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Museum
ФК
99
. 82


M. E D I CAL
B O T A NY,
CONTAINING
SYSTEMATIC AND GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS,
WITH
PLATES, OF ALL THE MEDICINAL PLANTS,
INDIGENOUS AND EXOTIC,
COMPREHENDED IN THE
CATALOGUES OF THE MATERIA MEDICA,
AS PUBLISHED BY
THE
ROYAL COLLEGES OF PHYSICIANS OF LONDON AND EDINBURGH:
ACCOMPANIED WITH A
CIRCUMSTANTIAL DETAIL OF THEIR MEDICINAL EFFECTS,
AND OF THE
DISEASES IN WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN MOST SUCCESSFULLY EMPLOYED.
By WILLIAM WOODVILLE, M. D.
OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, LONDON.
IN THREE
VOLUME S.
1
VOL. I.
Medicus omnium Stirpium (fi fieri poteft) peritiam habeat; ſin minus plurium ſaltem quibus
* frequenter utimur.
GALEN, Lib. De Antidot.
L O N D ON:
Printed and Sold for the Author, by James PHILLIPS, George Yard, Lombard Street,
M. DCC, XC,

1

то
SIR GEORGE BAKER, Bart.
PRES I D E N T,
Τ Η Ε
F E L L O WS,
W
Α Ν D
Τ Η Ε
L I CE N T I A T E S,
OF THE
ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS,
L O N D 0 N:
THIS FIRST VOLUME OF MEDICAL BOTANY,
WITH THEIR PERMISSION,
IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,
BY
T H E
A U T H O R.


Museen
gl.
2-15.38
V.
P R E FACE.
А С E.
the catalogues of the Materia Medica, the productions of the
animal and mineral kingdoms bear a ſmall proportion to thoſe
of the vegetable. Though it muſt be acknowledged that for ſome
time paſt the medicinal uſes of vegetable ſimples have been leſs regarded
by phyſicians than they were formerly, which probably may be
aſcribed to the ſucceſſive diſcoveries and improvements in chemiſtry;
it would however be difficult to ſhew that this preference is ſupported
by any concluſive reaſoning drawn from a comparative fuperiority of
Chemicals over Galenicals, or that the more general uſe of the former
has actually led to a more ſucceſsful practice.
a
Although what may be called the herbaceous part of the Materia
Medica, as now received in the Britiſh pharmacopæias, compriſes but
a very inconſiderable portion of the vegetable world; yet limited
as it now is, few medicinal practitioners have a diſtinct botanical
knowledge of the individual plants of which it is compoſed, though
generally well acquainted with their effects and pharmaceutical uſes.
But the practitioner, who is unable to diſtinguiſh thoſe plants which
he preſcribes, is not only ſubjected to the impoſitions of the ignorant
and fraudulent, but muſt feel a diſſatisfaction which the inquiſitive
and philofophic mind will be anxious to remove, and to ſuch it is
preſumed MEDICAL BOTANY, by collecting and fupplying the
information neceſſary on this ſubject, will be found an acceptable
and uſeful work; the profeſſed deſign of which is not only to enable
the
a

vi
R E F A CE.
P
the reader to diſtinguiſh with preciſion all thoſe plants which are
directed for medicinal uſe by the Colleges of London and Edinburgh,
but to furniſh him at the ſame time with a circumſtantial detail of
their reſpective virtues, and of the diſeaſes in which they have been
moſt ſucceſsfully employed by different writers.
A diſtinctive and characteriſtic knowledge of natural objects ſhould
certainly precede the conſideration of their different properties and
qualities; and with reſpect to plants, this knowledge is ſeldom to be
adequately attained by a mere verbal deſcription: accurate delineations
therefore become neceſſary, and this department is committed to Mr.
Sowerby, an artiſt of eſtabliſhed reputation, whoſe talents are not leſs
conſpicuous in the correctneſs than in the beauty of his deſigns.
It is juſtly a matter of ſurpriſe, that notwithſtanding the univerſal
adoption of the Linnæan ſyſtem of Botany, and the great advances
made in natural ſcience, the works of Blackwell and Sheldrake
ſhould ſtill be the only books in this country in which copper-plate
figures of the medicinal plants are profeſſedly given; while ſplendid
foreign publications of them, by Regnault, Zorn, and Plenk, have
appeared in the ſpace of a very few years. Theſe works however
are far from ſuperceding that now offered to the public; for without
reſorting to the invidious taſk of pointing out their errors and im-
perfections, the author has the ſatisfaction of having exhibited Icons
of ſeveral rare and valuable plants, which have never been completely
figured in any preceding work whatever : and by ſubjoining fome
account of the botanical and medical hiſtory of each ſpecies, curioſity
is more fully gratified, and a double intereſt is excited in the mind of
the ſtudent.
Duplex eſt dos libelli.
Reſpecting

P R
P
E FACE.
vii
a
Reſpecting the uſes of Simples, the opinion of Oribafius will
not be diſputed, viz. “ Simplicium medicamentorum, & facultatum quæ
“ in eis infunt, cognitio ita neceſſaria eſt, ut ſine ea nemo rite medicari
queat :” and it is a lamentable truth, that our experimental know-
ledge of many of the herbaceous fimples is extremely defective; for
as writers on the Materia Medica have uſually done little more than
copy the accounts given by their predeceſſors, the virtues now
aſcribed to ſeveral plants are wholly referrible to the authority of
Dioſcorides. It is however hoped that the medical reader will find
what relates to this part of the work as complete as the flow pro-
greſſive ſtate of experience in phyſic will admit: with this intention,
facts and opinions have been induſtriouſly collected from various
authorities; and thoſe adduced by Profeſſor Murray, and the works
of the late Dr. Cullen, have furniſhed the largeſt contribution.
The publication of this work in monthly numbers has afforded
the author an opportunity of knowing already the ſentiments enter-
tained of it, by ſeveral Gentlemen of great medical and botanical
authority; from whoſe unſolicited communications he has derived
conſiderable aſſiſtance, and for whoſe friendly ſuggeſtions he deſires
to make his moſt grateful acknowledgmențs.
A
CATALOGUE


А
C A T A L OG UE,
In which all the PLANTS compoſing the MATERIA MEDICA,
as referred to by the COLLEGES of LONDON and EDINBURGH,
are arranged according to the Syſtem of Linnæus, and diſtinguiſhed
reſpectively by the letters L E.
回​|||
CLASS I MONANDRIA.
DIG YN I A.
Saccharum officinarum L E
ORD. MONOGYNIA.
Hordium diſtichon
L
Triticum hybernum
Amomum Zingiber
L
L E
L
Cardamomum
Avena ſativa
L E
Kämpferia rotunda
LE
Curcuma longa
L E
IV. TETRANDRIA.
MONOGYNIA.
II. DIANDRIA.
Rubia tin&torum
L E
E
Plantago major
MONOGYNIA,
Dorſtenia Contrajerva L E
Olea europæa
L E
Santalum album
E
Veronica Beccabunga
L
Gratiola officinalis
L E
V. PEN TANDRIA.
Roſmarinus officinalis L E
Salvia officinalis
L E
MONOGYNIA.
Anchuſa tin&toria
E
TRIGYNI A.
Menyanthes trifoliata L E
Piper nigrum
L E
Spigelia marilandice L E
longum
L E Convolvulus Scammonia L E
Cubeba
L E
Jalapa L E
Cinchona officinalis L E
III. TRIANDRIA.
Verbaſcum Thapſus
Datura Stramonium
MONOGYNIA.
Hyoſcyamus niger
Nicotiana Tabacum
Valeriana officinalis
L E
Atropa Belladonna
Tamarindus indica
L E Solanum Dulcamara
Crocus ſativus
L E Pſychotria emetica
L E
Iris florentina
L E Capſicum annuum
L E
Pſeudo Acorus
- Е Chironia Centaurium L E
ܒܙܒܢ 11 ܚ111 ܚܙܐ
EEEE一​EEEEE
b

х
CATALOGUE
Rhamnus catharticus
Ribes rubrum
nigrum
Vitis vinifera
L E
L
L
L
回 ​111
Scilla maritima
.Convallaria Polygonatum
Aloë perfoliata, &c.
Acorus Calamus
Calamus Rotang, &c.
L E
E
L E E
L E
L E
DIG YN IA.
Chenopodium Vulvaria
Ulmus campeſtris
Gentiana lutea
purpurea
Salfola Kali, &c.
E
L E
L E
E
L E
TRIG YN I A.
Rumex aquaticus
Acetofa
Colchicum autumnale
--
E
L E
L E
-
VII. HEPT ANDRIA.
MONO GY NI A.
Æfculus Hippo-caſtanum
- E
-
VIII. OCT ANDRI A.
UMBELLATÆ.
Eryngium maritimum L
Daucus Carota
L E
Conium maculatum
L E
Ferula Aſja fætida
L E
Angelica Archangelica L E
Bubon Galbanum
L E
Cuminum Cymynum
L E
Coriandrum ſativum
L E
Sium nodiflorum
L
Imperatoria Oſiruthium
Paſtinaca Opoponax
L
Anethum graveolens
L E
Fæniculum
L E
Carum Carui
L E
E
Pimpinella Saxifraga
E
Aniſum
L E
Apium Petroſelinum
L E
T R I GYN I A.
Sambucus nigra
L E
PENTAGYNI A.
Linum uſitatiſſimum
L E
MON O GYN I A.
Amyris Elemifera
L
gileadenfis
Daphne Mezereum L E
Hla
1EE
-
TRIGY N I A.
Polygonum Biſtortá
L E
IX.
ENNEANDRIA.
MONO GYN I A.
Laurus Cinnamomum
Cafia
Camphora
Nobilis
Saſſafraſs
L E
E
L E
L E
L E
VI. HE XANDRIA.
MONOGYNIA.
Allium ſativum
L E
Lilium candidum
- E
TRIG YN I A.
Rheum palmatum
L E

C Α Τ Α Ι Ο G U Ε.
xi
X. DE CANDRIA.
Amygdalus communis
Prunus ſpinofa
domeſtica
L E
L
L
回​11
MONO GYN I A.
-
Caffia Senna
L E
ΡΕ Ν Τ Α G Υ Ν Ι Α.
Fiſtula
L E
Guaiacum officinale
L E
L E
Pyrus Cydonia
Dictamnus albus
L
POLYGYN I A.
Ruta graveolens
L E
Toluifera Balſamum
L E
Roſa centifolia
L E
Myroxylon peruiferum L E
canina
L
Hæmatoxylum Campechianum L E
gallica
L E
Quaſſia amara
L E
Rubus idaus
L
Simaruba
L E
Potentilla reptans
L
Rhododendron chryſanthum E
Tormentilla erecta
L E
Copaifera officinalis
L E
Arbutus Uva urfi
L E
Styrax officinale
L E 'XIII. POLY ANDRI A.
L E
Benzoë
L E
Mo No G Υ Ν Ι Α.
DIG YN I A.
Papaver ſomniferum L E
Saxifraga granulata
E
Rbaas
L
Dianthus Caryophyllus
L E
Caryophyllus aromaticus L L E
Ciftus creticus
L
PENT A GYN I A.
TRIG YN IA.
Oxalis Acetoſella
L-
Delphinium Staphiſagria L
Aconitum Napellus
L E
XI. DODECANDRIA.
POLYGY NIA.
MONOGY N I A.
Helleborus niger
L E
Aſarum europæum
L E
fætides L
Canella alba
L E
Clematis recta
Anemone pratenſis
XII. ICOSANDRIA.
XIV. DID YN AMI A.
MONO GYN I A.
GYMNOSPERMIA.
Myrtus Pimenta
L E
Punica Granatum
L E Teucrium Marum
L
Hall
E「EE
LI

xii
CATALOGUE.
OCTANDRI A.
Polygala Senega
L E
DE CANDRIA.
Teucrium Scordium
L E
Hyſſopus officinalis
E
Lavandula Spica
L E
Mentha piperita
L E
Spicata, Hud.
L E
Pulegium
L E
Glecoma hederacea
E
Marrubium vulgare
L E
Origanum vulgare
L
Majorana
L E
Thymus Serpyllum
E
vulgaris
E
Meliffa oficinalis
L E
ANGIOSPERMIA.
Digitalis purpurea
L E
Pterocarpus ſantalinus L E
Dolichos pruriens
E
Spartium ſcoparium L E
Geoffroya inermis Wrig. E
Glycyrrhiza glabra L E
Trigonella Fænum græcum L E
Aſtragalus Tragacantha L E
--
XVIII. POLYADELPHIA.
ICOS ANDRI A.
XV. TETRADY NAMIA.
Citrus Medica
Aurantium
L E
L E
SILICULOS A.
POLY ANDRIA.
Cochlearia oficinalis
Armoracia
L E
L E
Hypericum perforatum
L
SILIQUOS A.
Sifymbrium Naſturtium
Sinapis nigra
Cardamine pratenſis
LE XIX. SYNGENESIA.
L E
L E POLYGAMIA Æ QUALIS.
XVI. MONADELPHIA.
Cynara Scolymus
Leontodon Taraxacum
Arctium Lappa
L E
L E
L E
POLY ANDRI A.
POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.
Althæa officinalis
Malva ſylveſtris
L E
L E
L E
L E
L E
XVII. DIADELPHIA.
Tancetum vulgare
Artemiſia Abrotanum
Abſinthium
vulgaris
maritima
Santonicum
HEXANDRIA.
L
L E
Fumaria officinalis
- Е

CATALOGUE
xiii
POLY ANDRIA.
Tuſilago Farfara
Inula Helenium
Arnica montana
Anthemis nobilis
pyrethrum
Achillea Millefolium
L E
L E
L E
L E
L E
- E
Quercus Robur
Juglans regia
L E
L -
L.
MONADELPHIA.
POLYGAMIA FRUSTRANEA.
Centaurea benedi&ta
L E
Pinus ſpecies varia
Croton Caſcarilla
Ricinus communis
L E
L E
L E
MONO GA M I A.
Lobelia ſiphilitica
- E
Viola odorata
L E
Sr N G ENES I 1.
-
Momordica Elaterium
Cucumis Colocynthis
Bryonia alba
L
L E
|回
​XX. GYN ANDRI A.
D I ANDRI A.
Orchis maſcula
- E
XXII. DIO E CI A.
HE X AND R I A.
DI A N D R I A.
Ariſtolochia Serpentaria
rotunda, &c.
Salix fragilis
-
L E
- E
- E
PENTA N D R I A.
POLY ANDR I A.
Arum maculatum
L E
Piſtacia Terebinthus
Lentiſcus
L
L E
ΧΧΙ. Μ Ο Ν ΟΕ CIA.
.
.
HEXANDRI A.
Similax Sarſaparilla
L E
MO NA NDR I A.
Myriſtica moſchata Thunb. L E
MONADELPHIA.
T ET RAND RI A.
Urtica dioica
Morus nigra
Juniperus communis
Lycia
Sabina
Ciſſampelos Pareira
LE
L E
L E
L
L E
- E
с

viv
CATALOGUE.
XXIII. POLYGAMIA. XXIV. CRYPTOGAMIA.
MONO E CI A.
FILI CES.
Aſplenium Trichomanoides E
Polypodium Filix mas L E
Veratrum album
L E
Parietaria officinalis
L E
Stalagmitis Cambogioides, Mur. L E
Mimoſa nilotica
L E
Catechu
L E
- E
ALG Æ.
Lichen iſlandicus
FUN GI.
Boletus igniarius
DIO E CI A.
L E
L E
- E
-
Fraxinus Ornus, &c.
Panax quinquefolium
TRIO E CIA.
Ficus Carica
APPENDIX, Palmæ.
Cocos butyracea
-
- Е
L E
For an Arrangement of the above, according to their Medicinal
Effects, ſee the laſt Volume.
ATROPA BELLADONNA.



OF

Atropa Belladonna
Publishid as the Act directs by D:Woodville Ian),1.1790.

ATROPA BELLADONNA.
DEADLY NIGHTSHADE.
SYNONYMA BELLADONNA, Pharm. Edin. BELLADONNA
TRICHOTOMA, Socop. Carn. 1. p. 160. BELLADONNA caule
herbaceo, brachiato, foliis ovato-lanceolatis, integerrimis. Hal.
Stirp. Helv. N. 579. SOLANUM LETHALE, Cluf. Hiſt. p. 86.
Dod. purg. p. 360. SOLANUM MELANOCERASUS, Bauh. Pin.
166. SOLANUM MAJUS, Cam. epit. p. 817.
Claſs Pentandria. Order Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 249.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. campanulata. Stam. diftantia. Bacca, globoſa,
2-locularis.
Spec. Cbar. Atropa Belladonna, caule herbaceo, fol. ovatis integris.
T
а.
HE Belladonna has a thick, whitiſh, root, which is perennial,
and ſends forth ſtrong, branched, annual, purple-coloured ſtems,
from three to five feet high. The leaves are of unequal ſize, entire,
oval, pointed, and ſtand in pairs upon ſhort footſtalks. The flowers
are of a dark or browniſh purple colour, large, pendent, bell-ſhaped,
furrowed, and the limb cut into five ſegments. The whole plant is
covered with fine hairs or down: the flowers appear in June or July,
but the berries are not ripe till September, when they acquire a
ſhining black colour. It grows in ſhady and ſtony waſte grounds,
but is not very common near London.
Whether this plant is the Etquxvos Movexos of Dioſcorides or not,
Στρυχνος μανικός
botaniſts have not yet aſcertained, but it has certainly been long
known as a ſtrong poiſon of the narcotic kind; and the berries,
though leſs powerful than the leaves, furniſh us with many inſtances
А
of
No. I.

( 2 2
)
a
of their fatal effects, particularly upon children, who are readily
tempted to eat this fruit by its alluring appearance and ſweet taſte.
The number of theſe berries neceſſary to produce deleterious effects,
may probably depend upon the ſtate of maturity in which they are
eaten : if not more than three or four be ſwallowed, according to
Haller's account, no bad conſequence enſues ; " Baccæ fapore fatuo
“ dulci poffunt abſque noxa edi º fi numerus tres quatuorve non
o exceſſerit: plures etiam a ſtudioſo medicinæ Colonienſi nomine
“ Simonis vidi deglutiri.” Hal. Stirp. Helv. No. 579.
b
* Sennert. lib. vi. par. 7. cap. 9. Lobel Stirpium Adverſa. p. 103. Matthiolus
Oper. Omn. p. 754. Oetinger de Belladonna. Aug. Vindel. Strychnomania, &c.
p
Bodaeus à Stapel. Comment. in Theophraſt. 586. Simon Pauli Quad. Botan. p. 488.
Gerard's Herbal, 341. Wepfer's Cicut. Aquat. Hiftor. et Noxæ, p. 228. Boulduc.
Hiſtoire de l'Acad. a. 1703.
Roſli Plant. Venen. p. II. Boerhaave's Hiſt. Plant.
Lugd. Bat. Hort. p. 510. Journ. de Med. ann. 1759. Gent. Magaz. 1747 & 1748.
Hill's Britiſh Herbal, p. 329. Spielman's Diff. Veget. Venen. p. 16. Mapp. Pl. Alfat.
p
p. 36. Murray's Apparat. Medicam. p. 431. Many other recent facts of the ſame
kind might be adduced from various periodical publications. Ray found by applying the
leaves of the Belladonna near the eye, a remarkable relaxation of the uvea was produced.
Sauvages (Nofol.) ſuppoſes that the Belladonna was the plant which produced ſuch
ſtrange and dreadful effects upon the Roman ſoldiers, during their retreat (under the
command of Anthony) from the Parthians ; they are ſaid to have “ ſuffered great
« diſtreſs for want of proviſions, and were urged to eat unknown plants : among others
“ they met with an herb that was mortal ; he that had eaten of it, loſt his memory and
« his ſenſes, and employed himſelf wholly in turning about all the ſtones he could find,
“ and after vomiting up bile, fell down dead." Plutarch's Life of Anthony.-The
Scotch hiſtorian, Buchanan, relates that the Scots mixed a quantity of the juice of the
Belladonna (Solanum Somniferum) with the bread and drink, which by their truce they
were to ſupply the Danes with, which ſo intoxicated them, that the Scots killed the
greateſt part of Sweno's army while aſleep. Lib. vii.
Ray relates a curious inſtance of the effects of this plant in the following words.
Hift. Plant.
p.
680. Accidit, ni fallor, tempore Pontificis Maximi Urbani ultimi, ut
quidam de famulitio Cardinalis magni nominis (ut mihi hîc Auguftæ retulit ejus
hortulanus) infunderet in vino Malvatico herbam illam quam Bellam Donnam vocant,
daturam aliàs per noctem ut ejus herbæ effectus diſcerent; infuſum hoc propinarunt
cuidam fratri mendicanti ex conventu S. Hieronymi, qui Patavii Fratrum ignorantiæ
dicitur, à primo breve delirium, cachinni, geſticulationes variæ; dein inſania vera, poſt
ſtupor mentis qualis eſt ebriorum vigilantium. Cardinalis pro ebrio in carcere includit;
deinde à medico qui rem fubolfecerat innocens pronuntiatur, qui aceti cyatho propinato,
a dementia quam Bella Donna cauſavit eum liberat. Hachſtellerus Decad. 7
Ob.
And Shakeſpeare in his Macbeth makes Banquo ſay,
Or have we eaten of the infane root
That takes the reaſon priſoner.
Hort. Florent. p. 62.
But

( 3 )
But when a greater number of the berries are taken into the
ſtomach, ſcarcely half an hour elapſes before violent ſymptoms ſuper-
vene; viz. vertigo, delirium, great thirſt, painful deglutition, and retch-
;
ing, followed by furor, ftridor dentium, and convulſions; the eye-lids
are drawn down, the uvea dilated and immovable; the face becomes
red and tumid, and ſpaſms affect the mouth and jaw; the general fen-
fibility and irritability of the body fuffer ſuch great diminution, that
the ſtomach often bears large and repeated doſes of tart. emet. (gr. 14.)
without being brought into action; the pulſe is ſmall, hard, quick, and
fubfultus tendinum, riſus ſardonius & coma, generally precede death.
The body being opened, inflammation has been diſcovered in the
inteſtines, meſentery, and liver, Comm. Nor. 1743, p. 61. And
Boulduc, Hiſt. de l'Acad. des Sc. de Paris, 1703, p. 56. found the
ſtomach of a child eroded in three places. It may be neceſſary to
remark, that vinegar, liberally drunk, has been found very efficacious
in obviating the effects of this poiſon ; evacuations ſhould however
be always firſt promoted.
The leaves of the Belladonna were firſt uſed externally to diſcuſs
fcirrhous and cancerous tumours, and alſo as an application to ill
conditioned ulcers : their good effects in this way at length induced
phyſicians to employ them internally for the ſame diſorders, and we
have a conſiderable number of well authenticated facts which prove
them a very ſerviceable and important remedy. But it muſt likewiſe
be confeſſed, that many caſes of this ſort have occurred in which the
Belladonna has been employed without ſucceſs:“ this, however, may
a
© Junker's Conſpect. Ther. Gen. Ed. 1725. p. 491. Journ. de Med. ann. 1766.
Timmermann's Progr. Mich. Albertus de Belladonna. Tib. Lambergen, ſtated in
the Phil. Tranf. vol. 50, by Mr. Pultney. Comment. de Rebus, tom. 8. p. 654.
Durlac Journ. de Med. t. 11. p. 449. Amoureux, 1. c. tom. 13. p. 47
Marteau.
1. c. tom. 14. p. II. van den. Block. 1. c. tom. 14. p. 108. Ludw. Adverf. Pract.
vol. 1. P. 4. p. 637. and vol. 2. p. 314. To which we may add the later authorities of
Bergius, (Mat. Med. p. 128. vol. 1.) and Murray, App. Med. vol. 1. p. 440. who
uſed them ſucceſsfully in convulſions and epilepſy. The good effects of the berries may
be learned from Geſner, Epift. p. 34. Eph. N. C. ann. 3. Obf. 64. Smetius, lib. 4.
p. 238. Mayerne Prax. Med. Syntagm. Alt. p. 136.
d Heiſter Chirurgie, p. 328. Van. Der. Harr. over de Knierknoeſt-en Kanker Gezwellen,
p. 85. Van. Dovern. in litt. ad Timmermann Progr. Timmerman junr. ibid. Acrel.
Chir. Händelſer. p. 40. De Haen Rat. Med. tom 2. p. 45. Schmuckero Chirurg.
Wahrnehmungen, tom. 2. p. 150. And ſome accounts given of this plant by our own
countrymen Gataker and Bromfield.
be

( 4 )
a
9
be faid of every medicine; and though Dr. Cullen repeatedly ex-
perienced its inefficacy, yet the facts he adduces in confirmation of
the utility of this plant, are clear and deciſive: “ I have had a cancer
w of the lip entirely cured by it; a ſcirrhoſity in a woman's breaſt,
66 of ſuch a kind as frequently proceeds to cancer, I have found
entirely diſcuſſed by the uſe of it; a ſore a little below the eye,
" which had put on a cancerous appearance, was much mended by
“ the internal uſe of the Belladonna: but the patient having learned
“ ſomewhat of the poiſonous nature of the medicine, refuſed to
" continue the uſe of it, upon which the fore again ſpread, and
was painful; but upon a return to the uſe of the Belladonna, was
again mended to a conſiderable degree: when the ſame fears again
returning, the uſe of it was again laid aſide, and with the ſame
“ conſequence of the fore becoming worſe. Of theſe alternate
“ ſtates, connected with the alternate uſe of, and abſtinence from,
" the Belladonna, there were ſeveral of theſe alternations which felí
“ under my own obſervation.”
The ſenſible effects produced by the leaves of this plant taken in
medicinal doſes, are uſually by the ſkin, the urinary paſſages, and
ſometimes by ſtool ; in larger doſes troubleſome dryneſs of the mouth
and throat, giddineſs, and dimneſs of fight are experienced.
That the advantages derived from the internal uſe of Belladonna
are only in proportion to the evacuations effected by it, is a con-
cluſion we cannot admit as ſufficiently warranted by the facts adduced
upon this point.
As this plant is very uncertain in its operation, the proper doſe is
with difficulty aſcertained; the moſt prudent manner of adminiſter-
ing it is by beginning with one grain or leſs, which may be gradually
increaſed according to its effects. Six grains are conſidered as a very
large doſe.—With reſpect to the berries, ſo ſucceſsfully employed as
an anodyne, by Geſner and others, in dyſenteries, a ſmall ſpoonful
(coch. parvum) of a ſyrup of the juice was the doſe given.
The root ſeems to partake of the ſame qualities as the leaves,
but is leſs virulent.
-
MENYANTHES TRIFOLIATA.

// لي

Menyanthes trifoliata
Published as the Art directs byD: Woodville Ian %1. 1790,

( 5 )
MENYANTHES TRIFOLIATA.
WATER TREFOIL, OR
BUCKBEAN.
SYNONYMA TRIFOLIUM PALUDOSUM, Pharm. Lond. &
Edin. MENYANTHES PALUSTRE TRIPHILLUM, Tourn. Boerh.
Ray. TRIFOLIUM FIBRINUM, Off. Germ. Acopa, Dioſcor.
Hift. Oxon.
Claſs Pentandria. Order Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 202.
El. Gen. Char. Cor. hirſuta. Stigma 2-fidum. Caps. 1-locularis.
Spec. Char. M. fol. ternatis.
THIS plant is common in every part of England; it grows
in marſhes and ponds, producing its flowers in an open terminal
ſpike about the latter end of June. The ſcapus, or ſtalk, riſes from
fix to twelve inches in height. The petals are ſometimes entirely
white, but more commonly roſe-coloured on the outſide, and within
they are finely fringed, ſo as to have a hairy or fibrous appear-
ance, hence named Trifolium Fibrinum: the root is perennial,
creeping, and jointed, ſending forth many long ſlender filaments.
The trifoliata is eaſily diſtinguiſhed from the other ſpecies of Meny-
anthes by its ternate leaves, which have been thought to reſemble
thoſe of the common garden bean, and have given it the Engliſh
name, Buckbean.
The whole plant is ſo extremely bitter, that in ſome countries
it is uſed as a ſubſtitute for hops in the preparation of malt liquorº;
yet Linnæus obſerves, that the poorer people in Lapland make a
bread of the powdered roots mixed with meal, but at the ſame time
he acknowledges it is a very unpalatable food .
b lbid.
Flor. Lappon. p. 50.
No. I.
B
fails

(6)
d
The blackneſs manifeſted by adding a ſolution of green vitriol to
the juice, or to a ſtrong infuſion of the leaves of Buckbean, is a
ſufficient teſt of its aſtringency; while a dram of the powdered leaves
ſeldom fails to open the body, or produce vomiting; ſo that in com-
mon with the tonic properties of a bitter, it ſeems farther to poſſeſs
a conſiderable ſhare of medicinal activity: we can therefore more
eaſily credit the reports of its ſucceſs in a great number of chronic
diſeaſes mentioned by various authorsº, as fcurvy, dropſy, jaundice,
aſthma, periodical headachs, intermittents, hypochondriaſis, cachexia,
obſtructio menſium, rheumatiſm, ſcrophula, worms, gout. Dr. Boer-
haave was relieved in the laſt mentioned complaint by drinking the
juice mixed with whey'; and Dr. Alſton tells us, that “this plant
had remarkable effects in the gout, in keeping off“ the paroxyſms;"
but adds, “ though not to the patient's advantage º.
In confirmation of the good effects of Water Trefoil in dropſies,
we are told that ſheep, when forced to eat it, are cured of the
rot; (oves tabidæ) yet as we have but few and imperfect proofs of its
diuretic powers, this fact will be conſidered of little weight.
Bergius confines the uſes of this plant to ſcorbutus, leucophleg-
matia, arthritis, rheumatiſmus, cacoethes, and this ſpecification is
ſtill farther contracted by later writers on the Materia Medica. In
Lewis's Mat. Med. (by Mr. Aikin) it is ſaid, that the leaves of
buckbean “ have of late years come into common uſe as an al-
“ terative and aperient, in impurities of the humours, and ſome
“ hydropic and rheumatic caſes ;” and as an active and eccoprotic
bitter, we ſhould ſuppoſe them not ill adapted to ſupply the want
of bile in the prima via, and thus infer their uſe in protracted
f
c Trifolii Fibrini Hiſtoria, ſelectis obſervationibus et perſpicuis exemplis, illuſtrata
a Jo. Franco, anno 1701.
Recte obſervavit D. Tancredus Robinſon herbain hanc Germanis, aliiſque genti-
bus ſeptentrionalibus nunc dierum unicè charam et in magno pretio effe, et aſſiduo uſu
frequentari in omnibus fere morbis, ut certiſſimam panaceam, ad quam etiam in de-
ploratis affectibus, velut ad facram anchoram, confugiunt (Raii Hiſtor. Plant. p. 1099.)
See alſo Willius Act. Hafn. vol. 3. Sim. Pauli, Quadrip. Bot. p. 173. et ſeq. Tilling
Miſc. N. curios. Dec. 2. Gulbrand Diff. de Sanguifluxu Uterino. Du Clos Anc.
Mem. p. 329.
Schulz Mat. Med. p. 445.
.
d Eph. Nat. Cur. Dec. I. ann. III. Obf. 123 (this anſwers Dr. Alſton's query,
who aſks, " Where is this related ?” Alſton. Mat. Med. vol. 2. p. 240.
• l. c.
$ Dr. T. Robinſon.
& Mat. Med. vol. 1. p. 91.
jaundice,

UNE
Os

busch
Leontodon
Published as the Act directs
Taraxacum
\xD:Woodville Ian 71,1790

(7)
وو
jaundice, and other biliary obſtructions. Dr. Cullen has “ had fe-
« veral inſtances of their good effects in ſome cutaneous diſeaſes of
" the herpatic and ſeemingly cancerous kind *.
The leaves may be given in powder from Ji to Đij for a doſe
two or three times a day, but a ſtrong infuſion of them is perhaps
preferable, and with delicate ftomachs it may be neceſſary to con-
join a grateful aromatick: they impart their properties both to wa-
tery and ſpiritous menſtrua, and an extract is ordered to be prepared
from them in the Ph. Dan. p. 171. Efficax et frequentis commodi-
que uſus. Murray.
LEONTODON TARAXACUM.
COMMON DANDELION.
SYNONYMA. TARAXACUM, Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Dens
LEONIS, Au&torum.
Clafs Syngeneſia. Order Polygamia Æqualis. L. Gen. Plant. 912.
* Semiflofculofi Tourn. corollis ligulatis omnibus.
El. Gen. Char. Recept. nudum. Cal. imbricatus, ſquamis laxi-
uſculis. Pappus plumoſus.
Spec. Char.
L. T. calyce ſquamis inferne reflexis, foliis run-
cinatis denticulatis lævibus.
DANDELION is ſo very common, that a plot of ground can
ſcarcely be ſeen where it does not preſent its yellow flowers *.
It is eaſily diſtinguiſhed from the hawkweeds and other ligulated
h Mat Med. vol. 2. p. 75.
* It has been obſerved that theſe flowers poſſeſs a certain degree of ſenſibility, for
when under the powerful influence of the ſun in a ſummer's morning, an evident
motion of the flowerets may be diſcovered. MS Lect. of the late Dr. Hope.
plants,

( 8 )
plants, by the outer calyces being bent downwards, and by the flower
ftalk, which is ſimple, coloured, ſhining, and unifloral : the leaves
are all radical and cut in a peculiar way, forming a good example
of what botaniſts call runcinata. The feeds, in approaching to ma-
turity, become crowned with a fine downy feather, diſpoſed in a
ſpherical ſhape. The root is perennial and ſpindle-ſhaped, which
with the whole plant abounds with a milky juice.
The young leaves of this plant in a blanched ſtate have the
taſte of endive, and make an excellent addition to thoſe plants
eaten early in the ſpring as fallads”. At Gottingen the roots are
roaſted and ſubſtituted for coffee by the poorer inhabitants ; who
find that an infufion prepared in this way can hardly be diſtin-
guiſhed from that of the coffee berry..
Dandelion is generally conſidered by medical writers as the moſt
active and efficacious of the lacteſcent plants; the expreſſed juice is
bitter and ſomewhat acrid, the root however is ſtill bitterer, and
poſſeſſes more medicinal power than any other part of the plant.
Taraxacum has been long in repute as a mild detergent and ape-
rient, and its diuretic effects may be inferred from the vulgar name
it bears in moſt of the European languages, quaſi lectiminga et uri-
naria herba dicitur". Murray ſays, Viſcidos nimirum tenaceſque
humores ftirps ſolvit, et obſtructa vaſa reſerat, eruptionem variam
ſanatº: and Bergius recommends its uſe in obſtructions of the liver,
hypochondriaſis, and jaundice. Its ſucceſsful uſe in the firſt of theſe
diſeaſes is confirmed by his own experience'. De Haen alſo gives
us another inſtance of the ſame complaint cured by the ſame means;
b
a Withering's Bot. Arrang. p. 839.
b Murray's Apparat. p. 107.
• Haller's Strip. Hel. n. 58.
d-plus lotii derivat in veficam quám pueruli retinendo funt, præſertim inter dor-
miendum, eòque tunc imprudentes et inviti ſtragula permingunt. Ray's Hift. Pl.
p. 244.
• Murray, 1. c.
f In hepatis morbis, præſtantiſima eſt radix hæc recens, ſero lactis, juſculis et apoze-
matibus incocta. Præclara identidem inde vidi, ubi alia fefellerunt. Sæpe mihi fuc-
ceſſit reſolvere duritiem hepatis cum juſculo parato e radice rec. Taraxaci et fol. rec.
acetofæ, in ſero lactis coctis, vel in aqua, addito vitello ovi, quod juſculum quotidie
per plures ſeptimanas, immo menfes, ſumpſerunt ægroti, propinato fimul cremore tar-
tari. Hoc regimen exoptata præſtitit etiam in calculo felleo et in aſcitide. Mat. Med.
tom. 2. p. 649.
and

( و )
h
and we have various proofs of the good effects of the Taraxacum
related by different authors, in jaundices, dropſy", pulmonic tuber-
cles', and ſome cutaneous diſorders k.
The leaves, roots, flower ſtalks, and juice of Dandelion, have all
been ſeparately employed for medical purpoſes, and ſeem to differ
rather in degree of ſtrength than in any eſſential property: therefore
the expreſſed juice, or a ſtrong decoction of the roots have moſt com-
monly been preſcribed, from one ounce to four, two or three times
a day. The plant ſhould be always uſed freſh ; even extracts pre-
pared from it appear to loſe much of their power by keeping
: Van Swieten's Com. tom. 3. p. 102. and Boerhaave apud Boretium.
Bergius loc. cit. Bonafas in Hautefierckü Recueil d'Obſerv. tom. 2. p. 360.
Fränk. Samml. t. I. p. 226.
i Zimmerman, vide Murray, 1. c. Haller, l. c. Park. 780.
* Leidenfroſt Diſſert. de Succiſ. Herb. rec. p. 27. Frank. Samml. 1. c. p. 126.
Delius's Diff. de Tarax. aq. teraxaci per fermentationem parata: et in aliis morbis
utitur. Febure Chemie. 2. p. 408.
Ingreditur cum radice graminis regiam illam ptiſanam, cujus formulam Ludovicus
XIV. magno pretio redemit. Haller's Stirp. Hel. No. 56.
· Lewis's M, M. 273.
No. 1.
с
ARNICA

( 10 )
ARNICA MONTANA.
MOUNTAIN ARNICA.
SYNONYMA. ARNICA, Pharm. Lon. & Edin. DORONICUM
AUSTRIACUM QUARTUM, Cluf. Pann. p. 520. Asoupentixn Rea
neaulme, p. 118. DORONICUM PLANTAGINIS folio alterum,
C. B. 185. Tourn. Inſtitut. 487. DORONICUM GERMANICUM
Park & Ray. DORONICUM GERMANICUM foliis ſemper ex
adverſo naſcentibus villoſis, 7. B. III. 19. CALENDULA AL-
PINA, Gerard 740. Arnica foliis conjugatis, ovatis, 'integer-
rimis, Hal. Stirp. Helv. No. 9o.
Claſs Syngeneſia. Ord. Polygamia ſuperflua, L. Gen. Pl. 959.
. El Gen. Char. Recept. nudum. Pappus fimplex. Corollula radii
filamentis 5 abſque antheris.
Sp. Ch. A. foliis ovatis integris: caulinis geminis oppofitis.
a
THIS plant is very common upon the northern mountains of
Germany and Switzerland, and was firſt cultivated in this country by
Mr. P. Miller in 1759. a The ſtalk grows above one foot high,
erect, roundiſh, ſtriated, rough, hairy. The radical leaves are oval,
narrow at their baſes, and more obtuſely lanceolated than the cauline
leaves. On the ſtalk they are feffil, entire, oval, obtuſely lance-ſhaped,
and ſtand in pairs : the flowers are large, yellow, radiated, ſolitary,
terminal, appearing in July: the calyx is imbricated, and conſiſts of
a ſingle row of narrow, pointed, rough leaflets: the root is perennial,
thick, fleſhy, and ſpreading.
The odour of the freſh plant is rather unpleaſant, and the taſte
acrid, herbaceous, and aſtringent; a watery infuſion of it ſtrikes a
Hortus Kewenſis, vol. 3. p. 226.
black

ww
Amica
nontana
Published
as the Act direct by D' Woodville Jon"). 1. 1790.

SNIO
OS
A10

(II)
b
a
с
d
;
black colour by the addition of fal martis , and the powdered
leaves act as a ſtrong fternutatory.
That the Arnica is a medicine of conſiderable activity there can-
not be a doubt; but how far it deſerves the extravagant praiſes it
has received at Vienna, is not for us to determine ; either the facts
ſtated by Dr. Collin are not admitted by the phyſicians of this
country, or we are diſregardful * of a remedy of the firſt impor-
tance in the Materia Medica.
But as our buſineſs is to adduce whatever is recorded of each
plant by authors of reſpectability, (whether of Arnica or Hemlock)
ſtill the medical reader muſt form his own judgment of the evi-
dence.
The virtues of this plant, according to Bergius, are emetica,
errhina, diuretica, diaphoretica, emmanagoga, and from its ſuppoſed
power of attenuating the blood, it has been eſteemed ſo peculiarly
efficacious in obviating the bad conſequences occaſioned by falls and
bruiſes, that it obtained the appellation of panacea lapſorum"; and
to this reſolvent power its ſucceſs in ſundry diſeaſes has been ac-
counted for, particularly pulmonic complaints, fuppreffio menfium,
and viſceral obſtructions. Of the advantages derived from its uſe
in paralytic and other affections depending upon an interruption or
diminution of nervous energy, we have ſeveral proofs"; and it is
obſerved in theſe caſes, that the recovery is generally preceded by
great uneaſineſs, or acute pain in the parts affected. But it is the
b Bergius, m. m. 683
* The author has not been able to procure this plant from any of the London drug-
gifts.
There is a variety of this ſpecies with narrower leaves, which is more powerfully
medicinal. Gmelin Flor. Sibir. t. 2. p. 153.
d Fehrius Eph. N. C. Dec. 1. ann. 9 & 10. Obf. 2. Acta Med. Berolin, Dec. I.
vol. 1. n. 4. vol. 10. p. 80. Dec. 2. vol. 1. p. 66. Buchner, Diff. de genuinis princi-
piis et effectibus Arnicæ. Schulzius, M. M. De La Marche Diff. de Arnicæ veræ uſu.
Roſenſtein. Apot. p. 21. Scopol. Fl. carn. p. 377.
· Fehr loc. cit. Brückner, in Sel, Med. Francaf. vol. 3. p. 190. Act. Berol. Dec. 1.
vol. 9. p. 24. Quarin, Meth. Med. inflam. p. 80. Act. Berol Dec. 1. vol. 10.
82.
1. c. Dec. 2. vol. 4. p. 92 & 94. Nebel in Act. nat. cur. vol. 8. Obſ. 113. Vater,
Diff. de Ietero.
Bergius m. m. Junker Therap.gen, p. 173. Eſchenbach Obf. p. 353. & Dr. Collin,
Flor. Arnicæ Vires, mentions 28 caſes of paralyſis, and 9 of amauroſis. Aaſkow So-
ciet. Med. Havan. vol. 2. p. 162.
extraor-
e
f
p.

( 12 )
а
h
extraordinary febrifuge and antiſeptic virtue of the Arnica, which
have been ſo highly extolled by Dr. Collins
It had long been a defideratum of his to find an European plant
of equal medicinal powers with the Peruvian bark in fevers of the
intermitting and putrid kind; and after feveral fruitlefs trials of dif-
ferent ſimples, at laſt he had the ſatisfaction to find them in the
Arnica ; for by the flowers of this plant, made into an electuary
with honey, he cured more than one thouſand patients labouring
under the different ſpecies of intermittent fevers in the Pazman hof-
pital, from December 1771, to July 1774; and during the follow-
ing winter the Doctor made trial of a watery extract of the flowers,
by which he cured thirty quotidians, forty-fix tertians, and fifty-
eight quartans *.
In putrid fevers the Doctor experienced equal ſucceſs with the
flowers employed in the way of infufion, with which many hun-
dreds of patients were ſnatched from the very jaws of death. How-
ever, there are ſome caſes where the Doctor recommends the root
in preference to the flowers, believing the former to pofſeſs more
cordial, tonic, and antiſeptic qualities ; and it is accordingly directed
in thoſe caſes where putridity and debility are more prevalent than
fever ; alſo in a malignant dyſentery Dr. Collin could relate many
hundred inſtances of the ſuperior efficacy of Arnica root, and his
practice in this diſeaſe was imitated and confirmed by Dr. Dietl'.
Dr. Collin farther aſcertains the medicinal powers which he at-
attributes to this root in thirteen caſes of gangrenes, where its anti-
k
m
s Hen. Joſ. Collin, phyſician to the Pazman hoſpital, De arnicæ in febribus, & aliis
morbis putridis viribus.
h R. Pulv. Flor. Arnicæ drach. ix. mellis q. f. bidui ſpatio abſumendum.
* Dr. Collin is, we believe, the only author who has experienced the good effects
of Arnica in intermitting fevers, if we except the two caſes ſtated by Aaſkow (1. c.)
where it acted as a powerful evacuant. Bergius employed it in quartan intermittents,
which were aggravated, rather than bettered, by the uſe of this medicine, m, m.
i R. Flor. arnicæ unc j. infunde in s. q. aquæ fervidæ per į horam, deinde vaſe
claufo per medium & horæ ebulliant; colat. lib. ij. add. fyr. capill. vener. q. f. ad gratiam;
et omni bihorio diei ſumat unc ij.
k R. Pulv. Rad. Arnicæ unc. ij. digere in phiala alta balneo arena adaptata, exacte
clauſa, per 12 horas cum aq. q. f. colatur. unc. xxx. adde fyr. aelth. unc. iij. m. ſumat
æger
omni bihorio unc. ij. vel iij. And to make this medicine more palatable to the
patient, he occaſionally added lemon juice, fpt. vitriol, or wine.
Phyſician to the military hoſpital of invalids, at Vienna.
ſeptic

UNIV
OF
ancr

Convolvulus
Scammonia
Published as the Act directs by Dr Woodville, Jan. 1. 1790,

( 13 )
ſeptic effects admitted of more evident proof. As the Arnica, when
firſt adminiſtered, often excites vomiting, or uneaſineſs at the ſto-
mach, it will be neceſſary to begin with ſmall doſes ; but by re-
peating the medicine two or three times this uneaſineſs goes off.
CONVOLVULUS SCAMMONIA. SCAMMONY BIND-WEED.
SYNONYMA. CONVOLVULUS, foliis fagittatis, poftice truncatis,
pedunculis bifloris. Roy Lugdb. 427. CONVOLVULUS SYRIACUS.
Morris Hift. 2. p. 12. SCAMMONIUM SYRIAC U M. Gerard,
866. Lobel Icon, 620. GUMMI-RESINA. SCAMMONIUM.
Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Enæppavice Diofc. Acupus sov Trallian et quorund.
Græcor.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 215.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. Campanulata, plicata. Stigmata 2. Caps. 2-locu-
laris: loculis diſpermis.
Spec. Ch.
C. fol. fagittatis poftice truncatis, . pedunc. teretibus
ſubtrifloris.
THIS plant grows plentifully about Maraaſh, Antioch, Edlib,
and towards Tripoly in Syria : it was firſt cultivated in England by Mr.
Gerard, in 1597. The root is from three to four feet long, and from
nine to twelve inches in circumference, covered with bark of a light
grey colour, it is perennial, tapering, branched towards the bottom,
D
and
No. I.

( 14 )
a
a
:
*
and contains a milky juice; the ſtalks are numerous, ſlender, twining,
and ſpread themſelves upon the ground, or neighbouring trees, to the
extent of fifteen or twenty feet; the leaves are arrow-ſhaped, ſmooth,
of a bright green colour, and ſtand upon long footſtalks: the flowers
are funnel-ſhaped, yellowiſh, plicated, and, according to Dr. Ruſſel,
placed in pairs upon the pedicles: the calyx is double, conſiſting of
four emarginated leaflets in each row: the capſule is three and
fometimes four locular,* containing ſeeds of a pyramidical ſhape.
No part of the dried plant poſſeſſes any medicinal quality but the
root, which Dr. Ruſſel adminiſtered in decoction, and found it to be
a pleaſant and mild cathartic.
It is from the milky juice of the root that we obtain the officinal
Scammony, which is procured in the following manner by the
peaſants, who collect it in the beginning of June : "" Having
“ cleared away the earth from about the root, they cut off the top,
“ in an oblique direction, about two inches below where the ſtalks
ſpring from it. Under the moſt depending part of the ſlope they
« fix a ſhell, or ſome other convenient receptacle, into which the
" milky juice gradually flows. It is left there about twelve hours,
" which time is ſufficient for draining off the whole juice: this,
“ however, is in ſmall quantity, each root affording but a very
few drams. This juice from the ſeveral roots is put together,
“ often into the leg of an old boot, for want of ſome more proper
veſſel, where in a little time it grows hard, and is the genuine
“ Scammony.” This concrete is a gummy-reſin, generally of a
light, ſhining, grey colour, and friable texture. It is brought from
Aleppo and Smyrna; that which comes from the latter place is leſs
valued than the former, and is ſuppoſed to be more ponderous and
of a deeper colour; but the colour affords no teſt of the goodneſs
66
b
* The Caps 2-locularis of Linnæus, ought to be corrected.
a Dr. Ruſſel's Deſcription of this plant in the Medical Obſervations and Inquiries,
V. I. p. 18.
b The Jews make it their buſineſs to go to the places where the Scammony is col-
lected, and there buying it while yet ſoft, have an opportunity of mixing it with ſuch
things as beſt anſwers their purpoſe ; as wheat-Aower, aſhes, fine fand, with all of
which Dr. Ruſſel found it adulterated. The pureſt Scammony is therefore the inoſt
active and moſt ſoluble.
of

( 15 )
с
d
of this drug, which feems to depend entirely upon the purity of
the concrete. The ſmell of Scammony is rather unpleaſant, and the
taſte bitteriſh and ſlightly acrid. The different proportions of gum
and reſin of which it conſiſts, have been variouſly ſtated, but as
proof ſpirit is the beſt menſtruum for it, theſe ſubſtances are ſuppoſed
to be nearly in equal parts.
Scammony appears to have been well known to the Greek and
Arabian phyſicians, and was not only employed internally as a
purgative, but alſo as an external remedy for tumours, ſcabies, tinea,
fixed pains, &c. — Although this drug was ſeldom given alone, yet
we find it was very generally uſed, and an ingredient in many
compounds which were formerly held in very great repute.
Hoffman, however, entertained an opinion, that Scammony was a
dangerous medicine ; “ Ego nunquam in praxi mea in uſu habui,
nec in poſterum habebo ; me femper ab iſtiuſmodi venenis
colliquativis abſtinens. Hoff. in Schrod. p. 543.” But ſince Boer-
haave's time it has been conſidered as a ſafe though ſtimulating
cathartic, and frequently preſcribed uncombined with any other
fubftance, yet neither producing tormina nor hypercatharfis. Like
other reſinous purgatives it is uncertain in its operation, which may
be occafioned by the inteſtines being more or leſs defended from the
action of theſe ſtimulants, by the quantity of natural mucus with
which they are covered.
f
>
· Boulduc Mem de l'Ac. de Sc. 1702. Geoffroy Mat. Med.
Hippocrates, Dioſcorides, Aëtius, Meſue, &c.
• As Diagrydium. Scam defoecatum per ſuccum citroniorum. Extractum ſpt vin.
Extract, diagridii aromaticum. Extract. ſcam glycyrrhizatum. Elixir Scammon. Scam..
vitriolatum, Scam ſulphuratum, Scam. rofatum, Infuſum ſcammonii, Diacy vnium
lucidum ſcammoniatum. Gelatina cydoniorum laxativa, &c.
f Among theſe were the Pulvis de Tribus, or Pulvis trium Diabolorum, Pulvis
Bafilicus, Pulvis Comitis de Warwick, which was afterwards called Pulvis Cornachini,
becauſe Marcus Cornachini, profeſſor of medicine at Piſa, recommended it as a panacea,
in a book, the title of which is, “ Methodus qua omnes humani corporis affectiones ab
« humoribus copiâ aut qualitate peccantibus genita, tuto, cito, et jucunde curantur.”
The
a

( 16 )
a
The doſe of Scammony is generally from three to twelve grains.
It is commonly triturated with ſugar, almonds, &c. or with a decoc-
tion of liquorice, as recommended by the college of Wirtemberg.
In the London Pharmacopæia it is ordered in the following com-
pounds:- Pulvis e fcammonio compoſitus. Pulvis e fcammonio
compoſitus cum aloë. Pulvis e ſcammonio cum calomelane. Pulvis
e fenna compoſitus. Extractum colocynthidis compoſitum. And
in the Pilulæ ex colocynthide cum aloe of the Edinburgh Pharm.
-
e
ACONITUM NAPELLUS.
COMMON WOLF's-BANE, or
MONK's HOOD.
SYNONYMA. ACONITUM, Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Stoerck tab. 3.
Aconitum cæruleum ſeu Napellus, Bauh. pin. 183. ACONITUM
.caule fimplici, ſpica denſa, petiolis unifloris, caffide breviter
mucronata, Hal. Stirp. Helv. No. 1197, vires autem, No. 1198.
ACONITUM verus cæruleus, Gerard. ACONITUM, Spec. I, Raii.
NAPELLUS, Matth. Camerar. Dodon. &c.
Claſs Polyandria. Order Trigynia. L. Gen. Plant. 682.
Cal. o.
NeEtaria
El. Gen. Char
Petala 5: ſupremo fornicato.
2, pedunculata, recurva. Siliqua, 3 f. 5.
Sp. Ch. A. foliorum laciniis linearibus ſuperne latioribus linea exaratis.
THE root is perennial, turnip-ſhaped, or more commonly
fuſiform ; the ſtalk is ſimple, erect, ſtrong, beſet with many leaves,
and grows from two to five feet high: the leaves are lobed, deeply
laciniated,
:

Aconitum Napellus
Publish'd by D? Woodville, Feb"). 1.1790.


