CINNAMON. 175 
And the peak of the mountain was apples, the hugest that ever were seen, 
And they prest, as they grew, on each other, with hardly a leaflet between ; 
And all of them redder than rosiest health, or than utterest shame, 
And setting, when even descended, the very sunset aflame. 
ays we stayed three days, and we gorged, and we maddened, till everyone 
ew 
His sword on his fellow to slay him ; and ever they struck, and they slew; — 
And myself I had eaten but sparely, and fought till I sundered the fray ; 
Then I bade them remember my father’s death, and we sailed away.” 
CINNAMON. 
Wuat we employ as Cinnamon from the spice-box consists, 
when genuine, of the inner bark of shoots from the stocks of a 
Ceylon tree. This bark contains cinnamic acid, tannin, a 
particular resin, a volatile fragrant oil, and sugar. The 
aromatic, and restorative cordial effects of Cinnamon have been 
long known in this country. It was freely given in England 
during the epidemic scourges of the early and middle centuries, 
nearly every Monastery keeping a store of the medicament for 
teady use. The monks administered it in fever, dysentery, 
and contagious diseases. Of late it has been shown in the 
Pasteur Laboratory at Paris that Cinnamon actually possesses 
a special power of destroying bacterial germs of diseases. M. 
Chamberland declares, “‘No disease germ can long resist the 
antiseptic power of essence of Cinnamon, which is as effective 
to destroy microbes as corrosive sublimate.” One of the 
assistants at the Pasteur Institute in Paris some years ago, after — 
many experiments with other probable germicides which proved 
unsuccessful, found at last that the moment the aroma of the 
essential oil of true Cinnamon (not cassia) came in contact with 
microbes in a glass tube, they fell down in shoals to the bottom 
of the tube, either stupefied, or killed. (He observed the same 
thing happen, but more slowly, if the tube was exposed simply 
to the rays of brilliant sunshine.) It is an established fact that 
those persons who inhabit Cinnamon districts have an immunity 
from malarious diseases. And our ancestors, as it would appear, 
hit upon a valuable preservative against microbes when they 
infused Cinnamon (with other spices) in their mulled drinks. 
By its warming astringency it exercises cordial properties which 
are most useful in arresting passive diarrhcea, and in relieving 
flatulent, cold indigestion; from ten to twenty grains of the 
powdered bark may be given for a dose in such cases. Against 
