3S0 H'ORTUS JAMAICENSTS., cvfst 



wliich it serves to inrrassate and obtiind thin acrid humours, so proves useful in tick- 

 ling coujjhs, alvine fluxes, hoarseness, influxes of, the belly with cjripos, and where 

 the mucus is aljradcd from the bowels or from the urethra. In a dv.suria the true guui ^ 

 arat)ic is more coniinij tiKUi the other simple "ums, so should be prelerred. 



It is said to be an useful mcdieiue as a gargle and ptisan to dia'.inish theclischarge 

 occasioned from, the raonili by excessive saiiviition. In Dr. Percival's Essavs, vol. I. 

 tiie following case is related : " A gentleman always easilv afi-ected by mercurials, hav- , 

 ing taken about twenty-six grains. of calomel i a doses from; one, to three grains, not- 

 withstanding he was purged every third day, was suddenly sci7;ed with a, salivation. - 

 H.e spat iilenfifiiiiy, his breath v,:as verv iiBtid, teeth loose, and his gums, fauces, and 

 the nuHgin of his tongue, greatly uJcerated and inflamed. Me \ias directed to use the 

 following ga'.-gle : Ji Gioii. arao- semiunc. solve in. aqua font, hullicnt. selib. et adde 

 ^iiel, ro.wc.unc. iiiiam. M, ft, gargar. and to drink freely of a ptisan prepared with 

 y. hord. HI), ij. gum .arable unc. y. nitr. par drachm ij. sacchar. cd-b. tine, ji His pur- 

 gative w:as repeated the sugceeding morning. I'he nextday his gums were less in- 

 flamed, but the sloughs on liis tgngue, &c. were still as foul ; his spitting was much 

 the sanie.j he had drank about a pint of the ptisan. Soroe spt. tit noli was added Xo 

 the gargle. From this da)' to the fourth he was purged every day witiiout efl'ect, his 

 salivation still continued, hisjnouth was no better, he had neglected the mucilaginous 

 drink. 'Vi\y^ evening he was persuaded to drink about a pint of it which remained, and 

 he had it repeated, and drank very freely of it that night. Or the 5th morning the 

 })urgative was again repeated. Thougiiit operated very little, yet the change was very 

 .surprising* his mouth was nearly well, and his ptyalism greatly decreased. The ptisan 

 was repeated ; and, on the sixth day, being cjuite well, he was permitted to go 

 abroad." 



In JMr. Hasselquist's Travels v/^ have an instance of the ej;tra ordinary nutritive vir- 

 tues of this gum. " The Abyssinians," says he, "make a journey every year to 

 Cairo, to sell the products of their country. They must travel over terrible desaits, 

 and their journey depends as much on the weather as a voyage at sea ; consequently 

 t^ey know as little as a seaman how long they must, be on their journey ; and the ne- 

 cessaries of life may chance to fail them v-fhen the journey lasts too. long. This hap- 

 pened to the Ai^yssinian carravan in the year 1740, their pro\-isions being consumed 

 wlien they had still two montlrs to travel. They were then obliged to search for some- 

 thing among their merchan:ise wherev.'ith they might support nature, and found no- 

 thing more proper than gum arable, of which they had carried a considerable quantity 

 along with them. This served to support above one thousand persons for tv/o months ; 

 and the caravan at last arrived at Cairo without any great loss of people either by 

 hunger or diseases." 



The mimosa senega!, or gum Senegal tree, has also b^en introduced into this island, 

 which produces a gum so similar to gum arable, though less transparent, that it was 

 long mistaken as the same. 



S-ee Cacoo>-$~Casiiaw Inga Tree Nephritic Treh-Snsitive Plant Wilui 



Tamarind. 



Cum Benj.imin .$"c(? Benjamin. 



