31-2 
face. uit a coriaceous capsule, 2- to 5-valved and -celled, or more commonly 
1-celled by the wasting away of the dissepiments; A/acen/a central and generally 
free; dehiscence \oculicidal, or more commonly terminal by the splitting of the apex 
into twice as many teeth as there are styles. Seeds generally indefinite, inserted 
upon, and clustered about, the base of the central placenta, amphitropous or cam- 
pylotropous ; emdéryo external to the albumen and generally coiled around it, or in 
Dianthus nearly straight; albumen farinaceous. 
The usefulness of this family of more or less mild plants lies mostly in the 
principle safonix found in many of its species, but espécially prominent in two, 
viz.: the European soapwort (Safonarta officinalis, Linn.), and the Spanish fleshy- 
leaved Gypsophila (Gypsophila Struthium, Linn.). This substance is detergent and 
often used alone and in the composition of soap. The plants in which this prin- 
ciple exists are deemed nearly equal to Sarsaparilla as cleansers of the blood in 
syphilis and similar affections when the skin is involved; Aarz/dim, the active prin- 
ciple of sarsaparilla, being similar in its properties to saponin. Several species of 
the genus Sr/exe are considered to be anthelmintics, some measure of success 
having followed the use of the Fire pink (S7/ene Virginiaca, Linn.).* Many species 
of pinks (Yzanthus) were formerly used and esteemed as astringents and sudorifics, 
and one species, Dianthus plumarius, useful in epilepsy, but all have fallen into 
disuse, their petals now only being utilized as a coloring matter for ointments and 
perfumes. 
History and Habitat— The cockle was introduced into this country with 
grain from Europe, and is very seldom to be found growing elsewhere than ina 
field of wheat. It blossoms and ripens its seed in good season for the harvest, 
thus mixing well with the grain. The seeds are so small that they are only with 
difficulty separated, and when left and ground with the wheat render the resulting 
Hour dark-colored, unwholesome, bitter, and in some cases poisonous, as will be 
noted hereafter. 
PART USED AND PREPARATION.—The ripe, dried seeds are broken into a 
coarse powder and weighed. Then five parts by weight of alcohol are poured upon 
the powder, and the whole allowed to stand eight days in a well-stoppered bottle, 
in a dark, cool place, shaking thoroughly twice a day. The tincture separated from 
this mass by filtration should be of a clear, light bistre color by transmitted light; 
its odor is strangely similar to the taste of the sweet acorn; its taste like its odor, 
and also somewhat acrid; and its reaction strongly acid. — 
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS.— Agrostemmin.—I am unable to find the 
authority for this body, which Wittstein says is an “alkaloid alleged to exist in the 
seeds of Lychnis Githago. It is obtained by extracting with alcohol of 40 per cent. 
containing acetic acid, and by precipitating with calcined magnesia. The precipi- 
tate to be treated with alcohol and left to crystallize. It results as yellowish-white, 
* Barton Collections, vol. i, p. 39. 
