Ranunculaceae.) THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS. 47 
Bishma, his Aconitum palmatum, all evidently in a young state, and without flowers or 
fructification. That the virulent poison, emphatically called Bish, i.e. the poison, is the 
root of Aconitum feror, admits, I think, of no doubt. The root is brought down to 
the plains of India from the mountains where this plant is indigenous; that it was 
produced by it was first learnt by Dr. Wallich in Nepal; the fact was. confirmed by 
Dr. Govan in Sirmore, and the information communicated to the author on the same 
mountains was, that Bikh is the name applied to Aconitum feror and Meetha tellia to the 
root, which, though a violent poison, is occasionally used in medicine. It may further 
be stated, that the specimens of Aconitum feror in the author’s Herbarium, have the 
fusiform roots attached side by side, black and wrinkled externally, and of a brownish 
colour internally; they impress upon the tongue and fauces a peculiar burning sen- 
sation, and increase the flow of saliva, as is described to be the case with the Bikh. 
They moreover exactly resemble the specimens bought in the Indian bazars, of Meetha 
tellia, in the author’s collection of Materia Medica. 
Both Drs. Buchanan and Wallich have mentioned the uncertainty and confusion 
existing in the names of the several articles of the Indian Materia Medica. This is no 
doubt true, and it therefore becomes more necessary to elucidate the subject when such 
powerful drugs are sold and administered as remedies for disease. Considerable assist- 
ance will be derived in this labour, if, when consulting native works on the sub- 
ject, we at the same time procure as many as possible of the drugs which are 
described. Without this, no satisfactory progress can be made, as we have no means 
of ascertaining when the same drug is given in different parts of the country, under 
different names, nor when, which is sometimes the case, different articles are given 
under the same name. | : 
Dr. Buchanan (Brewst. Journal, i. p. 250) gives Bish, Bikh, and Kodoya bish or 
bikh, as the synonymes, to these Meetha ought to be added, instead of eing referred to 
bikhma. Professor H. Wilson (Cal. Med. Trans. Vol. ii. p. 280) referring to this article, 
says, that Bish, Bikh, or Vish, means poison simply, and that it has several Sanscrit 
synonymes, as Amritam, Vatsanabhu, Visham, &c. Dr. Carey, in his Bengalee 
Dictionary, refers Bish to Aconitum feror, and quotes as synonymes with Vatsanabhu, 
Mitha, or Mitha zuher (sweet poison). Dr. W. Hunter (Cal. Med. Trans. Vol. ii. p. 410) 
has Meetha suhur, Meetha bikh, and simply Mithaassynonymes. Dr.Wallich (Plante 
Asiat. Rar. i. p. 41) mentions that Dr. Govan found the root called Meetha-doodya and 
Meetha-telya, and gives as synonymes, Visha, i.e. Venenum, et Ati visha, summum venenum; 
Hindee, Vish or Bikh; Newar, Bikh and Bikma. In the Mukhzun-ool-Adwieh, 
probably the best Persian work on Materia Medica in use in India, several kinds of 
Bish are enumerated ; as—1. Seengheea, so called from its resemblance to the horn of a 
Deer. 2. Buchnag, like judwar. 4. Teezuk. 5. Kuroon-ool-soombul. 6. Buhra- 
soorut. 7. Burhmunee. 8. Muhoodah. 9. Huldeh. 10. Kala koot. 11. Sutwa. 
12. Tellia. But as it is doubtful whether these are varieties or species, or whether 
more than those already mentioned, can be referred to the genus Aconitum, they are 
: only 
