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Surgeon General's Office

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Fyrou/  ,' 'n i [v.!lata. 
      AN

ESSAY


   ON  THE
ARBUTUS  UVA  URSI,
AND
PYROLA UMBELLATA  6? MACULATA,


            OF  LINNEUS.
       By JOHN S. MITCHELL,!

            OF PENNSYLVANIA;


   MEMBER OF  THE AMERICAN LINNEAN,

AND HONORAY MEMBER OF THE PHILADELPHIA MEDICAL AND
              CHEMICAL SOCIETIES.
*^ \ ■' .;.  • ;    '.'      Hesiod.
■. i.ci*»
      PHILADELPHIA;


PRINTED, FOR THE AUTHOR, BY

      EAKEN & MECUM.
1803. 
 
               AN






   INAUGURAL DISSERTATION,




               FOR




          THE DEGREE




               OF





     DOCTOR OF MEDICINE ;






  SUBMITTED TO THE EXAMINATION




              OF THE






REVEREND JOHN ANDREWS, D. D.



      (provost pro tempore),






               THE





TRUSTEES AND MEDICAL PROFESSORS




             of the




 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,





             on the




     EIGHTH DAY OF JUNE, 1803. 
 
TO
  BENJAMIN  SMITH BARTON, M. D.
   Professor  of Materia  Medica,  Natural
     History, and Botany,  in the Univer-
            sity of Pennsylvania ;
   SIR,
     I EXULT in this opportunity of partially
remunerating, by sentiment,  some of the many
valuable services that have resulted to me from
your friendship  and instruction.  Not a few of
the most delightful  and ennobling objects of in-
tellectual attention,  acknowledge their origin and
advancement to your industry and zeal.  Raised
by your hand  and  embellished by  your genius,
the natural science  of our  country, (but the
other day the property of foreigners,) has alrea-
dy  assumed a position which  shall  command
respect from the future votaries to physical im-
provement,  on  this side the Atlantic.   Amid
the hourly attacks of a painful and dangerous dis-
ease,  you have  retained animation and ardour
enough to excite the philosophical mind  of your
country, and direct its efforts.   You have called
its attention to the  science  of nature, and  illus-
trated your solicitations by example.
    But the time has arrived, when that connec-
tion  which has  subsisted between  us, with so
much  satisfaction  to  me, must  be dissolved.
Whether I have justly  appreciated the value of
your instructions, my future conduct must deter-
mine.            Adieu,
                   JOHN  S. MITCHELL. 
 
                  TO

        JOHN WILSON,  M. D.

   OF  BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA :

             THIS ESSAY

 IS LIKEWISE INSCRIBED, AS A MARK OF THAT
              ESTIMATION,
WHICH NEITHER  TIME, NOR  THE VICISSITUDES OP
      LIFE WILL BE ABLE  TO ERADICATE

     FROM  THE MIND OF HIS

         AFFECTIONATE RELATIVE,
                 AND FORMER  PUPIL,

                    I.  S.  MITCHELL.
     TO DOCTOR MAHLON GREGG,
             OF BUCKS COUNTY

                    AND

          WILLIAM BARTRAM,
             of kingsessinc.
  Gentlemen,
             PERMIT me to do justice to my
feelings, by inscribing this toyou, for the disin-
terested attention received from you during the
progress of my studies.
                      I. S. MITCHELL. 
:'-wJ 
SECTION  I.
OF THE UVA.. URSL
        J[ HE Genus Arbutus of Linnaeus, ac-
cording to his sexual system, falls in  the  class
Decandria, and the order Monogynia.

     The  Genus is thus described.—Calyx  5
partitus—Corolla ovata: ore 5 fido basi pellucida.
Bacca 5 locularis, supera, polyspermia.
                C, Linnsei, Genera Plantantm.

     Several  species  ©f this family  are  now
pretty well known ; but I shall confine myself to
the consideration of the UvaUrsi, or Bear berry.

     The characteristic of this species, as marked
by the Swedish Naturalist,  is,

   Arbutus.—Caulibusprocumbentibus ; foli-
is integerrimis.

     The sexual  system is  now so  universally
adopted,  that it is unnecessary to specify the par-
ticular place, this plant  occupies in other artifi-
cial arrangements.
                       b 
[  io   ]
    In the natural method  of Jussieu,*  it falls
in the order Erica of his 9th class, along with the
genera Andromeda, Clethra,  Pyrola,  Epigsea,
Gaultheria,  Vaccinium, Erica,  Hudsonia,  and
some others.

