissolves in acids, the acidity of which it does not entirely destroy. The salts of emetina are Blightly acid, and very crystallizable. They form gummy masses, in some only of which are traces of crystallization occasionally found. Emetina restores the blue colour of litmus which has been reddened by an acid. I find that the yellowish-white emetina, sold in the shops under the name of pure emetina, is coloured red by nitric acid, the red colour being much deepened on the addition of ammonia. An alcoholic solulion of iodine, added to an alcoholic solution of emetina, produces a reddish precipitate (hydriodate of emetina ?) Tincture of galls copiously precipitates solutions of emetina (tannate of emetina). The effect of these reagents on emetina is similar to their effect on morphia; but from this last substance emetina is distinguished by the salts of iron, which produce no change of colour in it. The following is the composition of emetina: Atoms. Carbon.......... 35 Hydrogen........ 25 . Nitrogen........ 1 . Oxygen........ 9 Eq. fVt. ... 210 ... 25 14 72 Per Cent. Dumas and Pelletier. . 65-42 ................ 6457 . 7-79 ................ 7-77 436 4-30 22-43 2295 Emetina 321 100-00 99-59 The following are stated by Magendie (Formulaire, 95) as the effects of impure emetina:— From half a grain to two grains given to cats and dogs caused at first vomiting, then sleep. In doses of from six to ten grains, vomiting, sleep, and death, took place. Dissection showed inflammation of the pulmonary tissue, and of the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal, from tho cardia to the anus. The same effects (namely, vomiting, sleep, and death) were observed when impure emetina was dissolved in water, and injected into the jugular vein, into the pleura, into the anus, or into the muscular tissue. On man a quarter of a grain excited nausea and vomiting; a grain and a half, or two grains, taken fasting, caused continued vomiting, and decided disposition to sleep. The effects of pure emetina are similar, but more energetic. In one case l-16th of a grain caused vomiting in a man cighty-five years of age: two grains are sufficient to kill a dog. Emetina has been proposed as a remedial agent,—as a substitute for ipecacuanha, all the advantages of which it is said to possess in a much smaller dose, and without the unpleasant taste and odour which the root is known to have. I confess, however, I think, very little ad- vantage is likely to be gained by the substitution. When we wish to give emetina in a liquid form, it may be readily dissolved in water by the aid of acetic or dilute sulphuric acid. Chemical Characteristics.—A decoction of the root, filtered and allowed to cool, becomes, on the addition of a solution of free iodine, blue (iodide of starch). Tincture of nutgalls forms, in the decoction as well as in the tincture 452 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. diluted with water, a grayish white precipitate (tannate of emetina). Sesqui- chloride of iron communicates a greenish tint (tannate [gallate, Pelletier] of iron) to the decoction as well as to the diluted tincture. A solution of isinglass forms in the infusion, after twelve hours, a precipitate (tannate of gelatine). Alcohol renders the decoction turbid (gum). Diacetate of lead forms with the tincture, and especially with the decoction, a precipitate (colouring matter, gum, and oxide of lead). Physiological Effects.—If the powder or dust of ipecacuanha be applied to the eyes or face, it acts as an irritant, and causes redness and swelling of these parts. Inhaled, it irritates the respiratory passages, and, in some persons, brings on difficulty of breathing, similar to an attack of spasmodic asthma. (Scott, Phil. Trans, for 1776, p. 168.) Mr. Roberts, surgeon, at Dudley, is affected in this way; and 1 have received from him the following account of his case :—" If I remain in a room where the preparation of ipecacuanha is going on—for instance, making the pulv. ipecac, comp.—I am sure to have a regular attack of asthma. In a few seconds dyspnoea comes on in a violent degree, attended with wheezing and great weight and anxiety about the praecordia. The attack generally remains about an hour, but I obtain no relief until a co- pious expectoration takes place, which is invariably the case. After the attack is over I suffer no further inconvenience. 1 have always considered that the attack proceeds from the minute particles of the ipecacuanha floating in the at- mosphere, acting as an irritant on the mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchial tubes." In some cases the mere odour of the root seems sufficient to excite difficulty of breathing, with a feeling of suffocation. There is one case recorded of poisoning by the incautious inhalation of the dust of ipecacuanha, in the process of powdering it, by a druggist's assistant. It is mentioned by Dr. Prieger. (Rust's Mag. B. xxxii. H. i. S. 182.) The patient, who was suffering with catarrh and cough, inhaled, during three hours, the dust from the root; in consequence of which vomiting came on, followed by a tightness of the chest. An hour after this he complained of a sense of suffo- cation, and constriction of the trachea and throat: his appearance was pale and deathly. The physician who was called in, bled him, and gave assafcetida and belladonna with temporary relief; but in five hours a fresh attack came on, with the most imminent danger of suffocation. A strong decoction of uva ursi, with the extract of rhatany, was administered with almost immediate relief, and in an hour his breathing was much freer. He was able to leave the house in two days, but suffered several days with difficulty of breathing. When taken in small and repeated doses, ipecacuanha principally directs its influence to the secreting organs, especially those of the chest, whose activity it promotes. It specifically affects the bronchial membrane, in some morbid con- ditions of which it promotes expectoration, while in others, attended with a pro- fuse secretion of phlegm, it exerts a beneficial influence, and often contributes to the restoration of the part to its normal condition. In somewhat larger doses it creates nausea with its concomitant phenomena, depression, increased secre- tion of saliva and buccal mucus, &c. If a diaphoretic regimen be adopted, it exerts a powerfully relaxing influence over the skin. In full medicinal doses it occasions vomiting, followed by a tendency to sleep. Its operation as an emetic is exceedingly safe, since inflammation is not produced by it, even when an overdose has been swallowed. The vomiting produced by ipecacuanha is not so violent as that induced by emetic tartar, neither is it so long continued, nor attended with such nausea. Furthermore, ipecacuanha is less disposed to act on the bowels. The tonic and astringent qualities of the zincic compounds, as well as their want of dia- phoretic power, distinguish these emetic substances from ipecacuanha. Squill (with which ipecacuanha agrees in its expectorant and emetic qualities) is dis- tinguished by its greater acridity, and by its influence not being concentrated on the pulmonary organs, as is the case with ipecacuanha, which does not, IPECACUANHA. 453 therefore, possess that power of stimulating the urinary organs possessed by squill (see pp. 117). The most remarkable effects of ipecacuanha seem to be produced by the agency of the eighth pair of nerves. "How singular it is," says Dr. M. Hall, (Lectures in the Lancet, for April 21, 1838,) "that ipecacuanha taken into the bronchia should excite asthma, and taken into the stomach should induce an- other affection of the respiratory system, vomiting." Sundelin (Handb. d. sp. Heilmittell. ii. 5,) ascribes the red condition of the bronchial membrane, and the congestion of the lungs of animals killed by emetine, not to the specific stimulus exerted by this substance over the pulmonary mucous membrane, but to an exhausting stimulus over the eighth pair of nerves, by which a condition similar to suffocative catarrh (Steckflus) is brought on ; for he has observed the same appearances in the bodies of persons who have died of this disease, where there was certainly no inflammatory condition of the bronchial mem- brane, but a paralytic condition of its small blood-vessels. Uses.—Ipecacuanha is employed in full doses as an emetic, or in smaller doses as an expectorant and nauseant. 1. In full doses, as an emetic.—The mildness of its operation adapts ipeca- cuanha for the use of delicate and debilitated persons, where our object is merely to evacuate the contents of the stomach. Thus it is well fitted for the disorders of children requiring the use of emetics (as when the stomach is over- loaded with food, in hooping-cough, croup, &c.) on account of the mildness and certainty of its action. It is also exceedingly useful for adults (especially deli- cate females); thus, in gastric disorders, to evacuate undigested acrid matters from the stomach,—to promote the passage of biliary calculi,—as a counter- irritant at the commencement of fevers,—in many inflammatory diseases (as acute mucous catarrh, cynanche, hernia humoralis, and ophthalmia),—in asth- ma,—and as an evacuant in cases of narcotic poisoning. When the indication is to excite gentle vomiting in very weak and debilitated frames, Dr. Pye (Med. Obs. and Inq. vol. i. 240,) has shown that it may be effected frequently with the utmost ease and safety by ipecacuanha in doses of from two to four grains. Dr. Cullen (Mat. Med. ii. 474,) has expressed some doubt with respect to the correctness of this statement; but it is well known that ten grains of Dover's powder (containing one grain of ipecacuanha) not unfrequently causes vomiting. The mildness of its operation is not the only ground for preferring ipecacuanha to other emetic substances. Its specific power over the pulmonary organs and the stomach leads us to prefer it in maladies of these parts, in which vomiting is likely to be beneficial; especially in those affections in which the nerves appear to be more than ordinarily involved, as spasmodic asthma and hooping-cough. In the first of the complaints, Dr. Akenside (Med. Trans, i. 93) has shown that it proves equally serviceable even when it fails to occasion vomiting, and merely produces nausea. He gave a scruple, in the paroxysm, to create vomiting, and, in the interval, five grains every morning, or ten grains every morning. Dr. Wright (Memoir of, pp. 379 and 397) recommends gentle emetics of ipecacuanha at the commencement of the treatment of dysentery. 2. In small doses as a nauseant, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, and expecto- rant.—When given in doses insufficient to occasion vomiting, ipecacuanha is serviceable in several classes of complaints, especially those of the chest and alimentary canal. «• In Affections of the Respiratory Organs.—Nauseating doses of ipecacu- anha are used with considerable advantage in acute cases of mucous catarrh. They favour expectoration, and relaxation of the cutaneous vessels. In milder and more chronic forms, smaller doses, which do not occasion nausea, will be sufficient. In children, who bear vomiting much belter than adults, full nau- seating or even emetic doses are to be preferred. " When a child becomes hoarse, and begins to cough," says Dr. Cheyne, 454 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. (Cyclop, of Prac. Med. art. Croup, vol. i. p. 496,) " let every kind of stimu- lating food be withdrawn; let him be confined in an apartment of agreeable warmth; have a tepid bath ; and take a drachm of the following mixture every hour, or every two hours, if it produces sickness:—R Vini Ipecacuanha?, 3iij.; Syrupi Tolut. 3v.; Mucil. Acacise, 3j. Mix.: and all danger will probably be averted. Whereas, if no change be made in the quality of the food, and if he be sent into the open air, he will probably undergo an attack of bronchitis or .croup." In hooping-cough, in which disease considerable benefit is obtained by the use of emetic substances, ipecacuanha is frequently administered with advan- tage. After giving it to create vomiting, it should be administered in nauseating doses. In asthma, benefit is obtained by it, not only when given so as to occa- sion nausea and vomiting, as above noticed, but also in small and repeated doses. In both this and the preceding disease, the benefit procured by the use of ipecacuanha arises, not from the mere expectorating and nauseating opera- tion alone of this remedy, but from its influence otherwise over the eighth pair of nerves. In bronchial Jiemorrhage (haemoptysis) the efficacy of ipecacuanha has been greatly commended. A. N. Aasheim, (Vis anthcemopt. rod. ipec. in Acta Reg. Soc. Med. Ilafn. i. 170,) a Danish physician, gave it in doses of one-fourth of a grain every three hours during the day, and every four hours during the night. In this way it excites nausea, and sometimes even vomiting. It checks the hemorrhage, alleviates the cough, and relaxes the skin. (3. In Affections of the Alimentary Canal.—In indigestion, Daubenton (Mem. sur les Indigest. 1798) gave it in doses just sufficient to excite a slight sensation of vermicular motion of the stomach, without carrying it to the point of nausea. Eberle (Treat, of the Mat. Med. i. 44, 2d ed.) tried it, in his own case, with evident advantage. An anti-emetic quality has been assigned to it by Schon- heider. (Acta Reg. Soc. Hafn. ii. 139.) Tn dysentery, ipecacuanha has gamed no trifling celebrity, whence its name of radix antidysenterica. In severe forms of the disease no one, 1 suspect, -now would think of relying on it as his princi- pal remedy ; but as an auxiliary, its efficacy is not to be denied. The advocates for its use, however, are not agreed as to the best mode of using it. Sir George Baker, (De Dysenteria, 1761,) and Dr. Cullen, (Mat. Med. ii. 477,) consider it to be of most benefit where it acts as a purgative, but this can scarcely be its methodus medendi. From my own observations of its use in the milder forms of dysentery met with in this country, I am disposed to ascribe its efficacy in part to its diaphoretic powers, since I have always seen it promoted by conjoin- ing a diaphoretic regimen. But its tendency to produce an antiperistaltic move- ment of the intestines doubtless contributes to its antidysenteric property. It is best given, I think, in conjunction with opium, (of course depletion proportional to the violence of the disease and the strength of the patient preceding its use.) Its determination to the skin should be promoted by warm clothing, and the free u.se of mild, tepid aliments. Mr. Twining (Trans, of the Med. and Phys. Soc. of Calcutta, vol. iv. p. 170) gave ipecacuanha in large doses (grs. yj.), with extract of gentian, without causing vomiting. Mr. (Playfair Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journal, vol. ix. p. 18) recommends from half a drachm to a drachm of ipecacuanha, with from thirty to sixty drops of laudanum, to be given at the commencement of the disease. y. In various other maladies.—As a sudorific, ipecacuanha is given in com- bination with opium, (see Pulvis Ipecacuanhee compositus) in various diseases. On the continent it is esteemed as an antispasmodic. In uterine hemorrhage also it has been employed. In chronic visceral enlargements it has been ad- ministered as a resolvent. Administration.—The usual dose of ipecacuanha, in powder, as an emetic, is grs. xv. But-a much smaller quantity (for example, six, or four, or even two grains) will frequently suffice, as I have before mentioned. But a scruple, or half a drachm, may be taken with perfect safety. A commonly-used emetic IPECACUANHA. 455 consists of one grain of emetic tartar, and ten or fifteen grains of ipecacuanha. For infants, half a grain or a grain of this root is usually sufficient to occasion vomiting. In all cases, the operation of the remedy should be assisted by dilu- ents. As a nauseant the dose is from one to three grains. As an expectorant and sudorific, the dose should not exceed one grain : for infants, one-quarter or one-eighth of a grain. Ipecacuanha lozenges contain usually from a quarter to half a grain of the powder, and may be used in catarrhal affections to promote expectoration. Infusion of ipecacuanha (prepared by digesting 3ij. of the coarsely-powdered root in fgvj. of boiling water) may be used as an emetic, in cases of narcotic poisoning, in doses of f3j- to fgij. 1. VINUM IPECACUANHA, L. E. D. (U. S.); Wine of Ipecacuanha.—(Ipeca- cuanha, bruised, gijss. [3ij. D. (U. S.)] ; Sherry Wine, (Wine, U. S.) Oij. [wine measure, D.] Macerate for fourteen [seven, E.] days, and strain).— According to Dr. A. T. Thomson, a pint (i. e. fSxvj.) of wine takes up 100 grains of the soluble matter of ipecacuanha. This preparation is diaphoretic, expectorant, and emetic.—Dose, for an adult, as a diaphoretic and expectorant, n^x. to mxl. 5 as an emetic. f3ij. to f3iv. On account of the mildness of its operation, it is given, as an emetic, to children : the dose is from TTlxx. to f 3i. ; according to the age of the child. It is also exceedingly useful as an expecto- rant in the diseases of infants : dose from fliv. to rn,x. 9. SYRUPUS IPECACUANHA, E. (U. S.); Syrup of Ipecacuanha.—(Ipecacu- anha, in coarse powder, 3iv.; Rectified Spirit, Oj.; Proof Spirit and Water, of each f3xiv.; Syrup, Ovij. Digest the ipecacuanha in four fluidounces of the rectified spirit, at a gentle heat, for twenty-four hours ; strain and squeeze the liquor, and filter. Repeat this process with the residuum and proof spirit; and again with the water. Unite the fluids, and distil off the spirit till the residuum amount to twelve ounces; add to the residuum five fluidounces of rectified spirit, and then the syrup). [The U. S. P. directs Ipecacuanha in coarse powder, 3j; Diluted Alcohol, Oj.; Syrup, Oij. Macerate the ipecacuanha in the alcohol for fourteen days and filter. Evaporate the filtered liquor to f 3ij. and again filter ; then mix it with the syrup and evaporate by means of the water bath to the proper consistence, or prepare the alcoholic solution by displacement and proceed as after directed.]—A syrup of ipecacuanha is a very useful prepara- tion for children ; but some difficulties attend its preparation. An aqueous de- coction of this root contains so much starch that it can scarcely be filtered. Even the infusion filters slowly, is always turbid, and yields a syrup which does not keep well. Hence MM. Guibourt and Henry (Pharm. Raison. i. 502, 2d ed.) introduced a process, of which that of the Edinburgh Pharmacopceia is a modification (improvement ?). *They prepared an alcoholic extract, which is dissolved in water and mixed with concentrated syrup. About two fluidscruples of the Edinburgh preparation contain the strength of one grain of ipecacuanha ; hence the dose of it, as an emetic, for infants, will be half a teaspoonful; for adults, f3j. or f3iss. As an expectorant, the dose is f 3j. to f 3ij. I PULVIS IPECACUANHA COMPOSITUS, L. E. D.; Compound Powder oflpe- cacuanha ; (Pulvis Ipecacuanhas et Opii, U. S.); Doner's Powder ; Pulvis Doveri, offic.—(Ipecacuanha, powdered ; Hard Opium, powdered, of each 3j. ; Sulphate of Potash, powdered, 3j. Mix them. The proportions used by all the British Colleges are the same. The Dublin College directs the Sulphate of Potash to be rubbed with the Opium, and the Ipecacuanha to be then intermixed.) This preparation is an imitation, (though not a very exact one) of a formula given by Dover (The ancient Physician's Legacy to his Country, p. 14. 1733); whence it is commonly known in the shops as Dover's Powder. The following is Dr. Dover's recipe : "Take Opium, 3j.; Saltpetre; Tartar vitriolated, of each 3iv.; Ipecacuhan, 3j.; Liquorice, 3j. Put the saltpetre and tartar into a red hot mortar, stirring them with a spoon until they have done flaming. Then powder them very fine. After that slice in your opium; grind these to a powder, and then mix the other powders with them. Dose, from 40 to 60 or 70 456 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. grs. in a glass of white wine posset, going to bed. Covering up warm, and drinking a quart or three pints of the posset drink while sweating." The compound powder of ipecacuanha is one of our most certain, powerful, and valuable sudorifics. The sulphate of potash is intended to serve the double purpose of promoting the sudorific operation of the other ingredients, and of mi- nutely dividing, by the hardness of its particles, the opium and ipecacuanha. The nitrate of potash also employed by Dr. Dover probably contributed still further to the sudorific effect of the powder. The opium and ipecacuanha com- bined, enjoy great sudorific properties not possessed by either of these sub- stances individually. I am inclined, however, to ascribe the greater part of the activity of the compound to the opium, which it is well known strongly deter- mines to the cutaneous surface (see Opium), and often produces pricking or itching of the skin; and when assisted by the copious use of warm aqueous diluents, operates as a sudorific. This effect, however, is greatly promoted by the ipecacuanha, which has a relaxing influence over the cutaneous vessels. The use of the posset, enjoined by Dr. Dover, is an important part of the sudo- rific plan. The contra-indications for the use of compound powder of ipeca- cuanha are an irritable condition of the stomach (when this preparation is apt to occasion sickness), and cerebral disorder. Thus, in fever, a dry furred tongue, and a dry skin, with much disorder of the cerebro-spinal functions, it, like other opiates, is calculated to prove most injurious. In such cases, the antimonial sudorifics may be resorted to (see vol. i. pp. 196 and 564). But when the tongue is moist, the skin, if not damp, at least soft, and the functions of the brain not much involved, it will probably operate beneficially. In slight colds, catarrhs, and rheumatic pains, it often proves most effectual. In various inflammatory affections, when the febrile excitement does not run too high, and when the brain is undisturbed, it may be used with good effect. In acute rheu- matism, it is occasionally highly serviceable. In diarrhoea and dysentery also. In hemorrhages from internal organs, as the uterus, it is useful on the principle of revulsion or counter-irritation (vol. i. p. 145), by its power of determining to the skin. The dose of this preparation is usually from grs. v. to grs. x., given in currant jelly or gruel, or made into a pill (see Pilulee Ipecacuanlice et Opii), or administered in a common saline draught. Where the stomach is irritable, I have frequently seen five grains cause sickness. On the other hand, in some cases where a powerful sudorific is required, and the head quite free, grs. xv. or even 9j. of this powder are not unfrequently given. 