M ..'"If* '.•Tsii > ° .1/ « - s directed to drink free y of the decoction. The gum-resin itself made into ^n, rf.hmuJn.uet, has been found very beneficial, externally apphed, as an antispsoric, indifferent cutaneous affections. t See Transactions of the American Philosophical Society Vol. III. Nu xxix m Virginia, this plan, is called Wild-Carrot Wild-Parsmp, Fever-root, and Mock Eel-root. ( 18 ) of life, destroy themselves, is the same. It grows in meadows, and has a root like a parsnip. Before I take leave of these poisonous plants, I may mention some others, whose properties are but lit- tle known. The first is the Rhododendron maximum, or Pennsylvania Mountain-Laurel. This is certainly a poison. It is a species of the same genus as the Rhodo- dendron Chrysanthum, which has lately acquired much reputation in the cure of chronic rheumatism*. Nearly allied to the Rhododendron is the genus Kalmia. Of this we have several species, and all of them are poisons. The Kalmia latifolia, or Broad-leaved Lau- rel, is best known to us. It kills sheep and other ani- mals. Our Indians sometimes use a decoction of it to destroy themselves. In the county of Lancaster, an em- piric has used the powdered leaves, with success, in certain stages of fevers, and in tinea capitis. A decoction i of the plant, externally applied, has often cured the itch; (,? but it must be used with great care, for thus applied it has been known to occasion disagreeable subsultus, or startings, and convulsions. I have given the powder of this plant internally in a case of fever, and have thus, at least, ascertained, that it may be used with safety. * The Rhododendron Chrysanthum is a fine shrub, which grows sponta- rl neously upon the summits of the mountains in the neighbourhood of the river ■ Jeniseain Asia; upon the mountains about the lake of Baical; through the M whole of the country of Eastern Siberia; in the Peninsula of Kamtschatka, and in Behring's island, between the continents of Asia and America. It is not improbable (as Asia possesses so many vegetables and animals in com- ■ mon with North- America) that this species of Rhododendron will also be ■ found native within the limits of the latter continent; perhaps upon some M of the great ranges of mountains in the United-States. Upon the Cheerake- I mountains, in North-Carolina, my friend Mr. William Bartram discovered I a beautiful new species of Rhododendron, which he lias named Rhododen- ■ dron aromaticum. H is the Rhododendron punctatum of Willdenow. ( 19 ) The medical properties of our different species of Andromeda and Azalea, which, in botanical character, are very nearly akin to the Rhododendron and Kalmia, are but little known to me. I have long suspected that they are poisons. A decoction of the Andromeda Mari- ana has been found useful, as a wash, in a disagreeable ulceration of the feet, which is not uncommon among the slaves, &c, in the southern states. The Gaultheria procumbens, which we call Moun- tain-tea*, is spread very extensively over the more barren, mountainous parts of the United-States. It belongs to the same class as the plants just mentioned. I have made use of a strong infusion of this plant, which is evidently possessed of a stimulant and anodyne quality. I am told it has been found an useful medicine in cases of asthma. But I have not learned to what particular forms of this disease it is best adapted, nor in what manner it operates. Our native species of Laurus deserve to be investi- gated. The Camphor and the Cinnamon belong to this eenus: but, hitherto, they have not been discovered within the limits of the United-States. The properties of the Common Sassafras, which is a species of Laurus, have not been sufficiently examined. It is the Laurus Sassafras of the botanists. I have already mentioned the bark Its oil seems to be an useful medicine. I have been assured, that this oil has been found an efficacious re- medy, externally applied, incases of wens. Ihis looks probable; for our medicine is nearly allied to camphor, • It is also called Bcrvkd-tea, Grouse-berry, and Deer-berries If 1 do not called Pal lorn- ( 20 ) which has been used with advantage in bronchocele* 1 knew a woman in whom an infusion or tea of the root of the Sassafras always induced an oppression at the breast, with sighing and depression of spirits. During the late American war, necessity drove the inhabitants, in many parts of the United-States, to seek for a substitute for some of the spices to which they had been accustomed. They used the dried and powder- ed berries of the Laurus Benzoin, which we call Spice- wood, and Wild-Alspice-bush, and found them a tole- rable substitute for alspicef. The celebrated Ginseng, or Panax quinquefolium, may, with propriety, be thrown into the class of stimu- lants}. I find it difficult to speak of this plant with any degree of certainty. If it were not a native of our woods, it is probable that we should import it, as we do the teas of China and Japan, at a high price. The Eryngium aquaticum, or Water-Eryngo, is one of the stimulants which more especially act as su- dorifics. It is nearly allied, in its qualities, to the contra- yerva of the shops. It is one of the medicines of our southern Indians. They use the decoction. ■ The oil rubbed upon the head has been found very useful in killing lice.The bark, especially that of the root, powdered and mixed with pomatum, has the same effect. f " A decoction of the small twigs makes an agreeable drink in slow fevers, " and is much used by the country people. It is said the Indians esteemed " it highly for its medicinal virtues." Reverend Dr. M. Cutler. f The Ginseng is by no means a powerful stimulant. It is not very happily arranged in the class of Jtedicanmita Stimulantia, or Incitantia. The Indians make use of a tea prepared of the leaves as well as the root of this plant. But I cannot learn, that they so highly esteem the Ginseng as their Tartar bre- :hren in Asia do. ( 21 ) Among the more acrid stimulants of our country, 1 may mention the Arum triphyllum, or Indian-Turnip, as it is most commonly called. I could wish that the pro- perties of this plant were examined with attention. The leaves of a plant a good deal allied to this, I mean the Dracontium pertusum of the botanists, are employed, by the Indians of Demerara, in a very singular manner, in the treatment of general dropsy. The whole body of the patient is covered with leaves. An universal sweat, or rather vesication, is induced, and the patient often recovers. Perhaps, it would be worth trying this prac- tice in cases of anasarca, which have resisted the usual modes of treatment*. * This fact was communicated to me by my friend, the late Mr. Julius Von Rohr, a gentleman whose death is a real loss to natural science, and perhaps an irreparable loss to the interests of an injured and oppressed part of man- kind- I mean the Blacks. In the summer of 1793, I took my last adieu of this learned botanist, and most amiable man. He sailed, from New-York forthe coast of Africa, where he contemplated the establishment of a colony of Blacks A few days after he had landed on the African continent, he died ol a malignant fever. With him, I fear, has perished, for a long time at least, one of the best concerted schemes for the safe and happy emancipation of the swarthy children of Africa. Von Rohr was another Howard In bene- volenle and good sense, he was, at least, equal to the great Enghsh philan U opist. In fcience certainly, and perhaps in the simplicity of us cond^ and me unambitious fervour of his zeal, he was his superior. Of all he men I have ever known, he appeared tome to be most eminently entitled to he character of a Pkactxc.l Cirist.an. Mr. Von Rohr was a naUve of Den-ark. I hope his countrymen will do justice, if they have not already done it to his great merits. It is the vice of ingratitude, it,. even crunmal, os^rsomuchmsinterestedgoodness,asinhabitedthebosomofmy^ o slip neglected, in the grave. Happy should I esteem myself, if I could hont S.t tins feeble, this retired tribute to the memory of one o the best f ^n migh lead those who knew him long and well, to do a/, justice to hi vu-tu" With his merits in science, no man was better acquainted tha* the learned Professor Fabricin^ ( 22 ) £ II. Topical Stimulants. By the Topical stimulants, I mean those arti- cles which more especially increase the action or living powers of the parts to which they are applied, and which, at the same time, generally produce a discharge of fluid from the part. The Cantharis is one of these articles: but of this, as an animal body, and not a native, I have nothing to say*. * The United-States, rich in the articles of the materia medica, furnish us with several species of insects, which may be employed as valuable sub- stitutes for the cantharides of the shops. It is my intention to publish a par- ticular and full account (illustrated with coloured engravings) of these in- sects. It may not be amiss, in the mean while, to observe, that the species commonly called " Potatoe-Fly," which is now much employed (and which Ihave often employed) as an epispastic, is the Lytta vittata of Fabricius: the Cantharis vittata of Ohvier. This, during certain seasons, is so extremely common in many parts of the Union, that it might be collected and sold at a much cheaper rate than the foreign cantharides of the shops, to which it is by no means inferior in strength. On the contrary, from frequent employ- ment of the two articles, 1 cannot hesitate to prefer the American to the foreign fly. Long-keeping, provided it be carefully kept, does not materially impair die blistering property of the Lytta vittata. At the end of three or four years after being collected, I have found it equal in power to the best shop cantharides. This insect, though commonly called the Potatoe-Fly, is frequently met with upon other vegetables of very different natural families, such as garden peas and beans, species of Amaranthus, the Actxa racemosa i formerly mentioned), and others.-----Besides this, there are, in the Uni vd-States, several other species of the genus Lytta, such as Lytta atrata, Lytta marginata, &c.—1. Lytta atrata (of which I have observed two varieties, differing both in size and in the shades of colour) is an extremely common insect, in many parts of North-America. It is most commonly found, in the autumn, upon different species of syngenrious plants, such as Aster, Solida- go, &c. Though inferior in power to the Lytta vittata, it is well worthy of the attention of physicians, and may always, I think, be collected in quantity nearly sufficientto answer thedemand of the practitioner.—2. Lytta marginata of Fabricius (the Cantharis marginata of Olivier) is much less common: but it is more powerful than either of the preceding species.—3. Lytta cinerea is also very powerful, but not common; at least within the field of my explora- tions. The blistering property of these two insects is so very great, that the discovery of them, in large quantities, would be a matter of great impor- *.ance to the interests of medicine. Though they inhabit (one of the species, in particular) plants of a very acrid nature, \l docs not appear, that from this ( 23 ) The bark of our White-Walnut, or Butternut, the Juglans cinerea of Wangenheim, is a pretty efficacious blister. The bark of the root is more powerful than that of the stem or branches. It has been applied, with advantage, as a blister, to the bite of some of our veno- mous serpents*. I b e l i e v e the bark of our Moose-wood, or Leather- wood, the Dirca palustris of Linnaeus, is also a blister. This plant, by its botanical habit, is nearly allied to the genus Daphne, all the species of which are blisters; especially the Daphne Gnidium. Some of our Indians make use of a plant, which, when mashed a little, induces nearly as good a blister as the cantharides. It has been used with advantage in sciatica. I do not know this plant. The Ranunculus sceleratus, or Celery-leaved Crowfoot, is a very acrid plant. If it be bruised, and laid upon any part of the body, it will, in a few hours time, raise a blister. This plant is a native of Europe and of America. The Ranunculus bulbosus, called Bulbous Crowfoot, and Butter-cups, possesses the same properties. This plant grows very plentifully in our meadows and fields; but I believe it is not a na- tive. To this head of topical stimulants, I may refer seve- ral species of the genus Rhus, or Sumac; particularly — -yde^^ ^^^^^r^^ofa very mild naturc' such as the legumina, &c_November ,0th, 1810. .S,eTransactionsofthC American Philosophical Society. W. III. P. 10.. 105, 114. ( 24. ) the Rhus radicans, or Poison-vine; the Rhus vernix, or Vernice-tree; and the Rhus Toxicodendron, or Poi- son-oak. In many persons they induce a peculiar and very troublesome vesication, which I have frequently removed, in a short time, by means of a mercurial wash. These plants are more active in the southern than in the northern climates. They more readily poison immedi- ately after than before a full meal. Their stimulant effect is extended beyond the skin. It is said that the bark of one species (but I cannot tell you what species) has been found useful in intermittents. Section IV. Errhines. I have but little to say under the head of Er- rhines, or Sternutatory Medicines. Ournative vegetables of this class, with the exception of the To- bacco, are but little known to me. Of the Tobacco, as being so well known to you all, I need say nothing. The brown powder which is attached to the foot- stalks of the leaves of the Andromeda, the Kalmia, and the Rhododendron, formerly mentioned to you, is con- siderably errhine. The powder about the seeds, in the seed-vessels of the same vegetables, possesses a similar quality. Whether this powder may be advantageously employed in practice, I cannot say. We have many native species of the genus Euphor- bia, or Spurge. There can be little doubt, that some of them are sternutative*. * The leaves of the American Canadense are errhine_____To this short nnd imperfect list of the native errhine plants of the United-States, I must ( 25 ) Section V. Sialagoga. The number of Salivating Medicines is, I be- lieve, much greater than has been commonly imagined. Perhaps, there are but few of the Incitant medicines which may not be so managed as to salivate. Opium, camphor, and hemlock* all induce salivationf- not omit to add the Helenium autumnale of Linnaeus. This is an extremely common plant in many parts of the Union, growing generally along the mar- gins of rivers, and flowering from the latter part of the summer through the autumn. The leaves and flowers of this plant possess the sternutative quality in an eminent degree: but it is strongest in the Mowers, and especially in the florets of the disk. A very small quantity of these florets reduced to a powder between the fingers, or otherwise, gives a strong and durable im- pression, when applied to the nose. Such, indeed, is the degree and dura- bility of impression, without at the same time, any of the violent and danger- ous stimulus, which is the consequence of the application of the juices and other preparations of certain species of Euphorbia, of Veratrum album, &.C., that I do not hesitate to consider the Helenium autumnale (or Snccze-weed, as it is called in some parts of Virginia, &c.) as a valuable addition to the list of our useful medicines. It may be employed either by itself, or combined with other vegetable matters; or along with sulphat of mercury, as a mercu- rial errhine. The good and important effects of these mercurial errhincs, and even of the simple vegetable errhines, are frequently so obvious, that it is to be regretted that thev are not more frequently resorted to by physicians, in cases of amaurosis, or gutta serena; in cases of deafness, especially perhaps when the affection depends upon a morbid state of the eustachian tube; in cases of rheumatic congestions of the jaws, &c. In all these cases the er- rhine medicines have often been employed with much advantage by phjsi- cians: and it « a fact that they sometimes give relief when other measures, more ffenerally applied, have been applied in vain.