412 ' DTI. liATTDER LINDSAY ON THE 



believe the advertisements, it forms an ingredient of a well-known 

 form of cocoa, "Iceland-moss Cocoa," so-called*, as well as of a 

 French confection, " Pate de Lichen "t. The article known as 

 " Iceland-moss Cocoa '* I have myself largely used with pleasure 

 and benefit. The substance is, however, by no means new; for 

 Sir Q-eorge Mackenzie mentions having had the combination of 

 Iceland moss and chocolate served to him in Eeykjavik in 1810. 

 '* We found it," says he, " to be remarkably good, but could not 

 distinguish the addition of the lichen " J — an experience which has 

 always been my own in regard to the commercial article. Some 

 effectual means in these cases must be adopted to remove or de- 

 stroy the bitter cetrarine, if, in the commercial article, the lichen 

 is really represented at all. 



" Iceland moss '* still holds its place in our Government Materia 

 Medica§ ; it is familiar to all our druggists, though it is compara- 

 tively seldom, so far as I can discover, actually used in medical 

 practice in this country. My note-book, however, contains records 

 of its employment both In British and continental hospital-prac- 

 tice, mostly in affections (of a chronic character) of the mucous 

 membrane of the lungs or bowels (catarrh, pneumonia, dyspepsia 

 diarrhoea, &c.). Even in recent times it has been commended by 

 medical writers as a useful nutrient, demulcent, and tonic. That 

 it really does possess such properties is shown by its chemical 

 constitution ; but that it is excelled by numerous other articles of 

 diet or Materia Medica, whether as a nutrient, demulcent, or 

 tonic, or as any combination of two or more of these, there can bo 

 little doubt. Cetraria Islandica has been shown by chemists to 

 contain only 1 per cent, of nitrogenous material (gluten) ; but it 

 contains no less than 47 per cent, of lichenine (a form of starch) 

 and cetrarine (a bitter principle), with 3 per cent, of sugar and 

 10 per cent, of gum and extractive. Viewed in another way, i* 

 contains of 



J 



trogenous) 



Heat-giving (carboniferous) material . . i . . . 50 



)j 



article 



'J 



* Dunn and Hewett's, 1866. 

 t Christien's, 1861. 



X Page 90, original work (Travels in the Island of Iceland during the Sum 

 mer of the year 1810: Edinburgh, 1811). 



panion' thereto by Squire, (1864) p. 55, 



Phanhacop 