4. PILULA IPECACUANHA COMPOSITA, L.; Pilulee Ipecacuanha<■ et Opii, E.; Compound Pills of Ipecacuanha ; Pills of Ipecacuanlia and Opium.—(Com- pound Powder of Ipecacuanha, 3iij.; Squill, fresh-dried; Ammoniacum, of each, 3j.; Mixture of Acacia, as much as may be sufficient. Beat them to- gether until incorporated, L.—Powder of Ipecacuanha and Opium, three parts ; Conserve of Red Roses, one part ; beat them into a proper mass, which is to be divided into four-grain pills, E.)—Narcotic, and sudorific. Employed in chronic catarrh.—Dose, gr. v. to gr. x. 5, TROCHISCHI MORPHIA ET IPECACUANHA. (See Morphia). 3. UNCA'RIA GAM'BIER, Roxburgh, E.—THE GAMBIR. Nau'clea Gam'bir, Hunter. Sex. Syst. Pentandria. Monogynia. (The extract obtained from the leaves, E.; Gambir, or Gambir-Catecnu.) History.—Gambier, or Gambir, is the Malay name of an extract obtained from the leaves of this shrub. Rumphius (Herb. Amboin. vol. v. tab. 34,) has described the plant under the name of Funis uncatus or Daun Gatta Gambir. Botany. Gen. char.—Limb of calyx short, urceolate, five-cleft. Corolla funnel-shaped; tube slender; throat naked; lobes five, spreading, oval-oblong. Anthers inclosed or protruded. Style filiform, protruded; stigma tumid, un- divided. Capsules pecdiellate, clavate, tapering to the base. Seeds numerous, GAMBIR. 457 imbricated, winged.—Climbing shrubs. Peduncles when old becoming axillary compressed hooked spines. Flowers in loose heads (Lindley ; De Cand.) sP. char—Branches terete. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acute, with short petioles, smooth on both sides. Stipules ovate. Peduncles axillary, solitary, opposite, bracteolated about the middle; the lowest ones sterile, converted into hooked spines (De Cand.) A stout, scandent shrub. Florets green and pink. Capsules stalked, clavate, two-celled, two-valved. Hab.—Islands of East Indian Archipelago. Extensively cultivated. On the Island of Bintang there are 60,000 Gambir plantations. (Bennett's Wander- ings, ii.) Extraction of Gambir.—Two methods of obtaining Gambir are described : one consists in boiling the leaves in water, and inspissating the decoction; the other, which yields the best Gambir, consists in infusing the leaves in warm water, by which a fecula is obtained, which is inspissated by the heat of the sun, and formed into cakes. (Asiatic Researches, xi. 188.) Dr. Campbell (Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. i. 518,) has described the method of mak- ing the circular or cylindrical variety of Gambier, as followed in the colony established by the Sultan of Moco, where the manufacture is carried on to a considerable extent. It consists in shredding and bruising the young shoots and leaves "in water for some hours, until a fecula is deposited; this, inspis- sated in the sun to the consistence of a paste, is thrown into moulds of a cir- cular form, and in this state the Gambier is brought to market." Dr. Rox- burgh (op. cit.) describes the manufacture of the cubical variety as practised eastward to the Bay of Bengal. The process consists in "boiling the leaves and young shoots ; evaporating the decoction by fire and the heat of the sun. When sufficiently inspissated, it is spread out thin, and cut into little square cakes,and dried." Mr. Bennett, (Wanderings, ii. 183,) has given a very full account of the method of making the cubical variety as practised at Singapore. The leaves are plucked from the prunings, and boiled in a qualie, or cauldron (made of bark, with an iron bottom); after being boiled twice and rinsed, they are used as a manure for the pepper vine. The decoction is evaporated to the consis- tence of a very thick extract, of a light, yellowish, brown colour, like clay, which is placed in oblong moulds. The pieces thus obtained are divided into squares, and dried in the sun on a raised platform. Hunter (Linn. Trans, ix.) says, Sago is often intermixed with the extract, but Bennett denies that this is done at Singapore. The best Gambier is made at Rhio, in the isle of Bintang; the next best is that of Lingin. Commerce.—Gambir (the cubical variety) is imported from Singapore prin- cipally. Its principal use here is for tanning; and among dealers it is distin- guished from catechu, cutch, &c. by the name of terra japonica. The following are the quantities imported during the last four years (Messrs. Powell's Annual Price Current for 1840) : In 1836.................... 970 tons. I In 1838....'................ 1600 tons. 1837.................... 2738 | 1839.................... 5213 During the last three years, it price has varied from 15s. to 26s. per cwt. The duty on it is Is. per cwt. It is brought over in ca,ne baskets, lined with palm leaves. Mr. Bennett says they are made of a^kind of rattan found in the jungle at Singapore. Description and Varieties. — Gambir (Terra Japonica, of tanners; Catechu in square cakes, of druggists ; Cubical Resinous Catechu, of Guibourt; Gambier qf Second quality, Bennett,) (Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. Ixvii.) occurs in cubes, whose faces are about one inch square. When thrown into water, it floats. These cubes are externally of a deep reddish or yellowish brown colour; their fracture is dull and porous, and internally their colour is paler vol. n. 58 458 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. than that of their surface, being yellowish cinnamon brown ; the fractured sur- face not unfrequently presenting some darker feebly shining stripes, extending from without inwards. This kind has no odour; its taste is powerfully astrin- gent and bitter, but subsequently becoming sweetish. It melts entirely in the mouth. When heated in a platinum crucible it undergoes a kind of semifusion, and swells up; and when incinerated leaves a light white ash. Nees v. Esen- beck (Handb. d. Med. Pharm. Bot. i. 881,) says twenty grains of this Gambir leave only half a grain of ash. It is partially soluble in cold water. When boiled in water it almost completely dissolves and yields a decoction which, while hot, is clear reddish brown, but, on cooling, becomes turbid, owing to the deposition of catechine. By digestion in ether it forms a deep reddish-brown tincture, which, by evaporation, yields a reddish-brown astringent extract: the portion which is insoluble in ether is dark brown, tough and elastic. Examined by the microscope, Gambir is found to consist in great part of myriads of minute crys- tals (catechine) intermixed with a kind of mucous tissue. Mr. Bennett (Med. and Phys. Journ. Ixvii.) has described three qualities of Gambir, speci- mens of which are contained in my own collection, as well as that of the Medico-Botanical Society of London. To these;! must add a fourth, which I have received from Professor Guibourt. 1. Small Circular Moulded Gambir: Gambir of the first quality, Bennett; Lozenge Gambir.—This occurs in small round cakes, about the size of a small lozenge. Its form is something like that of a plano-convex lens, slightly flattened on the convex side. One of its surfaces is flat, round, about half an inch in diameter; the other one is convex, with a star- like pattern impressed on it. Its colour is pale pinkish yellowish white. It has a chalky or earthy feel,and is brittle. Specimens of this are in the collection of the Medico-Bolanical Society. Amylaceous Lozenge Gambir.—Under the name of Gambir, or China Catechu, I have received from Bombay small circular cakes of Gambir adulterated with sago meal. The cakes are circular and cylindrical, about 3£ lines in diameter, and two lines thick; flat at the bot- tom, and slightly convex at the top. They are grayish yellowish white; have a cretaceous feel, and are easily reduced to powder. Their decoction when cold is rendered blue by tinc- ture of iodine. Examined by the microscope multitudes of particles of sago may be detected, intermixed with crystals of catechine. 1 have received the same kind of gambir from Dr. D. Maclagan, of Edinburgh, under the name of White Gambir. 2. Gambir in parallelopipeds: Gambir of the second quality, Bennett.—This occurs in two forms: cubes (forming the Gambir of English commerce, described in the text), and square prisms or oblong pieces. The latter I received from Dr. Maclagan, of Edinburgh, under the name of Yellow Gambir in parallelopipeds. The length of the prisms is two inches; the size of the terminal faces half an inch square. In other respects the oblong variety agrees with the square kind. 3. Cylindrical Gambir: Gambir of the third quality, Bennett.—This occurs in circular discs, or short cylindrical pieces, the length of the cylinder being only about one-third of an inch, while its diameter is one inch and a quarter. One of the round surfaces is marked with the fibres of a cloth, on which the cakes have been dried. The colour int anally is pale, dull, pinkish yellow, externally being a shade darker. Its fracture is dull and porous. It is easily scraped to powder with the nail, and in this state has a chalky feel. Its taste is astringent, but less so than the other kinds; it is gritty under the teeth. It sinks in water. The samples in the Medico-Botanical Society are somewhat smaller than those which I have found in com- merce. This kind contains many impurities. 4. Cubical Amylaceous Gambir.—It is in cubes, which swim in water, and whose faces are about half an inch square. Externally these cubes are dark brown, being darker coloured than the kind just described. Its fracture is dull and porous, its colour internally being pale cinnamon brown. It is readily distinguished from all other kinds of Gambir, by the black colour produced when the tincture of iodine is applied to the fractured surface. When di- gested in water it is resolved into two parts : Matter soluble in water.............................................. 45 Matter insoluble in water, principally amylaceous..................... 55 The amylaceous matter is probably sago. 100 Composition___Gambir (the cubical variety) was analyzed by Nees v. Esen- beck, (Pharm. Centr.-Blatt. fur 1830, 45,) who found Tannin 36 to 40 per cent., Peculiar Matter, Gum or Gummy Extractive, Tannic Deposit (similar to red cinchonic), and 21 per cent, of Woody Fibre. 1. Tannic Acid.—The properties of this acid have been before (p. 192,) described. That extracted from Gambir is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether, and gives a green colour to the salts of iron. DYER'S MADDER. 459 2. Catechine; Calechuic Acid; Tanningensdure, Buchner; Resinous Tannin, Nees.— When Gambir is treated with cold water, an insoluble residuum is left: this is impure cate- chine, and was termed by Nees, Resinous Tannin. When obtained quite pure, it is a white, light powder, composed of silky needles, having a peculiar sweet taste. It is very slightly Boluble only in cold water, more so in boiling water. Ether, and especially alcohol, are better solvents for it. It produces a green colour with salts of iron, but does not produce a precipi- tate with a gelatinous solution. Its composition is C1S H° O8. If it be digested in caustic potash, and the solution exposed to the air, oxygen is absorbed, and the catechine acid is con- verted into Japonic Acid, composed of C,a H4 O4. But if it be dissolved in carbonate of pot- ash, and exposed to the air without heat, it is converted into Rubinic Acid, composed of C24 H8 O8. Physiological Effects.—Gambir is one of the most powerful of the pure astringents, whose effects have been before described (see vol. i. 188.) Its sweet taste depends, in part at least, on catechuic acid. Uses.—It is employed by druggists as catechu (see Acacia Catechu). 4. RU'BIA TINCTO'RUM, Linn. D.—DYER'S MADDER. Sex. Syst. Tetrandria, Monogynia. (Radix, D.) (Rubia, U. S. Sec. List.) History.—Madder (ipv^poSavov) was employed in medicine by Hippocrates. (Ed. Foes. 407 and 634,) Theophrastus, (Hist, plant, ix. 14,) Dioscorides, (lib. iii. cap. 160,) and Pliny, (Hist. Nat. lib. xxiv. cap. 66 and 68, ed. Valp.) also mention this substance. In the middle ages it was called varantia. (Beckmann, Hist, of Invent, and Discov. iii. 275.) Botany. Gen. char.—Tube of the calyx ovate-globose ; limb scarcely any. Corolla five-partite, rotate. Stamens short. Styles two, short. Fruit didy- mous, somewhat globose, baccate, juicy (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Herbaceous. Leaves four to six in a whorl, somewhat petiolate, lanceolate, smooth above; their margin and keel, as well as the angles of the stem, aculeate, rough. Peduncles axillary, trichotomous. Lobes of the corolla gradually callous-acuminate, not cuspidate (De Cand.) Root perennial, horizontal, long, crouching, reddish brown. Stems several, herbaceous, tetragonal, with hooked prickles. Leaves somewhat membranous. Flowers small, yellow. Hai».—Levant and south of Europe. Description and Varieties.—Madder roots (radix rubice tinctorum') are long, cylindrical, about the thickness of a writing quill, branched, externally deep reddish brown. They consist of an easily separable cortex, whose epider- mis is thin, and of a ligneous meditullium, which in the fresh state is yellow, but by drying becomes reddish. The odour of the root is feeble ; the taste is bitter and astringent. Levant, Turkey, or Smyrna Madder, is imported whole, and constitutes the roots usually found in the shops. Dutch or Zealand Madder is imported ground. Four kinds of the powder are distinguished: crop (the best), ombro, gamene, and mull (the worst). French Madder is imported both ground and whole; it is produced in the environs of Avignon and Alsace. Small quantities of Spanish Madder are imported. The substance termed East India Madder, or Munjcet, is the root of Rubia Munjista, Roxb. Composition.—Several analyses of madder have been made, viz. by Bucholz, (Gmelin, Hand. d. Chem. ii. 1280,) John, (Ibid.) and Kuhlmann. (Ann. Chim. et Phys. xxiv. 225.) Bucholz. Resinous red colouring matter................. Extractive ditto............................... ReddiBh brown substance, soluble in potash n nd hot alcohol........................... A pungent extractive.......................... (.'ummy matter................................ Woody lihre.................................. Mutter soluble in potash....................... Vegetable sails of lime, with colouring matter Watur........................................ Loss.......................................... 1-2 390 1-9 0G 90 225 46 1-8 120 7-4 Madder root...........................100 0 Kuhlmann. Red colouring matter. Yellow ditto (Xanthin.) Mucilage. Nitrogenous matter. Bitter substance. Gum. Sugar. Woody fibre. Vegetable acid. Porous resin. Salts in the ashes. Madder root. 460 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. The nature of the colouring matters of madder has been further investigated by Robiquet and Colin, (Ann. Chim. et Phys. xxxiv. 225,) by Gaultier de Claubry and Persoz, (Ibid, xlviii. 69,) and by Runge. (Records of Science, ii. 452, and iii. 44, and 135.) According to the last mentioned chemist, there are no less than five colouring matters in madder. The same chemist mentions two colourless acids of madder; viz. Madderic and Rubiacic Acids. The colouring matters are as follows : 1. Madder Purple (? Purpurin, Robiquet and Colin).—An orange-yellow crystalline pow- der. It is slightly soluble in cold water, very readily so in alcohol and ether. A strong solu- tion of alum dissolves it. Alkalis dissolve it, forming cherry-red solutions. The colours which it imparts to mordanted tissues are less permanent than those produced by madder-red. 2. Madder Red (? Alizarin, Robiquet and Colin).—Is red, insipid, odourless, crystallizable by sublimation, insoluble in a strong solution of alum, almost insoluble in cold water, but is soluble in alcohol and ether. Alkalis dissolve it, forming violet-coloured solutions. It dyes cloths, which have been mordanted red. Its composition is C87 H13 Oi°. 3. Madder Orange.—Is very soluble in ether, sparingly so in cold alcohol. If water be added to a hot solution in spirit, crystals are deposited. 4. Madder Yellow (? Xanthin, Kuhlmann).—It is very soluble in water and alcohol. It has no affinity for cotton impregnated with the alum mordant. 5. Madder Brown.—Not being valuable as a dye-stuff, it has not been carefully examined. It appears from Decaisne's observations1 that the colouring matter of Rubia tinctorum does not reside in peculiar vessels or secretory apparatus, but in the interior of the elementary organs. Nor is it confined to the root, for in the stem of full-grown plants larger or smaller spots are here and there found, where the cells and spiral vessels are filled with it. Moreover, it appears that in madder root only yellow colouring matter is observed, which is the more intense as the plant is older. When the yellow sap of the root comes in contact with the at- mosphere, it acquires, by the influence of oxygen and moisture, a red colour, and a granular substance forms in it. Physiological Effects.—The influence of madder over the system is ex- ceeding slight. Its topical effect is scarcely obvious. Home (Clin. Experi- ments, p. 422, 2d ed.) ascribed to it emmenagogue qualities. Others have declared it to.be diuretic. Neither of these effects, however, were observed by Dr. Cullen. (Mat. Med.) It may, perhaps, possess mild astringent and tonic properties. But the most remarkable physiological effect of madder is that of colouring the bones of animals fed with it, red. This fact was noticed by Belcher ; (Phil. Trans, vol. xxxix.) though Beckmann (Hist, of Invent, and Discov. iii. 279,) has adduced evidence to prove that some hints of it are to be found in the works of the ancients. This effect on the bones is produced more effectually, and in a much shorter time, in young than in old animals. In birds, the beak and claws become coloured. As the nerves, cartilages, aponeuroses, tendons, and periosteum are not tinged, the effect is ascribed to the chemical affinity of the phosphate of lime for this colouring matter. Mr. Gibson (Manchester Memo >s, i. 146, 2d Ser.) accounts for it as follows:—The blood charged with the red particles imparts its superabundance of them to the phosphate as it circulates through the bones. But as soon as the blood is freed from the madder by ex- cretion, the serum then attracts the colouring matter, and in a little time entirely abstracts it. This hypothesis has, however, been combated by Mr. Paget, (Lond. Med. Gaz. Nov. 15, 1839,) who asserts that the madder colours only those particles of phosphate of lime which are deposited during its use; and that it has no in- fluence on the phosphate already existing in the bones before its administration, nor has the serum any chemical power to remove the colour from the phosphate once tinged. The coloured phosphate does indeed regain its whiteness after a time, when the madder is no longer exhibited; but this he ascribes to the i Recherches Anatom. et Physiol, sur la Oarance. Bruzelles, 1837. Also Meyer's Report on the Progress of Vegetable Physiology during the year 1837, translated by W. Francis, p. 49, Lond. 1839. OTHER RUBIACEJE. 461 " gradual decomposition of the madder, as reddened skeletons gradually lose their colour when exposed to air and light." As, however, living bones are not subjected to the same influence of air and light (powerful decolorizers), which the skeletons referred to are, the analogy does not hold good; and this part of Mr. Paget's hypothesis is, therefore, unsatisfactory. Tiedemann and Gmelin (Vers. u. d. Wegen auf welch Subst. S. 7) could not detect the colouring matter of madder in the chyle ; and the red tint of the serum prevented them ascertaining its existence in the blood, though of this scarcely a doubt can exist, inasmuch as it has been found in the excretions (for example, urine, milk, and sweat). Uses.—It was formerly a favourite remedy in jaundice, in which disease Sydenham used it. (Sydenham's Works, by Dr. Pechey, p. 150, 4th ed. 1705.) On account of its capability of tinging the bodies red, it has been recommended in rickets and mollities ossium, on the supposition of its promoting the deposition of bone earth ; (Journ. de Med. t. xxxvii. 1772 ;) but this notion appears to be groundless. Home (Clin. Exper.) employed it as an emmenagogue in uterine complaints.—The dose of it is 3ss. to 3ij. three or four times a day. OTHER MEDICINAL AND DIETETICAL RUBIACE-TO. 1. Psycho'tria emet'ica is a native of Colombia, Peru, and probably of other parts of South America. Its roots constitute the striated ipecacuanha of Richard, Guibourt, and Merat; the black or Peruvian ipecacuanha of some other authors. They are neither annulated nor un- TIG. .) (Anisum, Q. S.) History.—Anise was used by Hippocrates. (Pp. 263, 265, &c. ed. Fees.) It is also mentioned by Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xx. cap. 72, ed. Valp.) and Dios- corides. (Lib. iii. cap. 65.) The latter terms it avitfov. It was introduced into this country in 1551. In our translation of the New Testament, (Matth. xxiii. 23,) the word anise occurs instead of dill. Botany__Gen. char.—Margin of the calyx obsolete. Petals obovate, emar- ginate, with an inflexed lobe. Fruit contracted at the side, ovate, crowned by a cushion-like disk, and reflexed, somewhat capitate styles. Mericarps [half- fruits] with five, filiform, equal ridges, the lateral ones being marginal. Chan- nels muUivittate, with a bifid free carpophorus. Seed gibbous convex, anteriorly flattish.—Roots simple, radical leaves pinnatisect; the segments roundish, toothed, rarely undivided, those of the stem more finely cut. Umbels of many rays. Involucre none. Petals white, rarely pink or yellow (De Cand.) ANISE. 467 sP. char.—Stem smooth. Radical Leaves cordate, somewhat roundish, lobed, incised, serrate; middle ones pinnate lobed, the lobes cuneate or lanceo- late ; the upper ones trifid, undivided, linear. Fruit bearing a few scattered hairs (De Cand.) Root tapering. Stem erect, branched, about a foot high. Floxoers small, white. Hah.—Island of Scio and Egypt. Largely cultivated for its fruit in Malta, Spain, and various parts of Germany. It also grows in Asia. Description___The fruit called aniseed (fructus seu semina a?iisi), is slightly compressed at the sides. The separated mericarps are ovate, of a grayish-green colour, with five paler, thin, filiform, primary ridges (there are no secondary ones), and covered with downy hairs. In each channel are three vittse. The odour is aromatic, and similar to that of the fruit of Illicium ani- satum, or star anise, a plant belonging to the family Winteraceae. The taste is sweetish and aromatic. By careless observers, aniseed may be confounded with the fruit of hemlock. Commerce.