-----A species of Vera- Trum, or Helonias nearly allied to the Veratrum album of the old continent, s a pretty common plant in many parts of the United-States and seems to noss! !the same sternutative and other active properties, that the foreign rdoes. The American plant, to which I aUudv, is the N ^"^ of Aiton; the Helonias viridis of some later botamsts.----December 2«, 1810. * Conium maculatum. t There are many »ell-atteStcd instances of the salivating po«er of these £~PrT^^ «.c occurred, under my care, in tUe Pennsvlvama Hnsn.tai ( 26 ) 1 am but little acquainted with our indigenous sali- vative vegetables. The Seneca Snake-root has, long since, been observed to possess this property*. The Zanthoxylum Clava Herculis, or Tooth-ach- tree, is a Very powerful stimulant. Applied to the mouth and internal fauces, it occasions a copious flow of saliva. By this property, it appears to be a good deal allied to the Pyrethrum, Cochelaria, &c. I am informed that our plant is not merely an external sialagogue, but that even when taken into the stomach, it exerts its effects upon the salivary glands. I speak of the bark of the plant: but the seed-vessels have the same property. This medicine has been given internally in cases of rheumatism. Section VI. Emetics. Among the indigenous vegetables of our country, there are several which are entitled to your intention as Emetics. Such are the Euphorbia Ipecacuanha, the Spiraea trifoliata, the Asarum Canadense, &c. The first of these, the Euphorbia Ipecacuanha, like all the species of the genus, is an extremely active plantf. It is employed as an emetic by some of the coun- * In a case of hydrothorax (complicated with anasarca), that came under my own notice, the patient, a lady about fifty years of age, was very profuse- ly salivated by the use of a strong decoction of the Seneca. t Thi species of Euphorbia, or Spurge, grows spontaneously in various parts ot ,i,c United-States. In the state of Jersey, within a few miles of Phi- ladelphia, it is pretty common, growing in the dry and sandy soil. It flowers early in the spring. It is the root which is employed. ( 27 ) try-people. 1 do not know the dose. I suppose it, is small, for it belongs to the head of drastic emetics. I am not certain that it would be a valuable addition to the materia medica; but, perhaps, it would. There are many cases in which we have occasion to make use of immediate and active emetics; as when certain poisons, sucli as laudanum, &c. have been swallowed. In such cases it may, possibly, be of much use. I can speak with more confidence of the Spiraea trifoliata. This is a shrub, which grows very plentifully in various parts of the United-States. It is one of the -few active plants of the class Icosandria, to which it be- longs*. The root, which is the part made use of, like that of the officinal ipecacuanha, consists of a cortex or bark, and a ligneous or woody part. The active power of the root seems to reside exclusively in the bark. It is a safe and efficacious emetic, in doses of about thirty grains. Along with its emetic, it seems to possess a tonic, power. It has, accordingly, been thought peculiar- ly beneficial in the intermittent fever; and it is often given to horses to mend their appetite. This plant has a number of different names, such as Ipecacuanha, In- dian-Physic, Bowman's root, &c. i We have several species of the genus Asarum, or Asarabacca. I am best acquainted with the Asarum Canadense, which is well known by the name of Wild- • Linnxus thought it very remarkable, that a plant belonging, as this does, to the order of Senticos*, should possess such active powers. « Spirtam in- foliatam Ipecacuanam vocant & vomitum facere dicunt, quod sane smgularc esset in hoc ordine:" viz. Senticos*. Caroli a Linne, M. D. Prelections in Or- dines Naturales Plantarum. Edidit P. D. Giscke. p. 449. Hamburg,: 1/9J But it mirfit be shown, that other plants of the same natural order are con- siclcnhly active. Not to mention others, it will be sufficient to obsenvm this pl.ce. that the Spirxa Opuli folia, well known, in the Un,t.'-v s. by th- name of Nim-Bark, is by no means an inert vegetable. ( 38 ) Ginger*. In Virginia, it is called Coltsfoot. Both the root and leaves may be used. The expressed juice of the fresh leaves is a powerful emetic. Some of our Indians also prepare an emetic from the bark of a certain vine, which a good deal resembles the Celastrus scandens of Linnaeus. This vine bears bunches of red berries of a sweetish taste, but of a poi- sonous nature. I know nothing of this plant from my own experience; but a gentlemanf who has used it prefers it to every other emetic. The Indians make a decoc- tion of the bark. A large dose is required to produce the effect. This is certainly an objection against its use.; A decoction of the Eupatorium perfoliatum, or Thorough-wortJ, is also emetic. I might have observ- ed, that this plant is used by our Indians as a medicine in intermittent fevers. The root of the Sanguinaria Canadensis^ has been mentioned to me as an emetic. I know nothing parti- cular of this property of the plant. I should have observ- ed, under the head of general stimulants, that the seeds appear to possess nearly the same quality as the seeds of the Datura Stramonium. I have been assured, that the Six-Nations make use of at least twelve or fourteen different emetics. All * This has already been mentioned, as an errhine medicine. See page 24. f Mr. John Heckewelder. t In some of the New-England states, this plant is called Thorough-wax 1 his, hke a very large proportion of the American names for plants, is mis" appbed 1 he Thorough-wax of the English is a species of Bupleurum, a plant, toto coelo, different from the Eupatorium perfoliatum. 6 Called, in the United-States, I.ulian-Paint, Puccoon, Turmeric, &c. ( 29 ) of them, except the sulphat of iron, are vegetables. It is probable that the Spiraea Ipecacuanha, Euphorbia Ipecacuanha, &c. are among the number of these vege- table emetics. I shall conclude this subject of emetics by recom- mending to your attention an examination of the pro- perties of some of our native species of Viola, or Vio- let. I suspect it will be found, that the roots of some of these are indued with an useful emetic quality. Section VII. Cathartics. We have many indigenous Cathartics. Some of them are well worthy of your attention. These may be divided into two kinds, the milder, and the more drastic. Among the more mild, I may mention the Trieste - um perfoliatum, sometimes called Bastard-Ipecacuanha. This, when given in very large doses, sometimes proves emetic; hence the vulgar name. But I find it a good cathartic. The cortex, or bark, of the root is employ- ed. I give it in doses of twenty and thirty grains. On some occasions, it has seemed to operate as a diuretic. But this may have been only an accidental circumstance. Rhubarb sometimes produces the same effect, as has been observed by C. Piso. Nearly allied to the Triosteum, I mean in its pro- perties, is the Asclepias decumbens. This is one ot C 30 ) our most beautiful and common plants. It has received many vulgar names, such as pleurisy-root, Flux-root, Butterfly-weed, &c. It has been much celebrated, es- pecially in Virginia, as a remedy in dysentery. I have used it, and I think with advantage. I believe it does good principally by its purgative quality. The dose is from twenty to thirty grains of the root, in powder. A great deal has been said about the virtue of this vegeta- ble in pleurisy.—-The powder of this Asclepias is escar- otic, and has been found useful in restraining fungous flesh in ulcers. I believe this, and not the Poke*, as has been supposed, is the plant which is employed by our southern Indians, in cases of venereal chancre. The dried fruit of our Papaw, or Custard-apple, the Annona triloba of Linnaeus, is likewise purgative. I can say nothing of it from my own experience. I know nothing, from experience, of the Mecha- meck, or Wild-Rhubarb, of some of our Indians. It is, certainly, a species of Convolvulus, or Bind-weed, and I believe the Convolvulus panduratusf, which in Vir- ginia is called Wild Potatoe. Its name, Wild-Rhu- barb, implies that it is a purgative. An extract but lit- tle, if any thing, inferior to the Scammony of the shops, has been procured from one of our species of Convolvu- lus. One must have a good deal of medical faith to believe what Catesby has said concerning the remarka- ble power of the Convolvulus purpureus, or Purple- Bind weed J. * Phytolacca dccandra. t It is, without doubt, the Convolvulus panduratus. This plant is called In the state of Delaware, Wild-Potatoe-Vine; and the root Kussauder, or Kas- Mder (winch is a corruption of the word Cassada); Negro names, I presume. 7 The Natural IF; ;tory of Carolhn, &c. Vol I. p. 35. ( 3! ) More active than any of the native purgatives, which I have mentioned, is the Podophyllum peltatum of Linnaeus. This is a very common plant through the whole of the United-States, and in other parts of North- America. It is known by a variety of names, such as May-apple, Mandrake, Ipecacuanha, Wild-lemons, &c. The fruit is esculent, and by many persons is thought delicious. The leaves are poisonous. It is the root which is used in practice. In doses of twenty grains, it is an excellent cathartic. It has some advantages over the rhubarb and jalap. It is most advantageously used in combination with calomel, or the crystals of tartar. I have heard much of the virtues of an extract prepared ©f this root; but have never used it. There is a plant which was thought by Linnaeus to be a species of the same genus. He called it Podo- phyllum diphyllum. I have shown, that it is a new ge- nus*. I have not been able to collect a sufficient quan- tity of this to ascertain its powers; but, judging by the taste and smell, which it must be confessed are some- times fallacious tests, I suspect its root possesses the virtues of the May-apple, or Podophyllum peltatum. The Cassia Marilandica, one of our finest plants, be- longs to the same genus as the senna of the shops. Ihe American species possesses nearly the same virtues as the Eastern species. It is used as a purgative, in differ- ent parts of the United-States. An extract prepared from the inner bark of the Jug- lans cinerea, or Butternut-Walnut, has long been used as a purgative in the United-States. It is a valuao., . ,Ce Transaction, of the A m-ricun Philosophical Society. V„L III V- - ( 32 ) medicine. As it isoften, however, very carelessly pre pared by the country-people, it has gone into some kind of neglect. It ought to be prepared by the better in- formed apothecaries, and have a place in the Pharma- copoeia of this country, when SUCH A DESIDERATUM shall be supplied. The dose of this extract is from ten to thirty grains. I have thought it possesses some- thing of an anodyne property. I have been told, that some of our Indians use as a cathartic a decoction of the bark of the root of the Dir- ca palustris, or Leather-wood, already mentioned to you. Of this property of the Dirca I know nothing far- ther. Th e decoction or powder of the root of the Polygala Senega, or Seneca Snake-root, is also a purgative. Dr. Cullen, indeed, thinks its purgative is its most striking property, and therefore he arranges it under his head of cathartics*. Some of our native species of Iris, or Flag, are pow- erful cathartics. Such are the Iris versicolor, and the Iris verna. They are both used by our southern Indi- ans!. I can say nothing certain concerning the dose of these vegetables. It is doubtless small, for they are very active plants. Several of the European species of Iris are irritating cathartics. A species of Croton, or perhaps of Stillingia, is * " I have put it into the catalogue of purgatives, as this is the only ope- " ration of it that is constantly very evident; and perhaps all its other virtues " depend upon this." A Treatise of the Materia Medica. Vol II n 53* Edinburgh: 1789.4to. . l ' °"" ■*■ Mr. William Bartram. ( 33 ) used in the southern states, as a cathartic. It enters into the composition of a medicine which has acquired much celebrity in the cure of that hideous disease the frambaesia, or yaws. This plant grows spontaneously on the dry, high lands of Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It is called Yaw-weed, and Cock-up-Hat. The Stillin- gia sylvatica, perhaps the very plant I have been speak- ing of, is said to be a specific in the venereal disease*. • Bernard Romans says, the Jalap grows wild near Pensacola, in West- Florida. Possibly, he has mistaken for it some other species of Convolvulus. I am now persuaded, that the genuine Jalap of the shops (the Convolvulus Jalapaof Linn-eus, of which Mr. Desfontaines has lately published an ample history, illustrated by a fine engraving) is not, as has been asserted, a native of any part of the United-States: nor do I believe it occurs, as an indigenous plant, in West-Florida. The