: * 
QUASSIA tine, | ORD, XXX. Gruinales. 0 ie 
to putrefaction,* and_ this Professor Murray thinks cannot be 
attributed to its sensible qualities, as it possesses no astringency 
whatever, nor can it depend upon its bitterness, as gentian is 
much bitterer, yet less antiseptic. The medicinal virtues ascribed 
to Quassia are those of a tonic, stomachic, antiseptic, and febrifuge ; 
it has been found very, effectual in restoring the ‘tone of the 
stomach, producing appetite for food, assisting digestion, expell- 
ing flatulency, and removing habitual costiveness, produced from 
debility of the intestines, and common to a sedentary life. Dr. 
Lettsom, whose extensive practice gave him an opportunity of 
trying the eflects of Quassia in a great number of cases, says, 
“In debility, succeeding febrile diseases, the peruvian bark. is 
““ most generally more tonic and salutary than any other vegetable 
* hitherto known; but in hysterical atony, to which the female 
“sex Is so prone, the Quassia affords more vigour and relief 
“ to the system than the other, especially when united with the 
“ vitriolum album, and still more with the aid of some absorbent.” 
In dyspepsia, arising from hard drinking, and also in diarrhceas, 
the Doctor exhibited the Quassia with great success. But with 
respect to the tonic and febrifuge qualities of Quassia, he says, 
«| by no means subscribe to the Linnean opinion, where the 
“ author declares, me quidem judice chinchinam longe superat: it 
“ is very well known, that there are certain peculiarities of the 
* air and idiosyncrases of constitution, unfavourable to the ex- 
« hibition of the peruvian bark, even in the most clear inter- 
« missions of fever, and writers have repeatedly noticed it; but 
* this is comparatively very rare. About midsummer, 1785, 
«TI met with several instances of low remittent and nervous 
© fevers, wherein the bark uniformly aggravated the symptoms, 
“‘ though given in intermissions the most favourable to its success; 
and wherein Quassia, or snake-root, was successfully substituted. 
“In such cases, I mostly observed, that there was great con- 
8 Vide Ebeling Diss. de Quassia, &c. p. 14.  Severius, Comment, in que 
medicate Quassice vires expenduntur, p. 77. i 
No. 47,——vot. 4, 3 7 «€ 