    The whole of these plants, as well as the one
we are particularly considering, are comprehend-
ed in Linne's 18th natural order Bicornes, several
of which possess powers of considerable activity.

     The Uva Ursi is a low ever-green shrub,
trailing on the ground.   It prefers a dry sandy
soil, in woods, and on mountains, is common to
the warm as  well as the cold parts of Europe,
and is diffused  through many  parts of  North-
America.   Heame observed  it  as  far north as
latitude  71.f  Charlevoix  found it  at the bay of
Hudson.   Kalm says it grows  plentifully  some
little distance from Quebec in  Canada.   It is  a
common  plant in the  state of  New-York, and
flourishes abundantly in different parts of  New-
Jersey, particularly about  Mount-Holly and At-
sion, and extends from thence along the pine fo-
rests, near to the  sea  shore. Its utmost limit to-
wards the south is unknown to us.

      This plant has been,  with great propriety,
 ranked among the astringent medicines;  it has a
 styptic taste,  and an agreeable bitterness.  When
 chewed it increases the secretion of saliva.

      As the Uva Ursi is so well  known to almost
 every one,  we shall not dwell longer on its natu-


    * Genera Plantarum secundum Ordines Naturales disposita.
    f This writer speaks of it by the name of Jackasheypuci, which if
 one of its Indian appellations. 
[  11   ]
ral history, or on  its sensible qualities, as they
are not  remarkable, but proceed immediately to
the Chemical Analysis.
i.  1. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS*
               EXPERIMENT I.

  ' To 2 ounces of the leaves of Uva Ursi, I added
just a sufficiency of water to cover them, and sub-
jected the whole to distillation.   Upon  examin-
ing the different portions as they  came over, I
could not detect the least presence of acidity or
astringency.—The distilled water had an aroma-
tic  taste and smell.

     The decoction remaining in the retort, pro-
duced no change on litmus paper, but  struck a
black colour with sulphate of iron.
              EXPERIMENT  II.

    Having  cut up the stalks and roots of the
plants, I submitted them to distillation.

    The result was the same as  in the  former
experiment, except  that the  colour was not so.
dark.

    These experiments were frequently repeat-
ed as well  with the dry as with the fresh plant,
and uniformly  afforded the same result. 
[  12   ]
              EXPERIMENT III.

    Having become possessed of a decoction
of the  leaves that had been made above  eight
months before, I submitted it to distillation, but
in this, though I knew ah acid to exist in the de-
coction before hand, the  distilled water differed
in no respect from that mentioned in the preced-
ing experiments.
              experiment IV.

    To one  ounce of the dried leaves of the
plant, reduced to a very lure powder, I added four
Ounces of rectified spirits of wine,  and letting
them stand for four and twenty hours, exposed
to a moderate degree of heat, I filtered and evapo-
rated  to -dryness : the residuum weighed 112
grains*
              EXPERIMENT V.

    Upon the addition  of distilled water to the
powder remaing on the filter after the above ex-
periment  and  suffering  it to stand twenty-four
hours, I obtained forty-two grains of a pure gum.
              EXPERIMENT  VI.

   To one ounce of the same powder mentioned
in experiment 4th. I poured four ounces of  dis-
tilled water, and exposed it to  the same tempera-
ture as before, for twenty-four hours ; the jnfu- 
[  13   ]
sion was then filtered and evaporated to dryness:
the residuum weighed seventy-Jive grains.
              EXPERIMENT VII.

    By the addition of alcohol to the matter re-
maining on the filter,  I obtained thirty grains of
a pure resin.
              EXPERIMENT VIII.

     To two drams of the powder I added alco-
hol, and after letting it stand thirty hours, then
filtered and evaporated: the residuum  weighed
twenty-seven grains.
              EXPERIMENT IX.

     From the remaining powder, by the addi-
tion of water,  and suffering it to stand thirty-six
hours, nine grains of gum were obtained.
               EXPERIMENT X.

     To two drams of the fresh powder, I added
distilled water,  and suffered it to stand for the
same length of time as the former; this was then
filtered and evaporated to dryness ; the residuum
weighed seventeen grains. 
[   I*   ]
                 EXPERIMENT XI.

