LOGANIACEA. 501 
-. Vernacular.—Papita, from Spanish Pepita (Ind. Bazars). 
History, Uses, &c.—The seeds were first described in 
Europe by Ray and Petiver (Phil. Trans., 1699, xxi., 44, 87), 
from information furnished to them by the Jesuit missionary 
Camelli, and probably were brought to India by Jesuit mission- 
aries about thesamedate. They are described inthe Makhzan-el- 
adwiya of Mir Muhammad Husain (A.D. 1769) as the seeds of 
a fruit, about the size of an orange, brought from the New 
World ; of a hot and dry nature, an excellent remedy in cholera 
and obstinate vomiting, and useful in all cold phlegmatic 
_ diseases, such as asthma, dropsy, rheumatism, &c. The dose is 
 oneto two grains, with two or three peppercorns rubbed down in 
water. There is a lengthy account of the seeds in the Talif-1- 
_ sharifi, which the author informs us is chiefly compiled from 
_ European works. Loureiro says:—“I have often given and seen 
others give a whole seed weighing one drachm rubbed in water 
or wine to buffaloes, horses, cows and swine as an anthelmin- 
ic.” The plant, hitherto imperfectly known to European bota- 
nists, has now been fully described and figured by Von Sebas- 
_ tian Vidal y Soler, Chief of the Commission de la Flora Forestal 
de Filipinas, in their ‘‘ Revision de plantas vasculares Filipi- 
nas,” published at Manilla in 1886. 
The seeds are not now used medicinally in Europe, but when 
cheap are readily purchased for the manufacture of strychnia. 
They are officinal in the United States. 
Description.—Sst. Ignatius’ Beans are about an inck 
in length, their form is ovoid, but by mutual pressure it is 
Tendered very irregular, and they are 3 to 4 or 5-sided, bluntly 
angular or flattish, with a conspicuous hilumatoneend. In the 
_ fresh state they are covered with silvery adpressed hairs ; por- 
_ tions ofa shaggy brown epidermis are here and there perceptible 
on those found in commerce; but in the majority the seed shows 
the dull grey granular surface of the albumen itself. Not- 
Withstanding the different outward appearance, the structure 
‘St. Ignatius’ Beans accords with that of Nux-vomica. The 
radicle however is longer, thicker, and frequently somewhat 
ct 