plant alluded to by Romans is, in all probability, the Ipomoea macrorhiza of Michaux {Flora Boreali-Anuricana, &c. Tom. i p 141 ), which this writer mentions as a native of the mantime parts of Georgia and Florida. The root is very large, sometimes weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds. It is found to be a good cathartic, and well worthy of a place in the shops, but it is inferior to the best Jalap of the shops. The pow- der of the root is of a paler colour than Jalap, and much more resembles the Mechoacanofthe shops. Possibly, they are not different. A late very respectable writer (Mr. Persoon) has given itas his opinion,that Michaux s plant (Ipomoea macrorhiza) is no other than the genuine Jalap. Bu tins ,, unquestionably a mistake. The true Jalap is a species of C-volvulu,- The Linus communis, from the seed of which we procure that invaluable motive medicine, the Castor-oil (so indispensably necessary in the treat- S of coUc, pictonenm, dysentery, and many of the f ctl™ ^f™ Especially), grows wild and in great abundance, upon the river St John in "e Peninsula of East-Florida. It is now cultivated in many parts of the United States, and is deemed, even in a pecuniary point of vie. an object IX ofte attention of many of our farmers and plants m Maryland, Virginia, the state of Ohio, &c—1810. F ( 34 ) Section VIII. Diuretics. Diuretics have so long been employed, with be- nefit, in the treatment of dropsies, that it becomes a matter of consequence to increase the number of the medicines of this class, and to learn how to exhibit, with more advantage, those which are already known. I do not mean by this observation to assert, that drop- sies cannot be cured without the use of diuretic medi- cines. On the contrary, I am persuaded that they can, and often are, especially when the dropsy depends upon fever, or is connected with it. But, in the management of all kinds of dropsies, it is often necessary to have re- course to the use of diuretics, and I believe that some of the worst forms of this disease, such as hydrothorax, are most effectually cured by these medicines. The Digitalis purpurea, so much and so justly celebrated at present, is not, to my knowledge, a native of any part of America*. But we have several native diuretics, whi. h deserve the attention of our physicians. Such are the Seneca-Snake-root, the Lobelia siphilitica, the Serratula spicata, the Cassena, and others. The first of these, the Polygala Senega of the bota- nists, along with its diuretic, possesses an emetic, ca- thartic, expectorant, salivating, and diaphoretic power. • I have, somewhere, seen the Digitalis enumerated among the indige- nous med,cinal vegetables of the United-States. I know not, however upon what authority it is called an American plant. I suspect, some species of Gerardia has been taken for it. The Digitalis, however, bears, extremely well he open ground of Pennsylvania, and other parts of the United-States It will, „ ^assume the appearance of a native, among the many other foreign vegetables, which (especially in the older-settled parts of the Uni- ted-StaUs) are commonly considered as natives, though, in fact, they are merely naturalized foreigners. y ( 35 ) I have already hinted at its salivating and cathartic ope- ration. As a diuretic, it has been employed, and found useful, in dropsy, by Tennent, Bouvart, and other wri- ters. I am informed, that it has lately been used, with great success, in the treatment of the cynanche trachea- lis, or croup, by Dr. Archer of Maryland. He uses a strong decoction of the root, which operates as an eme- tic, cathartic, and expectorant. This medicine some- times operates so powerfully as a sudorific, that I have been assured it has been known to remove portions of the mucous body, or rete mucosum, from the skin of blacks who have used it. 1 do not vouch for the truth of this fact: but I must confess that to me the circum- stance does not seem improbable. Our Indians use a decoction of this root in syphilis*. I have no confi- dence in the powers which have been ascribed to the Seneca, in curing the bite of the rattle-snaket- Besides the Polygala Senega, we have several other native spe- cies of this genus.' I do not know how far they possess the powers which have been ascribed to the Seneca it- . self. It is probable that they only differ in degree*. Kiernander, a long time ago, remarked that the Polyga- la vulgaris, which grows spontaneously in Europe, pos- sesses, though in a less eminent degree, the virtues of the celebrated American species^. • They also make use of it in the malignant sore-throat' a disease often very closely allied to croup. t See Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. III. No. xi. • ^nt« which I have made with the Polygala sangui- ♦ From some experiments which 1 to am ^ ^ nea, which grows abundantly in the icnit'«* ^^ for the think, that this species may be employed, as an excelle common species, now in use. »-»i«l Widix Seneffa, in the Amoenitates Academics § See his paper, entitled Radix sene*,*. Vol. II. Dissertatioxxii ( 36 ) The Lobelia siphilitica is also considerably diuretic. This plant was purchased from the northern Indians, by the late Sir William Johnson, as a remedy in the ve- nereal disease: hence its specific name, siphilitica. I do not believe, after paying some attention to the subject, that this plant has cured confirmed syphilis. I know that the Indians, even those who are best acquainted with the plant, are glad to have an opportunity of applying to the Whites for relief, when they have the disease. They, certainly, do not trust the cure entirely to the Lobelia. They use the bark of the Wild-cherry (Prunus Virginiana), the root of the May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum), and many other plants*. I believe, however, that the Lobelia has been of service in the disease. In gonorrhoea it has certainly performed a cure; but the tendency of the constitution, unaided by medicines, to get rid of this complaint, is well known. I may here observe, that gonorrhoea appears to be much more com- mon among the Indians than syphilis. The Lobelia seems to operate chiefly by its diuretic quality. From their ignorance of botany, many persons in the western . * After a careful and pretty extensive inquiry into the subject, I have nearly satisfied myself, that the disease of syphilis was entirely unknown amongthe North-American Indians, before they became acquainted with the Whites. Many of our Indians (in truth, I believe all the tribes) speak of it as a fore.gn disease, communicated by the Whites. In this respect they ar range syphilis (including gonorrhoea) along with small-pox, measles/and some other affections, which are, unquestionably, of foreign origin I am not ignorant, that the late governor M Lewis was ied by his observations amon* the Ind.ans in the western parts of North-America, towards the Pacific ocean, to suppose, and even to assert, that the small-pox is truly one of the mdigenous chseases of North-America. But I am persuaded, thlt there i a fallacy ,n this observation, as I shall show in an eXp,ess essay on the diseases and remedies of the Indians: and in this essay, I shall aL give aHom" hn^h, my reasons for believing, that neither .yphilis nor gonorrhoea were known, ui a,y part of North-America, prior to the conqueftof Mexico anl Flonda, by th, ;,m,s of Cortes and Soto, in the beginning and towards he middle.of the h'-th rrn'ury.—1810. """us uw ( 37 ) country have been using a plant, which they call Lobe- lia, in the same complaints. I have received specimens of the plant under the name of Lobelia. It proves to be the Serratula spicata*, or Spiked Saw-wDrt. There is good reason to believe, that it has been found useful, not only in venereal complaints, but also in cases of ne- phritis calculosa, or gravel. Thus ignorance some- times leads to KNowLEDGE.This supposed Lobelia is a powerful diuretic. The Indians sometimes drink the decoction of it so strong, that it occasions gleetsf. It is the root of the plant which is commonly employed, but the flowers and the leaves may also be used. An infusion of another species of Lobelia, I believe the Lobelia inflataj, has been found very useful in the leucorrhoea, or whites. It is a lactescent, and very ac- • The Serratula spicata of Linnaeus is now referred to the genus Liatris, and is the Liatris spicata of Willdenow and Persoon-.-the Liatris macros tachya of Michaux. It is a common plant in many parts of the United-States, growing especially in the mountainous tracts of country.—1810. f They cure these gleets by eating turpentine, as I am informed by my respectable friend Colonel Winthrop Sargent, late Governor of the Missis- sippi-Territory. An old Indian assured Mr. Sargent, that a decoction of thus Serratula cures syphilis, in all its forms. Dr. Allison, one of the army-phy- sicians, has an high opinion of the plant, in this disease. 1 am told, that a physician, at Pittsburgh, has found it an efficacious medicine ,n the grave It certainly ought to have a fair trial in these diseases.The late Major Jona- than Hart assured me, that the Indians northwest of the Ohio could not cure confirmed syphilis. He said the Lobelia (I suppose the Serratula .pi- cata) had been of service in slight cases: but he was persuaded that the In- dians would fall victims to the general complaint, if they were to trust whol- ly to their own remedies. Mr. Wilson, a gentleman well acquainted with the Indians, particularly the Delaware and the Shawneese, most confidently as- "r d me, that the/cannot cure the venereal disease, « when it getsmto he "blood;" but that they can cure the gonorrhoea. He also said, they can re ,e the venereal disease for a time, but « that it will break out again. mov *I now find, that it is the inflata. This is a very common plant in many Barts of the United-States. Perhaps, this is the species of Lobelia, which „ called, in New-England, Emetic-weed. ( 38 ) tive plant. I do not know that this acts as a diuretic, and it would have been more proper to have mentioned < the plant under the head of stimulants. The Cassena is a species of Ilex, or Holly. It is the Ilex vomitoria of Aiton, and is a native of Carolina, West-Florida, &c. It has been called South-Sea-tea, or Evergreen-Cassine. It is thought to be one of the most powerful diuretics hitherto discovered. It is held in great esteem among the southern Indians. They toast the leaves and make a decoction of them. It is the men alone that are permitted to drink this decoc- tion, which is called " Black Drink." The Medeola Virginica grows plentifully in the vicinity of this city, and in almost every other part of the United-States. Its root is white, and tastes a good g deal like the cucumber, which has given the plant the name of Cucumber-root*. I am told that this root is diuretic, and has cured dropsies. The sensible quali- j ties of the plant do not promise much; but this does not prove that it is not an useful medicine. Section IX. Anthelmintics. Of the class of medicines called Anthelmintics or destroyers and expellers of worms, we have several which are entitled to your notice. One of the most ce- lebrated of these is the Carolina Pink-root, the Spige- lia Marilandica of Linnaeus. This is a very common * It is also called Indian Cucumber. ( 39 ) plant in our southern states. It is a valuable medicine, as has been demonstrated by the physicians of Europe, and of this country. It is commonly given in the form of an infusion, or tea; but I prefer the exhibition of it in powder. It has been accused of occasioning, for a short time, a disagreeable affection of the eyes. But this effect may often be prevented by combining with the Spigelia, some of the common Virginia Snake- root. The Cheerake-Indians have so high an opinion of this plant, that it would sometimes be dangerous for a person to be detected in digging it up, to carry it out of the country. The Whites learned the anthel- mintic powers of this vegetable from the Indians*. The Spigelia is said to possess other valuable proper- ties. Infused in wine, it has been found an useful me- dicine in intermittent fevers. But I can say nothing particular concerning the precise mode of administering it in this case. The Chenopodium anthelminticum grows plentifully in the United-States. It is commonly called Worm- seed. The whole plant has a most powerful smell, of which it is very retentive. The taste is bitter, with a good deal of aromatic acrimony. The root of the May-apple (Podophyllum pelta- tum), which I have mentioned to you, under the head of cathartics, has often been found to operate as an an- thelmintic. It is used as such by the Cheerake, and • A convincing proof of this, I apprehend, that the American Indians, in common with the rest of mankind, are subject to worms, and to the diseases arisine; from worms. But, more than this, in my Memoir on the Diseases ana Remedies of the Indians, I shall show, that the children of the sarages are remarkably subject to worms, and to the W of insects introduced iaUt the system, along with their crude, and often unwholesome, aliment ( 40 ) other southern Indians. Whether it operates by its ca- thartic quality exclusively, or partly by some other quality, deleterious to the worms, I cannot- say. The Whites learned from the Indians the anthelmintic power of this plant*. The Helleborus fcetidus, or Stinking Hellebore, has been mentioned as a powerful anthelmintic, by Bisset, and other European writers. It has been used in this country, and has been found very efficacious. It is sup- posed to have been the worm-medicine of a Dr. Witt, who acquired much reputation by the use of itf. The Cheerake use a decoction of the root of the beautiful Lobelia Cardinalis, or Cardinal-Flower, as a remedy against worms. T have already mentioned the diuretic quality of another species of this genus, the Lobelia siphilitica. The seeds of the Common Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum) have also been found useful as an anthel- mintic. The Silene Virginica, or Ground-Pink, as it is called in some parts of our country, is another native anthel- mintic. A decoction of the root is used, and is said to have been found a very efficacious remedy J. * The best time for gathering the May-apple, for medical purposes, is the autumn, when the leaves have turned yellow, and are about falling off. The Indians dry it in the shade, and powder it for use. 11 am indebted to Dr. Adam Kubn for this information. He says that Witt used the powder of the leaves, in combination with the ethiops mine- ral. It is probable, he added the ethiops merely with the view to disguise the vegetable. i From the information of my friend, the late learned Dr. James Green- ( *1 ) I have not lost all confidence in the anthelmintic powers ascribed to the Polypodium vulgare, or Male- Fern. I do suppose, however, that too much has been ascribed to this plant. We have several native species of this genus, which it would, at least, be a matter of curiosity to examine. The Polypodium Virginianum grows about this city, and probably possesses the same powers as the European species. A vegetable, called the Pride of India*, has lately been mentioned as an excellent anthelmintic. The bark of the root has been used as such in South-Carolina. This vegetable, the Melia Azedarach of Linnaeus, is not a native of our country. I shall conclude this account of our anthelmintics by observing, that the southern Indians dress all their dishes, prepared of the Indian-corn, or maize (Zea Mays), with a strong lixivium, or lye, of the ashes of bean-stalks and other vegetables, in order to prevent the generation of worms. They are of opinion, that this grain nourishes the worms exceedinglyf. Nor is this opinion peculiar to the Indians. wav of Virginia.