22 FLORA HISTORICA. 



The Great Three-leaved, or Green Hellebore, 

 Viridis, is a native of our woods, and produces a 

 green flower in the month of April. The Bear's- 

 foot, or Stinking Hellebore, is indigenous to our 

 chalky pastures. We have also introduced one 

 species from North America, called Trifolius, or 

 small three-leaved Hellebore. 



With every desire to caution the ignorant against 

 the use of these dangerous plants, we cannot avoid 

 recommending the faculty to turn their serious 

 attention to this medicinal herb, so celebrated by 

 the Egyptian and Greek physicians of old as the 

 most effectual remedy for the diseases of mania, 

 apoplexy, epilepsy, dropsy, and gout. Mr. Waller 

 tells us in his Domestic Herbal, that Ci he remem- 

 bers, in the depot for French prisoners of war at 

 Norman-cross, in the year 1806, that a peculiar 

 disease, called Nyctalopia, was very prevalent 

 among them. The symptoms which distinguish 

 this disease are, that the patient becomes by degrees 

 perfectly blind from the moment of sunset till the 

 re-appearance of the sun next morning. This 

 disease affected a great number of the prisoners, 

 who were obliged to be led about by their comrades 

 immediately after sunset, and all of them, at the 

 same time, were labouring under symptoms of ex- 

 treme dyspepsia. After a variety of treatment 

 ineffectually applied, the powder of Black Helle- 



