EUFBOEBIACE^. 257 



Chemical composition, — Honke [Archiv/ d. P/ianti., Yol. 224 

 (1886), 729 — 759) has ascertained ttat tlie dried juice of Katti- 

 mandu {E, Nividia) contains 35 per cent, of Eitjj/iorbon^ 25*40 

 per cent." of resin soluble in ether^ 13'70 of resin insoluble in 

 ether, 1*50 per cent, of caoutcliouc, and the other constituents of 

 commercial gum eiqjhorhiuni. The dried juice of E. TirueaUi 

 was also found to be of a siinihir nature, and to contain 4 per 

 cent, of caoutchouc. Henke examined the juice of sixteen 

 species of Euphorbia and ascertained that they all contain 

 euphorbon, so that we may fairly suppose itj as well as an acid 

 resin, malate of calcium, and caoutchouc, to be a constant 

 constituent of the milky juice of all the plants belonging to the 

 genus. {8ee next article,) 



EUPHORBIA RESINIFERA, Berg. 



Pig^ — Jachson, Account of Morocco, t, 6 ; Berg, et Sch., t. 34 d, 

 / M~X; BcntL and Trim. 240. 



Hab. Morocco- The dried juice (Gum Euphorbium), 



Vernacular. — Farbiyun, Afarbiyun, Farfiyun [Lid. Bazars). 



History, Uses, &C. — Euphorbium was known to the 

 ancients. Dioscoridcs and Pliny both describe its collection on 

 Mount Atlas in Africa, and notice its extreme acridity. Accord- 

 ing to the latter writer, the drug received its name in honour 

 of Euphorbus, Physician to Juba II,, King of Mauritania. 

 This monarch, who, after a long reign, died about A.D. 18, 

 was distinguished for his literary attainments, and was the 

 author of several books, which included treatises on opium and 

 euphorbium. The latter work was apparently extant in the 

 time of Pliny, 



Euphorbium is mentioned by numerous other early writers 

 on medicine, as Rufus Ephesius, who probably flourished 

 during the reign of Trajan, by Galen in the 2nd century, and 

 by Vindicianus and Oribasius in the 4th. ^tins and Paulus 

 -ffigineta, who lived respectively in the 6th and 7th centuries, 



known 



III.-33 