( 17 )
laciniated, and ſtand alternately upon long footſtalks, but the upper
leaves are almoſt feffile, and the laciniæ much broader than thofe to-
wards the bottom of the ſtem; the ſuperior pagina of the leaf is of
a dark green colour, but the under pagina is whitiſh; the peduncles
are generally unifloral, erect, and villous; the flowers terminate the
ſtalk, are without calyces, and grow in a long racemus or ſpike;
each flower conſiſts of five petals, which include two nectaries, the
uppermoft petal is arched over the lateral ones, ſo as to appear
helmet-ſhaped, or hooded; they are all of a purpliſh or deep violet
colour: the piſtilla, (according to Jacquin) are three, four, and ſome-
times five. The Aconitum is a native of the mountainous and
woody parts of Germany, France, and Switzerland ; but ſince the
time of Gerard, it has been cultivated for ornament in moſt of the
flower-gardens in this country.
The figure of this plant given by Stoerck, is ſuppoſed, by Haller
and Bergius to be the Aconitum Cammarum of Linnæus: Murray,
however, is of a different opinion; and upon comparing Stoerck's
Aconitum with the Cammarum and Napellus, as delineated by
Jacquin, (Flor. Auft.) we have no heſitation in referring it to the
latter. *
Every part of the freſh plant is ſtrongly poiſonous, but the
root is unqueſtionably the moſt powerful, and when firſt chewed
imparts a ſlight ſenſation of acrimony, but afterwards, an inſenſibility,
or ſtupor at the apex of the tongue, and a pungent heat of the lips,
gums, palate, and fauces, are perceived, followed with a general
tremor and ſenſation of chillineſs. Though the plant loſes
much of its power by drying, yet Stoerck obſerves that, when
powdered and put upon the tongue, it excites a durable ſenſe of
a
heat, and ſharp wandering pains, but without redneſs or inflamma-
tion. The juice applied to a wound, ſeemed to affect the whole
:
a
* In the Cammarum the top of the flower riſes much higher, and forms a more acute
angle; the flowers are of a fainter blue colour, and the racemus is always ſhorter than
that of the Napellus.
Reinhold, however, deſcribes the leaves of this plant, when dry, as almoſt inſipid.
Diff. de Aconit. Napello.
E
nervous
a
No. 2

( 18 )
b
с
CG
60
9d
nervous ſyſtem ; even by keeping it long in the hand, or on the
boſom, we are told unpleaſant ſymptoms have been produced. That
the ancients conſidered the Aconitum to be the moſt deſtructive of
vegetable productions, appears from their fanciful derivation of its
origin: ut ab Hecate inventum aut ex Cerberi ſpuma enatum
pronunciarent ;” and Ray ſays, “ Napellus venenorum praeſenta-
neorum facilè princeps. The deleterious effects of this plant,
like thoſe of moſt vegetable poiſons, are produced by its immediate
action upon the nervous energy; for of the different animals º which
have been deſtroyed by it, we find but one inſtance, wherein upon
diſſection, marks of organic diſeaſe' were diſcovered, and this, as
well as thoſe mentioned in our former number reſpecting the Bella-
donna, we attribute to the action of ſecondary cauſes.
The fatal ſymptoms brought on by this poiſon, are thus ſtated by
Haller : “ Intus adfumtus Napellus vomitum movet, convulſiones,
“ rigorem, vertiginem, maniam, hypercatharſes, ſurfum & deorfum
erumpentes, tum ventris tumores, & alia graviſſima fymptomata,
“ fudorem frigidum, aſphyxiam.' Stoerck appears to be the firſt
who
f
995
а.
b The juice was applied to a wound of the finger, which not only produced pains in
the hand and arm, but cardialgia, great anxiety, a ſenſe of ſuffocation, fyncope, &c.
and the wounded part fphacelated before it came to ſuppuration. Rödder in Alberti
Juriſp. Med. t. 6. p. 724.
• If this be admitted, it muſt be referred to a peculiar idioſyncraſy of the body rather
than to the power of the plant. Murray, Apparat. Med. vol. 3. p. 12.
d Ray obſerves that the Napellus loſes much of its virulency by being tranſplanted
from the mountains into our gardens; and this obſervation has been confirmed by the
experiment of D. Martinus Bernhardus a Berniz, in Ephem. Germ. ann. 2. Obſerv. 42.
(Ray, Hiſt. Plant. p. 702.) and for farther confirmation fee Pet. Joh. Faber in
Pauth. 1. I. cap. 43.
e. The root of the Napellus is an immediate poiſon to almoſt all animals, but actual
experiments with it have been made upon wolves, cats, dogs, mice, &c.
See Wepfer,
Hiſt. de Cicut. p. 176. de Napello. Phil. Tranſact. vol. 27. p. 488. Sprögel Diff.
Exper. circa venena, p. 6. Hillefeld, p. 23. Ehrhart, vide Reinhold, Diff. cit.
Cows and Goats, by being forced to eat this plant, periſhed. Moraeus Fil. in K.
Vet. Acad. Handl. 1745. p. 217.
f This was a wolf, wherein marks of inflammation of the ſtomach were diſcovered.
Wepfer, l. c. p. 180.
3 N. 1198. 1. c. Theſe ſymptoms are collected froin a number of fatal inſtances of
its poiſonous effects, ſome of which we ſhall mention. The root was given by way of
experiment

( 19 )
h
who
gave the Wolf's-bane internally, as a medicine ; and ſince his
experiments were publiſhed, in 1762, it has been generally and
often ſucceſsfully employed in Germany, and the northern parts of
Europe, particularly as a remedy for obſtinate rheumatiſms: and
many caſes are related where this diſeaſe was of ſeveral years dura-
tion, and had withſtood the efficacy of other powerful medicines,
as mercury, opium, antimony, cicuta, &c. yet, in a ſhort time, were
entirely cured by the Aconitum. Inſtances are alſo given us of its
”
good effects in gout, ſcrophulous ſwellings, venereal nodes, amauroſis,
intermittent fevers, &c. Bergius deſcribes its Virtus to be pellens,
fudorifera, diuretica, ſubvertiginoſa; recens venenata : Uſus, rheu-
matiſmụs, arthritis, malum iſchiadicum.
This plant has been generally prepared as an extract or inſpiſſated
juice, after the manner directed in the Edinburgh and many of the
foreign pharmacopeias," and like all virulent medicines, it ſhould be
firſt adminiſtered in ſmall doſes. Stoerck recommends two grains of the
extract to be rubbed into a powder, with two drams of ſugar, and to
begin with ten grains of this powder two or three times a day. We
find however, that the extract is often given from one grain
k
experiment to four condemned criminals, two at Rome, in the year 1524, and two at
Prague, in 1561, of whom two ſoon periſhed, the other two, with great difficulty,
recovered. Matthiol. in Diofcorid. p. 768. It has frequently been eaten by miſtake
for other plants, and proved fatal. Willis de Anima brutor. p. 289. Dodon. Stirp.
Pempt. L. 4. p. 442. Bacon, Philof. Tranſ. vol. 38. p. 284. And the following re-
markable fact is ſaid to have happened at Sweden :-A perſon having eaten ſome of the
freſh leaves of the Napellus, became maniacal, and the ſurgeon who was called to his
aſſiſtance declared, that the plant was not the cauſe of the diſorder ; and, to convince
the company that it was perfectly innocent, he eat freely of its leaves; but he ſuffered
by his temerity, for ſoon after he died in great agony. "Moraeus, 1. c. 1739. p. 41.
h Stoerck libell. de ſtramon, &c. Contin. Exper. · Libell. de Pulſatill. Nig. p. 58.
Roſenſtein, Hall Epiſt. vol. 5. p. 174. Collin Obferv. parſ. 2.
Blom Vet. Acad.
Handl. 1773. p. 258. Odhelius, ibid. 1776. p. 68. Haft, Med. Virkets tilſtand, p.
307. Ribe, vide Reinhold Diff. p. 37. Comment. de rebus, vol. 2. p. 240. Diff.
de ufu falutari Extr. Acon. in Arthritide pref. Böhmer Hal. 1768. a pag 10 ad 13.
Aug. Phil. Geſner. Beobacht a. d. Arzn. vol. 1. p. 196. Tode, Med. chir. Bib. vol.
2. P. 1. p. 120. Tritze Mediz. Annalen. vol. 1. p. 327. Stöller, Beob. u. Erf.
p. 146. Stoll Rat. Medend. P. 3. p. 167.
i See the authors referred to above.
* Its efficacy is much diminiſhed on being long kept.
to
a

( 20 )
а
to ten for a doſe, and Stoll, Schenckbecher, and others, increaſed this
quantity very confiderably. Inſtead of the extract, a tincture has
been made of the dried leaves, macerated in fix times their weight
of ſpirits of wine, and forty drops given for a doſe.
a
VERONICA BECCABUNGA.
BROOKLIME SPEEDWELL.
SYNONYM A. BECABUNGA, Pharm. Lond. Curt. Flor. Lond.
VERONICA foliis ovatis ferratis glabris ex alis racemoſa, Hal.
Stirp. Helv. n. 534. Anagallis Aquatica vulgaris ſive Becabunga,
Park. Theat. 1236. Anagallis Aquatica minor, folio fubrotundo.
Bauh. pin, 252. Anagallis feu Becabunga. Gerard, 620.
Claſs Diandra. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 25.
El Gen. Ch. Cor. Limbo 4-partito, lacinia infima auguſtiore.
Capſula bilocularis.
** Corymboſo-racemoſa.
Sp. Ch. V. racemis lateralibus, fol. ovatis planis, caule repente.
و
THE root is perennial, creeping, jointed, and from each joint
ſends forth many long ſlender fibres; the leaves are thick, oval,
ſmooth, obtuſely ferrated, of a pale-green colour, and ſtand upon
the ſtem in pairs, either feffily, or upon very ſhort footſtalks; the
ftem is round, jointed, creeping, ſmooth, fucculent, often of a reddiſh
brown colour, and from eight to twelve inches high ; the racemi or
flower ſpikes, are lateral, oppoſite, bracteated, and terminated by
the

Veronica Bræabunga
Publiſhid br Dr.Woodville, T0.7 1,1790.

/ من
OF
MICH

( 21 )
a
the flowers, which are of a faint blue colour, and divided into four
ſmall roundith leaves; the calyx is quadripartite. This plant is very
common in ditches and ſhallow ſtreams.
The leaves and ſtem of Brooklime have a bitteriſh ſubaſtringent
taſte, but manifeſt little or no acrimony, nor any peculiar odour: by
chemical experiments they appear to be ſubacid, and poſſeſs ſome
degree of aſtringency; theſe qualities, however, are common to
almoſt all freſh vegetables, and afford no proof of their medical
powers.
This plant was formerly conſidered of much uſe in ſeveral dif-
eaſes, and was applied externally to wounds and ulcers; but if it have
any peculiar efficacy, it is to be derived from its antiſcorbutic virtue.
As a mild refrigerant juice it is preferred where an acrimonious
ſtate of the fluids prevails, indicated by prurient eruptions upon the
ſkin, or in what has been called the hot ſcurvy; it is ordered in the
London Pharmacopoeia as an ingredient in the fuccus cochliariæ
compoſitus, probably with a view to correct the pungency of the
crefs. Rutty ſays, “Succus ejus faponaceus eft, aperiens, & majori
“ copia ſumptus, alvum movet commodiſſime.” We muſt, how-
ever, acknowledge, that we ſhould expect equal benefit from the
ſame quantity of any other bland freſh vegetable matter taken into
the ſyſtem. To derive much advantage from it, the juice ought to
be uſed in large quantities, or the freſh plant eaten as food.
No, 2.
F
FERULA

( 22 )
FERULA ASSAFETIDA.
ASAFETIDA GIGANTIC
FENNEL.
SΥ Ν Ο Ν Υ Μ Α. Planta umbellifera, tripedalis, erecta, ramoſa,
glauca, flore luteo, Hope, Phil. Tranſ. vol. 75, p. 36. ASAFOETIDA
umbellifera Leveſtico affinis, foliis inftar Pæoniæ ramofis ; caule
pleno maximo; ſemine foliaceo nudo ſolitario; Brancæ urfinæ I
vel paſtinacæ fimili; radice afam foetidam fundente. Kaempfer
Amænit. Exot. p. 535. Gummi-reſia, Aſafoetida, Pharm. Lond. &
Edin. Hingiſeh Perfarum. Altiht Arabum, et a quibufdam creditur
Elapsov vel otos Olap.80% Dioſcor. Theophraſt
. Hippoc. &c. Laſer et
Laſerpitium, Latinorum.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Digynia. L. Gen. Plant. 343.
El. Gen. Ch. Fructus ovalis, compreſſo-planus, ſtriis utrinque 3.
Spec. Ch. F. Foliis alternatim finuatis obtufis.
LINNÆUS has given the ſpecific character according to
Kaempfer's repreſentation of the Aſafoetida plant, which differs in
many reſpects from the figure here annexed, which is taken from that
communicated to the Royal Society by the late Dr. Hope, and pub-
liſhed in the 75th volume of the Philoſophical Tranſactions: and this
difference being ſo conſiderable as to indicate more than a mere
botanical variety, Sir Joſeph Banks thinks it probable that Aſafoetida
may be produced from different ſpecies of the ferula. Dr. Hope was
undoubtedly the firſt who cultivated the Aſafoetida plant in Britain,
or perhaps in Europe, and his accurate deſcription of it, as it grew
| Branca urſina is the Heracleum Sphondylium of Linnæus.
in

Tervla Apa partida
Publish'd by 7! Woodville Feb.!! 1.7790.

OF
VICE

( 23 )
in the botanical garden near Edinburgh, in the year 1784, is inſerted
below.* Though Aſafoetida was formerly in great eſtimation both
as a medicine and a fauce, yet we had no particular account of the
plant till Kaempfer returned from his travels in Aſia, and publiſhed
his Amoenitates Exoticæ in the beginning of the preſent century.
As he ſaw the plant growing, and deſcribes it from his own obſerva-
tion, we have collected the following general deſcription from the
hiſtory he has given :
It is a native of Perſia, the root is perennial, tapering, ponderous,
a
j
3
* Planta umbellifera, tripedalis, erecta, ramoſa, glauca, Aore luteo.
Radix perennis.
Folia radicalia ſex, procumbentia, trilobo-ovata, multoties pinnatim divifa ; foliolis
inciſis, ſubacutis, ſubdecurrentibus; petiolo communi ſuperne plano, linea
elevata longitudinaliter per medium decurrente.
Caulis bipedalis, erectus, teretiuſculus, annuus, leviter ftriatus, glaber, nudus præter
unam circa medium foliorum imperfectorum conjugationem ; petiolo mem-
branaceo concavo.
Rami nudi, patuli ; quorum tres inferi, alterni, ſuſtinentur finguli folii imperfecti
petiolo membranaceo concavo.
Quatuor intermedii verticillati funt. Supremi ex apice caulis octo, quorum
interni erecti.
Omnes hi rami ſummitate fuftinent umbellam compofitam feffilem terminalem,
et præterea 3—6 ramulos externe poſitos, umbellas compofitas ferentes.
Hoc modo, rami inferiores ſuſtinent 5, raro 6 ramulos intermedii 3 vel 4;
ſuperiores i et 2.
Cal. Umbella univerſalis radiis 20–30 conſtat.
partialis floſculis ſubſeſſilibus 10--20.
Umbella compoſita feffilis convexo-plana.
pedunculata hæmiſpherica.
Involucrum univerſale nullum.
partiale nullum.
Perianthium proprium vix notabile.
Cor. univerſalis uniformis.
Flofculi umbellæ feffilis fertiles.
pedunculatæ plerumque abortiunt.
propria petalis quinque æqualibus, planis, ovatis : primo patulis, dein reflexis,
apice aſcendente.
STAM. Filamenta 5, ſubulata, corolla longiora, incurvata. Antheræ fubrotundæ.
Pist. Germen turbinatum, inferum.
Styli duo, reflexi.
Stigmata apice incraſſata.
PER. nullum : fructus oblongus, plano-compreſſus, utrinque 3 lineis elevatis notatus eft.
Sem. duo, oblonga, magna, utrinque plana, 3 lineis elevatis notata.
Planta odorem alliaceum diffúndit. Folia, rami, pedunculi, radix, truncus, ſecti
fuccum fundunt lacteum, ſapore et odore Afæ foetidæ.
and

( 24 )
a
a
a
and increaſes to the ſize of a man's arm or leg, covered with a blackiſh
coloured bark, and near the top beſet with many ſtrong rigid fibres;
the internal ſubſtance is white, fleſhy, and abounds with a thick
milky juice, yielding an exceſſively ſtrong fetid alliaceous fmell; the
ſtalk' is fimple, erect, ſtraight, round, fmooth, ftriated, herbaceous,
about fix or ſeven inches in circumference at the baſe, and riſes
luxuriantly to the height of two or three yards, or higher ;^ radical
leaves fix or ſeven, near two feet long, bipinnated, pinnulæ alternate,
fmooth, variouſly finuated, lobed, and ſometimes lance-ſhaped, of a
deep green colour, and fetid ſmell; the umbels are compound, plano-
convex, terminal, and conſiſt of many radii : the ſeeds are oval, flat,
foliaceous, of a reddiſh brown colour, rough, marked with three
longitudinal lines, have a porraceous ſmell, and a ſharp bitter taſte :
the petals Kaempfer did not ſee, but ſuppoſes them in number five,
minute, and white.
This plant is ſaid to vary much according to the ſituation and foil
in which it grows, not only in the ſhape of the leaves, but in the pe-
culiar nauſeous quality of the juice which impregnates them ; this
becomes ſo far altered that they are ſometimes eaten by the goats.
Aſafoetida is the concrete juice of the root of this plant, which is
procured in the following manner on the mountains in the provinces
of Choraſaan and Laar in Perſia. At that ſeaſon of the year when
the leaves begin to decay, the oldeſt plants are ſelected for
this purpoſe. Firſt the firm earth which encompaſſes the root, is
rendered light by digging, and part of it cleared away, ſo as to leave
a portion of the upper part of the root above the ground; the leaves
and ſtalk are then twiſted off and uſed with other vegetables for a
covering to ſcreen it from the ſun, and upon this covering a ſtone is
placed to prevent the winds from blowing it down ; in this ſtate the
root is left for forty days, after which the covering is removed, and
the top of the root cut off tranſverſely; it is then ſcreened again from
the ſun for forty-eight hours, which is thought a fufficient time for
the juice to exude upon the wounded ſurface of the root, when the
juice is ſcraped off by a proper inſtrument, and expoſed to the ſun
b
a
a Caulis, in orgyjæ, ſeſquiorgyjæ, vel majorem longitudinem luxuriofè exſurgens,
craflite in imo quanta manûs complexum ſuperat.
Þ
b Radix quadrienniô minor parum lacteſcit & nunquam ſecatur.
to

( 25 )
to harden: this being done, a ſecond tranſverſe ſection of the root
is made, but no thicker than is neceſſary to remove the remaining
ſuperficial concretions which would otherwiſe obſtruct the farther
effufion of freſh juice; the ſcreening is then again employed for
forty-eight hours, and the juice obtained a ſecond time, as before
mentioned. In this way the Aſafoetida is eight times repeatedly
collected from each root; obſerving, however, that after every third
ſection, the root is always ſuffered to remain unmoleſted for eight or
ten days, in order that it may recover a ſufficient ſtock of juice.
Thus, to exhauſt one root of its juice, computing from the firſt time
of collecting it to the laſt, a period of nearly ſix weeks is required;
when the root is abandoned, and ſoon periſhes.
The whole of this buſineſs is conducted by the peaſants who live
in the neighbourhood of the mountains where the drug is procured;
and as they collect the juice from a number of roots at the ſame
time, and expoſe it in one common place to harden, the fun foon
gives it that conſiſtence and appearance in which it is imported into
Europe.
Aſafoetida has a bitter, acrid, pungent taſte, and is well known by
its peculiar nauſeous fetid ſmell, the ſtrength of which is the ſureſt
teſt of its goodneſs; this odour is extremely volatile, and of courſe
the drug loſes much of its efficacy by keeping. According to
Kaempfer's account, the juice is infinitely more odorate when recent
than when in the ſtate brought to us: Affirmare aufim, unam drachmam
recens effufam, majorem fpargere fætorem, quàm centum libras
vetuſtioris quem ſiccum ven'undant aromatarii noftrates. “We have
“
this drug in large irregular maſſes of a heterogeneous appearance,
compoſed of various ſhining little lumps or grains, which are
partly whitiſh, partly of a browniſh or reddiſh, and partly of a violet
hue. Thoſe maſſes are accounted the beſt which are clear, of a pale
reddiſh colour, and variegated with a great number of fine white
Aſafoetida is compoſed of a gummy and a reſinous ſubſtance,
the firſt in largeſt quantity. Its ſmell and taſte reſide in the reſin,
which is readily diſſolved and extracted by pure ſpirit, and, in a great
part, along with the gummy matter, by water.
a
tears.
а
Cº2
< Lewis's Mat. Med.
G
No. 2.
Aſafoetida

( 26 )
A fafatida is a medicine in very general uſe, and is certainly a
more efficacious remedy than any of the other fetid gums: it is
moſt commonly employed in hyſteria, hypochondriaſis, fome fymp-
toms of dyſpepſia, flatulent colics, and in moſt of thoſe diſeaſes
termed nervous : but its chief uſe is derived from its antiſpaſmodic
effects; and it is thought to be the moſt powerful remedy we poſſeſs for
thoſe peculiar convulſive and ſpaſmodic affections which often recur
in the firſt of theſe diſeaſes, both taken into the ſtomach and in
the way of enema.
It is alſo recommended as an emmenagogue,
anthelminthic, expectorant, antiafthmatic, and anodyne. Where
we wiſh it to act immediately as an antiſpaſmodic, it ſhould be uſed
in a fluid form, as that of tincture.
In the London Pharmacopoeia, a ſpirituous tin&ture of it is directed,
and it is alſo an ingredient in the Pilulæ e Gummi. In the Edinburgh
Pharmacopoeia, Aſafoetida is ordered in the Tinctura fuliginis, in the
pilulæ gummofæ, and in the form of tincture with the Spt. Sal,
ammon. vinos.
d
a
Dr. Cullen prefers it to the Gum Ammon as an expectorant. Aſafoetida ſhould
therefore have a double advantage in ſpaſmodic aſthmas.
a
TORMENTILLA


Tormentilla erecta
Publish'd by D? Woodville Feb. 7. 1790

( 27 )
TORMENTILLA ERECTA.
COMMON TORMENTIL, Or
UPRIGHT SEPTFOIL.
SYNONYMA. TORMENTILLA, Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Tor-
MENTILLA OFFICINALIS, Curt. Flor. Lond. Fragaria tetrape-
tala, foliis caulinis ſeſſilibus quinatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 1117.
TORMENTILLA ſylveſtris, Bauh. Pin. 326. Pentaphyllum aut
potius Heptaphyllum, flore aureo tetrapetalo, Tormentilla di&tum.
Hift
. Oxon, II. 190.
Claſs Icoſandria. Ord. Polygynia. L. Gen. Plant. 635.
El. Gen. Char. Cal. 8-fidus. Petala 4. Sem. ſubrotunda, nudag.
receptaculo parvo exſucco affixa.
Spec. Char. T. caule erectiufculo, foliis feffilibus.
a
THE root is perennial, thick, roundiſh, irregularly conical,
knobbed, and covered with bark of a dark brown colour; the internal
ſubſtance is denſe, and has a reddiſh tinge; it ſends forth many
ſtems, which grow about a ſpan high ; they are round, ſlender, firm,
ſomewhat hairy, more or leſs erect, and branched towards the top.
The leaves upon the ſtalk are generally divided into ſeven, but thoſe
upon the branches are commonly five; of theſe, three are larger than
the others; they are all of an eliptical ſhape, deeply ſerrated, villous,
and the upper ſurface is of a deeper green colour than the under.
The flowers ſtand ſingly upon long peduncles, which ſpring from the
alæ of the leaves, each flower conſiſting of four ſmall, roundiſh, emar-
ginated, yellow petals; the calyx is cut into eight unequal ſegments;
the piſtilla are commonly eight, and contain as many ſeeds. This plant
common in dry paſtures, and uſually flowers in June. It is diſtin-
guilhed from the Tormentilla reptans, by its feffile leaves, its ſmaller
petals, and its more erect ſtem.
The

( 28 )
a
The root is the only part of the plant which is uſed medicinally;
it has a ſtrong ftyptic taſte, but imparts no peculiar fapid flavour.
As a proof of its powerful aſtringency, it has been ſubſtituted for oak
bark in the tanning of ſkins for leather. This root has been long held
in great eſtimation by phyſicians, as a very uſeful aſtringent; and as
the reſinºit contains is very inconſiderable, it ſeems more particularly
adapted to thoſe caſes where the heating and ſtimulating medicines of
this claſs are leſs proper; as phthiſical diarrhæas, diarrhæa cruenta,
&c. Dr. Cullen º thinks“ it has been juſtly commended for every
virtue that is competent to aſtringents,” and ſays, “ I myſelf have
“
had ſeveral inſtances of its virtues in this reſpect; and particularly I
have found it, both by itſelf and as joined with gentian, cure inter-
mittent fevers; but it muſt be given in ſubſtance, and in large
quantities.” Rutty recommends it in theſe words: “ Ulcera vetera
& putrida ſanat vino vel aqua decocta collutione & inſperſu. In vino
cocta optime deterget & roberat, in ulceribus fcorbuticis oris, gutturis,
& faucium ac in gingivis diſſolutis, ſanguinem ftillantibus. Decocta
ad appetitum deperditum maxime valet, tonum ventriculi reſtituens,
& ſordes ejus abſtergens. Non eſt vegetabile quod in fluxionibus
alvi efficacius fit. In dyſenterea epidemica quidam in ore tenent ad
præcavendum contagium. In fluxu fanguinis, fluore albo, & micu
involuntario valet."
This root may be given in powder from half a dram to one dram
or more for a doſe, but it is more generally given in decoction,
and the following form is recommended by Lewis : An ounce and
an half of the powdered root is directed to be boiled in three pints
of water to a quart, adding, towards the end of the boiling, a dram
of cinnamon : of the ſtrained liquor, ſweetened with an ounce of
any agreeable ſyrup, two ounces or more may be taken four or five
times a day.
Tormentil is ordered in the pulvis e creta compoſitus of the
London Pharmacopoeia.
a Bartholini Act. Med. Hafn. v. I. p. 88. and it has been obſerved, that the leather
has been perfected in leſs time than when oak bark was uſed. Muſ. Ruſt. vol. 2. n. 12.
p. 51. It gives out its aſtringency both to water and rectified ſpirit, moſt perfectly to
the latter. The extracts obtained by inſpiſſation, are intenſely ftyptic, the ſpirituous
moſt ſo. Lewis's Mat. Med. 654.
c Cullen's Mat. Med. vol. 2. p. 36. d Rutty's Mat. Med. 521.
a

OF
4470

Hypericum perforatum
Publish: 7r Dr Woodville
Febr. 1.7790.

( 29 )
HYPERICUM PERFORATUM. PERFORATED St. JOHN's
WORT.
SYNONY MA. HYPERICUM, Pharm. Lond. HYPERICUM
caule terete, alato, ramoſiſſimo, foliis ovatis perforatis. Hal. Stirp.
Helv. n. 1037. HYPERICUM vulgare five perforata, caule rotundo,
foliis glabris. J. Bauhin III. 382. HYPERICUM vulgare, Bauh.
pin. 279. Raii Synop. 342.
Claſs Polyadelphia. Ord. Polyandria. L. Gen. Plant. 902.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-phyllus. Petala 5. Nect. o. Capſula. Aiton's
Hortus Kewenfis.
Spec. Ch. H. Floribus trigynis, caule ancipiti, fol. obtufis pellucido-
punctatis.
a
THIS fpecies of the Hypericum generally grows to the height of
a foot and a half; the root is perennial, ligneous, divided and ſubdi-
vided into many ſmall branches, and covered with a ſtraw-coloured
bark; the ſtalks are round, ſmooth, of a light colour, and towards the
top ſend off many oppoſite floriferous branches; the leaves are with-
out footſtalks, and placed in pairs; they are entire, oval, and beſet
with a great number of minute tranſparent veſicles, || which have
the appearance of ſmall perforations through the diſc, and hence
the ſpecific name, perforatum.
The flowers are numerous, pentapetalous, terminal, of a deep
yellow colour, and grow in a corymbus, or in cluſters, upon ſhort
|| Folia enim innumeris fcatent foraminibus, iiſque adeo minutis, ut viſum effugiant,
nifi ipſa folia fole objecta infpiciantur. Matthiol. in Dioſcord. p. 668. And theſe
veſicles, or glands, have been found to contain an eſſential oil of a terebinthinate quality.
Geoffroy Mat. Med. Gadd thinks that it approaches nearer to the gum-reſin, Lac...!
Vet. Acad. Handl. 1762. p. 119.
H
peduncles;
No. 2.

( 30 )
а
peduncles ; each petal is of an irregular oval ſhape, and on the under
fide near the apex, is marked with many blackiſh dots; the calyx
conſiſts of five perſiſtent acute leaves ; the ſtamina are numerous, and
commonly unite at their baſes into three portions, or bundles; the
antheræ are yellow, and marked with a ſmall black gland ;* the
ſtyli are three, and the capſule has three cells, which contain many
ſmall oblong browniſh ſeeds. It grows commonly in woods and
uncultivated grounds, and flowers in July.
Bergius deſcribes the Hypericum quadrangulum inſtead of the per-
foratum, and thinks it the better officinal plant. « In pharmacopo-
liis noftris indiſcrete colligunt Hypericum perforatum & quadrangu-
lum; quod perinde quoque effe poterit, cum ambæ ſpecies puncta
nigrecantia gerant; quadrangulum vero plurima."* Hypericum has
a bitteriſh ſubaſtringent taſte, and a ſweetiſh ſmell. It was in great
repute with the antients, who preſcribed it in hyſteria, hypochondriafis,
and mania: they alſo imagined that it had the peculiar power of
curing demoniacks, and thence obtained the name of Fuga damonum:
it was alſo recommended internally for wounds, bruiſes, ulcers, hæmop-
tyſis, mictus cruentus, gravel, dyſentery,agues, worms, and outwardly
as an anodyne, and as a diſcutient and detergent. However it is now
very rarely uſed, and its name is omitted in the Materia Medica of the
laſt edition of the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia. In the London Pharma-
copoeia the flowers only are directed to be uſed, as containing the
greateſt proportion of the reſinous oily matter in which the medical
efficacy of the plant is ſuppoſed to reſide. The dark puncta of the
petals and the capſules, afford this eſſential oil, which is contained in
minute veſicles, or glands, and gives a red colour to rectified ſpirit,
and to expreſſed oils : the latter has been long known in the ſhops
by the name of Oleum Hyperici."
a
* Mr. Curtis obſerves, that a little black gland on the anthera, diſtinguiſhes this
ſpecies at one view. Flor. Lond.
Bergius Mat. Med. 641.
b Scripſere quidam Hypericum adeo odiſſe dæmones, ut ejus fuffitu ftatim avolent.
Matthiol. l. c.
c See Haller, 1. c. Alſton's Mat. Med. vol. 2. p. 150. Bergius, l. c. Murray's
Apparat. vol. 3. p. 518.
This colouring matter gives a good die to wool. Gadd. l. c. aliique.

Os

11
+
Amomum
Lingiber!
Published by D? Woodville, March 1.1790.

( 31 )
AMOMUM ZINGIBER.
NARROW-LEAVED GINGER.
SYNONYMA. ZINGIBER, Pharm. Lond. & Edin. AMOMUM
ZINGIBER, Jacquin Hort. Vindob. vol. 1. t. 75. ZINGIBER,
Browne's Fam. 119, Sloane's Jam. 1. p. 163. Inſchi. Rheed.
Mal. Z. anguſtiori folio, &c. Pluk. Alm. ZINGIBER MAJUS,
Rumph. Amb. 5. p. 156. Ziyye6spis, Dioſcorid. Ziyyıbep, Galen.
Claſs. Monandria. Order. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 2.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor 4-fida : lacinia prima patente.
Sp. Ch. A. fcapo nudo, ſpica ovata.
a
THE root is perennial, firm, knotted, of a compreſſed roundiſh
form, beſet with tranſverſe rugæ, covered with aſh coloured
bark, partly of a purpliſh tinge, and ſends forth many long fibres and
off-ſets; the internal ſubſtance of the younger roots is ſoftiſh, fleſhy,
and greeniſh ; of the older, it is compact, fibrous, whitiſh, and when
powdered has a yellowiſh appearance: the ſtalks are about three feet
high, round, incloſed in an imbricated membraneous ſheathing; the
leaves are ſword-ſhaped, ſmooth, pointed, entire, and ſtand alternately
upon
the ſheathes of the ſtalk; the ſcapus, or flower-ſtem, riſes about
a foot high, it is erect, round, alternately ſheathed like the ſtalks,
without leaves, and terminates in an oval, obtuſe, bracteal, imbri-
cated ſpike; the corollæ, or flowers, appear between the bracteal
ſcales of the ſpike, two or three at a time; they are of a dingy
yellow colour, monopetalous, tubular, and cut into three unequal,
acute, ſegments, which have their points curled backwards ; the
nectary occupies the faux or mouth of the tube of the corolla,
I
and
No. 3.

[ 32 )
a
a
a
с
a
a
and has a bilabiated appearance; the lip is obtuſely trifid, of a red-
diſh purple colour, and marked with many yellowiſh dots : but what
ſeems like the upper lip is the ſtamen, or filament, which is convex
outwardly, concave within, and gradually tapers from its baſe to its
apex, where it is coloured like the nectary. The antheræ are two,
oblong, whitiſh, and lodged together in the cavity of the ſtamen:
the ſtyle is long and filiform: the ſtigma obtuſe and villous: the
capſule is three-celled, and contains many ſeeds.
The Ginger plant is a native of the Eaſt-Indies, and is ſaid to
grow in the greateſt perfection on the coaſt of Malabar and Bengal;)
but it is now plentifully cultivated in the warmer parts of America,
and in the Weſt-India iſlands, from whence chiefly it is imported
into Europe. In 1731, it was firſt introduced into this country by
Mr. P. Miller, and is ſtill carefully cultivated in the dry ſtoves of
the curious. The flowers have a ſweet fragrant ſmell, and the leaves
and ſtalks, eſpecially when bruiſed, alſo emit a faint ſpicy odour, but
the hot acrid aromatic taſte is entirely confined to the root.
" In Jamaica, Ginger attains its full height, and flowers about
Auguſt or September, and fades about the cloſe of the year. When
the ſtalks are entirely withered, the roots are in a proper ſtate for
digging: this is generally performed in the months of January and
February. After being dug, they are picked, cleanſed, and gradually
ſeethed, or ſcalded in boiling water ; they are then ſpread out, and
expoſed every day to the ſun, till ſufficiently dried; and after being
divided into parcels of about 1oolb. weight each, they are packed
a The following obſervation, made by Rumphius, ſeems however to deſerve ſome
notice : Quondam omne Zingiber petebatur ex illa Africæ parte, quæ mari rubro adjacet
tam intra quam extra illud, tum Arabia Trogloditica dicta, cujus incolæ hodie ab
Arabibus vocantur Zingi ſeu Zangi h. e. nigri feu aduſti Æthiopes, unde & nomen
Zingiber ſeu Zingibel ortum duxit, ac fi diſceretur, radices ex Æthiopia, atque hinc jam
innotuit antiquis etiam ſcriptoribus, uti Dioſcorid. lib. 2. cap. 154. Galeno. lib. 6.med. ſimp.
ubi dicit Zingiber deferri ex Barbaria, per quam vocem intelligenda eſt orientalis Africæ
plaga. vide Herb. Amboin. vol. 5, p. 157, b Rumph. 1. c. India Orientali per
Hiſpanos ac præſertim per Franciſcum de Mendoſa, filium imperatoris Anthonii de
Mendofa cum aliis aromaticis herbis in novam Hiſpaniam deductum eſt, tefte Monardo
fimp. Medic. cap. 18. Rumphius, l. c.-Upon the death of Mendofa, theſe plants were
neglected, and all loft but the Ginger. Ginger is ſaid by ſome to grow wild in America,
but Jacquin ſays, “ Sylveftrem in America non vidi."
Aiton's Hort. Kewena
in

( 33 )
9 d
a
f
a
in bags for the market : this is called the Black Ginger.' White
Ginger is the root of the ſame plant, but inſtead of the roots
being ſcalded, by which they acquire the dark appearance of the
former, each root is picked, ſcraped, ſeparately waſhed, and after-
,
wards dried with great care; of courſe more than a double expenſe of
labour is incurred, and the market price is proportionably greater.*
Black Ginger loſes part of its eſſential oil by being thus immerſed in
boiling water;º on this account it is leſs uſeful for medical and other
purpoſes than the white, which is always good when perfectly found
and free from worm-holes : but that imported from the Eaſt-Indies
is ſtronger than any we have from Jamaica. Ginger gives out its virtues
perfectly to rectified ſpirit, and in a great meaſure to water. According
to Lewis, its active principles are of a remarkably fixed nature ; for a
watery infuſion of this root being boiled down to a thick conſiſtence,
diſſolved afreſh in a large quantity of water, and ſtrongly boiled down
again, the heat and pungency of the root ſtill remained, though with
little or nothing of its ſmell. Ginger is generally conſidered as an aro-
matic, leſs pungent and heating to the ſyſtem, than might be expected
from its effects upon the organs of taſte. Dr. Cullen thinks, however,
that there is no real foundation for this remark. It is uſed as an anti-
ſpaſmodic and carminative. The caſes in which it is more imme-
diately ſerviceable, are flatulent colics, debility and laxity of the
ſtomach and inteſtines, and in torpid and phlegmatic conſtitutions to
excite briſker vaſcular action. It is ſeldom given but in combination
with other medicines. In the Pharmacopoeias it is directed in the
form of a ſyrup and a condiment, and in many compoſitions it is
ordered as a ſubſidiary ingredient.
d Long's Hiſtory of Jamaica, p. 700.
* Rumphius remarks alſo, « Rubræ fpeciei radices craſſiores ſunt, magiſque nodofæ,
externe plerumque cinerea primum, atque fub hac purpurea rubente obductæ pellicula,
uti & ipſarum caro ad oras rubet. &c. I. c.
• We mention this on the authority of Jacquin, vide Hort. Vindob. vol. I, No. 75.
,
* Mat. Med. Ackin's edition, p. 687. 3 Cullen's Mat. Med vol. 2, p. 206.
h For this purpoſe the root ſhould not be older than four or five months. Of the very
h
young roots the aromatic taſte is peculiarly grateful. “ Junior recens crudaque radix
in Martinica in menfis apponitur, parvaque ejufdem portio folet cum bubula elixa comedi.
Eft etiam tunc inſigniter acris, ſed aroma longe gratius poffidet, quam exſiccata.”
"
Jacquin, l. c.
BUBON GALBANUM.
h

( 34 )
BUBON GALBANUM.
LOVAGE-LEAVED BUBON.
SYNONYMA. Bubon GALBANUM. Jacquin Hort. Vindob. vol.
3, P. 21.
ANISUM AFRICANUM FRUTESCENS, FOLIO ANISI,
GALBANIFERUM. Pluken. Alm. p. 31, t. 12. FERULA AFRICANA
GALBANIFERA, FOLIO ET FACIE LIGUSTICI. Herm. Parad. p.
163.t. 163. GUMMI-RESINA. GALBANUM. Pharm. Lond. & Edin.
Xaxbern Dioſcorid. Teaßen Græc.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Digynia. L. Gen. Plant. 350.
El. Gen. Ch. Fructus ovatus, ftriatus, villoſus.
Sp. Ch. B. foliolis rhombeis dentatis ftriatis glabris, umbell. paucis. L.
B. Foliolis ovato-cuneiformibus acutis argute ſerratis, umbellis paucis,
ſeminibus glabris, caule fruteſcente glauco. Aiton's Hort. Kewen.
b
THE ſtalk is ſhrubby, ſeveral feet high, ſlender, purpliſh,
covered with a glaucous-coloured exudation, round, bending, knot-
ted or jointed, towards the bottom woody and naked, but towards
the top ſending off leaves and branches; the compound leaves riſe
from the ſtriated fheathes of the ſtem, they are ſubtripinnated, the
uppermoſt fubbipinnated, and have ſtrong round ribs; the ſimple
leaves are rhomboidal, acute, thickiſh, of a ſea-green colour, veined,
ſubtrilobed, cut, or irregularly ferrated, but near the baſe entire, and
ſome leaves upon the upper branches are ſomewhat wedge-ſhaped; the
a
Jacquin fays five feet or more ; but this plant is now growing in the King's garden
at Kew, four yards high.
• This obſervation applies to the younger plants, or to the upper and ſofter part of the
ſtalk.
principal

12
Bubon Calbanum
Publishd by DWoodville March 1.1790,

OF

( 35 )
r
a
principal umbel terminates the ſtem, and is large, plano-convex, and
compoſed of numerous radii ; the lateral umbels are few, and grow
upon ſlender pendent branches; the leaflets of the general involucrum
are about twelve, narrow, lanceolated, membraneous, whitiſh, and bent
downwards; of the partial involucrum they are fix, of the ſame ſhape
and patent. The flowers are all hermaphrodite, fertile, firſt open
at the circumference of the umbel, and followed ſucceſſively by
thoſe towards the centre; the petals are equal, patent, have their
points turned inwards, and are of a greeniſh yellow colour; the ſtamina
are greeniſh, longer than the petals, and the antheræ are yellow; the
germen is round and narrow at the baſe, the ſtyles are two, ſhort and
tapering; the ſeeds are two, browniſh, oval, with ſmooth uneven ſur-
faces, and marked with three elevated lines. The whole plant is ſmooth,
has an aromatic ſmell, and an acrid biting taſte. It is a native of Afri-
ca, about the Cape of Good Hope, and flowers in June and July. It
was firſt introduced into Britain by Mr. John Gerard in 1596, and
all the four ſpecies deſcribed by Linnæus have been fince cultivated
by Mr. Miller. Through the induſtry of Mr. Maſſon, a new ſpecies of
the Bubon (the lævigatum) has been diſcovered at the Cape of Good
Hope, and is now in the Royal garden at Kew. Notwithſtanding we
have repreſented the Bubon Galbanum as the plant yielding the
officinal drug ; yet it is ſtill a matter of doubt which ſpecies of
theſe umbelliferous plants really produces it; and although we have
referred to Herman's Ferula Africana, yet we wiſh to obſerve, that
he thought this matter ſtill uncertain." It ſeems highly probable that
Galbanum is obtained from different ſpecies of the Bubon, though,
upon the authority of Linnæus, the London, Edinburgh, and other
medical colleges, confine their reference to the ſpecies we have
figured.
The juice is obtained partly by its ſpontaneous exudation
e Aiton's Hort. Kew. d Genuina illa planta, quæ Galbanum officinarum fundit,
noſtri fæculi Botanicis nondum innotuit. Ferulaceam efſe veteres docent omnes, quænam
vero ſpecies fit, non conftat. Parad. Bat. 1. c.
Hermann is certainly a good authority; he was an intelligent phyſician, and prac-
many years in the Eaſt-Indies, about the latter end of the laſt century, and alſo at
the Cape of Good Hope : his judgment therefore, as well as his fidelity, is at leaſt equal
to that of Plukenett's, which Linnæus prefers.
Plures extare poſſunt ftirpes, quæ ſuccum Galbano fimilem ftillant, ut de variis
lachrymis quæ inter fe conveniunt & è diverfis ftirpibus leguntur, nobis compertum eſt.
Herm. 1. c.
K
from
d
tiſed
No. 3.

( 36 ) )
а
from the joints of the ftem, but more generally and in greater
abundance by making an inciſion in the ſtalk a few inches above
the root, from which it immediately iſſues, and ſoon becomes ſuffi-
ciently concrete to be gathered.
Galbanum is commonly imported into England from Turkey, and
from the Eaſt-Indies, in large ſoftiſh ductile pale-coloured maſſes, which
by age acquire a browniſh yellow appearance; theſe are intermixed with
diſtinct white grumes or tears, which are accounted the beſt part of the
maſs; but the ſeparate hard tears are externally of a ferruginous colour,
and always preferred to the maſs itſelf
. Geoffroy diſtinguiſhes the for-
mer into Galbanon en larmes, and the latter into Galbanon en pains. Spiel-
man mentions a liquid fort of Galbanum, which is brought from Perſia,
“ Proſtat etiam interdum Galbanum liquidum ex Perſia, conſiſtentia
terebinthinæ inſtructum, cui multæ fæces nigræ commixtæ ſunt, tem-
pore ad fundum ſecedentes, odorem reſinæ, nunquam Galbani, habet.”
Galbanum has a ſtrong unpleaſant ſmell, and a warm bitteriſh acrid
taſte; “ like the other gummy reſins it unites with water by tritura-
tion into a milky liquor, but does not perfe&tly diffolve, as ſome have
reported, in water, vinegar, or wine. Rectified ſpirit takes up much
more than either of theſe menſtrua, but not the whole : the tincture
is of a bright golden colour. A mixture of two parts of rectified
ſpirit, and one of water, diſſolves all but the impurities, which are
commonly in conſiderable quantity.s”—In diſtillation with water, the
oil ſeparates and riſes to the ſurface, in colour yellowiſh, in quantity
abcut one-twentieth of the weight of the Galbanum. Newman
obſervés, that the empyreumatic oil is of a blue colour, which
changes in the air to a purple.
Galbanum, medicinally confidered, may be ſaid to hold a middle
rank between Aſafoetida and Ammoniacum ; but its fetidneſs is very
inconſiderable, eſpecially when compared with the former, it is there-
f Mat. Med. p. 560. 3 Lewis's Mat. Med. by Dr. Aikin, p. 314.
The Galbanum colour was a prevailing faſhion with the Romans.
Reticulumque comis auratum ingentibus implet,
Corulea indutus ſcutulata, aut galbana raſa ; JUVENAL, Sat. 2, 1. 96.
And Martial, ſpeaking of an effeminate perſon, ſays, Galbanos habet mores. Lib.
1. Epig. 97 Commentators differ about the colour of Galbana Rafa; we have
deſcribed the Galbanum flower to be of a greeniſh yellow.
fore,

UNIL
NICKY
OF

13
wo
Suprilage
\Farfara
Pablish'd by Dr Woodville, March 1. 1790.

( 37 )
fore accounted leſs antiſpaſmodic, nor is it ſuppoſed to affect the
bronchial glands ſo much as to have expectorant powers equal to thoſe
of the latter; it has the credit however of being more uſeful in hyſterical
diſorders, and of promoting and correcting various ſecretions and uterine
evacuations. Externally Galbanum has been applied to expedite the
fuppuration of inflammatory and indolent tumours, and medically as
a warm ſtimulating plaſter. It is an ingredient in the pilulæ e gummi,
the emplaftrum lithargyri cum gummi, of the London Pharm. and in
the empl. ad clavos pedum of the Edin.
TUSSILAGO FARFARA.
COLTSFOOT..
SYNONYMA. PETASITES SCAPO UNIFLORO, FLORE RADIATO,
Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 143.
BECHIUM, Dodon. Pempt. 586.
TUSSILAGO VULGARIS. Bauh. Pin. 197. Zannich. Venez. t. 266.
TUSSILAGO. Clus. Hift. 140. Camer. Epit.590. Gerard,811. Par-
kinſon, 1220. Raii Hift. Plant, 259. TUSSILAGO FARFARA. Curtis
Flor. Lond. Relhan. Flor. Cantab. Withering. Botan, Arrang: p.
904. Enxov* Diofcorid. Hippoc. &c.
Βηχιον
Claſs Syngeneſia. Ord. Polygamia Superflua. L. Gen. Pl. 952.
El. Gen. Ch. Recept. nudum. Pappus fimplex. Cal. fquamæ
æquales, diſcum æquantes, ſubmembranacex.
Sp. Char. T. fcapo unifloro imbricato, fol. fubcordatis angulatis
denticulatis.
THE root is long, round, tapering, creeping, and ſends off many
{mall ſhort fibres; the ſtalks are furrowed, downy, ſimple, fix or eight
* Suppoſed to be derived from ßng, tuflis, hence Tuſſilago,
inches

( 38 )
inches high, beſet with ſeveral ſcaly leaves, of a browniſh pink
colour, and cloſely embracing the ſtem ; the leaves are obtuſely heart-
ſhaped, angular, irregularly indented, above of a bright green colour,
beneath white, downy, and ſtand upon long roundiſh radical foot-
ſtalks ; the flowers are compound, large, and yellow; the florets in
the diſc are hermaphrodite, tubular, the limb is cut into five acute
ſegments, which curl outwardly; the antheræ, by uniting, form a
tube, but their apices are ſeparate and pointed; the germen is ſhort,
the ftyle filiform, longer than the antheræ, and the ſtigma is
round: the florets at the circumference are female, tubular at the baſe,
and the limb is long and linear; the germen is oblong; the ſtigma
bifid; the feed is oblong, and of a pale-brown colour, crowned with
ſimple down; the calyx is cylindrical, and the leaflets or ſquamæ are
oblong, pointed, and alternately narrower. It is common in moiſt
clayey places, and the flowers appear ſometime before the leaves, in
March or April.
The ſenſible qualities of Tuſſilago are very inconſiderable; it has
a rough mucilaginous taſte, but no remarkable ſmell. The leaves
have always been of great fame, as poſſeſſing demulcent and pectoral
virtues; of courſe, it is eſteemed uſeful in pulmonary conſumptions,
coughs, aſthmas, and in various catarrhal ſymptoms." Fuller, in his
Medicina Gymnaſtica, recommends Coltsfoot as a valuable medicine
in ſcrophula; and Dr. Cullen, who does not allow it any powers as
a demulcent and expectorant, found it ſerviceable in ſome ſtrumous
affections. It may be uſed as tea, or given in the way of infuſion,
to which liquorice-root or honey, may be a uſeful addition.
b
b
p. 84.
* We might, without exception, cite every writer upon the Materia Medica. Percival
found it alſo uſeful in hectic diarrhoeas. Eſſays Med. & Exper. vol. 2. p. 224. Cartheufer
adviſes it to be given with the roots of Dandelion. Mat. Med. 416. The juice,
liberally drunk, has been beneficial in calculous complaints. Comm. Lit. Nor. 1736,
P. 194
Every part of the plant has been medicinally employed for the ſame purpoſe, but more
uſually the leaves, and theſe are the principal ingredient in the Britiſh herb tobacco. Ie
is remarkable, that the ſmoking of this plant has the recommendation of Dioſcorides,
Galen, Pliny, Boyle, &c. Et adhuc hodie plebs in ſuecia inftar tabaci contra tuſſim
fugit. Lin. Flor. Suec. p. 289, and under the direction of Pliny it is certainly an
efficacious remedy-in fingulos hauftus, paſſum guftandum eſt. lib. 26. c. 6. p. 651.
PLANTAGO MAJOR.

UNIL
OF

14
Plantago mayor
Publish'd by D"Woodville March 1,1790.

(39)
PLANTAGO MAJOR.
COMMON GREAT PLANTANE,
Or, WAY-BREAD.
SYNONYMA. PLANTAGO. Pharm. Edin. PLANTAGO foliis
petiolatis, ovatis, glabris ; fpica cylindrica. Hal. Stirp. Helu.
n. 660. PLANTAGO latifolia ſinuata, Bauh. Pin. 189. PLAN-
TAGO ſimpliciter dicta. Raii Hift. Plant. 876. PLANTAGO
latifolia vulgaris. Parkinſon, 493. PLANTAGO VULGARIS.
Gerard. 419. PLANTAGO MAJOR. Curtis, Flor. Lond. Relhan.
Flor. Cantab. p. 61. Withering, Bot. Arrang. 142. eprordwoook
Diofcorid. * (lingua agnina)
(lingua agnina) Cl. Aiton pro varietatibus habet
Plantago latifolia vulgaris. - Park. Theat. 493.
ß Plantago major, panicula ſparſa. Bauh. Hift. 3. p. 503.
Plantago latifolia roſea, floribus quaſi in ſpica diſpoſitis. Bauh.
Pin. 189. vide Hort. Kew.
>
Claſs. Tetrandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant 142.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 4-fidus. Cor. 4-fida : limbo reflexo. Stamina
longiſſima. Caps. 2-locularis, circumſciſſa.
Sp. Ch. P. foliis ovatis glabris, ſcapo tereti, ſpica flofculis imbricatis.
THE root is perennial, ſhort, thick, and puts forth ſeveral long
whitiſh fibres, which ſtrike down in a perpendicular direction: the
leaves are oval, procumbent, irregularly ſubdentated, of a pale green
colour, ribbed; ribs, commonly ſeven, often five, and ſometimes nine:
the footſtalks are long, concave above, and proceed from the root ;,
the flower-ſtems are generally three or four, about a ſpan high, downy,
* (Plantago Media) It has alſo been named from the number of ribs, or nerves of
the leaf, as πολυνευροή, επταπλευρς, άο.
L
round,
No. 3:

( 40 )
round, ſmooth below the ſpike, and ſomewhat incurvated; the calyx
is of four leaves, ſomewhat erect, oval, obtuſe, ſmooth, and perſiſtent;
the flowers are ſmall, produced on a long cylindrical imbricated ſpike,
which occupies more than half the ſtem ; each flower conſiſts of a
roundiſh tube, narrow at the mouth, and the four ſegments are heart
ſhaped, pale, withered, and bent downwards ; the bractea is oval, fleſhy,
and larger than the calyx; the ſtamina are whitiſh, longer than the
corolla, and the antheræ are purple: the germen is oval, the ſtyle
ſhort and filiform, and the ftigma ſimple; the capſule divides
horizontally in the middle; and, according to Mr. Curtis, contains
about twenty unequal brown feeds. It grows commonly in paſtures
and way-ſides, and flowers in June.
The name Plantago, is omitted in the London Pharmacopæia,
but it is ſtill retained in the Materia Medica of the Edinburgh
college, in which the leaves are mentioned as the pharmaceutical part
of the plant: theſe have a weak herbaceous ſmell, and an auſtere
bitteriſh ſubſaline taſte; and their qualities are ſaid to be refrigerant,
attenuating, ſubftyptic, and diuretic.
Plantago was formerly reckoned amongſt the moſt efficacious of
vulnerary herbs; and by the peaſants the leaves are now commonly
applied to freſh wounds, and cutaneous fores. Inwardly, they have
been uſed in phthifical" complaints, ſpitting of blood, and in various
fluxes, bothºalvine and hæmorrhagic. The ſeeds, however, ſeem to us
better adapted to relieve pulmonary diſeaſes than the leaves, as they
are extremely mucilaginous. The roots have alſo been recommended
for the cure of tertian intermittents; and from the experience of
Bergius, not undeſervedly: “ Plurimæ funt narrationes de utilitate
radicis plantaginis in Tertianis. Periculum ipfe feci, doſi largiori,
ſcil. a drachmis 3 ad 6, quovis die, ſub apyrexia; ſed contra febres
autumnales nihil valuit Plantago; in vernalibus autem febribus
fubinde opem tulit. An ounce or two of the expreſſed juice, or
Celfus, lib. 3. c. 22. Schulz, Mat. Med. p. 412. Pliny, lib. 26. c. 2. Petzoldt.
Eph. Nat. Cur. cent. 7. 'Obf. 10. p. 25. b Boyle de util. Phil. Nat. p. 2. p. 150.
c Roſenſt. Baſkd. p. 81. . d Mat. Med. p. 70.
“Plantane has been alledged to be a cure for the bite of the rattle-ſnake: but for this
there is probably but little foundation, although it is one of the principal ingredients
in the remedy of the Negro Cæſar, for the diſcovery of which he received a conſiderable
reward from the Aſſembly of South Carolina.” Duncan's New Edinb. Diſpen.
the
b
d)
a
a

ONID

15
Arctium
Cappa.
Publish'd by Dr Woodville March 1,1790,

( 41 )
the like quantity of a ſtrong infuſion of Plantane, may be given for
a doſe ; in agues the doſe ſhould be double this quantity, and taken
at the commencement of the fit.
ARCTIUM LAPPA.
BURDOCK.
SYNONYMA. BARDANA. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. LAPPA.
Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 161. LAPPA SEU PERSONATA. Raii Hift.
p. 332. LAPPA MAJOR, ARCTIUM DIOSCORIDIS. Bauh. Pin.
198.
PERSONATA. Camerar Epit. 887.
BARD ANA SIVE
LAPPA MAJOR. Dodon. 38. 7. Bauh. vol. 3. 570. BARDANA
MAJOR. Gerard, 809. BARDANA VULGARIS MAJOR, Park.
ARCTIUM LAPPA. Curt. Flor. Lond. Relhan Cant. 302.
Withering. B. A. 163. Agresov, Az xe7c0v Græcor. VARIETATES
fic fe habent, Hort. Kew. vol. 3. p. 136.
Lappa major capitulo glabro maximo. Raii Syn. 196.
I 222.
SMOOTH-HEADED COMMON BURDOCK.
ß Lappa major montana, capitulis tomentoſis. Bauh. Pin. 198.
WOOLY-HEADED BURDOCK.
Claſs Syngeneſia. Ord. Polygamia Æqualis. L. Gen. Pl. 923.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. globofus : fquamis apice hamis inflexis.
Sp. Ch. A. foliis cordatis inermibus petiolatis.
THE root is biennial, ſubcylindrical, long, ſimple, externally of
a dark brown colour, internally white, and ſends off many ſlender
fibres: the ſtalk is erect, roundiſh, grooved, villous, purpliſh, above
an inch in diameter, three feet high, and alternately branched : the
leaves are alternate, patent, heart-ſhaped, veiny, above of a dark
green colour, underneath whitiſh; the lower leaves are very large,
and ſtand upon long footſtalks, which are grooved like the ſtem : the
calyx

( 42 )
ealyx is common to all the florets, imbricated, globular, the exterior
ſcales are entangled in fine wooly threads, firm, elaſtic, and their
extremities are poliſhed and hooked; the flowers are numerous, diſ-
poſed in heads, and ſtand alternately upon footſtalks on the
branches; the corolla is compound, the florets purple, tubular,
each having the limb divided into five pointed ſegments; the ſtamina
are five, white, and filiform ; the antheræ unite into a tube, are of
a bluiſh colour, and project beyond the corolla ; the germen is ſome-
what triangular, the ſtyles white, and longer than the ſtamina, and the
ſtigma bifid : the ſeeds are oblong, brown, and have irregular rough
ſurfaces.
This plant is common in waſte grounds and road ſides; it flowers
in July and Auguſt, and is well known by the burs, or ſcaly heads,
which ſtick to the clothes, a circumſtance from whence the word
Lappa is ſuppoſed to be derived. I The Pharmacopoeias direct the
root for medical uſe: it has no ſmell, but taſtes ſweetiſh, and mixed
as it were with a flight bitteriſhneſs and roughneſs. Its virtue,
according to Bergius, is mundificans, diuretica, diaphoretica;" and
many inſtances are upon record in which it has been ſucceſsfully
employed in a great variety of chronic diſeaſes, as fcurvy, rheuma-
tiſm, gout, lues venerea, and pulmonic complaints. We have never
had an opportunity of obſerving the effects of this root, except as a
diuretic, and in this way we have known it ſucceed in two dropſical
caſes, where other powerful medicines had been ineffectually uſed :
and as it neither excites nauſea nor increaſes irritation, it may occa-
fionally deſerve a trial where more active remedies are improper. The
ſeeds alſo poſſeſs a diuretic quality, and have been given with advan-
tage in the doſe of a dram in calculous and nephritic complaints, and
in the form of emulſion as a pectoral. The root is generally uſed in
decoction, which may be made by boiling two ounces of the freſh
root in three pints of water to two, which, when intended as a
diuretic, ſhould be taken in the courſe of two days, or if poſſible in
twenty-four hours.
| Lappa dici poteſt vel OTO TU «Beiv prehendere vel 10 T TELV lambere. Ray, l. c.
a Mat. Med. 653. b Henricus III. Galliarum Rex, a Petro Penâ decocto radicum
Lappæ ab hac lue fanatus fuit. Vide Reverius, Obf. 41.
The young ſtems of this plant, ſtripped of their rind, are boiled and eat like aſparagus,
When raw, they are good with oil and vinegar. Withering, 864. 1. c.
а
a

