PoRTERFIELD: ALGAE IN THE CHINESE CLASSICS 299 
to the diagrammatic structure of Hydrodictyon. Nearly two 
thousand years ago in a pond beside the temple of Han Voo Tee, 
algae were said to have grown to a length of nine feet. Among 
other characteristics they were reported as having the appear- 
ance of a net from which certain water birds were said to have 
had great difficulty in extricating themselves. The people called 
this the water-net alga. The structure of such types was 
plainly visible under careful scrutiny, hence a netted or reti- 
culate structure was specifically attributed to algae. _ 
About 600 B. C., in a book entitled Sze tsen, occurs the follow- 
ing reference to algae: ‘“‘Some algae are a delicacy fit for the 
most honorable guest, even for the king himself.”” At the 
present time country people gather Nostoc for food. This is 
called ‘‘Heaven vegetable.’’ Red algae are dried and eaten 
by farmers who live ear the sea. It is to some of these doubt- 
less that the quotation refers. 
The real knowledge in Chinese medicine as it exists today is 
based on the Chinese ‘‘ Materia Medica,”’ the edition of which 
was begun four thousand years ago. The present edition was 
written two hundred years ago in the Ming dynasty. Among 
other plants, Kw’un Boo, or Laminaria is mentioned as being 
useful for medicinal purposes, for which it is calcined after being 
washed and sun-dried. It is a common practice in China to 
pack open cuts with ashes in order to stop the bleeding. Whether 
there is any discrimination shown as to what kinds of ashes are 
used the writer is not prepared to say. If there is, it is interesting 
to note that in case preference was shown for ashes of kelps, 
they must have realized that some medicinal virtue was con- 
tained in them. Iodine as an element was probably not known 
to the Chinese but they may have — its presence as a 
virtuous remedy in other.things. 
sin western countries the sea weeds of the China coast are 
used by the farmers nearby for fertilizer and also, when dried 
for fuel. Agar-agar is made by the Chinese out of certain species 
of sea-weeds, a well known fact to most scientists and technicians. 
e morphological characters of these marine forms seem to 
have been as well known as the freshwater forms, if not better. 
Many were said to be attached to stones. The large leafed 
forms were known as ox or horse algae. Some float on the top 
of the water, others live at the bottom. Of the smaller forms, 