—Aniseed is principally imported from Alicant and Germany (the first is preferred); but some is also brought from the East Indies. In 1839, duty (5s. per cwt.) was paid on 192 cwts. Composition.—A very elaborate analysis of the fruit has been made by Brandes and Reimann in 1826. (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1277.) The following are their results:—Volatile oil 3-00, stearin combined with chloro- phylle 0-12, resin 0-58, fatty oil soluble in alcohol 3'38, phytocol 7-85, incrys- tallizable sugar 0-65, gum 6-50, extractive 0-50, substance analogous to ulmin (Anis-ulmin) 8-60, gumoin 2-90, lignin 32-85, salts (acetate, malate, phos- phate, and sulphate) of lime and potash 8-17, inorganic salts, with silicic acid and oxide of iron 3-55, water 23-00 (excess 1#65). On. of Anise, (see below.) Physiological Effects.—Anise is an aromatic stimulant (see vol. i. p. 183.) Its effects are similar to those of dill. The odour of anise is said to be recog- nised in the milk of those who have taken it: moreover, the urine, we are told, acquires an unpleasant smell from it: hence it would appear that the oil of anise becomes absorbed. It has been supposed to promote the secretion of milk, urine, bronchial mucus, and of the menses, though without sufficient evi- dence. Vogel (Hist. Mat. Med. 161,) says, that he accidentally discovered that pigeons are readily killed by a few drops of the oleum anisi. Hillefield (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. Bd. ix. S. 207,) also notices its poisonous opera- tion on pigeons. Uses.—Anise is used to_flavour liqueurs, sweetmeats, confectionary of various kinds, ragouts, &c. In medicine it is employed to relieve flatulence and colicky pains, especially of children to prevent the griping effects of some cathartics. Nurses some- times take it to promote the secretion of milk. It has also been employed in pulmonary affections. It is used as a horse medicine. 1. OLEUM ANISI, L. E. D. (U. S.) Oil of Anise.—(Obtained by submitting the fruit with water to distillation).—Mr. Brande says, that from 1 cwt. of fruit about two pounds of oil are obtained. The greater part of the oil consumed in this country is foreign. The oil of anise of the shops is imported into this country from Germany and the East Indies. In 1839 duty (Is. 4d. per lb.) was paid on 1544 lbs. It is procured, by distillation, from the fruit, in whose pericarp it resides. When carefully prepared it is transparent and nearly colourless, having a slightly yellow tinge. It has the odour and taste of the fruit from which it is obtained. Its specific gravity increases with its ao-e : thus Martius says, that when the oil is fresh distilled, the specific gravity is only 0-979; but after keeping it for a year and a half, the specific gravity had 468 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. increased to 0-9853. It congeals at 50° F., and does not liquefy again under 62°. It is soluble in all proportions in alcohol; but spirit, whose specific gravity is 0-84, dissolves only 0-42 of its weight. By exposure to the air it forms resin, and becomes less disposed to concrete. It is composed of two volatile oils,—one solid at ordinary temperatures (stearoptene); the other liquid (eleoptene)—in the following proportions:—eleoptene 75, stearoptene 25. Ac- cording to Cabours the stearoptene consists of C30 H12 O3. The oleum badiani, or the oil of star-anise (Illicium anisatum), has the odour and taste of the oil of anise; but it preserves its fluidity at 35-6 F. It is said to be sometimes substituted for the oleum anisi. Spermaceti, which is said to be sometimes added to oil of anise, to promote solidification, may be distinguished by its insolubility in cold alcohol. Cam- phor said to be added for the same purpose, is recognised by its odour.—Dose, five to fifteen drops on sugar, or rubbed up with sugar, in camphor mixture. 8. SPIRITUS ANISI, L. Spiritus Anisi Comjjositus, D.; Spirit of Anise.— (Anise, bruised, 3-x. [Anise and Angelica seeds of each lb. ss. D.~\ ; Proof Spirit, Cong. j. [toine measure, _D.] ; Water, Oij. [sufficient to prevent empy- reuma, Z>.] Mix [macerate for twenty-four hours, D.~] and let a gallon dis- til).—Stimulant, stomachic, and carminative. Dr. Montgomery (Observ. on the Dubl. Pharm.) says that the preparation of the Dublin Pharmacopceia is nearly the composition of the Irish Usquebaugh, which is coloured yellow by saffron, or green by sap-green. A spirit of anise, sweetened with sugar, is sold by the liqueur dealers. A somewhat similar compound is prepared in France, under the name of crome d'anise. The pharmacopceial preparation is usually imitated by dissolving the oil in spirit.—Dose, f3j. to f3iv. %. AQ.UA ANISI. Anise TFater.^-^Extemporaneously made by diffusing the oil through water by the aid of sugar or spirit).—Employed to relieve flatulent colic of infants, and as a vehicle for other medicines. 3. KENIC'ULUM VULGARE, Gartner, L.—COMMON FENNEL. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. Foeniculum officinale, E.—Anethum Foeniculum, D. (Foeniculum, U. S.) History.—Fennel (fjuxpoc^pov) was used by Hippocrates, (p. 551, &c. ed. Foes.) Some botanists (e. g. Matthiolus) have been of opinion that |uuipaSpov of Dioscorides (lib. iii. cap. 81) is sweet fennel (Foeniculum duke, De Cand.), and that the kirofjoapafyov of the same authority (ibid. cap. 82) is common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, De Cand.); but the latter part of the opinion does not, from an observation of Bauhin, (Prodromus, p. 76,) appear probable. (Dierbach, Arzneim. d. Hippocr. 191.) Botany. Gen. char.—Margin of the calyx swollen, obsolete, toothless. Pe- tals roundish, entire, involute, with a squarish, blunt lobe. Fruit by a trans- verse section nearly taper. Mericarps [half fruits] with five prominent, bluntly- keeled ridges, of which the lateral ones are marginal and rather broader. Channels univittate. Commissure bivittaie. Seed nearly semi-terete.—Biennial or perennial herbs. Stems taper, somewhat striated, branched. Leaves pinna- tised, decompound; the segments linear, setaceous. Involucre scarcely any. Flowers yellow (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Stem somewhat terete at the base. Lobes of the leaves linear, subulate, elongated. Umbels of 13 to 20 rays. Involucre none. (De Cand.) A biennial, three or four feet high. Flowers golden yellow. Fruit scarcely two lines long, oval, of a dark or blackish aspect; the channel is brownish, owing to the vitta, the ridges are pale yellowish gray. Hah.—Sandy and chalky ground all over Europe. Description.—The fruit, called wild fennel seed (semina seu fructus fceniculi GARDEN ANGELICA. 469 vulgaris) has a strong aromatic, acrid taste, and an aromatic odour. Its other qualities have been described. Composition.—The peculiar properties of the fruit depend on a volatile oil. Oil of Common, Wild, or Bitter Fennel. (Oleum Fwniculi vulgaris.)—A pale yellow, limpid oil, having the peculiar odour of the fruit. Its sp. gr. is 0 997. It congeals by cold, though with much more difficulty than oil of anise. It consists of a stearoptene which has the suine composition as that of oil of anise; and a liquid oil which is isomeric with oil of turpentine. Physiological Effects__Aromatic stimulant (see vol. i. p. 183), similar to those of sweet fennel. Uses.—This species is not employed in medicine. 4. FCENICULUM DUL'CE, C. Bauhin; De Cand.—SWEET FENNEL. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Fructus.) History.—This plant is regarded by some botanists as a cultivated variety of the former plant. De Candolle (Prodr. iv. 142) is the principal systematic writer who regards them as distinct species. The London College, in quoting his F. vulgare as the officinal plant, has committed an obvious error, seeing that it is his F. dulce which is always employed in medicine in this country. Botany. Gen. char.—See F. vulgare. Sp. char.—Stem somewhat compressed at the base. Radical leaves some- what distichous; lobes capillary, elongated. Umbels of six to eight rays. (De Cand.) This plant differs from F. vulgare in several other particulars. It is an an- nual, and much smaller plant. It flowers earlier. Its turiones are sweeter, less aromatic, and, therefore, edible. The fruit is much longer; some of the speci- mens being nearly five lines in length, less compressed, somewhat curved and paler, with a greenish tinge. Hah.—Italy, Portugal, &c. Cultivated as a pot-herb, and for garnishing. Description.—The fruit, termed sweet fennel seeds (fructus seu semina fceniculi dulcis vel fceniculi cretici), has a more agreeable odour and flavour than common or wild fennel. Two kinds are known in trade, shorts and longs: the latter is most esteemed. Composition.—The peculiar properties of the fruit depend on a volatile oil. Physiological Effects.—Sweet fennel is an aromatic stimulant (see vol. i. p. 183) ; its effects are similar to those of anise or dill. Uses.—Seldom employed. May be given in the flatulent colic of children, or as a carminative vehicle for remedies which are apt to gripe. 1. OLEUM FUNICULI, E. D. (U. S.); Oil of Sweet Fennel; Oleum Fceniculi dulcis.—(Obtained by submitting the fruit [bruised, E.] with water to distilla- tion.)—Nineteen cwts. of the fruit (shorts) yield 78 lbs. of oil. (Private informa- tion.) This oil is distinguished from the oil of wild fennel by its more agree- able odour and taste. Stimulant and carminative. Seldom used.—Dose, two to twenty drops. I AQUA FUNICULI, E. D.; Fennel Water.—(Obtained as Aqua Anethi). Carminative. Employed to relieve flatulent colic of infants, and as a vehicle for other medicines.—Dose, for an adult, fgj. to f3iij.; for an infant, f3j. to f3ij. 5. ARCHANGEL'ICA OFFICINALIS, Hoffm. and Koch.—GARDEN ANGELICA. Angelica Archangel'ita, Linn, E. D. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Root, £.—Semina, £>.) History.—It is doubtful whether the ancient Greeks and Romans were acquainted with this plant, as no certain notice of it appears in their writings. C. Bauhin (Pinaz, 155) calls it Angelica sativa. 470 elements of materia medica. Botany. Gen. char.—Margin of the calyx with five short teeth. Petals elliptical, entire, acuminate, with the point curved inwards. Fruit somewhat compressed at the back, with a somewhat central raphe, two-winged on each side. Mericarps [half-fruits] with thick, keeled ridges; the three dorsal ones elevated, the two lateral ones dilated into a twice as broad wing. Seed not ad- hering to the integument; the nucleus free, covered all over with numerous vittse. Carpophorus tvvo-partite.—Perennial herbs. Leaves pinnatised; segments broadly ovate, acute, coarsely dentate, terminal, lobed. Petioles large, sheath- ing, saccate. Involucre scarcely any; partial one halved, many-leaved. Flowers white, or greenish. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Stem smooth, terete, striated. Leaves bipinnatisect; segments subcordate, lobed, sharply serrated, the odd one three-lobed; sheaths loose, saccate. Leaflets of the partial involucre equalling the partial umbel. (De Cand.) Root biennial, large, fleshy, branched, resinous, pungently aromatic. Stem four or five feet high, a little glaucous. Foliage, stalks, and even the flowers, bright green. It flowers from June to September. Hah.—Indigenous ; northern parts of Europe. Cultivated in moist situations, and on the banks of ditches. Description.—The dried angelica root (radix angelica;) of the shops, is im- ported from Hamburg in casks. In 1839 duty (4s. per cwt.) was paid on 386 cwts. Formerly Spanish Angelica was alone employed for medicinal pur- poses. The dried root of the shops consists of a short cylindrical head, from which numerous branches arise. The size of these branches varies : the larger ones?are as thick as the little finger, and six or eight inches long. Externally the root is corrugated, and grayish brown. Internally it is dirty white, and presents, when cut transversely, numerous dark points, which are the cut extre- mities of vessels or intercellular spaces filled with a liquid, strongly odorous, oil or oleo-resin. To the taste the root is at first sweet, then hot, aromatic, and bitter. The odour is peculiar, and not very disagreeable. The fruit, called angelica seeds (fructus seu semina angelicce), have the odour and taste, but in a diminished degree, of the root. Composition.—Angelica root has been analyzed by John, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1277,) and by Bucholz and Brandes. The latter chemists obtained volatile oil about 0»70, acrid, soft resin 6-02, bitter extractive 26-40, gum with some common salt 31-75, starch (not inulin) 5-40, woody fibre 8-60, peculiar matter (oxidized extractive?) 0-66, albumen 0-97, water 17«50, [loss 2-0]. The aromatic qualities of the root and seeds depend on the volatile oil and resin. Physiological Effects.—Both root and seeds are pungent aromatic stimu- lants and mild tonics. Uses.—Angelica (either root or seeds) is scarcely employed in modern prac- tice, though it was formerly much esteemed. The tender stems, stalks, and midribs of the leaves, are made, with sugar, into a sweetmeat or candy (can- died angelica ; caules seu rami angelicce conditi), which, taken as a dessert, is a very agreeable stomachic. The seeds are used in the preparation of the spi- ritus anisi compositus, D. The principal consumption of angelica root and seeds is by rectifiers and compounders in the preparation of gin and the liqueur termed bitters. 6. OPOP'ONAX CHIRO'NIUM, Koch. L— THE OPOPONAX. Pastina'ca, Opop'onax. Linn. D. Set. Syst. Pentandria, Monogynia. (Gummi-resina, L. D.) History.—Hippocrates (Opera, p. 402, ed. Foes.) employed opoponax (iravaxg). Theophrastus (Hist. Plant, lib. ix. c. 12) mentions four, and Dios- ASAFOETIDA FERULA. 471 corides, (lib. iii. cap. 55-6-7,) three kinds of «avb\xss. The latter of these writers has given a good account of opoponax (oVo7rava|), which he says is procured from iravoLxsg yjpaxXsiov. Botany. Gen. char.—Margin of the calyx obsolete. Petals roundish, en- tire, rolled inward, with a rather acute lobe. Stylopodium broad, thick. Styles very short. Fruit flattened at the back, with a dilated convex margin. Meri- carps [half-fruits] with three dorsal, filiform, very thin ridges, and no distinct lateral ones. Vittce three to each channel, six to ten to each commissure. Seed smooth. Perennial herb. Root thick. Stem rough. Leaves bipinnatisect; segments unequally cordate, crenate, obtuse. Umbels compounded of many rays. General and partial involucre few-leaved. Flowers yellow. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—The only species.—A plant six or seven feet high, resembling the parsnip. Hab.—Sunny parts of the South of France, Italy, Sicily, Croatia, and Greece. Extraction.—According to Dioscorides, whose account is probably correct, this gum-resin is obtained by incisions into the root: a milky juice exudes, which, by drying, becomes yellow, and forms opoponax. Description.—Opoponax (gummy opoponax) occurs in irregular yellowish- red lumps (opoponax in massis), or in reddish tears (opoponax in lachrymis). It has an acrid bitter taste, and an unpleasant odour. Rubbed with water it forms an emulsion. Its general properties as a gum resin have been before (vol. i. p. 183,) noticed. Composition.—Opoponax has been analyzed by Pelletier. (Bull, de Pharm. iv. 49,) He found the constituents to be Resi n............................................................. 420 Gum............................................................. 33-4 Starch ........................................................... 4 2 Extractive ....................................................... 1 '6 Wax............................................................. 0 3 Malic acid........................................................ 2 8 Lignin........................................................... 98 Volatile oil. traces of caoutchouc, and loss......................... 5-9 Opoponax................................................ 1000 Resin.—Reddish yellow; fusible at 122° F. Soluble in alkalis, aleohol, and ether. The alkaline solution is reddish : the resin is precipitated from it, by hydrochloric acid, in the form of yellow (locks. Nitric acid acts freely on the resin. Its composition, according to John- ston, is C«° II" 0'«. Physiological Effects—Similar to the other fetid, antispasmodic gum- resins (see vol. i. p. 185). It is, perhaps, more allied to ammoniacum than to any other of these substances. Uses.—Opoponax is rarely employed. It is adapted to the same cases as the other gum-resins of this class (see vol. i. p. 185). 7. FERULA ASAFCETIDA, Linn. L. E. D.—THE ASAFCETIDA FERULA. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Gummi-resina, L. D— Gummi-resinous exudation, E.) (Asafcetida, U. S.) History.—It is uncertain at what period asafcetida was first known or de- scribed. The difficulty in determining its history arises from-the confusion which has existed with respect to the Succus Cyrenaicus and asafcetida. By many writers the two substances were considered to be identical, (see Geoffroy, Tract, de Mat. Med. ii. 609) ; but this opinion seems now to have been satisfac- torily disproved by the discovery of the plant, called by the Greeks tfiXipiov, by the Romans laserpitium (Thapsia SilpJtion, Viviani), which yields the Cyre- naic juice, and which agrees tolerably well with the rude figures struck on the Cyrenean coins. (Penny Cyclopcedia, vol. viii. p. 265; and Lindley, Fl. Med. ii. 52.) It would appear, however, that the Cyrenaic juice becoming scarcej 472 elements of materia medica. the ancients employed some other substance of similar, though inferior, pro- perties, as a substitute, and to both of these they applied the term laser. " For many years," says Pliny, (Hist. Nat. lib. xix."cap. 15, ed. Valp.) "this plant [laserpitium or silphion] has not been found in Cyrenaica, because the publicans [or farmers] who rent the pastures, finding it more profitable, destroy it as food for cattle. One stalk only, found in our days, was sent to the emperor Nero. We may know when cattle meet with young shoots of it, by the sleeping of the sheep when they have eaten it, and by the sneezing of the goats. For a long time past the only laser brought to us is that produced abundantly in Persia, Media, and America; but it is far inferior to the Cyrenaic." Now it is not at all improbable that the laser of Persia may have been our asafcetida. The word " asafcetida," says Murray, (App. Med. i. 361,) " seems to have been introduced by the Monks into the school of Salernum." But it appears to have been of oriental origin, and may be, as some have suspected, derived from the word laser. Nicolaus Myrepsicus, (Antidotarius, cap. xxvii. p. 365, quoted by Alston, Mat. Med. Ii. 438,) almost the last of the Greek physicians, and who lived, according to Sprengel, (Hist, de Med. iv. 368,) about 1227, a.d. speaks of dtfa cpiriSa. "There are two kinds of Assa (i. e. laser, Lat. Trans.]," says Avicenna, (lib. 2ndas, tr. 2ndas, cap. 53,) " one fetid, the other odoriferous. Botany.—Gen. char.—Margin of the calyx shortly five-toothed. Petals ovate, entire, acuminate, with an ascending or incurved point. Fruit flattened at the back, with a dilated flat border. Mericarps [half-fruits] with three, dorsal, filiform ridges, the two latter obsolete and lost in the dilated margin. Viltce in the dorsal channels three or more; in the commissure four or many. Seed flat. Carpophorus bipartite—Herbs. Root thick. Stem tall. Leaves supra-decompound ; the segments usually divided into linear lobes. Umbels of many rays, lateral, often opposite or verticillate. Involucre various. Flowers yellow (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Stem terete, simple, clothed with leafless sheaths. Leaves radi- cal, pinnatisect; the segment one or two-pinnatifidsinuate ; lobes oblong, obtuse. Involucre none^ (De Cand.) Root perennial, tapering, ponderous, increasing to the size of a man's arm or leg, covered with a blackish-coloured bark, beset near the top with many strong, rigid fibres; its internal substance white, fleshy, abounding with a thick, milky juice, which has an excessively strong, fetid, alliaceous smell. Stem two or three yards high or more, six or seven inches in circumference at the base, smooth. Radical leaves near two feet long. Ksempfer (Amaen. exot. 535,) compares their shape to the leaves of Pceonia officinalis; but in colour, and other respects, he says they resemble Ligusticum Levisticum, or Lovage. The fruit is flat, thin, reddish-brown, like that of parsnip, only rather larger and darker (Kaempfer). Hah.—Persia ; mountains of Chorasan and Laar. The asafcetida plant, stated by Lieut. Burnes (Travels into Bokhara, ii. 243,) to grow at an elevation of 7,000 feet on the Hindoo Koosh, is described as being an annual. If the description be correct, the plant can scarcely be F. Asafcetida. There is reason to suspect that Ferula Asafcetida is not the only plant from which a gum- resin, called asafoelida, is obtained ; but that one, if not more, other species yield it, (Lindley, Fl. Med. p. 45-6, and Bot. Reg. Aug. 18U9.) Ferula persica has been described by Dr. Pope (Phil. Trans, vol. lxxv.) us the true asaloetida plant; and the Edinburgh College has admitted it as bcitijr, probably, one source of asafcetida. Michaux sent us fruit from Persia as asafce- tida. (Lindley, Fl. Med. 46.) That it does really yield asafcetida seems furthermore probable, from the strong smell of that drug, which pervades the whole plant. (Stevenson and Churchill, Med. Bot. iv. 169; and Nees and Ebermaier, Handb. ii. 55.) It is, I think, not unlikely that the tear and lump asafbetida of the shops are procured from different species. Dr. Royle (Illustr. 230,) suggests, that Prangos pabularia was one of the kinds of Silphion of the an- cients, and may be an asafcetida plant. ASAFCfiTIDA. 473 Extraction.—Asafcetida is obtained by making incisions into the upper part of the root; the footstalks of the leaves and the fibres at the top of the root being previously removed. Ksempfer divides the business of collecting into four parts: the first begins about the middle of April, and consists in digging the earth about the root, removing the leaves and fibres, which are afterwards laid over the root to defend it from the sun. The second commences on the 25th of May. Each collector is provided with a sharp knife to cut the root, a broad iron spatula to scrape off the juice, a cup fixed to his thigh to receive it, and two baskets 'hung over his shoulders upon a pole. The top of the root is then cut off transversely, and, on the third day (i. e. the 27th of May), the juice is scraped off and put in the cups. A fresh incision is then made, and the juice removed the day but one following (i. e. the 29th of May), when they again cut the roots. The cups are from time to time emptied into large vessels. The juice is exposed to the sun to become harder, and is conveyed home in the bas- kets. The third and fourth acts are mere repetitions of the second. The third commences about the 10th of June, the fourth about the 3d of July. Except after the last operation, the roots are carefully defended from the sun, after each incision, by covering them with leaves. (Ksempfer, op. cit.) Commerce.