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XLIX. Ohfirvatiofis on the Oil extracled from the Female 

 Cornel or Dog-berry Tree, the Cornus fanguinea of Lin* 

 lUTiiSy Clafs \th\ Tetrandria Monogynia. By C. Mar^ 

 gueron, of the Hofpital for Military Inflruclion at 

 Strafburgh*. 



X HE cornus fanguinea of Linnaeus, a flirub much fought 

 after by gardeners for the fake of ornament, both on account 

 of its figure and of the beautiful red colour aflumed by its 

 Item, branches, and leaves, towards the end of fummer bears 

 a berry which, when in a ftate of maturity, has a blackifh 

 colour, and of which the utility in medicine as well as in 

 the arts has been hitherto unknown. 



The fat and unctuous appearance exhibited by thefe berries 

 when bruifed between the fingers inclined me to think that 

 they might contain an oil poflefTed, no doubt, of fome pecu- 

 liar properties. Fully perfuaded of this truth, that nothing 

 which Nature has produced is ufelefs, I engaged C. Che-*- 

 vreufe, a gardener and botanift at Molfheim, in the depart- 

 ment of the Lower Rhine, where this flirub grows in great 

 abundance, to collect a quantity of the berries. 



Ten kilogrammes (22 pounds Englifli) were collected and 

 fpread out in a barn, not to be dried, but to make them af- 

 fume a fofter confidence : in this ftate they were reduced to 

 a pafte, and fubjected to the prefs. Without the afliftance 

 of heat I obtained about two litres (2I wine pints) of a fat 

 unctuous liquid, having a vifcofity fimilar to that of oil, a 

 green though very bright colour, and perfect homogeneity, 

 as well as all the other phyfieal properties of real oil, and 

 without any difagreeable odour or tafte; which determined 

 C. Chevrcufe and myfelf to eat of it in falad, which we did 

 feveral times without experiencing any inconvenience. 



But as thefe different properties were not fufficient to make 

 this liquid be confidered as a real oil, I thought it my duty 

 to fubject it to various experiments^ of which the following 

 is the refult : 



A drop of this oily liquid, thrown into a veflTel filled with 

 water, extended itfelf into a very thin pellicle, reflecting the 

 prifmatic colours. 



Being defirous to know whether it would be poflible to 

 deprive this oily product of its green colour, I waflied it in 

 cold and hot water, charged with fulphate of alumine (alum), 



* From the Annates de Cblmie t No. 113. 



powder 