Os
NICKY

16
Guaiacum Difficinale
Publijhed by D! Woodville April, 1, 1790,

( 43 )
GUAIACUM OFFICINALE.
OFFICINAL GUAIACUM.
SYNONYMA. GUAIACUM. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Miller's
Dict. Guaiacum, foliis fere impetiolatis, bijugatis, obovatis &
leniter radiatis ; pinnis & ramulis dichotomis. Browne's Jamaica,
225. Lignum Vitæ, or Guaiacum. Hughes's Barbadoes, 142.
Guaiacum Americanum primum, fructu aceris, five legitimum.
Breyn. Prodr. i. 31. Pruno vel Euonymo affinis arbor, folio alato,
buxeo, fubrotundo, fore pentapetalo cæruleo racemoſo, fructu
aceris cordato, cujus cortex luteus corrugatus, ſemen unicum
majuſculum nigricans nullo officulo tectum operit. Sloane's Fan.
vol. 2, 133. & Cat. P. Jam. 186. Guaiacum flore cæruleo, frucu
fubrotundo. Plum. Nov. Gen. 39. Guaiacum, magna matrice.
Bauh. Pin. 448. Lignum ſanctum, Lignum Indicum, et Palus
ſanctus, Quorundam.
Claſs Decandria. Order Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 518.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-fidus inæqualis. Petala 5, calyci inferta. Caps.
angulata 3 s 5-locularis.
Sp. Ch. G. foliolis bijugis obtufis.
THE Guaiacum tree grows to the height of forty feet, and to
the circumference of four or five, ſending forth ſeveral large dividing
and fubdividing knotted branches: the bark of the trunk is of a
dark grey colour, variegated with greeniſh or purpliſh ſpecks, but of
the branches it is uniformly afh-coloured, ſtriated, and marked with
fiſſures ; " the roots are very thick in proportion to the ſize of the
tree, and run a great way into the ground, in a perpendicular direc-
tion:"the leaves are pinnated, conſiſting of two, three, and ſometimes
four pair of pinnæ, with very ſhort foot talks, ſmooth, ſhining, veined,
M
of
No. 4•

( 44 )
a
of an inverſely oval ſhape, and dark green colour : the flowers grow
in cluſters, or umbels, upon long peduncles, which ſpring from the
diviſions of the ſmaller branches: the calyx is of five leaves; theſe
are concave, oblong, obtuſe, patent, unequal, and deciduous; the
petals are five, elliptical, concave, ſpreading, and of a rich blue colour;
the ſtamina are erect, villous, taper from the baſe, and are crowned
with yellowiſh hooked antheræ ; the germen is oval, angular, and in
its capſular ftate affumes the figure we have ſeparately deſcribed ; the
ſtyle is ſhort and tapering; the ftigma is ſimple, and pointed; the
ſeeds are ſolitary, hard, and of an oblong ſhape.
Linnæus makes three ſpecies of the Guaiacum, viz. the officinale,
ſanctum, and afrum; the ſpecific difference between the two former
he fixes wholly on the number of the pinnæ of the leaves, defining
the firſt foliolîs bijugîs, and the ſecond foliolîs multijugîs ; but the
leaves, according to the plant we have figured, commonly conſiſt of
three, and ſometimes four pair of pinnæ, * ſo that this ſpecific deſcrip-
tion is by no means diſtinctly characteriſtic. In a medical ſenſe,
the ſanctum has been generally conſidered ſynonymouſly with the
officinale, and from the inveſtigation we have given this ſubject, we
believe it founded in botanical truth.”
This tree is a native of the Weſt India iſlands, and the warmer
parts of America, and appears from the MS. of Sir Hans Sloane, in
the Britiſh Muſeum, to have been firſt cultivated in this country by
the Ducheſs of Beaufort in 1699. The wood, gum, bark, fruit, and
even the flowers of this tree, have been found to poſſeſs medicinal
qualities. The wood is brought here principally from Jamaica in
large pieces of four or five cwt. each, and, from its hardneſs and
beauty, is in great demand for various articles of turnery ware.-
a
b
a There can be no doubt of our plant being the true officinale, we had it with ſeveral
others from Mr. Aiton, whoſe extenſive botanical knowledge is above our praiſe, and
only to be equalled by that liberality of mind with which he communicates it. The
teſtimony of Sir Hans Sloane is in oppoſition to Linnæus, for he obſerves that the
leaves have ſometimes four pair of pinnæ.
b Monardus divides the wood into three forts, and C. Bauhin adopts two of theſe by
the diſtinctions of Guaiacum magna matrice, and the Guaiacum propemodum fine
matrice : theſe circumſtances, however, depend upon the age, fize, &c. of the tree.
The icons of theſe ſpecies, given by Blackwell and Regnault, cannot, we preſume, be
confidered as deciſive.
• Vide Aiton's Hort. Kew. Long's Hiſtory of Jamaica, vol. 3. p. 725.
d
It

( 45 )
a
3
It is extremely compact, and ſo heavy as to fink in water : the outer
part is of a pale yellowiſh colour, the heart of a dark blackiſh brown,
with a greater or leſs admixture of green. It ſcarcely diſcovers any
ſmell, unleſs heated, or while raſping, in which circumſtances it
yields a light aromatic one: chewed, it impreſſes a ſlight acrimony,
biting the palate and fauces. Its pungency reſides in a reſinous
matter, which is totally extracted by digeſtion in rectified fpirit, and
partially by boiling water. The quantity of folid extract, obtained
by rectified ſpirit, amounts to about one-fourth of the weight of the
wood; with water, ſcarcely one-fixth is obtained. The gum, or
rather gummy reſin, is obtained by wounding the bark in different
parts of the body of the tree, or by what has been called jagging.
It exudes copiouſly from the wounds, though gradually; and when
a quantity is found accumulated upon the ſeveral wounded trees,
hardened by expoſure to the ſun, it is gathered and packed in ſmall
kegs for exportation. This reſin is of a friable texture, of a deep
greeniſh colour, and ſometimes of a reddiſh hue; it has a pungent
acrid taſte, but little or no ſmell, unleſs heated. It contains more
reſin than the watery extract made from the wood; and more gummy
matter than the ſpirituous extract.' --The Guaiacum tree alſo yields a
ſpontaneous exudation from the bark, which is called the native gum,
and is brought to us in ſmall irregular pieces, || of a bright femipellucid
appearance, and differs from the former in being much purer. The
Bark contains leſs reſinous matter than the wood, and is conſequently
a leſs powerful medicine, though in a recent ſtate it is ſtrongly
cathartic. The Fruit, (ſays a late author)“ is purgative; and, for
.
medicinal uſe, far excels the bark. A decoction of it has been known
to cure the venereal diſeaſe, and even the yaws in its advanced ſtage,
a
f
-
g
• Lewis's M. M. 330. f Des Marchais, Voyage en Guinée & Cayenne, tom. 3.
p. 246. “ The Gum, or rather the reſin of this plant, tranſudes frequently of its own
accord, and may be ſeen concreted on many parts of it at all ſeaſons of the year; but
it is generally found in greater abundance where the bark has been cut or wounded."
Browne's Jam. 226.
|| It is ſometimes ſophiſticated by the negroes with the gum of the Manchineal tree,
(a ſpecies of the Hippomane) but this is eaſily detected by diſſolving a little in ſpirit of
wine or rum.
The true gum imparts a whitiſh or milky tinge ; but the Manchineal
gives a greeniſh caſt. Long, 1. c. 724. Möuch adviſes a few drops of Spirit. nitri
dulc. to be added to the ſpirituous ſolution, and then to be diluted with water, by which
the
gum
is precipitated in a blue powder ; but the adulteration will appear floating in
white ſtriæ, &c. Vide Crell's Chem. Journ. P. 2. p. 78. 8 Long, 1. c.
without

(46)
h
a
without the uſe of mercury." The Flowers, or bloſſoms, are laxative,
and in Jamaica are commonly given to children in the form of fyrup,
which in appearance much reſembles that of violets. It is only the
wood and refin of Guaiacum which are now in general medical uſe in
Europe ; and as the efficacy of the former is ſuppoſed to be derived
merely from the quantity of reſinous matter which it contains, they
may be conſidered indiſcriminately as the ſame medicine. Guaiacum
was firſt introduced in the Materia Medica ſoon after the diſcovery
of America," and previous to the proper uſe of mercury in the lues
venerea, it was the principal remedy employed for the cure of that
diſeaſe, and its great ſucceſs brought it into ſuch repute, that it is
faid to have been fold for ſeven gold crowns a pound;' but notwith-
ftanding the very numerous teſtimonies in its favour , it often failed
in curing the patient, and was at length entirely ſuperſeded by
mercury; and though it be ſtill occaſionally employed in fyphilis,
yet it is rather with a view to correct other vitia in the habit, than
for its effects as an antivenereal.*
The general virtues of Guaiacum are ſtated by Bergius to be
mundificans, fudorifera, diuretica, ſubcalefaciens, ftomachica, and its
uſe to be in fyphilis, arthritis, t morbi cutis, odontalgia; "and to theſe
we may add chronic rheumatiſm, ſcrophula, and ſome fcirrhous
diſeafes. - To Dr. Cullen Guaiacum ſeems analogous to the na-
ture of the balſams and turpentines, he therefore ſuppoſes it like
-
h Initium celebritatis dedit felix curatio, quam in inſula St. Dominici Hiſpanus
quidam fuperioris ordinis, qui morbum ab India muliere contraxerat, jam doloribus
diris detentus, fuadente famulo ſuo Indo, ex hoc ligno in femet experiebatur. Ejus
exemplo præeunte, plures alii Hiſpani eodem modo contaminati ad idem auxilium fauſto
fucceffu confugerunt. Quod quum poft reditum Hiſpali ab hiſce evulgaretur, hinc per
totam Hifpaniam, & inde per totum reliquum orbem, quem lues occupaverat, fama remedii
increbuit. Monardes Simpl. Med. p. 341. Vide Murray's Ap. Med. vol. 3. 409.
And according to Delgado, Guaiacum was uſed in Spain ſo early as 1508. (del modo de
adoperare el Legno ſanto. Venet. 1529).
i Vide Friend's Hift. vol. 2. p. 365. And Maſſa de Morb. gal. 71. ſays, Ligni libra
una ſcutatis aureis undecim veniret. Vide Böhm Diſl. variæ fiphilidis therapiæ.
* Perhaps the opinions and facts adduced by Boerhaave, Aſtruc, Plenk, De Haen,
Hutten, and lately by Mr. Hunter, may be conſidered in ſome meaſure as exceptions.-
The laſt of theſe authors remarks, that the Guaiacum was firſt uſed in Europe as a
remedy for the Syphilis in 1517; but from the authority we have cited above, it appears
to have been employed nine years ſooner.
+ Though upon the authority of Mead, Pringle, and others, Guaiacum has been
much employed in rheumatiſms, yet it was of little eſtimation in the gout till Mr.
Emerigon of Martinico, publiſhed his letters about thirteen years ago, (Specifique contre
la goutte, &c.)
k Mat. Med. 346.
theſe
---

( 47 )
m
-
theſe to be very diffuſible in the ſyſtem, and thereby to have a con-
ſiderable power in ſtimulating the extreme veſſels every where; and
in this way he accounts for its power in chronic rheumatiſm, and
from its paſſing off by the pores of the ſkin, he conſiders it a
probable remedy in ſome cutaneous diſorders."
This opinion correſponds with Murray's, who ſays,
ſays, ---Et
hiſce partibus reſinofis quidem Guaiacum per minimos corporis noſtri
canales efficaciter penetrat, impacta reſolvit & diſcutit, balſamicam
virtutem exercet et fudorem potenter pellit, item evacuationes per
alvum vel lotium, vel aliquando falivæ profluvium, ciet." According
to Lewis, where the excretory glands are obſtructed, the veſſels lax
and flaccid, and the habit replete with ferous humours, it has good
effects : but in thin emaciated habits, and an acrimonious ſtate of the
fluids, it often does harm."—We have frequently conjoined it with
mercury and ſoap, and in ſome caſes with bark or ſteel, and found it
eminently uſeful as an alterative. In the pharmacopeias it is directed
in the form of tincture and elixir; the latter is ordered by the
Edinburgh college to be prepared in two ways, viz. with rectified
fpirit, and the vinous ſpirit of ſal ammoniac.° Of theſe compounds
the doſe may be from two ſcruples to two drams: the powder is
generally given from 6 grains to 20, or even more, for a doſe, either
by itſelf, or in a fluid form, by means of mucilage or the yolk of egg.
The Decoctum lignorum, (Pharm. Ed.) of which Guaiacum is the
chief ingredient, is commonly taken in the quantity of a pint a day.
1 Mat. Med. vol. 2. 197. Murray's Ap. Med. vol. 3. 408. n 1. c. 331.
• Dr. Cullen obſerves, that “ ſeveral phyſicians have apprehended miſchief from the
uſe of the Guaiacum in a ſpirituous tincture, and I am certain that it ſometimes happens.
It is therefore that in imitation of the very reſpectable Berger of Copenhagen I avoid the
ſpirituous tinclure of Guaiacum, and employ almoft only the diffuſion of it in water.
In preparing this, having firſt with an equal part of hard ſugar reduced the Guaiacum to
a fine powder, I apply ſome portion of the yolk of egg, or of a mucilage of gum
arabic, and rubbing theſe together very carefully, I form an emulſion with water, or
watery liquors, as may be thought proper. This preparation I give over night in ſuch a
quantity as may open the belly once next day, which will happen to different perſons
from doſes containing 15 to 30 grains of the Guaiacum.” M.M. 199. Berger's formula
is the following: R G. guaiaci zís G. arabici zij. Bene trita folv. in aquæ hyſſopi
vel alius diſtill Zix. Add. facchari Zſs m. d. f. folutio, cujus duo cochlearia majora
mane & vefperi capiantur, fuperbibito libra una decocti hordei vel avenæ. Vet. Acad.
Handl. vol. 1. p. 74. Theden recommends the Guaiacum made into pills with ſoap of
almonds, which is ſtill more convenient (neue Bemerk. u Erfahr, a. d. Wundarzneyk. und
Arz. P. 2. 204.)
N
HÆMATOXYLUM
m
No. 4.

( 48 )
HÆMATOXYLUM CAMPECHIANUM.
LOGWOOD,
.
І
SYNONY MA. LIGNUM CAMPECHENSE. Pharm. Lond. & Edin.
Hæmatoxylum ſpinofum, foliis pinnatis, racemis terminalibus.
s Jam. 221. Lignum Campechianum, ſpecies quædam
Braſil. Vide Sloane's Fam. vol. 2. p. 183. Criſta pavonis Coro-
nillæ folio fecunda, five tinctoria Indica, flore luteo racemoſo
minore, ſiliqua latiffima glabra, lignum rubrum, Sappan dictum
ferens. Breyn. Prodr. 2. 37. Erythroxylum, five lignum rubrum
Indicum fpinofiffimum, coluteæ foliis, floribus luteis, filiquis
maximis. Herm. Par. Bat. 333. Hæmatoxylum. Long's Fam.
vol. 3. p. 754. Miller's Diet. Jacquin, Ob. Bot. 1. p. 20.
Claſs Decandria. Order Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 525.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5 partitus. Petala 5. Caps. lanceolata, 1-locu-
laris, 2-valvis: valvis navicularibus.
THE Campechianum is the only ſpecies of the Hæmatoxylum
hitherto diſcovered; it is a much ſmaller tree than the Guaiacum,
and both the trunk and the branches are extremely crooked, and
covered with dark-coloured rough bark; the ſmaller ramifications are
numerous, cloſe, prickly, or beſet with ſtrong ſharp ſpines; the
leaves are pinnated, generally compoſed of four or five pair of
pinnæ, of an irregular oval ſhape, obliquely nerved, and obtuſely
ſinuated at the top; the flowers grow in racemi, or in cloſe regular
terminal ſpikes, and appear in March; the calyx divides into five
oblong obtuſe ſegments, of a browniſh purple colour; the petals are
five, patent, obtufely lance-ſhaped, and of a reddiſh yellow colour; the
ſtamina are ſomewhat hairy, tapering, of unequal length, ſhorter than
the corolla, and the antheræ are ſmall and oval; the ſtyle is nearly
the length of the ſtamina, and the germen becomes a long double
valved

17
Hematëvylum
Campechianum
Publiſhed by Dr Woodville April 1.1790,

OF
Com

( 49 )
a
a
b
valved pod, which contains many oblong compreſſed, or ſomewhat
kidney-ſhaped, feeds.
This tree is a native of South America, and grows to the higheſt
perfection at Campeachy, in the Bay of Honduras, whence the ſeeds
were brought to Jamaica in 1715, with a view of propagating it
as an article of commercial export. And though it does not appear
to have anſwered this purpoſe ſo fully as could have been wiſhed,
yet we are told that in ſome parts of the iſland, eſpecially where the
ground is ſwampy, this tree, in the courſe of three years, will riſe
to the height of ten feet, and by this quick and luxuriant growth,
foon overrun and deſtroy the neighbouring plants." The Logwood
tree was firſt cultivated in Britain by Mr. P. Miller in 1739, who
ſays, “ there are ſome of theſe plants now in England which are
upwards of fix feet high, and as thriving as thoſe in their native
ſoil ;”” but this obſervation will not apply to the preſent time, for wé
have ſearched in vain for this plant through moſt of the principal
garden ſtoves in the neighbourhood of London.
The wood of this tree is of a ſolid texture, and of a dark red
colour; it is imported into Europe principally as a dying drug, cut
into junks or logs of about three feet in length; of theſe pieces, the
largeſt and thickeſt are preferred, as being of the deepeſt colour. This
wood has a ſweetiſh ſubaſtringent taſte, and no remarkable ſmell ; it
gives a purpliſh red tincture both to watery and ſpirituous infuſions,
and tinges the ſtools, and ſometimes the urine, of the ſame colour;
but from the experiments of Du Hamel and others, it does not appear to
colour the bones of animals, as obſerved of madder and ſome other plants
of that claſs. It is uſed medicinally as an aſtringent and corroborant.
In diarrhoeas it has been found peculiarly efficacious, and has the
recommendation of ſome of the firſt medical authorities :' alſo in the
latter ftages of dyſentery, when the obſtructing cauſes are removed,
* In ſome parts of Jamaica “ are ſuch quantities of it growing wild, as to incommode
the land-holders extremely.” Long's l. c. 754. He alſo obſerves, that " it makes an
excellent and beautiful fence, which, if kept properly trimmed, grows ſo ſtrong and
thick, that nothing can break through."
b Hort. Kew. Dictionary abridged, fixth edition. Baker, Clark, Pringle,
Duncan, Zimmerman, Baldinger, and others.
to
с

(go)
to obviate that extreme laxity of the inteſtines uſually ſuperinduced by
the repeated dejections. Extractum ligni campechenſis is ordered in
the pharmacopoeias, and may be given in the doſe of one ſcruple or
two, repeated according to the urgency of the ſymptoms.
HELLEBORUS NIGER.
BLACK HELLEBORE, Or,
CHRISTMAS ROSE.
SYNONYMA. HELLEBORUS NIGER, SEU MELAMPODIUM.
Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Helleborus Niger legitimus. Clus. Hift.
274. Helleborus Niger flore roſeo. Bauh. Pin. 186. Helle-
borus Niger flore albo ; interdum etiam valde rubente. 7. Bauh.
3. 635. Helleborus Niger verus. Gerard's Herb. 975. TRUE
BLACK HELLEBORE, or Chriſtmas Flower. Raii. Hift. Plant. 697.
An noftra planta fit Ελλεβοξος μελας et Μελαμποδιον Gracor. et Ηelleborus,
Elleborus, Veratrum, Latinorum, nihil certi pronunciari poflit.
Claſs Polyandria. Order Polygynia. L. Gen. Plant. 702.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. o. Petala 5 f. plura. Nectaria bilabiata, tubu-
lata. Caps. polyſpermæ, erectiuſculæ.
Sp. Ch. H. Scapo fubbiflore fubnudo, foliis pedatis.
THE root is perennial, rough, knotted, and externally of a
black colour, internally whitiſh, ſending off many ſtrong round
long fibres ; the flower ſtalks are erect, round, tapering, and towards
the bottom reddiſh; the bracteal leaves ſupply the place of the
calyx, and are oval, concave, and generally indented at the top;
the petals are five, large, roundiſh, ſpreading, at firſt of a white
a A Melampo qui primus purgationem inſtituit: unde xalagtas, id eſt purgator nomi-
natus fuit, & hocce medicamento Proeti filias in furorem actas perſanavit. Geoff.
colour,

18
PANA)
Helleborus niger.
Pubtiped by Dr Woodville April 1.
1790.

OS

( 51 )
à
the top
colour, ſucceeded by reddiſh tints, but finally putting on a
greeniſh appearance; the nectaria are about eight in number, tubu-
lated, ſomewhat compreſſed, bilabiated, and of a greeniſh yellow
colour; the filaments are white, the antheræ yellow; the germina
vary, commonly from four to eight, and the capſules, or pods, contain
many oval ſhining blackiſh ſeeds; the leaves are compound, divided
in a peculiar manner, or pedated, and ſtand upon long radical foot-
ſtalks ; the ſimple leaf is elliptical, ſmooth, thick, and ſerrated towards
This plant is a native of Auſtria and Italy, and was
unknown to the gardens in this country till cultivated by Mr. John
Gerard in 1596. If the weather be ſufficiently mild, it flowers in
January, and hence the name of Chriſtmas Flower.
If any arguments were required to evince the neceſſity of botani-
cal accuracy in diſcriminating medicinal plants, the Helleborus Niger
would furniſh us with many facts on which ſuch arguments might
be deduced. For a great number of inſtances is recorded of the
effects of this plant, by which it ſince appears that other plants were
miſtaken for it, and actually employed; of theſe we may enumerate
the Helleborus viridis, Adonis vernalis, Trollius europæus, Actua
ſpicata, Aſtrantia major, and Aconitum Napellus ;' and as the roots
of theſe plants poffefs very different powers, we cannot be ſurpriſed
that the medical hiſtory of this root is not only confuſed and contra-
dictory, but calculated to produce very miſchievous and even fatal
conſequences.
The taſte of the freſh root is bitteriſh, and ſomewhat acrid, and
according to Grew, “ being chewed, and for ſome time retained
upon the tongue, after a few minutes it ſeemeth to be benumbed,
and affected with a kind of paralytic ſtupor, or as when it has been
burnt with eating or ſupping any thing too hot.” It alſo emits a
nauſeous acrid ſmell, but being long kept, both its ſenſible qualities
and medicinal activity ſuffer very conſiderable diminution. Bergius
has very properly attended to this circumſtance, for in defining its
virtues he conſiders it under three different degrees of dryneſs :*
“VIRTUS: rec. venenata, rubefaciens, veſicans; recenter ficcata : eme-
tica, purgans, emmenagoga, antiphthiriaca, fternutatoria;diu conſervate:
Probably art, as well as ignorance, had ſome ſhare in theſe ſubſtitutions ; for the
particulars of which ſee Murray's Ap. Med. vol. 3. from p. 44. to p. 50.
« On taſtes, vide Anatomy of Plants, p. 283. • Mat. Med. p. 496.
o
vix
b
a
"c
No. 4

(52)
-
f
an.
vix purgans, alterans, diuretica.” Although many writers conſider
this root to be a perfectly innocent and ſafe medicine, yet we find
ſeveral proofs of its poiſonous effects, from which Murray collects
the following fymptoms : .“ Fateor, diſperſas hinc inde extare
obſervationes contrarias, querelas moveri de vomitionibus effrænis
inde contractis, hypercatharſi, torminibus, anxietate, fiti, fingultu,
animi deliquiis, fudoribus frigidis, faucium ftrangulatione, convul-
fionibus, fternutatione, torpore quodam artuum et inſueta rigiditate,
inflammatione ventriculi et inteſtinorum, quin morte pediffequa
præviis variis di&tis malis.”
It ſeems to have been principally from its purgative quality that
the ancients eſteemed this root ſuch a powerful remedy in maniacal
diſorders, with a view to evacuate the atra bilis, from which theſe
mental diſeaſes were ſuppoſed to be produced; but though evacua-
tions be often found neceſſary in various caſes of alienations of mind,
yet as they can be procured with more certainty and ſafety by other
medicines, this catholicon of antiquity is now almoſt entirely
abandoned. At preſent it is looked upon chiefly as
alterative, and in this light is frequently employed in ſmall doſes for
attenuating viſcid humours, promoting the uterine and urinary
diſcharges, and opening inveterate obſtructions of the remoter
glands :: it often proves a very powerful emmenagogue in plethoric
habits, where ſteel is ineffectual, or improper. It is alſo recom-
• Vide, Doering De Medicina et Medicis, p. 242. Act. Helv. vol. 5. p. 326.
Buchner Diff. de ſalut, et noxio Ellebori Nigri uſu. p. 22. Hildanus Obf. Med. chir.
cent. 4. obſ. 12. Scopoli Fl. carn. ed. 1. p. 557. Morgagni de ſed. & cauf. morb.
Epiſt. 59. art. 15. et Act, Helv. l. c. Hartman Vet. Acad. Handl. a 1762. p. 276.
Schulz Mat. Med. p. 152.
f Whether our Hellebore be the ſame ſpecies as that ſaid to grow in the iſland of
Anticyra, and about Mount Olympus, fo frequently alluded to by the latin poets,
is no eaſy matter to determine. From the accounts of Tournefort and Bellonius, who
botanized theſe places, a ſpecies of this plant was found in great plenty, which the for-
mer ſuppoſes to be the Hellebore of Hippocrates; it differs from the ſpecies here
figured, by having a large branched ſtem, and alſo by its effects, for he found that a
ſcruple of the extract brought on violent ſpaſms and convulſions. Many plants however
are known to vary as much by a removal from their native foil and climate.
& Duncan's Ed. new. Diſpenſatory. Lewis's Mat. Med.
Mead, (mon. et præc. med. p. 138) ſpeaks of it as the moſt potent of all emmena-
gogues; but Home (clin. exper. & hift. p. 386) and Paſta (Diſſertaz. mediche ſopra i
meſtrui delle Donne, p. 192) found it often unſucceſsful.
mended
h

OF
MICH

19
Helleborus fatidus
Publiphed by Dr Woodville April 1:1790.

( 53 )
k
mended in dropfies, and ſome cutaneous diſeaſes." The watery
extract of this root, made after the manner directed in the pharma-
copoeias, is one of the beſt and ſafeſt preparations of it,' when
deſigned for a cathartic, as it contains both the purgative and diuretic
parts of the Hellebore; it may be given in a doſe from ten grains to
a ſcruple, or more. A tincture of this drug is alſo ordered in the
pharmacopeias, which is preferred for the purpoſes of an alterative
and deobftruent; of which a tea-ſpoonful twice a day may be con-
fidered a common doſe.
i By Avicenna, Geſner, Klein, Milman, and Bacher whoſe famous tonic pills are thus
prepared : Rc Ext. Helleb. Nig. Myrrhæ Solutæ aa yj pulv. Card. bened. ziij M.
F. f. a. Maſſa aëre ficco exſiccanda, donec formandis pilulis apta fit, fingul. ad gran.
femiſs. k In the lepra Græcorum. Vide Aretæus Oper. ed. Boerh. p. 136. Schmidel
Diff. de lepra in Haller's collect. Diſp. pract. T. 6. p. 83. And Hildanus mentions the
caſe of a girl who was cured of an obſtinate ſcabies of the face by this extract. 1. c.
| The irritating power of its active matter being conſiderably abated by the boiling.
Lewis's M. M.
HELLEBORUS FOETIDUS.
FETID HELLEBORE, Or,
BEAR'S-FOOT.
GREAT
SYNONYMA. HELLEBORASTER. Pharm. Lond. Helleborus
Niger Foetidus. - Bauh. Pin. 185. Helleboraſter maximus flore &
ſemine prægnans. Lobel. p. 679. Helleboraſter maximus. Gerard.
Herb. p. 977. Helleborus maximus ſive Conſiligo. Park. t. 212.
Helleborus caule ramoſo, multifloro, foliis multipartitis, ſerratis,
ſtipulis ovato-lanceolatis, coloratis. Haller's Stirp. Helv. p. 1193.
Elleborus niger fylveftris adulterinus etiam hyeme virens. 7. Bauh.
3. p. 880. Veratrum nigrum 3. Dodon. Pempt. 382.
BLACK HELLEBORE, or Bear's-Foot. Setterwort, Raii Synopſis,
p. 271. Withering's Bot. Arran. 582. Relhan's Flor. Cant.
P:
218.
Claſs Polyandria. Order Polygynia. L. Gen. Plant. 702.
Eſ. Gen. Ch. Cal. o. Petala 5 f. plura. Nećtaria bilabiata, tubu-
lata. Caps. polyſpermæ, erectiuſculæ.
Sp. Ch. H. caule multifloro folioſo, foliis pedatis.
THE root is ſmall, but beſet with a prodigious number of ſlender
dark

( 54 )
a
а
a
dark coloured fibres ;" the ſtem riſes to the height of a foot and a half,
or more, towards the bottom it is round, ſtrong, firm, naked, and marked
with alternate cicatrices, the veſtiges of the former leaves ; at the top
it divides and ſubdivides into branches, producing many flowers, and is
garniſhed with ſcaly leaves, or bracteæ ; the leaves are numerous, and
ſtand upon long footſtalks, ſurrounding the middle of the ſtem ; they
are divided like the Helleborus niger into ſimple leaves, which are
commonly eight or nine, long, narrow, lanceolated, ſerrated, and of a
dark green colour; the ſcaly leaves, placed at the ramifications of the
flower ſtem, are ſmooth, trifid, alternate, and often purpliſh, but
thoſe near the flowers are oval and pointed; the flowers are nume-
rous, terminal, pendent, of a roundiſh ſhape, and ſtand upon pedun-
cles, forming a ſort of umbel; the petals are five, oval, concave,
perſiſtent, of a pale green colour, and their margins are uſually tinged
with purple; the ſtamina are the length of the petals; the antheræ
are white; the germina three, hairy, and ſhaped ſimilarly to thoſe of
;
the Helleborus niger. This plant grows wild in many parts of Eng-
land, and flowers about February.
The Helleborus niger, though conſtantly uſed in medicine ſince
the time of Hippocrates, was the only ſpecies of Hellebore known
in the Materia Medica of our pharmacopoeias, till the late introduction
of this plant by the London College, probably upon the authority of
Dr. Biſſet, who recommends the leaves as poſſeſſing extraordinary
anthelminthic powers. The ſmell of the recent plant is extremely
fetid, and the taſte is bitter, and remarkably acrid, inſomuch, that
when chewed, it excoriates the mouth and fauces; it commonly
operates as a cathartic, ſometimes as an emetic, and in large doſes
proves highly deleterious. The leaves, the only part noticed by the
College, have been long domeſtically employed in this country for
their vermifuge effects, and are thus ſpoken of by Gerard :-“The
leaves of baſtard Hellebor, dried in an oven, after the bread is drawne
out, and the pouder thereof taken in a figge or raiſin, or ſtrawed
ს
977.-
6
a
a Gerard's deſcription we find very juſt. “The root confifteth of many ſmall black
ſtrings, involved or wrapped one within another very intricately."
intricately.” Johnſon's Gerard,
It muſt be obſerved, that the Heleborus Albus of the ſhops, is a Veratrum.
• Vide Threlkeld's Iriſh Herbal; and in the Oxford Magazine for March 1769, p.
99. fatal caſes are related by John Cook of Oxford.
upon

( 55 )
a
upon a piece of bread ſpread with honey, and eaten, killeth worms in
children exceedingly."d-Biſſet ſays, “ The great baſtard black Helle-
bore, or Bear's-Foot, is by far the moſt powerful vermifuge for long
round worms of any I have yet experienced. The anthelmintic virtue
of this plant is well known to the vulgar in the Dutchy of Cleveland,
Yorkſhire, who generally give it to their children when they ſuſpect
them to have worms.
The decoction of about a dram of the green
leaves, or about fifteen grains of the dried leaves in powder, is the
uſual doſe adminiſtered to children betwixt four and ſeven years of
age; a full or ſufficient doſe generally proves more or leſs emetic,
and often looſens the belly a little. It is uſually repeated on two, and
ſometimes three ſucceſſive mornings. The ſecond doſe has commonly
a greater effect than the firſt, and never fails to expel round worms
by ſtool, if there be any lodged in the alimentary tube.”
“ The juice of the green leaves of the Bear's-Foot, made into a
ſyrup with coarſe ſugar, is almoſt the only vermifuge I have uſed
againſt round worms for three years paſt. Before preſſing out the
juice, I moiſten the bruiſed leaves, which are a little fucculent, with
ſome vinegar, which is a corrector of this medicine, and prevents it
from inducing great ſickneſs, or much vomiting. Of this fyrup I
give one tea-ſpoonful at bed-time, and one or two in the morning,
on two or three ſucceſſive days, to children betwixt two and ſix years
of age; increaſing or diminiſhing the doſe a little, according to the
ſtrength of the patient.” When this does not open the body, an
·
equal quantity of tincture of rhubarb is directed to be added.
9
& Gerard, 1. c. An Eſſay on the Medical Conſtitution of Great Britain, p. 235.
and p. 339. Dr. B. ſpeaks of this plant as uſeful alſo in foine aſthmatic and hypochon-
driacal diſorders.
We have tried the anthelminthic effects of this plant upon a girl of twenty years of
age, (a patient in the Middleſex Diſpenſary) with conſiderable advantage.
No. 4.
P
OXALIS

( 56 )
OXALIS ACETOSELLA.
WOOD-SORREL.
SYNONYMA. LUJULA. Pharm. Lond. OXALIS ACETOSELLA,
ſcapis unifloris, fol. ternatis : foliolis obcordatis piloſis. Thunb.
Diſ. de Oxal. n. 5. Curtis Flor. Lond. Withering's Bot. Arrang.
p. 470. Relhan's Flor. Cant. p. 176. Oxys fcapo unifloro, foliis
ternatis, radice ſquamoſo-articulata. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 928.
Oxys ſive Trifolium acidum, flore albo & purpurafcente. 4. Bauh.
II. 387. Trifolium acetofum vulgare. Bauh. Pin. 330. Parkinſon
& Theat. 746. Oxys Alba. Gerard. Herb. 1201.
p. 281. Wood-SORREL. Hift. Plant. 1098. AceTOSELLA,
et ALLELUJA, Quorundam.
Raii Synop.
Caps.
Claſs Decandria. Ord. Pentagynia. L. Gen. Plant. 582.
Eſ. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-phyllus. Petala unguibus connexa.
angulis dehiſcens, 5-gona.
Sp. Ch. O. fcapo unifloro, foliis ternatis obcordatis, radice dentata.
L. Syft. ed. 13.
THIS delicate little plant is excellently deſcribed by Mr. Cartis,
(Flor. Lon.) we ſhall therefore adopt his deſcription, as far as it
coincides with our plan. The root is perennial, horizontal, ſcaly,
and of a bright red colour ; the leaves grow three together, inverſely
heart-ſhaped, of a yellowiſh green colour, frequently purple un-
derneath, and beſet with a few hairs; the leaf ſtalks are about
three inches long, nearly upright, tender, proceeding from little
bulbs, which form a kind of ſheath, at the bottom theſe ſtalks
are red and round, but towards the top grooved on one ſide :
the flowers are white or fleſh-coloured, and elegantly ſtreaked with
red veins. The flower-ſtalk is ſomewhat longer than the leaf-ſtalk,
and

20
Oxalis
Acetosella
Publiſhed by D” Woodville April 1.1790,

UNIL
OR

( 57 )
а.
lar;
a
and furniſhed near the top with two oval pointed bracteæ, which
partly ſurround it; the calyx is divided into five ſegments; theſe
are ſhort, permanent, bluntiſh, membraneous at the edges, and
often ſpotted with purple; the petals are five, affixed to the recep-
tacle by the claws, which bend a little inward juſt above where the
claws adhere together, they are blunt, flightly crenated, and tinged
at the bottom with yellow; the ſtamina are ten, upright, white,
the five exterior the ſhorteſt; the antheræ are yellow and bilocu-
the germen is quadrangular and green; the ſtyles are five,
very ſlender, a little longer than the ſtamina, and the ſtigma is
blunt; the capſule is ovaliſh, pentagonal, ſpotted, divided into five
cavities, each containing three feeds, which are heart-ſhaped, longi-
tudinally grooved, convex on both ſides, of a bright reddiſh brown
colour, and incloſed within a ſhining white elaſtic arillus, by the
burſting of which the ſeeds are thrown out). This plant is a native
of England, it flowers about April and May, and is commonly found
in woods, or in ſhaded ſituations.a
The Acetoſella is totally inodorous, but has a grateful acid taſte,
which is more agreeable than the common forrel, (Rumex Acetoſa)
and approaches nearly to that of the juice of lemons, or the acid of
tartar, with which it alſo correſponds in a great meaſure in its medical
effects, being eſteemed refrigerant, antiſcorbutic, and diuretic. It is
recommended by Bergius in inflammatory, bilious, and putrid fevers,
and from the caſes adduced by Francus, he concludes, “ Acetoffellam
appetitum reſtaurare, vomitum conſopire, alvum ftringere,fitim ſedare,
oris amaritiem tollere, cordis vires reparare, anginamque abigere.
The principal uſe however of the Acetoſella is to allay inordinate
heat, and to quench thirſt; for this purpoſe, a pleaſant whey may
he formed by boiling the plant in milk, which under certain cir-
cumſtances may be preferable to the conſerve directed by the London
d
a
# As a diſtinguiſhing part of the generic character, Ray ſays, “ Quod per maturi-
tatem levi tactu diſiliens cum impetu ſemina ejaculantur, (hiſt. 1098).
a Mr. Curtis obſerves, that this plant continues to produce ſeeds during the greateſt
part of the ſummer, without any appearance of expanded bloſſoms.
.
b This makes it uſeful in ſallads, in ſome meaſure ſupplying the place of vinegar.
• De vera herba Antiquorum Acetoſella, &c,
d Mat. Med. p. 379.
College,

( 58 )
College, though an extremely grateful and uſeful medicine. Many
have employed the root of Lujula, probably on account of its
beautiful red colour rather than for its ſuperior efficacy. An eſſential
ſalt is prepared from this plant, known by the name of Eſſential
Salt of Lemons, and commonly uſed for taking ink-ſtains out of
linen.
-
• This falt is made from the expreſſed juice. Vide Boerh. Chem. vol. 2. proc 7. &
Savary, Diff. de Sale Eſſent. Acetoſellæ. p. 9. Thunberg found that the Oxalis cernua
of the Cape of Good Hope, yields the falt in greater quantity than the Acetoſella.
This falt, when genuine, which is ſeldom to be procured ſo,|| is compoſed of the vegetable
alkali and a peculiar acid, which ſeems more allied to the acid of ſugar than that of
tartar. Vide Bergman Act. Up. Nov. vol. 2. p. 215. where the manner of ſeparating
this acid is alſo given, and related by Murray. Ap. Med. vol. 3. p. 497.
|| Vide Scheele in Görwells nya tidningar, 1775. n. 30. p. 237. & Savary, 1. c.
What is ſold under the name of Eſſential Salt of Lemons in this country, appears fome-
times to conſiſt of C. Tart. with the addition of a ſmall quantity of vitriolic acid. MS.
Lectures on Chemiſtry by Dr. Hamilton.
CONVOLVULUS JALAPA.

ON
OR

21
Convolvulus Jalapa
Publighed by D" Woodville. May
7.
1790.

( 59 )
CONVOLVULUS JALAPA.
JALAP BIND-WEED.
SYNONYMA. Jalapium. Pharm. Lond. Jalappa. Pharm.
Edin. Convolvulus Jalapa, fol. difformibus cordatis angulatis
oblongis lanceolatis, caule volubili, pedunculis unifloris. Lin. Syft.
Veg. & Mant. 43. Convolvulus foliis variis, pedunculis unifloris,
radice tuberoſâ cathartica. Mill. Diet. Convolvulus Americanus
Jalapium dictus. Raii Hift. vol. 1. 724. Mechoacanna nigricans,
ſive Jalapium. Park. 180. Bryonia Mechoacanna nigricans.
Bauh. Pin. 298.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 215.
Eſ. Gen. Ch. Cor. campanulata, plicata. Stigmata 2.
2-locularis : loculis diſpermis.
Caps.
Sp. Ch. C. caule volubili, foliis ovatis fubcordatis obtufis obſolete
repandis fubtus villoſis, pedunculis unifloris. Hort. Kew. vol. 1. 211.
THE root is perennial, large, ponderous, abounding with a milky
juice, of an irregular oval form, and blackiſh colour; the ſtalks are
numerous, ſhrubby, ſlender, twiſted, ſtriated, riſing above ten feet
high, and twining for ſupport round the neighbouring plants ; the
leaves are various, generally more or leſs heart-ſhaped, but often
angular, or oblong and pointed; they are ſmooth, of a bright green
colour, and ſtand alternately upon long footſtalks ; the flowers are
produced from ſhort branches, ſending off two peduncles, each of
which ſupports a ſingle flower ; this is large, bell-ſhaped, entire, pli-
cated, externally of a reddiſh colour, but of a dark purple within ;*
the calyx conſiſts of five oval leaves, theſe are concave, ſomewhat
* The colour will no doubt vary. This plant, at Kew, produced yellowiſh flowers ;
but the plants obtained by Houſton from the Spaniſh Weſt Indies anſwer to the
deſcription we have given.
Q
indented
a
No. 5.

( 60 )
b
с
indented at their points, and of a pale green colour; the filaments
are five, ſlender, ſhort, and the antheræ large, and yellow; the ſtyle
is ſhorter than the ſtamina; the ſtigma is round, and the germen oval.
It is a native of South America, and flowers in Auguſt and Septem-
ber.a The plant we have figured was introduced into the Royal
garden at Kew in 1778, by Monſ. Thouin, and under the direction
of Mr. Aiton it acquired great vigour and luxuriance, extending
its ſtalks fifteen feet in length; and, by means of flips obtained
from it, two healthy young plants have ſince been produced: this
circumſtance is the more fortunate, as the parent plant lately died.
Botaniſts have differed much reſpecting the officinal Jalap plant;
Linnæus following Clufius, Plumier, Tournefort, and others, firſt
referred it to the Mirabilis, but in the ſecond edition of his Materia
Medica he adopts the opinions of Ray and Miller, in conſidering
it a Convolvulus; and indeed after the account of this plant given
by Dr. Houſton, we are ſurpriſed that any doubt ſhould ſtill remain
upon this ſubject.
It is ſaid that the root of Jalap was firſt brought to Europe about
the year 1610, and took its name from Xalapa, a province or town
in New Spain. In the ſhops we find this root both cut into ſlices,
and whole, of an oval ſhape, ſolid, ponderous, blackiſh on the
outſide, but grey within, and marked with ſeveral dark veins, by
the number of which, and by its hardneſs, heavineſs, and dark
colour, the goodneſs of the root is to be eſtimated.
It has ſcarcely
any ſmell, and very little taſte, but to the tongue and to the throat
manifeſts a ſlight degree of pungency. The medicinal activity of
Jalap reſides principally, if not wholly, in the reſin, which though
given in ſmall doſes, occaſions violent tormina. The gummy part
a Hort. Kew. See Linnæus's Obſerv. in Mat. Med. 1772. p. 7.
• The London College have not referred to the Linnæan name of this plant.
Bergius found that neither the dried root of the Mirabilis Jalapa, nor of the M. longi-
flora, given in the doſe of half a dram, produced any cathartic effects, but he ſays that
of the M. dichotoma fatis bene purgat; and as its root alſo bears ſome reſemblance to the
true exotic jalap, he hence infers that it is the ſame. However, with great deference
to the learned profeſſor, we think theſe reaſons inſufficient to warrant his concluſion,
more eſpecially as they are repugnant to eſtabliſhed facts. We may alſo obſerve, that all
the three ſpecies of the Mirabilis are in ſome degree purgative; but even when foſtered
in the warm climate of Jamaica, ſo congenial to their native ſoil, their roots, both in
appearance and medicinal power, eſſentially differ from thoſe of jalap.
bears
-

( 61 )
-
d
bears an inconſiderable proportion to the reſinous, and is found to
have little or no cathartic power, but as a diuretic it is extremely
active. —That Jalap is an efficacious and ſafe purgative daily expe-
rience muſt evince, but according as the root contains more or leſs
reſin, its effects muſt of courſe vary. Hoffman thought it particu-
larly improper and unſafe to adminiſter this medicine to children ;
but Dr. Cullen obſerves, that if Jalap “ be well triturated before
exhibition with a hard powder, and the cryſtals of tartar are the
fitteſt for the purpoſe, it will operate in leſſer doſes than when taken
by itſelf, and at the ſame time very moderately and without griping.
Except when given in very large doſes, I have not found it to be
heating to the ſyſtem; and if it be triturated with a hard fugar, it
becomes, in moderate doſes, a ſafe medicine for children, which in
this form they will readily receive, as the jalap itſelf has very little
taſte.” ufo Jalap, in large doſes, or when joined with calomel, is
recommended as an anthelmintic and a hydragogue, and from its
general efficacy in droplies was called Panacea Hydropicorum. For
the different conſtitutions and conditions of body in which it is more
eſpecially indicated, or its uſe forbidden, we may cite the opinion of
Geoffroy : “ Obſervandum tamen Jalapam non convenire in febribus
acutis, neque calidis & ficcis conſtitutionibus. In his enim, ficut
cætera purgantia acria & irritantia, calorem intenſum & fæpe inflam-
matorium in viſceribus accendit, parcioremque imo fæpe nullam
evacuationem promovet. Sed iis convenit, qui frigidæ ſunt temperiei
& ſero ſcatentes, ſpeciatim in hydrope, anaſarca, & cachexia.” M. M.
In the Pharmacopoeias, we have Jalap in the form of tincture and of
extract; and the Edinburgh College direct it alſo in powder, with
twice its weight of the cryſtals of tartar. The doſe of the ſimple
powder is commonly from one ſcruple to two; of the compound
powder it may be double this quantity, which is nearly equal to 1o or
15 grains of the extract, or about two drams of the tināture.
+ Cullen's Mat. Med. vol. 2. p. 54.0. 4 Marcgrave M. M.
>
CONIUM MACULATUM.

( 62 )
CONIUM MACULATUM.
COMMON HEMLOCK.
SYNONYMA. Cicuta. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Hal. Stirp. Helv.
766. Cicuta major. Bauh. Pin. 160. Cicuta vulgaris major, Park.
933. Cicutaria vulgaris. Clus. Hift. 2. 200. Cicuta. Gerard, 1061.
Raii Hift. vol. 1. 451. Synop. p. 215. Stoerck. Suppl. Conium
Maculatum. Scop. Flor. Carn. p. 207. Bergius Mat. Med. 192.
.
Curtis Flor. Lond. Withering Bot. Arrang. 277. Relhan Flor. Cant.
K WYELOy Græcor.
I I 2.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Digynia.
Ord. Digynia. L. Gen. Plant. 336.
El. Gen. Ch. Involucella dimidiata, fubtriphylla. Fructus ſubglo-
boſus, 5-ſtriatus, utrinque crenatus.
Sp. Ch. C. feminibus ftriatis.
a
a
THE root is biennial, tapering, ſometimes forked, eight or ten
inches long, and about the thickneſs of a finger: the ſtalk is five or
fix feet high, round, ſhining, beſet with brown and purpliſh ſpecks;
towards the top branched and ſtriated; near the bottom about three
inches in circumference, and covered with a bluiſh exudation, ap-
pearing like a fine powder : the lower leaves are very large, tripin-
nated, of a ſhining green colour, ſtanding upon long, ſtriated, concave
footſtalks, which proceed from the joints of the ſtem ; the upper and
ſmaller leaves are bipinnated, and placed at the diviſions of the
branches: the flowers are produced in umbels, which are both
univerſal and partial, and compoſed of ſeveral ſtriated radii. The
univerſal involucrum & conſiſts of five or ſeven leaves, theſe are
lanceolated, whitiſh at the margin, and bent downwards; the partial
# The calyx of umbelliferous plants is termed involucrum, and may be univerſal,
partial, or proper, according as it is placed at the univerſal umbel, partial umbel, or
flower.
involucrum

22
Eu
be
3
Conium maculatum
Publipha, in; Dr Woo dritte May 1. 1790.

OF

( 63 )
b
с
.
involucrum is compoſed of three or four leaves, which are placed on
the outer ſide of the radial ſtalk; the petals are five, oval, white, and
curl inwards at their points; the ſtamina are five, white, about the
length of the corolla, and crowned with whitiſh antheræ ; the ſtyles
are two, filiform, inclining outwards, and terminated by round Stig-
mata; the fruit is oval, ſtriated, conſiſting of two irregularly hemiſ-
pherical ſtriated browniſh ſeeds. This plant flowers in July, and is
commonly found near dunghills and waſte grounds. It has a pecu-
liar faint fetid ſmell, and a ſlight aromatic herbaceous, and ſomewhat
nauſeous taſte.
The common reſemblance of moſt of the umbelliferous plants leads
us to ſuſpect, that they were very imperfectly diſtinguiſhed by the
ancients; for though the botanical deſcription of the Kwybory, given
by Dioſcorides, applies in great meaſure to this plant, yet it muſt
be conſidered, that his deſcription is without diſcrimination, and is,
with a few exceptions, equally applicable to all the genera of plants
compoſing the natural order of Umbelliferæ : ſo that the accounts
given of Cicuta by ancient writers, ſhould be admitted with great
caution. Whether this ſpecies of hemlock was the poiſon uſually
adminiſtered at the Athenian executions, and which deprived Athens
of thoſe great characters, Socrates and Phocion, we are at a loſs to
determine;' but that it is a deleterious poiſon there cannot be a
doubt, though ſome circumſtances render it probable that it is
leſs
a “ The Hemlock is obviouſly diſtinguiſhed from our other umbelliferous plants by
its large and ſpotted falk, by the dark and ſhining green colour of its bottom leaves
, and
particularly by their diſagreeable ſmell when bruiſed, and which, according to Störck,
reſembles that of mice." Curt. Flor. Lond. The Chærophyllum bulbofum has a
ſpotted ſtem, but its ſwelled joints, and rough ſeeds, diſtinguiſh it from the hemlock.
b Bergius. M. M. 194. Stoerck ſays, that the milky juice of the root is ſo extremely
acrid and deleterious that a ſmall drop or two of it being applied to his tongue produced
great pain and ſwelling of that organ, and for ſome time deprived him of the power of
ſpeech. In anſwer to this ſee note (8).
• Haller refers it to the Cicuta viroſa. The word Cicuta, with the ancients,
ſeemed not indicative of any particular ſpecies of plant, but of poiſonous vegetables in
general. Vide Plinii Hift. Nat. L. 14. c. 5. L. 25. C. 13.
e For further information on this ſubject, conſult Steger Diff. de Cicuta Athenienſium.
Ehrhart Diff. de Cicuta. Joannis Viventii de Cicuta comment.
f Of the moſt deciſive inſtances of its fatal effects, which have occurred in this country,
is that related by the late Dr. Watſon in the Phil. Tranſact. in which it is fully aſcer-
R
tained
f
No. 5

( 64 )
leſs powerfully ſo than is generally imagined. The ſymptoms
produced by Hemlock, when taken in immoderate doſes, are related
by various authors, the principal of which have been collected by
Haller and others, and ſtated in the following words : “ Intus ſumpta
facit anxietates, cardialgias, vomitus, appetitum proftratum diutur-
a
-
tained by him, that two Dutch ſoldiers, at Waltham Abby, were killed in a very ſhort
time by eating this plant. Other proofs of this ſort are given by Heins, (Pharm. rat.
p. 370) which happened to ſome boys at Dreſden. Saml. rur Geſchichte von Ober.
Sachs. III. p. 221. Scaliger, Subtil. Exerc. 152. Amatus Act. Cur. 98. Cent. V.
See alſo the caſes mentioned by Wolf in Cominent. lit. Nor. anno 1740 and 1749.-
Wepfer. Cicut. p. 71. 312. Braffavola Examen. omn. fimp. We may alſo notice
the following from Theophraftus, (L. IX. c. 17.) Thrafyas Mantineenſis remedium a
ſe inventum fuiſſe gloriabatur, quod abſque dolore vitam abrumperet, ex Cicuta &
Papaveris fucco miſtum, &c. vide Hal. Stirp. Helv. p. 338.-to which work we are obliged
for many of the facts juſt recited. Although ſheep and ſome other animals eat this
plant with impunity, yet to many it is ſtrongly poiſonous. Three ſpoonfuls of the juice
killed a cat in leſs than a quarter of an hour. Rozier, Tableau, tom. i. 1773. Upon
opening thoſe animals to which it proved fatal, inflammation of the ſtomach and
inteſtines was diſcovered. Harder apiar. Obf. 24 & 25. Wepfer cicut. p. 334. And
we may here add, what we noticed formerly under Belladonna, that vinegar has been
found the moſt uſeful in obviating the effects of this poiſon; and that by macerating or
boiling this plant in vinegar, it becomes totally inert. Lindeſtolpe de venenis.
& Reſpecting the root of Hemlock, we have the following inſtances, ſhewing unequi-
vocally that it does not poſſeſs any noxious power whatever. Ray relates, (Phil. Tranſ.
XIX. vol. p. 634.) that the ſkilful herbaliſt, Mr. Petiver, ate half an ounce of the root
of Hemlock, and that Mr. Henly, in the preſence of Mr. Petiver, ſwallowed three or
four ounces, without experiencing any remarkable effect; and theſe facts feem confirmed
by the later experiments of Mr. Alchorne and Mr. Timothy Lane, neither of whom perceiv-
ed any ſenſible effect on eating this root. Mr. Curtis ſays, Mr. Alchorne “ aſſures me,
that he has tried this in every ſeaſon of the year, and in moſt parts of our iſland, without
,
finding any
material difference: and Mr. T. Lane informs me, that he alſo, with great
caution, made ſome experiments of the like kind, and in a ſhort time found he could eat
a conſiderable part of a root, without any inconvenience; after this he had ſome large
roots boiled, and found them as agreeable eating at dinner with meat as carrots, which
they in taſte ſomewhat reſembled; and as far as his experience, joined with that of others,
informed him, the roots might be cultivated in gardens, and either eaten raw like celery,
or boiled as parſeneps or carrots.” (Flor. Lond.) And Murray obſerves, Non tamen
tantopere eſſe Conium reformidandum, ut quidam exiſtimant, patet inde, quod etiam
infantibus tenellis impune exhibitum, nec foetum affecerit ſub matris graviditate datum,
nec gravidam matrem, nec detrimentum attulerit largior et per protractius tempus, ad
drachmas fex extracti uſque fupraque intra nychthemerum, uſus. Stöerck, vide Murray,
Ap. Med.vol. 1. p. 216.-Quin & exſtant exempla vetuſtiora, ingeſtam herbam vel ſuccum
majori adeo quantitate ſubinde tam homines quam bruta impune tuliſſe. Sic Plinius
caulem viridem comedi, Sextus Empericus feminam producit, quæ drachmam unam fucci
abſque noxa cepit. Murray, 1. c.
a
-
nam,

( 55 )
h
i
k
nam, convulſiones, cæcitatem, fopores,” (1. c.)“ vertiginem, de
mentiam, mortemque ipſam.” Murray App. Med. vol. 1. p. 215.-
Cicuta ſeems to have been, both by the Greek and Arabian phyſi-
cians, very generally employed as an external remedy for tumours,
ulcers, and cutaneous eruptions; it was alſo thought to have the
peculiar power“
“ frangere ſtimulum venereum; and this circum-
ſtance is the more remarkable, as Stoerck, Bergius, and others,
recommend its internal uſe for complaints of a contrary nature, and
adduce proofs of its aphrodiſiacal powers.'
Baron Stoerck was undoubtedly the firſt phyſician, who brought
Hemlock into repute as a medicine of extraordinary efficacy, by his
publication in 1760; and his claim to this diſtinction is the ſtronger,
as his facts only have ſince been able to ſupport its reputation to
any very conſiderable extent; nay it never ſucceeded ſo well as
when under his own direction, or confined to the neighbourhood in
which he reſided, and to the practice of thoſe phyſicians with
whom he lived in habits of intimacy and friendſhip. * To enumerate
all the diſeaſes in which he ſets forth the powerful efficacy of Cicuta,
in four ſucceſſive books on the ſubject, would be to give a catalogue
of moſt of the chronic diſeaſes with which human nature is afflicted.
And Bergius, though he experienced no advantage by employing
in true cancerous affections, ſtill recommends its uſe in “ Ulcera
ſordida & fiphilitica, Scabies, Morbi cutis, Gonorrhoea, Leucorrhoea,
Phthifis, Impotentia virilis, Rheumatiſmus chronicus, Scrophula ;"
and he conſiders its Virtus to be “narcotica, reſolvens, fuppurationem
promovens, diuretica.” To eſtimate with preciſion the medicinal
utility of Hemlock is no very eaſy taſk. Had Dr. Stoerck’s publi-
h Aretæus de Morb. Acut. L. 2. C. II. Et incrementa mammarum & teftium
cohibere, Anaxilaus & Dioſcorides.
Impotentiam virilem lub uſu Conii curatam obſervavi, in viro quodam pluſquam
quadrigenario, qui omnem erectionem penis perdiderat, poſtinde tamen plures liberos
procreavit. Bergius Mat Med. p. 195. - Dr. Cullen, however, never diſcovered its
effects in this way.
k The general inefficacy of Hemlock experienced in this country, induced phyſicians
at firſt to ſuppoſe that this plant, in the environs of Vienna and Berlin, differed widely
from ours, and this being ſtated to Dr. Stoerck, he ſent a quantity of the extract, pre-
pared by himſelf, to London, but this was found to be equally unſucceſsful, and to differ
in no reſpect from the Engliſh extract. * Collin, Locher, Quarin, Leber, &c.
cations
i

( 66 )
m
n
cations upon this ſubject contained but few and leſs extraordinary
proofs of its good effects in certain obſtinate and painful diſeaſes, the
virtues of cicuta might have been held in greater eſtimation than
they actually are :' while thoſe authors, who have as generally
condemned this medicine as uniformly uſeleſs or dangerous, ſeem to
have done it equal injuſtice." Although we have not in this country any
direct facts, like thoſe mentioned by Stoerck, proving that inveterate
ſcirrhuſes, cancers, ulcers, and many other diſeaſes hitherto deemed
irremediable, were completely cured by the Cicuta ; we have, how-
ever the teſtimonies of ſeveral eminent phyſicians, ſhewing that ſome
complaints, which had reſiſted other powerful medicines, yielded to
Hemlock;" and that even ſome diſorders, which, if not really
cancerous, were at leaſt ſuſpected to be of that tendency, were
greatly benefited by this remedy. In chronic rheumatiſms, fome
glandular ſwellings, and in various fixed and periodical pains, the
cicuta is now very generally employed; and from daily experience,
it appears in ſuch caſes to be a very efficacious remedy. It has alſo
been found of ſingular uſe in the chincough. We cannot there-
fore but conſider this plant an important acquiſition to the Materia
Medica. Externally the leaves of hemlock have been variouſly ap-
plied with advantage to ulcers, indurated tumours, and gangrenes.
Much has been ſaid reſpecting the variable nature of this plant, the
time of collecting it, the part which ought to be preferred, and the
beſt manner of preparing it for medical uſe; but as theſe circumſtances
n
1 That it ſhould be of ſome eſtimation in many of the diſeaſes, in which it is recom-
mended by Stoerck, appears from the numerous authorities cited by Murray, who con-
cludes with theſe words: “Et fic quidem in multis pertinaciflimis morbis liquandi ſpiſſa,
obſtructa reſerandi et ſanginem depurandi, efficacia auxilio fuit.” 1. c.
m Vide Andree's Obſervations on Stoerck's Pamphlet, anno 1761. Lange Diff. dubia
Cicutæ vexata. anno 1764. De Haen Epiſt. de cicuta, anno 1765. Bierken (Tal
om Kreaftſkador) who, with Bergius, ſays, that in all cancers it does miſchief.
Among thoſe we may mention the late Drs. Fothergill and Rutty. Vide Med. Obf. &
Inquir. vol. 3.-alſo in the 5th vol. the former gives an account of painful affections of
the face, which he attributes to cancerous acrimony, removed by the uſe of cicuta.-
Dr. Cullen ſays, “ I have found it in ſeveral caſes (of cancer) to relieve the pains and
mend the quality of the matter proceeding from the fore, and even to make a confider-
able approach towards healing it.” Mat. Med. vol. 2. 266. Several others inſtance its
good effects in glandular diſeaſes, and Mr. Hunter commends its uſe in ſyphilis.
• Dr. Butter on the Chincough.
feem

( 67 )
P.
ſeem only to produce a mere variation in the ſtrength of the medicine,
we conceive ſuch pharmaceutical inquiries to be of very little import-
ance, requiring only a proportionate adjuſtment of the doſe, which,
under the direction of a ſkilful practitioner, will always be regulated
by its effects only, beginning with a few grains of the extract or
powder, and increaſing it daily P till a ſlight vertigo or other ſymptoms
manifeſt the ſufficiency of the doſe: and unleſs this method has been
purſued, the medicine cannot be ſaid to have had an efficient trial.
An extract from the ſeeds is ſaid to produce giddineſs ſooner than
that from the leaves. Hence, while both the London and Edinburgh
Colleges have given a place to the fuccus ſpiſſatus cicutæ, into the
pharmacopoeia of the latter an extractum feminum cicutæ is alſo
introduced.”
p This ſhould alſo be attended to on recommencing with a freſh parcel of the me-
dicine, as it may differ very materially from the former preparation uſed; of this Dr.
Cullen gives a remarkable inſtance, ſtrongly evincing the neceſſity of ſuch a pre-
caution, 1. c.
9 Duncan's Edin. New Diſ.
The powder of the dried leaves of Hemlock ſeems to act with more certainty, and
is more to be depended upon than the extract; great caution however is required in
drying and preſerving theſe leaves. Dr. Withering recommends the following method,
which appears to us extremely proper : « Let the leaves be gathered about the end of
June, when the plant is in flower. Pick off the little leaves, and throw away the leaf
,
ſtalks. Dry theſe ſelected little leaves in a hot fun, or in a tin dripping pan or pewter
diſh before the fire. Preſerve them in bags made of ſtrong brown paper, or powder
them and keep the powder in glaſs vials, in a drawer or ſomething that will exclude the
light, for the light ſoon diffipates the beautiful green colour, and with its colour the
medicine loſes its efficacy. From 15 to 25 grains of this powder may be taken twice
or thrice a day. I have found it particularly uſeful in chronic rheumatiſins, and alſo in
many of thoſe diſeaſes which are uſually ſuppoſed to ariſe from acrimony. The nature
of this book does not allow minute details of the virtues of plants, but I can aſſure the
medical practitioner, that this is well worth his attention.” Bot. Arrang. 2d Ed. p. 280.
а.
а
a
No. 5.
S
DAPHNE MEZEREUM.