—Asafcetida is exported from the Persian gulf to Bombay, from whence it is sent to Europe. It comes over usually in casks and cases. In 1825 the quantity imported was 106,770 lbs. ; in 1830 only 8,722 lbs. The quantity retained for home consumption, is, however, very small. In 1838, duty (6s. per cwt.) was paid on 60 cwts.; in 1839, on 24 cwts. Description and Varieties.—Asafcetida (Asafcetida; Gummi Asafcetida, offic.) occurs in irregular pieces of variable size. Externally they are yellow- ish or pinkish-brown. The fracture is conchoidal, whitish, or milk-white, translucent, pearly, with a waxy lustre. By exposure to light and air the re- cently-fractured surface acquires, in a few hours, a violet-red or peach-blossom red colour, which, after some days or weeks, diminishes in intensity, and gra- dually passes into yellowish or pinkish-brown. Asafcetida is fusible and in- flammable, burning in the air with a white flame and the evolution of much smoke. Its taste is acrid and bitter, and its odour strong, alliaceous, and pecu- liar; to most persons being remarkably disagreeable, whence the Germans have denominated asafcetida Tcufchdrcck, or Stercus Diaboli; in plain Eng- lish, Devil's dung. However, this dislike to asafcetida is not universal; some of the Asiatics being exceedingly fond of it, taking it with their food as a con- diment, or using it to flavour their sauces, or even eating it alone. Hence, among some of the older writers, we find it denominated Cibus Deorum,— Food of the Gods. Captain M. Kinnier (Ainslie, Mat. Ind. i. 21,) tells us, that in Persia the leaves of the plant are eaten like common greens, as is the root when roasted: and Lieut. Burnes, (Travels, ii. 243,) speaking of asafcetida, says, " in the fresh state it has the same abominable smell; yet our fellow- travellers greedily devoured it." But the fondness of this substance is not con- fined to the Asiatics; for I am assured, by an experienced gastronome, that the finest relish which a beef steak can possess, may be communicated by rubbing the gridiron, on which the steak is to be cooked, with asafcetida. I am acquainted with three varieties only of asafcetida : a. Asafcetida in the tear (Asafxtida in granis seu lachrymis). 1 Asafaztida of the Ferula persica.—This kind occurs in distinct, roundish, flattened or oval tears, and also in irregular pieces, varying from the size of a pea to that of a walnut, of a yellow or brownish-yellow colour externally, but white internally. This kind is comparatively rare. I think it not at all improbable that this va- riety is obtained from a different plant to that which furnishes the lump variety ; for its colour, externally, is more yellow, its odour is much feebler, and its fresh-fractured surface becomes more slowly and less intensely red by exposure vol. ii. 60 474 elements of materia medica. to the air. As it has considerable resemblance to ammoniacum in the tear (with which, indeed, except by its odour, it might be readily confounded), may it not be the substance which Olivier (Fee, Hist. Nat. Pharm. ii. 199) calls ammoniacum, and which he says is produced by Ferula persica ? (3. Lump Asafcetida (Asafcetida in massis). Asafcetida of the Ferula Asa- fxtida.—This variety is the kind usually met with in the shops. It occurs in variable sized masses, of irregular forms, and having a reddish or brownish- yellow colour. Frequently these masses are observed to be made up of tears, agglutinated by a reddish-brown substance: these form that kind of asafcetida sometimes denominated amygdaloid (asafcetida amygdaloides). y. stony Asafoetida (Asafxtida petrcea).—I have never met with this kind in English commerce. My samples were received from Dr. Martiny. It occurs in irregular, more or less angular pieces, which have the odour of asafcetida, and a yellowish brown colour, and present numerous small shining points or plates. It slightly effervesces in hydrochloric acid. By incineration it yields a white ash, which strongly effervesces on the addition of acids. Angelini found in stony asafoetida, 51«9 per cent, of gypsum. Composition.—Asafcetida has been analyzed by Pelletier, (Bull, de Pharm. iii. 556,) Trommsdorff, Brandes, and Angelini. (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 624) : Pelletier's Analysis. Brandes's Analysis. Resin.................................. 6500 Gum.................................. 19 44 Bassorin............................... ll'bti Volatile Oil............................ 3 60 Supermalate of lime, arid loss........... 030 Asafoetida................ 100 00 Resin.................................. 48 85 Gum, with traces of saline matters...... 1940 Bassorin................................ 640 Volatile Oil............................ 4 60 Extractive, with saline matters........ 1-4(1 Sulphate and carbonate ofliine......... 970 Oxide of iron and alumina.............. 040 Sand and lignin............,........... 400 Water................................. 6 00 AsaftBtida.............. 10135 1. Volatile Oil of Asafcetida.—This is obtained by distilling asafoetida with either water or alcohol. It is on this principle that the odour of this gum-resin depends. It is lighter than water, and is at first colourless, but by exposure to the air acquires a yellow tinge. It dis- solves in all proportions in alcohol and ether, but requires more than 2000 times its weight of water to dissolve it. Its taste is at first mild, then bitter and acrid; ils odour is very strong. It evaporates very quickly, and soon fills a large room with its odour. Sulphur, and probably phosphorus, are among its elementary constituents. The presence of sulphur in asafoetida is shown in various ways: thus if chloride of barium be added to water distilled from asafcetida, and likewise a little chloride, the sulphur becomes gradually acidified, and after some time a precipitate of sulphate of baryta is formed. If the oil be rubbed with mercury, it forms sul- phate of mercury. Moreover, if pills made of asafcetida be rolled in silver leaf, the latter, after a few days, is blackened by the formation of a sulphuret of silver. 2. Resin of Asafcetida—The resinous matter of asafcetida is soluble in alcohol. When the alcoholic solution is mixed with water, a milky fluid is formed, owing to the deposition of the hydrated resin. Oil of turpentine and the oil of almonds also dissolve the resin, but less readily than alcohol. The resin obtained by evaporating the alcoholic solution, consists, ac- cording to Johnston, of C*° H20 O10. By exposure to the sun's rays it becomes violet red. Brandes has shown that the resin of asafcetida is of two kinds; one insoluble in ether, the other soluble. The proportion of the first to the second is as l-6 to 47-25. et. Resin insoluble in ether.—Is brownish-yellow, brittle, tasteless, has a slight alliaceous odour, is fusible, and soluble in warm caustic potash. j3. Resin soluble in ether.—Is greenish-brown, brittle, has an aromatic odour, and a faint, but permanent, alliaceous bitter taste. Chlorine decolorizes it. Cold oil of vitriol renders it dark red: if heat be applied, sulphurous acid is evolved, and the mixture becomes black : if the liquid be diluted with water, and saturated with an alkali, the surface assumes a sky-blue colour. Nitric acid renders it first orange, then yellow, and makes it almost insoluble in ether. Hydrochloric acid dissolves it, and colours it pale red. It dissolves in boiling concentrated acetic acid, but is deposited when the solution cools. Characteristics.—Asafcetida possesses the usual characteristics of a gum- resin (vol. i. p. 185). From other gum-resins it is distinguished by its peculiar odour, which is especially obvious when a small portion of this substance is ASAFC3TIDA. 475 heated on the point of a knife, and by its fresh-fractured surface becoming red on exposure to air. Heated with sulphuric acid it blackens, yields a dark, blood-red liquid, and developes sulphurous acid gas : if the liquid be diluted with water, and saturated with caustic potash, it becomes blue, especially on the sur- face, by reflected light, similar to that observed when disulphate of quina is dissolved in water. Physiological Effects.—Asafcetida is usually placed, by pharmacological writers, among those remedies denominated antispasmodics or stimulants. It is I he most powerful of the fetid gum-resins already noticed (vol. i. p. 165). Its local effects are moderate: it is devoid of those acrid and irritating properties possessed by gamboge, euphorbium, scammony, and many other resinous and gummy-resinous substances. In the mouth, as already mentioned, it causes a sensation of heat, and the same effect, accompanied by eructations, is expe- rienced in the stomach, when it is swallowed. In Professor Jorg (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. il Gifte. Bd. ii. 366) and his pupils (males and females), who endeavoured to elucidate the effects of this medicine by experiments made on themselves, doses of asafcetida, not exceeding a scruple, caused uneasiness and pain of the stomach, increased secretion of the gastro-intestinal membrane, and alvine evacuations. The pulse was increased in frequency, the animal heat augmented, the respiration quickened, and the secretions from the bronchial membrane and skin promoted. A very constant effect was headache and gid- diness. The urino-genital apparatus appeared to be specifically affected, for in the males there was an increase of the venereal feelings, with irritation about the glans penis, while in the females the catamenial discharge appeared before its usual period, and uterine pain was experienced. These stimulant effects of asafcetida were observed in a greater or less degree in all the nine persons experimented on ; and it should be borne in mind, that the dose did not, in any one case, exceed a scruple. Very opposite to these results, and to the observations of practitioners generally, is the statement of MM. Trousseau and Pidoux, (Traite de Therap. p. 12-13,) who tell us that they have taken half an ounce of good asafcetida at one dose, with no other effect than that of altering the odour of their secretions, by which they were kept for two days in an infected atmosphere, possessing a more horrible degree of felidity than even asafcetida itself! These apparently contradictory results seem to prove, that different individuals are most unequally susceptible of the influence of this remedy. The influence of asafoetida in convulsive and spasmodic diseases seems indis- putable. As in these cases the functions of the excitomotory system are the functions principally or essentially involved, it is not assuming too much to suppose, that the influence of asafcetida is principally directed to the excito- motory nerves. To paraphrase the words of Dr. M. Hall, (Lectures in the Lancet, April 14, 1838,) asafcetida acts through the excitor nerves; its effects are manifested through the motor nerves. The varying degrees of excitability or susceptibility (natural and morbid) of these nerves in different subjects, will perhaps, in some measure account for the unequal effects produced by this ao-ent on different healthy individuals, as well as for the therapeutical influence in certain subjects being disproportionate to the observed physiological effects. Asafcetida, or its odorous principle, becomes absorbed by the veins, though slowly. Flantlrin (Magendie, Physiol., by Milligen, 288, 1823,) gave half a pound of this gum-resin to a horse; the animal was fed as usual, and killed six- teen hours afterwards. The odour of asafcetida was distinguished in the veins of the stomach, of the small intestine, and the caecum : it was not noticed in the arterial blood, nor in the lymph. Tiedemann and Gmelin (Versuch. S. 9,) were not successful in their search for it; they gave two drachms of asafcetida to a dog, and at the end of three hours were unable to recognise the odour of it either in the chyle of the thoracic duct, or in the blood of the splenic and portal veins; 476 elements of materia medica. but they detected it in the stomach and small intestines. In farther proof of the opinion that asafcetida becomes absorbed, may be mentioned the detection of the odour of this substance in the secretions. The experience of MM. Trousseau and Pidoux, already related, may be adduced as corroborative of this statement. We are told that the transpiration of Asiatics who use asafoetida daily, is ex- tremely fetid ; a circumstance to which Aristophanes (Equites, Act. ii. Seen. 4,) alludes. Vogt (Pliarmakodyn. ii. 126, 2.] (3i. U. S.); Water Oj. (Oss. U. S.) [Pennyroyal Water, fjviij. D.] Rub the ammoniacum with the water gradually poured on, until they are perfectly mixed. [It should be strained through linen, D-] )—'flie resinous constituent of ammoniacum is more effectually suspended in water by the aid of the yolk of an egg. This mixture acts as a stimulant to the bronchial membrane, and is used as an expectorant in chronic coughs, VOL. II. 61 482 ELEMENTS of materia medica. humoral asthma, &c. It is a convenient and useful vehicle for squills or ipeca- cuanha. Dose f3ss. to fgj. 1 EMPLASTRUM AMMONIACI L. E. D. (U. S.) Plaster of Ammoniacum. (Ammoniacum, gv.; Distilled Vinegar, fjviij.; [f Six. E.; Vinegar of Squills, Oss. wine measure, D.] Dissolve the ammoniacum in the vinegar, then evapo- rate the liquor [in an iron vessel, E.~\ with a slow fire, [over the vapour bath, E.] constantly stirring, to a proper consistence.)—A very adhesive, stimulant, and discutient or resolvent plaster. It cometimes causes an eruption. It is applied to indolent swellings, as of the glands and joints. A very useful appli- cation to the housemaid's swollen knee. I EMPLASTRUM AMMONIACI CUM HYDRARGYRO, L. E. D. See vol. i. p. 603. 9. ANE'THUM GRAVE'OLENS, Linn. L. E.—COMMON GARDEN DILL. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Fructus, L.—Fruit, JE. History—This plant is mentioned by Hippocrates, (Opera, p. 359, ed. Foes.) by Dioscorides, (lib. iii. cap. 67,) and by Pliny. (Hist. Nat. lib. xx. cap. 74, ed. Valp.) It is also noticed in the New Testament. (Mall, xxiii. 23.) Botany. Gen. ciiar.—Margin of the calyx obsolete. Petals roundish, en- tire, involute, with a squarish retuse lobe. • Fruit lenticular, flattened from the back, surrounded by a flattened border. Mericarps [half-fruits] with equidis- tant, filiform ridges; the three intermediate [dorsal] acutely keeled, the two lateral more obsolete, losing themselves in the border. Vittce broad, solitary in the channels, the whole of which they fill, two on the commissure. Seeds slightly convex, flat in front.—Smooth erect annuals. Leaves decompound, with setaceous linear lobes. Involucre and involucellce none. Flowers yellow (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Fruit elliptical, surrounded with flat dilated margin (De Cand.) Root tapering long. Stem one and a half or two feet high, finely striated, simply branched. Leaves tripinnated; segments fine capillary; leaf-stalks broad and sheathing at the base. The plant greatly resembles common fennel, though its odour is less agreeable. Ha*.—South of Europe, Astracan, Egypt, Cape of Good Hope, Timor &c. Probably migratory. Cultivated in England. Description.—The fruit, commonly called dill seed (fructus seu semina anethi) is oval, flat, dorsally compressed, about a line and a half long, and from a half to one line broad, brown and surrounded by a lighter-coloured mem- branous margin (ala). Each mericarp or (half-fruit) has five primary ridges, but no secondary ones. In each channel is one vitta, and on the commissure are two vittse. These viltae contain the aromatic oil. The odour of the fruit is strongly aromatic; the taste warm and pungent. Composition.—Dill owes its peculiar properties to a volatile oil. (See below.) Physiological Effects.—Aromatic stimulant, carminative and condimen- tary, analogous to other aromatic umbelliferous fruits (vol. i. p. 183). Uses.—Employed as a condiment by the Cossacks. Loudon (Encyclopaedia of Gardening) says the leaves "are used to heighten the relish of some vege- table pickles, particularly cucumbers ; and also occasionally in soups and pickles." In medicine it is principally employed in the diseases of children. It is a common domestic remedy among nurses, to relieve flatulence and griping of in- fants. Occasionally it is taken under the idea of its promoting the secretion of milk. Practitioners generally use dill as a vehicle for the exhibition of purga- tive and other medicines to children, the griping of which it assists in preventing. The whole fruits may be given to adults in doses often grains to a drachm. 1, OLEUM ANETHI, E. Oil of Dill. (Obtained by submitting the bruised fruit OFFICINAL GALBANUM. 483 of dill, with water, to distillation.) Two cwts. of the fruit yield 8lbs. 5ozs. of oil. (Private information.) This oil is pale yellow. Its sp. gr. is 0-881. Its odour is peculiar and penetrating, analogous to that of the fruit. Its taste is hot, but sweetish. Alcohol and ether readily dissolve it. According to Tietz- mann 1440 parts of water dissolve one part of this oil. Principally used to prepare dill water. May be taken in the dose of a few drops on sugar, or dis- solved in spirit. 2. AQUA ANETHI, L. E. Dill Water. (Dill, bruised, lb. jss. [Sxviij. E.\, Proof Spirit, ftvij. [Rectified Spirit, giij. E.]; Water, Cong. ij. Mix. Let a gallon distil.)—This compound is usually prepared by diffusing the oil through water by the aid of sugar or spirit. Carminative. Dose, for adults, f 3j. to fgiij.; for infants, f3j. to f3iij. It is generally given to infants with their food. 10. GAL'BANUM OFFICINALE, Don., L.—OFFICINAL GALBANUM. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Gummi-resina, L. D.—Concrete gummy-resinous exudation of an imperfectly ascertained umbelliferous plant, probably a species of Opoidia, E.) History.—Galbanum is mentioned by Moses (Exodus, xxx. 34) who ranks it among the sweet spices. It was used in medicine by Hippocrates, (page 401, &c. ed. Foes.); Dioscorides (Ibid. iii. 97) says it (^aX/3avrj) is the perutfiov, growing in Syria. Botany.—Hitherto no sufficient evidence has been adduced to prove that galbanum is yielded by any known plant. " The Bubon Galbanum of Lin- naeus possesses neither the smell nor the taste of Galbanum, but in these par- ticulars agrees better with Fennel, and the fruit has no resemblance whatever to that found in the gum." (Don, Linn. Trans, xvi. 603.) The Dublin College, therefore, is in error in referring this gum-resin to Bubon Galbanum. Mr. Don found an umbelliferous fruit in the galbanum of commerce, which he believes to be that of the plant yielding this gum-resin, and as it constitutes a new genus, he has called it Galbanum officinale. The following are the characters of the fruit: Fruit compressed at the back, elliptical; ridges seven, elevated, compressed, bluntly keeled, not winged ; the lateral distinct, marginal. Channels broadish, concave, without vittse. Com- missure flat, dilated, bivittate: vittce broad, somewhat curved. (Don.) But though it is not at all improbable that these fruits are the produce of the galbanum plant, yet no proof of this has been hitherto adduced, and Dr. Lind- ley, therefore, very properly asks, " Did the fruit found by Mr. Don upon the gum really belong to it?" (Fl. Med. 51.) More recently Sir John M'Niell sent home specimens of a plant called a second sort of ammoniacum, gathered near Durrood, July 27, 1838, to the branches of which are sticking lumps of a pale yellow waxy gum-resin, which Dr. Lindley took for galbanum ; and the plant which yields it being essentially different from all others, has been named by him Opoidia galbanifera. (Botani- cal Register for August 1, 1839, p. 65-6.) Dr. Lindley was kind enough to send me a small fragment of this gum-resin for examination, but I was unable to identify it with any other known product of the order Umbelliferee. It cer- tainly was neither asafcetida nor ammoniacum ; nor did it appear to me to be either sagapenum or galbanum. The precise country where galbanum is produced has not been hitherto as- certained. Dioscorides says it is obtained in Syria; a statement which is per- haps correct, though hitherto no evidence of this has been obtained. It is not improbable that it is also procured in Persia, or even in Arabia, as suggested by Dr. Royle. Opoidia Galbanifera grows in the province of Khorasan, near Durrood. Extraction.—Geoffroy (Trait, de Mat. Med. ii. 623) says, though I know not on whose authority, that galbanum is generally obtained by making an in- 484 elements of materia medica. cision into the stalks about three fingers' breadth above the root, from which it issues in drops, and in a few hours becomes dry, and hard enough to gather. Description.—The gum-resin galbanum (galbanum seu gummi-resina gal- banum) occurs in the two forms of tears and lump. a. Galbanum in the tear (galbanum in lachrymis seu granis) is rare: it occurs in distinct, round, yellow or brownish yellow, translucent tears ; none of which, in my collection, exceed the size of a pea. Their fracture is feebly resinous and yellow. (S. Lump Galbanum (galbanum in massis) is the ordinary galbanum of com- merce. It consists of large irregular masses of a brownish or dark brownish yellow colour, and composed of agglutinated tears, some few of which, when broken, are observed to be translucent and blueish, or pearl-white. The meri- carp, pieces of the stem, &c. are found intermixed with the tears. To separate these, galbanum is melted and strained (strainedgalbanum; galbanum colatum.) The odour of both kinds is the same ; viz. balsamic, and peculiar. The taste is hot, acrid, and bitter. When exposed to cold, galbanum becomes brittle, and may be reduced to powder. In many of its other properties it agrees with the other gum-resins. It is imported from the Levant and from India, in cases and chests. Recently another gum-resin from India has been introduced as galbanum; but it is said to resemble the latter in colour only, and to be unsaleable.1 Composition.—Galbanum has been analyzed by Neumann, (Pfaff, Syst. de Mat. Med. iii. 294,) Pelletier, (Bull, de Pharm. iv. 97,) Fiddechow, and Meissner. (Schwartze, Pharm. Tabel. 