     By the addition of alcohol to the matter re-
maining on the  filter, I obtained seven grains of
resin.
     Experiments 1 and 2 prove, that the leaves
of the  Uva Ursi are  more  astringent than the
stalks,  which is contrary to the  opinion enter-
tained  by Professor Murray.  Speaking of our
plant he says,  " Caules,  et horum quidem cor-
tex,'adstringunt longe magis, quam folia."* This
is certainly incorrect.  , In some instances, it re-
quired  the addition of the oxy-sulphate  of  iron
to detect the astringent principle ;  when  Ceteris
Paribus,  the  sulphate struck a deep black  with
the decoction of the leaves.f I also infer  that the
UvaUrsi contains no acid, in a disengaged state ;
and here I am obliged to differ from the learned
Gerardi,  who asserts, that  he  obtained  an acid
by distillation, with which he was able to dissolve
a" great number of  calculi;  indeed it  would be
difficult to account for the solution of  those cal-
culi ; unless  we suppose  Gerardi used  some one
of the mineral acids in distilling  the plant, and
that his calculi were all calcareous.

    * See his Apparatus Medicaminum, page 57.
    f Dr. Woodhouse says, the simple sulphate of iron will not strike a
black colour with the gallic acid, but that the oxy-sulphate is requisite to
produce that effect.  To satisfy myself on this point, I made the follow-
ing experiment.  I obtained half an ounce of iron filings from a piece of
Polished iron, and added a portion of diluted sulphuric acid : after the ac-
tion was completely over, I filtered and obtained regular crystatsby eva-
poration ; these being dissolved in distilled water, a black colour was in-
stantly produced by  the addition of alcohol of galls. It is well known
that the oxy-sulphate of iron will not form regular crystals, but that the
^mple sulphate will j this the Doctor allows. 
r.   13   ]
     My experiments were carefully executed,
but this does not preclude the possibility of error.
Indeed, were we to admit the  opinion of Profes-
sor Woodhouse,  the first  inference is by no
means certain : the Doctor believes the astrin-
gent principle to be the gallate of alumine ; and
the black colour, he says, is in proportion to the
quantity of gallic acid.

     To ascertain with accuracy the precise pro-
portions of  gum and resin contained in a plant,
is certainly a difficult task ; for,  when  they are
intimately  united,  the  one  renders the  other
somewhat soluble in a menstruum which has no
action upon the pure substance.

     The frequent repetition of the preceding ex-
periments,* affording results as similar  as possi-
bly could be  expected, induces me to offer the
following inference, viz,

     That one ounce of the  dried leaves  con-
tains about forty grains of a pure gum, and thirty
grains of pure resin,  besides a large quantity of
matter, equally soluble in alcohol and in water :

     That the same  proportion of matter taken
up in the 4th. and 5th. and in the 8th. and 9th.
experiments, does not obtain in the others, is ea-
sily accounted for, inasmuch as  we know that
gum and resin intimately united, are more solu-
ble in alcohol  than in water.

     In conformity to custom, I have made the
above  experiments on  the chemical  analysis of
* From 4 to 11. 
[  16   J
our vegetable, but conceiving this  to be of little
importance in a practical point of view, my object
was to be as concise as possible.  We shall there-
fore  proceed, in the  next place, to relate some
experiments made on the human system.


h II. EXPERIMENTS ON THE  HUMAN
                  SYSTEM.

                EXPERIMENT I.

     At 11 o'clock,  A. M.  I took  ten grains of
the dried leaves of Uva Ursi, reduced to a  fine
powder : my ingenious friend and  fellow gradu-
ate Mr. Walmsley attending to the  pulse.  Pulse
69 in a minute.

Min. 5 | 10 | 15 [ 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 65 [ 70
Puis. 70 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 68 | 69 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 62 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 64
M. 75  80_
I~62_62

     In about ten minutes, pulse became smaller,
and continued so during the experiment.
               EXPERIMENT  II.

     Ten o'clock, A. M. took fifteen grains of
the powder in water.   Pulse 78.

Mm.  5 1 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 1 30 1 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 ( 55 f 60 | 65 | 70
Puis. 7ti | i-6 | 75 | 75 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 73~| 72 | 72 J 72 | 74 | 73 | 72

MJ5\ 80 | 85 | 90 | 95 |J00 | 105
p.~73 | "69-"| 69"| 69 | 71"j 68 | " 72 
[  17   ]
     In the fore part of the experiment, there
was a small increase in the fullness of the pulse,
which afterwards became smaller.
experiment III.
     I took thirty grains of the powder in water,
at 12 o'clock.   Pulse 66.

Min.  5 1 10 | 15 | 20 1 25 | 30 | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 ] 55 | 60 | 65 | 70
Puis,  by |  iZ | 74 '  ^b» I 68 | 68 | 6^ | 67 | 6J | 03 | 64 | 63 | 63 j 60
M. 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 100
P. 60 | 63 | 65 | 03 | 04 |  OO

     In fifteen minutes, pulse fuller ; had a flush-
inff  in  the face  ; in  twenty, a slight head-ache
came on,  which continued till near the close of
the experiment; in forty, much reduced in force;
in sixty, weak and flowing ; in eighty-five it grew
fuller.
               experiment  IV.