----This species of Silene, or Catch-fly, grows abundantly, in many parts, of the United-States, as in Pennsylvania, Virginia, &c. &c. Some of our Indians have told me, that it is a poisonous plant. Tins is highly probable, if it be a fact, that it is a very efficacious anthelmintic. • In South-Carolina, it is also called Poison-Berry-tree, and China-tree. The former is its most common appellation in that state. t Completer, a very intelligent Seneca chief, lias said, that one reason why the Indians do not rear so many children as the Whites is this, that the children of the former eat large quantities otgreen ma.ze. Certain it is, that U,e fadkn. lose . COLLECTIONS, &c Section I. Astringents. IjrERANIUM maculatum*. This is, certainly a vegetable entitled to the attention of American physi- cians. In Kentucky, where it is called " Crow-foot," it has been collected for the Tormentilf of the shops. In some of the north-western parts of the United States, it is known by the name of Racine a Becquet, after a person of this name. The western Indians say it is the most effectual of all their remedies for the cure of the vene- real disease. I have not, however, been able to learn, in what form or stage of this disease they employ it. I doubt not it would be found very useful, exhibited in- ternally, in cases of old gonorrhoea. In such cases, the internal astringents are too much neglected. An aqueous infusion of the root forms an excellent injection in gonorrhoea. In old gonorrhoea, and in gleets, a more saturated infusion may be employed, either alone, or combined with a portion of the sulphat of zinc, or white vitriol. * See Collections, &c. P^rt First, pages 8 & 45. \ Tormentilla erecta of Linnxus. Part. II. C ( * ) Both the simple sulphat and the oxy-sulphat of iron strike a deep violet colour with the infusion of the root in water. Heuchera Americana*. This is the Heuchera Cortusa of Michauxf, who has unnecessarily changed many of the long-received names of American plants. This Heuchera is one of the articles in the Materia Medica of our Indians. They apply the powdered root to wounds, and ulcers, and cancers. Of the Pyrola umbellata I have made no mention in the first part of this work. It is a very common North- American plant, and is sometimes called Ground-Holly, but is much better known (at least in New-Jersey and in Pennsylvania) by the name of PippsissevaX, which is one of its Indian appellations. In the sexual system of Linnaeus, it belongs to the same class and order (De- candria monogynia) as the Uva Ursi. It also belongs to the same natural assemblage of plants as the last men- tioned vegetable: viz. the order Bicornes of Linnaeus, and the order Eriae of Mr. de Jussieu. The two plants are, unquestionably, nearly allied to each other in re- spect to their botanical affinity, as well as in their me- dical properties. The Pyrola is considerably astringent, and the quan- tity of astringency appears to be nearly the same in the leaves and in the stems. Hitherto, it has not greatly excited the attention of physicians. But I think it is worthy of their notice. A respectable physician, in East- Jersey, informed me, that he had employed this plant, * See Part First. Page 9. f Flora Boreali-Americana, &c. Tom. i. p. 171. t Perhaps, Phipsesaiua. ( 3 ) with manifest advantage, in the same cases in which Uva Ursi has been found so useful. This looks very probable: for it would seem, from many facts, that the lithontriptic powers of the Uva Ursi are, in no small de- gree, owing to the astringent quality of this plant: and, " perhaps, upon the whole (as an eminent practitioner* " has observed), we shall find it no better than other " vegetable astringents; some of which have long been " used by the country people, in gravelly complaints, " and with very great advantage: though hitherto unno- " ticed by the regular practitioners!". The Pyrola, as I am informed by my pupil Dr. John S. Mitchell, has been used, with good effect, in some cases of intermittents. In one case, its diuretic ope- ration was evident. " The urine dischared was almost " black. It appeared as if a few drops of a solution of " the sulphat of iron had been put into an astringent " infusion^." This was a solitary occurrence, and one which I am unable to explain. For more ample information concerning this vegeta- ble, I beg leave to refer the reader to Dr. Mitchell's In- augural Essay on the Arbutus Uva Ursi, and the Pyrola umbellata and maculata of Linnaeus^. Prefixed to this • Dr. Withering. See A Systematic Arrangement of British Plants, &c Vol. II. p. 391. London: 1801. f I cannot forbear mentioning in this place (at the risk, perhaps, of expos.. ing myself to the ridicule of the mere theorist), that the ,,^„ or kernel, /the common American Hazlenut (Corylus Americana) have been found v,rv useful in affording relief to several persons labounng under nephntic, Jpertps calculouslffection, I mention this fact on the respectable au thority of mv friend, Dr. Frederick Kuhn. of Lancaster m Pennsylvania. On these kernels act solely by virtue of their astringent quality- \ Letter to me, dated Sunbury, August 8th. 180^ :,,-e 9. Sec, also, Elements of Botany, &c Part Third, p.. u ( 14 ) On adding a solution of the sulphat of iron to an in- fusion of the root of the Hydrastis, I was not able to dis- cover the least indication of astringency. This further shows the affinity of the two plants to each other. I may add, that although they do not both belong to the same artificial subdivision in the sexual system, they are both near relations in a family of Nature's making. They be- long to De Jussieu's order Ranunculacece, which may be considered as a pretty natural assortment of vegetables. The Hydrastis is a popular remedy in some parts of the United-States. A spirituous infusion of the root is employed, as a tonic bitter, in the Western parts of Penn- sylvania, &c, and there can be little doubt, that both in this, and in other shapes, our medicine mi.y be used with much advantage. An infusion of the root, in cold water, is also employed as a wash, in inflammations of the eyes. In these cases, it is well known, that some of the bitter medicines, such as ox-gall, fish-gall, and others, have long maintained some character; and some of them, I believe, are entitled to the praises which have been be- stowed upon them. The root of the Hydrastis supplies us with one of the most brilliant yellow colours, with which we are ac- quainted. When it shall be subjected to proper experi- ments, I doubt not, it will be found a most valuable dye- plant, and well worthy of a place in the manufacturing- houses. The Gentiana lutea, or common Gentian of the shops, is said to be a native of the United-States*. This, per- * K(dm. ( 15 ) haps, is doubtful. But it is certain, that several of the indigenous spec ks of this genus are intense and pretty pure bitters, but little, if at all, inferior to the species just mentioned*. The Gentiana Centauriumt, or Lesser Centory, is found native within the limits of the United-States. This, however, is not the plant which is called Cento- ry, or " Centry," in Philadelphia, &c, where it is so commonly employed both by physicians, and as a do- mestic remedy in almost ever}- family. The Centory to which I allude is the Chironia an- gularis of Linnaeus. This is a beautiful annual plant,, and grows abundantly in many parts of the United- States, as in New-York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, &c. Every part of the plant is intensely bitter, in which re- spect it differs from the Gentiana Centaurium, the blos- soms of which are nearly insipidj. In other respects, it is closely allied to the Lesser Centory, the proper- ties of which are well known, and established by the experience of phvsicians, for many hundred years. In no respect, that I* can perceive, is the Chironia inferior, as a bitter, to the Centaurium. As a much more com- mon plant'than this latter, it may, without any injury to our patients, supersede its use in the practice of Amer- ican phvsicians, most of whom, if I do not mistake. have supposed, while they were employing the Chironia angularis, that they were using the Centaiirium of the European writers on the Materia Medica. The Chi- ♦ ,■<„,„,.;, Centaurium of Curtis, Withering, Smith, and other * See Collections, &c, Part r n A page 15 O j It is the Clm-'V.n botanists. i Lev* ( 16 ) ronia is mentioned by Dr. Schoepf, who speaks of it as aromatic and bitter, and mentions the infusion as being useful in fevers*. Indeed, I believe that no bitter has been more generally prescribed in the United-States, in febrile and other affections, than this common Ameri- can plant, especially since the memorable year 1793, when it was much employed in certain stages«of yellow- fever; and in which I believe it was very often used with much benefit. The Frasera Caroliniensis of Walterf (Frasera Wal- teri of Michaux J) is nearly allied, in botanical habit, to the genus Gentiana. This plant, which is a native of the states of New-York, Carolina, &c, is furnished with a large tuberous root, of a yellow colour, which pro- mises to be little inferior, as a bitter, to the Gentian of the shops, and for which, I suspect, it has sometimes been mistaken. I cannot conclude this part of the subject of the Tonics, without observing, that the countries of the United-States are so rich in bitter vegetables, that there can be no necessity for having recourse to the foreign articles of this class; especially when such articles are only to be procured at a high price: a circumstance which not unfrequently becomes a source of the adul- teration of medicines, in this and in other countries. * Materia Medica Americana, &c. p. 27. Schoepf calls the plant, Wild- Succory. f Flora Caroliniana, &c. p. 87, 88. t Flora Boreali-Americana, &c. Tom. i. p. 96, 97 ( 1" ) In the First Part of this work, I made some mention of two American species of Cornel, or Dog-wood, the Cornus florida and Cornus sericea*. Since the publica- tion of that part, these two vegetables have engaged the attention of an ingenious graduate in the university of Pennsylvania, Dr. John M. Walker, to whom we are indebted for much interesting information concerning themf. An analysis of the dissertation would not, I pre- sume, be uninteresting to my readers. But I cannot undertake the task in this place. I think it a duty, how- ever, to mention some of the author's experiments and observations. The taste of the barks of the two Cornels, and that of the Peruvian bark, is nearly similar, " though some- " what more bitter and astringent in the Corni than the " bark: the former when retained in the mouth some- " time, only impart to the tongue these two tastes, along " with a pleasant warmth; whereas when the latter is " retained the same length of time, along with this bit- " terness and astringency, it imparts an indescribable « taste, which will be easily recognised by every one " who has taken the bark." Dr. Walker's experiments show, " that the Cor- " nus florida and sericea, and the Peruvian bark, pos- - « sess the same ingredients, that is gum, mucilage, and • *• " extract which last contains the tannin and gallic acid, « though'in different proportions. The Florida possesses « most of the gum, mucilage, and extract; the Sen- « cea the next, which appears to be an intermediate be- * Sec pages 11, V.2, 47- t An EM^nenta. Inquiry "» «* **•*« * ?». £££ &o "" 1 Honda»...l «*«. and the Cinchona officnah. of Un»*»,, &c Philadelphia: 1803. Part II- ( 18 ) " tween the Florida and Peruvian Bark; while the latter " possesses most of the resin. Their virtues appear " equally similar in their residence. The extract and " resin possess all their active virtues. The extract ap- " pears to possess all their tonic power. The resin, " when perfectly separated from the extract, appears to " be purely stimulant*." Our author has established the stimulant power of the two Cornels, by actual experiments upon the healthy system. By the use of these medicines, the pulse was often rendered fuller and stronger, and always quickerf. The bark of the Cornus sericea forms a beautiful tincture with proof spirits. This is deserving of a place in the shops, as are, also the powdered barks of both species. I can add but little, from my own experience, con>- cerning the application of these two species of Cornus to the cure of diseases. I believe, however, that it may, with entire safety, be asserted, that as yet we have not discovered within the limits of the United-States, any vegetables which have been found so effectually to an- swer the purpose of the Peruvian bark, in the manage- ment of intermittent fevers, as the Cornus florida and Cornus sericea. In an intermittent fever, which prevailed in West- New-Jersey, about twenty-four years ago, the bark of the Cornus florida was found more useful than the Pe- * An Experimental Inquiry, &c. page 29. J Ibid, page 46.