284, 2te Ausg.) Pelletier's Analysis. Resin............................... 66-86 Gum............................... 19-23 Volatile oil and loss.................. 6*34 Wood and impurities................. 752 Supermalate of lime.................. traces Galbanum. 10000 Mcissner's Analysis. Resin................................ 65-8 Gum................................. 226 Bassorin.............................. 18 Volatile oil.................. ........ 3-4 Bitter matter with malic acid.......... 0 2 Vegetable remains.................... 2-8 Water................................ 20 Loss.................................. 1-4 Galbanum................ 1000 1. Volatile Oil of Galbanum.—Obtained by submitting the gum resin, with water, to dis- tillation. It is colourless and limpid. Its sp. gr. is 0"912 : its odour is like that of galbanum and camphor; its taste is hot, afterwards cooling and bitterish. It is soluble in spirit, ether, and the fixed oils. 2. Resin.—Is the residue obtained by boiling the alcoholic extract of galbanum in water. It is dark yellowish-brown, transparent, brittle, and tasteless; soluble in ether and alcohol, scarcely so in spirit containing 50 per cent, of water, or in almond oil. Very slightly soluble in oil of turpentine, even when aided by heat. It dissolves in oil of vitriol, forming a dark yellowish- brown liquid. According to Pelletier, galbanum-resin has the remarkable property of yielding an indigo-blue oil when heated to 248° F. or 266° F. The composition of galbanum resin is, according to Johnston, C40 HS7 O7. Physiological Effects.—The general effects of galbanum are those of the fetid antispasmodic gum-resins already described (vol. i. p. 185). It is usually ranked between asafcetida and ammoniacum, being weaker than the former, but stronger than the latter. As it yields, by distillation, more volatile oil than asafcetida does, it has been supposed that it must exceed the latter in its stimulant influence over the vascular system ; but as an antispasmodic, it is decidedly in- ferior to asafogtida. A specific stimulant influence over the uterus has been ascribed to it: hence the Germans call it Mutterharz (i. e. uterine resin). Uses.—Galbanum is principally adapted for relaxed and torpid habits, and is objectionable in inflammatory or febrile disorders. It is employed in the same cases as asafcetida (p. 476), with which it is generally given in combination. It is principally used in chronic mucous or pituitous catarrh, in which it often- i Mr. E. Solly, Proceedings of the Committee of Commerce and Agriculture of the Royal Asiatic Society, Lond. 1841, p. 144. OFFICINAL CUMIN. 485 times proves serviceable. It has also been employed in amenorrhcea and chronic rheumatism. Externally it is applied as a mild stimulant, resolvent, or sup- purant, in indolent swellings. Administration.—It may be given in substance, in the form of pill, in doses of from grs. x. to 3ss., or in the form of emulsion. 1. TINCTURA GALBANI, D. Tincture of Galbanum. (Galbanum, cut very small, 3ij.; Proof Spirit, Oij. [wine measure.] Digest for seven days, and filter*)— Stimulant and antispasmodic. " Used for the same purposes as the tincture of asafoetida, than which it is less nauseous and less powerful."—Dose, f 3j. to f3iij. 2. PILULE GALBANI COMPOSITE, L. D. (See p. 478). 3. EillPLASTROl GALBANI, L. D. Emplastrum gummosum, E. Plaster of Galbanum. (Galbanum, 3viij.; Plaster of Lead, lb. iij.; Common Turpentine, 3x.; Resin of the Spruce Fir, powdered, fiij. Add first the Resin of the Spruce Fir, then the Plaster of Lead melted with a slow fire, to the Galbanum and Turpentine melted together, and mix them all, L.—" Litharge plaster, 3iv.; ammoniac, galbanum, and bees' wax, of each 3ss. Melt the gum-resins together, and strain them: melt also together the plaster and wax : add the for- mer to the latter mixture, and mix the whole thoroughly." E.—Litharge Plaster, lb. ij.; Galbanum, lb. ss.; Scrapings of Yellow Wax, giv. , Melt the galbanum, and add the litharge plaster and wax; then melt them together with a medium heat, and strain, D.)—This plaster, spread upon leather, is applied to indolent tumours, to promote their suppuration, and to disperse them. Its operation appears to be that of a mild stimulant. It is also applied to the chest in chronic pulmonary complaints. In weakly, rickety children, with weakness of the lower extremities, it is applied to the lumbar region. 11. CU'MINUM CY'MINUM, Linn. L. E.—THE OFFICINAL CUMIN. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Fructus, L.—Fruit, E.) History.—This plant is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament, (Isaiah, xxviii. 27 ; Matthew, xxiii. 23,) and by Hippocrates, (Opera, 407, die. ed Fees.) Dioscorides, (lib. iii. cap. 68,) and Pliny. (Hist. Nat. lib. xix. cap. 47, ed. Valp.) The Greeks call it xii(xivov %-egov vel aiAitwrixov. Botany.—Gen. char.—Teeth of the calyx five, lanceolate, setaceous, un- equal, persistent. Petals oblong, emarginate, erect, spreading, with an inflexed lobe. Fruit contracted at the side. Mericarps [half fruits] with wingless ridges; the primary ones five, filiform, minutely muricated, the laterals form- ing a border; the secondary ones four, more prominent, and aculeate. Chan- nels under the secondary ridges one-vittate. Carpophorus bipartite. Seed somewhat concave anteriorly, on the back convex.—Herbs. Leaves many- cleft: lobes, linear, setaceous. Leaflets of the involucre two to four, simple or divided. Involucellum halved, two to four-leaved, becoming reflexed. Flowers white or pink (De Cand.) Sp. char.—Lobes of the leaves linear, setaceous, acute. Umbel three to five- cleft. Partial involucre equalling the pubescent fruit (De Cand.) Root annual. Stem slender, branched, about a foot high. Leaves filiform, Flowers white or reddish. Rab.—Upper Egypt, Ethiopia. Extensively cultivated in Sicily and Malta. Description.—The fruit, commonly termed cumin seeds (fructus seu semina cumini), is larger than anise, and of a light-brown or grayish-yellow colour. It has some resemblance to, though it is larger than, caraway. Each mericarp has five primary ridges, which are filiform, and furnished with very fine prickles. The four secondary ridges are prominent and prickly. Under each of these is one vitta. The odour of the fruit is strong and aromatic. Both odour and 4S6 elements of materia medica. taste are somewhat analogous to, but less agreeable than, caraway. Cumin is imported from Sicily and Malta. In 1839, duty (2s. per cwt.) was paid on 53 cwts. Composition.—The peculiar properties of cumin reside in a volatile oil. Oil of Cumin; Oleum Cumini. Obtained by submitting the fruit to distillation with water. Sixteen cwts. of the fruit yield about 44 lbs. of oil. This oil, as usually met with, is pale yel- low and limpid. Its smell is disagreeable; its taste very acrid. It consists of two oils, one a carbo-hydrogen called Cumen or Cymen C'8 H24; the other an oxygenated oil called Hydruret of Cumyl Cao H" Oa + H. Cumyl is an hypothetical base composed of C30 H"' 03. When treated with caustic potash, oil of cumin yields hydrated cuminic acid C° Ii" O3 -+- Aq. This is a crystallizable solid. Physiological Effects.—Cumin agrees with the other aromatic umbellife- rous fruits (see vol. i. p. 183) in its mildly stimulant and carminative qualities. Uses.—Internally, cumin is rarely used ; caraway being an equally efficient, and much more agreeable medicine. As a discutient and resolvent, it was for- merly employed, externally, in the form of plaster (emplastrum cumini, Ph. L. 1824) and cataplasm (cataplasma e cymino, Quincy). As there is now no preparation of cumin in the British Pharmacopoeia, I am surprised at the reten- tion of this substance in the Materia Medica. The dose of cumin is grs. xv. to 3ss. It is principally used in veterinary surgery. 12. DAU'CUS CAROTA, Linn. L. D.—COMMON OR WILD CARROT. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Fructus; Radix recens, L.—Radix, D.) D. Carota, var. sativa, De Candolle, E. (Root). D. Carota, var. sylvestris, D. (Semina). (Carota, U. S.) History.—According to Dr. Sibthorp, (Prodr. Fl. Grccc. i. 183,) this plant is the tfrcKpuXivos of Dioscorides. (Lib. iii. cap. 59.) Hippocrates (p. 686, ed. Foes.) employed it in medicine under the same name. The CrafpuXivos d.yo\% of Dioscorides is, according to Dr. Sibthorp, the Daucus guttatus. Botany.—Gen. Char.—Margin of the calyx five-toothed. Petals obovate, emarginate, with an inflexed point; the outer generally radiating, and deeply bifid. Fruit somewhat compressed from the back, ovate or oblong. Mericarps [half-fruits] with the five primary ridges filiform and bristly; the three middle ones at the back; the two laterals on the plane of the commissure; the four secondary ridges equal, more prominent, winged, split into a simple row of spines. Channels beneath the secondary ridges one-vittate. Seed anteriorly flatfish.—Usually biennial herbs. Leaves bipinnatisect. Involucre of many, trifid, or pinnatifid leaflets; partial involucre of many entire, or trifid leaflets. Flowers white or yellow; the central generally fleshy, blackish purple, sterile (De Cand.) Sp. ciiar.—Stem hispid. Leaves two or three-pinnatisect; the segments pin- natifid ; the lobes lanceolate, cuspidate, almost equal to the umbel. Prickles equal to the diameter of the oblong-oval fruit (De Cand.) Root slender, yellowish, aromatic, and sweetish. Stem two or three feet high, branched, erect, leafy, hairy or bristly. Leaves on broad, concave, ribbed footstalk's, distinctly hairy. Umbels large, white, except the one central neutral flower, which is blood-red. Fruit small, protected by the incurvation of the flower-stalks, by which the umbels are rendered hollow, like a bird's nest.—(Condensed from Smith.) Hai>.—Indigenous; in pastures and the borders of fields, in a gravelly soil, common. Europe, Crimea, and the Caucasus ; from thence, probably, carried to China, Cochin-China, and America. Dau'cus Card la, var, sativa, D. C.; E. Cultivated or Garden Carrot.—This has a thick succulent root, whose colour varies. Loudon mentions ten garden varieties. 3P0TTED HEMLOCK. 487 Description.—The officinal root is that of the cultivated plant (radix dauci sativi). It is tape-shaped, now and then branched, reddish or pale straw- coloured, succulent, of a peculiar, not unpleasant odour, and a sweet, mucilagi- nous, agreeable taste. Carrot juice (rob dauci) is reddish, turbid, with the odour and taste of the root. By standing, a feculent matter (amylum dauci), which has been recently employed in medicine, deposits. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1841, p. 204.) It coagulates at a temperature under 212° F. The coagu- lum is yellow, and when dried amounts to 0-629 of the juice. The root of the wild, or uncultivated, carrot is small, woody, acrid, and bitter, with a strong aromatic odour. The officinal fruits, usually called carrot seeds (fructus seu semina dauci sylvestris) are those of the wild carrot: they are brownish, from one to one and a half lines long, with a peculiar and aromatic odour, and a bitter and warm taste. Their other characters have been described (p. 486). The seeds of the cultivated carrot are much milder. Composition—The fruit (commonly termed seeds) has not been analyzed: the seeds owe their peculiar properties to volatile oil (oleum seminum dauci sylvestris). Theroot has been analyzed by Vauquelin, (Ann. de Chim. et Phys. xii. 46,) by Wackenroder, (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1277,) and by C. Sprengel. (Pharm. Central-Blatt fur 1832, p. 443.) The constituents of the expressed juice, evaporated to dryness, are, according to Wackenroder, fixed oil with some volatile oil 1*0, carotin 0-34, uncrystallizable sugar with some starch and malic acid 93-71, albumen 4-35, ashes composed of alumina, lime, and iron 0-60. 1. Volatile Oil of Carrot-Root.—Colourless, has a smell of carrots, a strong, permanent, unpleasant taste, and a sp. gr. of 0-8863 at 54° F. It is little soluble in water, but very solu- ble in alcohol and ether. From 34 lbs. of the fresh root only half a drachm of oil was obtained. It is probable that the volatile oil of carrot-fruits possesses analogous properties. 2. Carotin.—A crystalline, ruby-red, tasteless, odourless, neutral substance. It is fusible and combustible, but not volatile, soluble in the mixed and volatile oils, slightly so in alcohol, not in ether unless fat oil be present. Its solutions are decolorized by solar light. 3. Pectic Acid.—By the action of alkalis on the ligneous tissue of carrots, Braconnot pro- cured pectic acid. I have repeated his experiments, and can confirm his statements, but the quantity obtained is small. Pectic acid consists, according to Fremy, of C2< H17 032. Physiological Effects and Uses.—The fruit (seed of the shops) of the carrot is an aromatic stimulant and carminative, like the other aromatic umbel- liferous fruits (see vol. i. p. 183). Aretseus says it possesses diuretic proper- ties, a statement confirmed by Eberle. (Mat. Med. ii. 260, 2d ed.) It has been employed in suppressions of urine and painful micturition, and also in dropsies. The expressed juice has been used as an anthelmintic. The boiled root is a well-known article of food. Raw scraped carrot is some- times applied to chapped nipples: it is a stimulant, and occasionally proves a painful application. Boiled carrots are only employed in the form of poultice.1 CATAPLASMA DACCI, D.; Carrot Poultice. (Root of Cultivated Carrot, any quantity. Boil the root in water until it becomes soft enough to form a cata- plasm.)—It is used to correct the fetid discharge, allay the pain, and change the action of ill-conditioned, phagedenic, sloughing, and cancerous ulcers. (Med. Observ. and Inq. vol. iv. pp. 184-191, and 358.) 13. CONI'UM9 MACULA'TUM, Linn. L. E. D.—THE COMMON OR SPOTTED HEMLOCK. (Conii Folia et Conii Semen, U. S.) History.—This plant is usually supposed to be the xojvjiov of the Greek wri- ters,—the celebrated Athenian state poison, by which Socrates (Works of Plato, by T. Taylor, vol. iv.; Tlie Phcedo, p. 340) and Phocion (Plutarch's Lives) • For further details respecting the medicinal uses of the carrot,see Bridault. Traite sur la Carotte, et Re.cucil il'Oliseroatious sur l' Usage ct les Effets salutaires de cette Plante dans les Maladies externes et internes' 8vo Horhi'lle, An. xl. » This word is sometimes incorrectly accented Co'nium. But " those words which, in Greek, are written with ei before n vowel, and in Latin with e or »', have the e or i long; as JUntas, Cassiopea Cytharia, Cen- taurea," &c. (Grant's Institutes of Latin Grammar, p. 343, 2d ed. 1823.) 488 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. died,—and the cicuta of the Roman authors. Various reasons contribute to give the common opinion on this point a high degree of probability. Dioscorides (lib. iv. cap. 79) described the plant sufficiently well to prove it must have been one of the Umbelliferse ; and he tells us that it had a heavy odour, and a fruit like that of anise. The latter simile applies to our Conium, for a very intelli- gent druggist mistook, in my presence, the fruit of the hemlock for that of anise; and at the examination for M. B. at the University of London, in 1839, a considerable number of the candidates, to whom the hemlock fruit was shown, made the same mistake. Dioscorides also tells us, that the xwvsiov of Crete and Megara was the most powerful, and next to this came that of Attica, Chio, and Cilicia. Now Dr. Sibthorp (Prodr. Fl. Grcecce, i. 187) found Conium macula- tum growing near Constantinople, not unfrequently in the Peloponnesus, and most abundantly between Athens and Megara. So that the locality of our Conium agrees, as far as has been ascertained, with that of the ancient plant. More- over, Conium maculatum is at this present time called by the Greeks xivsiov. (EXXrivixr) <&ap|Aaxotfoi'i'a, 1837.) We may gather from the poetical account of the effects of xwveiov given by Nicander, (Alexipharmaca, f. 34-5, Paris, 1549,) that this plant "brings on obliteration of the mental faculties, dimness of sight, giddiness, staggering, stifling, coldness of the limbs, and death by asphyxia; a view of its effects," says Dr. Christison, (Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. xiii.) " which differs little from the modern notions of the poi- sonous action of the spotted hemlock." It is also remarkable that the ancients regarded xwvsiov as having the power of discussing tumors—a virtue which has been assigned to hemlock by writers of the present day. I am fully aware that the characters of the ancient plant, as given us by Dioscorides and Pliny, (Hist. Nat. lib. xxv. cap. 95, ed. Valp.,) are insufficient to distinguish it from some other Umbilliferse, yet I think the evidence of its being our Conium maculatum is deserving of much greater confidence than Dr. Christison is disposed to give it. The absence of all notice, in the writings of the ancients, of the purple spots on the stem, has been urged against the proba- bility of this opinion. " Pliny's term nigricans, applied to the stem, is but a feeble approach," says Dr. Christison, " to the very remarkable character of the modern plant, the purple spotted stem." But in 1839 I showed to the pupils attending my lectures a stem of hemlock to which the term blackish might be applied without greater impropriety of language than is daily made use of when a man is said to have a black eye; for the dark purple spots had coalesced so as to cover most completely the lower part of the stem. Admitting, however, that the term is not strictly correct, I would observe, first, that there is no poi- sonous umbelliferous plant to which it applies so well as to hemlock; and, secondly, Dioscorides and Pliny may be well excused for using it, seeing that a distinguished living professor describes the spots on the stem as blackish. (See Orfila, Toxicol. Gen. ii. 299, 1818.) It is evident that our generic term Conium is derived from the Greek word xwvsiov. Linnaeus has been censured by Lamarck for using this name, since the Latin authors call our hemlock Cicuta, which he, therefore, contends ought to be its designation now. But it ought to be remembered that Linnaeus has only restored its ancient name, for the word Cicuta is unknown to the Greek lan- guage. By modern botanists the latter term is applied to a distinct genus of plants ; and when, therefore, we meet with it in botanical works, we must not confound it with the cicuta of the Romans. Especially careful should the stu- dent be not to confound Conium maculatum with Cicuta maculata. It is cer- tainly much to be regretted that such a ground of confusion should exist, but I am afraid it is now too late to obviate it. Botany. Gen. Char.—Margin of the calyx obsolete. Petals obcordate, some- what emarginate, with a very short inflexed lobe. Fruit compressed at the side, ovate. Mericarps [half-fruits] with five, prominent, undulated, crenu- SPOTTED HEMLOCK. 489 lated, equal ridges, the lateral ones marginal. Channels with many striae, but no vittae. Carpophorus bifid at the apex. Seed incised with a deep narrow groove, and confounded with it.—European, biennial, poisonous herbs. Root fusiform. Stem round, branched. Leaves decompound. Both partial and general involucres, three to five-leaved ; partial one, halved. Flowers white, all fertile. (De Cand.) s,,. char___Leaflet of the partial involucre lanceolate. Partial umbel short. (De Cand.) Root biennial, tap-shaped, fusiform, whitish, from six to twelve inches long, somewhat resembling a young parsnip. Stem from two to six feet high, rouud, smooth, glaucous, shining, hollow, spotted with purple. Leaves tripinnate, with lanceolate, pinnatifid leaflets, of a dark and shining green colour, smooth, very fetid when bruised, with long, furrowed footstalks, sheathing at their base. Umbels of many general as well as partial rays. General involucre of several (usually three to seven) leaflets : partial involucre of three leaflets on one side. Margin of calyx obsolete. Petals five, white, obcordate, with inflexed points. Stamina five, epigynous, as long as the petals. Ovarium ovate, two-celled, striated; styles two, filiform, spreading; stigma round. Fruit ovate, com- pressed laterally ; mericarps (half-fruits) with five primary, but no secondary, ridges, which are undulato-crenated ; the channels have many striae, but no vittae. Seed with a deep, hollow groove in front. Hab.—Indigenous ; hedges and waste ground, especially near towns and villages. In other parts of Europe, the East of Asia, and in the cultivated parts of North America and Chili, into which it has been introduced. In distinguishing Conium maculatum from other Umbelliferse, the following characters Bhould be attended to :—The large, round, smooth, spotted stem ; the smooth, dark, and shining green colour of the lower leaves; the general involucre of from three to seven leaflets; the partial involucre, of three leaflets ; the fruit with undulated crenated primary ridges. To these must be added, that the whole herb, when bruised, has a disagreeable smell (compared by some to that of mice, by others to that of fresh cantharides or of cats' urine). Tlie indigenous Umbelliferae most likely to be confounded with Conium maculatum, are, OSthusa Cynapium and Anthriscus vulgaris. OZthusa Cvxapium, or FooVs Parsley, is dis- tinguished from hemlock by its smaller size, by the absence of the strong disagreeable smell which distinguishes the leaves of hemlock, by the want of a. general involucre, by the three long, narrow, unilateral, pendulous leaflets composing the partial involucre, by the ridges of the fruit beinjr entire (i. e. not undulate or crenate,) and by the presence of vitlee. Anthriscus vulgaris, or Common Beaked-Parsley, is known from hemlock by the paler colour and slight hairiness of the leaves, by the absence of spots on the stem, by the swelling under each joint, by the absence of a general involucre, by the roughness of the fruit, and by the absence of a strong unpleasant odour when the leaves are bruised. Anthriscus svlvestris (Chatrophyllum sylvestre), or Common Cow-Parsley, is scarcely likely to be confounded with hemlock. The stem, though purplish, is striated, downy at the lower part, and slightly swollen below the joint; the leaves are rough edged ; there is no general involucre ; and the partial one usually consists of five or more leaflets. Description.