RADIX IPECACUANHiE. 



371 



Piso and Marcgraf^ in their scientific exploration of Brazil met 

 with two kinds of ipecacuanha; the one provided with a brown 

 root is CephaeUs Ipecacuanha, which they figured. The root of 

 the other variety, which they called Iiiecacucmha hlanca, is that 

 of Richardsonia scabra (see page 376 below), Piso and Marcgraf 

 described the virtues of these roots, apparently supposing them to be 

 much the same as to their action. Although in common use in Brazil, 

 ipecacuanha was not employed in Europe prior to the year 1672. At 

 that date, a traveller named Legras brought from South America a 

 quantity of the root to Paris, some of which came into the possession of 

 the " maitre appoticaire " Claquenelle.^ It would appear that the root 

 was prescribed from the latter by Legras (said to have been himself 

 Jicquaioted with the practice of medicine^), and also by Jean Adrien 

 Heh'etius, a 3^oung Dutch physician^ then living in Paris, Yet no 

 success at first was obtained, the drug being administered in too large 

 doses. In 1680, a merchant of Paris named Garnier became possessed 

 of 150 lb. of ipecacuanha, the valuable properties of which in dysentery 



Helv 



Gar- 



nier on his convalescence ^ made a present of some of the new drug to 

 AfForty, who attached to it but little importance. Helvetius, on the 

 other hand, was induced to prescribe the root in cases of dysentery, 

 which he did with the utmost success. It is stated by Eloy that 

 Helvetius even caused placards to be affixed to the corners of the 

 streets (about the year 1680), announcing liis successful treatment with 

 the new drug, supplies of which he obtained through Garnier from 

 Spain, and sold as a secret medicine. The fame of the cures effected 

 l»y Helvetius reached the French Court, and caused some trials of 

 the drug to be made at the Hotel Dieu. These having been fully suc- 

 cessful, Louis XIV. accorded to Helvetius the sole right of vending his 

 remedy.^ Subsequently several great personages, including the Dauphm 

 01 i? ranee, having experienced its benefit, the king consulted his physi- 

 cian Antoine d'Aquin, and the well-known Jesuit Pere Francois de 

 l^chaise, who had become the Kincr's confessor in 1G75. ThrouMi them 



^vas 



1000 

 this 



^letly negotiated the purchase from Helvetius of his se 

 ouis-d'or, and made public in 16S8. The right of Heh 



^ais payment was disputed in law by Garnier, but maintained by a 

 <lccision of the Chatelet of Paris.^ 



.^^^^^tanical source of ipecacuanha was the subject of much dispute 

 p / filially settled by Antonio Bernardino Gomez, a physician of the 

 rortumip.a ^. 1. . , . . authentic specimens from Brazil to 



Lisb 



uguese 



navy, who brought 



"^y tW r '•''^H ^^S^^^ ^ physician, and 

 V^om\ brought himself the 150 



^oni'Ji n-d''! •'^^"^^^fc ^^ ?« Mddecine. 



Sf**^. Mhn J ^^ ^^' mentions a skk drug. 



^P^Cthr'7^'^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^'itl^ "^^ 

 ^^ a '*\t; Z-^'^^^er, according to EW, 



Marchand chapelicr. "-Leibnitz, 



in Ephemerid. Acadevi. Cmareo-Leopold, 

 1C96, Appendix, jj. 6, miscaUcd the mer- 

 chant Grenier. 



* An abstract of the royal patent is 

 given by Leibnitz, he, 20 (date not added). 



^ On the history of ipecacuanha, consult 



also Sprengel, Geschichle der Arzneykundey 



iv. (1827) 542.— We have not seen the 



pamphlet quoted by Haller, BibL bot, ii. 



17 : Helvetius, Usage de I Hipecacoanha, 



4° (no date). 



7 Tram, of Linn. Soc, vi. (1801) 137. 