     At  11 o'clock, A. M. took forty grains of
the powder in water.  Pulse 73.

Min  5ll0|15|aQ|«|30|£l4i.|4S|W|5S|60|65|70

M. 75 | 80 1 85 | 90 | 9- |Ji00jJ05
P.  68 | i-2 i n I (* I <» I  'ul  r2

     In five minutes,  pulse considerably fuller ;
in ten much-harder  ; in 25 flushing in the face,
and a slight head-ache came on, which went oil in
the course of half an hour. 
[  18   ]
               EXPERIMENT v.

     At  half past 9, A. M.  took eight grains of
the resin ;  Mr.  Downey attending to the pulse.
Pulse 76 in a minute.

    Min.  5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | C5 | 30 1 35 1 40 1 45 | 50 | 55 "| 60
    Puis. 78 | 78  | 74~|~72 | 70 | 76 | 74 | 73 | 71 \ 68 | 68 | 68

     The pulse remained  at 68  for one hour af-
terwards.

     In ten minutes, pulse not so full;  in fifteen,
irregular and small; in twenty, a slight head-ache;
thirty, pulse  very small, and a slight vertiginous
affection of my head ;  in fifty, pulse much fuller.
               EXPERIMENT VI.

     At  half past 11,  A. M. my fellow student
Mr.  Bartram,  took ten  grains  of the gum.—
Pulse 73.

 Min. 5 | 10 1 15 | 20 | 25 1 30 | 35 | 40 j 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 65 1 70
 Puis. 77 | 7o | ?t> | 7o 1 ■/$ | 75 | 74 | 77 | 78 | 76 | 76 | 77 \ 76 | 77
M. 75 | 100
V. 78 p76

     In   five minutes,  pulse  somewhat fuller;
thirty, slight flushing , in forty, pulse weak and
soft; seventy, pulse much fuller.

     From  these  experiments, it appears,  that
the first  effect of the Uva Ursi is slightly stimu-
lant, but that the pulse soon begins to fall, and re- 
r   19  ]
mains below  its natural standard, both  in fre-
quency and fullness, for a considerable time.   In
this respect, our plant bears some analogy to Di-
gitalis ; but between them there is still a vast dif-
ference ; the Digitalis and most other medicines
allowed to be powerful,  exert an action on some
particular part of the general system.   The Uva
Ursi, on the contrary, has no very considerable
effect on  the  pulse ;  it increases  neither secre-
tion  nor excretion ; and, in fact, we might sup-
pose it entirely inert,*  were it not that we have,
from many practitioners, the most positive proof
to the  contrary, from  its efficacy  in lithiasis,
nephritis, gonorrhoea, and other diseases,  which
are next to be more particularly mentioned.


 &. III. OF  THE USE OF UVA URSI IN
                 DISEASES.

     BY what accident,  and at what period, some
unknown person first discovered  the  powers of
this  important  medicine,  would be  difficult to
say;  nor shall we  stop  to inquire, whether this
be the ***»y srxtpvyn of Galen, or the <$***? §£« of
Dioscorides.  It is sufficient for us to know, that
the celebrated De Haen, of Vienna, was the first
physician who has  published  any thing very valu-
able on the subject. It was he who first directed
the attention of the medical world to  the use of
the Uva Ursi in calculous affections.  This was
about the year  1756 ;  since which time it  has
never been entirely forgotten, but too much neg-

   * I have  known it to induce an uneasy tightness, with a sense c?
weight, at the chest : "but this was in a gouty patient, who is liable to be
similarly affected by the Peruvian bark.  The fact may serve to point
out some afSnity between the two medicines.       B. S. Barton. 
[  20   ]
lected, though some of the German, Spanish and
Italian physicians have praised it in very unqua-
lified  terms.  In the United States it has become
much better known as a medicine, since the suc-
cessful practice of Doctor Barton induced him to
recommend it very confidently to his class.  The
Doctor says, " this plant, from  my own experi-
ence,  I can recommend to you as a most valuable
medicine :  it ought to be  in  the hands of  every
physician :  I have used it with great advantage in
old gonorrhoea. But its greatest virtue is that of
a medicine in nephritis."* Dr. Ferriar, of  Man-
chester in  England, cured twelve cases of this
complaint out of sixteen,  by giving  it  with
mild cathartics. He used it in doses from five to
ten grains,  with  half a grain  of opium;  larger
doses, says the Doctor, produrefj^nansca and vo-
miting ;  but the preceding  experiments  show
that it may be taken in a much  larger quantity,
without producing any disagreeable effect. Hence
we suppose, that the nausea produced in Doctor
Ferriar's cases, resulted from the combination of
opium.
The following cases and facts may tend to con-
  firm the efficacy of the Uva Ursi, in different
  diseases :—-

                   Case I.

