74-2 
beside the two under consideration: the European Moschatel (Adoxa Moschatel. 
fina, Linn.), also found in Arctic America and sparsely in the Rocky Mountains: 
the European Elder (Saméucus nigra, Linn.), a native also of Asia and Northern 
Africa; and the European Fly Woodbine (Lonicera Xylosteum, Linn.). Two 
American species were proven too late for representation in this work, they are 
the Snowberry (Symphoricarpus racemosus, Michx.), a valuable remedy in vomiting 
pregnancy, as many suffering ladies have testified in my practice; and the High 
Cranberry (Viburnum opulus, Linn.), now proving valuable in many forms of 
uterine affections and puerperal diseases, , 
Outside of our Materia Medica the order contains: The Dwarf Elder (Sam- 
bucus ebulus, Linn.), probably the most active of that genus; and the Bush Honey- 
suckle (Diervilla trifida, Moench.). 
History ard Habitat.—The feverwort is indigenous to North America from 
Canada southward and westward to Alabama, growing on open woodlands in lime- 
stone soils; not really plentiful in any locality. It blossoms in June, and ripens its 
characteristically arranged fruit in September. 
It was in all probability the Southern species 7: augusttfolium, Linn., that was 
principally used as an emetic in earlier days, and this is doubtless the plant sent to 
Pluckenet as Dr. Tinker’s Weed, and gravely commented on by Poiret as follows :* 
“Ses racines et celles de l’espece précédente passent pour émétiques; le docteur 
Tinker est le premier qui les a mises en usage, et qui a fait donner a cette plante 
par plusieurs habitans de l’Amerique septentrional le d’ herdbe sauvage du doc- 
teur Tinker.” Triosteum is stated by Rafinesque to have been one of the abo- — 
riginal medicamente, called Sizcky. A decoction is said to have been used by 
the Cherokee Indians in the cure of fevers (Porcher). The bark of the root has 
long been esteemed as an emetic and smoothly-acting cathartic, the former in doses — 
of from 40 to 60 grains, the latter in half that amount; its cathartic action was 
claimed to be fully as sure as jalap. Dr. J. Kneeland calls attention to this plant 
as an application to painful swellings, regarding which he says :} “ My attention was 
first called to it by a gentleman of observation -and intelligence, who derived his 
knowledge of its value indirectly from the Onondaga Indians. So strongly did he © 
back his claims with facts on cases of whitlow or felon, successfully treated, that I — 
applied the bruised root, moistened, to the first well-marked case of onychia or 
felon which came to me for treatment. The young man upon whose hand it was, 
had not slept much for two nights. The whole hand was much swollen; the middle 
finger, tense and throbbing, was the centre from which the pain and swelling : 
extended. It had been poulticed and thoroughly soaked in weak lye for three : 
days, and still grew worse. We applied the 77iosteum, and nothing else. After 
six hours’ application he slept; the throbbing and tensive pain gradually dimin- — 
ished after the first application; in two days’ time the swelling disappeared from 
the forearm and hand; in four days the finger affected, the whole palm, and the — 
centre of the dorsum of the hand peeled, and complete resolution took place, no 
* Bigelow, dm. Med. Bot., 1, p. 90. + Loc. cit., The Four. of Mat. Med., Vol. 1., N. S., 1859, 249 