( 68 )
DAPHNE MEZEREUM.
ME ZEREON.
SYNONYMA. Mezereum. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Thymelæa
ſpica cylindrica, fuperne foliofa.
Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 1024.
Chamelæa Germanica. Dodon. Purg. p. 130. Chamelæa Germa-
nica five Mezereon. Gerurd. Hiſ. 1402. Park. 201. Raii Hift.
1587. Laureola folio deciduo, flore purpureo; officinis Laureola
foemina. Bauh. Pin. 462. Daphnoides. Camer. Epil. 937. Daphne
floribus ſeſſilibus, infra folia elliptica lanceolata. L. Fl. Lap. 105.
Daphne Mezereum, Flor. Dan. 268. Withering's Bot, Arrang. 402.
* Varietates funt,
a Floribus rubris.
B Thymelæa Lauri folio deciduo, flore albo, fructu flaveſcente.
Du Hamel Arb. 2. p. 325. n. 4.
Du Roi Hort. 1. p. 213.
Vide Hort. Kew.
Claſs O&tandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 485.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. 4-fida corollacea, marceſcens, ſtamina includens.
Bacca 1-ſperma.
Sp. Ch. D. floribus feffilibus ternis caulinis, foliis lanceolatis deciduis.
a
THE Mezereon is a hardy ſhrub, which uſually grows to the
height of five or fix feet, and ſends off ſeveral branches; the exterior
bark is ſmooth, and of a grey colour; the root is of a fibrous texture,
of a pale colour, and covered with ſmooth olive-coloured bark; the
leaves are few, tender, lance-ſhaped, feffile, deciduous, and appear at
the terminations of the branches after the flowers are expanded; the
* Dr. Ruſſel found no difference in the effects of theſe varieties, by the trials he
made with the rind, which is the only part of the root now in uſe.
flowers

23
Daphne Mezeruum
rullip'd by Dr Woodville. May. 1. 1790.

2015
-

( 69 )
It is ſaid to grow
а
b
С
flowers ſurround the branches in thick cluſters, they are ſeſſile, mono-
petalous, tubular, having the limb divided into four oval ſpreading
ſegments, commonly of a purple colour; the ſtamina are eight,
alternately ſhorter, and concealed within the tube of the corolla ; the
ſtyle is very ſhort, the ſtigma flat, and the germen, which is oval,
becomes a reddiſh berry, containing a round feed. This ſhrub is a
native of England, though not very common.
plentifully in ſome woods near Andover in Hampſhire, and alſo about
Laxfield in Suffolk; but it is generally cultivated in gardens, on
account of the beauty and earlineſs of its flowers, which appear in
February and March.
This plant is extremely acrid, eſpecially when freſh, and if retained
in the mouth excites great and long continued heat and inflammation,
particularly of the throat and fauces; the berries alſo have the ſame
effects, and, when ſwallowed, prove a powerful corroſive poiſon, not
only to man, but to dogs," wolves, foxes, &c. The bark and berries
of Mezereon, in different forms, have been long externally uſed to
obftinate ulcers and ill-conditioned fores. In France the former is
ſtrongly recommended as an application to the ſkin, which under
certain management produces a continued ferous diſcharge, without
bliſtering; and is thus rendered uſeful in many chronic diſeaſes of a
local nature, anſwering the purpoſe of what has been called a perpe-
tual bliſter, while it occaſions leſs pain and inconvenience.
a Mulierculæ ruri baccas Coccumgnidii propinant in morbis rebellibus, fæpe effectu,
deleterio. Bergius M. M. p. 307. A woman gave twelve grains of the berries to her
daughter, who had a quartan ague; ſhe vomited blood, and died immediately. Wither.
1. c. As the acrimony of theſe berrics is not immediately perceived upon being taſted,
the ignorant and unwary are the more eaſily betrayed to ſwallow them.
6 Haller. 1. c.
c Lin. Fl. Lap. p. 105.
d As ſome may wiſh to try this practice, which is unknown to this country, and pro-
miſes beneficial effects in ſeveral complaints, we ſhall briefly recite the uſual mode in
which it has been conducted :— A ſquare piece of the recent bark, about an inch lung,
and three quarters of an inch broad, macerated a little in vinegar, is applied to the ſkin,
over which is bound a leaf of ivy or plantane. This application is at firſt renewed night
and morning till it cauterizes the part and brings on a ferous diſcharge, when a renewal
of the bark once in 24 hours is found ſufficient to continue the iſſue for any length of time.
By means of ſuitable plaſters, we conceive that it might be applied behind the ears to
relieve the eyes, and on a larger ſcale prove an uſeful practice in fundry diſeaſes.
It muſt be obſerved however, that it ſometimes produces cutaneous eruptions, which
Bergius attributes to the abſorption of the acrid particles of the bark. I, c. vide Effai
ſur l'uſage & les effets de l'écorce du Garou.
In
d
-
a
a

( 70 )
f
-
a
.
In this country the Mezerion is principally employed for the cure
of ſome fyphilitic complaints, and in this way Dr. Donald Monro was
the firſt who gave teſtimony of its efficacy in the ſucceſsful uſe of the
Liſbon diet drink. A few months after this, ſeveral caſes were publiſhed
by Dr. Ruſſel, then phyſician to St. Thomas's Hoſpital, fully eſtab-
liſhing the utility of the cortex mezerei in venereal nodes.' He ſays,
“ the diſeaſe for which I principally recommend the decoction of
"
mezereon root as a cure, is the node, that proceeds from a thickening
of the membrane of the bones, which appears to be the cauſe of the
greateſt part of thoſe tumours, at leaſt when recent.-In a thickening
of the perioſteum from other cauſes I have ſeen very good effects from
it.” But in the nocturnal pains, accompanying fyphilis, unleſs occa-
fioned by the node itſelf, he found it neceſſary to join a ſolution of
ſublimate to the decoction. We may alſo remark, that Dr. R. never
found the deco&tion to increaſe any of the natural evacuations. Dr.
Cullen obſerves, that “ Dr. Home has not only found this decoction
to cure ſcirrhous tumours, which remain after the lues venerea, and
after the uſe of mercury, but that it healed alſo ſome ſcirrhous
tumours from other cauſes; and that he has employed it in ſeveral
cutaneous affections, and ſometimes with ſucceſs.” h
The conſiderable and long continued heat and irritation that is
produced in the throat when Mezereon is chewed, induced Dr.
Withering to think of giving it in a caſe of difficulty of ſwallowing,
ſeemingly occafioned by a paralytic affection. The patient was
a
directed to chew a thin ſlice of the root as often as ſhe could bear it,
and in about a month recovered her power of ſwallowing. This
woman had ſuffered the complaint three years, and was greatly re-
duced, being totally unable to ſwallow ſolids, and liquids but very
imperfectly.
g
9
a
a
e Ef. & obferv. phil. & lit. p. 402. vol.
p
3
f Med. Obſerv. & Inquir. vol. 3. p. 189.
Dr. R. firſt joined ſarſaparilla to the mezereon, but afterwards uſed the following
only:
R Cort. rad. Mezerei Zi
Aq. fontan. cong. iſs
Coc. ad cong. j ſub fin. addend. rad. glycyrrhiz, incis. Zj. dos. Ibſs quater in die.
And by this many of the patients were entirely cured without ever taking mercury.
h M.M. vol. 2. p. 215.
i l. c.
DIGITALIS PURPUREA.

OF
MIC

24
G Digitalis purpurea
Pabligh'd by D' Woodville May 1, 1790.

( 71 )
DIGITALIS PURPUREA. COMMON FOX-GLOVE.
SYNONYMA. Digitalis. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Digitalis foliis
calycinis ovatis, galea ſimplice. Hal. Stirp. Helv. no. 330. Virga
regia major, flore purpureo. Cæfalp. 348. Aralda Bononienſibus.
Gefner. Digitalis purpurea vulgaris. Park. 1653. Digitalis Pur-
purea. Gerard. Herb. 790. 7. Bauh. II. 811.
Raii Hift. 767
Synop. p. 283. Flor. Dan. 774. Curtis Flor. Lond. Withering's
Account of the Fox-glove.
Varietates. Digitalis purpurea, folio aſpero. Bauh. Pin. 243.
Digitalis alba, folio aſpero. Bauh. Pin. 244. Hort. Kew.
Claſs. Didynamia. Ord. Angioſpermia. L. Gen. Plant. 758.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-partitus. Cor. campanulata, 5-fida ventricofa.
Caps. ovata, 2-locularis.
Sp. Ch. D. calycinis foliolis ovatis acutis, corollis obtufis; labio
ſuperiore integro.
a
B
*
THE root is biennial, branched, and fibrous ; the ſtalk is erect,
fimple, tapering, covered with fine hairs or down, and riſes com-
monly to the height of four or five feet; the leaves are large, oval,
narrowed towards their points, obtuſely ferrated, veined, * downy,
and ſtand upon ſhort winged footſtalks; the floral leaves or bracteæ
ſpear-ſhaped, feffile, purpliſh towards the point; the calyx conſiſts of
five ſegments, which are elliptical, pointed, nerved, or ribbed, and the
uppermoſt ſegment is narrower than the others; the flowers grow in a
long terminal ſpike, chiefly on one ſide, they are large, monopetalous,
pendulous, bell-ſhaped,“ purple, and marked on the inſide with little
eyes, or dark coloured dots, placed in whitiſh rings; the tubular part
appears inflated, and almoſt cylindrical, but ſwelling towards the
baſe, and opening at the limb into four irregular, ſhort, obtuſe ſeg-
ments, of theſe the uppermoſt is the ſhorteſt, appearing truncated or
cut off tranſverſely; the peduncles are round, ſhort, villous, and bend
* On the under fide theſe veins form a kind of net-work.
* The flowers bear ſome reſemblance to the finger of a glove; hence the name Digitalis.
T
downwards
a
No. 5.

( 72 )
995
downwards by the weight of the flowers; the filaments are two long
and two ſhort, white, crooked, inſerted in the bottom of the tube,
and crowned with large oval yellow antheræ ; the ſtyle is ſimple, and
thickening towards the ftigma, which is bifid; the germen is oval,
and ſurrounded at the bottom by a ſmall nectarious gland; the cap-
fule is bilocular, and contains many blackiſh ſeeds. It grows com-
monly about road fides and hedges, eſpecially in dry gravelly foils,
and Áowers in June and July.
The leaves of Fox-glove have a bitter nauſeous taſte, but no
remarkable ſmell; they have been long uſed externally to fores and
ſcrophulous tumours with conſiderable advantage. Reſpecting the
internal uſe of this plant we are told of its good effects in epilepſy,
ſcrophula, and phthifis; but the incautious manner in which it was
employed rendered it a dangerous remedy: thus we find Ray (after
reciting the caſe of epilepſy cured by it, as mentioned by Parkinſon,)
ſays, " Verum medicamentum hoc robuftioribus tantum convenit,
fiquidem violenter admodum purgat & vomitiones immanes excitat:'
and others, ſpeaking of its ſucceſsful exhibition in fcrophula, remark,
“ Sed ob nimiam remedii vehementiam, continuationem ejus neceffa-
riam detrectavit." Yer while Digitalis was generally known to
poſſeſs ſuch medicinal activity, its diuretic effects, for which it is now
deſervedly received in the Materia Medica, were wholly overlooked;
that to this diſcovery Dr. Withering has an undoubted claim, and
the numerous caſes of dropſy, related by him and other practitioners
of eſtabliſhed reputation, afford inconteſtible evidence of its diuretic
powers, and of its practical importance in the cure of thoſe diſeaſes."
From Dr. Withering’s extenſive experience of the uſe of the Digitalis
in dropſies, he has been enabled to judge of its ſucceſs by the fol-
lowing circumſtances :-“ It feldom ſucceeds in men of great natural
ſtrength, of tenſe fibre, of warm ſkin, of florid complexion, or in
thoſe with a tight and cordy pulſe. If the belly in aſcites be tenſe,
hard, and circumſcribed, or the limbs in anaſarca ſolid and reſiſting,
we have but little hope. On the contrary, if the pulſe be feeble, or
intermitting, the countenance pale, the lips livid, the ſkin cold, the
ſwollen belly ſoft and fluctuating, the anaſarcous limbs readily pitting
b Raii Hiſt. p. 767. • Vide Murray's Ap. Med. vol. 1. p. 192.
d See his account
of the Fox-glove, publiſhed 1785; a book, which, in the opinion of Dr. Cullen,
« ſhould be in the hands of every practitioner of phyſick,” (M.M.)
under

( 73 )
a
under the preſſure of the finger, we may expect the diuretic effects
to follow in a kindly manner.” Of the inferences which he deduces,
the fourth is, “ that if it (Digitalis) fails, there is but little chance of
any other medicine fucceeding.” Thus we are to infer, that men of
”
,
great natural ſtrength, and under the other circumſtances juſt men-
tioned, when affected with dropſy, have little to hope for from the uſe
of this diuretic, and ſtill leſs from any other medicine. As this obſer-
vation is the reſult of experience, and of conſiderable practical con-
ſequence, we wiſh particularly to preſs it on the attention of the me-
dical reader. Although the Digitalis is now generally admitted to be a
very powerful diuretic, and many caſes may be adduced of its fuc-
ceſsful uſe & in addition to thoſe already publiſhed, yet it is but juſtice
to acknowledge that this medicine has more frequently failed than could
have been reaſonably expected, from a compariſon of the facts ſtated
by Dr. W.-" The doſe of the dried leaves, in powder, is from one
grain to three twice a day. But if a liquid medicine be preferred, a
dram
e l. c. p. 189. & feq. f In ſuch caſes Dr. W. attempts to induce a change in the
conſtitution, and thereby to fit it for the action of the Digitalis. Would not repeated
purging, according to Sydenham's plan, fucceed beſt in theſe caſes ?
g. The author could bring many inſtances were it neceſſary, of the good effects of
the Digitalis: a clinical patient at Guy's Hoſpital, treated by Dr. Relph laſt winter,
afforded a ſtriking proof of the efficacy of this medicine in hydrothorax.
h Among the principal of the unſucceſsful caſes we may notice the eight fatal ones
related in the Medical Memoirs by Dr. Lettſom. In reply to theſe caſes, Dr. Withering
ſent me the following Letter, * which is publiſhed by the permiſſion of Dr. Lettſom,
who authorizes me to ſay, that as his only object in this bufineſs is the inveſtigation of
truth, he willingly appeals to the juſtice and candour of the public, how far his practice
is fairly repreſented in Dr. Withering's letter :
SIR, * Pleaſe to accept my thanks for your offer of inſerting any thing new
which I might have to ſay reſpecting the Digitalis ; but I really have nothing new to
obferve, nor have I any thing to retract of what I have ſaid before. Under my own
management, under that of the medical practitioners in this part of England, and I
may
add, alſo in the hands of ſome worthy and reſpectable Clergymen in village ſituations, it
continues to be the moſt certain, and the leaſt offenſive diuretic we know; in ſuch caſes,
and in ſuch conſtitutions, as I have adviſed its exhibition. I have alſo the ſatisfaction to
find, by letters from ſome of the moſt eminent Phyſicians in different parts of England,
that it is equally uſeful and ſafe in their hands. But I complain of the treatment this
medicine has had in London. Its ill ſucceſs there cannot be altogether owing to diffe-
rence of conititutions. Dr. Lettſom has related his unſucceſsful attempts with a degree
of courage, and of candour, which do the higheſt honour to his integrity;* but no one
can compare his choice of patients, with my declarations of the fit and the unfit, or the
doſes he preſcribed, and the perſeverance he enjoined, with my doſes, rules, and cautions ||
* Memoirs of the Med. Society of London, vol. II, p. 145. || Account of the Fox-glove p. 181, 184, et ſeq.
without

( 74 )
a
CC
dram of the dried leaves is to be infuſed for four hours in half a
pint of boiling water, adding to the ſtrained liquor an ounce of any
fpirituous water. One ounce of this infuſion, given twice a day, is
a medium doſe. It is to be continued in theſe doſes till it either acts
upon the kidneys, the ſtomach, the pulſe, (which it has a remarkable
power of lowering) or the bowels."
without being aſtoniſhed that he could ſuppoſe he had been giving this medicine in the
manner preſcribed by me.”+-I am fully ſatisfied, that, had I preſcribed it in ſuch
caſes, ſuch forms, ſuch doſes, and ſuch repetitions as he has done, the effects would,
in my hands, have been equally uſeleſs, and equally deleterious. I muſt therefore fup-
poſe, that he had forgotten what I had written, without being conſcious that his memory
had deceived him. Had it been otherwiſe, after peruſing the caſes I had publiſhed at pages
xx. and pages 151, &c. of my Account, &c. he would hardly have thought it neceſſary
&
&
to have publiſhed more inſtances of what I had ſtigmatized as bad practice; or to have
ſought for further proofs, that an active and uſeful medicine might be employed ſo as to
prove a deleterious poiſon.
+ Memoirs of the Medical Society of London, vol. II. page 169.
ARUM MACULATUM. COMMON ARUM,or WAKE-ROBIN.
SYNONYMA. Arum. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Arum foliis
ſagittatis, ſpatha recta, clava cylindrica. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 1302.
Arum minus. Camerar. Epit. p. 367. Arum maculatum et vulgare
non maculatum. Bauh. Pin. 195. Arum vulgare maculatum et
non maculatum. Park. 372. Arum vulgare. Gerard. H. 834.
Raii Hift. 1208. Wake-Robin Cuckow-pint. Raii Synop. 266.
Arum Maculatum. Flor. Dan. 505. Flor. Lond. Withering's
Bot. Arrang. 1012.
Relhan's Flor. Cant. 342.
Varietates funt
a Arum vulgare non maculatum. Bauh. Pin.
ß Arum maculatum, maculis candidis, vel nigris. Bauh. Pin.
Arum italicum, foliis haftatis acutis, petiolis longiſſimis,
ſpatha maxima erecta. Mill. Diet.
Claſs Gynandria. Ord. Polyandria. L. Gen. Plant. 1028.
E/ Gen. Ch. Spatha monophylla, cucullata. Spadix fupra nudus,
.
inferne femineüs, medio ſtamineus.
Sp. Ch. A. acaule, foliis haftatis integerrimis, fpadice clavato.

25
f
Arum
maculatum
Publiged by Dr Woodville Maj
1. 1790

GMT
M

( 75 )
•
THE root is perennial, tuberous, about the fize of the thumb,
ſending off many long ſimple fibres : the leaves are commonly three
or four, growing from each root; theſe are arrow-ſhaped, of a deep
green or purpliſh colour, beſet with many veins and dark ſpots, and
ſtand upon long grooved and ſomewhat triangularly ſhaped footſtalks;
the flower ſtalk is very ſhort and channelled; the calyx is a ſheath
of one leaf, large, oval, nerved, and encloſing the ſpadix, which is
round, club-ſhaped, fleſhy, above of a purple colour, below whitiſh,
ſtanding in the centre of the ſheath, and ſupporting the parts
neceſſary to fructification :-on tracing it towards the baſe we firſt
diſcover the nectaries, or ſeveral oval corpuſcles, which are terminated
by long tapering points; next to theſe are placed the antheræ, which
are quadrangular, united, and of a purple colour ; under theſe we
find again more nectaries, and laſtly the germina, which are very
numerous, round, without ſtyles, and crowned with ſmall bearded
ſtigmata. This curious ſpecies of infloreſcence diſplays itſelf early
in ſpring, but the berries do not ripen till late in the ſummer, when
they appear in naked cluſters, of a bright ſcarlet colour, making a
conſpicuous appearance under the hedges, where they commonly
grow.
The root is the medicinal part of this plant, which in a recent
and lacteſcent ſtate is extremely acrimonious, and upon being
chewed excites an intolerable ſenſation of burning and pricking in
the tongue, which continues for ſeveral hours: when cut in ſices
and applied to the ſkin, it has been known to produce bliſters.
This
acrimony, however, is gradually loſt by drying, and may be ſo far
difſipated by the application of heat, as to leave the root a bland
farinaceous aliment;" its medical efficacy therefore reſides wholly in the
active volatile matter, and conſequently the powdered root muſt loſe
much of its power on being long kept, a circumſtance which very
properly cauſed the omiſſion of the Pulvis ari compoſitus in the
[Arum, by a modern botaniſt, is arranged under the claſs Monoecia. ]
a In this ſtate it has been made into a wholeſome bread. It has alſo been prepared as
ftarch. The root, dried and powdered, is uſed by the French to waſh the ſkin with,
and is ſold at a high price, under the name of Cypreſs Powder : It is undoubtedly a good
and innocent coſmetic. Withering, 1. c. - Theſe roots are alſo ſaid to poſſeſs a
ſaponaceous quality, and have been uſed in waſhing linen, to ſupply the place of ſoap.
Raii Hift. p. 1208.
No. 6.
U
laſt

( 76 )
9b
66
d
9
laſt edition of our Pharmacopoeia. Lewis ſays, " the freſh and
moderately dried roots were digefted in water, in wine, in proof
ſpirit, and in rectified fpirit, with and without heat: the liquors
received no colour, and little or no taſte. In diſtillation neither
fpirit nor water brought over any ſenſible impregnation from the
Arum. The root, nevertheleſs, loſes in theſe operations almoſt the
whole of its pungency.
The qualities of this root are thus
enumerated by Bergius : Virtus recent. ficcata : ſtimulans, aperiens,
incidens, diuretica; recentis vehementiſſima; annofa || nutriens."
Dr. Cullen “ feems to conſider it as a general ſtimulant, not only
exciting the activity of the digeſtive powers, where they happen to
be languid, but ſtimulating the whole fyftem ; in proof of this he
obſerves, that it has been uſeful in intermittent fevers. Arum, by
ancient writers, is much commended, both as an external and as an
internal remedy, and is ſaid that “ Ratione particularum tenuium &
volatilium mucum viſcidum & fpiſſum ventriculi & inteſtinorum
parietibus adhærentem potenter incidit, attenuat, atque reſolvit;" and
was preſcribed in all that numerous claſs of diſeaſes formerly ſup-
poſed to proceed a fuccorum lentore. Bergius confiders it uſeful in
Colluvies pituitofa, Anorexia, Cephalæa fympatica, Aſthma humorale,
Cachexia, Febris intermittens. Arum is certainly a very powerful
ſtimulant, and by promoting the ſecretions may be advantageoully
employed in cachectic and chlorotic caſes, in rheumatic affections,
and in various other complaints of phlegmatic and torpid conſtitu-
tions; but more eſpecially in a weakened or relaxed ſtate of the
ſtomach, occafioned by the prevalence of viſcid mucus. If this
root is given in powder, great care ſhould be taken that it be
young and newly dried, when it may be uſed in the doſe of a ſcruple
or more twice a day: but in rheumatiſms and other diſorders requir-
ing the full effects of this medicine, the root ſhould be given in a
recent ſtate, and to cover the inſupportable pungency it diſcovers on
the tongue, Dr. Lewis adviſes us to adminiſter it in the form
b Lewis M. M. 119. M. M. 722.
d M. M. vol. 2. 212.
Tales radices Ari annoſæ vix acres funt, prout fupra monuimus, & quæ reftare
poteft acrimonia, mitigatur penitus ebullitione. Cæterum plures Ari ſpecies apud varias
gentes efculentæ funt. Nutriunt omnes ſuo farinoſo. Bergius, I. e.
Bergius ſpeaks highly of the efficacy of Arum in theſe headachs, which were of the
moſt violent kind, and reſiſted all the means he employed, till he uſed the powder of this
root, which never failed to relieve them,
of
с
e

UNID
CHI
M

26
Myrtas Pimenta
Publi' by Dr Woodville, June
Z.
2790.

( 77 )
of emulſion, with gum arabic and ſpermacæti, increaſing the doſe
from ten grains to upwards of a fcruple three or four times a day;
in this way "it generally occaſioned a ſenſation of flight' warmth about
the ſtomach, and afterwards in the remoter parts manifeſtly promoted
perſpiration, and frequently produced a plentiful ſweat. Several
obſtinate rheumatic pains were removed by this medicine, which is
therefore recommended to further trial.”
a
MYRTUS PIMENTA.
PIMENTO, JAMAICA PEPPER,
ALL-SPICE.
.
SYNONYMA. Pimento. Pharm. Lon. Pimenta & Piper Jamaicenſis.
Pharm. Ed. Caryophyllus aromaticus Americanus, Lauri acuminatis
foliis, fructu orbiculari. Pluk. Phyt. 155.f. 4. Amomum quorundam
odore Caryophylli, J. B. Caryophyllus aromaticus fructu rotundo,
Caryophyllon Plinii. Bauh. Pin. Piper adoratum Jamaicenſe nof-
tratibus. Raii Hift. 1507. Myrtus arborea aromatica foliis lauri-
nis. Sloane's Fam. vol. 2. p. 76. Caryophyllus foliis oblongo-ovatis
glabris alternis, racemis terminalibus et lateralibus. Browne's fam.
p. 247. Caryophyllus foliis lanceolatis oppofitis, floribus race-
mofis terminalibus & axillaribus. Miller's Diet.
Claſs Icoſandria. *
Ord. Monogynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 217.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-fidus, fuperus. Petala 5. Bacca. 2. ſ. 3-ſperma.
Sp. Ch. M. floribus trichotomo-paniculatis foliis oblongo-lanceolatis,
Hort. Kew.
Varietates, a foliis oblongo-lanceolatis acuminatis; acumine obtufo.
B foliis ovalibus obtuſis. Hort. Kew.
a
* “ Some of theſe trees are frequently obſerved to be barren, which has introduced a
notion among the people of Jamaica of their being male and female trees in general ; and
that ſome of the male or barren trees were neceſſary in every walk; which, as they are
commonly many, is a vaſt detriment. It is however certain, that all thoſe I have obſerved
were hermaphrodites : and I am credibly informed, that thoſe they call males, when
lopped and broke like the reſt for one or two years, do bear very well : which I am the
more apt to believe, as I have never obſerved a diſtinct male or female flower on any
of them.” Browne, 1. c.
THIS
a

( 78 )
a
THIS handſome myrtle grows above thirty feet in height, and
two in circumference; the branches near the top are much divided,
and thickly beſet with leaves, which by their continual verdure always
give the tree a beautiful appearance; the bark is very ſmooth, exter-
nally, and of a grey colour; the leaves vary in ſhape, and in ſize,
but are commonly about four inches long, veined, pointed, elliptical,
and of a deep ſhining green colour; the flowers are produced in
bunches, or panicles, and ſtand upon ſubdividing or trichotomous
ſtalks, which uſually terminate the branches; the calyx is cut into
four roundiſh ſegments; the petals are alſo four, white, ſmall, reflex,
oval, and placed oppoſite to each other between the ſegments of the
calyx ; the filaments are numerous, longer than the petals, ſpreading,
of a greeniſh white colour, and riſe from the calyx and upper part
of the germen; the antheræ are roundiſh, and of a pale yellow
colour; the ſtyle is ſmooth, ſimple, and erect; the ſtigma is obtuſe;
the germen becomes a round ſucculent berry, containing two kidney-
ſhaped flattiſh ſeeds. This tree is a native of New Spain and the
Weſt-India iſlands. In Jamaica it grows very plentifully, and in
June, July, and Auguſt puts forth its flowers, which, with every
part of the tree, breathes an aromatic fragrance.
The Pimento tree was firſt introduced and cultivated in this
country by Mr. Phil. Miller in 1739, and the figure we have annexed
was drawn from a recent ſpecimen, obtained from the garden of his
Grace the Duke of Northumberland at Sion-Houſe, where the plant is
now in full bloom. Pimento, or the berries of this ſpecies of myrtle, are
chiefly imported into England from Jamaica, and hence the name
Jamaica Pepper. It is alſo named All-ſpice from its taſte being ſup-
poſed to reſemble that of many different ſpecies mixed together.---
When the berries arrive at their full growth, but before they begin
to ripen, they are picked from the branches, and expoſed to the ſun
for
2,C6 The leaves and bark are full of aromatic particles, which make them (the plan-
ters) extremely cautious of fire in all Pimento walks; where, if it ſhould once catch, it
runs with great fury.” Browne, 1. c.
b « Such of the berries as come to full maturity do, like many other ſeeds, loſe that
aromatic warmth for which they are eſteemed, and acquire a taſte perfectly like that of
Juniper berries, which renders them a very agreeable food for the birds, the moſt induf-
trious planters of theſe trees." Browne, 1. c. « The berries when ripe are of a
dark
a
b

( 79 )
for ſeveral days, till they are fufficiently dried; this operation is to be
conducted with great care, obſerving that on the firſt and ſecond day's
expoſure they require to be turned very often, and always to be pre-
ſerved from rain and the evening dews. After this proceſs is com-
pleted, which is known by the colour and rattling of the ſeeds in the
berries, they are put up in bags or hogſheads for the market. This
ſpice, which was at firſt brought over for dietetic uſes, has been long
employed in the ſhops as a ſuccedaneum to the more coſtly oriental
aromatics; “it is moderately warm, of an agreeable flavour, ſomewhat
reſembling that of a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmegs. Diſtilled
with water it yields an elegant eſſential oil, ſo ponderous as to fink in
the water, in taſte moderately pungent, in ſmell and flavour approach-
ing to oil of cloves, or rather a mixture of cloves and nutmegs. To
rectified fpirit it imparts, by maceration or digeſtion, the whole of
its virtue : in diſtillation it gives over very little to this menftruum,
nearly all its active matter remaining concentrated in the infpiffated
extract.
Pimento can ſcarcely be conſidered as a medicine : it is, however,
an agreeable aromatic, and on this account is not unfrequently employ-
ed with different drugs, requiring ſuch a grateful adjunct. Both the
Pharmacopoeias direct an aqueous and ſpirituous diſtillation to be
made from theſe berries, and the Edinburgh College order alſo the
Oleum eſſentiale piperis Jamaicenſis.
а.
a
dark purple colour, and full of a ſweet pulp, which the birds devour greedily, and
muting the ſeeds, afterwards propagate theſe trees in all parts of the woods. It is
thought that the feeds paſſing through them, in this manner, undergo ſome fermentation,
which fits them better for vegetating than thoſe gathered immediately from the tree.;
and I believe this is the fact." Long's Jamaica, vol. 3. p. 703.
No, 6.
X
LAURUS

(80)
LAURUS CINNAMOMUM.
CINNAMON-TREE.
SYNONYMA. Cinnamomum. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Caffia
cinnamomea. Herm. Lugd. Bat. 129. t. 655. Pluk. Almag. 88.
Cinnamomum foliis latis ovatis frugiferum. Burm. Zeyl. 62. t. 27.
Arbor canellifera Zeylanica, cortice acerrimo feu præftantiffimo,
qui Cinnamomum Officinarum. Breyn. Prod. ii. 17. Cinnamo-
mum ſive Canella Zeylanica. Bauh. Pin. 408. Canella ſeu Cin-
namomum vulgare. Bauh. Hift. 1446. The Cinnamon-tree of
-Ceylon. Raii Hift. 1561. Laurus Cinnamomum. Jacq. Americ.
p. 59. t. 117. Raffe Coronde. Zeylonarum.
I
Claſs Enneandria. Ord. Monogynia. - L. Gen. Plant. 509.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. o. Cor. calycina, 6 partita. Nectarium glan-
dulis 3, biſetis, germen cingentibus. Filamenta interiora
glandulifera. Drupa 1-ſperma.
Sp. Ch.
L. foliis trinerviis ovato-oblongis : nervis verſus apicem
evaneſcentibus.
a
THIS valuable and elegant laurel riſes above twenty feet in height;
the trunk extends about fix feet in length, and one foot and a half
in diameter ; it ſends off numerous branches, which are covered with
ſmooth bark, of a browniſh aſh colour; the leaves ſtand in oppoſite
pairs upon ſhort footſtalks ; they are of an ovalifh oblong ſhape,
obtuſely pointed, entire, firm, from three to five inches long, of a
bright green colour, and marked with three whitiſh longitudinal
nerves; the common peduncles grow from the younger branches,
and after dividing, produce the flowers in a kind of paniculated umbel.
The petals are fix, oval, pointed, concave, ſpreading, of a greeniſh
white or yellowiſh colour, and the three outermoſt are broader than
the others; the filaments are nine, ſhorter than the corolla, flattiſh,
erect,
a

27
Laurus Cinnamomum.
z
Publiſhed by Dr Woodville. June
1790.

UN
o

(81)
a
66
I
erect, ſtanding in ternaries; and, at the baſe of each of the three
innermoſt, two ſmall round glands are placed; the antheræ are
double, and unite over the top of the filament; the germen is oblong,
the ſtyle ſimple, of the length of the ſtamina, and the ſtigma is
depreſſed and triangular: the fruit is a pulpy pericarpium, reſembling
a ſmall olive of a deep blue colour inſerted in the corolla, and con-
taining an oblong nut.
The true Cinnamon-tree is a native of Ceylon, where, according
to Ray, it grows as common in the woods and hedges as the hazel
with us, and is uſed by the Ceyloneſe for fuel and other domeſtic
purpoſes. Its cultivation was firſt attempted in this country about
the year 1768 by Mr. Philip Miller, who obſerves that the Cinnamon
and Camphire-trees are very near akin," and that if the berries of
theſe trees were procured from the places of their growth, and planted
in tubs of earth, the plants might be more eaſily reared than by layers,
which require two years or more before they take root.
We wiſh,
however, to caution thoſe who make the trial, to plant this fruit im-
mediately upon being obtained from the tree; for Jacquin remarks,
“ Cæterum ad fationem tranſportari femina nequeunt, quum paucos
intra dies nuclei corrumpantur, atque effæti evadunt.”a
"
Ray ſeems
to think that the Caſſia cinnamomea of Herman, the Caſſia lignea,
and the Caffia fiſtula of the ancient Greek writers, were the ſame,
or varieties of the ſame ſpecies of plant. But an inquiry of more
importance is, whether the Cinnamon of Ceylon is of the ſame
ſpecies as that growing in Malabar, Sumatra, &c. differing only
through the influence of the ſoil and climate in which it grows, or
a Jacquin's Americ. At Ceylon, “it is particularly owing to a certain kind of
Wild Doves, which, from their feeding on the fruit of the Cinnamon-tree, they call
Cinnamon-eaters, that theſe trees grow ſo plentifully in this iſland.” A. Seba Ph. Tranſ.
vol. 36. p. 105.
b It is neceſſary to obſerve, that the ancient ſignification of theſe names is very
dif-
ferent from the modern. The younger branches of the tree, with their bark covering
them, were called by the Greek writers awwaluwleon Cinnamomum, and ſometimes
Eudoxavia, or Caffia lignea; but when they were diveſted of their bark, which by its
being dried became tubular, this bark was denominated xxoid oubeyĚ, or caſſia fiſtula.-
But as in proceſs of time the wood of this tree was found uſeleſs, they ſtripped the bark
from it, and brought that only; which cuſtom prevails at this day. See Account of the
Cinnamon-tree by Dr. Watſon, Phil. Tranf. vol. 47.
from
-

( 82 )
from the culture or manner of curing the Cinnamon. Mr. White
and Mr. Combes, who have inveſtigated this ſubject with conſiderable
attention, agree with Gracias, and determine this queſtion in the
affirmative.*
The uſe of the Cinnamon-tree is not confined to the bark, for it
is remarkable that the leaves, the fruit, and the root, all yield oils of
very different qualities, and of conſiderable value : that produced
from the leaves is called Oil of Cloves, and Oleum Malabathri : that
obtained from the fruit is extremely fragrant, of a thick conſiſtence,
and at Ceylon is made into candles, for the ſole uſe of the King; and
the bark of the root not only affords an aromatic eſſential oil, or what
mon.
* According to many botanical writers the principal marks of diſtinction of theſe
plants are to be found in the leaf, which in the Cinnamon of Ceylon is more oval and
leſs pointed than the others, and the nerves do not reach to the margin ; while in the
Cinnamon of Sumatra they are ſaid to be continued to the extremity of the leaf. -
Reſpecting the bark it is well known to be leſs warm and grateful to the taſte, mani-
feſting that viſcoſity on being chewed which is never obſervable in the Ceylon Cinna-
But Mr. White, with the aſſiſtance of Dr. Matty, carefully compared the
ſpecimens of the Cinnamon-tree, (commonly called Caffia) which he had from Sumatra,
with thoſe from Ceylon, preſerved in the Britiſh Muſeum, which were the collections
of Boerhaave, Courteen, Plukenet, and Petiver, and found the difference fo inconfider-
able, as fully to juſtify his opinion. In Murray's edition of the Syſtema Veg. we find
fuperadded to the deſcription of Caffia, “ Eſſe modo Varietatem præcedentis, (Cinnam.)
foliis anguftioribus et obtufioribus, Thunberg in Act. Stockh. 1780. p. 56. The
difference of the bark itſelf is thus ſtated by Ray, " Officinæ noftræ Caffiam ligneam
a Cinnamomo ſeu Canella diſtinctam faciunt, Caffiam Cinnamomo craffiorem plerumque
effe colore rubicundiorem, ſubſtantiâ duriorem, folidiorem & compactiorem, guſtu
magis glutinoſo, odore quidem & fapore Cinnamomum aptius referre, tamen Cinna-
momo imbecilliorem & minus vegetam eſſe ex accurata obſervatione. Tho. Johnſon.
But Mr. White ſays, “ From the ſpecimens I ſhall now produce, it will moſt plainly
appear, that theſe differences are merely accidents, ariſing from the age of the Canella,
the part of the tree from whence it is gathered, and from the manner of cultivating and
curing it.” And he obſerves, “ If any conjecture can ariſe from hence, it may be,
that the Cinnamon of Ceylon was formerly, as well as that of Sumatra and Malabar,
called Caſſia ; but that the Dutch writers, being acquainted with the excellent qualities
which the ancients aſcribed to their Cinnamon, choſe to add the name Cinnamon to that
of Caffia; and in proceſs of time they have found the name of Cinnamon more profita-
ble than that of Callia, by which we chuſe to call our Canella, to our national loſs of
many thouſands a year.” (Phil. Tranſ. vol. 50. p. 887.) How far the reaſoning of
Mr. White is really well founded, we leave to the judgment of others; it may
however
be remarked, that his opinion is not a little ſupported, from the conſideration that the
Cinnamon plant varies exceedingly, even in the iſland of Ceylon, where Burman
collected nine different forts, and Seba actually deſcribes ten.
has
22
a

( 83 )
1
a
.
has been called Oil of Camphor, and of great eſtimation for its me-
dical uſe, but alſo a ſpecies of camphor, which is much purer and
whiter than that kept in the ſhops.
The ſpice, ſo well known to us by the name of Cinnamon, is the
inner bark of the tree;º and thoſe plants produce it in the moſt per-
fect ſtate, which are about fix or ſeven years old, but this muſt vary
according to circumſtances. Seba ſays, “ Thoſe which grow in the
vallies, where the ground"is a fine whitiſh fand, (and there are many
ſuch vallies in the iſland of Ceylon) will in five years time be fit to
have the bark taken off. Others, on the contrary, which ſtand in a
wet ſlimy foil, muſt have ſeven or eight years time to grow before
they are ripe enough.” And the bark of thoſe trees, which ſtand in
a very dry foil, and much expoſed to the fun, has often a bitteriſh
tafte, which Seba attributes to “the camphor being by the fun's
rays rendered ſo thin and volatile, that it riſes up and mixes with the
juice of the tree.” The bark, while on the trees, is firſt freed of
its external greeniſh coat; it is then cut longitudinally, ſtripped from
the trees, and dried in ſand, till it becomes fit for the market, when
it is of a reddiſh yellow, or pale ruſty iron colour, very light, thin,
and curling up into quills or canes, which are ſomewhat tough, and
of a fibrous texture. It is frequently mixed with caſſia, which is
diſtinguiſhed from the Cinnamon by its taſte being remarkably ſlimy.
This bark is one of the moſt grateful of the aromatics; of a very
fragrant ſmell, and a moderately pungent, glowing, but not fiery
taſte, accompanied with conſiderable ſweetneſs, and ſome degree of
aftringency. Its aromatic qualities are extracted by water in infuſion,
but more powerfully by it in diſtillation, and in both ways alſo by a
proof ſpirit applied. Cinnamon is a very elegant and uſeful aromatic,
more grateful both to the palate and ſtomach than moſt other ſub-
tances of this claſs : by its aſtringent quality, it likewiſe corrobo-
rates the viſcera, and proves of great ſervice in ſeveral kinds of
alvine fluxes, and immoderate diſcharges from the uterus.
The
aromatic principle is an eſſential oil, which is obtained by diſtilling
• “ If you taſte the inner membrane of the bark when freſh taken off, you will find
it of moſt exquiſite ſweetneſs, whereas the outward part of the bark differs but very
little in taſte from the common trees; but in drying, the oily and agreeable ſweetneſs
communicates and diffuſes itſelf throughout the whole outward part.” Seba 1. c.
No. 6.
Y
ز
at

( 84 )
at once large quantities of this ſpice, or rather caſſia, which is uſually
employed in theſe operations; and the oil thus ſeparated is ſo
extremely pungent, that on being applied to the ſkin it produces an
eſchar; in doſes of a drop or two diluted, by means of ſugar,
mucilages ; &c. it is one of the moſt immediate cordials and reſtora-
tives in languors, fingultuſes, and all debilities. This oil is imported
from the Eaſt-Indies, and a tincture, a ſimple, and a ſpirituous water,
are directed by the Pharmacopoeias to be prepared from this ſpice.
.
GLECOMA HEDERACEA.
GROUND-IVY, Or, GILL.
SYNONYMA Hedera terreſtris. Pharm. Edin. Gerard. 856.
Raii Hift. vol. 1. 567. Synop. 243.
Hedera terreſtris vulgaris.
Bauh. Pin. 306. Park. Theat. 676. Chamæciſſus five Hedera
terreſtris. J. Bauh. vol. 3. 855. Chamæclema caule procumbente
radicato, foliis reniformibus, rotunde crenatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv.
Glecoma hederacea. With. Bot. Arrang: 603. Relhan
Flor. Cant. 225. Curtis Flor. Lond. Flor. Dan. t. 789, .
No. 245.
Claſs Didynamia. Ord. Gymnoſpermia. L. Gen. Plant. 714.
El. Gen. Ch. Antherarum fingulum par in formam crucis connivens.
Calyx 5-fidus.
Sp. Ch. G. foliis reniformibus crenatis.
a
THIS plant has a ſmall, perennial, creeping, fibrous root, which
puts forth ſtalks from fix inches to a foot and a half in height; theſe
are ſquare, procumbent, and at the knots or joints woolly; the leaves
are of a roundiſh kidney-ſhape, ſcolloped, hairy, and ſtand in oppo-
ſite pairs upon channelled footſtalks; the flowers grow in verticilla,
or whorls of three, four, or five together, on ſhort peduncles, placed
about the foot talks of the leaves; the calyx is tubular, permanent,
ftriated,

28
Glecoma
ma hederacea .
Tublid ly D Woodville. June 1 1790.

UNIL
OF
MU

( 85 )
و
ftriated, rough, and divides into five unequal pointed ſegments; the
Aower is blue, monopetalous, bilabiated, with a ſlender compreſſed
tube ; the upper lip is cleft, erect, blunt, the lower lip is expanded,
large, divided into three lobes, of which the middle one the
largeſt, and is notched at the end; the bracteæ are ſmall, tapering, and
grow from the peduncles; the filaments are four, two long and two
ſhort, covered by the upper lip, and the antheræ of each pair approach
ſo as to form a croſs; the ſtyle is filiform, the ſtigma is bifid, and
pointed; the feeds are four, oval, naked, and lodged in the calyx.
It is a well known plant, growing commonly under hedges, and
flowering in April.
Ground-ivy has a peculiar ſtrong ſmell," and its taſte is bitteriſh, and
fomewhat aromatic. It is one of thoſe plants which was formerly in
conſiderable eſtimation, and ſuppoſed to poſſeſs great medicinal powers,
but which later experience has been unable to diſcover ; in proof of
this, its name is omitted in the catalogue of the materia medica by
the London College. The qualities of this plant have been deſcribed
by different authors, as pectoral, detergent, aperient, diuretic, vul-
nerary, corroborant, errhine, &c.—and it has been variouſly recom-
mended for the cure of thoſe diſeaſes to which theſe powers ſeemed
moſt adapted, but chiefly in pulmonary and nephriticº complaints.
In obſtinate coughs it is a favourite remedy with the poor, who
probably experience its good effects by ſtill perſevering in its uſe.
Ray, Mead, and ſome others, ſpeak of its being uſefully joined with
fermenting ale ;* but Dr. Cullen obſerves, “ it appears to me frivo-
lous. In ſhort, in many caſes where I have ſeen it employed, I have
had no evidence either of its diuretic or of its pectoral effects. In
b
e
a Dr. Withering has obſerved, that the leaves are “befet underneath with hollow dots,
in which are glands ſecreting an eſſential oil, and above with little eminences, but which
do not ſecrete any odoriferous oil; for this ſurface being rubbed gives out no peculiar
ſcent, whereas the under ſurface affords a pleaſant reviving ſcent.” 1. c.
b Willis, Pharm. rat. ſect. 1. c. 6. Morton, Phthiſiologia, lib. 3. Cap. 5. Sauvages
Noſol. Tom. 3. P. 2. cap de phthifi. Ettmuller, Oper. T. p. 639. Scardona Aphoris,
.
lib. 2. p. 69. River. Prax. P. 1. p. 397. See alſo Ray, Gerard, Miller, and others.
c Paulli Quadrip. bot. p. 74. Sennertus. Oper. T. 3. p. 576. Plater. Prax. Tom.
2. p. 499. Reuſn. Obſerv. Med. p. go. apud Welch. Mead Mon. et præc. med.
p. 97:
* From the general uſe of Ground-ivy, mixed with ale, &c. it acquired the name of
Ale-hoof and Tun-hoof.
common

(86)
common with many other of the verticillatæ, it may be employed as
an errhine, and in that way cure a head-ach,' but no otherways by
any ſpecific quality.” It is uſually taken in the way of infufion, or
drunk as tea.
d Ray gives a remarkable inſtance of its efficacy in this way, in the caſe of Mr.
Oldacres, and ſays, “ Succus hujus plantæ naribus attractus cephalalgiam etiam vehe-
mentiſſimam & inveteratam non lenit tantùm fed & penitus aufert-Medicamentum
hoc non fatis poteft laudari, fi res ex uſu æſtimarentur, auro æquiparandum.” 1. c.
COCHLEARIA OFFICINALIS. COMMON SCURVY-GRASS.
SYNONY MA. Cochlearia hortenſis. Pharm. Lond. & Edin.
Cochlearia. 7. Bauh. 2. 942. Cochlearia rotundifolia. Gerard.
324. Cochlearia folio fubrotundo. Bauh. Pin. 110. Cochlearia
major rotundifolia five Batavorum. Park. 285. Cochlearia. Raii
Hif. Spec. 1. p. 822. Synop. 302. Naſturtium foliis radicalibus
ſubrotundis, caulinis oblongis, ſubſinuatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. No.
503. Cochlearia officinalis. With. Bot. Arrang. 677. Flor. Dan.
t. 135.
Claſs Tetradynamia. Ord. Siliculofa. L. Gen. Plant. 803.
El. Gen. Ch. Silicula emarginata, turgida, ſcabra ; volvulis gibbis,
obtuſis.
Sp. Ch. C. foliis radicalibus cordato-fubrotundis ; caulinis oblongis
ſubſinuatis. Caulis ramofus.
THE root is perennial, fibrous, and uſually produces ſeveral
upright branched angular ſtems, about a ſpan high; the radical leaves
are heart or kidney-ſhaped, fleſhy, ſucculent, and ſtand upon long
footſtalks ; the ſtem-leaves alternate, rhomboidal, blunt, and dentated
on each ſide; towards the top the leaves are ſeſſile, or embracing the
ſtem, but towards the bottom they are frequently upon ſhort broad
footſtalks; the flowers are cruciform, and ſtand upon ſhort peduncles,
terminating

29
too
Cochlearia efficinalis
.
Publin'd by Dr Woodville June. 1. 1790.

OF

( 87 )
terminating the branches in thick cluſters; the calyx conſiſts of four
leafits, which are oval, blunt, cancave, gaping, deciduous, and whitiſh
at the margin; the petals are four, white, oval, ſpreading, and twice
the length of the calyx; the filaments are fix, four long and two
ſhort, greeniſh, tapering, and crowned with yellow antheræ ; it has
no ſtyle, and the germen becomes a ſmall roundiſh compreſſed pod,
containing rough ſeeds. It is found on the mountains of Scotland,
Cumberland, and Wales, but more commonly about the Sea ſhores :
it flowers in April and May.
We have figured this plant from a ſpecimen obtained from Mr.
Curtis's botanic garden at Brompton, where it differs in no reſpect
from the ſame plants growing in their native foil, a circumſtance
which induces many to cultivate Scurvy-grafs in gardens for medical
uſe. It has an unpleaſant ſmell, and a warm acrid bitter taſte. “ Its
active matter is extracted by maceration both in watery and in ſpiri-
tuous menſtrua, and accompanies, the juice obtained by expreffion.
The moſt conſiderable part of it is of a very volatile kind; the
peculiar penetrating pungency totally exhaling in the exficcation of
the herb, and in the evaporation of the liquors. Its principal virtue
reſides in an eſſential oil, ſeparable in a very ſmall quantity, by diſtil-
lation with water." --Scurvy-graſs is antiſeptic, attenuant, aperient,
and diuretic, and is ſaid to open obſtructions of the viſcera and
remoter glands, without heating or irritating the ſyſtem ; it has been
long conſidered as the moſt effectual of all the antiſcorbutic plants,*
a Lewis M. M. 242. • The oil is ſo ponderous as to ſink in the aqueous Auid, but
of great volatility, ſubtility, and penetration. One drop diſſolved in ſpirit, or received
on ſugar, communicates to a quart of wine, or other liquors, the ſmell and taſte of
Scurvy-grafs.” Lewis 1. c.
% This ſpecies is now preferred to all the other ſpecies of Cochlearia for its medical uſe.
c See the experiments of Sir John Pringle.
* We have teſtimony of its great uſe in ſcurvy, not only from phyſicians, but
navigators, as Anſon, Linſchoten, Maartens, Egede, and others. And it has been juftly
noticed, that this plant grows moſt plentifully in thoſe high latitudes, where the ſcurvy
is moſt obnoxious : Forſter found it in great abundance in the iſlands of the South Sea.
In Iſlandia parant incolæ hanc herbam cum lacte acidulato vel ejus fero; condiunt eam
etiam fale culinari in magnis doliis, & per hiemem ſervant. Cum oves in locis, ubi
Cochlearia creſcit, pafcuntur, avide quidem illam edunt & valde pingueſcunt, ſed caro
nauſeofo fapore inficitur. Olafsen. Reiſe durch Iſland. T. 1. p. 257. Vide Berg.
b
M. M. 557
No. 6.
Z
and

( 88 )
and its ſenſible qualities are ſufficiently powerful to confirm this
opinion. In the rheumatiſmus vagus, called by Sydenham Rheuma-
tifmus fcorbuticus, conſiſting of wandering pains of long continuance,
accompanied with fever, this plant, combined with Arum and wood-
ſorrel, is highly commended both by Sydenham and Lewis.'-A
remarkably volatile and pungent fpirit, prepared from this herb, and
known by the name of Spiritus antiſcorbuticus s. mixtura fimplex
antiſcorbutica Drawizii. (Pharm. Wert.) was found by Werlhof
to be a uſeful remedy in paralyſis and other diſeaſes requiring an
active and powerful ſtimulant, given in the doſe of thirty drops
ſeveral times a day. But as an antiſcorbutic, neither this, nor the
conſerve promiſes ſo much benefit as the freſh plant, eaten as fallad,
or the expreſſed juice, as directed in the Pharmacopoeias.
Opera 278. M. M. 241.
| Fit ex fpiritu tartari et ſpiritu cochleariæ, quibus vitriolum ad rubidinem calcin-
atum irroratur, ſuccedente digeſtione et diſtillatione. Murray Ap. Med. vol. 2. p. 347,
e Obf. de febr. p. 145. Dr. Cullen obſerves, that “ ſeveral foreign diſpenſatories
have ordered it to be treated by diſtillation with ſpirit of wine, and have thereby obtained
a volatile poignant ſpirit, that may prove a uſeful ſtimulus in ſeveral caſes. It may pro-
bably be improved by a combination with the volatile acid of tartar, as in the ſpiritus
antiſcorbuticus Drawitziz, and in this ſtate may
be a uſeful ſtimulant in paralytic caſes;
alſo be employed as a diuretic, and in this way alſo be uſeful in ſcurvy.” M.M.
yol. 2. 165.
it
may
CARDAMINE PRATENSIS.