—The leaves (folia conii) only are officinal. They should be gathered from wild plants, just before the time, or at the commencement of flowering. If intended for drying, the larger stalks should be removed, and the foliaceous parts quickly dried in baskets, by the gentle heat (not exceeding 120° F.) of a proper stove. Exclusion from solar light contributes greatly to the preservation of the colour. If properly dried, the leaves should have a fine green colour, and their characteristic odour ; and when rubbed with caustic potash should evolve the odour of conia. They should be preserved in cool, closed, perfectly opaque, and dry vessels. Tin canisters possess these proper- tics. However, no reliance can be placed on the dried leaves, however care- fully prepared, for they sometimes yield no conia, though they possess the proper hemlock-odour and a fine green colour. If the fresh leaves be subjected to pressure, they yield a greenish juice (succus conii) from which, on standing, a green fecula subsides. The fruit, commonly termed liemlock seeds (fructus seu semina conii), has very little odour, and a slight, somewhat bitterish taste. vol. n. 62 490 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. It retains for a much longer time than the leaves its active principle unchanged (see Conia). Composition.—Schrader (Berlin Jahrbuch, 1805, S. 152,) made a compa- rative analysis of wild and cultivated hemlock, but with no important result. He also made a comparative examination of hemlock and cabbage (Brassica oleracea), the only curious part of which was, that he found a striking resem- blance between them. (Schweigger's Journ. far Chem. Bd. v. S. 19, 1H12.) Peschier (Pfaff, Syst. d. Mat. Med. Bd. vii. S. 300; Berzelius, Traite de Chim. vi. 254,) found in hemlock a salt which he called coniate of conia, being com- posed of a peculiar crystallizable acid (coniic acid), and a peculiar base. Hem- lock juice was analyzed by Bertrand ; (Recueil de Mem. de Med. de Chir. et de Pharm. Mil. t. ix. p. 300,) the leaves by Dr. Golding Bird ; (Lond. Med. Gaz. xi. 248,) the ashes by Brandes. (Berlin Jahrbuch, 1819, S. 116.) An analysis of hemlock (leaves?) by the last-mentioned chemist, is quoted by Merat and De Lens. (Diet, de Mat. Med. ii. 391.) Peschier and Brandes first announced the existence, in this plant, of a peculiar basic principle, which Giseke, (Journ. de Pharm. xiii. 366,) in 1827, obtained in combination with sulphuric acid. But Geiger, (Mag. far Pharm. xxxv. 75 and 259,) in 1831, procured it, for the first time, in an isolated form, and described some of its properties and effects on animals. It was afterwards examined by Dr. Christi- son, (Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. vol. xiii. and Med. Gaz. xviii. 123,) and by MM. Boutran-Charlard and O. Henry. (Journ. de Chim. Med. t. ii. 2nde Ser. p. 350.) Sehrader's Analyses. Hemlock. Cabbage. Extractive.................,.................. 2 73 — 2 34 Gummy extractive............................ 3-52 — 2 89 Resin......................................... 015 — 0 05 Vegetable albumen............................ 031 — 029 Green fecula.................................. 0 80 — 0 63 Water, with acetic acid and various salts...... 9249 — 9380 Total............................... 10000 — 10000 Brandes's Analyses. Peculiar basic principle (conicine). Very odorous oil. Vegetable albumen. Resins. Colouring matter. gaits. [Lignin and waterj. Hemlock. 1. Volatile Oil of Hemlock. (Odorous principle.)—The distilled water of hemlock pos- sesses, in a high degree, the characteristic odour of hemlock, but is scarcely, if at all, poisonous. Hence it is obvious that the odorous matter is not the active principle. Furthermore it shows that the characteristic odour of hemlock, in the different preparations of this plant, is not to be taken as a necessary indication of their activity. Bertrand isolated the odorous matter, and found it to be a volatile oil of an acrid taste and peculiar odour. 2. Conia (Conicine; Conein; Cicutine).—Exists in hemlock in combination with^an acid (coniic acid, Peschier;) so that it cannot be recognized by its odour, nor obtained by distillation, without the assistance of an alkali. It exists, probably, in all parts of the plant, but is more copious in the fruit than in the leaves; and, most remarkably, it may be preserved for a much longer time in the former than in the latter. Geiger procured from six lbs. of fresh, and nine lbs. of dried fruits, about one ounce of conia, whereas from 100 lbs. of the fresh herb he obtained only a drachm of this alkaloid. He could get traces only of it in fresh dried leaves, while ho extracted a drachm of it from nine ounces of the fruit which had been preserved (not very carefully) for sixteen years. This by no means agrees with my own observations and experi- ments for I have found that fruit which had been kept for three years yielded only a very mi- nute portion of conia; though from the same sample when fresh gathered I had obtained a considerable quantity. From 40 lbs. of the. ripe, but green, seeds (mericarps), Dr. Christison obtained two ozs. and a half of hydrated conia. Conia, free from all impurity but water, may be obtained by distilling the alcoholic soft or syrupy extract of the seeds (mericarps) with its own weight of water and a little caustic potash. The conia passes over readily, and floats on the surface of the water (which contains conia in solution). When pure, conia is an oily-looking transparent liquid, lighter than water. Its odour is strong and penelrating, somewhat like that of hemlock, or more analogous to a combination of the odours of tobacco and mice. Its taste is acrid ; it is sparingly soluble in water, but is entirely soluble in alcohol and ether. It reddens turmeric, and neutralizes the dilute acids, forming salts. While saturating, the liquors have a bluish-green tint, which subsequently passes to a reddish-brown. It combines with about a fourth of its weight of water to form a hydrate of conia. When placed in a vacuum, in the presence of bodies very attractive of water, it in part volatilizes, and leaves a reddish, very acrid, pitchy residue, which appears to be anhydrous [partially decomposed ?] conia. The 491 SPOTTED HEMLOCK. vapour of conia is inflammable. By exposure to the air, liquid conia acquires a dark colour, and is resolved into a brown resin and ammonia. Its boiling point is 370° F., but it readily distils with water at 212° F. .... Conia is characterized by its liquidity at ordinary temperatures, its volatility, its peculiar odour, its reddening turmeric paper, its vapour forming white fumes (hydrochlorate of conia) with the vapour of hydrochloric acid, its solulion in water, forming, with infusion of nutgalls, a white precipitate (tannate of conia) its sulphate and other salts being deliquescent and soluble in alcohol, its not being reddened by either nitric or iodic acids, and lastly, by its alcoholic solution not being precipitated by the alcoholic solulion of carbazotic acid. Several of the salts of conia are Crystallizable. When solutions of them are evaporated they lose a part of their base, the odour of which becomes sensible. The nitrate of conia, when decomposed by heat, yields brown pyrogenous products. Potash added to a salt of conia sets the base free, which is then recognized by its odour. Liebig analyzed conia. Its constituents are: Atoms. Eq. Wt. Per Cent. Liebig. Carbon........................... 12 ........ 72 ........ 6667 ........ 66913 Hydrogen.......................... 14 ........ 14 ........ 1296 ........ 12000 Nitrogen........................... 1 ........ 14 ........ 1296 ........ 12805 Oxygen............................ 1 ........ 8 ........ 7-41 ........ 8282 Conia.......................... 1 ........ 103 ........ 100 00 ........ 100000 The effects of conia have been tried on mammals (the dog, cat, rabbit, and mouse), birds (pigeon, kite, and sparrow), reptiles (slow-worm), amphibials (the frog), annelides (earth-worm), and insects (fly and flea). One drop placed in the eye of a rabbit killed it in nine minutes; three drops employed in the same way killed a strong cat in a minute and a half; five drops poured into the throat of a small dog began to act in thirty seconds, and in as many more motion and respiration had entirely ceased. The following are the symptoms produced, as detailed by Dr. Christison. "Itis, in the first place, a local irritant. It has an acrid taste ; when dropped into the eye, or on the peritoneum, it causes redness or vascularity; and to whatever texture or part it is applied, expressions of pain arc immediately excited. But these local effects are soon overwhelmed by the indirect or remote action which speedily follows. This consists essentially of swiftly-spreading palsy of the muscles,—affecting first those of voluntary motion, then the respiratory muscles of the chest and abdomen, lastly the diaphragm, and thus ending in death by asphyxia." Convulsive tremors, and twitches of the limbs, sometimes, though not invariably, are observed. The ex- ternal senses do not appear to be affected until respiration is impaired. If a rabbit be lifted up by his ears when under the influenee of the poison, he makes the same kind of struggles to be released that he does when in health. So also if we place him in an uneasy posture, he makes attempts to alter his position, proving that his senses are unimpaired. After death the muscles are susceptible of the galvanic influence. MM. Boutran-Charlard and O. Henry state that most of tlie animals to whom they gave conia became "a prey to the most dreadful con- vulsions. The plaintive cries, the contortions, and the rigidity of the limbs, which have always preceded death, leave no doubt as to the cruel pains which this kind of poisoning brings on." This account agrees neither with my own observations, nor with those published by Dr. Christison. Does conia become absorbed? In favour of the affirmative view of this question may be mentioned the fact, that this alkali acts on all the textures admitting of absorption; and that the quickness with which the effects occur, are in proportion to the absorbing power of the part. But the rapidity of its action, when introduced into the veins, is a barrier to the suppo- sition of its acting on the nervous centres by local contact; for Dr. Christison states that two drops, neutralized by dilute muriatic acid, and injected into the femoral vein of a young dog killed the animal in two or three seconds at farthest. The primary seat of the action of conia is probably the spinal cord. In this conia and strychnia agree; but in the nature of the effect, they seem, as Dr. Christison has observed to be the counterparts of each other. Conia exhausts the nervous energy of the cord, and causes muscular paralysis; strychnia irritates it, and produces permanent spasm of the respiralory muscles. It is evident, therefore, that, like strychnia and nux vomica (see p. 354), its opera- tion is on the seat of the reflex functions, which, according to Mr. Grainger, (06s. on the Struct, and Fund, of the Spinal Cord,) is the gray matter of the spinal cord. These cffecls of conia suggest its employment in convulsive or spasmodic diseases ; as tetanus poisoning by strychnia, brucia, or nux vomica, hydrophobia, &c. I have fried it on two rabbits under the influence of strychnia, and found that it stopped the convulsions, but hastened rather than prevented death. In September, 1838, it was tried in a case of hydrophobia at the London Hospital. The following is a brief report of the case:—"In the case of hydrophobia in •• middle-aged man, after the disease was fully formed, two minims of conia, dissolved in thirt'v drops of acetic acid, were applied cndcrmically to the pnecordium (the cuticle being previously removed by a blister). The effects were instantaneous. The pulse fell from 64 to 46 d became more regular. The vomiting and convulsions ceased; the respiration became tess difficult, and the symptoms of the disease appeared to bo altogether mitigated. The man ex 492 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. pressed himself as feeling much better, and entertaining hopes of an ultimate recovery. These effecs were, however, but transitory, and in about seven minutes the symptoms began to reap- pear, and shortly assumed their previous urgency. Three minims of conia were injected into the rectum, about a quarter of an hour after the endermic application of it, but it produced no effect in allaying the symptoms of the disease. The remedy was not repeated, and the man became rapidly worse, and died in a few hours." 3. Empyreumatic Oil of Hemlock (Pyro-conia ?).—This oil, obtained by the destructive distillation of hemlock, resembles, according to Dr. Morries, (Ed. Med. and Surg. Journ. xx.xix. 377,) that procured from foxglove (see p. 287). Characteristics for Medico-legal purposes.—Hemlock can only bo properly recognized by its botanical characters, already described: yet its re- markable odour may sometimes be of considerable assistance in recognizing the plant or its preparations; nor is the fact to be lost sight of, that potash develops a strong smell of conia. In some cases it might be possible to obtain some conia by distilling the alcoholic extract of the suspected substance with water and caustic potash. Physiological Effects, a. On Vegetables.—Marcet placed a haricot plant (Phaseolus vulgaris) in a solution of five grains of the extract of hemlock. In a few minutes the two lower leaves curled at their extremities; the next day they were yellow and subsequently died. (Ann. Chim. et Phys. xxix. 219.) Schiibler and Zeller (Schweigger's Journ.fi d. Chem. Bd. 1. S. 54,) also confirm its poisonous operation. /3. On Animals generally.—The effects of hemlock on animals have been tried by Harder, (Boneti, Sepulchr. I. iv. sect. x. Obs. iv. p. 488,) Wepfer, (Hist. Cicut. aquat. p. 201, 1733,) Orfila, (Toxicol. Gen. ii.) and Schubarth. (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. ii. Gifte. ii. 169.) The animals experimented on were the dog, wolf, ra"bbit, and guinea-pig. The action of hemlock on the soli- pedes and ruminants is very much less energetic than on the camivora. Moiroud (Pharm. Vet. 359,) has given three lbs. and a half of the plant to a young horse, without inconvenience; but in another instance the decoction of four ounces proved fatal. It caused dejection, stupor, dilatation of the pupils, trembling, salivation, nausea, spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the extremities, roll- ing of the eye, grinding of the teeth, and copious cold sweats. From the obser- vations of Orfila, hemlock is a local irritant (though this action was not con- stantly observed), and produces giddiness, convulsions, loss of sensibility, palsy, and coma. This account, as Dr. Christison observes, does not agree with the symptoms induced by conia, which does not seem to affect the senses so long as the respiration goes on. " But it is possible," he adds, " that the difference is more apparent than real, and that hemlock has been supposed to extinguish sensation, merely because by inducing paralysis it takes away the power of ex- pression ; at least in some experiments I have made, sensation did not appear to be affected; and the whole phenomena were identical with those produced by conia. In these experiments I used very strong extracts, prepared by absolute alcohol from the fresh leaves or full-grown seeds; and each of them occasioned, in doses of thirty grains or thereabouts, paralysis of the voluntary muscles, with occasional slight convulsions, then paralysis of the respiratory muscles of the chest and abdomen, and finally cessation of the action of the diaphragm. Sensa- tion appeared to continue so long as it was practicable to make an observation on the subject; and the heart contracted vigorously for a long time after death." But from the united observations of the effects of hemlock on animals and man, I cannot help suspecting, either that this plant contains a second active principle, whose operation is somewhat distinct from conia, or that the influence of this alkaloid is greatly modified in the plant by combination with other matters. y. On Man.—In small or medicinal doses, hemlock has been frequently administered for a considerable period, with obvious relief, in certain disea.ses (tumours of various kinds, for example), without any other evident effect; hence the statement of some authors, that hemlock acts insensibly on the system. " It SPOTTED HEMLOCK. 493 seldom purges," says Storck, (Essay on Hemlock, Eng. Tr. 2d ed. 1762,) "and very rarely vomits. Sometimes it increases perspiration, and often it oc- casions a copious discharge of viscid urine. In many patients, nevertheless, it does not sensibly augment any of the secretions." Long-continued use, espe- cially if the doses be increased, will sometimes occasion disorder of the digestive organs or of the nervous system, dryness of the throat, thirst, and occasionally, it is said, an eruption of the skin. Choquet (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen. ii.) mentions the case of a man who gradually increased the dose of the extract to half a drachm; it produced slight delirium and syncope, which obliged him to suspend its use. The ancients were of opinion that hemlock exercised a specific influence over the breasts and testicles. " It extinguishes the milk," says Dioscorides, " and prevents the developement of the mammse of virgins ; moreover, in boys it causes wasting of the testicles." Pliny gives a similar account of it, and adds, " it re- duces all tumours." The same notions of its effects seem to have been enter- tained by the Arabians; for Avicenna praises it as a remedy for tumours of the breasts and testicles. More recently, (Lond. Med. Gaz. viii. 125,) somewhat similar effects on the breasts have been ascribed to it. In two cases it is said to have caused atrophy of the mammse. In large ot poisonous doses the symptoms are those indicating disorder of the cerebro-spinal functions. In some of the best-recorded cases the leading symp- tom was coma; the effects being altogether analogous to those of opium. In other instances, convulsions, or violent delirium, or both, were the prominent symptoms. As an illustration of the comatose condition, sometimes brought on by this poison, I shall quote a case recorded by M. Haaf, a French army sur- geon, and which occurred to him while in garrison at Torrequemada, in Spain, in March, 1812. (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.) A soldier having eaten of some broth, into which hemlock had been put, went to sleep immediately after his supper. In an hour and a half he was found groaning and breathing with difficulty ; in consequence of which M. Haaf was sent for. He found his patient in a profound sleep, without sense, respiring with difficulty, and lying on the ground. His pulse was 30, small, and hard ; the extremities cold ; the face bluish, and distended with blood, like that of a person strangled. Twelve grains of emetic tartar were given, and occasioned some fruitless attempts to vomit. He became gradually worse, had violent palpitations of the heart, and died in three hours after his fatal supper. Several other cases in which coma was the leading symptom might be quoted, but the one just related is the best. We have no well-detailed cases in which delirium was the leading symptom. The following must suffice, by way of illustration ; it is from Kircher (Wibmer, Wirk. &c. ii. 172) :—Two priests ate hemlock root by mistake; they became raving mad, and mistaking themselves for geese, plunged into the water. For three years they suffered with partial palsy and violent pain. Orfila also mentions a vine-dresser and his wife, who became mad and furious from hemlock. As illustrations of the convulsions caused by hemlock, I may refer to the cases mentioned by Limprecht and Ehrhard. (Wibmer, op. cit.) The first states that an old woman suffered for three months with abdominal pain and convulsive movements of the limbs, in consequence of eating hemlock root. Ehrhard mentions trismus as one of the symptoms in another case. Dr. Wat- son (Phil. Trans, vol. xliii. No. 473, p. 18,) has related two cases in which giddiness, coma, and convulsions occurred. These statements, as well as others of a like tendency which might be quoted, do not agree with the (as yet ascertained) effects of conia. The post-mortem appearances throw but little light on the modus operandi of hemlock. Venous congestion, especially of the cerebral vessels, a fluid condition of the blood, and, 494 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. in the lower animals, redness of the alimentary canal, are the occasional appear- ances. Uses.—In the present state of uncertainty with respect to the real physiolo- gical operation of hemlock, it is obviously impossible to lay down indications or contra-indications for its use, which can be much relied on. Acute inflamma- tion, fever, apoplexy, or tendency to it, and paralysis, are among the circum- stances which oppose the employment of hemlock. The uses of hemlock may be reduced to two heads : those which depend on its influence over the organic functions ; and, secondly, those which have refe- rence to its influence over the cerebro-spinal system. The resolvent or dis- cutient and alterative uses come under the first head ; the antispasmodic and anodyne under the second. 1. As a resolvent or discutient and alterative.