VERMINOUS DISEASES. 203 



taining a poisonous caustic principle, and having 

 an excessively acrid and burning taste, ought to be 

 exhibited internally with great circumspection, be- 

 cause it may readiljf produce deleterious effects, and 

 even death. (7-i) 



§ CXXVIJl. Aloes, rhubarb, tlie gratiola offi- 

 cinalis, gamboge, chamomile, and particularly sul- 

 phureted scammony, {"diagrede sidphure.J and oth- 

 er similar articles, are also remedies commonly us- 

 ed for the expulsion of worms. I liave not spoken 

 of these substances singly, because these drastics 

 being usually combined with vermifuge remedies, 

 vegetable or mineral, cannot in strict reasoning be 

 directly classed with those medicines, which we 

 use to expel worms from the body, and to prevent 

 the development of verminous seeds.* 



* We are indebted to M. Charpentier Ccssigni, member of 

 the Academical Society'of Sciences of Paris, for sonie very inter- 

 esting details on the juice of the papaya, ( Carica pqiaya,) em- 

 ployed b}' him with the greatest success in the verminous dis- 

 eases of the isle of France and Reunion. 



This tree is very common in most hot countries. It springs 

 up without care or cultivation, and grows spontaneously ; it is 

 unisexual. Certain male trees are however occasionally seen to 

 bear hermaphrodite flowers and fruit not so large, and less round- 

 ed or filled up, and shorter than that of the female tree, equal- 

 ly good however, and affording prolific seeds. 



In order to extract the milk from tlie fruit, this must be green 

 and fresh gathered ; they are pricked with a pin or cut longitu- 

 dinally ; it yields a milk which is collected and given while new 

 to the patient fasting. This is tlic most powerful of all the an- 

 tlielinintics. It is said even to kill the taenia cucurbitina, whicli 

 is common in the island. It is thought by some to be corrosive, 