     E. B.  aged nineteen,  affected with gonorr-
hoea of three  weeks standing, was let blood and
had  a cathartic, was afterwards ordered a strong
* Barton's Lectures on Materia Medica. 
[  21   ]
infusion of the leaves of Uva Ursi, in the quan-
tity of one pint a day, which was continued about
fifteen days, when the discharge ceased, nor did
it again recur,


                     II,

     P. M. aged forty,  with gonorrhoea of four
weeks continuance,  was immediately put upon
the use of the infusion :  at the end of ten  days,
the medicine was discontinued, -and the patient
completely cured.  During the  use of the medi-
cine, he lost about twelve ounces of blood.


                     III.

     M. B. aged forty-two. with gonorrhoea, took
daily for about four weeks, half a pint of the in-
fusion, and was cured  without the assistance of
any other medicine,


                     IV.

     S. H.  nineteen years of age, with gonorr-
hoea, was ordered the  infusion  in  the dose of
four  ounces,  three  times a day,  for about two
weeks, which had the effect of stopping the dis-
charge, and the patient  completely relieved.


                      V.

     A, M. aged  twenty-four, had a gonorrhoea
for  three weeks,  and  on application for  relief, 
[  22  J
had a cathartic administered  immediately,  and
then a strong infusion ordered to be taken in the
quantity of  one pint,  daily, until  the  running
ceased,  which was on the 20th day.
                      VI.

     E.  A. aged eighteen, with a recent gonorr-
 hoea, otherwise in good health, was let blood and
 took a gentle cathartic; afterwards drank  daily
 from half a pint to a pint of the infusion ;  the
 same was used by way of injection;  in two weeks
 the patient was entirely cured.*

     Dr. Barton' informs his class,  that he has
 found the Uva Ursi extremely useful in old go-
 norrhoeas, which have resisted the ordinary modes
 of treatment, and in gleets of long standing. He
 particularly relates a case of gonorrhoea, which
 had continued for  a very considerable  length of
 time,  and  which he  found  it impossible to ma-
 nage by injections :  for the mildest astringent
 injections never failed to induce a  very distress-
 ing hernia humoralis.  He  put  his patient upon
 the use of the Uva Ursi, and had the satisfaction
 of finding him entirely cured at the end of a few
 days.   The patient took very large quantities of
 the medicine. The Doctor likewise relates some
 pases  of nephritis, and  one case of  Catarrhus
 Vesicae, in  which.he had employed our  medicine,
 with much advantage. His experience  leads him
 to believe, that it  is  peculiarly  adapted to those
 cases of nephritis which have a gouty original.

    - * The chief of the above cases of gonorrhoea, I received from Dr,
 Shaw, late of the Alms'-house, Philadelphia, fcr which I  beg him to ac-
, cspt my siii-;re thanks. 
L  23   ]
     Doctor W i s t a r informs me, that several
cases have come under his observation, in which
the common symptoms of stone in the bladder
were completely removed by the Uva Ursi.  In
one of these instances, an elderly gentleman who
had been accustomed to an active life, confined
himself to  a chamber, for the purpose of writ-
ing, for three  months, and  at  the end of this
period,  found himself  affected with a frequent
irritation to discharge urine,  attended with great
pain, and bearing down at the end of the dis-
charge, and frequent uneasiness of the glans pe-
nis, although there was  no appearance of  di-
sease in that part. These symptoms were  slight
at their commencement, but  gradually increased
until they were extremely severe.  They were
entirely removed by the use of a strong infusion
of Uva Ursi, in doses of two  ounces four or five
times a day.

     I am also  informed,  that the late Mr. Lee,
of the Pennsylvania Hospital, cured a stricture of
the urethra, after bougies and other remedies had
been used without effect; by giving the patient
fifteen grains of the Uva Ursi three times a day.


     j. IV.  ITS USE IN  THE ARTS.

     Having no»v finished what  we had to  say
 on the  analysis of the  Uva Ursi,  and  on its  use
 in disease, &c. we shall conclude this part of our
 subject with a few  words relative to its use in
 the arts.