—Under the continued use of small and repeated doses of hemlock, glandular and visceral enlargements have frequently subsided ; hence has arisen the opinion, entertained in all ages, of the resolvent and discutient powers of this remedy, and of the stimulus which it communicates to the absorbing vessels. The mammse and the skin are the parts in which these powers have been supposed to be more especially manifested ; and the asserted effects (wasting of the breast, profuse sweating, and eruptions) of hemlock on these parts, in healthy individuals, lend support to this opinion. But the influence of hemlock over the organic functions does not appear to be limited to this resolvent operation. In foul ulcers the quality of the discharge has been greatly improved, while pain has been alleviated, and the tendency of the sores to spread has apparently been greatly diminished. If, then, these ef- fects be really referrible to hemlock (and they have been asserted by so many writers in all ages, that we can scarcely refuse to admit them), they prove that this plant exercises a most profound influence over nutrition and the other or- ganic functions, and which we have no better term to indicate than that of alterative. But so frequently has this influence failed to manifest itself, espe- cially in those cases where it was most desired, that a very proper doubt has prevailed among practitioners of the present day, whether it really exists, and whether those phenomena which have been supposed to indicate it, are not really referrible to other influences and circumstances. That hemlock has some influ- ence of the kind referred to, I confess I do not doubt; but it has been greatly exaggerated, and thereby much unmerited discredit has been brought on the remedy ; for practitioners, finding that it would not do all that had been ascribed to it, have frequently dismissed it as altogether useless. Whether the failures ought, in part at least, to be asc-ibed to imperfect modes of preparing and ad- ministering this plant, we are, as yet, unable positively to affirm. One fact, however, is certain, that many of the preparations of hemlock in ordinary cases are inert, or nearly so ; and others, probably, have had their properties greatly changed in the process of their preparation. The remark made by Dr. Chris- tison, with respect to the physiological effects of this plant, applies well to the point under discussion. "If," says this writer, "physicians or physiologists would acquire definite information as to the physiological effects of hemlock, in small or medicinal doses, they must begin the inquiry anew. Little importance can be attached to any thing already done in this field, as I have no doubt whatever that by far the greater proportion of the preparations of hemlock hitherto employed have been of very little energy, and, in the doses commonly used, are absolutely inert." The diseases to which the preceding remarks especially apply, are, enlarge- ments and indurations of the absorbing and secreting glands, and of the viscera, scrofula, obstinate chronic skin diseases, and foul ulcers. I am not prepared to offer any opinion, as to whether the diseases to which the terms scirrhus and cancer are strictly applicable, have ever been cured by hemlock. One fact is undoubted, that diseases, supposed to have been scirrhous and cancerous, have SPOTTED HEMLOCK. 495 been greatly alleviated, and, in some cases, apparently cured by this remedy. This fact does not rest on the sole testimony of Storck, (Essay on the Med. Nat. of Hemhck, [Eng. Transl.] 2d ed. 1762,) but on that of a multitude of practi- tioners. (See Bayle, Bibl. Therap. iii. 618.) Bayle has collected, from various writers, forty-six cases of cancerous diseases, said to have been cured, and twenty-eight ameliorated, by hemlock. In scrofula, in which disease Fother- gill, (Med. Obs. and Inq. iii. 400,) and many others, (see Bayle, op. cit.) have praised it, it seems to be occasionally useful as a palliative in irritable constitu- tions. It allays the pain, and assists in reducing the volume of enlarged lym- phatic glands, and in scrofulous ulcerations improves the quality of the dis- charge, and disposes the sores to heal. Even enlargements of tlie liver, spleen, and pancreas, have been, at times, apparently, benefited by hemlock. In mam- mary tumours and profuse secretion of milk (galactorrhaza), a trial of it should never be omitted. In bronchocele it has been found efficacious by Dr. Gibson, Professor of Surgery in the University of Pennsylvania. (United States Dis- pensatory.) In syphilis it is useful, by alleviating nocturnal pains, and in diminishing the tendency to spread of irritable sores. (Pearson, Obs. on the Effects of Var. Art. of the Mat. Med. in Lues Venerea, p. 62, 1800.) In chronic skin diseases (lepra, herpes, &c.) it is now but rarely employed. 2. As a cerebro-spinal agent (antispasmodic and anodyne).—The power possessed by conia of paralyzing the motor-nerves, suggests the employment of hemlock as an antispasmodic. Hitherto, however, trials of it have been made in a few spasmodic diseases only, and those have not proved favourable to its reputation. In some spasmodic affections of the respiratory organs it has gained a temporary celebrity only. In hooping-cough, Dr. Butter (Treat, on the Kink- cough, 1773,) spoke favourably of it, as having the advantage over opium of not being liable to check expectoration. But though the violent and periodic fits of coughing are obviously of a spasmodic nature, and, therefore, apparently adapted for the use of hemlock, experience has fully proved that the disease is one which will run through a certain course. At the best, therefore, hemlock can prove a palliative only. In other forms of spasmodic cough, as well as in spasmodic asthma, hemlock deserves farther trial. In tetanus, conia or hemlock held out some hopes (fallacious, I am afraid) of doing good. Mr. Curling has kindly furnished me with the notes of a case which occurred in the London Hospital. A tincture of hemlock seeds was exhibited on the eighth day of the disease, at first in doses of ir^xx. every hour, which were increased in the course of the three following days to f3ij. every quarter of an hour, until the patient (a man aged 46) had taken, in all, two pints ! but without any decided effect on the spasms or brain. Morphia and laudanum were afterwards used, but the man died. A small quantity of conia, obtained from three ounces of the same tincture used in this case, killed a cat in less than four minutes. In a case of chorea, trealed by Mr. Curling, no relief was obtained by the use of the above- meniioned tincture, given to the extent of three ounces in twelve hours. The patient (a young man) ultimately died, exhausted from the long-continued and violent convulsions of nearly all the voluntary muscles. Hemlock has been frequently employed as an anodyne, and often with appa- rent relief. As, however, conia does not appear to have the same paralyzino- influence over the sensitive, that it has over the motor nerves, some doubt has been raised on the real anodyne influence of hemlock. However, in tender glandular enlargements, in painful ulcers, in scirrhus and cancer, in rheuma- tism, and in neuralgia, hemlock has, at times, evidently mitigated pain • and its power of allaying troublesome cough, is, in some instances, referrible'to its diminishing the preternatural sensibility of the bronchial membrane. Anaphrodisiac properties have been ascribed to hemlock, and hence this remedy has been used in nymphomania and satyriasis. 496 ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Administration.—Hemlock is used in the form of powder, tincture, extract, ointment and poultice. Antidotes—No chemical antidote is known for hemlock, though it is not improbable that an infusion of galls might be serviceable, as mentioned for conia. The first object, therefore, is to evacuate the poison from the stomach; this is to be effected by the same means as directed for poisoning by opium. If the poison be suspected to have passed into the bowels, a purgative is to be administered, unless diarrhoea have come on. The subsequent treatment will depend on the symptoms: blood-letting is frequently required, to relieve the congested state of the cerebral vessels. Opium is generally prejudicial. Arti- ficial respiration should not be omitted in extreme cases. As strychnia and nux-vomica appear to produce a condition of the spinal cord opposite to that of conia, would either of these agents be serviceable? 1. PULVIS CONII; Powder of Hemlock.—The powder, when properly prepared from the leaves, has the peculiar odour of the plant, and a fine green colour: but neither the odour nor the colour are absolutely indicative of activity. The test of the presence of conia is caustic potash, and as the Edinburgh College properly observes, " the powder, triturated with aqua potassse, exhales a power- ful odour of conia." But the odour of the volatile oil of the plant being very analogous to that of conia, creates some difficulty with inexperienced persons. The vapour of conia, evolved from powdered hemlock by potash, fumes with hydrochloric acid; but the same occurs with ammonia, set free by the same agent. As the powder, however well prepared, quickly spoils by keeping, it is not a preparation which deserves confidence, and should never be used if it have been kept beyond the year. The dose of it is three or four grains twice or thrice daily, the quantity being gradually increased until some obvious effect, (nausea, dryness of the throat, giddiness, headache, or disordered vision) in the system is produced. As different parcels of the powder possess very unequal powers, it is necessary, when changing the parcels, to recommence with small doses. I have already (p. 490) referred to the observation of Geiger as to the small quantity, or even entire absence, of conia, in the dried leaves of hemlock. 8- TINCTURA CONII, L. E. D. (U. S.); Tincture of Hemlock. (Hemlock leaves, dried, gv. [3ij. D.~\ ; Cardamom seeds, bruised, 3j.; Proof Spirit, Oij. [Oj. wine measure, D.~\ Macerate for fourteen [seven D.] days, and strain. The formula of the Edinburgh College is as follows : " Fresh leaves of conium, gxij.; Tincture of Cardamom, Oss.; Rectified Spirit, Oiss. Bruise the hem- lock leaves, and express the juice strongly ; bruise the residuum, pack it firmly in a percolator; transmit first the tincture of cardamom, and then the rectified spirit, allowing the spirituous liquors to mix with the expressed juice as they pass through ; add gently water enough to the percolator for pushing through the spirit remaining in the residuum. Filter the liquor after agitation.")—The process of the Edinburgh College yields a much more energetic preparation than that of the London and Dublin colleges, as it obviates the necessity of dry- ing the leaves, and, therefore, much deserves the preference. If, however, the percolation were dispensed with, and the tincture prepared merely by adding spirit (not tincture of cardamom) to the expressed juice, the process would be greatly improved. If the leaves have been sufficiently pressed, the percolation is scarcely necessary, and, therefore, only adds to the labour and expense of the process. Any active matter lost by omitting percolation, may be easily com- pensated for, by increasing the quantity of juice employed, the cost of which scarcely deserves notice. The employment of tincture of cardamom is objec- tionable, since it prevents the apothecary from forming a judgment of the colour, taste, and smell of, and the effect of potash on, this preparation. And lastly, if the percolation process be adopted, surely the directions of the Edinburgh Col- lege are too loose. The quantity of water which is to be employed " for push- ing through the spirit" should be accurately defined, or it will be impossible to SPOTTED HEMLOCK. 497 have preparations made at different times, and by different persons, of uniform strength. Good tincture of hemlock should evolve a strong odour of conia on the addition of potash. In 1837 (Lond. Med. Gaz. xix. 770) 1 recommended the use of an alcoholic tincture of the bruised fruit. More recently, Dr. Os- borne (Dub. Journ. xvi. 469,) has advised the same. Tinctura conii, L. D. is given in doses of 3ss. or f3j. which are to be gradually increased until some effect is produced. Tinctura conii, E. must be employed more cautiously; though the quaniity of hemlock leaves used by the Edinburgh College would, if dried, be scarcely half that employed by the London and Dublin Colleges (as 1000 parts of the fresh leaves yield only 185 parts when dried, according to Henry and Guibourt. (Pharm. Raison. i. 27.) The drying, however, as I have already noticed, greatly deteriorates the activity of the leaves. [The United Slates Pharmacopceia directs Hemlock leaves 3iv. Diluted Alcohol Oij.] Succus Conii; Preserved Juice of Hemlock.—The method of preparing the preserved vege- table juices has been before described (see vol. i. p. 325). Mr. Bentley informs me that from 1 cwt. ot hemlock leaves gathered in May he procured twelve imperial quarts of juice. The preserved juice of hemlock appears to me to be an excellent preparation. i. EXTRACTUM CONII, L. E. (U. S.): Succus inspissatus Conii, D.; Extract of Hemlock. (Fresh hemlock leaves, lb. j.; bruise them, sprinkled with a little water, in a stone mortar; then press out the juice, and evaporate it, unstrained, to a proper consistence, L. The Dublin College directs it to be prepared as the inspissated juice of Aconite. The following are the directions of the Edin- burgh College: " Take of Conium any convenient quantity, beat it into a uni- form pulp in a marble mortar, express the juice and filter it. Let this juice be evaporated to the consistence of a very firm extract, either in a vacuum with the aid of heat, or spontaneously in shallow vessels exposed to a strong current of air freed of dust by gauze screens. This extract is of a good quality only when a very strong odour of conia is disengaged by degrees, on its being care- fully triturated with aqua potassoe.")—Most of the extract of the shops is inert, or nearly so. " We were one day," says Orfila, (Toxicol. Gen. ii.) "in the shop of an apothecary, who had several times furnished us with the extract of hemlock, which we had administered to dogs to the dose of ten drachms, with- out producing any serious accident. We endeavoured to prove to him that the medicine was badly prepared; and, in order to convince him effectually, we swallowed, in the presence of several persons who happened to be in his shop, a drachm of this extract (seventy-two grains) dissolved in two drachms of water. We felt no effect from it, whilst twenty or thirty grains of the extract, well pre- pared, would have probably proved fatal to us. Let it be conceived now what advantage a person is likely to derive from such an extract, who takes one or two grains of it per day, or even thirty or forty, with the hope of getting rid of a scirrhous tumour, or of any other disease." The extract of hemlock contains very little conia; this has been shown by Geiber and Christison, and has been verified by myself. From 3iv. of extract procured from one of the most respectable drug houses in town, I was unable to procure any sensible quantity of this alkali. " From what has come under my own observation," says Dr. Christison, " the extracts of hemlock may be- come feeble, if not inert, in one or two ways,—either by the heat being con- tinued after the concentration has been carried on to a certain extent, or by long keeping. On the one hand, I have always observed, that from the point at which the extract attains the consistence of this syrup, ammonia begins to be given off in abundance, together with a modified odour of conia. And, on the other hand, I have found extracts, which were unquestionably well prepared at first, entirely destitute of conia in a few years,—a remark which applies even to the superior extract prepared by Mr. Barry, of London, by evaporation in vacuo." vol. ii. 63 *yo ELEMENTS OP MATERIA MEDICA. Mr. Brande (Diet, of Pharm. 195,) observes that " the most active extract is that which is procured by moderate pressure from the leaves only ; when the stalks and stems are used, and violent pressure employed, the extract is gluti- nous, dark-coloured, and viscid, and less active than in the former case, when it has a somewhat mealy consistency, and an olive-green colour. With every caution, however, on the part of the operator, the colour, odour, and eflicacy of extract of hemlock, will vary with the season, and with the situation and soil in which the herb has grown. The best method of preparing this and similar ex- tracts, consists in gradually heating the expressed juice to a temperature of about 212° [by which the vegetable albumen coagulates, and retains, mechani- cally, or chemically, a portion of the active principle], then to suffer it to cool, to strain it through moderately fine linen, and evaporate the strained liquor, and when it has nearly acquired a proper consistency, to add the matter which remained upon the strainer." One cwt. of hemlock yields from three to five lbs. of extract. If ammonia be evolved during the preparation of the extract, we may infer that decomposition of the conia is going on. However carefully extract of hemlock may be prepared, 1 prefer for medicinal use the tincture made with the expressed juice as before stated. The dose of the extract should, at the commencement, be two or three grains, and gradually increased until some obvious effect is observed. [The United States Pharmacopceia also directs the Extractum Conii Alco- holicum made in the way directed for the same Extract of Belladonna. See p. 308.—J. C] 4. PILULJ CONII COMPOSITE, L.; Compound Pills of Hemlock. (Extract of Hemlock, 3v.; Ipecacuanha, powdered, 3j.; Mixture of Acacia, as much as may be sufficient. Beat them together until incorporated.)—Antispasmodic, slightly narcotic, and expectorant. Used in spasmodic coughs, bronchitis, the incipient stage of phthisis, &c.—Dose, grs. v. to grs. x. twice or thrice dailv. §. UNGUENTUM CONII, D.; Hemlock Ointment. (Fresh leaves of hemlock, Prepared Hogs' Lard, of each lbs. ij.; boil the leaves in the lard until they be- come crisp, then express through linen.)—It is employed as an anodyne appli- cation to foul, painful, and cancerous sores, to glandular and scirrhous swellings, and to painful piles. An extemporaneous substitute may be prepared with lard and the extract of hemlock. 6. CATAPLASMA CONII, L. D.; Hemlock Poultice. (Extract of Hemlock, 3ij.; Water, Oj. Mix, and add Linseed, bruised, as much as may be sufficient to make it of a proper consistence, L. The formula of the Dublin College is as follows: Leaves of Hemlock, dried, 3j-; Water, Oiss. Boil down to a pint, and having strained the liquor, add as much of the same kind of liquor as is sufficient to form a cataplasm.)—A poultice of hemlock is sometimes employed as a soothing anodyne application to cancerous, scrofulous, venereal, and other foul ulcers. It is sometimes prepared with the unstrained decoction and bruised meal; occasionally the bruised leaves, or the dried herb with hot water, is used. Hemlock fomentation (fotus conii) is sometimes applied to painful swellings. It is prepared with the herb (fresh when it can be procured) and hot water. 14. CORIAN'DRUM SATI'VUM, Linn. L. E. D.—THE OFFICINAL CORIANDER. Sex. Syst. Pentandria, Digynia. (Fructus,L— Fruit, E— Semina, D.) (Coriandrum, CJ. S.) History—Coriander is mentioned by Moses. (Exod. xvi. 31.) It was used by Hippocrates. (Opera, 359, 529, &c. ed. Foes.) Dioscorides (lib. iii. cap. 71,) and Pliny (Hist. Nat. lib. xx. cap. 82, ed. Valp.) also mention it. The Greeks called it xopiov or xop/awov. Botany. Gen char.—Teeth of the calyx five, acute, unequal, persistent. Pc- OTHER UMBELLIFERiE. 499 tals obovate, emarginate, with an inflexed lobe, the exterior radiating, bifid. Fruit globose, ten-ribbed, scarcely separating. Mericarps [half-fruits] with five primary, depressed, wavy ridges, and four secondary ones [besides the marginals] more prominent and keeled. Cluznnels evittate. Commissure bi- vittate. Carpopodium in the middle face, semi-bifid, adnate at the base and apex. Seed excavated in the front, covered with a loose membrane.—Smooth lirrbs. Stem round. Leaves (upper ones at least) many cleft. Umbel with three to five rays. Involucre none. Involucella about three-leaved, halved. Flower-bud sometimes roseate. Flowers white. Stylopodium conical. (De Cand.) Sp. char.—The only species. Root tapering. Stem erect, twelve to eighteen inches high. Leaves scarcely stalked, all bipinnate and cut; the leaflets of some of the lowermost wedge- shaped, or fan-shaped ; acute notched; of the rest, in fine, 4inear segments. Flowers white, often with a reddish tint. Hah.—Grows wild about Ipswich and some parts of Essex, but is not really indigenous. Native of the south of Europe. Cultivated in Essex. Description.—The fruit, commonly termed coriander seeds (fructus seu semina coriandri), is globular, about the size of white pepper, of a grayish- yellow colour, and is finely ribbed. It consists of two hemispherical mericarps, adherent by their concave surfaces. Each mericarp has five primary ridges, which are depressed and wavy; and four secondar)*- ridges, more prominent and carinate. The channels are without vittae, but the commissure has two. The odour of coriander is peculiar and aromatic. Composition.—The odour, taste, and medicinal qualities of the fruit depend on volatile oil. Volatile Oil of Coriander (Oleum Coriandri).—Yellowish; smells strongly and pretty agreeably of the coriander. Physiological Effects—Aromatic stimulant, like the other carminative umbelliferous fruits (vol. i. p. 183). Uses.—Dr. Cullen considered coriander as more powerfully correcting the odour and taste of senna than any other aromatic; and hence it was formerly a constituent of the compound infusion of senna, though now ginger is substi- tuted for it. It is only employed in medicine as an adjuvant or corrigent. It is used, however, by the confectioners and distillers. It is a constituent of the confectio sennce.—The dose of coriander is 3ss. to 3j. OTHER UMBEIXIFER.K, DIETETICAL, OR POISONOUS. All the more important medicinal Umbelliferee have been noticed. It remains now to enu- merate those plants in common use for dietetical purposes, or which are indigenous and poi- sonous. Of the Dietetical Umbelliferee several have been already mentioned. To these may be added Parsley (Pelroseli'num sati'vum) and Chervil (Anthris'cus Cerefo'lium), used as pot- herbs and garnishings; the Parsnip (Pastina'ca sativa) and Skirret (Si'um Sis'arum), em- ployed on account of their esculent roots; Celery (A'pium grave'olens), an acetarious plant, the blanched leaf-stalks of which are eaten raw as a salad; Common Samphire (Crith'mum maril'imum), which is pickled ; Eryngo (Eryn'gium campes'tre), the root of which is pre- served, and eaten as a candy (Candied Eryngo; Radix Eryngii condita); and Lovage (Le- vis'ticum officinale), used by distillers for preparing a liqueur termed lovage. The Poisonous Indigenous U.\inELLiFERiE are acro-narcotics. When swallowed they cause gastric irritation, giddiness, delirium, convulsions, and coma. The most important (after Conium maculatum, before mentioned), are Fool's Parsley (jEthu'sa Cyna'pium), which con- tains a peculiar alkaloid called cynapina; Hemlock Water-dropwort ((Enan'the croca'ta) • ('clcry-lcavcd Watcr-dropwort ((Enan'the apiifo'lia); and Water Hemlock (Cicu'ta viro'sa). ' 500 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. Order LVI.—CUCURBITACEAE, Jussieu.—THE GOURD TRIBE. Essential Character.—Flowers usually unisexual, sometimes hermaphrodite. Calyx five- toothed, sometimes obsolete. Corolla five-parted, scarcely distinguishable from the calyx, very cellular, with strongly-marked reticulated veins, sometimes fringed. Stamens rive, either distinct or cohering in three parcels ; anthers two-celled, very long and sinuous. Ovary inferior one-celled, with three parietal placentas; style short; stigmas very thick, velvety or fringed. Fruit fleshy, more or less succulent [occasionally dry, opening by valves), crowned by the scar of the calyx, one-celled [in some Momordicas three or four- celled], with three parietal placentae. Seeds flat, ovate, enveloped in an aril, which is cither juicy, or dry and membranous; testa coriaceous, often thick at the margin ; embryo flat, with no albumen; cotyledons foliaceous, veined; radicle next the hilum.