HO
HA!

30
Cardamine pratensis
Puttijd by Dr Woodville, June 2.2790.

( 89 )
CARDAMINE PRATENSIS. COMMON LADIES-SMOCK,
Or, CUCKOW-FLOWER.
SYNONYMA. Cardamine. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Naſturtium
pratenſe magno flore. Bauh. Pin. 104.
Nafturtium pratenſe
majus feu Cardamine latifolia. Park. 825.
Park. 825. Iberis Fuchſii ſeu
Naſturtium pratenſe fylveſtre. 7. B. 2.889. Cardamine. Gerard.
Raii. Hiſ. Sp. 2. p. 814. Synop. 299. Cardamine foliis pinnatis
radicalibus fubrotundis, caulinis linearibus. Hal. No. 473. Car-
damine pratenſis. With. Bot. Arrang. 688. Relhan. Flor. Cant.
255. Curt. Flor. Lond.
Floribus fimplicibus. Floribus plenis.
H. Kew. Isovußguoy üreçox. Dioſcor.
Claſs Tetradynamia. Ord. Siliquoſa. L. Gen. Plant, 812.
El. Gen. Ch. Siliqua elaſtice diſfiliens valvulis revolutis. Stigma
integrum. Cal. ſubhians.
Sp. Ch. C. foliis pinnatis : foliclis radicalibus ſubrotundis ; caulinis
lanceolatis.
ß
THE root is perennial, branched, and ſends off many long round
fibres; the ſtalk is erect, round, ſmooth, ſometimes branched towards
the top, and riſes about nine inches high : the leaves are pinnated,
radical leaves frequently wanting, otherwiſe ſpreading in an orbicular
ſhape, with roundiſh pinnæ, which are dentated, or cut into ſeveral
irregular unequal angles; the leaves upon the ſtalk are erect, and
conſiſt of four or five pair of pinnæ, which are narrow, ſpear-ſhaped,
concave, pointed, and the odd or terminal leafits are the largeſt; the
flowers terminate the ſtem in a cluſter or racemus, and ſtand upon
ſmooth naked peduncles; the calyx is compoſed of four ſcaly leaves,
which are oblong, obtuſe, concave, deciduous, and alternately pro-
tuberant at the baſe; the corolla is cruciform, and of a purpliſh
,
white colour ; the petals are obverſely veined, ſomewhat notched at
the

(
90 )
the apex, and yellowiſh at the baſe; the filaments are fix, four long
and two ſhort, inveſted at the bottom with four nectareous glands;
the antheræ are ſmall, oblong, and placed upright upon the ſummits
of the filaments; there is no ſtyle; the germen is round, ſlender,
about the length of the ſtamina, and becomes a long compreſſed
pod of two valves, which, on opening, roll back in a ſpiral manner,
and in the cells are contained many round ſeeds. It is common in
meadows and moiſt paſtures, producing its flowers in April and May.
This plant has the ſame ſenſible qualities as water-creſs, though in
an inferior degree to it, and indeed to moſt of that claſs of plants,
called by Dr. Cullen filiquofæ, which comprehends both the orders of
ſiliquoſa and filiculofa of Linnæus, and the cruciform of Tournefort.
It is the flower of the Cardamine which has a place in the materia
medica of the Britiſh Pharmacopoeias, upon the authority of Sir
George Baker, who, in the year 1767, read a paper at the London
College, recommending theſe flowers as an antifpafinodic remedy,
which has ſince been publiſhed in the Medical Tranſactions. In this
account Sir George relates five caſes wherein the fores cardamines
were ſucceſsfully uſed; and in a P. S. to the ſecond edition, he ſays,
“ Since the firſt edition of this volume, I have ſeen ſeveral inſtances of
the good effects of flores cardamines in convulſive diſorders.” In
Epilepſy, however, this remedy has been generally found unſucceſsful.
Greeding, who tried it in a great number of caſes, and in large
,
doſes, experienced but one inſtance of its good effects. The doſe of
the powdered flowers is from half a dram to two drams.
a
с
d
a
a We find no account of the uſe of theſe flowers but by Dale, who ſays of the plant,
C Calida & acris eft, & nafturtii pollet viribus. Flos in convulſionibus laudatur ex
MSS. D. Tancred Robinſon, M. D.” Pharmacol, 204.
b Medical Tranſactions, vol. 1. 442.
• Viz, two of chorea fancti Viti, one of ſpaſmodic aſthma, an hemiplegia accompanied
with convulſions on the palfied fide, and a caſe of remarkable ſpaſmodic affections of the
lower limbs; the two firſt were cured in leſs than a month; the two ſecond were alſo
happily removed: but in the laſt caſe the patient had experienced ſome relief from the
for. card, when ſhe was ſeized with a fever which proved fatal. See l. c.
d Ludwig. Adyers, Medico-pract. Vol. 3. P. 3. p. 564.

UNG
OS
porc

31
Laurus Sapapao
Palliphed by Dr Woodville July 1. 1790.

( 91 )
LAURUS SASSAFRAS.
SASSAFRAS-TREE.
SYNONYMA. Saſſafras. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Cornus mas
odorata, folio trifido, margine plano, Saſſafras diéta. Pluk. Alm.
120. Cateſb. Carolin. 1. p. 55. Saſſafras five lignum pavanum.
7. Bauh. i. 483. Saſſafras, arbor ex Florida, ficulneo folio. Bauh.
Saſſafras. Gerard emac. 1525. Park. Theat. 1606.
Raii Hift. ii. 1568. Laurus foliis integris trilobiſque. Trew. Ebret.
t. 69. Duham. Arb. 1. p. 350. Kalm. Canad. 2. p. 270.
Pin. 431.
Claſs Enneandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 503.
Eſ. Gen. Ch. Cal. o. Cor. calycina, 6-partita. Neétarium glandulis
3, biſetis, germen cingentibus. Filamenta interiora glandulifera.
Drupa 1-ſperma.
Sp. Ch. L. fol. trilobis integriſque.
THE Saſſafras tree riſes ſometimes to the height of twenty or
thirty feet,* and is about twelve or fifteen inches in diameter, but it
is commonly of much leſs growth, and is divided towards the top into
ſeveral crooked branches: the bark of the young ſhoots is ſmooth
and green, of the old trunks it is rough, furrowed, and of a light
aſh-colour: the leaves vary both in form and ſize, ſome being oval
and entire, others cut into two or three lobes; they are all of a
pale-green colour, veined, downy on the under fide, and placed
alternately upon long footſtalks : the flowers are produced in pendent
ſpikes or panicles, which ſpring from the extremities of the ſhoots
of the preceding year; they appear in May and June, and are
generally male and female upon different trees: the corolla is divided
into fix leaves, which are narrow, convex, and of a dingy yellow
* Vide Marſhall's Arbuſtrum Americanum, p. 75.
No. 7
Аа
colour;

( 92 )
а
b
a
d
colour;
the male flowers have nine a filaments, crowned with round
antheræ ; the bracteæ are linear, and placed at the baſe of the pe-
dicles; there is no calyx, and the berries produced by the female
flowers are ſimilar in ſhape and colour to thoſe of the cinnamon.
[See plate 27.]
The Saffafras tree is a native of North America, and appears to
have been cultivated in England ſometime before the year 1633, for
in Johnſon's edition of Gerard, he ſays, “ I have given the figure
of a branch taken from a little (Saſſafras) tree, which grew in the
garden of Mr. Wilmote at Bow.” I It is ſaid that the Saſſafras-tree
was firſt diſcovered by the Spaniards in 1538, when they pofleffed
themſelves of Florida;' and the wood was firſt imported into Spain
about the year 1560, where it acquired great reputation for curing
various diſeaſes. It is now uſually imported here in long ſtraight
pieces, very light, of a ſpungy texture, and covered with a rough
fungous bark. It has a fragrant ſmell, and a ſweetiſh aromatic
ſubacrid taſte : the root, wood, and bark, agree in their medical quali-
ties, and are all mentioned in the pharmacopoeias; but the bark is the
moſt fragrant, and thought to be more efficacious than the woody
part, and the ſmall branches are preferred to the large pieces.
virtues of Saſſafras are extracted totally by ſpirit, but not perfectly
by water. Diſtilled with the latter it yields a fragrant eſſential oil of
a Miller ſays eight, but in the ſpecimen figured, which was procured from a male tree
in the King's garden at Kew, nine ſtamina were obſerved in all the flowers.
• Marſhall, 1. c.
c “G. Piſo Monardis deſcriptioni circa lignum Saſſafras non acquieſcendum effe ait,
fiquidem affirmat Saſſafras Floridæ lignum decorticatum vix ullius dignitatis effe, cùm
Braſilienſe eximiæ dignitatis & virtutis habeatur, atque à cortice liberatum in aliquot
annos immune ſervatur.” Vide Raii Hiſt. p. 1569.
I This account differs from that given by Ray, who ſays, that --" Tho. Johnſonus
in Gerardo ſuo emaculato: qui Saſſafras arbuſculæ â ſé vifæ in horto D. Guliel. Coys
Stratfordiæ propé Londinum ramulum deſcribit & depingit, &c. Hiſt. 1. c.
d « It is called cinnamon-wood on account of its ſmell, which made the Spaniards,
when they conquered Florida, in 1538, under Ferdinand de Soto, hope to find that
valuable ſpicery there, which grows only in Ceylon.” Savary Diet. ii. 1487.
e “ Ligni quoddam genus ex Florida, nunc recens in Hiſpaniam invehitur, cujus
ante paucos annos, notitiam Gallus quidam mihi dedit, ejus facultates mirum in modum
prædicans adverſus varios morbos, ut Galli experti erant, ab incolis edocti.-Dicitur
Indis Pavame, Gallis, neſcio quam ad caufam, Saſſafras.” Monard. Hift. ed anno 1569.
à penetrating
66 The
a
е

(93)
2
"
g
h
a penetrating pungent taſte, and ſo ponderous as to ſink in water.
Rectified fpirit extracts the whole taſte and ſmell of Saſſafras, and
elevates nothing in evaporation ; hence the ſpirituous extract proves
the moſt elegant and efficacious preparation, as containing the whole
virtue of the root.” Saſſafras, according to Bergius, is “ fudorifera,
diuretica, purificans," and uſeful in “ rheumatiſm, cutaneous diſeaſes,
and ulcers.” Lewis ſays that it is uſed as a mild corroborant, diaphoretic,
and ſweetener in ſcorbutic, venereal, cachectic, and catarrhal diſorders.
Its medical character was formerly held in great eſtimation, and its
ſenſible qualities, which are ſtronger than any of the other woods,
may have probably contributed to eſtabliſh the opinion ſo generally
entertained of its utility in many inveterate diſeaſes ; for ſoon after
its introduction into Europe, it was ſold at a very high price, and
its virtues were extolled in publications profeſſedly written on the
ſubject. It is now, however, thought to be of very little import-
ance, and ſeldom employed, but in conjunction with other medicines
of a more powerful nature. Dr. Cullen " found that a watery
infuſion of it taken warm, and pretty largely, was very effectual in
promoting ſweat; but (he adds) to what particular purpoſe this
ſweating was applicable, I have not been able to determine.” i In
ſome conſtitutions Saſſafras, by its extreme fragrance, is ſaid to pro-
duce head-ach; to deprive it of this effect the decoction ought to
be employed.
Saſſafras is an ingredient in the decoctum farſaparillæ compofi-
tum, or decoctum lignorum ; but the only officinal preparation of it
is the eſſential oil, which may be given in the doſe of two drops to
ten. Watery infuſions made both from the cortical and woody part,
raſped or ſhaved, are commonly drunk as tea; but the ſpirituous
tincture, or extract, which contains both the volatile and fixed parts
of the medicine, appears to be preferable.
f Lewis M. M.
& Viz. 50 livres per pound.
See Saſſafraſologia, &c. publiſhed by J. R. Bremane, 1627. Cullen's M. M. ii. 200.
LAURUS NOBILIS.

( 94 )
LAURUS NOBILIS.
COMMON SWEET-BAY.
SYNONYMA. Laurus. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Dodon. 849.
Camer. Epit. 60. Gerard emac. 1407. J. Bauh. Hift. 1. 405.
The Common Bay-tree. Raii Hift. 1688. Laurus vulgaris.
Bauh. Pin. 460. Laurus major five latifolia. Park. Parad. 598.
Laurus nobilis. Trew. nov. act. ph. med. A. N. C. vol. 2. p. 381.
Laurus foliis ovato-lanceolatis, ramis florigeris, folio brevioribus.
Hall. Stirp. Helv. n. 1602. Arbor Acepun Fructus Acquides Dioſcor.
Claſs Enneandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 503.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. o. Cor. calycina, 6-partita. Nectarium glandulis
3 biſetis, germen cingentibus. Filamenta interiora glandulifera.
Drupa 1-ſperma.
Sp. Ch. L. foliis venofis lanceolatis perennantibus, floribus quadrifidis.
THE Bay-tree never riſes to any conſiderable height, but uſually
ſends off many radical ſhoots, which grow cloſe and buſhy :* the
bark is ſmooth, and of a dark olive colour: the leaves are elliptical,
pointed, ſmooth, veined, entire, often waved at the margin, of a
ſhining green colour, and ſtand erect upon ſhort channelled footſtalks :
the flowers come forth in April and May, and, like thoſe of the
Saſſafras, are male and female upon different plants ;* they appear in
cluſters of three or four together, ſtanding upon ſhort peduncles at
the axillæ of the leaves ; the corolla divides into four oval leaves,
which ſtand erect, and are of a yellowiſh white colour; the ſtamina
vary in number, from ſeven to thirteen; there is no calyx, and the
glands, &c. correſpond with the generic deſcription: the ſtyle of the
a Tum ſpiſſa ramis laurea fervidos
Excludet ictus.-Hor. lib. ii. Ode xv.
We have figured the male plant.
female

32
God
Laurus nobilis
Publiphed by Dr Woodville July 1.
1790

UNILE
OF
897CW

( 95 )
b
29 d
e
female flowers is very ſhort, and the germen becomes an oval berry, co-
vered with a dark green rind, and ſeparable into two lobes or cotyledons.
This tree is a native of Italy, and other ſouthern parts of Europe,
and the firſt account we have of its cultivation in England is given
by Turner in 1562 ;' it is a handſome evergreen, and now very
common in the ſhrubberies and gardens of this country. The leaves
and berries poſſeſs the ſame medicinal qualities, both having a ſweet
fragrant ſmell, and an aromatic aſtringent taſte. –The berries are
imported from the Streights, and are much ſtronger than the leaves.
“ in diſtillation with water the leaves yield a ſmall quantity of very
fragrant eſſential oil : with rectified ſpirit they afford a moderately
warm pungent extract. The berries yield a larger quantity of eſſential
oil : they diſcover likewiſe a degree of unctuoſity in the mouth, give
out to the preſs an almoſt inſipid fluid oil, and on being boiled in
water a thicker butyraceous one, of a yellowiſh green colour, im-
pregnated with the flavour of the berry.
The Laurus of honorary memory, the diſtinguiſhed favourite
b Turn. Herb. part 2. fol. 32. in Hort. Kew. cit.
.
c Lewis M. M. 382.
d Their ſpicy warmth has recommended them for culinary purpoſes, and in this way
they were much uſed by the Romans, " Apud veteres Romanos inter cibi condimenta
in culinis frequenter adhibebantur, ut teſtatur Apicius Cælius.” And the leaves both of
this plant, and the common laurel, are frequently uſed in cuſtards, &c. But the practice
has by many been diſcontinued, fince a recent and fatal proof of the poiſonous qualities
of the latter was made public. To ſuch we may obſerve, that the common laurel, or
Prunus Lauro ceraſus of Linnæus,,differs very materially from the plant here repreſented,
both in its effects and in its botanical characters. The common ſweet bay may be thus
uſed not only with ſafety but with the advantage of afliſting digeſtion : and it has even
been thought to obviate the poiſonous effects of the laurel : « Aqua ſtillatitia Lauri,
fecundum Clar. Cantwell, antidotus eft aquæ ftillatitiæ Lauro ceraſi.” (Hall. 1. c.) It
may be remarked, however, that the deleterious part of the laurel is the eſſential oil
which requires to be ſeparated by diſtillation, in order to become an active poiſon.
· Laurus planta eft, Apollini lucidiffimo facra: quin etiam a Jove colitur. It was
not only generally worn as a triumphal crown, but, by the Emperor Tiberius, as a pro-
tection againſt thunder. “ Laurum fulmine non percuti veteribus perſuaſum fuit."
“ Eadem ſuperſtitione nititur obſervatio illa de crepitu quem folia & virgæ Lauri inter
urendum edunt. Nam fi crepuiſſent abundè ac fonatiùs, haud dubie portendi felicem
eventum rebantur: quòd fi tacita deflagraſſent, triſtem & inauſpicatum.”
The Laurus,
as well as the Olive, was conſidered as an emblem of peace, and called Laurus pacifera,
“ fi ejus rami prætendebantur inter armatos hoftes, firmum quietis erat indicium."
Matthiol) Mufas in Laurinis montis Parnaſli fylvis fidere finxerunt. Eâdem corona-
bantur Pætæ. Necnon adhuc quibufdam in locis novi Medicinæ Doctores Lauro
coronantur : inde fortaffe Laureandi & Laureati dicuntur. (Geoff.)
Bb
of
No. 7

( 96 )
h
of Apollo,' may be naturally ſuppoſed to have had no incon-
ſiderable fame as a medicine ;s but its pharmaceutical uſes are
ſo limited in the preſent practice, that this dignified plant is now
rarely employed, except in the way of enema, or as an external appli-
cation; thus, in the London pharmacopoeia the leaves are directed in
the decoctum pro fomento, and the berries in the emplaftrum cumini.
The berries however appear to poſſeſs ſome ſhare of medicinal
efficacy, and if we do not allow them to be ſo extenſively uſeful
as repreſented by J. Bauhin, Tournefort, Geoffroy, and ſome
others, yet we have no doubt of their virtus, ftomachica, reſolvens,
pellens menfes, urinam, fudorem, as ſtated by Bergius, who recom-
mends them only in hyſteria. They have been long thought to act
with peculiar power upon the uterine ſyſtem, and on this account
we are cautioned againſt their uſe in pregnancy. An infuſion of the
leaves is ſometimes drunk as tea; and the eſſential oil of the berries
may be given from one to five or ſix drops, on ſugar, or diſſolved by
means of mucilages, or in ſpirit of wine.
quercum.
Cui Deus, At conjux quoniam mea non potes eſſe,
Arbor eris certe, dixit, mea. Semper habebunt
Te coma, te citharæ, te noftræ, Laure, pharetræ,
Tu ducibus Latiis aderis, cum læta triumphum
Vox canet; & longæ vifent Capitolia pompæ.
Poftibus Auguſtis eadem fidiffima cuſtos
Ante fores ftabis; mediamque tuebere
Utque meum intonſis caput eſt juvenile capillis ;
Tu quoque perpetuos ſemper gere frondis honores.
Ovid. Met. I. v. 557.
8 " Laurus apud veteres medicos magnum habuit in medicina uſum, & veluti
panacea
æftimata fuit.” Geoff.
b Haller ſays, “ Calida & aromatica planta, femine potiffimum, cujus vires a medicis
nondum pro dignitate per experimenta exploratæ funt.” 1. c.
Baccas Lauri interne ſumptas, abhorret cl. Spielmann, ob vim prout dicit, infamem
abortum promovendi, fanguinemque multum exæftuandi, etiam ubi
grana
data fuerint. In praxi hodierna raro exhibentur baccæ; vidi tamen plures, etiam foemi-
nas, quæ pulverem e feminibus Capfici & baccis Lauri, ſupra memoratum, innoxie
ſumpſerunt, fæpe per octiduum. Bergius M. M. 324.
pauca ſolum
SOLANUM DULCAMARA.


33
Solanump Dulcamara
Publiphed by Dr Woodville July 1.1790.

( 97 )
SOLANUM DULCAMARA.
WOODY NIGHTSHADE.
SYNONYMA. Dulcamara. Pharm. Edin. Solanum fcandens
ſeu Dulcamara. Bauh. Pin. 176. Glycypicros, five Amara-
dulcis. 7. Bauh. ii. 109. Amara Dulcis. Gerard. emac. 350.
Solanum lignoſum ſive Dulcamara. Park. Theat. 350. Raii
Synopſis, 265. Raii Hift. 672. Solanum caule flexuoſo fruteſ-
cente, foliis ſupremis tripartitis & cordato-lanceolatis. Hal. Stirp.
Helv. n. 575. Hudſon Flor. Ang. p. 78. Withering. Bot. Arrang.
235. Flor. Dan. tab. 607. Curtis Flor. Lond. Etquxvos Theophraſt.
Varietates,
a Solanum fcandens feu Dulcamara. 1. c.
B Solanum dulcamarum africanum foliis craffis hirſutis. Hort.
Elt. Vide Hort. Kew.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 251.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. rotata. Anthera ſubcoalitæ, apice poro gemino
dehiſcentes. Bacca 2-locularis.
Sp. Ch. S. caule inermi fruteſcente flexuoſo, foliis fuperioribus
haftatis, racemis cymoſis.
THE ftalk is ſlender, climbing, alternately branched, ſomewhat
angular, brittle, hollow, and frequently riſes above ſix feet in height:
it is covered with bark of an afh-colour, and that of the young
branches is of a purple hue : the leaves are long, oval, pointed,
veined, and many of thoſe near the top are halbert-ſhaped, but the
lower leaves are entire, and of a deep green colour: the flowers hang
in looſe cluſters or cymæ; the corolla is monopetalous, wheel-ſhaped,
divided
a

( 98 )
a
divided into five pointed ſegments, which are bent backwards,
of a purple colour, and the baſe of each marked with two round
green ſpots: the tube is ſhort, and the faux or mouth is of a
ſhining black colour: the calyx is ſmall, and divides into five blunt
perſiſtent ſegments, of a purple colour: the five filaments are ſhort,
black, and inſerted in the tube of the corolla ; the antheræ are
yellow, erect, and unite at their points; the ſtyle is ſomewhat longer
than the ſtamina, and terminated by a fimple obtuſe ftigma; the
germen is oval, and becomes a roundiſh bilocular berry, which finally
acquires a red colour, and contains many flat yellowiſh ſeeds. It
grows plentifully in hedges well ſupplied with water, and the flowers
appear about the latter end of June.
The roots and ſtalks of this Nightſhade, upon being chewed, firſt
cauſe a ſenſation of bitterneſs, which is ſoon followed by a con-
fiderable degree of ſweetneſs; and hence the plant obtained the name
of Bitterſweet. The berries have not yet been applied to medical
uſe; they ſeem to act powerfully upon the primæ viæ, exciting vio-
lent vomiting and purging: thirty of them were given to a dog,
which ſoon became mad, and died in the ſpace of three hours, and
upon opening his ſtomach, the berries were diſcovered to have
undergone no change by the powers of digeſtion ;a there can there-
fore be little doubt of the deleterious effects of theſe berries; and as
they are very common in the hedges, and may be eaſily miſtaken by
children for red currants, which they ſomewhat reſemble, this cir-
cumſtance is the more worthy of notice. The ftipites, or younger
branches, are directed for uſe, in the Edinburgh Pharm. and they
may be employed either freſh or dried, making a proportionate
allowance in the doſe of the latter for ſome diminution of its powers
by drying. In autumn, when the leaves are fallen, the ſenſible
qualities of the plant are ſaid to be the ſtrongeſt," and on this account
it ſhould be gathered in autumn rather than in ſpring.
Dulcamara does not manifeſt thoſe narcotic qualities, which are
common to many of the nightſhades ; it is however very generally
admitted to be a medicine of conſiderable efficacy. Murray ſays that
Floyer Pharmac. p. 86.
Colliguntur ftipites vel primo vere vel autumni fine, foliis deſtituti, tumque et odor
faporque inſignior. Murray Ap. Med. vol. i. p. 424.
it
b
a
.

( 99 )
d
f
uſe to
66
(6
it promotes all the ſecretions: Haller obſerves that it partakes of the
milder powers of the Nightſhade, joined to a reſolvent and fapona-
ceous quality ;' and the opinion of Bergius ſeems to coincide with
that of Murray: “ Virtus: pellens urinam, fudorem, menſes, lochia,
ſputa; mundificans.”. The diſeaſes in which we find it recommended
by different authors are extremely various ;' but Bergius confines its
rheumatiſmus, retentio menſium & lochiorum.” Dulca-
mara appears alſo, by the experiments of Razqux and others, to
have been uſed with advantage in ſome obſtinate cutaneous affe&tions."
Dr. Cullen ſays, “ We have employed only the ftipites or ſlender
twigs of this ſhrub; but as we have collected them they come out
very unequal, fome parcels of them being very mild and inert,
“ and others of them conſiderably acrid. In the latter ſtate we have
employed a decoction of them in the cure of rheumatiſm, ſome-
" times with advantage, but at other times without any effect.
Though the Dulcamara is here inſerted in the catalogue of
“ diuretics, it has never appeared to us as powerful in this way;
“ for in all the trials made here, it has hardly ever been obſerved
to be in any meaſure diuretic.hu This plant is generally given in
decoction or infuſion, and to prevent its exciting nauſea, it is ordered
to be diluted with milk, and to begin with ſmall doſes, as large doſes
have been found to produce very dangerous ſymptoms.' Razou
directs the following: R Stipitum Dulcam. rec. drac. ſs. in aquæ
font. unc. 16 coquatur ad unc. 8. This was taken in the doſe of
i
• Per omnia colatoria corporis efficaciam exercent. 1. c.
d Vis partim ſolanacea, mitis, partim reſolvens, quafi ſaponacea. 1. c.
e Mat. Med. 131.
f See the inſtances adduced by Haller and Murray. 1. c. Of the chief of theſe we
may mention Phthiſis, Lues venerea, Peripneumonia notha, Scorbutus, Icterus, Aſthma,
&c. on the authority of Boerhaave, Sauvages, Sager, and others.
& Journ. de Medecine. t. 22. p. 236.
h Mat. Med. ii. 354.
i Vide Linnæus Diff. de Dulcamara, p. 9. Haen. rat. med. Tom. iv. p. 247-
“Largior Dulcamaræ uſus initio et antequam ventriculus illi aſſueverit, nauſeam et
vomitum excitat, quin convulfiones et deliria, et notante cl. Govan, protractus paralyſin
linguæ.” Vide Murray 1. c.
Сс
three
No. 7.

(100)
three or four drams, diluted with an equal quantity of milk every
four hours.
k Linnæus directs two drams or half an ounce of the dried ftipites, to be infuſed half
an hour in boiling water, and then to be boiled ten minutes; and of this decoction he
gives two tea-cups full morning and evening. 1. c.
k
POLYGONUM BISTORTA.
GREATER BISTORT, Or,
SNAKEWEED.
.
SYNONYMA. Biſtorta. Pharm. Lond. & Edinð. Biſtorta
major. Gerard. emac. 399. Biſtorta major vulgaris. Park. Theat,
391. Biſtorta major rugofioribus foliis. J. Baub. iii. 538.
Biſtorta radice minus intorta. Bauh. Pin. 192. Raiz Synopſis, 147.
Raii Hift. 186. ſpec. 1. Polygonum radice lignoſa contorta, ſpica
ovata, foliorum petiolis alatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. No. 1558.
Withering Bot. Arrang. 406. Flor. Dan. 421. Curtis Flor. Lond.
Claſs O&tandria. Ord. Trigynia. L. Gen. Plant. 495.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. 5-partita, calycina. Sem. 1, angulatum.
Sp. Ch. P. caule fimpliciſſimo monoſtachyo, foliis ovatis in petiolum
decurrentibus.
THE root is about the thickneſs of a finger, perennial, crooked,
rugoſe, of a firm texture, and of a reddiſh or fleſh colour, covered
with a brown rind, and furniſhed with numerous ſmall fibres and
creepers: the ſtalk is ſimple, bending, ſolid, round, ſmooth, ſwelled
at the joints, encloſed by the ſheaths of the ſtipulæ, and is a foot and a
half or two feet in height; the radical leaves are ovaliſh, or rather
heart-ſhaped, pointed, and ſtand upon long winged footſtalks ; the
upper leaves embrace the ſtem, and are narrower and undulated.
The flowers ſtand upon ſhort footſtalks, and terminate the ſtalk in
a
an

34
Polygonum Bistorta
Publighed by Dr Woodville July 1.
1790

UN
OF
10

(101)
a
a
*
ь
a
an oblong cloſe ſpike; the corolla is ſmall, of tubular appearance,
and divided into five oval obtuſe ſegments, of a reddiſh white
colour, and at the baſe ſupplied with ſeveral nectarious glands ; the
bracteal, or foral leaves, are membranous, withered, and each
encloſes two flowers; the filaments are tapering, white, longer
than the corolla, and the antheræ are purple; the ſtyles are three,
about the length of the ſtamina; the ſtigmata are ſmall and round;
the germen is triangular, of a red colour, and the ſeeds are brown
and remarkably gloſſy.
Biſtortis a native of Britain;* it grows in moiſt meadows, and
flowers in May and September. Every part of the plant manifeſts
a degree of ftipticity to the taſte, and the root is eſteemed to be one
of the moſt powerful of the vegetable aftringents. Lewis ſays, that
this “ aſtringent matter is totally diſſolved both by water and rectified
ſpirit; the root, after the action of a ſufficient quantity of either
menſtruum, remaining inſipid: on inſpiſating the tinctures, the water
and ſpirit ariſe unflavoured, leaving extracts of intenſe ftipticity."
The root of Biſtort was formerly conſidered to be alexipharmic and
ſudorific; but its uſes ſeem only to be derived from its ftyptic powers;
it is therefore chiefly indicated in hæmorrhages and other immoderate
fluxes. Dr. Cullen obſerves, that the Biſtora, “ both by its ſenſible
qualities, and by the colour it gives with green vitriol, and by the
extracts it affords, ſeems to be one of the ſtrongeſt of our vegetable
aſtringents, and is juſtly commended for every virtue that has been
aſcribed to any other. As ſuch we have frequently employed it, and
particularly in intermittent fevers, and in larger doſes than thoſe
commonly mentioned in Materia Medica writers. Both by itſelf,
and along with gentian, we have given it to the quantity of three
drams a day.” The doſe of the root in ſubſtance is from a ſcruple
to a dram.
a Biſtora, quaſi bis torta, twice twiſted, or wreathen, is a modern name. Alſton
M. M. i. 399
« Radix eſt ſerpentis modo intorta.” Whence it was called Serpen-
taria, Colubrina, and Dracunculus. And it has been variouſly conſidered to be the
Oxylapathum, Britannica, and Limonium of the ancients. Vide Bauh. Pin. 192.
Matth. 946.
* In the North of England this plant is known by the name of Eaſter-Giant, and the
young leaves are eaten in herb pudding.
b It grows about Batterſea, and by the fide of Biſhop's Wood near Hampſtead. Curt.
Flor. Lond.
c Mat. Med. 154.
d Mat. Med. ii. 40.
IMPERATORIA
"d
a
2

( 102 )
IMPERATORIA OSTRUTHIUM. COMMON MASTERWORT.
SYNONYMA. Imperatoria. Pharm. Edinb. J. Bauh. iii. 137.
Gerard emac. 1001. Hal. Stirp. Helv. No. 805. Imperatoria
major. Bauh. Pin. 156. Imperatoria five Aſtrantia vulgaris.
Park. Theat.942. Common Maſterwort, by fome erroneouſly Pellitory
of Spain. Raii Hiſ. 436. Magiſtrantia, Camer. Epit. 592. Im-
peratoria Oftruthium. Withering. Bot. Arrang. Lightfoot Flor. Scot.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Digynia. L. Gen. Plant. 356.
El. Ch. Fructus fubrotundus, compreſſus, medio gibbus, margine
cinctus. Petala inflexo-marginata.
Imperatoria Oftruthium. L. Sp. Pl. 371.
THIS is the only Imperatoria deſcribed by Linnæus. The root
is perennial, large, fleſhy, ſucculent, round, tapering, rough, articu-
lated, externally brown, internally whitiſh, creeping, and ſends off
many lateral fibres: the ſtalk is thick, ftriated, round, jointed, and
riſes about two feet in height: the leaves are compound, and proceed
alternately from long footſtalks, which ſupply the ſtalk with a ſheathy
covering at each articulation ; the ſimple leaves are ovato-elliptical,
pointed, irregularly ſerrated, and placed in treble ternaries, and the
terminal leaf is commonly cut into three lobes: the general umbels
are large, flat, and terminal; the partial umbel convex and unequal;
there is no general involucrum; the partial involucrum conſiſts of one
or two ſlender leaves, nearly of the length of the radii ; each flower
is compoſed of five oval petals, which are of equal fize, white,
notched, and having their points bent inwards ; the five filaments are
tapering, white, erect, and longer than the corolla ; the antheræ are
double; the germen is roundilh, ftriated, truncated, above white,
beneath

35
的
​Imperatoria Ostruthinm
n
Publifhed by
Dr Woodville July, 1.1790.

UNIE
en

( 103 )
а
beneath greeniſh : the two ſtyles are tapering, ſpreading, and a little
ſhorter than the ſtamina; the ſtigmata are ſimple and obtuſe. The
flowers appear in May and July.
Maſterwort may be conſidered as a native of Scotland, Mr. Lightfoot
having found it growing in ſeveral places on the banks of the Clyde.
It is frequently cultivated in our gardens; but the root, which is the
part directed for medical uſe, is greatly inferior to that produced in
the South of Europe, eſpecially in mountainous ſituations : hence
the ſhops are commonly ſupplied with it from the Alps and
Pyrenees.
This root has a fragrant ſmell, and a bitteriſh pungent taſte,
leaving a glowing warmth in the mouth for ſome time after it has
been chewed. Its virtues are extracted both by watery and ſpirituous
menſtrua, but more completely by the latter.
This plant, as its name “ imports, was formerly thought to be of
ſingular efficacy, and was preferred to moſt of the other aromatics,
for its alexipharmic and fudorific powers.
In ſome diſeaſes "it was
employed with ſo much ſucceſs as to be diſtinguiſhed by the name of
-
divinum remedium.”. At preſent, however, phyſicians conſider
this root merely as an aromatic, and it is of courſe ſuperſeded by
many of that claſs of a ſuperior character. Half a dram of the
root in ſubſtance, and one dram of it in infuſion, is the doſe directed.
a
b
а
« Imperatoria ob raras & præftantes facultates nominata fuit.” Vide Bauh.
Pin. f. c.
6 The diſeaſes, in which it has been chiefly recommended, are Hyſteria, Hydrops,
Colica, Paralyſis, Vermes, Febres intermittentes. It has been alſo uſed as a fialagogue.
c C. Hoffman. Officin. L. 2. c. 116.
No. 8.
D d
FRAXINUS

( 104 )
FRAXINUS ORNUS.
FLOWERING AS H.
SYNONYMA. Fraxinus tenuiore & minore folio. Bauh. Hift.
i. p. 177. Fraxinus humilior five altera Theophraſti, minore &
tenuiore folio. Bauh. Pin. p. 416. Fraxinus Ornus, foliolis
ſerratis, floribus corollatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. Mannifera arbor.
Succus condenſatus eft Manna. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb.
Claſs Polygamia. Ord. Dioecia.
Lin. Gen. Plant, 1160.
El. Gen. Ch. HERMAPHROD. Cal. o, f. 4-partitus. Cor. O, f. 4-petala.
Stam. 2. Pift. 1. Sem. 1, lanceolatum.
FEM. Pift. I, lanceolatum.
Sp. Ch. F. foliis ovato-oblongis ferratis petiolatis, floribus corollatis.
Hort. Kew.
THIS tree greatly reſembles our common aſh: it is lofty, much
branched, and covered with a greyiſh bark. The young ſhoots pro-
duce the leaves, which are pinnated, oppoſite, and conſiſt of ſeveral
pair of pinnæ, or ſmall leaves, terminated by an odd one, pointed,
ferrated, veined, ſtanding upon footſtalks, of an oval or oblong
ſhape, and bright green colour. The flowers grow in cloſe thick
branched ſpikes, and open in May and June. In the ſpecimen we
have figured, the flowers were all hermaphrodite ; the corolla divided
into four narrow whitiſh ſegments, ſomewhat longer than the ſtamina;
the two filaments tapering, and crowned with large furrowed erect
antheræ ; the germen oval, and a little compreſſed; the ſtyle ſhort
and cylindrical; the capſule is long, flat, membranous, and contains
a ſingle flat pointed ſeed.
This tree is a native of the ſouthern parts of Europe, particularly
of Sicily and Calabria." It was firſt introduced into England about
a The Ornus is obſerved by Dr. Cirillo to be very common on the famous mountain
Garganus, ſo that the words of Horace may ſtill apply;
aut Aquilonibus
Querceta Gargani laborant,
Et foliis viduantur orni. L. ii. Od. 9.
ſixty

36
Fraxinus
Ornus
Published by Dr Woodville
sagt
1 1790

OF
MICH

(105)
b
fixty years ago, by Dr. Uvedale ;' and at preſent adorns many of
the gardens of this country,
The Ornus is not the only ſpecies of aſh which produces Manna ;
the rotundifolia and excelſior, eſpecially in Sicily, alſo afford this
drug, though leſs abundantly. Many other trees and ſhrubs have
likewiſe been obſerved, in certain ſeaſons and ſituations, to emit a
ſweet juice, which concretes on expoſure to the air, and may be
conſidered as of the manna kind. In Sicily the three ſpecies of the
Fraxinus, mentioned above, are regularly cultivated for the purpoſe
of procuring Manna, and with this view are planted on the declivity
of a hill, with an eaſtern aſpect. After ten years growth, the trees
firſt begin to yield the Manna, but they require to be much older
before they afford it in any conſiderable quantity. Although the
Manna exudes ſpontaneouſly upon the trees, yet in order to obtain
it more copiouſly, inciſions are made through the bark, by means of
a ſharp crooked inſtrument; and the ſeaſon thought to be moſt
favourable for inſtituting this proceſs, is a little before the dog-days
commence, when the weather is dry and ſerene. The inciſions are
firſt made in the lower part of the trunk, and repeated at the diſtance
of an inch from the former wound, ſtill extending the inciſions up-
wards as far as the branches, and confining them to one ſide of the
tree, the other ſide being reſerved till the year following, when it
undergoes the ſame treatment. On making theſe inciſions, which
b Vide Hort. Kew.
· Dr. Cullen is certainly right in fuppofing “Manna a part of the ſugar ſo univer-
ſally preſent in vegetables, and which exudes on the ſurface of a great number of them;'
the qualities of theſe exudations he thinks are " very little if at all different.” The
principal trees known to produce theſe mannas in different climates and ſeaſons, are the
larch, (vide Murray Ap. Med. i. p. 17.) the fir, (Iac. V. Engeſtrom in Phyſiogr.
Sälſkapets Handl. Vol. i. P. 3. P. 144.) the orange, (De La Hire Hiſt. de l'acad. d. ſc. de
Paris, 1708.) the walnut, (Hal
. Stirp. Helv. N. 1624.) the willow, (Mouſſet in Du
Hamel. Phyſique des arbres, P.;. p. 152.) the mulberry, (Micheli in Tragioni Tozzetti
Viaggi, Tom. 6. p. 424.) oaks, ſituated between Merdin and Diarbekir (Niebuhr
Beſchreib V. Arab. p. 145. Otter, Voyage en Turquie et en Perſe, Vol. 2. p. 264.) alſo
oaks in Perſia near Khounſar (Otter. 1. c.) the al hagi Maurorum, or the hedyſarum alhagi
of Linnæus ; of this manna Dr. Fothergill preſented a ſpecimen to the Royal Society,
which he confidered as the Tereniabin of the Arabians, (Phil. Tranſ. Vol. 43. p. 87.)
the ciſtus ladaniferus in ſome parts of Spain produces a manna, which, in its recent ſtate,
has no purgative quality, and is eaten by the ſhepherds: ſo that ſome fermentation ſeems
neceſſary to give it a cathartic power, (Vide Dillon's Travels through Spain, p. 127.)
are

(106)
d
are of a longitudinal direction, about a ſpan in length, and nearly
two inches wide, a thick whitiſh juice immediately begins to flow,
which gradually hardens on the bark, and in the courſe of eight
days acquires the conſiſtence and appearance in which the Manna is
imported into Britain, when it is collected in baſkets, and afterwards
packed in large cheſts. Sometimes the Manna flows in ſuch
abundance from the incifions, that it runs upon the ground, by
which it becomes mixed with various impurities, unleſs prevented,
which is commonly attempted, by interpofing large concave leaves,
ſtones, chips of wood, &c. The buſineſs of collecting Manna uſually
terminates at the end of September, when the rainy ſeaſon ſets in.
From this account it is evident, that Manna is the ſuccus proprius
of the tree; any arguments therefore brought to combat the ancient
opinion of its being a mel aërium, or honey-dew, are wholly
unneceſſary : that, with which the Ifraelites were ſo peculiarly
favoured, could only have been produced through miraculous means,
and is conſequently out of the province of the natural hiſtorian.
Manna is generally diſtinguiſhed into different kinds, viz. the Manna
in
| La manne eſt le principal revenu de ce pays & de quelques autres qui en ſont
voiſins. Il monte dans une bonne annee a vingt-cinq mille Louis d'or. Houel Voyage
Pittoreſque, tom. I. p. 53.
This account is taken from Houel Voyage Pittoreſque, and Seſtini Lettere della
Sicilia, and related by Murray: to which we ſhall ſubjoin Dr. Cirillo's account, com-
mụnicated to the Royal Society. Vide Vol. 60. p. 233.
« The manner, in which the manna is obtained from the Ornus, though very ſimple,
has been yet very much miſunderſtood by all thoſe who travelled in the kingdom of
Naples; and among other things they ſeem to agree, that the beſt and pureſt manna is
obtained from the leaves of the tree; but this, I believe, is an opinion taken from the
doctrine of the antients, and received as an inconteſtible obſervation, without conſulting
nature. I never ſaw ſuch a kind, and all thoſe who are employed in the gathering of
the manna, know of none that comes from the leaves. The manna is generally of two
kinds ; not on account of the intrinſic quality of them being different, but only becauſe
they are got in a different manner. In order to have the manna, thoſe who have the
management of the woods of the Orni in the month of July and Auguſt, when the
weather is very dry and warm, make an oblong inciſion, and take off from the bark of
the tree about three inches in length, and two in breadth; they leave the wound open,
and by degrees the manna runs out, and is almoſt ſuddenly thickened to its proper con-
ſiſtence, and is found adhering to the bark of the tree. This manna, which is collected
in baſkets, and goes under the name of manna graſa, is put in a dry place, becauſe
moiſt and wet places will ſoon diſſolve it again. This firſt kind is often in large irregular
pieces of a browniſh colour, and frequently is full of duſt and other impurities. But
when
a

( 107 )
in tear, the canulated and flaky Manna, and the common brown or
fat Manna. All theſe varieties ſeem rather to depend upon their
reſpective purity, and the circumſtances in which they are obtained
from the plant, than upon any eſſential difference of the drug: when
the juice tranſudes from the tree very ſlowly, the Manna is always
more dry, tranſparent, and pure, and conſequently of more eſtimati-
on; but when it flows very copiouſly it concretes into a coarſe
brown un&ious maſs; hence we have a reaſon, why, by applying
ſtraws and other ſuch ſubſtances to receive the flowing juice, the
Manna becomes much improved : Houel, who taſted the manna
when flowing from the tree, found it much bitterer than in its
concrete ſtate; this bitterneſs he attributes to the aqueous part,
which is then very abundant, of courſe the manna is meliorated by
all the circumſtances which promote evaporation. According to Lewis,
“ the beſt Manna is in oblong pieces, or flakes, moderately dry, friable,
very light, of a whitiſh or pale yellow colour, and in ſome degree
tranſparent: the inferior kinds are moiſt, unctuous, and brown.
Manna liquifies in moiſt air, diſſolves readily in water, and, by the
affiftance of heat, in rectified ſpirit. On infpiflating the watery
ſolution, the Manna is recovered of a much darker colour than at
firit. From the ſaturated ſpirituous ſolution, great part of it ſeparates
as the liquor cools, concreting into a flaky maſs, of a ſnowy white-
neſs, and a very grateful ſweetneſs.”
Manna is well known as a gentle purgative, ſo mild in its
a
when the people want to have a very fine manna, they apply to the inciſion of the bark,
thin ſtraw, or ſmall bits of ſhrubs, ſo that the manna, in coming out, runs upon thoſe
bodies, and is collected in a ſort of regular tubes, which give it the name of manna in
cannoli, that is, manna in tubes: this ſecond kind is more eſteemed, and always preferred
to the other, becauſe it is free and clear. There is indeed a third kind of manna, which
is not commonly to be met with, and which I have ſeen after I left Calabria : it is very
white, like fugar; but as it is rather for curioſity than for uſe, I ſhall ſay no more of it.
The two ſorts of manna already mentioned undergo no kind of preparation whatſoever,
before they are exported; ſometimes they are finer, particularly the manna graſa, and
ſometimes very dirty and full of impurities; but the Neapolitans have no intereſt in
adulterating the manna, becauſe they always have a great deal more than what they
generally export; and if manna is kept in the magazines, it receives often very great
hurt by the Southern winds, ſo common in our part of the world. The changes of the
weather produce a ſudden alteration in the time that the manna is to be gathered; and,
for this reaſon, when the ſummer is rainy, the manna is always very ſcarce and very bad.
No. 8.
Еe
operation,
”

(108)
a
operation, that it may be given with ſafety to children and pregnant
women ; in ſome conſtitutions however it produces troubleſome
flatulencies, and therefore requires the addition of a ſuitable aromatic,
eſpecially when given to an adult, where a large doſe is neceſſary; it
is therefore uſually acuated by ſome other cathartic of a more pow-
erful kind. The efficacy of Manna is ſaid, by Valliſnieri, to be much
promoted by caſſia fiſtularis, a mixture of the two purging more than
both of them ſeparately ; it is therefore very properly an ingredient
in the electuarium e caffia.
RUTA GRAVEOLENS.
COMMON RUE.
SYNONYMA. Ruta. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Ruta hortenſis.
.
Gerard. emac. p. 1255.
Ruta hortenſis major. Park. Theat. p.
132. Ruta ſativa vel hortenſis. Bauh. Hift. iii. p. 197. Ruta
hortenſis latifolia. Bauh. Pin. p. 336. Raii Hift. p. 874. Ruta
foliis duplicato-pinnatis, lobulis ovatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. No. 1003.
Ρυτη /eu Πεγανον Grec.
Claſs Decandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Pl. 523.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-partitus. Petala concava. Receptac. punctis
melliferis decem cinctum. Caps. lobata. Quinta pars numeri
in quibuſdam excluditur.
Sp. Ch. R. foliis decompoſitis, floribus lateralibus quadrifidis.
THE root ſends forth ſeveral ſhrubby ſtalks, which towards the
bottom are ſtrong, woody, and covered with rough, grey, ftriated
bark; the upper or young branches are ſmooth, and of a pale green
colour: the leaves are compound, conſiſting of double ſets of
irregular pinnæ, which are minutely notched or crenulated, of an
obverſely

37
Ruta
graveolens.
Publiſhed by Dr Woodville, Angujt 1.1790.

بران
OF
mic

( 109 )
obverſely oval ſhape, and of a glaucous or bluiſh green colour : the
flowers are numerous, and produced in a branched corymbus on
ſubdividing peduncles: the calyx commonly divides into four and
ſometimes into five pointed leaves; the corolla conſiſts of four
and frequently of five petals, theſe are hollow or boat-ſhaped,
dentated or fringed at the edges, and of a yellow colour; the ten
filaments are yellow, tapering, ſpreading, and generally lodged in
the cavity of the petals; the antheræ are yellow and quadrangular;
the ſtyle is ſhort; the ftigma is ſimple; and the germen is large, oval,
green, rough, and marked by four longitudinal furrows; the ſeeds
are angular, rough, and of a blackiſh colour. This ſhrub is a
native of the South of Europe, and flowers in June and September.
The firſt account we have of the cultivation of Rue in Britain, is
given by Turner, who publiſhed his Herbal in 1562. It is now
extremely common in our gardens, where it retains its verdure the
whole year. Rue has a ſtrong ungrateful ſmell, and a bitter, hot,
penetrating taſte; the leaves are ſo acrid, that by much handling they
are ſaid to irritate and inflame the ſkin ; and the plant, in its natural
or uncultivated ſtate, is reported to poſſeſs theſe ſenſible qualities ſtill
more powerfully. Both water and rectified ſpirit extract its virtues,
but the latter more perfectly than the former. *
Rue was much uſed by the ancients, who aſcribed to it many
virtues. Hippocrates commends it as a reſolvent and diuretic, and
attributes to it the power of reſiſting the action of contagion, and
other kinds of poiſons, and with this intention it was uſed by
Mithridates : this imaginary quality of the Ruta, is now however
a
b
a Vide Hort. Kew.
* From the experiments of Beaumé it appears, that the recent plant contains but a
very ſmall portion of effential oil : thus from 21 lb. of the leaves he ſcarcely obtained a
dram, while 10lb. of the ſeeds yielded two ounces. Berg. M. M. p. 350.
b In fanctuariis Mithridatis maximi regis devicti, Cn. Pompeius invenit, in peculiari
commentario ipſius manu, compofitionem antidoti, e duabus nucibus ficcis,item ficis
totidem & rutæ foliis viginti fimul tritis, addito falis grano: & qui hoc jejunus ſumat,
nullum venenum nociturum illo die. Plin. L. 23. c. 8. p. 604.
I“ One virtue particularly aſcribed to Rue, that of reſiſting contagion, or of expelling
it when taken in, I hold to be abſolutely without foundation.”--Cullen M.M.v.2. p. 365.
very

( 110 )
d
very little credited, though ſo highly extolled by Boerhaave. Ac-
cording to Bergius it is “ alexiteria, pellens, emmenagoga, ſudorifera,
rubifaciens.” It is doubtleſs a powerful ſtimulant, and may be con-
,
fidered, like other medicines of the fetid kind, to have attenuating,
deobſtruent, and antiſpaſmodic powers, and to be more peculiarly
adapted to phlegmatic habits, or weak and hyſterical conſtitutions,
ſuffering from retarded or obſtructed ſecretions. In the London
Pharm. Ruta is directed in the form of an extract, and it is alſo an
ingredient in the Pulvis e myrrha compoſitus. By ſome it is em-
ployed in the way of tea.
• The opinion formerly entertained of this plant, may be collected from the Schola
Salernitana, in which its virtues are thus celebrated. C. 37. p. 427
Nobilis eft ruta, quia lumina reddit acuta;
Auxilio rutæ, vir lippe videbis acute;
Cruda comeſta recens, oculos caligine purgat,
Ruta viris minuit Venerem, mulieribus addit.
Ruta facit caftum, dat lumen, & ingerit aſtum,
Cocta & facit ruta de publicibus loca tuta.
d« I have no doubt in aſſerting its antiſpaſmodic powers.” Cullen M.M.v.2.p.365.
SALVIA OFFICINALIS.
GARDEN SAGE.
SYNONYMA. Salvia. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Salvia major.
Gerard Emac. p. 764. Dodon. Pempt. p. 288. Bauh. Pin. p.
237. Salvia major vulgaris. Park. Theat. p. 49. Salvia latifolia.
Bauh. Hift. iii. p. 304. Raii Hift. p. 509. 2paxere Theophraft. &
Easdropaxov Diofcoridis exiſtimatur effe.
Varietates,
a Salvia major. C. Bauh. Aliorumque, s. c.
COMMON, or GREATER GARDEN Sage.
ß Salvia minor, aurita et non aurita. Bauh. Pin. 237. Salvia
minor, feu anguſtifolia, Auctorum.
SMALL SAGE, or Sage or VIRTUE. *
* Both theſe varieties are uſed medicinally, and the narrow leaved fage is by many
preferred to the broad.
Claſs Diandria.