     Dr. Lewis believes, that it may be used
 with advantage as a dye,  but cannot be  substi- 
I  24  ]
tuted for the Aleppo galls in making ink.  He ac-
knowledges that the colour is sufficiently bl. ck,
but says that the iron is not properly suspended,
and that on paper it  has the appearance of char-
coal diffused in water. Possibly he used the fresh
leaves; for we  did not observe such a precipitate,
when the dried leaves were employed. I have at-
tempted to  make  an  ink by a variety of proces-
ses : It is not  necessary to mention the different
experiments, as it is  not likely it will ever come
into general use.

    The  simple decoction of  the  dried leaves
changed by the oxy-sulphate of iron, was found
to answer as well as any : at the end of six  or
eight days,  a very  handsome black ink was pro-
duced. 
SECTION  II.
OF THE PYROLA.
 VV HAT we have mentioned in the preceding
part of this essay, is sufficient to show, that the
Uva Ursi is a  medicine of considerable  efficacy
in some diseases,  though it produces but little
perceptible effect on the healthy system.

    That the disease of lithiasis, in which it is
especially  useful, is one of the most distressing
to which the human kind is subjected, will be rea-
dily acknowledged; and, therefore, to relieve it by-
whatever means becomes an object  of the high-
est importance.

     The  Uva Ursi is not a medicine which is al-
ways  successful. The bark does not always cure
an intermittent; and, on this account, we are
frequently under the necessity of changing it for
other articles,  which, perhaps,  in general, are less
powerful.   Sydenham succeeded  with flowers of
camomile and alum,  when every thing else had
failed. Cullen used the powder of galls in com-
bination with  sulphate of alumine,  under simi-
                       D 
[  20   ]
Iar circumstances. To be possessed of a variety
of forces, respectively adapted to different con-
stitutions ; or auxiliaries,  which may be called
to our assistance when others have failed, is al-
ways a desirable thing.

     We shall,  therefore, offer a very few expe-
riments on a  vegetable nearly allied by its bota-
nical affinities to the Uva Ursi :  This is the Py-
rola, and mere especially that species called by
Linnseus, P. Umbcllata.

     Concerning the use of this vegetable  in
calculous affections,  we can  say nothing from
our  own experience ; but it will appear from
the sequel,  that it is not destitute  of activity,
and  as there  is such a striking  analogy  subsist-
ing between  a medicine which we have found so
often  to relieve; and  this, which  we have not
tried,  it is presumable, that it may succeed when
the  other is ineffectual;  as certain astringent
and  bitter articles do after the exhibition of bark
in intermittents.

     The Pyrola is comprehended in the same
natural orders with the Arbutus (the Bicornes of
Linnaeus and Erica of Jussieu.) The  habits of
the two  plants are so very similar, that a descrip-
tion of the one gives not the most imperfect idea
of the other.

     In the sexual system, the   Pyrola also falls
into the tenth class and first order ; or Decandria,
Monogynia.

     The following is the abridged character of
the genus : 
[  27   ]
     Col. 5 phyllus.  Petala 5. Stigma  3 fidum.
Caps. 3 locularis, 3 valvis.

     Six species of Pyrola are well known to bo-
tanists. None of them, however, except the Ro-
tundifolia, have as yet attracted the attention of
physicians. All the  species  are  natives  of the
United States, or at  least of North-America, (if
our umbellata is the same as the European, which
there are some reasons to  doubt.)   As far as I
know, the  Pyrola maculata is  the  only species
which is exclusively a native of  our own coun-
try.  On this  account, it seemed more entitled
to our attention, and in this view I  considered it
till experiment  convinced me to the  contrary.
And yet I  may have been deceived ;  the Dela-
ware Indians, I have understood,  call this spe-
cies Poison  Pippsissewa, in contra-distinction to;
umbellata, which they call  simply  Pippsissewa.
The  word poison would seem  to  imply some-
thing active, which,  hitherto, we have  not found
in this species.

     The Umbellata is more nearly allied to the
Uva Ursi, than either of the other  species. It is
called by different names in different places, such
as winter-green,  ground-holly, &c.  The follow-
ing description of the plant,  is,  perhaps, more
comprehensive than what  is to be met with in
the common books of botany.


         PYROLA UMBELLATA.

 The root is long, creeping,  sending off small ra-
   dicles or fibres, and is of a yellowish or herb- 
[  28  ]
  aceous colour.  When chewed, it has a strong,
  not unpleasant  smell, and an agreeable, some-
  what aromatic and pungent, taste.

The Stem. From the same root, there often arise
  several stems, which are nearly  of the same
  colour as  the  root, but rather  more  green.
  The stem varies  in height,  from six to eight
  inches.

