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Fruit a globular white fmooth one-celled berry, containing a flefhy 
feed, which is inverfely heart-fhaped, blunt, compreffed. 
It grows on various kinds of trees, producing its flowers in May; 
but its berries remain throughout the winter. 
This fingular parafitical plant moft commonly grows on apple trees, 
alfo on the pear, hawthorn, fervice, oak, hafel, maple, ath, lime-tree, 
_ willow, elm, hornbeam, &c. It is fuppofed to be propagated by birds, 
efpecially by the fieldfare and thrufh, which feed upon its berries, 
the feeds of which pafs through the bowels unchanged, and along 
with the excrements adhere to the branches of trees where they 
vegetate.* : : | 
The Miffeltoe of the oak, has, from the times of the antient druids 
been always preferred to that produced on other trees; but it is now 
well known that the vifcus quernus differs in no refpe&t from others. 
This plant is the + of the Greeks, and was in former times thought 
to poflefs many medicinal virtues; however, we learn but little con- 
cerning its efficacy from the ancient writers on the Materia Medica ; 
nor will it be deemed neceflary to ftate the extraordinary powers 
afcribed to the Miffeltoe by the crafty defigns of druidical knavery. 
«© Both the leaves and branches of the plant have very little fimell, 
and a very weak tafte of the naufeous kind. In diftillation’ they 
impregnate water. with their faint unpleafant fmell, but yield no 
effential oil. Extraéts, made from them by water, are bitterith, 
roughith, and fubfaline. The {fpirituous extra@ of the wood has 
the greateft aufterity, and that of the leaves the greateft bitterneds. 
The berries abound with an extremely tenacious molt ungrateful 
fweet mucilage.” § 7 
The Vifcus Quernus obtained great reputation for the cure of 
epilepfy ; and a cafe of this difeafe, of a woman of quality, in which 
it proved remarkably fuccefsful, is mentioned by Boyle.* Some 
ears afterwards its ufe was ftrongly recommended in various con- 
vulfive diforders by Colbach, who has related feveral inftances of 
* Or if the berries, when fully ripe, be rubbed on the fmooth bark of almoft any 
tree, they will adhere clofely and produce plants the following Winter, 
§ Lewis. 1. c. 
 # See Ufefulne/s of Nat. & Exper. Philof. I74e. 
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