35
Salvia
officinalis
Publiſhed by Dr Woodville Auguft 1.1790.


(III)
Claſs Diandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 37.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. inæqualis. Filamenta tranſverſe pedicello affixa.
Sp. Ch. S. foliis lanceolato-ovatis integris crenulatis, floribus fpicatis,
calycibus acutis.
a
THE root is perennial, long, and fibrous ; the ſtalk is ſhrubby,
ſquare, firm, divided into many branches, and riſes above two feet
in height: the leaves are oblong, rough, crenulated, or finely
notched at the edges, generally of a reddiſh or purpliſh tinge, and
ſtand in pairs upon long footſtalks: the flowers appear in June, and
terminate the branches in long ſpikes, they are of a blue colour,
monopetalous, tubular, and ſeparate at the extremity into two lips;
the upper lip is entire and concave, the lower divides into three
roundiſh lobes, of which the middle one is the largeſt : the calyx is
tubular, large, reddiſh, ſtriated, bilabiated, and cut into acute ſeg-
ments; the two filaments are ſhort, and croſſed tranſverſely by two
others affixed to them; the antheræ are large and yellow; the ſtyle
is long, filiform, of a blue colour, and the ſtigma is bifid; the feeds
are four, roundiſh, naked, and placed at the bottom of the calyx.
Sage is indiginous to the ſouthern parts of Europe, and was cul-
tivated in this country by Gerard, who firſt publiſhed a figure of
this plant in the year 1997, and it is now a conſtant inhabitant of
the kitchen garden : it has a fragrant ſtrong ſmell, and a warm
bitteriſh aromatic taſte, like other plants containing an eſſential oil ;
it gives out its properties more perfectly to ſpirituous than to aqueous
menſtrua. In ancient times fage was celebrated as a remedy of
great efficacy ;- but, at preſent, few practitioners conſider it as an
article of much importance in the materia medica ; and although
frequently employed as a ſudorific, it ſeems to have no advantage
a « Cur moriatur homo cui falvia creſcit in horto?
Contra vim mortis non eſt medicamen in hortis.”
( Salvia ſalvatrix naturæ conciliatrix,"
« Salvia cum ruta faciunt tibi pocula tuta.”
« Efficacia et nomen herbæ dedit (a falvando) et cumulum laudum attulit, in tremore
artuum, paralyſi, obſtructione menftruorum, Áuore albo, arthritide & rheumatiſmo,
morbis contagioſis, apthis, ulceribus, aliiſque multis morbis, quorum nomina colligere
abſque teſtium fide non intereſt.”-Murray Ap. Med. vol. 2. p. 167.
No. 8.
Ff
over

(112)
b
over other plants, whoſe aromatic flavour renders the fluid in which
they are infuſed more acceptable to the ſtomach ; and by ſome it has
been ſucceſsfully uſed even for the purpoſe of reſtraining inordinate
ſweating. As poſſeſſing a ſmall ſhare of aromatic and aſtringent
power, it may prove a ſerviceable tonic in ſome caſes of debility of
the ſtomach and nervous ſyſtem : the Chineſe, who are ſaid to have
experienced the good effects of ſage in this way, value it highly,
and prefer it to their own tea. The power of this plant, in reſiſting
the putrefaction of animal ſubſtances, has alſo been adduced in proof
of its medicinal efficacy.
b Infuſed in wine or ſpirit, Van Swieten found it remarkably efficacious in ſtopping
night ſweats. Vide Comment. tom. 2. p. 370.-Quarin remarks, that a ſtrong infuſion
of fage in water was experienced to be equally ſucceſsful. Method. med. febr. p. 37:-
Baron Van Swieten alſo found it uſeful in reſtraining the improper continuing of a flow of
milk from the breaſts of women, after they had weaned their children. Com. tom. 4. p. 645.
« From the experiments of Etlinger, it is diſcovered to have a conſiderable ſhare of
antiſeptic power. Vide Comment. de Salvia, p. 16.
a
IRIS FLORENTINA.
FLORENTINE ORRIS, or IRIS.
SYNONYMA. Iris florentina.
Iris florentina. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Gerard.
Emac. p. 52. Iris alba forentina. Bauh. Pin. p. 31. Parkinſon
.
Perad. p. 180. Iris flore albo. 7. Bauh. Hift. ii. 719. Raii Hift.
p. 1180. Spec. 2. Iris barbata foliis enſiformibus glabris brevio-
ribus, fcapo fubbifloro. Thunb. Diſ. de Iride. n. 5. Ιρις Ιλλυρική,
Dioſcor. et Græc,
Claſs Triandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 59.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. 6-petala, inæqualis, petalis alternis geniculato-
patentibus. Stigmata petaliformia, cucullato-bilabiata. Thunb.
Dif. de Iride.
Cor. 6-partita: Petalis alternis reflexis. Stigmata petaliformia. Lin.
Sp. Ch. I. corollis barbatis, caule foliis altiore fubbifloro, floribus
feffilibus,
THE

39
Suis
florentina
Pablighed by D” Woodville Auguft 1.1790.


( 113 )
a
:
THE root is perennial, tuberous, ponderous, ſomewhat compreſſed,
branched, fibrous, externally brown, internally of a yellowiſh white
colour: the leaves are ſword-ſhaped, radical, inſerted in each other,
pointed, ſhorter than the ſtem, and of a dull green colour: the ſtem
is round, ſmooth, jointed, and about a foot in height: the fowers are
large, upright, of a white colour, and often have a bluiſh tinge: the
calyx is a ſpatha of two valves: the corolla divides into fix ſegments
or petals, of theſe, three ſtand erect, the other three, which are of an
irregular oval ſhape, turn back, and at the baſe are painted with brown
lines, and bearded with yellow hairs; the filaments are three, and
crowned with long yellow antheræ ; the ſtyle is ſhort and ſimple; the
ftigma ſeparates into three expanded ſegments, reſembling petals,
which arch over the ſtamina; the germen is long, of an obtuſely
triangular ſhape, and placed below the corolla ; the capſule has three
cavities, which contain numerous flat brown ſeeds.
This Iris is a native of Italy, and flowers in June: it was culti-
vated in England by Gerard in 1596, and is now conſtantly propa-
gated by the floriſts; but the roots of the Orris produced in this
country have neither the odour, nor the other qualities, of thoſe of
warmer climates, ſo that for medicinal uſe they are commonly im-
ported from Leghorn.
This root, in its recent ſtate, is extremely acrid, and when chewed
excites a pungent heat in the mouth, which continues ſeveral hours :
on being dried, this acrimony is almoſt wholly diſſipated, the taſte
ſlightly bitter, and the ſmell agreeable, and approaching to that of
violets. No eſſential oil has been hitherto obtained from this root,
but ſpirituous tinctures of it contain more of its virtues than watery
infuſions. The freſh root is a powerful cathartic, and for this pur-
poſe its juice has been employed in the doſe of a dram and upwards
in dropſies. It is now chiefly uſed in its dried ſtate, and ranked as
a pectoral, or expectorant, and hence has a place in the Trochiſci
amyli of the London Pharm. We have however no evidence of its
expectorant powers, and therefore muſt conſider it as valuable only for
the pleaſantneſs of the perfume, and the flavourwhich it communicates."
a « What this might do in its recent and acrid ſtate, I cannot determine ; but in the
dried ftate, in which we commonly have it in our ſhops, we are perſuaded of its being
a very inſignificant expectorant.” Cullen M. M. v. 2. p. 459.
IRIS PSEUDACORUS.
a
a

( 114 )
IRIS PSEUDACORUS.
YELLOW WATER FLAG.
SYNONYM A. Iris Paluſtris. Pharm. Edin. Iris paluſtris lutea.
Gerard Emac. 50.
Acorus adulterinus.
Bauh. Pin. p. 74-
Acorus paluſtris, &c. Park. Theat. p. 1219. Yellow Water
Flower-de-luce. Raii Hift. p. 1185. Synop. 374.
Iris caule
inflexo, foliis enſiformibus; petalis erectis minimis reflexis imber-
bibus. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 1260. Iris Pſeud-Acorus. Lightfoot
Fl. Scot. p. 86. Witbering Bot. Arrang. p. 39. Curt. Fl. Lond.
.
.
Claſs Triandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Plant. 59.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. 6-petala, inæqualis; petalis geniculato-patentibus.
Stigmata petaliformia, cucullato-bilabiata. Thunb. Diſ. de Iride.
Sp. Ch. 1. imberbis, foliis enfiformibus, petalis alternis, ftigmate
minoribus. Thunb. 1. c.
THE root is perennial, thicker than the thumb, of an irregular
ſhape, horizontal, on the outſide blackiſh, covered with rigid fibres,
and puts forth many long whitiſh perpendicular ſlender roots; within
it is ſpongy, and of a yellowiſh red colour ; the leaves which grow
from the root are upright, broad, ſword-ſhaped, and at the bottom
riding, or cloſely embracing, each other ; thoſe on the ſtalk are ſhort,
alternate, and ſheathe the joints of the ſtem: the ſtalk is upright, round,
ſmooth, alternately inclined from joint to joint: the flowers are
large, fhowy, of a yellow colour, and ſtand upon ſhort branches,
which proceed from the joints of the ſtem: the corolla divides into
fix ſegments or petals, of theſe, the three inner ones are ſmall and
erect, the three outermoſt are large, of a roundiſh oval ſhape, turning
back, and painted near the baſe with reddiſh lines : the calyx is a
fheath, or ſpatha, of two, three, or four valves, according to the num-
ber of the flowers: the filaments are flat and tapering; the antheræ
oblong,
a
с

40
Iris Pseudacorus.
Pullighed ty
Dr Woodville
Augit 1 1790.

OF

( 115 )
b
oblong, yellowiſh at the edges, purpliſh, and bent down by the
ſtigmata : the germen is triangular, and placed below the corolla ; the
ſtyle is ſhort and ſlender; the ſtigma divides into three petalous
expanſions of a yellow colour, theſe are oblong, bent outwards, and
irregularly ferrated at the extremity: the capſule is triangular, and
divided into three cells, which contain numerous flat feeds of a
yellow colour.
This plant is common in marſhes, and on the banks of rivers, and
is rendered very conſpicuous by its large yellow flowers, which appear
in the beginning of July. It formerly had a place in the London
Pharm. under the name of Gladeolus luteus. The root is without
ſmell, but has an acrid ftiptic taſte, and its juice on being ſnuffed up
the noſtrils, produces a burning heat in the noſe and mouth, ac-
companied with a copious diſcharge from theſe organs: hence it is
recommended both as an errhine and fialagogue.
This root is
ſuch a powerful aſtringent, that it has been uſed inſtead of galls in
the making of ink, and alſo for the purpoſe of dying black;' and
from this quality it has been ſucceſsfully employed as a medicine for
the cure of diarrhæas:' When given with this intention, the root
is to be well dried; for the freſh root and its juice are ſtrongly cathartic,
inſomuch that 80 drops of the latter produced repeated evacuations,
after jalap, gamboge, &c. had failed, and by continuing its uſe
in an increaſed doſe, it cured an inveterate dropſy. Hence Bergius
ſays, “ Virtus. recent. hydragoga, purgans. siccat. adſtringens.”
The expreſſed juice is likewiſe ſaid to be an uſeful application to
ſerpiginous eruptions and ſcrophulous tumours.
a Vide Armſtrong on the diſeaſes of children, p. 146. Cullen. M. M. v. ii. p. 439.
b Phil. Tranſ. No. 117. p. 397
· Vide Pennant's Tour in Scotland, 1772. p. 214. Lightfoot’s Flor. Scot. v. 2. p. 86.
d Blair's Obſervations, &c. p. 78.
“By this time the ſtrongeſt cathartics, ſuch as Jalap, Gamboge, Mercury, &c.
were quite ineffectual : whereupon Dr. Rutherford ordered 80 drops of the fuccus
radicis, Iridis paluſtris, to be given every hour or two in a little ſyrup of buckthorn,
which had very immediate effects, making him paſs ſeveral Scots pints of water by ftool
very night.” Medical Eſſays, vol. 5. p. 94. -We may here remark, that this
juice is very uncertain in its operation : that which is expreſſed from the old roots is the
moſt active.
f Murray Ap. Med. vol. 5. p. 277.
Lewis Mat. Med. 359.
CROTON
that
No. 9.
GS

( 116 )
CROTON CASCARILLA. CASCARILLA, Or,
WILLOW-LEAVED CROTON.
SYNONY MA. Caſcarilla. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. olim
Elutheria dieta. Ricino affinis odorifera fruticoſa major, roſmarini
folio, fru&u tricocco albido. Sloane Jam. p. 133. tab. 86. Croton
(Roſmarinifolium) foliis lineari-lanceolatis, glabris, fubtus argenteis,
caule fruticoſo, floribus fpicatis terminalibus. Mill. Diet. Croton
lineare foliis linearibus integerrimis obtufis fubtus tomentofis, caule
fruticofo. Aiton. Hort. Kew. vol. iii. p. 374. Jacquin Stirp.
Americ. 256. tab. 162. Am. Acad. 5. p. 411.
Claſs Monoecia. Ord. Monadelphia. L. Gen. Plant. 1083.
El. Gen. Ch. MASC. Cal. cylindricus, 5-dentatus.
Cor. 5-petala. Stam. 10-15.
FEM. Cal. polyphyllus. Cor. o. Styli 3, bifidi.
Caps. 3-locularis. Sem. 1.
Sp. Ch. C. fol. lanceolatis acutis integerrimis petiolatis fubtus
tomentofis, caule arboreo.
THIS ſhrub never riſes to any conſiderable height; it fends off
ſeveral round branches, and is covered with a brown bark, the external
coat of which is white and rough: the leaves are long, narrow, entire,
ſomewhat pointed, placed on ſhort footſtalks, above of a bright green
colour, beneath downy, and of a ſilvery whiteneſs; the ſtipulæ, or
ſcaly leaves, are narrow and lance-ſhaped; the flowers are produced
about July, in a long terminal ſpike, and are both male and female:
the male flowers are placed uppermoft, and are furniſhed with a
cylindrical calyx, cut at its extremity into five ſegments; the petals
are five, ſmall, oval, and of a white or yellowiſh colour; the ftamina
are

41
Croton (ascarilla
Publighed by Dr Woodville soptes 2. 1790,

UN
OE
(

( 117 )
d
are numerous, commonly from ten to fifteen. The female flowers
hare no corolla; the calyx conſiſts of five or fix oval leaves; the
ſtyles are three, forked; the capſule divides into three cells, each of
which contains a ſingle feed.
Writers on the Materia Medica have differed much reſpecting
the plant which produces the officinal cortex cafcarillæ ;" and even
now this point does not appear to be fufficiently aſcertained: the
London College has therefore cautiouſly avoided making any bota-
nical reference to the plant which affords it. Linnæus, whoſe autho-
rity is certainly the beſt, in his firſt edition of the Mat. Med. con-
fidered the Caſcarilla as a ſpecies of the Clutia ; but in the ſecond
edition it is deſcribed as a Croton, and in his Amanitates Academicæ
we are again preſented with the Clutia Caſcarilla. What adds to
this uncertainty is, that under both theſe genera it is referred to the
ſame fynonyma of Sloane and Browne; yet it is remarkable, that
neither of theſe authors notices the medicinal uſes of its bark, although
ſo long known as a medicine in great eſtimation in every part of
Europe.
The plant," from which the annexed figure of the Caſcarilla is
taken, was found to agree very accurately with the generic character
of the Croton, as the plate itſelf muſt evince: we are therefore under
no difficulty in aſſigning it to that genus. Whether the Caſcarilla
then is really a Croton or a Clutia, depends upon the fidelity and
preciſion with which the ſynonyma have been reſpectively applied. *
a This
may
be underſtood from the following names :
Cortex Thuris. Dale Pharmac. p. 346. Cortex Thuris nonnullis di&tus, vel
Thymiama. Raii Hift. 1841. Storax rubra officinarum. Bauh. Pin. 453. Thus
Judæorum. Park. Theat. 1602. Schakarilla, Chakarilla. Mout. Exot.8. Kina-kina
Aromatica, Caſcarilla, Cortex Eleterii five Scacarilla officinarum, Cortex peruvianus
griſeus five ſpurius. Geof. M. M. b. Vide vol. 5. p. 411.
• It is mentioned only as being uſed in medicated baths, and for fomentations. Vide
Sloane 1. c. The Ricinoides Elæagni folio of Cateſby, is ſtated by him to be a good
aromatic bitter, and, on being burnt, to yield a fine perfume. Carolin. vol. 2. p. 46.
Walter, in his Flor. Carolin, does not mention the Caſcarilla, though he diſcovered a
new ſpecies of the Croton.
• This ſpecimen was procured from the garden at Sion-Houſe, the ſeat of his Grace
the Duke of Northumberland.
* Murray, Bergius, Spielman, the Edinburgh and moſt of the foreign Pharm. make
it a Croton.
.
According

(
118 )
a
According to Lewis, the cortex caſcarillæ is imported into Europe
“ from the Bahama iſlands, particularly from that which is called
Elatheria, in curled pieces, or rolled up into ſhort quills about an
inch in width; covered on the outſide with a rough whitiſh matter,
and browniſh on the inner ſide, exhibiting, when broken, a ſmooth
cloſe blackiſh brown ſurface. This bark, freed from the outer
whitiſh coat, which is inſipid and inodorous, has a light agreeable
ſmell, and a moderately bitter taſte, accompanied with a conſiderable
aromatic warmth ; it is very inflammable, and yields, whilſt burning,
a remarkably fragrant ſmell, ſomewhat reſembling that of muſk.
Its virtues are partially extracted by water, and totally by rectified
ſpirit. Diſtilled with water it yields a greeniſh eſſential oil, of a very
pungent taſte, and of a fragrant penetrating ſmell, more grateful
than that of the Caſcarilla itſelf, and obtained in the proportion of
one dram from fixteen ounces of the bark." The agreeable odour
which this bark produces during its burning, induced many to ſmoke
it mixed with tobacco, before it became known as a medicine in
'
Europe, which was not till towards the latter end of the laſt century;
when it was recommended by Profeſſor Stifſer, who found it to
be a powerful diuretic and carminative, and who uſed it with ſucceſs
in calcalous, aſthmatic, phthifical, fcorbutic, and arthritic complaints.
After this it was ſold at Brunſwick as a ſpecies of the Peruvian bark,
and many phyſicians in Germany experienced its good effects in
fevers of the intermittent, remittent, and putrid kind." But while
the facts eſtabliſhing this febrifuge power of the Caſcarilla are fup-
ported by authors of great reſpectability, they are yet ſo little
regarded, that this medicine is now very rarely preſcribed in fevers,
either in this country, or on the neighbouring continent. In inter-
mittents however there can be no doubt but this bark, or indeed
f
3
h
a
e The analyſis, given by Böhmer, differs from this; for which ſee Diſ. de cort.
caſcar. Þ. 29
f When uſed in a conſiderable quantity in this way, it is ſaid to produce intoxication.
& Anno 1690. Vide Act. laborat. chym. Specim. cap. 9.
h Ludovicus Apinus firſt employed it in fevers, and experienced great ſucceſs by its
uſe in an epidemic, which raged in the neighbourhood of Nurenburg, (by Lewis erro-
neouſly called Norway) during the years 1694 and 1695. Feb. epidem, hiſtorica relatio.
i Junker, Fagon, Werlhof, Santheſſon, and others.
any

OF
MICK

42
Centaurea
Benedicta
Pulliphed by Dr
Woodville Sept? 1.2790,

(119)
k
any other medicine poffeffing tonic and aromatic qualities, may
frequently effect a cure. The German phyſicians have alſo given
much credit to the Caſcarilla as an aſtringent, and recommended it
in hæmorrhages, and various alvine fluxes, in which ſeveral inſtances
of its utility are recorded."
Dr. Cullen was in doubt whether to claſs this drug with the
aromatics or with the tonics, but he determined upon the latter as the
moſt proper ; beſides its being ſtomachic and corroborant, it is alſo
reported to be diuretic : but proofs of its efficacy in particular
diſeaſes have not (as far as we know) been aſcertained, nor even
attempted by any adequate trials made in this country. We ſhall
not therefore follow a late ingenious author, in depreciating this
medicine, from a mere ſpeculation on its ſenſible qualities, but
rather recommend it to the medical practitioner, as deſerving a farther
trial. It promiſes moſt advantage given in ſubſtance, the doſe of
which is from 15 grains to a dram.
k Degner de dyſent. bil p. 164. Bergius Mat. Med. p. 766. Hiſt. de l'Acad. Royale
des Sc. pour l'ann. 1719.
1 What is ſaid of it by Monro, (Milit. Hofpit. p. 202.) and by Lind. (Diff. in hot
climates) cannot be conſidered as exceptions.
CENTAUREA BENEDICTA. BLESSED; Or HOLY THISTLE.
SYNONYMA. Carduus benedictus. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb.
Gerard Emac. p. 1171. J. Bauh. iii. 77.
Park. Parad. p. 530.
Raii Hiſt. 1303. Dodon Pempt. 725. Camer. Epit. 562. Cnicus
ſylveſtris hirſutior five Carduus beneditus. Bauh. Pin. 378.
Claſs Syngeneſia. Ord. Polygamia fruſtranea. L. Gen. Plant. 984.
El. Gen. Ch. Recept. ſetoſum. Pappus fimplex. Cor. radii infun-
dibuliformes, longiores, irregulares.
Sp. Ch. C. calycibus duplicato-fpinofis lanatis involucratis, foliis
ſemidecurrentibus denticulato-ſpinoſis.
Hh
THE
No. 9.

(
120 )
THE root is annual, cylindrical, whitiſh, branched, and furniſhed
with ſeveral flender fibres: the ſtalk is erect, roundiſh, channelled,
rough, from one to two feet high, and often branched towards the
top: the leaves are long, elliptical, rough, runcinated, or variouſly
ſerrated, and barbed with ſharp points ; above of a bright green
colour, underneath whitiſh, and reticulated : the upper leaves are
feffile, and on one ſide extend along the ſtalk, but the lower leaves
ſtand upon footſtalks: the flowers are encloſed by an involucrum of
ten leaves, of theſe the five external ones are the largeſt : the calyx
is oval, imbricated, ſmooth, woolly, and conſiſts of ſeveral ſquamous
coverings, terminated by rigid, pinnated, ſpinous points: the flowers
are compound, or compoſed of ſeveral yellow florets; thoſe at the
circumference want the parts neceſſary to fructification, but thoſe at
the centre are hermaphrodite, tubular, unequally divided at the limb,
and dentated at their upper extremities: the filaments are five,
tapering, white, downy, and inſerted in the baſe of the corolla : the
antheræ are cylindrical, tubulous, browniſh, ftriated, and ſomewhat
longer than the corolla : the ſtyle is filiform, and of the ſame length
as the ſtamina : the ftigma is yellow and cloven: the ſeeds are oblong,
brown, ſtriated, bent, and crowned with a hairy wing or feather,
ſimilar to that of the receptacle. It is a native of Spain and the
Levant, and flowers in June and September.
The firſt account of the cultivation of this plant in England is
given by Gerard, in 1597, and it is now uſually cultivated with other
exotic medicinal fimples. It has an intenſely bitter taſte, accompa-
nied with an unpleaſant ſmell, which it loſes upon being well dried.
" Cold water, poured on the dry leaves, extracts in an hour or two
a light grateful bitterneſs: by ſtanding long upon the plant the liquor
becomes diſagreeable. Rectified ſpirit in a ſhort time extracts the
lighter bitter of the Carduus, but does not take up the nauſeous ſo
eaſily as water.” The watery extract, by keeping, produces a falt
upon its ſurface, which reſembles nitre.
This plant obtained the appellation of Benedictus, from its being
ſuppoſed to poſſeſs extraordinary medicinal virtues ; for excluſive of
thoſe qualities which are uſually attributed to bitters, it was thought
a Lewis Mat. Med. p. 195.
• Sal commune continere albi. Hiſt. de l'Acad. des Sc. de Berlin, 1747, p. 79.
a
to

SNE
AOC

43
Momordica Elaterium
Publifhed by D? Woodville Sept.1.1790.

( 121 )
d
to be a very powerful alexipharmic, and capable of curing the
plague, and other fevers of the moſt malignant kind;' but its good
effects in this way have now as little credit as thoſe of its external
uſe, by which cancers and carious bones are ſaid to have been healed.
Bergius reports, that it is antacida, corroborans, ftomachica, ſudorifera,
diuretica, eccoprotica ; and that it is uſeful in Anorexia, Cachexia,
;
Cephalalgia ſympatica, Arthritis, Febres intermittentes. We might
however, with equal propriety, attribute theſe virtues to many other
ſimple bitters, from which the Carduus does not ſeem to be peculiarly
different. In loſs of appetite, where the ſtomach was injured by
irregularities, the good effects of the Carduus have been frequently
experienced. Formerly it was a common practice to affiſt the opera-
tion of emetics, by drinking an infuſion of the Carduus; but the
flowers of chamomile have ſince been ſubſtituted for this purpoſe,
and probably may be advantageouſly done for ſeveral others in which
the Carduus is recommended. The ſeeds have alſo been employed
.
in emulſion with the ſame intention as the leaves.
c Matthiol. in Dioſcor. p. 597.
a J. Bauh. hiſt. tom. 3. p. 79. Arnold de Villa Nova pract. c. 44.
e Duncan Edinb. New Difpenf.
MOMORDICA ELATERIUM. WILD, Or SQUIRTING
.
CUCUMBER.
е
SYNONYMA. Cucumis agreſtis. Pharm. Lond. Cucumis
aſininus. Gerard Emac. p.912. Cucumis fylveſtris aſininus dictus.
Bauh. Pin. 314. Cucumis fylveſtris five aſininus. J. Bauh. i. p..
248. Raii Hift. p. 647. Cucumis agreſtis five aſininus. Park.
Theat. 161. Erxus aygıos Græcorum. Succus fructus infpiffatus, Elate-
rium dictus.
Claſs Monoecia. Ord. Syngeneſia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 1090.
El. Gen. Ch. MASC. Cal. 5-fidus. Cor. 5-partita. Filamenta 3.
FEM. Cal. 5-fidus. Cor. 5-partita. Stylus 3-fidus.
Pomum elaſtice diffiliens.
Sp. Ch. M. pomis hiſpidis, cirrhis nullis.
THE

( 122 )
а
THE root is annual, long, thick, and of a fleſhy fubſtance ; it
ſends forth ſeveral ſtems, which are round, branched, thick, rough,
and trailing like the common cucumber, but without tendrils : the
leaves are irregularly heart-ſhaped, ſlightly ſinuated, veined, above
of a deep green colour, underneath paler, rough, reticulated, and
ſtand upon ſtrong footſtalks: the flowers proceed from the baſe of
the footſtalks of the leaves, and are both male and female on the ſame
plant: the corolla is divided into five acute ſegments, reticulated with
green veins, and placed above the germen : the calyx conſiſts of five
narrow acute ſegments: the ſtamina, in the male flowers, are three,
ſhort, tapering, two of which have cloven antheræ, the other has a
fimple one; in the female flowers the filaments are very ſhort, and
without antheræ : the ſtyle is ſhort, trifid, and terminated by oblong
ſtigmata, of a green colour: the fruit is large, oblong, hairy, divided
into three cells, which contain many flat ſeeds : when ripe this
fruit, on being touched, burſts open with great force, and throws its
contents to a conſiderable diſtance; hence the name Squirting Cu-
cumber. It
It is a native of the South of Europe, and flowers in June
and July
Since the time of Gerard, the wild cucumber has been regularly
cultivated in this country for medical uſe : all the parts of the plant
are bitter, and ſtrongly purgative, * but the dried juice, or fæculæ of
the fruit, known in the ſhops by the name of Elaterium, is the
only part now medicinally employed, and has been diſtinguiſhed into
white and black Elaterium : the firſt is prepared from the juice, which
iſſues ſpontaneouſly, and the latter from that which is obtained by
expreſſion. The method directed in the London Pharm. for pre-
paring this medicine, is as follows:-“ Slit ripe wild cucumbers,
and paſs the juice (very lightly preſſed) through a very fine fieve into
a glaſs veſſel ; then ſet it by for ſome hours, until the thicker part has
fubfided. Pour off the thinner part ſwimming at the top, and
ſeparate the reſt by filtering; cover the thicker part which remains
after filtration, with a linen cloth, and dry it with a gentle heat.”
* Radicum vis cathartica major eſt quam foliorum, minor vero quam fructuum. Geoff.
* This drug was formerly prepared in ſeveral different ways, a circumſtance neceſſary
to be attended to in the hiſtory of its medicinal effects.
The
a
-

UNIA
OF
BUICK

44
Convallaria Polygonatum
Publiphed by D' Woodville Sept” z. 1790,

(123)
с
The ſenſible qualities of this infpiffated juice are not remarkable
either to the ſmell or to the taſte; it is inflammable, and diſſolves
readily in watery or ſpirituous menſtrua.
Elaterium is a very
powerful cathartic, and was frequently employed as ſuch both by
the Greek and Arabian phyſicians, and its uſe has ſince been much
commended in hydropic caſes, particularly by Pauli, Sydenham,
and Liſter. It is undoubtedly the moſt violent purgative in the
Materia Medica, and ought therefore to be adminiſtered with great
caution, and only where the milder cathartics have proved ineffectual.
The doſe is from half a grain to three grains: the moſt prudent and
effectual
way
in which dropfies are now treated by this remedy, is
by repeating it at ſhort intervals in ſmall doſes.
b Although S. Pauli employed this medicine with great ſucceſs, yet from the extreme
violence of its operation, he thinks it ſhould not be uſed until the milder purgatives
have failed.
c" Elaterium five fæcula Cucumeris agreſtis, potenter, in permodica quantitate
vires ſuas exſerit, in conturbanda alvo, & fæcibus, cum ſerofis & aquoſis humoribus
copioſe egerendis,” &c. Op. p. 488.
--d We may alſo notice, that Liſter obſerves that the patients, by taking this medicine,
became very hot, and found unuſual ſtrong pulſations at the extremities of their fingers.
De Hydrope, in App. Op. Mortoni, p. 25.
CONVALLARIA POLYGONATUM. COMMON SOLOMON's
SEAL
SYNONYMA. Convallaria. Pharm. Edinb.
.
Polygonatum
latifolium flore majore odoro. Bauh. Pin. 303.
Bauh. Pin. 303. Polygonatum
floribus ex fingularibus pediculis. 7. Baub. iii. p. 529. Polygo-
natum majus flore majore. Park. Theat. p. 696. Sweet-ſmelling
Solomon's Seal. Gerard. Emac. 904.
Raii Synopſis, p. 263.
Spec. 2. Raii Hiftor. p. 665. Withering. Bot. Arrang. p. 354.
.
Flor. Dan. Icon. 337.
& Polygonatum Hellebori albi folio, caule purpurafcente. Raii Syn. 263.
Claſs Hexandria. Ord. Monogynia. L. Gen. Pl. 425.
-
Ii
No. 9.
El. Gen. Ch.

( 124 )
Eſ: Gen. Ch. Cor. ſexfida. Bacca maculofa 3-locularis.
3
Sp. Ch. C. foliis alternis amplexicaulibus, caule ancipiti, pedunculis
axillaribus fubunifloris.
a
:
THE root is perennial, horizontal, white, fibrous, beſet with
knobs, and ſaid to be marked with circular depreſſions, reſembling
the impreſſions of a ſeal; hence the name Solomon's Seal. The ſtalk
is inclined, angular, ſmooth, and riſes about a foot in height: the
leaves are oval, pointed, ribbed, ſmooth, above of a deep green
colour, underneath glaucous, and at the baſe embrace the ſtem : the
flowers are long, bell-ſhaped, white, or tinged with green ; divided
at the extremity into fix thort ſegments, and hang from the fame
ſide of the ſtalk upon ſlender peduncles: the filaments are fix, taper-
ing, ſhort, and inſerted in the corolla : the antheræ are oblong and
erect: the ſtyle is filiform, longer than the ſtamina, and crowned with
a blunt triangular ftigma: the germen is round, and when ripe be-
comes a black berry, divided into three cells, cach containing a ſingle
round feed. It grows in the rocky and woody parts of England, and
flowers in May and June.
The root, which is the medicinal part of Solomon's Seal, is very
generally, by writers on the Materia Medica, referred to the Con-
vallaria multiflora of Linnæus, or the Polygonatum latifolium vulgare
of C. Bauhin. It is of a mucilaginous quality, and has long been
commonly employed as a diſcutient poultice to various kinds of
tumours, but more particularly to bruiſes, accompanied with extra-
vafation of blood in the cellular membrane: it is alſo recommend-
ed as a coſmetic; and in Galen's time was uſed by women to
remove pimples and freckles of the ſkin. Of its aftringent effects,
when taken internally, there can be no well grounded expectation.
The berries, flowers, and leaves, are extremely acrid, and are ſaid to
be of a poiſonous quality.”
b
d
a Theſe depreſſions are more peculiarly characteriſtic of the Convallaria multiflora.
b As a proof that theſe roots contain a conſiderable proportion of farinaceous matter,
Bergius ſays, “ Panem e radice recente, addita farina frumenti, annone caritate coxerunt
ruftici noſtrates, qui fuſcus fuit, & fubglutinoſo ſapore.” M. M. 271.
ca Cataplafma e radice familiare 'remedium eft in fugillationibus, & in omni contu-
fione, fanguinem grumoſum efficaciter diſcutiens.” Rutty M.M. 403,
Vide Haller Stirp. Helv. No. 1243. Geoff. M. M.
CARUM CARUI.
3

UNE
Men

45
Carum Caru
Pablighed by D"Woodville sopit? 1.
1790

( 125 )
CARUM CARUI.
COMMON CARAWAY.
SYNONYMA. Caruon, Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Carum feu
Careum. Gerard Emac. P. 1034. Caros. 7. Bauh. iii. p. 69.
Cuminum pratenſe, Carui officinarum. Bauh. Pin. p. 158. Carum
vulgare. Park, Theat. p. 910. Camer. Epit. 516. Raii Hiſ.
Hift
p. 446. Synop. p. 213. Moriſon Umbellifer. p. 24. Jacq. Flor.
Auft. 393. Haller Stirp. Helv. N. 789. Withering. Bot. Arrang,
p. 312.
Kagos Diofcorid. Careum. Plinii.
Clafs Pentandria. Ord. Digynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 365.
El. Gen. Ch. Fructus ovato-oblongus, ftriatus. Involucr. I-phyllum,
Petala carinata, inflexo-emarginata.
a
THE root is biennial, long, thick, white, and has a ſharp ſweetiſh
tafte : * the ſtalk is round, ſtrong, channelled, branched, and riſes to
the height of two or three feet: the leaves are long, and ſubdivide
into numerous pinnulæ or ſegments, which are narrow, pointed, of
a deep green colour, and have a ſweet taſte: † the flowers grow in
terminal umbels, generally conſiſting of ten radii, and furniſhed with
both a general and a partial involucrum, each of which, in the ſpe-
cimen we have figured, conſiſted of four or five narrow ſegments :
the corolla is compoſed of five roundiſh blunt petals, which are white,
and curled inwards at the extremities: the five filaments are ſlender,
about the length of the petals, and crowned with ſmall round
antheræ : the two ſtyles are ſhort, capillary, and furniſhed with ſimple
ſtigmata : the ſeeds are two, naked, brown, bent, ftriated, and of an
oblong ſhape.
* Parkinſon ſays that theſe roots are better eating than parſneps.
+ The leaves are ſaid to afford an oil ſimilar to that of the feeds.--Vide Lewis and others.
This

(126)
CG
This plant produces its flowers in May and June. It is a native
of Britain, and grows in meadows and low grounds ; but the ſeeds
of the cultivated plant are ſaid to be larger, more oily, and of a more
agreeable flavour than thoſe of the wild plant, which are hot and
acrid.
Caraway feeds are well known to have a pleaſant ſpicy ſmell,
and a warm aromatic taſte, and on this account are uſed for various
æconomical purpoſes." They give out the whole of their virtues,
by moderate digeſtion, to rectified ſpirit. Watery infuſions of theſe
ſeeds are ſtronger in ſmell than the ſpirituous tincture, but weaker in
taſte : after repeated infuſion, in freſh portions of water, they ſtill
give a conſiderable taſte to ſpirit. In diſtillation, or evaporation,
water elevates all the aromatic part of the Caraways: the remaining
extract is almoſt inſipid, and thus diſcovers, that in Caraways there
is leſs, than in moſt of the other warm ſeeds of European growth, of
a bitteriſh or ungrateful matter joined to the aromatic. Along
with the aqueous fluid there ariſes in diſtillation a very conſiderable
quantity, about one ounce from thirty, of eſſential oil ; in taſte hotter
and more pungent than thoſe obtained from moſt of our other warm
ſeeds.”
The Caraway feeds are eſteemed to be carminative, cordial, and
ſtomachic, and recommended in dyſpepſia, flatulencies, and other
ſymptoms attending hyſterical and hypochondrial diſorders: they
are alſo reported to be diuretic, and to promote the ſecretion of milk.
They formerly entered many of the compoſitions in the Pharmaco-
pæias; but are now leſs frequently employed. An effential oil,
and a diſtilled ſpirit, are directed to be prepared from them by the
London College.
a Semina Carui ſatis communiter adhibentur ad condiendum panem. Ruſtici noftrates
efitant juſculum e pane feminibus Carui & cereviſia coctum. Diſtillatores feminibus
Carui utuntur in rectificatione fpiritus frumenti, ut ille acuatur oleo ſtellatitio carui,
utpote calefaciente, unde ſpiritus fortior apparet, &c.
b Beaume obtained from ſix pounds of unbruiſed caraway ſeeds four ounces of eſſential
oil as colourleſs as water.
RHEUM PALMATUM.

c)
OF
*) ។

46
Z
02
Rheum
palmatum
Publighed by D” Woodville. O cp 1.1790.

( 127 )
RHEUM PALMATUM.
OFFICINAL RHUBARB.
SYNONYMA. Rhabarbarum. Pharm. Lond. & Edin. Rhabarbarum
verum Med. Hope, I. inf. cit. Rheum palmatum ; fol. palmatis
acuminatis. Lin. Spec. Plant. p. 281. Conf. cel. Hope deſcrip-
tionem in Act. Philofoph. Londin. vol. 55. c. I. Linnæi jun.
in Pl. rarior. hort. Upſal. fafc. 1. item cl. Sandemani in Dil, de
Rheo palmato; et Milleri in ejus Illuftr. Syft. Sex.
Claſs Enneandria. Ord. Trigynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 506.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. o. Cor. 6-fida, perſiſtens. Sem. I, triquetrum.
I
Sp. Ch. R. foliis palmatis acuminatis fcabriuſculis : ſinu baſeos dilatato,
petiolis ſupra obſolete ſulcatis margine rotundatis. Aiton. Hort. Kew.
THE root is perennial, thick, of an oval ſhape, and ſends off long
tapering branches; externally it is brown, and internally of a deep
yellow colour: the ſtalk is erect, round, hollow, jointed, ſheathed,
Nightly ſcored, branched towards the top, and riſes, to the height of
ſix or eight feet: the radical leaves are numerous, large, rough, of a
roundiſh figure, and deeply cut into lobes, and irregularly pointed
ſegments, and ſtand upon long ſmooth round footfalks: the leaves
which proceed from the ſtalk are placed at the joints, which they
ſupply with membranous ſheathes, and are ſucceſſively ſmaller to-
wards the upper part of the ſtem : the flowers terminate the branches,
which they ſurround in numerous cluſters, forming a kind of ſpike,
and appear in April and May: the corolla divides into fix obtuſe
ſegments, which are of a greeniſh white colour, and alternately
ſmaller : the calyx is wanting: the filaments are nine, ſlender, about
the length of the corolla, and furniſhed with oblong double antheræ:
the ſtyle is very ſhort, and terminated by three reflected ſtigmata :
the germen becomes a triangular ſeed, with membranous margins of
a reddiſh colour. It is a native of Tartary in Aſia,
Kk
It
a
a
No. 1O.

( 128 )
b
a
It was not until the year 1732 that naturaliſts became acquainted
with any plant which ſeemed to afford the Rhabarbarum Officinale,"
when ſome plants, received from Ruſſia by Juſſieu at Paris, and Rand
at Chelſea,' were ſaid to ſupply this important defideratum, and as ſuch
were adopted by Linnæus, in his firſt edition of the Species Plantarum,
under the name of Rheum Rhabarbarum. This however was not very
generally received as the genuine Rhubarb plant; and with a view to
aſcertain this matter more completely, Kauw-Boerhaave procured from
a Tartarian rhubarb merchant the feeds of thoſe plants, whoſe roots
he annually ſold, and which were admitted at Peterſborough to be the
true rhubarb : theſe ſeeds were ſoon propagated, and were diſcovered
by De Gorter to produce two diſtinct ſpecies, viz. the R. Rhabarbarum
of Linnæus, or as it has ſince been called R. undulatum, and ano-
ther ſpecies, a ſpecimen of which was preſented to Linnæus, who
declared it to be a new one, and was firſt mentioned in the ſecond
edition of the Sp. Plantarum in 1762, by the name of R. palmatum,
(the plant we have figured). Previous to this time, De Gorter had
repeatedly ſent its ſeeds to Linnæus, but the young plants which
they produced conſtantly periſhed; at length he obtained the freſh
root, which ſucceeded very well at Upſal, and afterwards enabled
the younger Linnæus to deſcribe this plant ann. 1767. But two
years antecedent to this, Dr. Hope's account of the Rheum palma-
tum, as it grew in the botanic garden near Edinburgh, had been
read before the Royal Society at London; and of the great eſtima-
tion in which this plant was held by him, we have the follow-
ing proof: “ From the perfect ſimilarity of this root with the beſt
foreign rhubarb in taſte, ſmell, colour, and purgative qualities, we
a The Rheum Rhaponticum of Linnæus, or Rhaponticum folio Lapathi majoris
glabro of C. Bauhin, is generally ſuppoſed to be the Rhabarbarum of the ancients;
<< Alpinus aliique putant eſſe po vel Pñov veterum, cujus radicem uſurparunt. (Vide
Diofcorid. Mat. Med. lib. 3. cap. 2.) Ipſe Alpinus fibi circa annum 1610, ftirpem
ex Thracia procuravit, et hæc Patavio Venetiam primo, dein inde in Angliam ad
Parkinſonium (Theat. Bot. p. 157.) pervenit.” Murray Ap. Med. vol. 4. 354. It is
well known that the ancient rhubarb had not the purgative power of the modern.
• Seeds of this ſpecies were alſo ſent to Miller from Boerhaave at Leyden, by the
title of “ Rhabarbarum verum Chinenſe.” See his Gard. Dict.
• See the letters between De Gorter and Linnæus, by Nozeman, in Verhandelingen
van het Genootſchap to Rotterdam, vol. 1. p. 455, and cited by Murray,
• Vide Plant. rarior, hort, Upſal. faſc. I.
cannot
a

( 129 )
sc
cannot doubt of our being at laſt poſſeſſed of the plant which pro-
duces the true rhubarb, and may reaſonably entertain the agreeable
expectations of its proving a very important acquiſition to Britain.
But from the relation we have given, it appears that the feeds of
both R. undulatum and R. palmatum, were tranſmitted to Peterſbo-
rough, as thoſe of the true Rhubarb: we are therefore to conclude,
that the former fpecies has an equal claim to this importance with the
latter ; fi and from further enquiries made in Ruſſia, there is the beſt
authority for believing that the R. compactum alſo affords this very
uſeful drug. The ſeeds of the Rheum Palmatum were firſt intro-
duced into Britain in 1762,* by Dr. Mounſey, (who ſent them from
Ruſſia) and were ſuppoſed to be a part of thoſe already mentioned;
and ſince their proſperous cultivation by the late Profeſſor of Botany
at Edinburgh, the propagation of this plant has been gradually ex-
tended to moſt of our Engliſh gardens, and with a degree of ſucceſs
which promiſes in time to fuperfede the importation of the foreign
f
roots
e See Philoſoph. Tranſ. for the year 1765.
+ Bergius ſays, “ Rheum palmatum producit Rhabarbarum in officinis Sibiricum
appellatum ; certe e feminibus a Bucharis e montofis Tibeti in Ruſſiam apportatis, &
poftea fatis hocce Rheum palmatum enatum eft.” (Vide Pallas Reiſe, &c. vol. 3. p.
157) “ Rhabarbarum vero Chinenſe ex alia fpecie Rhei deſumptum efle videtur.” (Vide
Georgi Reife, &c. vol. 1. p. 211.)
f The roots of the Rheum Palmatum were conſidered to be the beſt rhubarb, « donec
viri celeberrimi, Pallas et Georgi, qui nuperrime in rem naturalem Ruſliæ itineribus ſuis
inquiſiverunt, fcrupulos novos excitarent. Nam percontanti ill. Pallas Buchari, folia
Rhei palmati fibi ignota declararunt, deſcribentes contra ea folia veri Rhabarbari rotunda
et in margine paucis modo inciſionibus notata ; unde concludit ifte Rheum compactum
potius fuiſſe intellectum. Huc pertinent ſupra excl. Georgi itinerario dicta (V.p. 360)
de Coſacco quodam, qui Rheum undulatum pro vera ſpecie fignificavit. Uterque etiam
arbitratur, Rheum undulatum in montibus auſtralioribus apertioribus et ficcioribus,
quales Tibetici funt, præſtantiorem poffe radicem ferre quam montes frigidi et humidi
Sibiriæ.” Murray l. c.
Murray l. c. Pallas Reiſe, vol. 3. p. 156. Georgi Reiſe, vol. 1. p. 210.
The ſeeds of the compactum were ſent to Miller « from Peterſborough, for the true
Tartarian rhubarb, and were gathered from the plants growing on the ſpot, where the
rhubarb was taken up; and upon trial of the roots, they are found to be as good as the
foreign rhubarb.” See his Dict. 6th edition.
* In the Hort. Kew. this plant is ſaid to have been firſt cultivated in England by
Miller in 1768.
& The Society for Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, has
laudably contributed to this national object, of which their Tranſactions publiſhed bear
fufficient evidence,
Two

( 130
h
a
و
9
Two ſorts of rhubarb roots are uſually imported into this country
for medical uſe, viz. The Chineſe,ť and the Turkey rhubarb ;" the
firſt is in oblong pieces, flattiſh on one ſide, and convex on the other;
compact, hard, heavy, internally of a dull red colour, variegated with
yellow and white, and when recently powdered appears yellow, but
on being kept becomes gradually redder. The ſecond is the moſt
valuable, and is brought to us in roundiſh pieces, with a large hole
through the middle of each ; it is more ſoft and friable than the
former fort, and exhibits, when broken, many ſtreaks of a bright
red colour. “ The marks of the goodneſs of rhubarb are, the live-
lineſs of its colour when cut; its being firm and ſolid, but not flinty
or hard ; its being eaſily pulverable, and appearing when powdered
of a fine bright yellow colour; its imparting to the ſpittle, on being
chewed, a deep ſaffron tinge, and not proving flimy or mucilaginous
in the mouth; its taſte is ſubacrid, bitteriſh, and ſomewhat ftyptic ;
the ſmell lightly aromatic.”
The purgative qualities of rhubarb are extracted more perfectly
by water than by rectified ſpirit : the root remaining after the action
of water is almoſt if not wholly inactive; whereas after repeated
digeſtion in ſpirit, it proves ſtill very conſiderably purgative. The
virtue of the watery infuſion, on being infpiffated by a gentle heat, is
ſo much diminiſhed, that a dram of the extract is ſaid to have
ſcarcely any greater effect than a ſcruple of the root in ſubſtance ;
I Colitur hoc a Chinenſibus, præcipue in provincia Xenſi ſub nomine Taihoang.
Bergius, M. M. p. 332.
h.“ Olim, quum commercium in orientalibus regionibus per Natoliam fieret,
Rhabarbarum ex portibus Turcicis ad Europæas transferebatur, unde nomen Rha-
barbari Turcici.” Murray, 1. c. Mr. Bell (in his Travels from St. Peterſburg to
divers parts of Aſia) ſays, that the beſt rhubarb grows plentifully on a long chain of
mountains in Tartary, which extend from Selin to the lake Koko-nor near Tibet. At
a proper age the roots are taken up, which, according to Pallas, is in April or May;
but in Bell's account, this is ſaid to be done in the autumn: they are then to be cleaned,
the ſmaller branches cut off, and the larger roots divided into pieces of a proper
fize
after this they are perforated, and ſuſpended to dry either upon the neighbouring trees,
or in tents, or as ſome have reported, to the horns of ſheep. The proper exſiccation of
,
this root is certainly attended with conſiderable difficulty, and the cultivators of rhubarb
in this country have not yet agreed in what mode this is to be beſt accompliſhed. The
recent root in this proceſs, according to the experiment of Sir William Fordyce, loſes
nearly nine-tenths of its weight.”. See Tranſ. of the Society for Encouragement of
Arts, & C.
the
h
3

( 131 )
a
3
the ſpirituous tincture loſes leſs ; half a dram of this extract proving
moderately purgative. “ The qualities of this root are that of a
“ gentle purgative, and ſo gentle that it is often inconvenient by
“ reaſon of the bulk of the doſe required, which in adults muſt be
“ from half a dram to a dram. When given in a large doſe, it will
" occaſion fome griping, as other purgatives do; but it is hardly
ever heating to the ſyſtem, or ſhews the other effects of the more
o “ draſtic purgatives. The purgative quality is accompanied with a
“ bitterneſs, which is often uſeful in reſtoring the tone of the ſto-
« mach when it has been loſt; and for the moſt part its bitterneſs
“ makes it fit better on the ſtomach than many other purgatives do.
“ Its operation joins well with that of neutral laxatives; and both toge-
“ther operate in a leſſer doſe than either of them would do ſingly.
" Some degree of ftipticity is always evident in this medicine, and
as this quality acts when that of the purgative has ceaſed, ſo in
" caſes of diarrhea, when any evacuation is proper, rhubarb has
“ been conſidered as the moſt proper means to be employed. I muſt
" however remark here, that in many caſes of diarrhea, no further
" evacuation than what is occaſioned by the diſeaſe is neceſſary or
proper. The uſe of rhubarb in ſubſtance for keeping the belly
“ regular, for which it is frequently employed, is by no means pro-
per, as the aftringent quality is ready to undo what the purgative
“ had done; but I have found that the purpoſe mentioned may be
“ obtained by it, if the rhubarb is chewed in the mouth, and no
more is ſwallowed than what the ſaliva has diffolved. And I muſt
“ remark in this way employed it is very uſeful to dyſeptic perſons.
Analagous to this, is the uſe of rhubarb in a ſolution, in which it
appears to me, that the aftringent quality is not fo largely extracted
as to operate ſo powerfully as when the rhubarb was employed in
66 ſubſtance.
The officinal preparations of this drug are, a watery and a vinous
infuſion, a ſimple and a compound tincture. It is alſo an ingredient
in different compoſitions, as the Elixir ex aloe et rheo, pilulæ ftoma-
chicæ, and ſome others.
k We have tranſcribed this account from Dr. Cullen, who has paid more than uſual
attention to this article. See Mat. Med. vol. 2. p. 529.
GC
6
CC
») k
a
No. 10,
L1
GRATIOLA

( 132 )
)
GRATIOLA OFFICINALIS.
HEDGE-HYSSOP.
SYNONYMA. Gratiola. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb.
.
Gerard.
Emac. p. 581. Raii Hif. p. 1885. Dodon. Pempt. p. 358.
Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 329. Gratiola, Gratia Dei. Lob. Hift. p. 238.
Chab. p. 475. Gratiola centauroides. Bauh. Pin. p. 279. Gra-
tiola vulgaris. Park. Theat. p. 220. Gratiola officinalis. Flor.
Dan. t. 363.
Claſs Diandria.
Ord. Monogynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 29.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. irregularis, refupinata. Stamina 2 ſterilia. Caps.
2-locularis. Cal. 7-phyllus: 2 exterioribus patulis.
Sp. Ch. G. foliis lanceolatis ferratis, floribus pedunculatis.
THE root is perennial, cylindrical, white, jointed, and furniſhed
with many ſlender fibres: the ſtalk is ſimple, erect, round, thick, and
rifes nearly a foot in height: the leaves are lance-ſhaped, long,
pointed, ſerrated towards the extremities, and ſtand in pairs, without
footſtalks : the flowers proceed from the baſe of the leaves, and
appear in June and Auguft; they are tubular, and divided at the
limb into four obtuſe irregular ſegments, of a pale purple colour :
the tube is yellow, and intermixed with reddiſh ſtreaks : the pedun-
cles are ſlender, of a red colour, and ſupport a ſingle flower : the
calyx conſiſts of five or fix elliptical pointed ſegments: the filaments
are four, two of which only are furniſhed with antheræ : the ſtyle is
tapering, ſtraight, with a divided ſtigma : the germen becomes an
oval pointed capſule, ſeparated into two cells, which contain many
ſmall feeds. It is a native of the South of Europe, and grows uſually
in wet meadows.
Koſtrzewſki, who wrote profeſſedly upon the virtues of this
plant, ſuppoſes Matthiolus to be the firſt botaniſt by whom it is
a Diff. de Gratiola, Vienna, 1775. Vide page 8.
mentioned;
a

47
Gratiola officinalis
Publijhed by D?" Woodville Oct 1.1790,

UNIL
Wic

( 133 )
b
d
و
mentioned ; and the firſt account of its cultivation in Britain is that
given by Turner in 1568 : and it now has a place in moſt of our
botanical gardens. It has a ſtrong bitter nauſeous taſte, but little or
no odour; and its virtues are extracted more perfectly by aqueous
than by ſpirituous menſtrua.
It has been obſerved, that Gratiola reſembles Digitalis both in the
ſhape of its flowers, and in its medicinal effects; and hence it has been
called Digitalis minima. It is certainly a powerful and active cathar-
tic, and operates with ſuch violence upon the ſtomach, as generally
to induce vomiting;' and on this account it is thought by Chomel to
be a medicine adapted only to the more vigorous and robuſt conſti-
tutions. Many others, however, recommend the Gratiola as a per-
fectly ſafe and uſeful purgative, declaring their repeated experience
of its efficacy, without ever obſerving any bad conſequence to follow
its uſe. But as it is very uncertain in its effects, the employment of
this medicine requires the precaution of a gradual increaſe of its
doſe. This plant has commonly been uſed in hydropical diſeaſes
and in moderate doſes it is ſaid not only to act as a hydragogue, but
alſo to manifeſt a diuretic character;° and inſtances of its good effects
in aſcites and anaſarca, are related by many reſpectable practical
writers.' Gefner and Bergius found a fcruple of the powder a fuf-
ficient doſe, as in this quantity it frequently excited nauſea or
vomiting; others have given it to half a dram, two ſcruples, a
dram, and even more..
b Turn. Herb. cited in the Hort. Kew.
Vide Conr. Geſner. Epift. Med. Lib. 3. Dodon. Pempt. D: 361. Boerhaave
Hift. Pl. Hort. L. B. Bergius Mat. Med. p. 26. Theſe obſervations apply to this
plant both in its recent and dried ſtate.
• Uſuell. t. I. p. 48. e Succus nimirum expreffus et inſpiffatus ad dofin 24 vel 30
granorum blande purgat abſque vomitu, ſed lotium efficaciter pellit. Extractum verò ex
reſiduo poft expreffionem aqua erutum et amarius eſt, et eadem dofi violentius purgat
Boulduc. Mem. de l'Acad. R. d. ſc. 1705. P. 189. Vide Murray, Ap. Med. vol. 2.
p. 200.
f Heurn. Prax. Med. p. 332.
Camerar. Hort. Med. &c. p. 69. Ettmul.
Oper. tom. I, p. 716. Heluich. Miſc. Nat. Cur. Dec. 3. A. 5. et 6 obr. 67. p. 133.
Joel. Oper. Med. tom. 4. lib. 4. Hartm. Oper. Med. Chym. p. 60.
8 Chomel gave half a dram, Hermann two ſcruples. Many employed the freſh plant
in decoction with the addition of cinnamon, mace, ginger, aniſeeds, liquorice, &c.
See Geoffroy (M. M.) and others.
An
a
a

(134)
h
An extract of the root of this plant is ſaid to be more efficacious
than the plant itſelf, and exhibited in the doſe of half a dram or a
dram in dyſenteries, produces the beſt effects. We are likewiſe told
"
by Koſtrzewſki,' that in the Hoſpitals at Vienna, three maniacal
patients were perfectly recovered by its uſe; and in the moſt con-
firmed caſes of lues venerea it effected a compleat cure: it uſually
acted by increaſing the urinary, cutaneous, or falivary diſcharges.
h Boulduc 1. c. Kramer Tent. Bot. p. 18. where it is ſaid to have ſimilar effects to
thoſe of ipecacuanha.
i Diſ. cit. p. 64.
SISYMBRIUM NASTURTIUM.
WATER-CRESSES.
.
SYNONYM A. Naſturtium aquaticum. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb.
Naſturtium aquaticum ſupinum. Bauh. Pin. p. 105. Naſturtium
aquaticum, ſive Cratevæ Sium. Gerard. Emac. p. 257. Sifym-
brium Cardamine five N. aquaticum. 7. Bauh. Hift. vol. 2. p.
884. N. aquaticum vulgare. Raii Hift. 816. Synop. p. 300.
Park. Theat. p. 1239. Siſymbrium foliis pinnatis, pinnis fubro-
tundis, brevibus racemis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. 1. 482. Siſymbrium
Naſturtium. Withering. Bot. Arrang: p. 690. Flor. Dan. t. 690.
Curt. Flor. Lond. Kagdayusen f. 2.0, Dioſcorid.
Claſs Tetradynamia. Ord. Siliquoſa. Lin. Gen. Plant. 813.
.
El. Gen. Ch. Siliqua dehiſcens valvulis rectiuſculis. Calyx patens.
Corolla patens.
Sp. Ch. S. filiquis declinatis, foliis pinnatis : foliolis ſubcordatis.
THE root is biennial, long, creeping, and beſet with ſeveral cloſe
tufts of long ſlender fibres: the ſtalks are thick, branched, and fre-
quently riſe above a foot high: the leaves are pinnated, and conſiſt
of two or three pair of irregular oblong pinnæ, and terminated by
a
an

48
Soymbrium Nastientium
Publiſhed by Dr Woodville 0 ct. 1.1790.

کر

(135)
a
a
a
an odd one, which is the largeſt: the flowers are diſpoſed in ſhort
terminal ſpikes, and appear in June and July: the corolla conſiſts of
four petals, which at their extremities are roundiſh, ſpreading, and
of a white colour: the calyx is of four oval leafits, which commonly
fall off by the expanſion of the flower : the ſtamina are fix, four
long and two ſhort, and furniſhed with ſimple antheræ: the ſtyle is
ſhort, with an obtuſe ſtigma: the germen is long, ſlender, and becomes
à crooked pod, which contains ſmall round feeds. It is a native of
Britain, and grows commonly in brooks and ſtagnant waters.
“ The leaves of the Water-creſſes have a moderately pungent taſte,
emit a quick penetrating ſmell, like that of muſtard-ſeed, but much
weaker. Their pungent matter is taken up both by watery and ſpi-
rituous menſtrua, and accompanies the aqueous juice, which iſſues
copiouſly upon expreſſion : it is very volatile ſo as to ariſe," in great
part, in diſtillation, with rectified ſpirit, as well as with water, and
almoſt totally to exhale in drying the leaves, or inſpiſſating by the
gentleſt heat to the conſiſtence of an extract, either the expreſſed
juice, or the watery or ſpirituous tin&tures. Both the inſpiſſated
juice, and the watery extract, diſcover to the taſte a ſaline impregna-
tion, and in keeping throw up cryſtalline effloreſcences to the ſurface.
On diſtilling conſiderable quantities of the herb with water, a ſmall
proportion of a ſubtile volatile very pungent oil is obtained.
Water-creſſes obtain a place in the Materia Medica for their anti-
ſcorbutic qualities, which have been long very generally acknow-
ledged by phyſicians. They are alſo ſuppoſed to purify the blood
and humours, and to open viſceral obſtructions; they are nearly
allied to ſcurvy-graſs, but are more mild and pleaſant, and for this
reaſon are frequently eaten as fallad. In the pharmacopoeias the
juice of this plant is directed with that of fcurvy-grafs and Seville
oranges; and Dr. Cullen has remarked, that the addition of acids
renders the juices of the plantæ ſiliquofæ more certainly effectual, by
determining them more powerfully to an aceſcent fermentation."
a This volatile matter has been erroneouſly attributed to an alkaline or alkaleſcent
quality of the plant.
• Lewis Mat. Med.
• Hoffman and Haller thought highly of its powers in this way.
d Mat. Med.
POLYPODIUM
b
.
с
d
No. 10,
Mm

( 136 )
POLYPODIUM FILIX MAS.
MALE POLYPODY, Or,
COMMON MALE FERN.
SYNONYMA. Filix. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb.
Filix non
ramofa dentata. Bauh. Pin. p. 358. Filix vulgò mas dicta, five
.
non ramoſa. 7. Bauh. Hift. vol. iii. p. 737. Filix mas non
ramoſa pinnulis latis denſis minutim dentatis. Gerard. Emac. po
1129. Filix mas vulgaris. Park. Theat. P. 1036. Raii Hift. p.
143. Synop. p. 120. Polypodium, pinnis pinnatis, obtufis, den-
tatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 1701. Bolton. Filices. Brit. p. 44.
Creditur effe litigis Diofcorid. et Theophr.
Claſs Cryptogamia. Ord. Filices. Lin. Gen. Plant. 1179.
El. Gen. Ch. Fructific. in punctis fubrotundis ſparſis per diſcum
frondis.
Sp.Ch. P.frondibus bipinnatis: pinnis obtufis crenulatis,ftipite paleaceo,
THE root is large, long, firm, and covered with thick brown
ſcales, placed in an imbricated order, and furniſhed with many long
black tough fibres: the general leaves are from one to four feet in
length, the ribs of which when young are thickly beſet with brown
tough tranſparent ſcales: the figure of the whole leaf is lance-ſhaped,
broadeſt in the middle, and gradually decreaſes to each extremity,
terminating above in an acute point; the partial, or ſecond leaves,
are from fifteen to forty pairs, remote on the lower part, growing
gradually nearer upwards, and running together at the top: the lobes
are from ſeven to fifteen pairs, which are largeſt at the bottom, and
regularly decreaſe towards the top, where they unite into a point;
each lobe is of an oval ſhape, and a little indented at its upper ex-
tremity: the feed-vefſels are placed in two rows on the back of the
lobes, in number from three to fix, of a kidney-ſhape, and covered
with a pellicle; they are at firſt white, and afterwards change to a
bluiſh
a

