BONPLANDIA TRIFOLIATA. ORD. Rutacex. 123 
from South America. _Planche, who chemically examined it, named it An- 
gustura ferruginea. This bark is possessed of very deleterious properties ; 
when chewed, it excites a highly acrid sensation, and Jeaves an extremely 
nauseous bitter taste in the mouth and throat. From experiments made by 
Orfila (Vide Toxicology, vol. ii.) on animals, it appears to be one of the most 
energetic of the vegetable poisons. The deleterious property of this bark is 
said to reside in a peculiar alkali (called Brucine). This bark may be dis- 
tinguished from the genuine Angustura bark, by its greater thickness and 
weight, and by the epidermis being warty and of a brownish olive colour. 
By macerating the powder in diluted muriatic acid, it becomes of a very 
beautiful green, owing to the iron contained in the cuticle of the bark. 
Medical Properties and Uses. Genuine Angustura bark is a valuable tonic 
and stimulant. It was originally introduced as a febrifuge in intermittents, 
and was supposed to be superior to the Peruvian barks; but subsequent ex- 
perience has proved it greatly inferior to the latter for the cure of intermit- 
tents, in this coudtry at least: it is, nevertheless, a medicine possessed of 
very considerable powers, and may be exhibited in most diseases where a 
general tonic is indicated. We are told by Dr. Hancock, that, “in the years 
1816 and 1817, there prevailed, in the district of the Orinoko, and particu- 
larly at St. Thomas de Angustura, a malignant bilious intermitt t fever, which 
proved fatal to great numbers of the inhabitants, as well as to foreigners. In 
the latter, it assumed the form in many cases, of the true yellow fever, with vo- 
mito prieto. In March 1817, the mortality increasing, our stock of cinchona 
was expended, and we had no other resort but to the Quina de Carony 
(Angustura hark) of which there was a large supply in the town. It was 
prepared nearly as prescribed by those who were then termed Curiosos, or 
the native doctors. 
“Into a large jug, containing about six gallons, we put one pound of 
coarsely-powdered bark, with an equal quantity of brown sugar, filled it 
nearly with boiling water, and added about four ounces of wheaten bread to 
hasten fermentation. It was then stopped close, placed in the sun, and 
shaken frequently. As soon as fermentation began, it was considered fit for 
n the quantity of from four to six ounces in a dose, 
use, and administered i 
three or four times a day.” 
In the month preceding the adoption of the cortex Angusture, fifty-three 
persons died of fever; the month following, there were but fourteen, and 
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