- ( 19 ) ruvian bark. It was used in the shape of a decoction*. I must candidly confess, however, that I have heard of more instances of the failure of this Cornel than of the Peruvian bark. But has any vegetable so completely prevented the recurrence of the paroxysms of intermit- tents as the last mentioned one? In the mineral kingdom, indeed, we have discovered an inestimable substitute for the bark: I mean Arsenic. This, particularly I think, when it is given in substancef, will more certainly cure the intermittent, than any vegetable yet known, the Pe- ruvian bark excepted. But I am inclined to think, that relapses are more common after the employment of arse- nic than after that of the bark. Besides, Arsenic cannot always be used with entire safety. In illustration of this position, I may here observe, that I myself have seen three cases of very general oedema of the face and limbs (especially the former) evidently induced by arsenic. Two of the subjects were children, * From the information of my learned friend, the Reverend Dr. Nicholas Collin, of Philadelphia. f I have, for several years, employed the oxyd of arsenic in substance, in preference to Dr. Fowler's solution. I think it a much more certain medi- cine than the solution. I commonly give it in combination with opium. One grain of the arsenic is united to four or eight grains of opium, and made into a mass with conserve of roses, or honey, or soap. This is divided into sixteen pills, of which I direct the patient (an adult) to take two or three, at differ- ent periods, in the course of the day and night, especially during the apyrexia. Such are the powers of this medicine, that two grains of it are often sufficient fo cure an intermittent, that has continued for weeks! Sometimes, I use larger doses: but in a majority of the cases that have come under my notice, I have found three sixteenths of a grain of arsenic sufficient for the period of twenty- four hours. As children are, with difficulty, prevailed upon to take the medi- cine in the shape of a pill, I rub down the arsenic with honey or molasses and water, and sometimes with a portion of gum-arabic. In this form, it is very conveniently given to children, by drops; and the quantity of the mineral, in each dose, may be estimated with considerable accuracy.—In the cure of intermittents, does aisci.ic operate by virtue of its tonic power?—The Peru- vian bark sometimes cures intermittents that have resisted the powers of arsenic ( 20 ) and the third an adult. They all recovered, without expe- riencing any other inconvenience from the medicine. I have also seen a case of temporary paralysis (or perhaps rather extreme debility) of the limbs induced by the medicine, in a patient labouring under an obstinate in- termittent. These notices may, possibly, be of some use to the very young and inexperienced practitioner, for whom principally they are thus candidly mentioned. The spirituous tincture of the bark of the Cornus se- ricea, already mentioned, has been advantageously used in the latter stage of diarrhoea, unaccompanied with fe- ver*. I have already made mention of the Magnolia glau- ca|. The bark of this tree is celebrated among the Wes- tern Indians, as a remedy in rheumatism, and in fevers-. The tree grows, in great profusion, upon the river Kan- haway, whither the Indians resort for the purpose of procuring the bark, which they carry off, in great abun- dance. Employed in the shape of a decoction, it " proves gently cathartic and ultimately sudorific." A cold in- fusion and a tincture of the bark are much used in in- termittents. " In one case of inflammatory rheumatism " it seemed to produce considerable effect and relief, as " a sudorific, after blood-letting had been premised." It is known by the names of Elk-Bark and Indian BarkJ. From the former name, I presume the bark is eaten by the American Elk, or Cervus Wapiti. We know it is eaten by the Beaver: hence one of the English names of this tree, viz. Beaver-tree. * Prom the information of Dr. Amos Gregg, jun. f See Part First, pages 13, 14. * From the information of my friend, Charles Everett, M. D. of M')t/n, Albemarle-County, Virginia. ( 21 ) For further information concerning the medical and other properties of this vegetable, J refer the reader to Dr. Thomas D. Price's Inaugural Dissertation on the Magnolia Glauca, or Common White Laurel-tree*. The bark of the Prunus Virginiana (Cerasus Virgi- niana of Michaux), which I have mentioned in the First Part of these Collections^, is considerably bitter and as- \ tringent. These qualities are accompanied with some aromatic warmth. It has been justly observed, that " there is a great similarity between the flavour of this " bark, and the skin inclosing the kernels of peach " stones:}:." This bark also possesses an evident nar- cotic quality, to which it is highly probable, that some of the useful qualities of the medicine, in certain cases, must be ascribed. It is manifestly stimulant. The bark of the root seems to be more powerful than that of the trunk. My own experience with this vegetable has been in- considerable. The experience and observations of others., however, lead me to believe, that it is a medicine well (^ worthy of the notice of physicians. In some parts of the $ United-States, the bark has been much employed in in- K, termittents, in which it is said to have been found as ef- W ficacious as the Peruvian bark. This I am not willing I to believe. But as it is a durable tonic, there is little | reason to doubt, independently on actual observations, that it is deserving of attention in this common disease, i The bark has also been found useful in certain cases | of dyspepsia, in consumption of the lungs, and in lum- 1 * Philadelphia: 1803. ■' f See pages 11 and 35. i Dr Morris ( 22 ) bar abscess, attended with hectic fever, and colliquative sweats. Of its use in this latter case, we have an in- stance in the Medical Repository*. The patient made use of a decoction of the bark. It would be easy to men- tion many other diseases in which this medicine has been advantageously employed. I have already observedf, that the leaves of this tree are poisonous to certain animals. Dr. Morris has shown, that the distilled water of the leaves is a powerful poi- son to different species of animals, such as kittens, pi- geons, &c. About a tea-spoonful of the water killed a " pigeon fully fledged," in thirty-two minutes. This gentleman was obliged to make his experiments upon the young and imperfectly-expanded leaves of the tree. The adult leaves are doubtless more powerful. Expe- riments would seem to show, that the deleterious prin- ciple of the leaves is of a very volatile nature^:. Under this head of tonics, I may, with some pro- priety, take notice of the Eupatorium perfoliatum. I am sensible, however, that this vegetable might be more advantageously treated of under several different heads, such as those of Emetics, Sudorifics, &c, than under one individual head. But as a tonic quality is, unques- tionably, attached to this plant, and as I am not, in these Collections, particularly studious of method, 1 shall bring together all I have to offer concerning the Eupatorium, under one point of view. Of this very common plant in almost every part of the United States, I have made * Vol v. No. in. + Part First, page 11. t See an Inaugural Dissertation on the Prunus Virginiana, 8j.c. &c. By Chavles Morris, of Virginia. Philadelphia: 1802. ( 23 ) mention in the First Part of these Collections*. It is the Eupatorium connatum of Michaux. Besides the pro- vincial or common English names which have already been mentioned, it is known by the following appella- tions: viz. Thorough-stem, Cross-wort, Bone-set, and Indian-Sage. The first of these names has been imposed upon it from the peculiar structure of the leaves, which are opposite, and appear as though the stem was thrust through them. It has received the name of Cross-worty by which it is known in many parts of Virginia, from the position of the leaves, each pair of which (in general) take their origin from opposite sides of the stem, so that they cross each other nearly at right angles. I am more at a loss to refer the word Bone-set to its real origin: but I presume the plant received this name, from the great relief which, on many occasions, it has been known to afford to persons labouring under violent remitting and other fevers, in which the bones are greatiy pained. The resemblance of the leaves of this plant to those of the Common Sage (Salvia officinalis) was, long ago, re- marked by the botanists!• Hence the name Indian-Sage, by which this Eupatorium is known in some parts of Pennsylvania. We have seen, that it is one of the re- medies of the Indians J. Ihave already hinted at the obvious properties of the Eupatorium, and have observed, that it has been used in intermittents, and other fevers^. I am now to remark, in consequence of subsequent inquiries, that the plant * See pages 28, 55. f Particularly by Plukenet, who thus defines the plant: " Eupatorium Vir- ginianum, Salvia foliis longissimis acuminatis, perfoliatum. Aim. Bot. 110. t. 86. f. 6. t Part First, p. 28, 55. £ IV.'t First, p. 28, 55. ( 24 ) has been exhibited, with uncommon advantage, in these affections. In simple intermittents, admitting of distinct intermissions, a decoction of the whole plant, or the leaves in powder, have, on many occasions, proved ef- fectual in preventing the recurrence of paroxysms. I now speak of the medicine, as exhibited during the time of intermission. But the vegetable, especially in the form of a decoction, has often been given during the time of the hot stage, and I am in possession of a large portion of testimony in favour of its efficacy when thus employ- ed. Not only in intermittents, but likewise in remit- tents, and in the malignant yellow-fever, as it has pre- vailed in Philadelphia, &c, has our plant been used, with much advantage. When exhibited in the form of a warm decoction, it has seemed to prove peculiarly beneficial, especially by exciting a copious perspiration. The effect of the medicine, in inducing this evacuation, constitutes one of its most valuable properties, and has procured to it an appellation (that of the " vegetable antimony") to which, I believe, it is as well entided as many other ve- getables, which might be mentioned. But I greatly doubt if the sudorific effect of this plant, when unassisted by heat, can be compared to that of the Polygala Senega, and several other American plants. It often proves eme- tic: but this operation, which on many occasions, is not the least useful of its properties, may be prevented by a proper attention to the medicine. In some parts of the United-States, it is exhibited in intermittents, chiefly with a view to its emetic effect. The Eupatorium has been used in other cases. It is said to have been found very useful in a peculiar and distressing affection of the herpetic kind, which was formerly very common in Virginia, and there known by the name of the " James-river Ringworm;" because it ( 25 ) was especially prevalent among the inhabitants residing upon the upper streams of James-River. This disease was particularly disposed to affect young men. It at- tacked the thighs, the scrotum, and especially the parts immediately adjacent to the anus. It extended its ra- vages into the rectum, and perhaps much further. It was, at all times, a disgusting and troublesome disease, though it rarely proved mortal. Mr. Jefferson* informed me, in 1802, that within the period of his remembrance, this herpes was extreme- ly common in Virginia, and that it had gradually disap- peared, or become less common, from about the timef that the Warm and Hot Springs, in the county of Bath, in Virginia, had been better known, and more frequent- ed. He ascribed the disappearance of the affection to the use of these waters; the temperature of the former of which is about 98°: that of the latter 106°, of Faren- heit's thermometer. In this affection, the Eupatorium perfoliatum has often been found very beneficial, as I have been inform- ed by a respectable physician^ in Virginia. The pa- tient drank a decoction of the plant, and continued the use of it for a considerable time. It sometimes puked: it, no doubt, purged; and, in all probability, it operated as a sudorific. But by what quality it more especially operated, in curing the disease, I am unable to say. The fact may, I believe, be depended upon. * The President of the United-States. f These waters were certainly known at least as early as 1759 or 1760. But I believe they did not begin to be frequented, by any considerable num- ber of persons, until some years after. The James-river Ringworm was very prevalent about the year 1766. * Dr. Thomas Knox, of Culpeper. Part II. F ( 26 ) It may, perhaps, serve to increase our confidence in the powers ascribed to the Eupatorium perfoliatum as a remedy for herpes, to observe, that the Aya-Pana, which of late has excited so much attention, is a species of this vast family of plants, and that it also has been celebrated as a remedy in certain affections, somewhat allied to herpes*. I close this article by observing, that every part of the Eupatorium perfoliatum may be advantageously employed in practice. I believe, from my own observa- tions, that the flowers possess the greatest portion of the activity of the plant; and they ought to be kept in the shops. As a tonic bitter, I deem them superior to the flowers of Camomile, (Anthemis nobilis), for which they might be substituted, on many occasions. Section III. Stimulants, or Incitants. § I. General Stimulants. Kalmia latifoliaf- The powdered leaves of this ve- getable have been used, with much success, in some cases of intermittents%. A saturated tincture, prepared from the leaves with a proof spirit, is an active medicine, and perhaps worthy of a place in the shops§. For some • See Mr. Tilloch's valuable Philosophical Magazine, he. vol. xiii. p. 376, &C 8tc. f See Part First, p. 18,50. i Dr. Amos Gregg, jun. § A few drops of this tincture, poured upon the body of a large and vigor- ( 27 ) interesting information concerning the powers of this species of Kalmia, and also those of Kalmia angustifo- lia, or Narrow-leaved Kalmia, commonly called Lamb- kill, &c, I beg leave to refer the reader to Dr. George G. Thomas's Inaugural Dissertation concerning these plants, published at Philadelphia, in 1802. Laurus Sassafras. In the First Part of this work, I have made mention of the oil of this vegetable, and have hinted at its affinity to camphor*. The resemblance between the two articles is further evinced by this cir- cumstance, that the oil of Sassafras, when externally applied to the body in rheumatic and gouty affections, is remarkable for its power of shifting the pain from its ordinal seat; but not always to the advantage of the pa- tiwt. Like camphor, therefore, it ought ever to be used, in such affections, with great