— _ MEDICAL BOTANY. 
SQUILLA MARITIMA., 
STEINHEIL. 
SQUILL, 
Scitta Maritima,—Linneus. 
Sex. Syst.—Hexandria, Monogynia. 
Gen. Cuar.—Sepals three, coloured, spreading. Petals like them, and scarcely broader. Stamens six, shorter 
than the perianth. F%/aments smooth, somewhat dilated at the base, acuminate, entire. Ovary three-parted, glandu- 
lar, and melliferous at the apex. Style smooth, simple. Stigma obscurely three-lobed, papillose. Capsule rounded, 
three-cornered, three-celled. Seeds numerous, in two rows, flattened, with a membranous testa. 
Specir. Cuar.—Bulb roundish ovate, very large between globose and ovate, half above ground, with the integu- 
ments either pale-green or red. Leaves appearing long after the flowers, broad, lanceolate, channelled, spreading, 
recurved. Scape about two-feet high, terminated by a rather dense, long, ovate raceme. Flowers about three-quarters 
of an inch across, spreading, pale-yellowish-green, with a green stain along the middle of each segment. Filaments 
shorter than the segments of the perianth. 
This plant is a native of the coasts of the Mediterranean, on both sides. It is found in France, Spain, Italy, 
Sicily, the Grecian Islands, and in Africa, It affords the officinal article known as squills. The bulb, when fresh, 
is somewhat pyriform, from the size of the fist to that of a child’s head, composed of thick, fleshy, smooth, shining 
scales, attenuated at their edges, closely applied over each other, and attached to a conical rudimentary stem, projecting 
below, and giving rise to the root fibres. The outer scales are dry and brown, the interior succulent. In this state it 
has very little odour, and a bitter, acrid taste. . 
To prepare for exportation in the dried state, the bulb is cut transversely, and neither the interior scales which 
are young and gummy, nor the exterior, which are dry and exhausted, are taken; the intermediate alone are active. 
In commerce, squills are in the form of pieces longer than broad, a little wedge-shaped, brittle when perfectly dry, 
without odour, and possessed alone of bitterness, without the acrimony. 
There are two kinds of squills, white and red, the former by the older writers denominated male, the latter 
female squills. The first comes from Spain, the latter from Italy. The colour of the dried article is either yellowish 
white, or brownish-red, as procured from one or the other, 3 
Squills are apt to become mouldy from exposure to moisture, which is readily attracted from the atmosphere ; this 
is probably owing to the salts, more especially nitrate of potassa, in their composition. 
They contain acrid volatile matter; this is dissipated by drying, but manipulation with squills in the fresh state 
is apt to excoriate the fingers, and inflame the eyes and nose. Another principle is sc#litin. They also contain 
tannin. | ° 
Squills are emetic, diuretic, and expectorant, and are used in numerous preparations. Vinegar is the best men- 
struum. : 
Pirate LXXXIX.—Represents the plant in leaf, the scape and flower, and an enlarged flower and frutt. 
ALOE VULGARIS. 
LAMARCK. 
COMMON ALOE. 
Sex. Syst.—Hexandria, Monogynia. tals 
Gen. Cuar.—Perianth tubular, six-cleft, fleshy, nectariferous at the base, sepals of the same form as peig.ae* 
and closely imbricating them. Stamens hypogynous, as long as the perianth, or even longer. Capsule mem ’ 
