A 
122 
c 
/ 
/ 
THE root is annual, long, thick 
of 
a 
fends forth feveral ilems, which 
d trailing Uke th 
common 
cumb 
d, branched 
Wit 
fleihy fubfl 
, thick. 
t tend; 
t! 
t 
r Oil eh 
the 
leaves are irregularly heart-fhaped, (lightly fmuated, -veined, ab 
of a deep green 
colour 
5 
nderneath pal 
h 
iculated 
d 
ft and 
ftrong footftalks : the flowers proceed from the bafe of 
the footftalks of the leaves, and are both male and female on the fame 
up 
the corolla is divided into five 
ments 
reticulated with 
^.^^xx ,v-xxx^, ^..d placed above the germen : the calyx confifts of five 
narrow acute fe 
ments 
the ftamina 
the 
ale flowers, are thre 
e 
fhort, tapering, two of which have cloven anth 
> 
fimple one ; in 
without anthen 
ftigmata, of a g 
the female flowers the filaments 
the other has a 
very fhort, and 
the ftyle is fhort, trifid, and terminated by obi 
fruit 
e 
1 
obi 
t> 
hairy, divided 
> 
into three cells, which contain many flat feeds : when ripe this 
being touched, burfts open with great force, and throws its 
nfiderable diftance ; hence the name Squirting Cu- 
contents to 
cumber. It is a native of the South of Europe, and flowers in J 
and July. % 
Since the time of Gerard, the wild cucumber has been regularly 
cultivated in this country for medical life : all the parts of the plant 
are bitter, and ftrongly purgative,* but the dried juice, or fasculse of 
the fruit, known in the fhops by the name of Elaterium,; is the 
only part now medicinally employed, and has been diftinguifhed int6 
white and black Elaterium : the firft is prepared from the juice, which 
ifTues fpontaneoufly, and the latter from that which is obtained by 
prefli 
The method direded in the London Pharm. for pre 
paring this medicine, is as follows 
(C 
Slit ripe wild cucumbers 
and pafs the juice (very lightly preflTed) through a very fine fieve into 
a glafs veffel ; then fet it by for fome hours, until the thicker part has 
fubfided. Pour off the thinner part fwimming at the top. and 
feparate the reft by filtering 
5 
the thicker part which remains 
^ 
fter filtration, with a linen cloth, and dry it with a gentle heat 
vi 
h 
Radicum vis cathartica major eft quam follorum* minor vero quam fru£luum. Geofl 
\ 
* This drug was formerly prepared in feveral different ways, a circuoiftance neceifary 
be attended to in the hiftory of its medicinal effei^s, ^ 
The 
'^ 