caution. I believe, how- ever, that it is a medicine well adapted to many cases of ■Jieumatism, in its chronic stage; though even here it may prove injurious. The Phytolacca decandra, well known by the names of Poke, Garget, American Nightshade, &c, is one of the most common North-American plants. It is, cer- . tainly, a plant of great activity, though the young shoots, when boiled, may be eaten with impunity, and are justly deemed a great delicacy. By many, they are preferred to the finest asparagus. Some of the medicinal powers of this plant have iong been known*. The ripe berries, infused in brandy, „„ rattle-snake, in my possession, killed the reptile in a very short time. It v-ucntly affected the animal, almost rnstantane.usly. . Pages 19, 20. ^ and Q^TS \ See the writings o? Kalm, Vogei, naue , ( 28 ) or wine, especially the former, are a popular remedy for rheumatism, in many parts of the United-States. This tincture of Poke (Tmctura Phytolacca) is certainly a valuable medicine in cases of chronic rheumatism, and other similar affections. Like the volatile tincture of gum Guaiacum, it has sometimes done injury; as might in- deed be expected from an active medicine, in the hands of the injudicious or ignorant. It may, I believe, be safely exhibited in most of the cases of rheumatism, in which the Guaiacum has been used with safety and ad- vantage. In the rheumatic affections, which frequently succeed to the venereal disease, it seems to be a more valuable medicine than the Guaiacum, and may be ad- vantageously employed, especially along with calomel, or other preparations of mercury. I have employed the ripe juice of the berries, inspissated to the state of an extract, in some cases of scrophula. The juice, in the same state, has, I am informed, been advantageously employed in cases of cancerous ulcers. These ulcer* were dressed with the extract, spread upon linen, or upon the leaf of the plant. But the juice of the leaves, applied in the same manner, is said to have been found more efficacious. I am inclined to repose some credit in the testimonies which I have collected concerning the utility of the extract of Poke, in the cases just men- tioned. The reader may consult, with advantage, An Inau- gural Botanico-Medical Dissertation on the Phytolacca Decandra of Linnaus. By Benjamin Shultz*. As a re- pository of facts concerning the Phytolacca, this disser- tation is valuable, and worthy of attention. But the sub- ject is still, in a great measure, a new one. • Philadelphia: 1795. ( 29 ) Arum triphyllum*. The recent root of this plant boiled in milk, so as to communicate to the milk a strong impregnation of the peculiar acrimony of the plant, has been advantageously employed in cases of consumption of the lungs. I have heard of one case (that of a negro man in Virginia) who was completely cured of a pulmo- nary consumption by continuing to take, for a consider- able time, milk in which the root of the Arum had been boiled. It would certainly be worth trying this simple prescription in some cases of a disease which so general- ly baffles the powers of all our medicines, and the skill of the best physicians. I am not ignorant, that within the period of a very few years, the disease of consumption has been supposed to be deprived of some of its terrors: but I must add, with real regret, that notwithstanding the high encomiums which have been bestowed upon the Digitalis as a remedy for this disease, by some dis- tinguished medical philosophers, and practitioners!, I have employed this vegetable in a considerable number of cases of consumption, and, upon the whole, with very inconsiderable permanent advantage. In one case, in- deed, it seemed to perform a cure of what I deemed ge- nuine phthisis: in several other cases, it evidently and remarkably affected the pulse, and moderated the urgen- cy of the symptoms; but the patients ultimately fell vic- tims to the disease. Some of the patients to whom I exhibited the Digitalis were so far advanced in the dis- ease, that little benefit could have been expected from medicine of any kind: but others of them again were in the earlier stages of the disease, and consequently in a situation that seemed to admit of permanent relief, from this or from other medicines. Yet, with the exception of • Part First, p. 21, 52. t Mr. Saunders, Dr. Thomas Beddoes, Dr. N. Dr.ke, fcc.fcc ( 30 ) the case already hinted at, I have not been able to effect a single cure by means of Digitalis. I am even inclined to think, that I have, in several instances*, more consi- derably arrested the progress of phthisis pulmonalis by means of emetics (particularly the sulphat of zinc, ex- hibited in the manner recommended by Dr. Moseleyf) than by Digitalis. Candour compels me to add, that my own experience with the Digitalis in consumption has been less than that of several other practitioners in Philadelphia, some of whom entertain a more favoura- ble opinion of the medicine, as a remedy for consump- tion, than I do. Dr. Storck, of Vienna, has called the attention of physicians to a species of Clematis, or Virgin's-Bovyer, the Clematis recta J. This is a very acrid and active plant, which Storck recommended in cancerous, vene- real and other malignant ulcers, and also in obstinate pains of the head, and bones, and in other diseases. An infusion of the flowers or leaves, and an extract of the plant were used internally- The powder was sprinkled upon the ulcers, where it was found to act as an excel- lent escharotic and detergent. I do not know that the Clematis recta is a native of any part of America. I have been led to mention the plant in this place, because the United-States afford us some species of the same genus, which, from a few ex- periments that I have made with them, promise to be useful in medicine. The species which I have more par- ticularly attended to, are Clematis crispa, and Clematis * Especially in the Pennsylvania Hospital, in the summer of 1803. ■J- A Treatise upon Tropical Diseases, &,c. &.c. p. 541, &c. London: 1792. $ Upright Virgin's-Bower. Storck calls the plant Flammula Jovis. It is a native of Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and France. ( 31 ) Viorna. The leaves of these species are extremely acrid, and may be found useful in chronic rheumatism, palsy, old ulcers; and, in fine, in all the diseases in which Storck found the Clematis recta useful*. As they are very active plants, it is necessary to use them in small doses. I have received some obscure information con- cerning the employment of one of the species (I think C. crispa), in Virginia, as a remedy in some particular affections. Dr. Schoepf has made no mention of these plants, but has proposed the employment of Clematis Virgini- ana, as a substitute for Clematis rectaf. The C. Vir- giniana is a much more feeble plant than either of the three other species which have been mentioned. § II. Topical Stimulants. The Pyrola umbellata, already mentioned, maybe noticed under this head. The bruised leaves of this plant, when externally applied, sometimes induce red- ness 'vesication and desquamation of the skin. But this is by no means a constant operation of the vegetable; and, therefore, it does not seem particularly worthy of our'attention, in this point of view. Rhus radicansj. The following observations, rela- tive to the deleterious property of this common plant, * See Elements of Botany, 8cc. Part Third, p. 70. j Materia Medica Americana, &c. Praefatio. p.x. - See Part First, p ?3, 52, 53, 54. ( 32 ) will not, I hope, be unacceptable to those who are in- f terested in a knowledge of its natural history. The person who is the subject of the observations, has, for many years, been severely affected by the plant; and although many other persons are similarly affected, it is not often, I believe, that the progress of the poison is marked with minute attention in those who are injured by it. On the eighth day of July, 1795, I applied two or three drops of the milky juice whilst it issued from the common foot-stalk of the leaves of the Rhus radicans, to the wristband of my shirt. These leaves, immediately before, had been torn from the stalk of the plant, by a friend of mine*. My object, in applying the juice, was to determine, in what length of time it would assume the black hue. In a few minutes, I found that the linen was stained black, and in a short time after this, I observ- ed that the juice had penetrated through the wristband, and that it had communicated a dark brown or blackish colour to that portion of the epidermis which was im- mediately under it. The day was unusually warm, and I went into the water to bathe. In the evening, I felt a considerable itching of my wrist, and the following morning observed, that there were upon it a number of extremely minute vesicles, which contained a fluid more or less limpid, or transparent. The itching increased hourly: the wrist and the middle of the fore-arm began to swell, and the vesicles extended themselves rapidly, chiefly upwards, towards the elbow, and partly down- wards, along the lower part of the wrist, and upon the fingers. * I was not myself within the sphere of the action of the plant, which I was care fid to avoid, well knowing, from long experience, its injurious ef- fects upon me. ( 33 ) Meanwhile, vesicles accompanied with, and pre- ceded by, itching more or less troublesome, made their appearance, upon various other parts of the body. The face was universally sprinkled with them. But these were extremely small, the fluid which they eontained, was always very limpid, and without any application, ex- cept that of cold water every morning, they entirely ^disappeared in two or three days. About the seventh or eighth day, the itching, the *\ inflammation, and the spread of the vesicles appeared *to be nearly at their height. At this period, and for Some days afterwards, the greater part of the fore-arm, and about one third of the arm were swelled to nearly twice the natural thickness; the itching was intolerable, and the vesicles, in general, were no longer filled with a limpid fluid, but contained a thick matter, or pus, very similar to that of small-pox, and strongly adhering to tlie linen. '' On the ninth day, I perceived a swelling in the axil- "'Vlary gland of the right arm, which was that to which the lacteous juice was applied, and which was chiefly affect- ed. The swelling rapidly increased, until it became of the size of a hen's es;^, and on the second day from its appearance, it had almost entirely evanished. From the period that the swelling was at its height, to its entire disappearance, the itching was almost uni- versal, and much more insupportable than it was before. I attributed this itching to the influence of the poison, which, I suppose, was conveyed into the system, from the time that the axillary gland began to swell and in- flame. Nevertheless, I could not discover that there was Part II f; ( 34 ) in consequence of this supposed absorption of the poi- son, any increase of the number of vesicles upon the surface of the body. In fifteen days from the time that the poison was first applied to my arm, all the disagreeable symptoms had ceased; the vesicles had almost entirely disappeared; a desquamation of the affected parts had taken place, and a new epidermis had been formed. From the foregoing statement, it must appear evi- dent, that to some constitutions the milk-like juice of the Rhus radicans is capable of producing very disa- greeable effects. It must not, however, be imagined, that these effects are equally disagreeable to all constitutions; and it is certain that there are many persons who arejnot I at all affected by this plant. It has been asserted, that persons of the most irritable habits of body are the most liable to be affected by the Rhus radicans, and by some other species of the same genus. I do not intend to oppose myself as an excep- tion to this position; but from a recollection of the con- stitutions of several persons to whom this poison has been applied, I have very little hesitation in asserting, mL that the susceptibility of receiving its influence is by no means proportional to the degree of irritability, whether muscular or mental, of the habit. It may, I believe, be asserted with much more truth, that the susceptibility of receiving the influence of the poison of the Rhus radi- dans is somewhat proportional to the delicacy and thin- ness of the epidermis and skin. Hence, no doubt, it is that females are more liable to be poisoned by this plant than males; that the face is seldom so much affected by it as the arms, the genitals, and most other parts of the ( 35 ) body that are protected from the constant influence of the air; and that young persons are more frequently poi- soned than those who have arrived at the age of man- hood, or who have passed to the term of older age. I have said, that there are many persons who are not, in the least, affected by the poison of the Rhus radicans, externally applied. This is an undoubted fact. Some of these persons after expressing the juice of the plant, will rub it upon their arms, and other parts of their bo- dies, without experiencing the smallest injurious effect. , I am acquainted with two gentlemen, who find no ill E fffects from clewing, for a considerable time, the recent leaves of this plant. It deserves to be mentioned, that L one of the gentlemen, I allude to, is liable to be consi- derably injured by the effluvia of the Rhus radicans, when applied to the external surface of his body. It may not be improper to observe, in this place, that several other native plants besides the species of Rhus, and the Pyrola umbellata, induce, in certain persons, a vesicular state of the skin. The flowers of the Kalmia latifolia, or Broad-leaved Laurel, have been known to do this in some persons. I knew an elderly lady who was affected, in the same way, by the Nerium Oleander, or Common-Oleander, or Rosebay. But this last is not an American vegetable. A decoction of the bark of the Rhus radicans has been used, with seeming advantage, in some cases of consumption of the lungs, in different parts of Pennsyl- vania. A gentleman of my acquaintance (who has since fallen a victim to the disease) informed me, that he had certainly found much benefit from this decoction in a pulmonary affection, complicated with fistula in ano. ( 36 ) A decoction of the root of die plant is said to have been advantageously employed in cases of asthma. A late writer, M. du Fresnoi, strongly recommends the Rhus radicans, in the treatment of herpetic affections, and in paralysis. In the first of these cases, he employed the infusion and the distilled water of the leaves of the plant. He relates seven cases, which seem to establish, unequivocally, the efficacy of these preparations in the affections which I have mentioned. He says he cured five cases of paralysis by the use of the plant*. Dr. Al- derson informs us, that he has used the Rhus Toxico- , dendron, with much benefit, in the same diseasef. t i The bark of the Rhus glabrum, or Smooth Pennsyl- vania Sumach J, boiled in milk, has been recommended as a remedy for chronic ulcers; and, I am informed, his been found very useful. The ulcers are often washed with the decoction. *. Section IV. Sialagoga. I have nothing additional to say under the head of particular Errhines, and therefore proceed to the sec- tion of Sialagoga, or Salivating medicines. Be- tween these and the Errhines, there is a very great affin- * Des proprietes de la plan te, appellee, Rhus radicans; de son utilite, &c. &c. A Leipsic: 1788. I have not seen the original work. t An Essay on the Rhus Toxicodendron, or Pubescent Poison-Oak, or Su- mach, &c. By John Alderson, M. D. Hull: 1796. i Part First, p. 53. ( 37 ) ity; as is evinced by this circumstance, that several arti- cles of the materia medica, both minerals and vegetables, very frequently act by increasing the secretion by the nose, and also that by the salivary glands. This is re- markably the case with respect to the sulphat of mercu- ry, or turpith-mineral; and, in one instance, I think I have seen a salivation decidedly induced by the use of the turpith-mineral, in combination with tobacco, that had been used, for some weeks, as an errhine. This will the more readily be admitted as a fact, when we read, that a very extensive salivation of long continuance, has been apparently induced by an irritation applied to the paro- tid gland, through the medium of the meatus auditorius. The irritating substance was a portion of fetid wool*. It would be an easy task to cumulate facts to prove, ttu* " the number of salivating medicines is much great- " er than has been commonly imagined!