BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA, 387 
faintly aromatic; taste, sweet and of its own kind. 
Honey contains two sugars {which are distingu- 
ished from each other by their rotating power on 
polarized light and are called levulose and dex- 
trose], wax, oil, coloring matter, mucilage and 
acid, This well known luxury is also used in 
medicine as a demulcent and protective; it en- 
ters as an ingredient into the confections of rose, 
pepper, turpentine and scammony; also in honey 
of rose, borax and honey; also in the oxymel of 
squills. Honey is often subjected to adultera- 
tion; sugar and its syrup are used extensively 
for the purpose. There are various tests, and 
very delicate ones, one of the surest being that 
the common house fly is not attracted by the 
pure article. 
Hirudo, Leech (sanquis medicinalis; sanqui- 
suga, officinalis). The leech belongs to the class 
of Verms, order Annulata and sub-order Apoda, 
family Hirudinea. This worm is found in the 
northern, central and southern portions of Europe 
in the fresh water ponds, and attains a length of 
from three to six inches, the body being made 
up of numerous rings; the leech on the back is* 
of an olive or blackish-green, with six stripes 
running along the entire length showing many, 
black dots, whilst the belly is of an olive-green 
color inclining to a mixture of yellow and ,_ 
green. OF «, 
The Sweedish or German worm, found iw / . 
northern and central Europe, has the greatest = __ 
number of spots, and sucks or draws about its 
own weight of blood. The Hungarian leech of 
southern Europe has none of the black spots, 
and may be distinguished also by a black line 