—Roots annual or perennial, fibrous or tuberous. Stem succulent, climbing by means of tendrils formed by abortive leaves (stipules, St. Hil.) Leaves palmated, or with palmaled ribs, very succulent, covered with numerous asperities. Flowers white, red, or yellow (Lindley). Properties.—Variable; suspicious. The roots and fruits of many species are drastic cathar- tics. The fruits of other species are employed as articles of food. 1. CU'CUMIS COLOCYNTHIS, Linn. L. E. D.—THE BITTER CUCUMBER, OR COLOCYNTH. Sex. Syst. Monoecia, Syngenesia' (Linn.) (Peponum Pulpa Exsiccata, L.—Pulp of the Fruit, E.—Fructus pulpa, £>.) (Colocynthis, U. S.) History.—Colocynth is supposed to be the plant termed, in the Old Testa- ment, (2 Kings, iv. 39,) the wild vine (literally the vine of the field), whose fruit the Sacred historian callspakkoth, a word which in our translation is ren- dered wild gourd. To understand the passage referred to, it is to be remem- bered that different kinds of gourd are commonly used in the East for shredding into pottages. (Picture Bible, ii. 226.) Colocynth was employed by the Greeks at a very early period. Hippocrates-(pages 263 and 265, ed. Foes.) employed xoXoxuvcVs ayo\a (cucurbita sylvestris, or wild gourd) only in pessaries for bring- ing on menstruation. Dioscorides (lib. iv. cap. 178) gives a good description of colocynth. Pliny (Hist. Nat. xx. 8, ed. Valp.) calls it colocynthis. Botany. " Gen. char.—Calyx tubular-campanulate, with subulate segments scarcely the length of the tube. Petals scarcely adherent to each other and to the calyx. Males: stamina five, triadelphous. Females : stigmas three, thick, bipartite. Fruit (peponida) three to six-celled. Seeds ovate, compressed, not marginate.—Flowers monoecious or hermaphrodite, yellow (De Cand.) Sp. ciiar.—Stem procumbent, somewhat hispid. Leaves cordate-ovate, many- lobed, white, with hairs beneath ; the lobes obtuse; the petioles as long as the lamina. Tendrils short. Flowers axillary, solitary, stalked ; females with the tube of the calyx globose, somewhat hispid, the limb campanulate, with narrow segments. Petals small. Fruit globose, smooth, yellow when ripe, with a thin solid rind and a very bitter flesh (De Cand.) Root annual, white, branched. Stems herbaceous, angular, branched. Leaves bright green on the upper side, paler and clothed with whitish hairs underneath. Tendril filiform, branching, opposite each leaf. Calyx five-toothed. Corolla yellow, with greenish veins. Males: stamens three, short, free; two of which have doubly-bent anthers, or consist of two anthers; in which case the number of stamens is really five. Females: ovarium round, smooth, inferior; style short, cylindrical; stigmas three; filaments without anthers. Fruit (pepo) about the size of an orange, with a thin but solid rind. i The followers of Linnteus are by no means agreed with their great master, or among themselves, as to the true order of Cucumis, and some other encurbitaceons genera. The male flowers have, apparently, three stamina ; but of these two have an anomalous structure, and are regarded by some botanists as sta- mina with doubly folded anthers ; by others as being composed each of two adherent stamina. Hence some have regarded the flowers as triandrous, some as pentandrous; the latter, taking into account the adhesion of the stamina, consider them to he synpenetious. triadelphous (polyadelphous), or monadelphous. So that while Linna-iis adopted Monacia, Syngenesia, as the clnss and order, Turton placed Ciiciiiois in Monacia, Triavdria; Smith in Mouaxia. Pentandria ; or Mon. Polyadelphia (see his Introd. to Botany, p. 303. 4th ed.) ; Willdenow, Persoon, Loudon, &c. in Monoscia, Monadetphia; while Sprengel, in conformity with his modifi- cation of Linneus's sexual system, places it in Monadetphia, Monandria. BITTER CUCUMBER. 501 Hab.—Japan, the sandy lands of Coromandel, Cape of Good Hope, Syria, Nubia, Egypt, Turkey, and the islands of the Grecian Archipelago. Cultivated in Spain. Preparation of the Fruit.—The fruit is gathered in autumn, when ripe and yellow, and in most countries is peeled and dried, either by the sun or by stoves. Commerce__Colocynth is imported from Spain (Almeira, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Malaga, &c), Trieste, Smyrna, Alexandretta, Mogadore, &c. It comes over in cases, casks, boxes, &c. In 1S39, duty (2d per lb.) was paid on 10,417 lbs. Description.—The fruit called colocynth or coloquintida (colocynthis ; poma colocynihidis) is imported either peeled (generally), or sometimes unpeeled. Its pulp (pulpa colocynihidis exsiccata) is nearly white, inodorous, light, spongy, porous, tough, intensely and nauseously bitter. The seeds (semina colocynihidis) are smooth, either white or yellowish white (white colocynth seeds), or brownish (black colocynth seeds), bitter (especially the dark-coloured ones) and inodorous. By digesting them in repeated portions of boiling water, and afterwards well washing them, the greater part of the bitterness may be extracted. Two kinds of colocynth, distinguished as Turkey and Mogadore colocynth, are known in commerce. a. Turkey Colocynth: Peeled Colocynth.—This is imported from the Levant, Spain, &c. The usual size of each pepo is about two or three inches in diame- ter ; the shape is more or less globular, acording to the evenness with which the rind has been removed, and the degree of contraction in drying; the colour is white, or pale yellowish white. One hundred parts by weight are said to consist of 2S parts pulp, and 72 parts seed. 3. Mogadore Colocynth: Unpeeled Colocynth.—The pepo of this kind is larger than the preceding, and is covered with a yellowish, smooth, firm rind. It is imported from Mogadore in small quantity only, and is principally used by druggists for show-bottles. The seeds of colocynth are usually described as white, perfectly bland, and highly nutritious. Captain Lynn (Duncan, Edinb. Disp.) stales they constitute an important article of food in Northern Africa. "The seeds of Cucurbitacete, says De Candolle, (Essai sur les Prop. Med. des Plantes, 191,) "do not participate in the qualities of the pulp which surrounds them ; they are bland, demulcent, of an oily nature, and susceptible of easily taking the form of an emul- sion." These statements do not apply to Colocynth seeds of commerce, which I never found devoid of bitterness; and Hillefeld (.Marx, Lehre v. d. Giften, ii. 27,) says a scruple of them purged a dog. Heise (Ibid. 34,) found them poisonous. Composition.—In 1S17, Braconnot (Journ. de Phys. Ixxxiv. 337.) analyzed the watery extract. The pulp was analyzed in 1818 by Meissner. (PfafT's Syst. d. Mat. Med. vi. 365.) Vauquelin (Journ. de Pharm. x. 416,) examined the active principle. .Veissner's Analysis. I Braconnol's Analysis. Bitter matter {Colocynthin)............'........ 14-4 Bitter matter (Colocynthin) with some resin... 41-4 Extractive.....................,............ 30 0 j Resin....................................... 4.3 Bitter fi*ed oil..................'............. 42 Yi-?--table jelly 'pectin]...................... 1^ g Resin insoluble in eiher...................... 13 2 Gum........................................ 115 Bassonn.................................... 3 0 Gummy extract (obtained from the ligneous fibre by potash)........................... 170 Vegetable jelly................................ 0 6 Phocphale of lime and magnesia................... 5 7 Ligneous fibre................................ 19 2 | Water........................................ 5 0 j Colocynth Pulp......................... 101 ? Azotic matter.............................. 01-4 Acetate of potash........................... 57 Deliquescent salt of potash not soluble in alcohol................................ 7-1 Watery extract of Colocynth............ 0.^5 Colocynthis: Colocynthite; Bitter or Purgative Principle of Colocynth.—By digesting the watery extract of colocynth in alcohol, and evaporating the tincture lhus procured, we obtain a m.iss, composed, according to Vauquelin, of a bitter principle and acetate of potash. A little water readily dissolves ihe latter, leaving the bitter resinoid matter, to which the name of Colocynthin has been applied. It is a yellowish browD, translucent, brittle substance, dissolv- 502 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. ing in water, but much more readily in alcohol. The aqueous solution is precipitated by the tincture of galls, and by some metallic solutions (protosulphate of iron, sulphate of copper, and nitrate of mercury). Chemical Characteristics.—The cold infusion is pale yellow, and very bitter; nitrate of mercury, sulphate of copper, and acetate of lead, cause in it gelatinous-flocculent precipitates, (pectates ?); sesquichloride of iron and tincture of nutgalls do not render it turbid. Powdered colocynth gives scarcely any evidence of the presence of starch, on mixing it with tincture of iodine and water. Physiological Effects, a. On Animals generally.—The animals on whom the action of colocynth has been examined, are horses, dogs, sheep, and pigs. On dogs its operation appears to be analogous to that on man. Thus Viborg (Wibmer, Wirk. d. Arzneim. a Gifte. ii. 230) states that two drachms caused in a dog violent vomiting and purging; and Orfila (Toxicol. Gen.) has shown that three drachms introduced into the stomach (the oesophagus being tied) are capable of causing death. It is remarkable, however, that its operation on horses is comparatively slight, at least according to the testimony of Viborg, Bourgelat, and Moiroud. (Pharm. Vet. 274.) The last-mentioned writer says he has given four drachms to a horse without exciting the least disorder ; and he adds that another cucurbitaceous plant (briony) has likewise very little effect on the horse. /3. On Man.—Thunberg (Travels, ii. 171) tells us that, at the Cape of Good Hope, the colocynth fruit is said to be eaten when pickled, both by the natives and colonists, although it is very bitter. Mr. Dunsterville, Surgeon, of Algoa Bay, formerly one of my pupils, tells me that the colocynth growing there does not possess the least bitterness. Is it Cucumis Colocynthis 1 Colocynth taken in small or moderate doses acts as a very safe and useful purgative. Its operation is not limited to the acceleration of the vermicular movements, but is extended to the secreting and exhaling vessels of the alimen- tary canal, whose functions it promotes. Moreover, it stimulates the other abdominal organs ; and after the absorption of its bitter acrid principle, it not unfrequently proves diuretic. In full doses, it operates as a very active or drastic cathartic and hydragogue; but I have never seen any ill effects from its use. These remarks apply to the compound extract, the only preparation of colocynth of which I have personal experience. It would appear, partly from observation in the human subject, and also from the experiments of Orfila on dogs, that colocynth is one of those purgatives which exert a specific stimulant influence over the large intestines. In excessive doses, colocynth, both in powder and decoction, has on several occasions operated as a mortal poison, causing violent vomiting and purging, griping pain, and other symptoms of gastro-intestinal inflammation. A tea- spoonful and a half of the powder (about 3iss.) has proved fatal. (Christison, On Poisons.) In a case related by Orfila (Toxicol. Gen.) there were, besides the preceding symptoms, dimness of sight and slight delirium. In M. Carron d'An- necy's case (Toxicol. Gen.) the purging was followed by extreme tension and tenderness of belly, suppression of stools and urine, retraction of the testicles, and priapism. On a post-mortem examination there were found, besides the usual evidences of inflammation of the bowels, traces of inflammation of the liver, kidneys, and the bladder. Considered in relation to other cathartics, colocynth will be found to rank near gamboge, from which it is distinguished by at least two circumstances : first, its cathartic effect is not the mere result of its topical acrid operation, but, in part, of its specific influence over the bowels ; secondly, its action on the large intestine is more manifest than that of gamboge. In the latter property, colo- cynth approximates to aloes ; but while it greatly exceeds the latter in its cathartic and hydragogue effects, it is devoid of the tonic influence possessed by aloes, when used in small doses. BITTER CUCUMBER. 503 Uses.—Besides being useful as an ordinary purgative, colocynth is adapted for acting as a stimulus to the abdominal and pelvic vessels and nerves in cases of torpor or inactivity, and, on the principle of counter-irritation already ex- plained (vol i. p. 153), for determining from other organs. The objections to its use are acute inflammatory affections of the alimentary canal, diseases of the large intestine, &c. The following are the principal cases in which it is em- ployed. 1. In Habitual Constipation.—As an ordinary purgative for keeping the bowels regular, the compound extract of colocynth is in common use both among the public and medical men. It operates mildly, certainly, and effectually. I am acquainted with individuals who have taken this substance for years, vyith- out suffering any inconvenience therefrom. The simple extract is sometimes employed as a substitute, but is less advantageous. 2. In Alvine Obstruction.—In some cases of obstinate constipation, with sickness and other symptoms of an extremely irritable stomach, the compound extract of colocynth occasionally proves invaluable. Occupying but a small bulk, it is retained on the stomach, and succeeds in producing alvine evacua- tions, where the ordinary liquid purgatives fail, in consequence of being vomited up. Doubtful cases of intus-susception and hernia, even with stercoraceous vomiting, I have seen completely relieved by it. More than once have I known an operation averted by its use, in those who, in addition to the above symp- toms, had old hernias, which led the surgeon to suspect strangulation. A slight degree of abdominal tenderness is not to be considered as absolutely prohibiting its use. Occasionally the extract is rubbed down with soap and water, and administered as an enema (see Enema Colocynthidis.) 3. In Diseases of the Brain.—In apoplexy, or a tendency thereto, in pa- ralysis, insanity, violent headache, &c. colocynth is sometimes employed with good effect, on the principle of revulsion or counter-irritation. 4. In Dropsy.—In dropsical affections, colocynth has been used as a hydra- gogue. But in this country it is less frequently employed for this than for other purposes: various other hydragogues (especially elaterium and jalap) being usually preferred. It is sometimes employed as a diuretic, being given in the form of decoction. Hufeland regarded it as a most effectual diuretic in persons of a cold and sluggish habit of body. (Eberle, Mat. Med. i. 119, 2nd ed.) 5. In Antcuoirhcea and Chlorosis.—In some cases of obstructed menstruation, benefit is obtained by the use of drastic purgatives, like colocynth, which act on the rectum, and, by contiguous sympathy, affect the uterus. Administration.—The powder, which is rarely used, may be administered in doses of from two to eight or ten grains, intimately mixed with some mild powder, (gum, or starch). The decoction (prepared by boiling 3ij. of colocynth in Oj. of water for six minutes, and, according to Hufeland, adding to the strained liquor, f3ij. of the spirit of sulphuric ether, and f3j. of syrup of orange- peel) is given in doses of f3ss. three times a day. The tincture (prepared according to the Prussian Pharmacopceia, by digesting gj. of colocynth pulp and 3j. of star-anise in lb. j. of rectified spirit) is given in doses of twenty drops. Colocynth has been employed iatraleptically (see vol. i. p. 156) by Dr. Chres- tien. (Meth. lalral. p. 172.) The tincture of colocynth, or twenty grains of the powder mixed with hogs' lard, were used by way of friction on the abdo- men and inner side of the thighs, in disorders of the intellectual functions. Diuresis was a common effect. The following are the officinal preparations of colocynth. Antidote. See Elaterium, p. 512. I. EXTRACTUM COLOCYNTIUDIS, L. E. D.; Extract of Colocynth: (Colocynth pulp [in pieces, L.] lb. j. ; Water [Distilled, L.] Cong. ij. [Cong. j. wine mea- sure, D.] Mix and boil with a slow fire for six hours, frequently adding dis- tilled water, that it may always fill the same measure. Strain the liquor while 504 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. hot; lastly, evaporate it to a proper consistence, L.—The directions of the Edinburgh College are essentially the same, except that the evaporation is di- rected to be effected by the vapour bath.—The Dubli?i College directs ihe mix- ture to be boiled down to four pints, and the liquor filtered while hot; then evaporated to a proper consistence.)—When the decoction is very concentrated, it readily gelatinizes on cooling; hence it is necessary to strain it while hot. At Apothecaries' Hall, the produce of 100 lbs. of pulp is about 65 lbs of extract. (Barker and Montgomery, Obs. on the Dub. Pharm.) Extract of colocynth is an objectionable preparation, as it is very apt to become either mouldy or tough and hard by keeping.—The dose of it is grs. v. to Bj. 2. EXTRACTUM COLOCYNTHIDIS COMPOSITUM, L. D. (U. S.) Pilulee Colocyn- thidis, E.; Compound Extract of Colocynth. (Colocynth pulp, cut in pieces, gvj. Purified extract of Aloes [Hepatic Aloes, D.] 3xij.; Scammony, pow- dered, 3iv.; Cardamom Seeds, powdered, 3j-; Soap, 3iij.; Proof Spirit, Cong. j. [wine measure, _D.] Macerate the colocynth in the spirit, with a gentle heat, for four days. Strain the spirit, and add to it the aloes, scammony, and soap ; afterwards evaporate to a proper consistence, the cardamom being mixed to- wards the end, L.—The process of the Dublin College is essentially the same. —The process of the Edinburgh College is as follows :—" Socotrine or East Indian Aloes, and Scammony, of each, eight parts; Colocynth, four parts; Sulphate of Potash, and Oil of Cloves, of each, one part; Rectified Spirit, a sufficiency. Pulverize the aloes, scammony, and sulphate of potash, together; mix with them the colocynth previously reduced to fine powder; add the oil of cloves; and with the aid of a small quantity of rectified spirit, beat the whole into a proper pill mass, which is to be divided into five-grain pills.")—Com- pound extract of colocynth, made according to the London Pharmacopceia, is an exceedingly valuable preparation ; but owing to carelessness, inattention, fraud, or ignorance^the preparation of the shops is very unequal in its powers. The aloes used in the process should.be purified (by straining) as directed by the London College: the necessity of this will be obvious to any one who has seen a cwt. of aloes melted. Should the Cape variety be substituted for the finer kind of aloes, the odour would detect the fraud. The scammony employed should be of the best quality (see p. 332). If the common (i. e. adulterated) kinds be used, the activity of the preparation is thereby deteriorated. If the compound extract, rolled into a ball and dropped into water, effervesce on the addition of hydrochloric acid, we may infer that the scammony employed was adulterated with chalk. If the filtered decoction, slightly acidified, become blue or purplish on the addition of tincture of iodine, the presence of some starchy substance (as jalap or adulterated scammony) may be inferred. The mode of detecting gamboge will be described hereafter (see Gamboge). If colo- cynth seeds have been employed as a substitute for the pulp, the tenacity of the extract, I am told, is greatly deteriorated. Some druggists substitute oil of cardamoms for the powder of the seeds, and by this means increase the odour of the preparation ; but unless some inert powder be added, to compensate for the powder of the seeds omitted, the strength of the preparation would be some- what greater than that intended in the Pharmacopceia. Compound extract of colocynth is a powerful, sure, yet safe cathartic. Its uses are the same as those of colocynth before described. The dose of it is from five grains to a scruple. Calomel is frequently given in combination wiih it. The pilulee catharticce compositce, U. S. (before noticed, vol. i. p. 617) contains the compound extract of colocynth, extract of jalap, and calomel. Extract of hyoscyamus is frequently given in conjunction with the compound extract of colocynth. (See pilulee colocynthidis et hyoscyami, E.) In the shops a cheap substitute for the compound extract of colocynth is often sold under the name of pill cochia (pilulee coccice, or pilulee cochice minores of Galen). The substitute sold under this name at Apothecaries' Hall, London, is the pilulee colocynthidis, Ph. Ed. without the sulphate of potash. SQUIRTING CUCUMBER. Colocynth is a constituent of Morison's Pills. (See Frazer's Report of the Trial of Joseph Webb, at York Assizes, 1834, p. 53.) I PILULE COLOCYNTHIDIS ET HYOSCYAMI, E.; Pills of Colocynth and Men- fane.—(Colocynth-pill mass, two parts; Extract of Hyoscyamus, one part. Beat them well together, adding a few drops of rectified spirit, if necessary ; and divide the mass into thirty-six pills.)-Extract of Hyoscyamus diminishes the pain and griping frequently experienced from the use of colocynth, but does not injure its evacuant properties. Both Sir H. Halford and Dr. Pans (Pharmaco- logia, i. 299, 6th ed.) bear testimony to this.—The dose of this pill is grs. v. to gCt ENEMA COLOCYNTHIDIS, L. ; Colocynth Glyster.—(Compound Extract of Colocynth, Bij.; Soft Soap, 3j. 5 Water, Oj. Mix, and rub them together. - A useful cathartic enema in obstinate constipation, whether arising from colic, or from other non-inflammatory conditions. 2. MOMOR'DICA ELATERIUM, Linn, L. E. A-SQUIRTING CUCUMBER. Ecbalium officinale, Nees if Ebermaier. Sex. Syst. Monoecia, Syngenesia. Linn.' (Pepones recentes, L -Feculence of the juice of the fruit, £.-Fructus; Fsecula, Folia; D.) (Elaterium, U. S.) History.—The term SXot^iov (from iXauvu, I impel or urge forward) was employed by the Greeks to signify, not merely a medicine prepared from the tiixug oLypog, or wild cucumber (Momordica Elaterium), but also any purgative substance. (Foesius, (Econom. Hipp.) Hippocrates (Opera, ed. Foes. pp. 418, 547, and 877,) employed the root and leaves of the plant, as well as sAar%iov, in medicine. Dioscorides (lib. iv. cap. 155,) minutely describes the method of preparing !Xew