-" Polygala Senega, or Seneca Snake-root}. My in- genious pupil, Dr. Thomas Walmsley has lately com- municated to me an additional instance of the salivating power of this active vegetable. The patient (a lady aged about.......years) had taken, for some time, a decoction of the Seneca, and was thrown into a profuse ptyalism, which continued for a considerable time. It is a well-ascertained fact, that the disease of teta- nus has often been induced by different poisonous vege- tables: by Datura Stramonium, Hyoscyamus albus, or White-Henbane, not to mention several others. The * See Medical Transactions, published by the College of physicians in London, vol. II. p. 34, &c. | See Part First, p. 25. :Sce Purl first, p. 26. ( 38 ) same disease is likewise sometimes induced by the heal- thy or natural poisons of certain animals. I have collect- ed two well-authenticated instances of the production of this disease, by the bites of venomous serpents, in the United-States. One of the patients died. The teta- nus did not come on until six or seven days after she was bitten. The other recovered from the disease, by the use of large doses of the Seneca, boiled in milk*. I know not whether this instance of success should en- courage us to hope, that the Seneca might be given, with advantage, in those cases of tetanus which are the con- sequence of wounds, in different parts of the body. I fear that our vegetable, though by no means a feeble one, will be found unequal to the cure of this terrible disease. The Zanthoxylum Clava Herculis and Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium are both mentioned in the First Part of these Collections^. They are both vegetables endued with very active powers. The bark promises to be a very useful medicine is cases of paralytic affections of the tongue, or of the muscles concerned in deglutition: and in such cases, when held in the mouth, they have been emploj'ed with advantage%. They are more active than Mezereon (Daphne Mezereum), which both Dr. Withering^ and myself have employed, with a good effect, in the same cases. It might, perhaps, be worth trying the Zanthoxyla, as masticatories, in some cases of stammering. In some parts of Virginia, the berries of Zanthoxy- lum fraxinifolium are much esteemed as a remedy in • See Elements of Botany, &c. Part Third, p. 105. t See p. 26, 54. t By Dr. Tucker Harris, of Charleston, South-Carolina. § A Systematic Arrangement, Etc. vol. II. p. 370. ( 39 ) violent cholicky affections. A spirituous infusion of the berries is employed. They are known by the name of 4i Suter's-berries." For some interesting notices concerning the use of the bark of Zanthoxylum Clava Herculis, in rheumatic affections, in ulcers, &c. &c. &c, I refer the reader to different communications, in the Memoirs of the Medical Society of London*, and other periodical publications. Section V. Emetics. Spiraea trifoliatat- This is sometimes very injudi- ciously employed by the country-people, insomuch that they are obliged to apply for medical aid to remove the debility induced by the large doses of the root which they employ. " It is said, that there grows in the state " of Kentucky, another species, which is still more " valuable, as an emetic, than the S. trifoliataj." The emetic power of the Sanguinaria Canadensis, of which I have taken notice in the former part of this work 5, has been fully established by the experiments of Dr. Downey, in his ingenious essay upon this plant. The «' most prominent effect" of the medicine is to in- duce vomiting, even when it is exhibited in moderate doses. " When taken in the dose of fifteen or twenty " grains," it exerts powerful emetic qualities. " But " in consequence of the irritation, which is produced in • Vol. V. | Part First, p. 27- * Elements of Botany, &c. Puit IH r>. £.- $ Page ?«■ ( ) " the fauces, it is probable, that in the form of a pow- " der, it will never come into general use. This incon- " venience may, however, be obviated, by giving it in " form of a decoction or extract." When managed with care, it is deemed " but little inferior to the ipecacuan- " ha, either in the certainty or speediness of its opera- " tion*. The powder of the root may be given as an " emetic for an adult, in the dose of fifteen or twenty " grains, made into pills, otherwise a considerable irri- " tation will be produced in the fauces in taking itf." Hitherto, the Sanguinaria has been but little em- ployed by the regular practitioners. It promises, how- ever, to be an useful medicine, particularly on the foun- dation of its emetic and expectorant effects, in cases of cynanche maligna, or ulcerous sore-throat, in cynanche trachealis, or hives, and other similar affections. Its pro- perties seem to be considerably allied to those of the Seneca Snake-root, which has been so beneficially em- ployed in the same cases J. I have received an account of its having been employed, in the shape of a decoc- tion, with very evident good effect, in the case of that particular form of cynanche trachealis, which Dr. Dar- win has named Peripneumonia trachealis). The medi- cine proved emetic, and the patient recovered. * An Investigation of the properties of the Sanguinaria Canadensis, or Puccoon. By William Downey, of Maryland. Philadelphia: 1803. f An Investigation, &.c. pages 23, 25. 4 See Part First, p. 34, 56, 57. § Zoonomia, or the Laws of Organic Life. Vol. I. The disease of hives appears under several different shapes, in all of which the trachea seems to be essentially affected. In the course of my practice, I have met with some cases, which answer precisely to Darwin's description, and for which I think the term peripneumonia trachealis is a very appropriate one. If 1 do not mis- take, this form of the disease, in general, more readily admits of early and complete relief than any of the other shapes in which it appears. ( 41 ) I have already observed, that the seeds of the San- guinaria " appear to possess nearly the same quality as " the seeds of Datura Stramonium*." That is, they in- duce fever, delirium, dilatation of the pupil of the eye, &c. Dr. Downey concludes, from a few experiments, which he made with the " unripe seeds," that they pos- " sess a very considerable influence over the pulse, and " a stupifying or narcotic qualityf." A deleterious pro- perty evidently resides in the leaves of the plantj, as well as in the seeds. Section VI. Cathartics. Under this head, in the former part of the work§, I have mentioned the Asclepias decumbens, commonly called Pleurisy-root, Flux-root, &c. The root of this plant does, unquestionably, possess a purgative quality. But this does not seem to be the most valuable part of its properties. It is said to possess a remarkable power of affecting the skin, inducing general and plentiful per- spiration, without greatly increasing the heat of the body. Accordingly, I find it is much employed by the practi- tioners of medicine, in some parts of the United-States, particularlv, I believe, in Virginia, as a remedy in cer- tain forms of fever, in pleurisy, and other affections. The root is used both in powder and in decoction. Sometimes, it is used in combination with antimonials. • Part First, p. 28. | An Investigation, &c p- 24 * Ibid. p. 24. § V.r^c 29. S>*e. also, ?*£* 55. Part IT. H ( 42 ) Th e decoction often induces perspiration, when other medicines have failed to produce this effect. A physi- cian*, who has been much in the habit of employing this Asclepias, informs me, that ' in the low states of ' typhus fever, he has more frequently observed a per- * spiration to succeed to the use of the Asclepias than ' to any of the sudorifics that are generally used.' About thirty years ago, this vegetable was strongly recommended, as a specific for Pleurisy, by a Mr. Thom- son Mason, of Virginia. After the use of an antimonial emetic, and the loss of some blood, he gives his patients " as much of the Pleurisy-root, pounded very fine, and " then searched through a fine search, as will lie upon " a tolerable broad caseknife, in a cup of warm water, " and repeats the dose every two hours, until the pa- " tient is perfectly recovered, which happens frequently " after three days, and never fails freeing him from pain " after six." Mr. Thomson assures us, that by these simple means, he " has cured hundreds, and never failed " in a single instance." It does not appear, that Mr. Thomson was a regular physician; but I have been led to mention his practice the more particularly, because his publication seems to have first called the attention of the public to the virtues of the Pleurisy-root, and I know that some very respect- able physicians, in Virginiaf, have reposed not a little confidence in the powers which our author has ascribed * Dr. Charles Everett. Letter to me, dated Milton, October 23d, 1803. f Among others, my friend, the late Dr. James Green way, of Dinwiddie- county, in Virginia. From this gentleman, I received a copy of Thomson's paper, which I think first made its appearance in an Almanac, in 1773 ( 43 ) to the medicine, as a remedy in the cases in which he employed it. From Mr. Thomson's publication, it also appears, that the Pleurisy-root may be given in pretty large doses, perhaps about half a dram, several times in the course of the day. Indeed, I find that the Virginia physicians are not very nice in the doses of this medicine, when they prescribe it. It seems that Mr. Thomson entirely confined him- self to the use of the Asclepias decumbens, or the spe- cies with beautiful orange-coloured blossoms. He ob- serves, however, that there are two other species of the Pleurisy-root, which are known by the name of " But- terfly-weed." It is probable, therefore, that these two kinds (one of which I take for Asclepias Syriaca, well known by the names of Wild-Cotton, and Cotton-plant) have sometimes been used for the Asclepias decumbens; and it is not unlikely, that a common assemblage of pro- perties belongs to a number of the species of this fine family of plants. Asclepias Vincetoxicum, which is a native of Europe, has been recommended by some wri- ters on the Materia Medica, as a remedy for dysentery, and other diseases. I have already mentioned* the extract of the Jug- lans cinereaf, or Butternut-Walnut. This appears to me to be one of our most valuable native cathartics. It is well adapted to the treatment of dysentery, in which, however, it seems to operate merely as a laxative. A decoction of the inner bark f liber J of the tree has been * See Part First, p. 31. | Juglans oblonga alba of Marshall ( 44 ) very advantageously used as a cathartic, in that malig- nant fever of our horses, called the yellow-water, which I formerly noticed*. The green or unripe fruit of this vegetable is consi- derably acrid, and when applied externally to the skin, induces some irritation there. Advantage has been taken of this property by the country-people in some parts of the United-States. They apply the cut end of the fruit to those milk-white spots which often appear upon dif- ferent parts of the body, and seem to arise from a re- moval of die rete mucosum, or perhaps rather its colour- ing matter, from the skin. A surgeon, whom I met with in the remote parts of the state of New-York, in the year 1797, informed me, that he had known the Butternut em- ployed with the effect of entirely removing the white ma- cula, or spots in some persons. I should have confidently ascribed the removal of these spots to the stimulant ope- ration of the juice of the nut, if I had not been assured, that similar affections are sometimes removed by the simple application of cream and other articles, which can hardly be supposed to operate by virtue of a stimu- lant power. I am, however, the more inclined to as- cribe the removal of the spots to the stimulant action of the nut, because in a case of this kind, that came under my own notice, I found much advantage from the ap- plication of a blister of cantharides to the affected parts. The spots were not only prevented from increasing, but were very sensibly diminished in size, by the action of the cantharides. I have the satisfaction to believe, that by this simple treatment, I prevented the colouring matter of the mucous membrane from being entirely re- moved from one side, at least, of the face. ' See Part First, p. 12 ( 45 ) I shall close this article by observing, that the spots of which I have been speaking, are mentioned by differ- ent