The  number of the  leaves is very  various.
  They are wedge-shaped, or narrowed towards
  the base, deeply sawed  upon their edges, of a
  thick coriaceous  consistence, and of a smooth
  and shining surface.
Calyx.  This is small,  five-parted, and  per-
  manent.

Corolla. The petals are five in number,  round-
  ish, concave, and spreading.  They are white,
  or of a pale rose-colour,  and have a most agree-
  able smell.

Stamina.  The filaments are ten, awl-shaped,
  and shorter than the corolla.  The anthers are
  large, nodding, and two-horned upwards fbi-
  comes).

Pistillum.   The  germ is roundish, angular,
  very viscous, and of a green colour.  The style
  is permanent, and the stigma thickest.

Pericarpium.  This is a roundish, depressed,
  and pentagonal capsule, with the five cells gap-
  ing at the angles.

Semina.   The  seeds are numerous and chaffy. 
[  29   ]
     This species of Pyrola flowers, in Pennsyl-
vania, and other middle parts of the United States,
from the beginning to the middle, or twentieth of
June,
      }.  1.  CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.

    ON repeating the experiments mentioned
in No. I, when treating of the Uva Ursi, no differ-
ence was observable in the distilled water, pos-
sessing the same aroma, &c.

    The decoction struck a black colour  with
the sulphate of iron.

    There appears to be little or no difference
in the quantity  of astringency in the leaves, and
in the stalks.

    I  shall briefly relate a few of the experi-
ments  made, with a view of ascertaining the pro-
portion of gum and resin contained in our  vege-
table.
               EXPERIMENT I.

     To half an ounce of the dried leaves of Py-
rola  Umbellata, finely powdered,  I  added alco-
hol,  and  suffered them to stand for 24 hours,
and at a moderate temperature,  then filtered and
evaporated to dryness.  The residuum  weighed
86 grains. 
C  30   ]
              EXPERIMENT II.

    By the addition  of water to the matter re-
maining on the filter after the above experiment,
I obtained 19 grains of gum.


              EXPERIMENT III.

    To half an ounce of the same powder, as in
the first experiment,  I added water, and permit-
ted it to stand the same length of time, and in the
same degree of heat as before; the infusion was
then filtered, and evaporated to dryness.  The re-
siduum weighed 48 grains.
              EXPERIMENT IV.

    From the remaining powder,  by the addi-
tion of alcohol, I procured 22 grains of resin.


§.  II. EXPERIMENTS ON THE HUMAN
                  SYSTEM.

    THE experiments on the Umbellata, afford
results not essentially different from the UvaUrsi;
we shall briefly relate  a few of  them, together
with two or three  on the Maculata without fur-
ther apology. 
[  31   ]
               EXPERIMENT I.

     At half past ten o'clock, A. M. forty grains
of the fresh leaves of the Pyrola Maculata, were
given to William M. Walmsley. Pulse 80 strokes
in a  minute.
          Min. 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 30 | 35 | 40 [ 60
          Puis. 80 | 80 | 80 f80T79 | 79 | 80 1 80

     No increase either in fulness or force.

               EXPERIMENT II.

     Doctor  A.  Gregg,  jun. took  fifty-five
 grains of the same plant: The pulse during the
 whole experiment was neither increased in force,
 frequency or fullness ;  nor  was any other effect
 observable.

     Repetition afforded similar results.

                EXPERIMENT III.

     The same gentleman at half past one, took
 four grains of the fresh leaves of the Umbellata.
 Pulse  70.
                Mm. 5 | 10 | 15 I 20
                Puis. 74 | »4 | S* | 75
     At this time he took twenty grains more of
 the  same :

 Min.25 | 30 | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 1 60 | 65 1 70 1 75 | 90 |  105 | 120
 Puls.76 | 79 1 76 1 74 1 71 | 71 | 70 | 65 | 00 1 0^ | 66 | 64 | 04 \  00

      In fifteen minutes felt a slight  nausea  at
 stomach;  in twenty,  after  repeating  the medi,- 
[  32   ]
cine, nausea stationary ; at one hundred, uneasy
sensations in his bowels,  and pulse somewhat
weaker.
               EXPERIMENT  IV.

    At 11 o'clock,  A. M. he took twenty-five
grains of the same plant. Pulse 72.

     Min. 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 40J50 | 60 J 70 | 80 | 90
     Puis. 06 | 66 | 64 | 62 | 62 | 60 | 60 | 62 | 60 | 57 | 60

    In ten, pulse fuller ; in seventy, pulse weak,
and flowing with  some dizziness in the head.
               experiment v.

