PEOPERTIES OF CRYPTOGAMIC PLANTS. 93 



salt of a taste analogous to that of siilpli. potasL. ; some lime ; a 

 silicious earth, and particles of iron. 



This substance, more sweet than that from the larch holetus, 

 has attracted the attention of physicians on account of its balsamic 

 and excitant properties. It was employed in the seventeenth cen- 

 tury in severe affections of the lungs ; and both Sartorius and 

 Boeder passed eulogiums on its value in advanced phthisis. Dr. 

 Enslin, in his monograph, refers to it as a medicine administered 

 with much success by Profs. Schmidel and Wendt, and he reca- 

 pitulates many facts of great interest concerning it. As this pa- 

 per is not well known, M. Eoques furnishes a pretty full analysis 

 of it. 



A young man of twenty-one, having a cough and bloody ex- 

 pectoration which lasted for some time, and finally accompanied 

 by fever, emaciation, copious sweating, swelling of the extremi- 

 ties, and diarrhoea, applied to Dr. Enslin, who gave him an elec- 

 tuary prepared with the powder of the polyporus and honey, in 

 doses of a small teaspoonful four times a day. In a few months 

 he was entirely well. 



The second case was that of a maji, thirty-six years of age, 

 attacked with fever after the death of his wife, who died of phthi- 

 sis. The fever assumed the character of a quotidian intermittent, 

 terminating in a severe cough, with the expectoration of a disa- 

 greeable odor, continued insomnolence, total loss of appetite, 

 swelling of the feet, diarrhoea, prostration for three months. The 

 case was considered a desperate one, and after having used, with- 

 out avail, other means of relief, recourse was had to the polyporus. 

 In one month the recovery was complete ; the fever, cough, and 

 swelling of the extremities having entirely disappeared. 



Case III. The individual who was the subject of the third 

 observation was twenty-two years of age. He had become phth- 

 isical after having for some time an affection of the kidney, fever, 

 a dry cough, a taste of blood in the throat, sometimes slightly 

 -acid, and showing itself after a rej)ast. During the progress of 

 the disease, the fever became more and more severe, the expecto- 

 ration turning to a brick-dust color. As the gravity of the symp- 

 toms increased, they were attended with more difficult respira- 

 tion, more marked cough, total loss of sleep, weakness of voice, 

 and, lastly, purulent expectoration. Under the influence of qui- 

 nine, the fever diminished sensibly ; and the cough and hectic con- 