writers, but by none, I believe, more particularly or correctly, than by my learned friend Professor Blumen- bach, of Gottingen. After speaking of the white spots which often make their appearance upon the bodies of negroes, and other dark-coloured people (see his section cutis fusca maculis candidis variegata), he has the follow- ing words; " Niveae vero istae et aequabiles mollesque " maculae quae non nisi actionem alienatam vasculorum " minimorum corii sequuntur, neutiquam inter Aethi- " opes tantum verum etiam passim inter nostrates occur- " runt; mihique ipsi bina istiusmodi exempla in Ger- " manicis hominibus observandi occasio fait, alterum " viri juvenis, alterum senis sexaginta et quod excurrit " annorum. Utrique cutis subfusca hinc illinc maculis " diversae magnitudinis candidissimis distincta: quae " Vero neutri connatae, sed isti infantili aetate, huic con- " tra virili sensim et sua sponte subortae fuerant*." Section VII. Diuretics. I have little to say under this head. I believe, how- ever, that it is a fact, that several of our indigenous ve- getables, of which no notice has been taken in the pre- ceding part of the Collections, are very powerful Diu- retics: but my knowledge of these plants is, as yet, very imperfect. * De Generis Humani varietate nativa, &c. p. 154, 155. Gottingae: 1795. ( 46 ) The Erigeron Philadelphicum, or Philadelphia Flea- Bane, is one of the most common plants in many parts of the United-States. A decoction or infusion of the plant has been used in Philadelphia, by several persons, for gouty and gravelly complaints, and some of them have informed me, that they have been much benefited by the use of the plant*. It operates powerfully as a di- uretic, and also as a sudorific. This Erigeron is known in Pennsylvania by the name of Skevish, which I sus- pect is a corruption of the word Scabious. But it must be confessed, that the genera Scabiosa (Scabious) and Erigeron are sufficiently remote from each other. I have never employed the Erigeron Philadelphicum, in practice: but I am led to believe, that there is some foundation for the assertions which I have noticed, be- cause I find that the same plant is mentioned by Father Loureiro, as one of the remedies that are employed by the people of Cochinchina; and he speaks of it as an ac- tive emmenagoguef. In Virginia, there is a plant called " Piss-wort," which is deemed a very powerful diuretic. I am unac- quainted with the plant, which, however, has been men- tioned to me by a respectable physician, who informs me, that he once saw a strong decoction of it given to a horse, labouring under strangury, with the effect of sud- denly exciting a very copious flow of urine. Perhaps, it will be found that this plant is a species of Menisper- mum, or Moon-seed, of which genus there are several species indigenous within the limits of the United-States. * See Elements of Botany, &c. Part Third, p. 123. ? Flora Cochinchinensis, &c. Tom. II p. 500. Ulyssiponae: 1790. ( 47 ) Section VIII. Antilithics. By this term of Antilithics, I mean those medi- cines which give relief in the disease of lithiasis, or cal- culus, and also in nephritis when this depends upon the same causes that induce calculus, such as a gouty diathe- sis, not to mention others. I prefer this term to the old one of Lithontriptics, which has so generally been employed to denote a set of medicines which produce the effects I have mentioned. Lithontriptics, in the rigid sense of this term, are, I think, unknown to us; though I do not deny, that the long-continued use of lime-water and other similar medicines, may on some occasions, have acted partially by dissolving, or otherwise altering, the surface of urinary and other calculi. Meanwhile, we are certain, that in many instances where Uva Ursi and other medicines have greatly relieved the distressing symptoms induced by a calculus, the latter has remain- ed undissolved, and its form, perhaps, not in the least, altered. The real mode of operation of the Antilithics is un- known to us. It seems highly probable, however, that many of them produce their effects by virtue of an as- tringent quality. We, at least, find that not a few of the astringents, such as Uva Ursi*, some species of Gera- nium, &c, do give relief in many cases of nephritis and calculusf. Dr. Cullen imagines, that the astringents act, in this case, by absorbing an acid in the stomach*. But this appears to be a frivolous theory, unsupported + T H. Ikiu her. * See page b ' J \ Treatise of the Materia Medica. Vol. II. p 13, &.< f 48 ) by any respectable body of facts. The mode of opera- tion of the astringents, is not completely understood; and in ascertaining the fact, that these medicines are antilithics, we have only advanced one step towards the discovery of truth. But whatever may be the precise miinner of acting of the astringents in cases of nephritis and calculus, we are certain, that an antilithic property belongs to many articles which have little or no claim to the character of astringents. Such are some of the plants of the genus Allium, or Garlic, as the Leek (Allium Porrum), &c: also, carbonic acid, and carbonate of soda, not to mention several others. It is much to be regretted, that this most important subject should still be involved in so much uncertainty, notwithstanding the late laborious and ingenious inqui- ries of Fourcroy, Pearson, and other philosophers, who have favoured us with the results of their experiments, relative to the analysis of human and other calculi. But on this subject much remains to be done; and although it is not probable, that we shall soon, if ever, discover a solvend for calculi in the body, it is highly likely, that a more extensive and correct acquaintance with the inti- mate nature of these concretions, will, in time, conduct us to a knowledge of the means of preventing their for- mation. ul '• I have but little to say on the subject of particular Antilithics. Indeed, it must be confessed, that our cata- logue of articles that are deserving of this title is very small. Of the Uva Ursi, 1 have already taken some notice*. I have also observed, that the Pyrola umbellata has been * See Part I irst, p. 9, 10. See also page 3, of the present part ( 49 ) employed with advantage in nephritic affections*. The good effects of the kernels of Corylus Americana have been noticedf, as have those of the Philadelphia Flea- bane, or Erigeron Philadelphicum J. I have not however, employed any of these articles in the disease of nephritis, except the Uva Ursi, which is, unquestionably, a valu- able antilithic. I have often prescribed this medicine, and have known it to be useful, even when it was ascer- tained that a calculus was present It is certain that it does relieve the disagreeable symptoms which are the conse- quence of the irritation of a stone; and some facts which have come under my own observation, independently on those which I have met with in medical authors, have led me to believe, that the use of this astringent medi- cine facilitates the expulsion of calculous granules, through the urethra. In what manner this effect is ac- complished, I am unable to say. I must add, however, ttet in some nephritic cases, Uva Ursi seems to increase the irritation which it so generally relieves. I have already observed, that the root of Convolvu- lus panduratus " has been much recommended in cases « of gravely." Since the publication of the former part of the Collections, I have received some additional and more certain information on this subject. In particular, I have learned, that an inf sion or decoction of the root has been often used by a physician|| of New-Jersey, who has found the medicine very useful in his own case. He is persuaded, that it has enabled him to pass the calcu- lous granules, with much facility. •See p. 2,3. t Sec p. 3. * See p. 46. $ See Part First, p. 5(1 || Dr. Harris. Part II. l ( 50 ) Section IX. Anthelmintics. It has been asserted, that Worms, as constituting a disease, are more common in America than in Europe. I suspect that there is some foundation for this assertion, though I am sensible, that the assertion ought to be received with some hesitation. A larger body of facts should be collected, before the truth can be completely established. I have already observed, that the Indian children, in some parts of the United-States, are very " subject to worms, and to the larva of insects, introduced into the system, along with their crude, and often unwhole- some, aliment*." It is, moreover, a fact, that great numbers of these children fall victims to the diseases induced by worms. This is acknowledged by many of the Indians with whom I have conversed. The Oneid^s preserve a very curious tradition concerning one of these epidemic worm-fevers, and inform us, that in conse- quence of the destruction which it occasioned among their children, the nation relinquished a station which it had long occupied, on the margin of the Oneida-Lake, and took possession of another, at some distance froA the Lake. It has, however, been asserted by some in- genious writers, that diseases from worms are unknown among the Indiansf. My own observations and inqui- • See Part First, p. 38, &c. | Dr. Rush says, he " cannot find any accounts, of diseases from worms, " among the Indians." " Nor does dentition (he observes) appear to be adis- '• order among the Indians. The facility with which the healthy children of " healthy parents cut their teeth, among civilized nations, gives us reason to " conclude, that the Indian children never suffer from this quarter." See An Oration, &c, containing an Inquiry into the Natural History of Medicine among the Indians of North-America, &c. &c. p 26. Philadelphia: 1774. ( 51 ) ries lead me to adopt a very opposite opinion. Indeed, the children of the Indians seem to suffer not much less from worms, and from dentition, than the children of the Europo-Americans. Whatever foundation there may be for the asser- tion, that worms are peculiarly common in North-Amer- ica, it will not be denied, that the subject of Anthel- mintic medicines is one well worthy of attention. On this account, I shall introduce into this place a few ad- ditional notices on the subject. I begin with those ve- getables which are most obviously characterized by a tonic quality. A strong decoction of the bark of thePrunus Vir- giniana* has been employed, with a good effect in some cases of worms. Whether this bark operates by any other than by a tonic quality, I am unable to say. It will not be denied, that many of the bitter tonic medi- cines are, on many occasions, excellent anthelmintics. But I am very far from believing, with some ingenious writerst, that the tonic medicines are always the best anthelmintics. In the epidemic verminose fevers, which often prevail in the marshy tracts of country, and are evidently owing to the same causes that induce com- mon intermittents and remittents, the Peruvian bark and other similar medicines may be used with peculiar advantage. Moreover, tonics are at all times properly exhibited, with a view to prevent worms from increas- ing in the system. But many articles that are not at all, • See p. 21, 22. + Mr James Moore. " Bark (says this author) is perhaps the best of all "worm-powders." An Essay on the Materia Medica, &c. p. 148. London: 179:. ( 52 ) or at least very inconsiderably, tonic, are among the most valuable anthelmintics with which we are acquainted. The Veratrum luteum*, commonly called Devil's bit, and Blazing Star, is entitled to notice. The root of this plant is a very pungent bitter, and is employed as a tonic, in some parts of the United-States. A spirituous infusion of the root is made use of. A tea, or watery infusion, of the root is often used, and is deemed an ex- cellent anthelmintic. I presume, it does not operate merely by virtue of its bitter or tonic property. A nar- cotic quality seems to belong to this vegetable, and I am inclined to think, that its good effects, in cases of cholic, and perhaps, in cases of worms, are, in part at least, owing to this quality. A watery infusion of the twigs and leaves of the Laurus Benzoin, formerly mentioned!, is often given to children, with a view to destroy and dislodge worms, and is deemed an efficacious medicine in this case. The root of the Sanguinaria Canadensis, exhibited with a view to its emetic effect, has, in some instances, dislodged worms from the stomach. Future experi- ments must determine, how far this active article is en- titled to the character of an anthelmintic. Perhaps, Ipe- cacuanha, or any other emetic, would be found equally beneficial in similar cases. In the course of my journey through Virginia, in the year 1802, I was informed, that the ripe fruit of "the * I take this plant to be the Melanthium dioicum of Walter. See my Ele- ments of Botany, &c. Part Third, p. 157, &c. t See Part First, p. 20. ( 53 ) Persimmon (Diospyros Virginiana*) has often been found very useful in the worm-cases of the negro and other children. I cannot discover any thing peculiarly active in this fruit, in the condition in which it is em- ployed as an anthelmintic. Perhaps, it operates solely by virtue of a laxative property. I continue to use and experience the good effects of the Melia Azedarachf. I believe this is one of the most valuable anthelmintics, that has hitherto been dis- covered. Of late, the dried berries have been advantage- ously employed as an anthelmintic, in Carolina. With a view to this effect, children are permitted to eat the berries, without any particular regard to the dose. They are, by some, deemed as efficacious as the bark of the tree. I have employed the powdered leaves, but am not yet prepared to offer a positive report concerning their comparative powers. On the subject of the anthelmin- tic and other properties of the Melia, the reader will do well to consult my friend, Dr. G. Duvall's Inaugural Dissertationf. * See Part First, p. 11. t See Part First, p. 40, 64, 65, 66. t An Experimental Botanico-Medical Essay on the Melia Azedarach of Linnaeus. By Grafton Duvall, of Maryland. Philadelphia: 1802. THE END UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. The Lectures on Botany commence, annually, about the middle of April, and terminate in the fitfst week of Julv. \ } 0 ' UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. The Lectures on Materia Medica, and those on Natural History*, commence, annually, in the first week of November, and terminate in the first week of March. * These are two distinct Courses of Lectures / tt Cjw •> ;.$&*>-■ J f © ..