49
11
E
Polypodium Pilis mas
lutlighed by DWoodville OE1200

UNIL
OF
Alor

( 137 )
worm.
bluiſh or aſh-colour; when the ſeeds are ripe, the pellicle burſts, and
after the diſcharge of the ſeeds the veſſels become brown, and appear
as if covered with duſt. It is a native of Britain, and grows about
the borders of woods near rivulets, and in ſtony rocky places.
The root of the male fern has lately been greatly celebrated for
its effects upon the tape-worm, or Tænia lata, of Linnæus; and this
vermifuge power of fern-root ſeems to have been known to the
ancients;" and is fince commended by different practical writers.b
Yet notwithſtanding the virtues of this root are thus recorded, its
uſe was very generally neglected till ſome years ago. Madame
Noufer, a ſurgeon's widow, in Switzerland, acquired great celebrity,
by employing a ſecret remedy as a ſpecific in the cure of the tape-
This ſecret was thought of ſuch importance by ſome of the
principal phyſicians in Paris, who were deputed to make a complete
trial of its efficacy, that it was purchaſed by the French king, and after-
wards publifhed by his order. The method of cure has been ſtated as
follows: After the patient has been prepared by an emollient clyſter, and
a fupper of panada, with butter and falt, he is directed to take in the
morning, while in bed, a doſe of two or three drams of the pow-
dered root of male fern. (The doſe for infants is one dram.) The
powder, muſt be waſhed down with a draught of water, and two
hours after a ſtrong cathartic, compoſed of calomel and ſcammony,
is to be given, proportioned to the ſtrength of the patient. If this
does not operate in due time, it is to be followed by a doſe of purging
falts, and if the worm be not expelled in a few hours, this proceſs is
to be repeated at proper intervals. Of the ſucceſs of this, or a ſimilar
mode of treatment, in caſes of tænia, there can be no doubt, as many
proofs of it in this country afford ſufficient teſtimony; but whether
the fern root or the ſtrong cathartic is the principal agent in the
d
:
a
Diofcorid. M. M. lib. 4. cap. 186. Theophraſt. Hiſt. Plant. lib. 9. Galen de
9
Simp. Med. lib. 8. Pliny. lib. 28. cap. 9.
b F. Hoffman, and others.
Laffone, Macquer, De La Motte, Juffieu, Carburi, and Cadet..
d Précis du Traitement contre le Tænias ou Vers folitaires, pratiqué à Morat en
Suiſſe, examiné et apprové à Paris. Publié par ordre du Roi; à Paris, 1775.
See Dr. Simmons's “ Account of the Tænia,” &c.
deſtruction
>

( 138 )
deſtruction of the worm, may admit of a queſtion, and the latter
opinion we believe is the more generally adopted by phyſicians. It
appears, however, from ſome experiments made in Germany, that
the tænia has in ſeveral inſtances been expelled by the repeated exhi-
bition of the root, without the aſſiſtance of any purgative.s
f Dr. Cullen has publiſhed this opinion. See Mat. Med. art. Filix. See alſo Dr. Sim-
mons's 1. c. pref. p. 7.
& Vide C. C. Gmelin. Conſid. gen. filicum. p. 34. Wendt. Nachricht vom. clin. Inft
zu Erlangen, Penf. 5. et 6. p. 44. 46.
.
ANGELICA ARCHANGELICA.
GARDEN ANGELICA.
SYNONYMA. Angelica. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Angelica
fativa, Bauh. Pin. p. 155. J. Bauh. Hift. vol. iii. p. 140.
Gerard. Emac. p. 999. Park. Theat. p. 939. Raii Hift. p. 434.
. .
Synop. p. 208. Angelica foliis duplicato-pinnatis, ovato-lanceolatis
ſerratis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 807. Flor. Dan. t. 206.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Digynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 138.
El. Gen. Ch. Fructus fubrotundus, angulatus, folidus, ſtylis reflexis.
Corolla æquales : petalis incurvatis.
Sp. Ch. A. foliorum impari lobato.
THE root is biennial, long, thick, and furniſhed with numerous
fibres: the ſtalk is thick, ſtrong, jointed, channelled, round, of a
purpliſh colour, riſes to the height of ſix or eight feet, and ſends off
ſeveral branches, which terminate in large umbels: the leaves are
pinnated, large, numerous, conſiſting of ſeveral pairs of oval,
ſerrated, pointed, veined, irregular ſhaped lobes or pinnæ, terminated
by an odd one: the flowers grow in large terminal umbels, which
are

50
humi
전
​Eu
he
Angelica Archangelica
Putlija by Dr Woodville Oet? 1. 1790.

ago

( 139 )
a
b
are round, and compoſed of many radii : the corolla is ſmall, white,
and divided into five petals, which have their points turned inwards :
the general involucrum conſiſts of three or five narrow pointed leaves,
the partial involucrum of five, and the calyx is cut into five minute
ſegments; the five ſtamina are longer than the petals, ſpreading, and
furniſhed with roundiſh antheræ : the germen is placed below the
corolla, and ſupports two reflected ſtyles, crowned with obtuſe ſtig-
mata : the ſeeds are two, oval, flat on one ſide, convex on the other,
and marked with three furrows. It is a native of Lapland, ^ and
flowers in June and Auguſt.
Angelica, as a native of a northern climate, ſeems to have
been unknown to the ancients. It has been cultivated in Britain
more than two centuries, and its medical character has rendered it
of ſufficient importance to be very generally propagated by the Eng-
lith gardener. -The roots of Angelica have a fragrant agreeable
ſmell, and a bitteriſh pungent taſte : on being chewed they are firſt
ſweetiſh, afterwards acrid, and leave a glowing heat in the mouth and
fauces, which continues for ſome time. The ſtalk, leaves, and ſeeds,
which are alſo directed in the Pharmacopeias, appear to poſſeſs the
ſame qualities, though in an inferior degree. It is ſaid that on wound-
ing the freſh root early in the ſpring, it yields from the inner part of
the bark an unctuous yellowiſh odorous juice, which gently exſiccated
retains its fragrance, and proves an elegant aromatic gummy reſin.
On cutting the dry root longitudinally, the reſinous matter, in which
the virtue and flavour of Angelica reſides, appears concreted in little
veins.' Rectified fpirit extracts the whole of the virtues of the
root; water but very little ; and in diſtillation with the latter, a ſmall
portion of very pungent eſſential oil may be obtained.
We are told by Linnæus, that the Laplanders entertain a high
opinion of the utility of Angelica, and employ it both as food and
as a medicine“; and ſince Aromatic plants are rarely inhabitants of the
Polar regions, their partiality for Angelica is extremely natural: and
a « Ubique per omnes alpes Lapponiæ juxta rivulos vulgaris eſt.” Lin. Flor. Lap.p.67.
b Cultivated in 1568. Turn. herb. part. 3. p. 5. Vide Hort. Kew.
.
c We may alſo add its uſe in confectionary.
d Lewis Mat. Med. p. 59.
• Flor. Lap. a. c.
No. II.
from
92d
c
Nn

( 140 )
from the enumeration of the virtues of this plant by Bergius,' we
ſhould alſo ſuſpect him of being influenced by the ſame phyſical
cauſe. Angelica muſt however be allowed to poſſeſs aromatic, and
what are called carminative, powers, and is uſed accordingly in the
tin&tura aromatica of the Edinb. Pharm. but as many other ſimples
ſurpaſs it in theſe qualities, it is ſeldom employed in the preſent practice.
f Virtus: alexiteria, ftomachica, ſudorifera, carminativa. It may be remarked that he
,
ſays nothing of its ufus. Mat. Med. p. 205. It was formerly recommended in female
Menfibus lochiiſque obſtructis, partu difficili, ſuffocatione uteri; contra
venena, & febres malignas.
diſeaſes.
DORSTENIA CONTRAJERVA.
CONTRAYERVA.
SYNONYMA. Contrayerva. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Dorſtenia
ſphondylii folio, dentariæ radice.
Plum. ic. p. 109. tab. 119.
Jacquin coll. vol. iii. Auctorum fequentium ſynonyma ad noftram
plantam fatis clarè referri nequeunt. Drakena radix. Clus. Exot.
p. 83. 7. Bauh. Hift. vol. ii. p. 740. Gerard. Emac. p. 1621.
Raii Hif. p. 1339. Contrayerva Hiſpanorum five Drakena radix.
Park. Tbeat. p. 421. Pro matre radicis contrayerva in medicina
vulgo uſitata, ex vivis ſpeciminibus cl. Houſtoun duas dorſienia ſpecies
deſcripſit, 1° Dorſtenia Dentariæ radice, ſphondylii folio, placenta
ovali, 2° Dorſtenia Dentariæ radice, folio minus laciniato, placenta
quadrangulari et undulata. (Phil. Tranſ. vol. 37: "p. 196 & 197)
Vel Dorſtenia Drakena, et D. Houſtoni. Lin. Syft. Veg.
Claſs Tetrandria. Ord. Monogynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 158.
El. Gen. Ch. Receptac. commune 1-phyllum, carnoſum, in quo
femina nidulantur.
Sp. Ch. D. fcapis radicatis, fol. pinnatifido-palmatis ſerratis, recep-
taculis quadrangulis.
THE

51
Dorsténia Contrajerva
Publiſhed by Dr Woodville vorm. 2790.

OF

( 141 )
a
b
THE root is perennial, tapering, unequal, compact, rugoſe, exter-
nally brown, internally whitiſh, and furniſhed with numerous fibres :
the leaves are various, of an irregular ſhape, lobed, ſerrated, or rather
dentated, pointed, veined, and placed upon long radical footſtalks, which
are winged towards the leaves: the ſcapi, or flower-ſtems, are round,
rough, ſimple, riſe ſeveral inches in height, and each ſupports an
irregular quadrangular receptacle, which contains the neceſſary parts
of fructification: the flowers on examination were diſcovered to be
diftin&ly male and female, immerſed in the common receptacle, and
occupying the whole of its diſc; the former conſiſted but of two
flender ſhort filaments, with yellow antheræ ; † the latter of a
roundiſh germen, ſupporting a ſimple ſtyle, terminated by an obtuſe
ſtigma: the capſule, when ripe, poffefſes an elaſtic power, by which
the ſeed is thrown out with conſiderable force. It is a native of
"--
South America and ſome of the Weſt India iſlands. I
This plant is extremely ſcarce in Europe: the annexed figure of it
was taken from a plant now in the Royal garden at Kew, where it
was lately introduced, and is, we believe, the firſt of this kind that
ever grew in England. It does not ſufficiently appear from what
authority Linnæus gives the Dorſtenia Contrajerva. The London
College has however adopted it in the liſt of the Mat. Med. and in
compliance with this we have figured the plant; at the ſame time we
muſt acknowledge, that, upon the faith of Dr. Houſton, who examined
the Contrayerva plants in their native ſoil, we ſhould otherwiſe
have had no doubt in referring the officinal radix contrayervæ to the
ſpecies he has deſcribed, as has been done by Bergius' and Murray.
But as Houſton has obſerved, that the roots of different ſpecies of
Dorſtenia are promiſcuouſly gathered and exported for thoſe of the
Contrayerva; and as all the ſpecies bear a great reſemblance to each
+ This plant cannot therefore be properly ſaid to belong to the claſs tetrandria.
a Vide Jacquin. 1. c.
I Jacquin found it growing on the iſland of Martinico. Vide 1. c.
b We do not find any ſpecies of the Dorſtenia mentioned in the Hort. Kew. lately
publiſhed.
• The firſt ſpecies on the high ground near Old Vera Cruz; and the ſecond on the
high rocky ground about Campechy in the year 1730. Phil. Tranſ. vol. 37. p. 197.
d Mat. Med. p. 73
• App. Med. vol. 4. p. 572.
other,
с
d

( 142 )
f
g
other, we conceive the further diſcuſſion of this ſubject to be of no
material conſequence. Nich. Monardus, almoſt two centuries ago,
firſt makes mention of the plant called Contrayerva; and as this name
is of Spaniſh origin, ſignifying an antidote to poiſon, it might apply
to any other plant fuppoſed to poſſeſs this power. We are told by
Cluſius, that he received from Sir Francis Drake ſome roots which
were brought from Peru, where they were highly valued, and re-
ported to counteract the effects of every kind of poiſon, of which
the leaves of the ſame plant were ſaid to be one. This root, in
compliment to the circumnavigator, he named Drakena radix, and is
generally thought by botaniſts to be that of Contrayerva. The generic
name, Dorſtenia, was firſt uſed by Plumier, and afterwards by Lin-
næus, who makes four ſpecies of this genus.
The root of Contrayerva has a peculiar kind of aromatic ſmell,
and a light aftringent warm bitteriſh taſte, and on being long chewed
it diſcovers ſomewhat of a ſweetiſh ſharpneſs. According to Lewis,
Contrayerva root gives out its virtue, by the aſſiſtance of heat,
both to water and rectified ſpirit, and tinges the former of a dark
browniſh red, the latter of a brighter reddiſh colour: the watery
decoction is very mucilaginous, ſo as not to paſs through a filter.'
The antipoiſonous virtues formerly attributed to this root, have
been long very juſtly exploded as entirely chimerical, ſo that it is now
merely employed as a diaphoretic of a moderately ſtimulant kind,
being poſſeſſed of leſs pungency than any other of thoſe medicines
uſually denominated alexipharmic
. Putrid and nervous fevers are
the diſeaſes in which Contrayerva is chiefly uſed, conformably to the
practice of Huxham and Pringle, whoſe works are well known to
all our medical readers.
9 h
f Vide Clufius Exot. p. 311.
8 Nov. gen. plant.
h Lewis Mat. Med.
HYOSCYAMUS NIGER.

JENI
OR
Aina

52
Hyoscyamus niger
Publijhed by 1).Woodville Nov" 1. 1790.

( 143 )
HYOSCYAMUS NIGER.
BLACK HENBANE.
SYNONY MA. Hyoſcyamus. Pharm. Edinb. Hyofcyamus
vulgaris et niger. Baub. Pin. p. 169. Hyoſcyamus niger.
Gerard Emac. P. 353. Hyoſcyamus vulgaris. J. Bauh. iii. 627.
Raii Hift. p.711. Synop. p. 274. Park. Theat. p. 362. Hyof-
.
cyamus. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 580. Stoerck Libel. de Stramonio,
&c. Withering. Bot. Arrang: p. 231.
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Monogynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 247,
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. infundibul, obtuſa. Stam, inclinata Caps.
.
operculata, 2-locularis.
Sp. Ch. H. foliis amplexicaulibus finuatis, floribus feffilibus.
a
THE root is biennial, long, compact, white, and beſet with many
fibres : the ſtalk is erect, round, woody, branched, and riſes about
two feet in height: the leaves are large, cut into irregular lobes or
pointed fegments, of a ſea-green colour, undulated, woolly, and at
their baſes embrace the ſtem : the flowers are produced in irregular
cluſters at the tops of the branches; they are funnel-ſhaped, conſiſt-
ing of a ſhort tube, with an expanded limb, which is divided into
five obtuſe ſegments, of an obſcure yellow colour, and beautifully
painted with many purple veins: the calyx is divided into five ſhort
pointed downy ſegments: the five filaments are tapering, downy at
the baſe, inſerted in the tube of the corolla, and furniſhed with large
oblong antheræ: the germen is roundiſh: the ſtyle ſlender, longer
than the ſtamina, and terminated by a blunt ftigma : the capſule is
oval, marked with a line on each ſide, and divided into two cells,
which contain many ſmall irregular brown ſeeds. It is a native of
England, and grows commonly amongſt rubbiſh, about villages, road
fides, &c. and flowers in June.
a
No. II.
оо
66 The

( 144 )
a
b
a
و
“The ſmell of Hyofcyamus is ſtrong and peculiar, and the leaves,
when bruiſed, emit ſomewhat of the odour of tobacco. This ſmell
is ſtill ſtronger when the leaves are burnt; and on burning they
ſparkle with a deflagration, fomewhat reſembling that of nitre, but
to the taſte they are mild, and mucilaginous.” Henbane is a pow-
erful narcotic poiſon, and many inſtances of its deleterious effects are
recorded by different authors;" from which it appears that any part of
the plant, when taken in ſufficient quantity, is capable of producing
a Haller ſays, Memini ſodalem meum Simonium, cum Leidæ mecum, anno 1725.
Boerhaavii ſcholas frequentaret, Aconita, Apocyna, Belladonna baccas impune devoraſſe,
ab Hyoſcyami vero femine victum, nimiæ curiofitatis pænas dediffe, atque mente aliena-
tum, alteroque latere reſolutum, tamen a Præceptore ſervatum fuiſſe. Stirp. Helv. n. 580.
b Out of the many inſtances of this kind, we ſhall only advert to ſome of them, in
order to ſhew that the roots, ſeeds, and leaves of this plant, have ſeparately produced
poiſonous effects. Dr. Patouillat, Phyſician at Toucy in France, relates (in the Phil.
Tranſ. vol. 40. p. 446) that nine perſons, in conſequence of having eaten the roots of
Hyoſcyamus, were ſeized with moſt alarming ſymptoms; “ ſome were ſpeechleſs, and
ſhewed no other ſigns of life than by convulſions, contortions of their limbs, and the
riſus ſardonicus ; all having their eyes ſtarting out of their heads, and their mouths
drawn backwards on both ſides; others had all the ſymptoms alike; however five of them
did now and then open their mouths, but it was to utter howlings. The madneſs of all
theſe patients was ſo complete, and their agitations fo violent, that in order to give one
of them the antidote, I was obliged to employ fix ſtrong men to hold him while I was
getting his teeth aſunder to pour down the remedy.” And what is remarkable, Dr. P,
ſays, that on their recovery, all objects appeared to them as red as ſcarlet, for two or three
days.---Further accounts of the effects of theſe roots are given by Wepfer de Cicut, &c.
p. 230. Simon Pauli Quadr. p. 384. Blom, in Vet. Ac. Handl. 1774. p. 52.
Reſpecting the ſeeds of Henbane, we have an account given by Sir Hans Sloane, (in the
Phil
. Tranf. vol. 38. p. 99.) of four children who ate them by miſtaking the caplules, in
which they were contained, for filberts. « The ſymptoms that appeared in all the four
were great thirſt, ſwimmings of the head, dimneſs of ſight, ravings, profound ſleep,
which laſt in one of the children continued two days and nights.” See alſo Eſſays and
Obſervations, phyſ. & lit. vol. 2. p. 243. Helmont. Ort. Med. p. 306. Ephemer. Germ.
annis
7 & 8. &C. -The leaves of Hyoſcyamus, we are told, were boiled in broth, and
eaten by ſeven perſons, (five men and two women) who foon became affected with ſymp-
toms of intoxication. Dr. Stedman ſays, “ I ſaw them about three hours after having
eat it; and then three of the men were become quite inſenſible, did not know their
comrades, talked incoherently, and were in as high a delirium as people in the rage of a
fever. All of them had low irregular pulſes, ſlavered, and frequently changed colour:
their eyes looked fiery, and they catched at whatever lay next them, calling out that it
was going to fall.” Phil. Tranſ. vol. 47. an. 1750.
For additional facts, fee Haller l. c. Spielmanni Diſ. de veget. ven. Alfat.
Henbane is poiſonous to birds and dogs; but horſes, cows, goats, and ſwine, it does
not affect.
a
very

( 145 )
.
f
h
very dangerous and terrible fymptoms. I But there cannot be a doubt
that this plant, like others of the ſame natural order, under proper
management, may be ſafely employed, and be found in many caſes
to be an active and uſeful remedy. Hyoſcyamus was well known to
the ancients, and its effects as an anodyne were experienced by
Diofcorides, and with this intention it has been uſed both internally
and externally by ſeveral ſubſequent writers, particularly by Celſus;
and in hæmorrhagic diſeaſes, the ſem. Hyoſcyami were ſucceſsfully
given by Plater, Foreſtus,' and Boyle.s
It appears however that for a long time paſt the employment of
Henbane, in the practice of medicine, was wholly laid aſide till Baron
Stoerck publiſhed ſeveral caſes of different diſeaſes, in which an ex-
tract, prepared from the juice of this plant, had been diſcovered to
be an efficacious remedy." Theſe diſeaſes are ſtated by the Baron to
be internal ſpaſms and convulſions, palpitations of the heart, mad-
neſs, melancholy, epilepſy, inveterate head-aches, hæmoptyſis; and a
troubleſome cough, which accompanied the laſt-mentioned complaint,
was completely appeaſed by the repeated uſe of the extract, which in
ſeveral diſorders was often found to produce ſleep more powerfully
than opium. The fucceſs of Hyoſcyamus in theſe caſes, (many of
which were ſaid to be of long duration, and to have reſiſted the
effects of other remedies) is alſo confirmed by Collin, who extended
the doſe of the Extract. Hyoſcyami, to twenty-four or thirty grains
per diem. But from the experiments made of this medicine by
Greeding, who tried it in forty caſes of melancholia, mania, and
epilepſia, the reſult was very different :yet while his practice ſhews
that no benefit is to be expected in theſe three diſeaſes, it tends to prove
that this medicine is a uſeful anodyne; and as it uſually opens the
# Vires emollientes, & narcoticas, claffis fuæ potentiſſimas poffidet, ut etiam magis,
quam reliquæ, mentem emovere videatur, & deliria furiofa, rixoſaque ciere, unde olim
nomen geſſit alterci. Ea deliria aliquando fugacia funt, & temulentiæ fimilia ; alias
diutius durant; & denique in mortem tranſeunt. Alias Hyoſcyamus hominem in
ſtuporem conjicit. Sed & fopores facit, & vertigines, convulſiones, riſuſque ſardonios, &
inflationes, Itrangulationes, ardorem faucium, frigus extremorum. Si alvum duxit,
reſolutione aliqua toni id videtur factum fuiſſe. Haller l. c.
c Lib. 4. c. 69.
e Prax. Med. p. 635. f Obſervat. lib. 16.
& Uſefulneſs of Nat. Phil. part 2. h Lib. de Stram. Hyoſcyam. &c.
Obferv. Tom.
2. p. 14-20
k Vide Ludw. Adverſ. Med. pr. Vol. i. B. 1. p. 71. & ſq.
body,
n.
i
k
a
a
d Lib. 5. c. 25.
i

(146)
CC
body, it may be advantageouſly ſubſtituted for opium, where the aftrin-
gency of the latter becomes an objection to its uſe. Dr. Cullen ſays,
«that in epilepſy, and various convulſive affections, for which Baron
“ Storck particularly recommends the extract of Henbane, we have
very frequently employed it, but have never found it of any great
“ virtue, nor of more than what we have found in opium. We
« have indeed found the Hyofciamus to be often an agreeable ano-
“ dyne and ſoporiferous medicine; and we have frequently found it
" fuch in perſons, who from particular circumſtances did not agree
“ with opium, and particularly becauſe it was leſs binding to the belly
" than opium. We judge however that it is more ready in full
“ doſes to give delirium than opium is, and therefore we found it in
many caſes to give turbulent and unrefreſhing ſleep; and not-
“ withſtanding its laxative qualities, for which we had employed it,
we have been obliged to lay it aſide.”ı Stoerck and ſome others
recommend this extract in the doſe of one grain or two; but Dr.
Cullen obſerves, that he ſeldom diſcovered its anodyne effects till he
had proceeded to doſes of eight or ten grains, and ſometimes to
• fifteen, and even to twenty.
The leaves of Henbane are ſaid to have been applied externally
with advantage in the way of poultice, to reſolve ſcirrhous tumours,
and to remove ſome pains of the rheumatic and arthritic kind.
1 Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 271.
66
66
ALTHÆA OFFICINALIS.
MARSH-MALLOW.
SYNONYM A. Althæa. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Althæa
Diofcoridis et Plinii. Bauh. Pin. Þ. 315. Althæa vulgaris.
Park. Theat. p. 303. Raii Hif. 602. Synop. 252. Althæa Ibiſcus.
Gerard. Emac. p. 933. Althæa five Biſmalva. J. Bauh. Hift. vol.
ii. P. 954. Althæa tomentoſa herbacea, caule erecto, foliis cordato-
lanceolatis obſolete trifidis. Hal. Stirp. - Helv. n. 1047. Althæa
officinalis. Flor. Dan. tab. 530. Witbering. Bot. Arrang. P: 735.
Anbocice f. Ifisxos Dioſcorid.
Claſs Monadelphia.

53
Althaa Aficinalis
Fullyhed by Dr Woodville Nov. 1.1790.

UNIU
30
Ha

( 147 )
Claſs Monadelphia. Ord. Polyandria. Lin. Gen. Plant. 839.
Eſ.Gen. Ch. Cal. duplex; exterior 9-fidus. Arilli plurimi, monoſpermi.
Sp. Ch. A. foliis fimplicibus tomentofis.
a
THE root is perennial, long, tough, white, and fibrous: the ſtalk
is upright, firm, woolly, ſomewhat branched towards the top, and
riſes to the height of three or four feet : the leaves are ovaliſh, or
heart-ſhaped, commonly with a lobe on each fide, pointed, irregularly
ſerrated, covered with a ſoft down, and ſtand upon long round foot-
ſtalks : the ſtipulæ are two, narrow, and placed at the baſe of each
leaf-ſtalk: the flowers are large, and conſiſt of five petals, inverſely
heart-ſhaped, indented at the apex, and of a pale purple colour:
the calyx is double, the exterior conſiſting of nine and the inte-
rior of five narrow pointed ſegments : the ſtamina are numerous,
united at the baſe, and terminated by kidney-ſhaped antheræ : the
germen is orbicular : the ſtyli cylindrical, and furniſhed with many
long briſtly ſtigmata : the ſeeds are kidney-ſhaped, numerous, placed
in a circle, and covered with an arillus. It is a native of England,
and grows commonly near the ſea ſhore, or about ſalt marſhes, and
flowers in Auguſt.
The Althæa ſeems to have been known to the ancients," and has
continued in very general officinal uſe by practitioners in every
country where the ſcience of medicine is regularly cultivated. “The
dry roots of this plant, boiled in water, give out half their weight
of a gummy matter, of which, on evaporating the aqueous fluid,
forms a flavourleſs yellowiſh mucilage. The leaves afford ſcarcely
one-fourth of their weight, and the flowers and ſeeds ſtill leſs."
a It is called Althæa, ſays Diofcorides dick to Toduan. Des durns a multiplici excellentique
quam in methodo præftat utilitate. 1. 3. c. 163 p. 236. Hence alſo viſmalva & bif-
malva, malvaviſcus, malva-ibiſcus, (Alſton Lect. on the Mat. Med.) and therefore
may be ſuppoſed to be the hibiſcus of Virgil :--
Hedorumque gregem viridi compellere hibiſco.
Ec. ii. 1. 30. et Ec. x. l. 71.
+ This is thought to be nearly allied to Gum arabic, Tragacanth, Starch, &c. and it
has been found to diſſolve myrrh, and ſome other refinous ſubſtances, more readily than
the firſt. Buchholz Ast. Nat. Cur. Tom. p. 6o. Expt. 32.
b Lewis Mat. Med. p. 40,
No. II.
This
a
-
Рp

(148)
This gluten or mucilaginous matter with which the Althæa abounds,
is the medicinal part of the plant, and is commonly employed for its
emollient and demulcent qualities. Its uſe is recommended where the
natural mucus of membranes becomes acrid or abraded; “ for obtund.
ing and incraſſating acrimonious thin fluids, in tickling coughs from
defluctions on the fauces and lungs, in hoarſeneſs, eroſions of the
ſtomach and inteſtines, ftranguary,I and for lubricating and relaxing
the paſſages in nephritic and calculous complaints.” « Radix Althææ
formerly had a place in many of the compounds in the pharmaco-
paias, but now it is only directed in the form of a ſyrup.
| We may here remark however, that in the opinion of Dr. Cullen theſe « demul-
cents can have no effect as ſuch in the maſs of blood, or in paſſing by the various
excretions.” Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 411.
Ċ Lewis 1. c.
9c
MALVA SYLVESTRIS.
COMMON MALLOW.
SYNONYMA. Malva. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Malva ſylveſtris
folio ſinuato. Bauh. Pin. p. 314. Malva vulgaris flore majore,
folio finuato. 7. Bauh. Hift. vol. ii. p. 949. Malva vulgaris.
Park. Tbeat. p. 299.
Raii Hif. p. 599. Synop. p. 251. Malva
caule erecto, foliis lobatis, lobis ſerratis, quinis & feptenis. Hal.
Stirp. Helv. 11. 1069. Malva fylveftris. Gerard. Emac. 930.
n
Withering. Bot. Arrang: p. 738. Curt. Flor. Lond.
Claſs Monadelphia. Ord. Polyandria. Lin. Gen. Plant. 841.
El. Gen. Ch.
Cal. duplex ; exterior 3-phyllus. Arilli plurimi,
monoſpermi.
Sp. Ch. M. caule erecto herbaceo, fol. feptemlobatis acutis, pedun-
culis petiolifque pilofis.
THE root is perennial, thick, long, whitiſh, and furniſhed with
many ſtrong fibres: the ſtem is erect, round, ſtrong, hairy, branched,
and riſes from one to three feet in height: the leaves are numerous,
roundiſh,

54
Malva sylvestris
Hotlighed by Dr Woodville Nov? 1. 1790.

You

(149)
a
a
a
roundiſh, divided into five or ſeven lobes, unequally ſerrated or
notched at the edges, and ſtand upon long round hairy footſtalks :
the two ftipulæ are placed at the baſe of each footſtalk: the flowers
are large, conſiſting of five petals, which are inverſely heart-
ſhaped, finuated at the apex, and of a purple colour, painted with
veins of a deeper hue, and ſtand upon ſlender peduncles, which
proceed from the bottom of the leaf-ſtalks: the calyx is double, the
outer is compoſed of three, and the inner of five oval pointed hairy
ſegments: the ſtamina are numerous, united at the baſe in a cylin-
drical ſhape, above ſeparate, bending downwards, and furniſhed with
kidney-ſhaped antheræ : the germen is roundiſh: the ſtyle cylindrical,
ſhort, and furniſhed with many filiform ſtigmata : the feeds are
numerous, of a kidney-ſhape, and covered with a coat, or arillus,
which opens inwardly. It is common under hedges and in waſte
grounds, and flowers from June till September.
This plant has a ſtrong affinity to the Althæa both in a botanical
and in a medicinal reſpect; but the roots of the malva are uſeleſs,
while thoſe of althæa are of more efficacy than any other part of the
plant. Accordingly we find that only the leaves and the flowers
of the former are directed by the college for pharmaceutical pur-
poſes. Formerly when horticulture was little underſtood, and of
courſe the choice of eſculent vegetables extremely limited, the
malva was admitted amongſt the more common articles of diet; and
we are told that the Chineſe ſtill eat the leaves of mallow either raw
as fallad, or boiled as fpinage.º
Reſpecting the medicinal qualities of this plant, little remains to
be ſaid after the account we have given of Althæa, as the leaves
a « Malva quafi molva quod alvum molliat, ut inquit Feſtus, ſecundum tritum illum
Scholæ Salern. verficulum, dixerunt malvam veteres quia molliat alyum. Gr. pichagen,
CLTO pomasselv, ob eandem rationem. Utrumque etymon improbat C. Hoffman nec tamen
meliora fubftituit.” Tournf.
Me pafcunt oliva
Me cichorea leveſque malvæ.
Hor. l. 1. Od. 31.
Exoneraturas ventrem mihi villica malvas
Attulit, & varias, quas habet hortus, opes. Martial.
The laxative quality of this plant is alſo mentioned by Cicero.
Epiſtol. lib. 7. epift. 26.
Melanges intereſans et curieux. Tom. 4. P. 28.
afford
b
b

(150)
afford a ſimilar glutinous juice, which is fitted to anſwer the ſame
purpoſes as thoſe of marſh-mallow, and are therefore principally uſed
in fomentations, cataplaſms, and emollient enemas; but the internal
uſe of theſe leaves ſeems to be wholly ſuperſeded by the radix althææ."
d' Althææ in oinnibus fupra di&tis efficacior radix.” Plin. Nat. Hiſt. vol. 2. p. 662.
d
LAVANDULA SPICA.
COMMON LAVENDER.
SYNONY MA. Lavendula. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb.
.
Laven-
dula anguſtifolia flore cæruleo. Bauh. Pin. p. 216. Lavendula
minor five fpica. Gerard. Emac. p. 584. Raii Hiſt. p. 513. Park.
Theat. p. 73. Pſeudo-nardus quæ Lavendula vulgo. J. Bauh.
Hift. vol. ii. p. 282. Lavandula foliis lineribus, fpicis nudis.
Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 232.
Varietates ſunt.
* Lavandula anguſtifolia flore cæruleo. Bauh. Pin. p. 216.
Narrow-leaved blue flowered common Lavender.
B Lavandula anguſtifolia flore albo.
Bauh, l. c.
Narrow-leaved white flowered common Lavender.
9 Lavandula latifolia.
Bauh. 1. c.
Broad-leaved common Lavender. Vide Aiton. Hort. Kew.
Clofs Didynamia. Ord. Gymnoſpermia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 711.
El. Gen. Ch. Calyx ovatus, fubdentatus, bractea fuffultus. Corolla
reſupinata. Stamina intra tubum.
Sp. Ch. L. foliis ſeſſilibus lanceolato-linearibus margine revolutis,
ſpica interrupta nuda.
THE root is perennial, thick, fibrous, and woody: the ſtalk is
ſhrubby, much branched, and often riſes to the height of five or fix
feet: the bark of the younger ſhoots is of a pale-green colour, but
of

55
Lavendula Spica
Published by D Woodville Nov. 1,1790,

*H
UNIL
BAR
OF

( 151 )
a
a
of the old woody part of the ſtem rough and brown: the leaves
are numerous, long, narrow, entire, without footſtalks, of a whitiſh
green colour: the flowers are produced in terminal ſpikes upon the
young ſhoots, and are of a bright blue colour: the corolla conſiſts
of a long cylindrical tube, divided at the mouth into two lips, the
uppermoſt of which is largeſt
, and cut into two ſegments; the lower
expands downwards, and ſeparates into three: the filaments are four,
two long, and two ſhort, incloſed within the tubular part of the
corolla, and ſupport ſmall ſimple antheræ : in the place of a germen
we find four naked feeds, from the center of which proceeds the ſtyle,
which flender, and furniſhed with a bilobated ſtigma. It is a
native of the ſouth of Europe, and flowers from July till September.
This plant was formerly conſidered as a ſpecies of Nardus, and appears
to be the Pſeudo-nardus of Matthiolus and Pliny.
Lavender grows ſpontaneouſly in many of the ſouthern parts of
Europe ; it appears from Turner to have been cultivated in England
previous to the year 1568," and on account of the fragrance of its
flowers, it is now ſo commonly cultivated, that we can ſcarcely enter a
garden in which this plant is not to be found. The fragrant ſmell of
the flowers is well known, and to moſt people agreeable; to the taſte
they are bitteriſh, warm, and ſomewhat pungent; the leaves are weaker
and leſs grateful. “ Water extracts by infuſion nearly all the virtue
both of the leaves and flowers. In diſtillation with water the leaves
yield a very ſmall portion of eſſential oil; the flowers a much larger,
amounting in their perfectly mature ſtate to about one ounce from
fixty. The oil is of a bright yellow colour, of a very pungent taſte,
and pofſeffes, if carefully diſtilled, the fragrance of the Lavender in
perfection. Re&tified ſpirit extracts the virtue of Lavender more
a Vide Aiton's Hort. Kew.
b In order to obtain the largeſt quantity of eſſential oil from theſe and moſt other
flowers of this kind, they ſhould be allowed to grow to their full maturity, and be dried
for ſome time.
· Hence it is frequently employed as a perfume. This oil has been uſed for
ſtimulating paralytic limbs, and for other external purpoſes. We are alſo told that it
effectually deſtroys cutaneous inſects, and that if ſoft ſpongy paper be dipped in this oil,
and applied to the parts, it immediately kills the pediculi inguinales.—This oil, diſtilled
from the broad-leaved lavender, and mixed with three-fourths of rectified ſpirit, or oil of
turpentine, was the Oleum ſpicæ, formerly highly celebrated as an application to indolent
tumours, old ſprains, diſeaſed joints, &c.
No. 12.
Qq
completely
-

(152)
9)d
completely than water. The ſpirit elevates alſo in diſtillation a con-
ſiderable part of the odoriferous matter of the leaves, and greateſt
part of that of the flowers; leaving in the inſpiſſated extracts a
moderate pungency and bitterneſs, with very little ſmell."
Lavender has been an officinal plant for a conſiderable time, though
we have no certain accounts of it given by the ancients : its medicinal
virtue reſides in the eſſential oil, which is ſuppoſed to be a gentle cor-
roberant and ſtimulant of the aromatic kind, and is recommended in
nervous debilities and various affections proceeding from a want of
energy in the animal functions. According to Dr. Cullen, it is,
“ whether externally applied or given internally, a powerful ftimu-
" lant to the nervous ſyſtem; and among the others of this order,
" named Cephalics, the Lavender has a very good and perhaps the
s beſt title to it.” And he further ſays, " it appears to me probable,
“
" that it will ſeldom go further than exciting the energy of the brain
to a fuller impulſe of the nervous power into the nerves of the
“ animal funcions, and ſeldom into thoſe of the vital. It may
“ however be with great propriety, that Profeſſor Murray has
“ diffuaded its uſe where there is any danger from a ſtimulus applied
to the ſanguiferous ſyſtem. It is however ſtill probable, that
« Lavender commonly ſtimulates the nervous ſyſtem only, and
" therefore may be more ſafe in pally than the warmer aromatics,
eſpecially if the Lavender be not given in a ſpirituous menftruum,
or along with heating aromatics, which however is commonly
“ done in the caſe of the ſpiritus lavendulæ compoſitus. The
officinal preparations of Lavender, are the eſſential oil, a ſimple ſpirit,
and a compound tincture.
a
d Lewis's Mat. Med. p. 371.
Bergius ſays, Virtus : nervina, reſolvens, tonica, emmenagoga. Uſus: externus,
M, M. p. 513
e
* Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 148.
TEUCRIUM MARUM.

of
Ć

56
Teucrium Marum
2
Publiſhed by D?Woodville Dec.". 1790.

( 153 )
TEUCRIUM MARUM.
MARUM GERMANDER,
Or, SYRIAN HERB MASTICH.
SYNONYM Α.
Marum Syriacum. Pharm. Lond. . Marum
Cortuſi. 7. Bauh. Hifl. v. ill. p. 242. Marjorana Syriaca vel
iii
Cretica. Bauh. Pin. p. 224. Marum Syriacum vel Creticum.
Park. Theat. p. 13.
Raii Hiſt. p. 527.
Chamædrys incana
maritima frutefcens, foliis lanceolatis. Tourn. Inft. p. 205.
Tragoriganum Thymi latioribus foliis, fubtus incanis; flore magno
ſuave-rubente. Pluk. Alm. p. 374. Thymum Creticum, &c.
Breyn Prod. ii. p. 99. C. Schreberi verticill. unilab. n. 28. et
Linn. Diſ. de Maro refp. Dahlgren. P. 7.
Claſs Didynamia. Ord. Gymnoſpermia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 706.
El. Gen. Ch. Corolla labium ſuperius (nullum) ultra baſın 2-partitum,
divaricatum ubi ſtamina.
Sp. Ch. T. foliis integerrimis ovatis acutis petiolatis, ſubtus tomen-
tofis, flor. racemofis fecundis.
a
THE root is perennial, long, ligneous, and divides into many
fibrous branches: the ſtalks are numerous, ſlender, ſhrubby, woolly,
ſomewhat branched, and riſe above a foot in height: the leaves are
oblong, pointed, entire, and near the bottom obſcurely lobed: the
upper pagina is of a pale green colour; the under, white and downy;
they are placed in pairs upon ſlender footitalks, which become gra-
dually elongated towards the lower part of the ſtems: the flowers
are produced in ſpikes, and all ſtand on the fame ſide in pairs, upon
ſhort peduncles: the corolla conſiſts of a thort curved cylindrical
tube, which divides at the limb into two lips; the upper lip is
ſhort, erect, and divided to the baſe, by which it ſeems loſt in the
under lip, which is long, of a pale purple colour, and ſeparated into
fix lobes, of theſe the outermoſt are the largeſt: the calyx is tubular,
whitiſh,

( 154 )
a
a
whitiſh, woolly, and cut into five ſhort pointed ſegments : the filaments
are two long and two ſhort, ſlender, white, and furniſhed with ſimple
antheræ : the germen is quadrifid, and ſupports a ſlender ſtyle, with
a bifid ſtigma: the ſeeds are four, of a brown colour, and lodged in
the calyx, which ſerves the purpoſe of a capſule.
This little ſhrub flowers from July till September. It is a native
of Spain, and is ſaid to grow plentifully alſo in Greece, Ægypt,
Crete, and Syria.
Whether this plant was known to the ancients or not, does not
appear from the deſcriptions of Theophraſtus and Diofcorides. -
Cortuſus diſcovered that cats are remarkably fond of Marum ;* and
from this circumſtance we are enabled with certainty to trace back
its hiſtory to his time, for ever ſince it has been known by the name
of Cat-thyme: there occurs however conſiderable difficulty in aſcer-
taining its ſynonyma ; and probably ſome of thoſe to which we have
referred, are not fufficiently identified. It was firſt cultivated in
England by Parkinſon in 1640, and is now to be found in many
of our gardens.
The leaves and younger branches of Marum, when recent, on
being rubbed betwixt the fingers, emit a volatile aromatic ° ſmell,
which readily excites ſneezing, but to the taſte they are bitteriſh
accompanied with a ſenſation of heat and acrimony. Lewis obſerves,
that “ the Marum loſes but little of its pungency on being dried,
and in this reſpect it differs remarkably from many other acrid
herbs, as thoſe called antiſcorbutic. It gives out its active matter
partially to water, and completely to rectified fpirit. — Diſtilled with
the former, it yields a highly pungent, fubtile, volatile eſſential oil,
fimilar to that of fcurvy graſs, but ſtronger, and of leſs periſhable
pungency. Rectified fpirit carries off likewiſe, in the inſpiffation of
the ſpirituous tincture, a conſiderable ſhare of the ſmell and pungency
of the Marum, but leaves much the greateſt part concentrated in the
a See Jac. Antonii Cortuſi Catalogus Horti Patavini, anno 1591, & J. Bauh. 1. c.
* Cats are alſo known to have a ſimilar fondneſs for the Nepeta Cataria, and the roots
of Valeriana off.
b Vide Aiton's Hort. Kew.
Murray ſays,-Ut ſal volatile olfactum grato ſuo et camphoraceo fere aromate nares
vellicant, in fternutationem uſque, et per momentum temporis animum eximie erigunt.
App. Med, vol. 2. p. 108.
extract;
с
a
-
&
с

( 155 )
е
f
g
h
extract; which, on being taſted, fills the mouth with a durable,
penetrating, glowing warmth."
Judging from the ſenſible qualities of this plant, it may be fup-
poſed to poſſeſs very active powers, and on this conſideration it is
ſtrongly recommended by Wedelius as an important remedy in
many diſeaſes requiring medicines of a ſtimulant, aromatic, and
deobftruent quality; and his opinion ſeems in ſome meaſure to have
been ſince verified by actual experience of its efficacy, as appears
from the inſtances of its ſucceſsful employment by Linnæus,
Roſenſtein, and Bergius." The laſt mentioned writer ſays of it,
Virtus : nervina, tonica, reſolvens, emmenagoga, diuretica, errhina.
Uſus: Cachexia, Hyſteria, Debilitas nervorum.--At preſent however
Marum is here chiefly uſed as an errhine, and is an ingredient in the
pulvis aſari compoſitus of the London Pharmacopeia. The doſe of
the powdered leaves is from a ſcruple to half a dram, which Murray
adviſes to be given in wine.
d Lewis Mat. Med. p. 412.
Diſ. de Maro reſp. Hermanno 1703. - Its cephalic efficacy is highly commended
by Hermann (Cynos. Mat. Med. tom. 2. P. 349.) and Boerhaave (Hiſt. Plant. hort. L.
B. p. 262.)
f Of theſe we may mention Menſtrua ſuppreſſa, Apoplexy, Aſthma, and various other
pulmonary affections. Vide 1. c.
& Murray ſays, “ Litteris vero ad me datis, vir. illuſtris perſcripſit, fe eadem medela b.
Roſenſteinio, diriſſima et pertinaciffima tufli cum difficillima reſpiratione in ultimo morbo
confictato, levamen attuliffe exoptatiffimum.” 1. c.
h He mentions the caſe of a lady who received a blow upon the head by falling from
a carriage, which brought on a ſpecies of apoplexy, and was cured by this plant, after
ſeveral other means had been tried ineffectually. M. M. p. 504.
a
a
a
No. 12.
Rr
TEUCRIUM SCORDIUM.

( 156 )
TEUCRIUM SCORDIUM.
WATER GERMANDER.
SYNONYMA. Scordium. . Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Gerard.
Emac. p. 661. Bauh. Pin. p. 247. 9. Bauh. Hift. iii. p. 292.
Raii Hift. p. 576. Synop. p. 245. Scordium legitimum. Park.
Theat. p. III.
Chamædrys foliis mollibus, hirſutis, ellipticis,
crenatis, verticillis paucifloris. Hal. Stirp. Helv. 11. 288. Teucrium
Scordium. Witbering. Bot. Arrang: p. 591. Flor. Dan. 593.
Claſs Didynamia. Ord. Gymnoſpermia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 706.
El. Gen. Ch. Corolla labium fuperius (nullum) ultra baſin 2-partitum,
divaricatum ubi ftamina.
Sp. Ch. T. foliis oblongis feffilibus dentato-ſerratis, floribus geminis
axillaribus pedunculatis, caule diffuſo.
THE root is perennial, fibrous, creeping: the ſtems are branched,
trailing, ſquare, hairy, and more than a foot in length: the leaves
are ſerrated, hairy, oblong, veined, of a duſky-green colour, without
footſtalks, and placed in pairs : the flowers ſtand in verticilli or whorls
of two, three, or four together, upon ſhort peduncles, placed at the
baſe of the leaves: the corolla is monopetalous, conſiſting of a ſhort
tube, which divides at the mouth into two lips, but the upper is
extremely ſhort, and cleft in the middle, and therefore appears to be
wanting: the under lip is long, of a purple colour, dentated at the
,
ſides, and terminated by a large roundiſh expanded ſegment: the
alyx is tubular, hairy, and cut at the extremity into five ſhort teeth:
the filaments are four, two long and two ſhort, ſlender, bent, and
crowned with ſimple antheræ : the germen divides into four parts,
from the centre of which riſes a ſlender ſtyle, furniſhed with a bifid
ſtigma: the ſeeds are four, naked, of an irregular ſhape, and lodged
in the bottom of the calyx. It is a native of England, in marſhy
ſituations, and flowers in July and Auguft.
The
a

57
Fenerium fcordium
Publiſhed by D" Woodvill Da."1.1790.

UNI
OF
WICK

( 157 )
d
The leaves of Scordium have a ſmell ſomewhat of the garlick
kind, and to the taſte they are bitteriſh, and ſlightly pungent.
" When moderately and newly dried they give out their ſmell and
taſte both to water and to rectified fpirit. In diſtillation their pecu-
liar flavour ariſes with water, but the impregnation of the diſtilled
fluid is not ſtrong, nor could any effential oil be obtained on ſub-
mitting to the operation ſeveral pounds of the herb.” b
The ancienis, to whom Scordium was well known, attributed to
it a peculiar antiſeptic " and alexipharmic power, and for many ages
it had the character of being remarkably efficacious in all peſtilential
and putrid diſeaſes; with a view to this, it was afterwards directed in
the compoſition of ſeveral officinal medicines, ſuppoſed to be antidotes
to various kinds of poiſons and infections; and we are told, even at
a date not very remote from the preſent, of its ſucceſsful uſe in the
plague, which raged in Turkey.' But notwithſtanding the Scordium
was formerly conſidered ſuch a celebrated remedy, and ſtill has place
in both the Pharmacopæias, yet it appears to be a very inſignificant
article of the Materia Medica, and is therefore very juſtly fallen into
diſuſe; and in this opinion we have the authority of Dr. Cullen, who
ſays, “ this plant has a bitter, joined with ſome volatile parts; but
neither of theſe qualities is conſiderable enough to retain it in the
preſent practice.”3 Bergius however ſtates virtus to be antiputredinoſa,
tonica, diaphoretica, diuretica, reſolvens ;" and ſome others recom-
mend it to be employed externally in antiſeptic cataplaſms and
fomentations.
- From this ſmell it is ſuppoſed to take the name Scordium, or Exogodov, which fignifies
Garlick; and the milk of animals, which feed upon this plant, is faid to acquire a fimilar
flavour.
b Lewis Mat. Med. p. 596.
< We are far from being certain that the plant we have figured is really the Scordium
of the ancients, and on this account we have not referred it to the Greek writers.
d Of the fabulous accounts of its antiſeptic powers, we may mention the following
from Galen: iptum autem eft a quibuſdam viris graviffimis, cùm in bello interemp-
torum cadavera multos dies infepulta jacuiſſent, quæcunque ſupra ſcordium fortè fortuna
ceciderant, multo minus aliis computruiffe, ea præſertim ex parte quæ herbam contigerat,
Lib. de Antidot. 6. cap. 12.
e The Mithridate and Theriaca have but lately been expunged from our diſpenſatories;
and though often experienced to be uſeful remedies, yet with Haller we may ſay, “Sed
ex farragines funt medicamentorum, in quibus non dignoſcas, cui tribuas eventa.” 1. c.
[Vide Lettres par De Foy. t. 1. p. 198. and Chenot de peſte, p. 132.
& Mat. Med. vol. 2. p. 82.
h Mat. Med. p. 505.
PUNICA GRANATUM,
h
2

(158)
PUNICA GRANATUM.
POMEGRANATE TREE.
SYNONYMA. Granatum. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Malus
Punica fativa. Bauh. Pin. p. 438. Park. Theat. p. 1510. Malus
Punica. J. Bauh. Hift. vol. i. p. 76. Malus Granata five Punica.
Gerard. Emac. p. 1450. Punica ſpinoſa, foliis nitentibus, ellipticis,
integerrimis, floribus feffilibus. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 1098. Conf.
Du Hamel Traité des arbres, t. 2. p. 193. et Miller Iuftr. Syf. Sex.
e Punica floribus plenis. Theophrafti et Diofcoridi arbor ejuſque
fructus dicitur Poc ; Hippocrati arbor audit ziòn, unde cortex fructus
Σιδιον vel Poιης. Flores Punica fativæ autem Diofcoridi et Galeni Kut:1902
hodie Balauſtiorum Flores, vocantur.
Claſs Icofandria. Ord. Monogynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 618.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-fidus, fuperus. Petala 5. Pomum multilocu-
5
lare polyſpermum.
Sp. Ch. P. foliis lanceolatis, caule arboreo.
THIS ſmall tree riſes ſeveral feet in height: it is covered with a
browniſh bark, and divided into many ſmall branches, which are
armed with ſpines: the leaves are oblong, or lance-ſhaped, pointed,
veined, of a deep green colour, and placed upon ſhort footſtalks :
the flowers are large, of a rich ſcarlet colour, and ſtand at the end of
the young branches: the corolla is compoſed of five large roundiſh
flender petals, with narrow claws, by which they are inſerted into
the calyx: the calyx is large, thick, fleſhy, tubular, of a browniſh red
colour, and divided at the extremity into five pointed ſegments: the
filaments are numerous, ſhort, bent inwards, furniſhed with yeHow
antheræ, and attached to the calyx: the germen is roundiſh, and
ſupports a ſimple ſtyle, of the length of the filaments, and terminated
by a globular ſtigma: the fruit is about the ſize of an orange, and
crowned with the five teeth of the calyx: the rind is thick and tough,
externally

58
Punica Granatam
ти
Palliphed by 2 Woodville. Dec? 1. 1790.

OF
be

( 159 )
a
d
externally reddiſh, internally yellowiſh, filled with a red fucculent
pulp,"contained in tranſparent cellular membranes, and included
in nine cells, within which numerous oblong angular ſeeds are alſo
lodged. This ſhrubby tree is a native of Spain, Italy, and Barbary,
and flowers from June till September.
The Greek writers were well acquainted with the Pomegranate, as
appears from what we have already mentioned under the Synonyma ;
and Pliny tells us that its fruit was uſually ſold in the neighbour-
hood of Carthage. The cultivation of this tree in England is firſt
.
to be dated from the time of Gerard, in 1596; and though its fruit
feldom arrives to a ſtate of perfection in this country, yet the large
and beautiful ſcarlet flowers which it produces, ſtill render it a
deſirable object of ornamental gardening. The rind of the fruit,
and the flowers, the calyces of which may be included, are the parts
directed in the Pharmacopeias for medicinal uſe. The fruit has been
called cortex granati, malicorium, fidium, &c. In its ſmell there is
nothing remarkable, but to the taſte it is very aſtringent." With
water it yields near half its own weight of a very auſtere extract,
but gives out very little to rectified ſpirit; its aſtringent matter, like
that of the fruit of the acacia tree, ſeeming to be indiſſoluble in
ſpirituous menſtrua : in this reſpect the aftringency of the fruit differs
from the latter,” which are named Balauſtium or Balauſtine flowers ;
theſe are commonly taken from the double-flowered variety, and like
the rind have little or no ſmell, but a mild bitteriſh ftyptic taſte.
They are both powerful aſtringents, and with this effect have long
been ſucceſsfully employed in diſeaſes both internally and externally.
Dr. Cullen obſerves that “ the ſtrong ſtyptic taſte of this bark, and the
" black colour it ſtrikes with green vitriol, ſhew fufficiently its aſtringent
power; and it is commonly ſuppoſed to be among the ſtrongeſt of
2 This is gratefully acid, ſomewhat like that of oranges.
b— Circa Carthaginem punicum malum cognomine fibi vendicat; aliqui granatum
appellant. 1. 13. c. 19. p. 333.
c Vide Aiton's Hort. Kew.
d Miller tells us that he obtained fruit from ſome of theſe trees which were planted in
a warm ſituation, but they had not the proper flavour.
• The double flowered ſort, more eſpecially, makes a very beautiful appearance.
f Lewis Mat. Med. p. 328. : Virtus corticis : validus adſtringens, coriaria; florum :
paullo mitior; pulpæ refrigerans, reftringens. Berg. M. M. p. 398.
No. 12.
g.
66
p.
SS
66 this

(1бо )
as this kind. As at the ſame time, it gives out ſuch a large portion of
“ its ſubſtance to water in infuſion or deco&tion, it ſeems to be par-
ticularly fit for affording a liquid aſtringent, and I have frequently
“ found it particularly uſeful in gargles, in diarrhoea, and in external
applications. That it is ſo powerful an aſtringent internally uſed,
as to be more dangerous than others, I cannot perceive; and that
“ it has ever had the power of ſuppreſſing the catamenia, ſeems to
me very doubtful.” The doſe, in ſubſtance, is from half a drain
to a dram; in infuſion or decoction, to half an ounce.
h M. M. vol. ii. p. 44.
i Uſus cort. externus, Laxitas uvulæ, Procedentia inteſtini. Berg. 1. c.
CG
POTENTILLA REPTANS.
COMMON CINQUE FOIL.
SYNONYM A. Pentaphyllum. Pharm. Lond. Quinquefolium
MA
.
majus repens.
Bauh. Pin. p. 325.
Quinquefolium vulgare.
Gerard. Emac. p. 987. Pentaphyllum vulgatiſfimum. Park. Theat.
p. 398. Raii Hif. p.611. Synop. p. 255. 7. Baub. Hift. p. 397.
Þ
Fragara foliis quinatis, ferratis, petiolis unifloris, carile reptante.
Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 1118. Withering. Bot. Arrang. p. 534.
.
Curtis Flor. Lond.
Claſs Icofandria. Ord. Polygynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 634.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. 10-fidus. Petala 5. Sem. fubrotunda, nuda,
receptaculo parvo ex ſucco affixa.
Sp. Ch. P. foliis quinatis, caule repente, pedunculis unifloris.
THE root is perennial, long, tapering, or fuſiform, furniſhed
with but few fibres, internally reddiſh, and externally of a yellowiſh
brown colour : the ſtalks are numerous, flender, purpliſh, ſmooth, and
creeping: the leaves are quinate, or five, placed together, and ſome-
times

59
Potentilla reptans
Publighed by D? Woodville Dec" 1. 1790.

UNIE
OF

( 161 )
a
times ſeven, of unequal ſize, elliptical, obtuſe, ferrated, veined, ſome-
what hairy, and fitting cloſe to the common footſtalk, which is of
conſiderable length, and riſes from the ſtoloniferous joints of the ſtem:
the ftipulæ ſtand in pairs, and are compoſed of three ovalith leaves :
the flowers are yellow, and placed ſingly upon long ſlender peduncles :
the corolla conſiſts of five petals, which are inverſely heart-ſhaped, of
a bright yellow colour, and inſerted into the calyx by ſhort claws:
the calyx is a perianthium of one leaf, divided into ten pointed ſeg-
ments, which are alternately ſmaller, and frequently turned back:
the filaments are about twenty, ſhort, tapering, and inſerted at the
glandular baſe of the calyx, and crowned by oblong, flattiſhi, double-
celled yellow antheræ : the germina are numerous, and form a conical
head, ſupporting ſhort ſtyles, terminated by blunt ftigmata : the feeds
are numerous, ſmall, and of a brown colour. It flowers from July
till September, and is common on meadow banks, and on the ſides
of roads.
The roots of this plant have a bitteriſh ſtyptic taſte, and give out
their aſtringent matter both to water and ſpirit
. They were uſed by
Hippocrates and Dioſcorides, and by the former particularly recom-
mended for the cure of intermittents. And Ray tells us, that the
peaſantry ſtill employ them with this intention." The medicinal
quality of Cinquefoil is confined to the external or cortical part of
the root, and depends merely upon its aftringent effects; it has
therefore been chiefly preſcribed internally in diarrheas and other
fluxes, and externally in gargles and aſtringent lotions : but as its
efficacy is much inferior to many other plants of this claſs, the
Cinquefoil is now rarely uſed. In large doſes, however, it may be
found no bad ſubſtitute for ſome of the other aſtringents.
a 2 De Morb. I. 2. p. 473. Foës.
Hift. Plant. p. c. See alſo Senac de recond. febr. interm. nat. p. 185.
а.
a
NICOTIANA TABACUM.