    At 9, A. M. he took thirty grains. Pulse 76.

Min. 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 [ 40 | 50 | 60 1 70 I 80 I 90 j 105 | 115
Puis. 70 | 7b | ,8 | HU | oO j 8U | To | ,v | ■ O | u \ IS | VZ | 70 | 70

    In twenty minutes, pulse fuller and harder ;
in forty, a slight head-ache.

     These  experiments, as they were made up-
on persons in health, or not affected with nephri-
tic complaints, afford us no assistance in forming
our judgment concerning its efficacy in diseases,
especially of that kind ; nor can we collect from
books, anv information on the subject.  But that
the plant is possessed of some  activity may be
fairly inferred;  and we shall here subjoin a few
observations relative to its use  in other diseases,
where its exhibition was attended with great ad-
vantage. 
L  33   ]
    During the revolutionary war, when it fre-
quently became  necesary  to  substitute some of
our own productions for  almost every article of
the Materia Medica that we had been accustom-
ed to  receive from foreign countries, the Pyrola
Was used,  with  considerable effect, as a substi-
tute for the bark, and other tonics.   In the camp
fever,* as I am  informed, it was a common re-
medy,  and  effected cures  in  many  instances,
where but little or no other medicine was admi-
nistered. It is said to have acted very powerfully
in inducing sweating.

     In Pertussis, or Whooping Cough,  it is
thought to be a very valuable medicine ;  and if
we may judge from its exhibition in a few cases,
the opinion is well founded.

     As a  remedy for gonorrhoea, were I per-
mitted to judge from one case, in  which the de-
coction was used by way of injection, I should
think it highly worthy of further trial.   The pa-
tient had  laboured under gonorrhoea  for some
time, and the common injections were used with-
out affording much relief; but on injecting the
decoction,  the  discharge was lessened in a very
 short time.

      These cases still more certainly evince the
 powers of the  Pyrola Umbellata ;  and,  there-
 fore, as it is so  nearly allied to the Uva Ursi,  we
 shall presume to suggest the proprietv of giving
 it a trial  in lithiasis, when the Uva Ursi has fail-
 ed, or cannot be procured.  Doctor  Barton was
 informed by a respectable physician in East New-
* This was a genuine malignant typhus.
                   E 
[  ^   ]
Jersey, that the Pyrola, of which I am speaking,
was  employed,  with manifest advantage,  " in
the same  cases" in which Uva  Ursi  has  been
found so useful.

     As an external application,  we are told,  it
has  fiequently  been found beneficial in cases of
sprains, bruises, &c.

     From an intelligent friend  I have received
the following information:

     Miss R......,  a young lady, was very much
bruised by some horses running over  her : the
bruises were immediately bathed with a strong
decoction of the Pippsissewa  in  vinegar, and by
the  next  morning the blackness was  removed,
and  the skin had  recovered  its natural appear-
ance.

     I am likewise informed,* that, during an at-
tack  of rheumatism, which he suffered,  he was
advised to apply the Pippsissewa.  Accordingly,
the bruised leaves, moistened with brandy, were
laid  on the affected part: this was in  the  even-
ing, and by the next morning, complete vesica-
tion was produced ;  though, with very  little alle-
viation of the disease.

     Led by this fact, I was induced  to apply a
portion of the bruised leaves of the P.  Maculata,
wet  occasionally with vinegar to one arm;  at the
same time and under similar  circumstances,  \
applied the P. Umbellata to my other arm.   The
former, however,  I found to be as inert  when
• By Mr. G. Abbot, of this city. 
[  35   j
used in this way, as  when internally given : the
latter on the  contrary produced a great deal  of
inflammation, which continued for six or eight
days, accompanied with an intolerable itching in
the part, and  succeeded by desquamation.  This
was considerably different from the  vesication
produced by cantharides ; for,  besides that the
cuticle was very little raised with water, the in-
flammation extended to a much greater distance
round the part,  and  the next  day the blister was
circumscribed with an eruption, which continued
to increase for some time, having very much the
appearance of a ring-worm.

     Since making the above experiment, I have
learned,*  that several of our Indian tribes are in
the habit of usi  g another species of Pyrola, the
P. Rotundifolia, for the purpose of inducing vesi-
cation.

     I cannot  conclude these  pages,  without
acknowledging how much I  am indebted to my
ingenious friends Dr. Amos Gregg, jun. and Mr.
Thomas Walmsley, my fellow graduate,  for the
kind assistance   I have received from them in
conducting several of the preceding experiments.

    * See Transactions of the American  Philosophical Society, vol 3,
page 105.
THE  END. 
 
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