( 162 )
NICOTIANA TABACUM.
VIRGINIAN TOBACCO,
SYNONYMA. Nicotiana. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Nicotiana
major latifolia. Bauh. Pin. p. 169. Nicotiana major five Tabacum
majus. 7. Bauh. Hift. iii. p. 629. Tabacco latifolium. Park.
Parad. p. 363. Raii Hif. p. 713. Hyofcyamus Peruvianus.
Gerard. Emac. p. 357.
Petum latifolium. Clufus. Exot. p. 309.
Herba fancta. Lobel. Adverſ. p. 251. Nicotiana (Tabacum) foliis
lanceolatis, ovatis, decurrentibus. Miller. Diet.
« Nicotiana major latifolia.
C. B. l. c.
Broad-leaved Virginian Tobacco.
& Nicotiana foliis lanceolatis acutis feffilibus, calycibus acutis, tubo
floris longiffimo.
Miller. Diet.
Narrow-leaved Virginian Tobacco. *
Claſs Pentandria. Ord. Monogynia, Lin. Gen. Plant. 248.
El. Gen. Ch. Cor. infundibul. limbo plicato. Stamina inclinata.
Caps. 2-valvis, 2-locularis.
Sp.Ch. N. foliis lanceolato-ovatis feffilibus decurrentibus, floribus acutis.
THE root is annual, large, long, and fibrous: the ſtalk is erect,
ſtrong, round, hairy, branched towards the top, and riſes five or fix
feet in height: the leaves are numerous, large, oblong, pointed,
entire, veined, viſcous, of a pale green colour, without footſtalks, and
follow the ſtem downwards; the bracteæ are long, linear, and pointed :
the flowers terminate the ſtem and branches in looſe cluſters or pani-
cles: the corolla is monopetalous, funnel-Shaped, with a long hairy
tube, which gradually ſwells towards the limb, where it divides into
five folding acute ſegments of a reddiſh colour: the calyx is hairy,
about the length of the corolla, and is cut into five narrow ſegments :
* The figure here preſented ſeems to accord very well with this variety.
the

60
Nicotiana Tabacum
Publijhed by D" Woodville Decr. 1.1790.

UN
OF
CH

( 163 )
a
-
the five filaments are bent inwards, tapering, and crowned with
oblong antheræ : the germen is oval, and ſupports a long ſlender
ſtyle, terminated by a round cleft ftigma: the capſule is oval, and
divided into two cells, which contain many ſmall roundiſh ſeeds.
It is a native of America, and flowers in July and Auguft.
Tobacco was firſt imported into Europe about the middle of the
ſixteenth century by Hernandez de Toledo, who ſent it to Spain and
Portugal; at that time the Ambaſſador of Francis II. reſided at the
court of Liſbon, and in the year 1560, he carried the Tobacco into
France, when it was preſented to Catharine de Medicis as a plant
from the new world, poſſeſſing extraordinary virtues. The Ambaf-
ſador's name was Nicot, and hence the appellation Nicotiana. It
appears from Lobel, that this plant was cultivated in Britain previous
to the year 1570; and the introduction of the cuſtom of ſmoking
it in England is aſcribed to Sir Walter Raleigh. The cultivation of
Tobacco * is now common in various parts of the globe, and though
a Vide 1. c.
* Long, in his Hiſtory of Jamaica, deſcribes the method of its cultivation to be as
follows:- “ When a regular plantation of Tobacco is intended, ſeveral beds are pre-
pared, well turned up with the hoe. The ſeed, on account of its ſmallneſs, is mixed
with alhes, and ſown upon them a little before the rainy ſeaſon. The beds are then
raked, or trampled with the feet, to make the feed take the ſooner. The plants appear
in two or three weeks. So ſoon as they have acquired four leaves, the ſtrongeſt are
drawn up carefully and planted in the Tobacco field by a line, at the diſtance of about
three feet from each plant: this is done either with a ſtick or the finger. If no rain falls,
it ſhould be watered two or three times, to make it ſtrike root. Every morning and
evening the plants muſt be ſurveyed, in order to deſtroy a worm which ſometimes invades
the bud. When they are grown about four or five inches high they are to be cleaned
from weeds, and moulded up; and as ſoon as they have eight or nine leaves, and are
ready to put forth a ſtalk, the top is nipped off, in order to make the leaves longer and
thicker. After this, the buds which ſprout at the joints of the leaves are all plucked,
and not a day ſuffered to paſs without examining the leaves, to deſtroy a large caterpillar
which is ſometimes very deſtructive to them.
deſtructive to them. When they are fit for cutting, which is
known by the brittleneſs of the leaves, they are cut with a knife cloſe to the ground;
and after being left to lie there fome little time, are carried to the drying-ſhed or houſe,
where the plants are hung up, by pairs, upon lines or ropes ſtretched acroſs, leaving a
ſpace between, that they may not touch one another. In this ſtate they remain to ſweat
and dry. When they become perfectly dry, the leaves are ſtripped from the ſtalks, and
made into ſmall bundles, tied with another leaf. Theſe bundles are laid in heaps, and
covered with blankets. Care is taken not to overheat them; for which reaſon the heaps
are laid open to the air from time to time, and ſpread abroad. This operation is repeated
till no more heat is perceived in the heaps, and the Tobacco is then ſtowed in caſks for
exportation.”-Vol. 3. p. 719.
No. 12.
Tt
prohibited
a

( 164 )
a
a
,
a
prohibited by the laws of this country, fill the manufacture of it
forms no inconfiderable branch of commerce.
The different forts of Tobacco and Snuffs prepared from it which are
now in uſe, are to be attributed to the difference of the climate and foil
in which it grows, and the peculiar mode of managing and manufac-
turing the plant, rather than to any eſſential difference in its qualities;
we ſhall therefore proceed to the confideration of the effects of Tobacco
upon the body, which from its general employment deſerves particular
attention; and no apology will be thought neceſſary for tranſcribing
the whole of what has been lately advanced upon this ſubject by Dr.
Cullen.-" Tobacco is a well-known drug, of a narcotic quality, which
" it diſcovers in all perſons, even in ſmall quantity, when firſt applied
“ to them. I have known a ſmall quantity of it, ſnuffed up the noſe,
“ produce giddineſs, ftupor, and vomiting; and when applied in diffe-
rent ways, in larger quantity, there are many inſtances of its more
“ violent effects, even of its proving a mortal poiſon. In all theſe
“ inſtances it operates in the manner of other narcotics : But along
" with its narcotic qualities it poſſeſſes alſo a ſtrongly ſtimulant power,
perhaps with reſpect to the whole ſyſtem, but eſpecially with reſpect
to the ſtomach and inteſtines; ſo as readily, even in no great doſes,
to prove emetic and purgative.
“ By this combination of qualities, all the effects of tobacco may
“ be explained; but I ſhall begin with conſidering its effects as they
appear in the uſe of it as an article of living.
"As ſuch it has been employed by fnuffing, ſmoking, and chewing;
“ practices which, as having been for two hundred years paſt common
to all Europe, need not be deſcribed here. Like other narcotics,
" the uſe of it may be introduced by degrees ; ſo that its peculiar
“ effects, even from large quantities employed, may not, or may
hardly at all appear: but this does not at all contradict the account
“ I have given of its quality with reſpect to perſons unaccuſtomed to
it, and even of its tendency to ſhow its power in thoſe much ac-
“ cuſtomed to it: for even in theſe, the power of habit has its limits;
“ fo that in perſons going but a little beyond the doſe to which they
“ have been accuſtomed, very violent effects are ſometimes produced.
“ On this ſubject it is to be remarked, that the power of habit is
“ often unequal; ſo that in perſons accuſtomed to the uſe of tobacco,
a leffer
CG
CC
a

( 165 )
a
CG
CC
66
C6
leſſer quantity than what they had been accuſtomed to, will often
“ have ſtronger effects than had before commonly appeared. I knew
a lady who had been for more than twenty years accuſtomed to
“ take ſnuff, and that at every time of day; but ſhe came at length
to obſerve, that ſnuffing a good deal before dinner took away her
appetite: and ſhe came at length to find, that a ſingle pinch, taken
any time before dinner, took away almoſt entirely her appetite for
" that meal. When, however, ſhe abſtained entirely from ſnuff before
6.dinner, her appetite continued as uſual; and after dinner, for the reſt
“ of the day, ſhe took ſnuff pretty freely without any inconvenience.
“ This is an inſtance of the inequality of the power of habit in
exerting its effects : but in what caſes this may take place, we
cannot determine, and muſt now go on in marking its uſual and
“ ordinary powers. When ſnuff, that is, tobacco in powder, is firſt
applied to the noſe, it proves a ſtimulus, and excites ſneezing; but
.
" by repetition that effect entirely ceaſes.
" When ſnuff is firſt employed, if it be not both in ſmall quantity
" and be not thrown out immediately by ſneezing, it occaſions ſome
giddineſs and confuſion of head; but by repetition theſe effects
" ceaſe to be produced, and no other effect of it appears in the
" accuſtomed, when not taken beyond the accuſtomed quantity. But
even in the accuſtomed, when it is taken beyond the uſual quantity,
“ it produces ſomewhat of the ſame giddineſs and confuſion of head
" that it did when firſt employed; and in ſeveral caſes, theſe effects
" in the accuſtomed, depending on a larger doſe, are not only more
cs conſiderable, as they act on the ſenſorium, but as they appear alſo
“ in other parts of the ſyſtem, particularly in the ſtomach, occa-
“ fioning a loſs of appetite, and other ſymptoms of a weakened tone
“ With reſpect to this, it is to be obſerved, that perſons who take
a great deal of ſnuff, though they ſeem, from the power of habit,
to eſcape its narcotic effects; yet as they are often liable to go to
“ exceſs in the quantity taken, ſo they are ſtill in danger from theſe
“ effects operating in an inſenſible manner; and I have obſerved
“ ſeveral inſtances of their being affected in the ſame manner as
perſons are from the long continued uſe of other narcotics, ſuch as
66 wine and opium; that is, by a loſs of memory, by a fatuity, and
66 other
C6
66 in that organ.

( 166 )
and
“ other ſymptoms of the weakened or ſenile ſtate of the nervous
“ fyftem, induced before the uſual period.
"s Among other effects of exceſs in ſnuffing, I have found all the
“ fymptoms of dyſpepſia produced by it, and particularly pains of the
“ ftomach, occurring every day. The dependance of theſe upon the
“ uſe of ſnuff became very evident from hence, that upon an acci-
« dental interruption of ſnuffing for ſome days, theſe pains did not
occur; but upon a return to ſnuffing, the pains alſo recurred;
" this alternation of pains of the ſtomach and of ſnuffing having
“ occurred again, the ſnuff was entirely laid aſide, and the pains
“ did not occur for many months after, nor, ſo far as I know, for
" the reſt of life.
" A ſpecial effect of ſnuffing is its exciting a conſiderable diſcharge
" of mucus from the noſe; and there have been ſeveral inſtances of
“ headachs, toothachs, and ophthalmias relieved by this means: and
" this is to be particularly remarked, that when this diſcharge of
mucus is conſiderable, the ceaſing or ſuppreſſion of it by abſtaining
“ from ſnuff, is ready to occaſion the very diſorders of headach,
“ toothach, and ophthalmia, which it had formerly relieved.
“ Another effect of ſnuffing to be taken notice of is, that as a part ·
6 of the ſnuff is often carried back into the fauces, ſo a part of this
" is often carried down into the ſtomach, and then more certainly
produces the dyſpeptic ſymptoms mentioned. Theſe are the con-
“ fiderations that relate to ſnuffing; and ſome of them will readily
apply to the other modes of uſing this drug.
“Smoking, when firſt practiſed, ſhows very ſtrongly the narcotic,
vomiting, and even purging powers of tobacco, and it is very often
“ uſeful as an anodyne; but by repetition theſe effects diſappear, or
only ſhow themſelves when the quantity ſmoked is beyond what
habit had before admitted of; and even in perſons much accuſtomed
to it, it may be carried ſo far as to prove a mortal poiſor. From
“ much ſmoking all the ſame effects may ariſe which we ſaid might
“ ariſe from exceſs in ſnuffing.
“ With reſpect to the evacuation of mucus which is produced by
“ ſnuffing, there are analogous effects produced by ſmoking, which
commonly ſtimulates the mucous follicles of the mouth and fauces,
" and particularly the excretories of the falivary glands. By the
66 evacuation
CC

( 167 )
C6
CG
а
66 evacuation from both ſources, with the concurrence of the narcotic
power, the toothach is often greatly relieved by it; but we have
not found the ſmoking relieve headachs and ophthalmias ſo much
as ſnuffing often does. Sometimes ſmoking dries the mouth and
“ fauces, and occaſions a demand for drink; but, as commonly the
“ ſtimulus it applies to the mucous follicles and ſalivary glands draws
" forth their liquids, it occaſions on the other hand a frequent ſpitting,
“ So far as this is of the proper ſaliva, it occafions a waſte of that
"
" liquid fo neceſſary in the buſineſs of digeſtion; and both by this
" waſte and by the narcotic power at the ſame time applied, the tone
“ of the ſtomach is often weakened, and every kind of dyſpeptic
“ fymptoms are produced. Though in ſmoking a great part of the
“ ſmoke is again blown out of the mouth, ftill a part of it muſt
" neceffarily paſs into the lungs, and its narcotic power applied there
“ often relieves ſpaſmodic aſthma; and by its ſtimulant power it there
“ alſo ſometimes promotes expectoration, and proves uſeful in the
" catarrhal or pituitous difficulty of breathing.
“ Smoking has been frequently mentioned as a means of guarding
men againſt contagion. In the caſe of the plague, the teſtimony of
“ Diemerbroek is very ſtrong; but Rivinus and others give us many
“ facts which contradict this : and Chenot gives a remarkable inſtance
“ of its inutility. We cannot indeed ſuppoſe that tobacco contains
an antidote of any contagion, or that in general it has any antiſeptic
power; and therefore we cannot allow that it has any ſpecial uſe
“ in this caſe: but it is very probable that this and other narcotics,
“ by diminiſhing ſenſibility, may render men leſs liable to contagion;
" and by rendering the mind leſs active and anxious, it may alſo
" render men leſs liable to fear, which has ſo often the power of
“ exciting the activity of the contagion. The antiloimic powers of
.
“ tobacco are therefore on the ſame footing with thoſe of wine,
“ brandy, and opium.
“ The third mode of uſing tobacco is that of chewing it, when it
« ſhows its narcotic qualities as ſtrongly as in any other way of ap-
plying it; though the nauſeous taſte of it commonly prevents its
being carried far in the firſt practice. When the practice, however,
" is continued, as it is very difficult to avoid fome part of it diffolved
“ in the ſaliva from going down into the ſtomach, ſo this, with the
66
No. 13
Uu
66 nauſea

(168)
a
66
“ nauſea excited by the taſte, makes vomiting more readily occafioned
by this than the other modes of applying it. They are the ſtrong,
" and even diſagreeable impreſſions repeated, that give the moſt du-
“ rable and tenacious habits; and therefore the chewing of tobacco
" is apt to become one of theſe: and it is therefore in this way that
:
" it is ready to be carried to the greateſt exceſs, and to ſhow all the
“ effects of the frequent and large uſe of narcotics. As it commonly
produces a conſiderable evacuation from the mouth and fauces, ſo
“ it is the moſt powerful in relieving the rheumatic affection of
“ toothach. This practice is alſo the occaſion of the greateſt waſte
“ of ſaliva; and the effects of this in weakening digeſtion, and perhaps
" from thence eſpecially, its noted effect of producing emaciation
may appear.
“ Theſe are the effects of the different modes of employing tobacco,
" when it comes to be of habitual uſe and an article of living. Theſe
“ effects depend eſpecially upon its narcotic power, and certain cir-
“ cumſtances accidentally attending its application to the noſe and
« mouth : but as we have obſerved before, that beſide its narcotic, it
poſſeſſes alſo a ſtimulant power, particularly with reſpect to the
“ alimentary canal: by this it is frequently employed as a medicine
“ for exciting either vomiting or purging, which it does as it happens
to be more immediately applied to the ſtomach or to the inteſtines..
“ An infuſion of from half a dram to a dram of the dried leaves, or
" of theſe as they are commonly prepared for chewing, for an hour
or two, in four ounces of boiling water, affords an emetic which has
“ been employed by ſome practioners, but more commonly by the
vulgar only. As it has no peculiar qualities as an emetic, and its
operation is commonly attended with ſevere ſickneſs, it has not been,
nor is it likely ever to come into common practice with phyſicians.
" It is more commonly employed as a purgative in glyſters; and,
as generally very effectual, it is employed in all caſes of more
“ obſtinate coſtiveneſs; and its powers have been celebrated by many
". authors. I have known it to be in frequent uſe with ſome practi-
“ tioners; and it is indeed a very effectual medicine, but attended
" with this inconvenience, that when the doſe happens to be in any
exceſs, it occaſions ſevere fickneſs at ſtomach ; and I have known
“ it frequently occaſion vomiting.
It
65
a
66
6

( 169 )
66
66
" It is well known, that in caſes of obſtinate coſtiveneſs, in ileus
" and incarcerated hernia, the ſmoke of burning tobacco has been
" thrown into the anus with great advantage. The ſmoke operates
“ here by the ſame qualities that are in the infuſions of it above
“ mentioned ; but as the ſmoke reaches much further into the inteſ-
“ tines than injections can commonly do, it is thereby applied to a
larger ſurface, and may therefore be a more powerful medicine
“ than the infuſions. In ſeveral inſtances, however, I have been
diſappointed of iis effects, and have been obliged to have recourſe
to other means.
" The infuſion of tobacco, when it is carried into the blood veſſels,
" has ſometimes ſhown its ſtimulant powers exerted in the kidneys;
" and very lately we have had it recommended to us as a powerful
“ diuretic of great ſervice in dropſy. Upon the faith of theſe recom-
“ mendations we have now employed this remedy in various caſes of
dropſy, but with very little ſucceſs. From the ſmall doſes that are
proper to begin with, we have hardly obſerved any diuretic effects;
" and though from larger doſes they have in ſome meaſure appeared,
we have ſeldom found them conſiderable: and when, to obtain
" theſe in a greater degree, we have gone on increaſing the doſes,
we have been conſtantly reſtrained by the ſevere ſickneſs at ſtomach,
“ and even vomiting, which they occaſioned: ſo that we have not
yet learned the adminiſtration of this remedy ſo as to render it a
“ certain or convenient remedy in any caſes of dropſy.
“ The ſame circumſtances have occurred to ſeveral other practi-
“ tioners of this city and neighbourhood; and of late the trials of it
“ have been very generally omitted, owing perhaps to our practitioners
being directed at the ſame time to the uſe of the digitalis, with which
" they have had ſome more ſucceſs.
“ From ſome experiments we are certain that tobacco contains a
quantity of volatile parts that may be diſſipated by long boiling in
water; and that by ſuch a practice its emetic, purgative, and nar-
“ cotic qualities may be greatly diminiſhed; and we are of opinion
" that the preparation in extract, as preſcribed in the Wirtenberg
diſpenſatory, is upon a good foundation, and may be employed in
pectoral caſes with more advantage and ſafety than the ſimple in-
« fuſion or decoction made by a ſhort boiling only.
66 When
66
66
GC

(170)
.
65
CG
" When we were reſtrained in employing the infuſion of tobacco
as a diuretic, as mentioned, we expected to ſucceed better with the
decoction; and I have found, that by long boiling this might be
given in much larger doſes than the infuſion : but we ſtill found it
retaining ſo much of the emetic quality, that we could not employ
“ it as a diuretic without being interrupted in its uſe by the ſame
" emetic quality that had interrupted the uſe of the infuſion.
" Beſides the internal uſes of tobacco mentioned, I muſt now
« remark, that it has likewiſe been commended for its virtues as
externally employed. I have known the infuſion employed with
advantage as a lotion for ſome obſtinate ulcers : but the many in-
“ ſtances of its being abſorbed, and proving thereby a violent poiſon,
“ diſſuade from ſuch a practice; eſpecially as there are other medi-
“ cines, of as much efficacy, that may be employed with much
more ſafety. Bergius recommends it to be employed as a fomen-
“ tation in the paraphymoſis; but we have had no opportunity of
employing it." *
* The preceding quotation has completely anticipated what we have to offer upon
the ſubject of Tobacco. Reſpecting its poiſonous, or narcotic, effects, we ſhall fub-
join the following references: — Ephem. Nat. Cur. Dec. 2. Ann. 10. Obſ
. 131. p. 222.
we are told, that by the immoderate uſe of ſnuff, ſomnolency, and at length fatal
apoplexy, was induced. Hellwig Obf. Phyſ. Med. p. 45. gives two inſtances of the fame
kind, occafioned by ſmoking 17 or 18 pipes of Tobacco. For the effects of Tobacco,
by abſorption from its external uſe, ſee Eph. cit. Ann. 4. p. 46. et Ann. 2. Obf. 108. p. 262.
Álſton's M. M. vol. i. p. 190. The oil of Tobacco, applied to a wound, is ſaid by Redi
to be as fatal as the poiſon of a viper. See Experim. Nat. p. 8. 50. 315. Albinus
however did not find that this was the caſe with the different animals on which he tried
the experiment. Diſ. de Tobac. p. II. This oil, given to pigeons, produced fatal
effects, and was conſtantly attended with vomiting. Abbé Fontana. Vide Phil
. Tranſ. vol.
lxx. Tobacco, taken by dogs, alſo produces vomiting. Geſner. Epiſt. lib. ii. p. 79.
The ſmoke of 'Tobacco has been ſucceſsfully uſed in the way of injection, by means of
a proper inſtrument, for obſtructions and inveterate conſtipations of the belly, ever ſince
the time of Sydenham; and Haen, in his Rat. Med. gives ſeveral inſtances of its good
effects: it is alſo recommended in caſes of aſyphxia, or, what has been termed, ſuſpended
animation.
ERRATUM. In the deſcription of the calyx of the Tobacco-plant,
read half the length of the corolla.
RICINUS COMMUNIS.

ادر

61
در سراسری
씨
​z
wo
von
Ricinus communis.
Publiſhed by Da Woodville. Jan7. 1791.
munis

( 171 )
RICINUS COMMUNIS.
COMMON PALMA CHRISTI.
SYNONYMA. Ricinus. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Gerard.
Emac. p. 496. Ricinus vulgaris. Bauh. Pin. 432. 7. Bauh.
Hift. iii. p. 642. Ricinus five Cataputia major vulgatior. Park.
Theat. p. 182. Raii Hift. p. 166. Ricinus 1. Fruticoſus aſſurgens
foliis majoribus peltato-lobatis, lobis ſerratis acutis. Browne's Jam.
Þ: 350. Ricinus Americanus fructu racemoſo hiſpido, &c. Sloane’s
Cat. 38. The Oil nut tree. Long's Jam. v. iii. p.712. Ricinus
foliis peltatis inæqualiter ſerratis, capſulis hiſpidis. Miller, Figures
of Plants, tab. 219. In horto botanico Gottingenſi tres exſtant va-
rietates: a, glauca, caule petiolis coſtiſque foliorum ftipulis pedunculis
capſuliſque pallide rubris. Ricinus ruber RUMPH. Herb. Amb.
tom. iv. P. 79. ; ß, nitens, caule petiolis coftis foliorum ceteriſque
partibus et fummis foliis fanguineis. Ricinus lucidus Jacquin. Miſc.
Auftr.vol.ii.p. 36o. et Icon.rarior. tab. 27. ut puto; , glauca totaque
viridis præter ftylos rubicundos. Ricinus albus Rumph. 1. c. 8.92.
Avanacoe ſ. Citavanacu. Hort. Malab. tom. 2. p. 57. tab. 32. Vide
Murr. App. Med. v. iv. Þ. 195.
Claſs Monoecia. Ord. Monadelphia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 1085.
.
El. Gen. Ch. Masc. Cal. 5-partitus. Cor. O. Stam. numeroſa.
Fem. Cal. 3-partitus. Cor. o. Styli 3, bifidi. Capf. 3 locul. Sem. I.
Sp. Ch. R. foliis peltatis fubpalmatis ferratis.
THE root is biennial, long, thick, whitiſh, and beſet with many ſmall
fibres : the ſtem is round, thick, jointed, channelled, glaucous, of a
purpliſh red colour towards the top, and riſes luxuriantly ſix or eight
feet in height: | the leaves are large, and deeply divided into ſeven
I Long ſays that in Jamaica it grows with ſurpriſing rapidity to the height of fifteen
or fixteen feet. 1. c.
Xx
lobes
No. 13.

( 172 )
a
b
lobes or pointed ferrated ſegments, of a bluiſh green colour: the
footſtalks are long, tapering, purpliſh, and inſerted in the diſc of the
leaf (peltated): the flowers are male and female on the ſame plant,
and produced in a cluſtered terminal ſpike: the male flowers are
without a corolla, and conſiſt of a calyx, divided into five oval
pointed purpliſh ſegments, encloſing numerous long ſtamina, which
unite at the baſe : the female flowers occupy the upper part of the
ſpike, and have the calyx cut into three narrow ſegments, of a reddiſh
colour: the ſtyles are three, ſlender, and forked at the apex : the
capſule is a large three-celled nut, covered with tough ſpines, and
contains three flattiih oblong feeds, || which are forced out on the
burſting of the capſule. It is a native of both the Indies, and
flowers in July and Auguſt
.
This plant appears to be the Kixi, or Kpotwy of Diofcorides, who
obſerves that the ſeeds are powerfully cathartic ; of it is alſo men-
tioned by Ætius, Paulus Ægineta, and Pliny. The Ricinus was firſt
cultivated in England in the time of Turner, (1562) and is now
annually reared in many gardens in the neighbourhood of London;
and in that of Dr. Saunders, at Highbury, the plant from which the
|| Hujus cuilibet loculo ineſt nux ovata, utrinque compreffa, interiori præcipue fuper-
ficie, quæ et linea longitudinali diſtinguitur, magnitudine feminis Phaſeoli minoris fore
phæniceo, hilo prominente furſum notato, cui callus ante adhæſerat. Cortex ex bruno
luteoque variegatus, fragilis, cingit nucleum album, veſtitum cuticula tenella concolore-
Figuræ feminis cum inſecto Ricino (Acaro Ricino L.) bobus & canibus infefto, fimili-
tudo anſam denominationis totius plantæ dedit. Murr. Ap. Med. vol. iv. p. 197.
a Mat. Med. lib. 4. cap. 164.
+ Their violent and irritating effects in this way are noticed by almoſt all the Materia
Medica writers, and ſeem to be confirmed by Thunberg, (Dil. de Medicina Africanorum,
p. 4. and Browne, (l. c.). This acrimony however appears from later experiments to
be owing to the membranes which inveſt the kernel, (vide Heyer in Crells n. chem.
Entdeck. P. 2. p. 47. Alſo Glendenberg in ejuſd. chem. Annal. 1785. vol. ii. p. 34.)
Bergius ſays, “ Semen unicum Ricini vulgaris, tempore veſpertino, a viro fano & vegeto
maſticatum & deglutitum, fapore fuit amygdalarum, ſed ſenſationem mordentem in fau-
cibus reliquit. Per totam noctem tranquille dormivit hic vir; ſed ſequente die mane
expergefactus, emeſi violentia correptus fuit atque per totam diem fuftinuit niſus alter-
nantes vomituritionis & purgationis alvi, tametfi parum dejiciebat. Eadem vice nobilis
matrona teneræ conſtitutionis, ſemen unicum pariter comedit, ſed prius teſtam membranam-
que
obvelantem ſedulo ſeparavit abjecitque ; & nullam noxam inde ſenſit.” M.M.P.774.
b Vide Hort. Kew.
· From the number of ſeeds which the Doctor has lately procured from different parts of
the globe, and his ſcientific and ſolicitous care in their cultivation, we are induced to hope,
that Medical Botany, under ſuch auſpices, will eventually receive conſiderable illuſtration.
preſent
-

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d
с
preſent figure was taken, it grew to a ſtate of great perfection. An
.
oil extracted from the ſeeds of this plant, and known by the name
of oleum ricini, Palma Chriſti, or caſtor oil, 'is the drug to which
the pharmacopeias refer, and which has lately come into frequent
uſe as a quick, but gentle, purgative. The London College direct
this oil to be expreſſed from the feeds in the ſame way as that of
almonds, and without the aſſiſtance of heat, by which the oil would
ſeem to be obtained in the pureſt ſtate : however, we have ſome reaſon
to believe that this method is ſeldom practiſed, and that the oil uſually
employed here is imported from the Weſt-Indies, where it is com-
monly prepared in the following manner : “ The ſeeds being freed
from the huſks, or pods, which are gathered upon their turning brown,
and when beginning to burſt open, are firſt bruiſed in a mortar, after-
wards tied up in a linen bag, and then thrown into a large pot, with
a ſufficient quantity of water, (about eight gallons to one gallon of
the ſeeds) and boiled till the oil is riſen to the ſurface, when it is
carefully ſkimmed off, ftrained, and kept for uſe. Thus prepared,
the oil is entirely free from acrimony, and will ſtay upon the ſtomach
when it rejects all other medicines.” And Mr. Long remarks, that
" the oil intended for medicinal uſe is more frequently cold-drawn,
or extracted from the bruiſed feeds by means of a hand-preſs.
But
this is thought more acrimonious than what is prepared by coction.'
Dr. Browne is alſo of this opinion, and prefers the oil procured by
Where the oil is rejected, the ſeeds may be carefully ſeparated from their ſhells and
the inner white membrane, and formed into an emulſion, and given as an agreeable
ſubſtitute for the oil.
e Some objection has been made to this manner of obtaining the oil, as ſtated in our
pharmacopoeia, which we ſhall here mention in the words of Murray: Expreffione fi
eliceatur oleum, quidam ſuadent decorticati ſeminis præviam conquaſſationem in mortario,
(Canvane Dil. on the Oleum Palma Chriſti, & c. p. 20,) ſed inde ob mucilaginis evolu-
tionem, quæ fimul contingit craſſum & turbidum evadit oleum (quod bene adjecit Bonelli
in verfione libri cl. Canvane. p. 63. Glendenberg 1. c. p. 32), nec niſi difficulter eruitur.
.
Præſtat igitur nucleos integros premere. Facilius quoque evocatur oleum ex feminibus,
quæ moram aliquam traxerunt, quam ex recentibus; mucilago enim fenfim ficcior evadere
videtur, tumque connubium ſuum cum oleo relaxare.” (Heyer in Crells Entd. P. 3.
p. 74.) l. c.
f Long's Jamaica, p.713. It is well known however, that the oil obtained by boiling
becomes much ſooner rancid than that by expreſſion. The beſt oil is limpid, and deftitute
of taſte or ſmell. In the Weſt Indies it is uſually conſumed in lamps, and for other
domeſtic purpoſes.
coction

( 174 )
CC
C6
coction to that by expreſſion; he attributes its greater mildneſs to the
a&tion of the fire, obſerving that the expreſſed oil, as well as the mixed
juices of the ſeeds, are far more active and violent in their operations.5
Dr. Cullen obſerves, that “ this oil, when the ſtomach can be recon-
“ ciled to it, is one of the moſt agreeable purgatives we can employ.
“ It has this particular advantage, that it operates ſooner after its
exhibition than any other purgative I know of, as it commonly
operates in two or three hours. It ſeldom gives any griping, and
,
“ its operation is generally moderate, to one, two, or three ftools only.
" It is particularly ſuited to caſes of coſtiveneſs, and even to caſes of
ſpaſmodic cholic. In the Weſt Indies it is found to be one of the
“ moſt certain remedies in the dry-belly ach, or colica pictonum.
“ I have never found it heating or irritating to the rectum, and there-
“ fore have found it fufficiently well ſuited to hæmorrhoidal perſons.
“ The only inconvenience attending the uſe of this medicine is, that
as an oil it is nauſeous to ſome perſons; and that, when the doſe is
large, it occaſions fickneſs at the ſtomach for ſome time after it is
“ taken. To obviate theſe inconveniences, ſeveral means have been
" tried; but I ſhall not detail theſe here, as I can aſſert, that the moſt
“ effectual means is the addition of a little ardent ſpirit. For this in
“ the Weſt Indies they employ rum ; but that I might not withdraw
any part of the purgative, I employ the tinctura fennæ compofita.
“ This, added in the proportion of one to three parts of the oil, and
very intimately mixed by their being ſhaken together in a phial,
“ both makes the oil leſs nauſeous to the taſte, and makes it ſit more
eaſy on the ſtomach. The common doſe of this oil is a table-
ſpoonful, or half an ounce; but many perſons require a double
quantity
a
06
CC
i
& L. c.
But this is better explained under note †
b We may add, that it has been experienced to be an uſeful medicine in various febrile
complaints, and in bilious cholics, nephritic caſes, worms, eſpecially the tape-worm.
i M. M. vol. 2. p. 563, Dr. Cullen remarks, “ It is particularly to be obſerved of
this medicine, that if it be frequently repeated, the doſe of it may be gradually more and
more diminiſhed. And I know inſtances of perſons who, formerly of a coſtive habit, at
firſt required half an ounce or more for a doſe; but after being frequently repeated, they
now find that two drams are enough, at leaſt to keep the belly regular.
CLEMATIS RECTA.

SNE
OF
1970

62
Clematis recta
Publifped by D" Woodville. Jan '1. 1791.

(
175 )
CLEMATIS RECTA.
UPRIGHT VIRGIN'S BOWER.
SYNONYM A. Flammula Jovis. Pharm. Edinb. Flammula
recta. Bauh. Pin. p. 300. Clematis five Flammula ſurrecta alba.
7. Bauh. Hift. vol. ii. p. 127. Flammula Jovis furrecta. Gerard.
Emac. p. 888. Park. Theat. p. 382. Raii Hift. p. 621. Sp. 4.
Clematis caule erecto, foliis pinnatis ovato-lanceolatis. Hal. Stirp.
Helv. n. 1144. Flor. Auft. tab. 291. Stoerck Libell. de Flam.
Jovis, tab. 1.
Claſs Polyandria. Ord. Polygynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 696.
.
.
El. Gen. Ch. Cal. o.
Petala 4-6. Sem. caudata.
Sp. Ch.
C. foliis pinnatis : foliolis ovato-lanceolatis integerrimis,
caule erecto, floribus pentapetalis tetrapetaliſque. .
THE root is perennial, white, and fibrous: the ſtalk is erect,
ſcored, round, ſmooth, branched towards the top, and riſes about two
feet in height: the leaves are oppoſite, and pinnated, the pinnæ are
placed in pairs, and terminated by an odd one; they are all ovally
lance-ſhaped, acute, entire, ſmooth, and veined. The flowers ter-
minate the ſtem and branches in irregular umbels : there is no calyx :
the petals are four or five, of an oval ſhape, and whitiſh colour: the
filaments are numerous, erect, tapering, ſhorter than the petals, and
terminated by the antheræ, which are ſcored on each ſide : the ger-
mina are many, roundiſh, hairy, and ſupport bearded ſtyles, of the
length of the ſtamina, and crowned with obtuſe ſtigmata : the ſeeds
are roundiſh, compreſſed, and attached to the ſtyles, which appear
like long feathered tails; and hence the name, fem. caudata.
This plant is a native of Hungary, Auſtria, and France, and flowers
from June till Auguft: it was firſt cultivated in England by Gerard,
previous to the year 1597, and is now fufficiently known to the
Britiſh
a
No. 13•
Уу

(176)
a
Britiſh gardeners. This, like ſome other ſpecies of the clematis, is
extremely acrid, and hence the name Flammula. The recent leaves,
upon being chewed, excite a burning heat of the tongue and fauces,
and if retained long in the mouth, produce bliſters and ulceration ;
but, by drying, this acrimony is conſiderably diminiſhed: the flowers
likewiſe poſſeſs a ſhare of acrimony, though in a leſs degree. The
Flammula Jovis, although mentioned by Dale and ſome others as an
external remedy, was firſt recommended to the attention of practi-
tioners by Baron Stoerck in 1769, as an uſeful medicine in many
obſtinate complaints. I He publiſhed ſeveral caſes of its ſucceſsful
exhibition, particularly in inveterate fyphilitic diſeaſes producing head-
aches, pains in the bones, nodes, ulcers, cutaneous affections, &c. *
Whether this plant really deſerves the character which the Baron
has thus attempted to eſtabliſh, by ſtating its uniform ſucceſs in
twenty-two caſes out of twenty-four, in which it was tried, reſts
folely upon his own authority; and it is with concern we obſerve,
that the medical facts at Vienna are not very confidently received by
the phyſicians in this country. It was uſual for Dr. Stoerck to
employ the leaves and flowers, as well as an extract prepared from
the former, yet the preparation which he chiefly recommends is an
infufion of two or three drams of the leaves in a pint of boiling
water; of which he gave four ounces three times a day, while the
powdered leaves were applied as an eſcharotic to the ulcers.
| Although theſe were principally venereal, yet in ulcers, cancers, and ſevere head-
aches, not proceeding from this cauſe, the Flammula Jovis is ſaid to have been likewiſe
ſucceſsful; and in his Lib. de Pulſat. p. 57. we are told of its remarkable efficacy in a
caſe of melancholia triſtiſfima. It generally acted as a diuretic or diaphoretic.
* Vide Libell. de Flammula Jovisa
LOBELIA SIPHILITICA.

ola
OF

63
Sebelia siphilitica
Iblijhed by Da Woodville, Jan" 1.1791.

( 177 )
LOBELIA SIPHILITICA.
BLUE LOBELIA; Or,
CARDINAL-FLOWER.
SYNONYMA. Lobelia. Pharm. Edinb. Rapunculus Ameri-
.
canus, flore dilute cæruleo. D. Dodart Memoires, &c. p. 297.
Rapunculus galeatus virginianus, flore violaceo majore. Morriſon
Hift. t. ii. p. 466. Lobelia ſiphilitica caule erecto lævi, foliis lato
lanceolatis ſerratis inciſis utrinque acuminatis, floribus cæruleis.
Walter Flora Carolin. p. 218. Conf. Kalmii deſcriptio largior in
K. Vet. Acad. Handl. p. 284. and Bartram's Appendix, containing
deſcriptions, virtues, and uſes of fundry plants, &c.
Claſs Syngeneſia. Ord. Monogamia. Lin. Gen. Plant, 1006.
Ej. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-fidus. Corolla 1-petala, irregularis. Capſula
infera, 2-f. 3-locularis.
Sp. Ch. Caule erecto, foliis ovato-lanceolatis fubferratis, calycum
ſinubus reflexis.
THE root is perennial, and furniſhed with many white fibres: the
ftem is upright, ſtrong, ſimple, ſmooth, and riſes upwards of two
feet in height: the leaves placed towards the top of the ſtem, are
oval and pointed; thoſe at the bottom are elliptical, and obtuſely
lance-ſhaped; they are both minutely ſerrated, veined, ſmooth, and
without footſtalks: the flowers are numerous, large, blue, and grow
in a long ſpike, upon ſhort peduncles: the corolla conſiſts of a long
tube, which is nearly cylindrical, and divided at the limb into five
pointed oval ſegments, of a rich blue colour: the calyx is compoſed
of five halberd-ſhaped leaves, which are fringed at the margin, and
reflected at each ſide: the filaments are five, tapering, equal in length
to the tube of the corolla, and cloſely connected at the top by the
antheræ : the germen is ſhort and conical: the ſtyle is of the length of
the

( 178 )
a
the ſtamina, and terminated by a blunt hairy ſtigma: the capſule is
oval, and divided into two cells, which contain many ſmall feeds.
It is a native of Virginia, and flowers from Auguſt till October.
Rea is the firſt Engliſh botaniſt to whom Mr. Aiton aſcribes the
cultivation of this ſpecies of the Lobelia, and, as a handſome plant,
it is now in the poſſeſſion of many of our gardeners. Every part of
the plant abounds with a milky juice, and has a rank ſmell. The
root, which is the part directed for medicinal uſe, in taſte reſembles
tobacco, and is apt to excite vomiting. It derived the name ſiphi-
litica from its efficacy in the cure of fyphilis, as experienced by the
North American Indians, who conſidered it a ſpecific in that diſeaſe,
and with whom it was long an important ſecret. This ſecret was
.
purchaſed by Sir William Johnſon, and ſince publiſhed by different
authors.
The method of employing this medicine is ſtated as follows: A
decoction is made of a handful of the roots in three meaſures of
. Of this, half a meaſure is taken in the morning faſting, and
repeated in the evening; and the doſe is gradually increaſed till its
purgative effects become too violent, when the deco&tion is to be
intermitted for a day or two, and then renewed till a perfect cure is
effected. During the uſe of this medicine, a proper regimen is to be
enjoined, and the ulcers are alſo to be frequently waſhed with the
decoction, or if deep and foul, to be ſprinkled with the powder of
the inner bark of the New Jerſey Tea-tree (Ceanothus Americanus.)
Although the plant thus uſed is ſaid to cure the diſeaſe in a very ſhort
time, yet we do not find that the antiſyphilitic powers of the Lobelia
have been confirmed by any inſtances of European practice.
h Kalm. 1, c. Bartram. 1. c.
water.
ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM.

OF
INTE
MICH

64
Achillea Millefolium
Meblighed by D Woodville Jan") 1.7791.

( 179 )
ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM.
COMMON YARROW ;
Or, MILFOIL.
SYNONYMA. Millefolium. Pharm. Edinb. Millefolium vul-
gare album. Bauh. Pin. p. 140. Millefolium terreſtre vulgare.
Gerard. Emac. p. 1072.
Millefolium vulgare. Park. Theat. p.
693. Raii Hift. p. 345. Synop. p. 183. Achillea foliis pinnatis,
pinnis longe æqualibus, pinnatis, pinnulis trifidis et quinquefidis.
Hal. Stirp. Helv. 1. 107. A. M. Withering. Bot. Arrang. p. 941.
Curtis Flor. Lond.
Claſs Syngenefia. Ord. Polygamia Superflua. Lin. Gen. Plant. 971.
El. Gen. Ch. Recept, paleaceum. Pappus nullus. Cal. ovatus
imbricatus. Flofculi radii circiter quinque.
Sp. Ch. A. foliis bipinnatis nudis; laciniis linearibus dentatis ; caulibus
ſuperne ſulcatis.
a
a
THE root is perennial, creeping, round, and furniſhed with many
whitiſh fibres :* the ſtalk is upright, round, towards the bottom ſmooth
and downy, but near the top it is ſlightly grooved, woolly, branched,
and riſes above a foot in height: the leaves ſtand alternately upon the
ſtem, which they partly embrace, and are bipinnated or ſubdivided
into a double ſeries of pinnæ : the pinnulæ are numerous, narrow,
and ſomewhat pointed: the flowers are white, or tinged with purple,
and terminate the ſtem in a cloſe corymbus: the bracteæ are ſmall,
pinnatifid, and placed at the peduncles: the calyx is ovate, downy,
imbricated with concave oval ſcales, which are membranous, and
fringed at the margins: the corolla is compound, and radiated; at the
diſc the florets are about twelve, hermaphrodite, funnel-ſhaped, of
the length of the calyx, conſiſting of a long yellowiſh tube, divided
a Dr. Grew obſerves, that the freſh young roots have a glowing warm taſte, ap-
proaching to that of Contrayerva, and thinks they might in ſome meaſure fupply its
place.-On Taftes, chap. 5. §. 2.
--
No. 13.
Z z
at

(180)
16 The
at the limb into five ſhort fegments : at the radius the florets are female,
uſually five, flat, ſpreading, roundiſh, cut at the apex into three teeth,
and furniſhed with a cylindrical, greeniſh, ſtriated tube, which is about
the length of the calyx : the filaments are five, ſhort, and flender:
the antheræ are yellow, and unite into a cylindrical tube: the germen
is oblong, compreſſed, and ſupports a filiform ſtyle, divided into two
reflexed ftigmata. It is common in dry paſtures, and flowers from
July till October
The leaves and flowers of this plant have an agreeable weak aromatic
ſmell, and a bitteriſh, rough, and ſomewhat pungent taſte.
virtue of both is extracted by watery and ſpirituous menſtrua; the
aſtringency moſt perfe&ly by the former ; their aromatic warmth and
pungency by the latter; and both of them equally by a mixture of
the two. The flowers, diſtilled with water, yield a penetrating eſſen-
tial oil, poſſeſſing the flavour of the Milfoil in perfection, though
rather leſs agreeable than the flowers themſelves."*
This plant appears to be the Στραλιωτης χιλιoφυλλος || of the Greek writers,
by whom it was eſteemed an excellent vulnerary † and ſtyptic, and
was generally employed internally as an uſeful aſtringent in all
hæmorrhagic complaints. Inſtances of its good effects in this way
are likewiſe mentioned by ſeveral of the German phyſicians, particu-
larly, by Stahl and Hoffman,' who alſo recommend it as an efficacious
remedy in various other diſeaſes: the former found it not only an aſtrin-
gent, but alſo a powerful tonic, antiſpaſmodic, and fedative. In proof
of the laſt mentioned quality, we may remark, that in ſome parts of
Sweden it is uſed in making beer, in order to render it more in-
toxicating; and Sparrman has obſerved, that it is employed for
this purpoſe in ſome parts of Africa. The leaves and flowers of
Milfoil are both directed for medicinal uſe in the Edinburgh Pharm.
in the preſent practice however this plant, we believe, is wholly
neglected
* Vide Lewis's M. M. p. 424. || Vide Stratiotes, Matthiol. in Diofcorid.
+ Vulneraria infuper habetur ſub externo uſu, jam ab Achille, ut ferunt, fanatione
vulnerum ſubjectorum fibi militun, auctorato. Murray App. Med. vol. i. p. 167.
b Yumoptyſis, Epiſtaxis, Menorrhagia, et Hæmorrhois.
• Stahl Dil: de Therap. pall: hypoc. Hoffman, De præſt. rem. §. 18.
d Vide Linn. Flor. Suec. p. 299.
HYSSOPUS OFFICINALIS,
6
a

GEE

65
Hufsopus officinalis.
Publiſhed by Dr Woodpillo. Jan'y 7. 2791.

(181)
HYSSOPUS OFFICINALIS.
COMMON HYSSOP.
SYNONYM A. Hyſſopus. Pharm. Edinb. Hyſſopus Officinarum
cærulea five fpicata. Bauh. Pin. p. 217. Hyſſopus vulgaris.
Park. Tbeat. Hyffopus Arabum. Gerard. Emac. p. 576. Hyffopus
vulgaris fpicatus anguſtifolius. J. Bauh. Hij. i. p. 274. Raiz
7. Hiftüi. p
Hif.p.516. Hyffopus foliis linearibus punctatis, verticillis in fpica
continuatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. n. 249. Jacquin Flor. Auft. t. 254.
VARIETATES funt, . foliis glabris, floribus cæruleis : & foliis glabris,
floribus rubris : foliis glabris, floribus albis : 3 foliis pilofis.
Aiton's Hort. Kew.
a
Claſs Didynamia. Ord. Gymnoſpermia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 709.
El. Gen. Ch. Corolla labium inferius lacinula intermedia crenata.
Stamina recta, diftantia.
Sp, Ch. H. fpicis fecundis, foliis lanceolatis.
a
THE root is perennial, knobbed, woody, and furniſhed with many
long fibres: the ſtalk is ſhrubby, ſomewhat ſquare, upright, much
branched, and riſes about two feet in height: the leaves are long,
narrow, elliptical, entire, obtuſely pointed, of a deep green colour,
and ſtand in pairs without footftalks : the flowers are produced chiefly
on one ſide, in ſhort verticillated ſpikes, terminating the branches, and
are of a blue colour: the calyx is tubular, ſtriated, and divided at the
extremity into five pointed ſegments: the corolla is monopetalous,
and conſiſts of a narrow tube, which divides at the limb into two
expanded lips; the uppermoſt is ſhort, roundiſh, and notched at the
apex; the lowermoſt is ſeparated into three fegments, of which the
undermoſt is very large, and inverſely heart-ſhaped: the filaments are
four, two long and two ſhort, and crowned with ſimple antheræ : the
ſtyle is ſlender, and divided at the top into a double ſtigma: the ger-
men is feparated into four parts or feeds, which are lodged at the
bottom
a

( 182 )
а
a
a
99b
bottom of the calyx. It is a native of Siberia, and the mountainous
parts of Auſtria, and flowers from June till September.
The Hyffop, mentioned in the Old Teſtament, is not ſuppoſed to
be the plant here deſcribed, which is neither the Eſof of the Hebrews,
nor the ússwos of the Greeks. It was firſt cultivated in England by
Gerard, * in 1596, and is now extremely common in our gardens.
“ The leaves of Hyffop have an aromatic ſmell, and a bitteriſh mo-
derately warm taſte. They give out their active matter both to water
and to rectified ſpirit; to the laſt moſt perfectly. On infpiflating the
fpirituous tincture, very little of the flavour of the herb exhales or
diftills with the menftruum: the remaining extract is bitteriſh, and
very warm, and diſcovers a penetiating pungency, ſomewhat like that
of camphor. Water, diſtilled from the freſh herb, is found pretty
ſtrongly impregnated with its flavour : an eſſential oil ſeparates and
riſes to the ſurface, which is very pungent, and in ſmell exactly
reſembles the Hyſſop.
Dr. Cullen claſſes this and all the verticillated plants as ſtimulants,
and this quality is to be aſcribed to the quantity of eſſential oil which
they contain; the Hyffop therefore may be eſteemed aromatic and
ſtimulant; and with a view to theſe effects, Bergius recommends it as
an emmanagogue and artihyfteric;' but it is chiefly employed as a
pectoral, and has been long thought an uſeful medicine in humeral
aſthmas, coughs, & catarrhal affections; for this purpoſe, an infuſion
of the leaves, ſweetened with honey or ſugar, and drank as tea, is
recommended by Lewis. The external application of Hyſſop is ſaid
to be particularly efficacious in the way of fomentation and poultice,
in contuſions, and for removing the blackneſs occaſioned by the
extravaſlated fluids."
a Vide Le Clerc's Hiſt. p. 626. cited by Alſton, who ſays, I ſhall only take notice
that xxhauos in St. Matthew's Goſpel, chap. xxvii. ver. 48. is ússwos in St. John's, chap.
xix. ver. 29. Probably it is the Zufe or cyfe, i. e. Hyſſop of the Arabians. Lect. on
the M. M. v. ii. p. 152.
* Vide Hort. Kew. b Lewis M. M. p. 348.
. All the old writers praiſe it highly in this reſpect: Nec excluduntur fugillationes
oculorum quibus herba intra facculum aqua vel vino decocta clauſis palpebris ſubvenit.
Riolan, and Sim. Pauli.
It is alſo recommended as a vermifuge by Roſenſtein. Barns jukd. p. 358.
с
d
CM. M. p. 512.
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME,

INDEX TO THE FIRST VOLUME.
SYSTEMATIC NAMES.
Achillea Millefolium
Aconitum Napellus
Althæa officinalis
Amomum Zingiber
Angelica Archangelica
Aretium Lappa
Arnica montana
Arum maculatum
Atropa Belladonna
OFFICINAL.
Millefolium
Aconitum
Althæa
Zingiber
Angelica
Bardana
Arnica
Arum
Belladonna
Bubon Galbanum
Galbanum
ENGLISH. PAGE
Common Yarrow
179
Common Wolf's Bane 16
Marſh-Mallow
146
Ginger
31
Garden Angelica
138
Burdock
41
Mountain Arnica
IO
Common Arum
74
Deadly Nightſhade
I
Galbanum Bubon
34
Ladies-Smock
89
Caraway
125
Holy Thiſtle
119
Virgin's Bower
175
Scurvy-Grafs
86
Hemlock
62
Solomon's Seal
123
Scammony Bindweed
13
Jalap Bindweed
59
Caſcarilla
116
- Cardamine pratenſis Cardamine
Carum Carui
Caruon
Centaurea benedi&ta
Carduus benedictus
Clematis reta
Flammula Jovis
Cochlearia officinalis
Cochlearia hortenſis
Conium maculatum
Cicuta
Convallaria Polygonatum
Convallaria
Convolvulus Scammonia Scammonium
Falapa Jalapium
Croton Caſcarilla
Caſcarilla
Daphne Mezereum
Mezereum
Digitalis purpurea
Digitalis
Dorſtenia Contrajerva Contrayerva
Ferula Aſa fætida
Aſafoetida
Fraxinus Ornus
Manna
Glecoma hederacea
Hedera terreſtris
Gratiola officinalis
Gratiola
Guaiacum officinale
Guaiacum
Hæmatoxylum Campechianum Lignum Campechenſe
Helleborus niger
Helleborus niger
fætidus
Helleboraſter
68
71
140
22
Mezereon
Fox-Glove
Contrayerva
Aſafoetida
Flowering Ath
Ground-Ivy
Hedge-Hyffop
Guaiacum
104
84
132
43
48
Logwood
Black Hellebore
Bear's Foot
50
53

I
X.
N DE
PAGE
143
29
181
IO2
II2
SYSTEMATIC NAMES.
Hyoſcyamus niger
Hypericum perforatum
Hyſſopus oficinalis
Imperatoria Oftruthium
Iris florentina
Pſeudo-acorus
Laurus Cinnamomum
Saſafraſs
nobilis
Lavandula Spica
Leontodon Taraxacum
Lobelia fiphilitica
Malva ſylveſtris
Menyanthes trifoliata
Momordica Elaterium
Myrtus Pimenta
Nicotiana Tabacum
Oxalis Acetoſella
Plantago major
Polygonum Biſtorta
Polypodium Filix mas
Potentilla reptans
Punica Granatum
OFFICINAL.
Hyoſcyamus
Hypericum
Hyſſopus
Imperatoria
Iris florentina
Iris paluſtris
Cinnamomum
Saſſafraſs
Laurus
Lavendula
Taraxacum
Lobelia
ENGLISH
Black Henbane
St. John's Wort
Common Hyffop
Maſterwort
Florentine Orris
Yellow Water Flag
Cinnamon
Saſſafraſs
Sweet-Bay
Lavender
Dandelion
Blue Lobelia
114
80
91
94
150
7
177
Malva
Trifolium paludofum
Elaterium
Pimento
148
5
I21
Common Mallow
Buck-Bean
Wild Cucumber
All-Spice
Tobacco
Wood-Sorrel
77
Nicotiana
162
56
39
Lujula
Plantago
Biſtorta
Filix
Pentaphyllum
Granatum
Ιοο
Great Plantane
Biſtort
Male Fern
Cinquefoil
Pomegranate
Rhubarb
Palma Chriſti
Common Rue
136
160
158
Rhabarbarum
Ricinus
Ruta
127
170
108
Rheum palmatum
Ricinus communis
Ruta graveolens
Salvia officinalis
Sifymbrium Naſturtium
Solanum Dulcamara
II
Salvia
Naſturtium aquaticum
Dulcamara
134
97
Teucreum Marum
Scordium
Tormentilla ere&ta
Tuſſilago Farfara
Veronica Beccabunge
Marum Syriacum
Scordium
Tormentilla
Tuſſilago
Becabunga
Garden Sage
Water-Creffes
Woody Nightſhade
Herb Maſtich
Water Germander
Tormentil
Coltsfoot
153
156
27
37
Brooklime
20

BOUND
MAR 6 1943
UNIX. ut .CH
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