florentina, when dug at night. 
The Ancients embraced under Iris several athe plants, as for 
instance Gladiolus, up to the time of the Middle Ages, was often. 
called ireos. At this time Iris, according to the locales in which it 
grew, was known as Jris, Hyrius, Irius, Ercus, and Yrius. 
The apothecary of the Middle Ages as well as the herbalist of. 
Pliny’s time prepared an Iris starch to which curative properties were. 
ascribed. 
According to records of Edward IV, in the year of 1480, a favorited 
toilet water was prepared by mixing orris root with anise. The 
species of Iris furnishing orris root were evidently first known in 
England about 1397. Orris root consists of the rhizomes of the 
three Iris species, ris florentina, I. pallida, and I. germanica, ee 
and carefully dried. 
fact that san is is Bs the: beste rhizome of Iris 
g 
Orris root fingers apparently were the next form in which iris 
was used, and this industry seems to have originated in Germany, . 
at Ebingen and Wurtemberg. The fingers consisted of Verona root 
chiefly and were made by turning the commercial root on a lathe 
until flat and oval and securing them by a silk thread through a4 
hole in the end. Iris for a time was cultivated for commercial pur- 
poses, having been introduced into Germany from Italy by the 
Benedicts. Pete the 16th. century. ‘‘ Dentarnole ”, as orris root 
fingers were called by the Italians when they took up the manu- 
facture, was used in the place of the more expensive coral and ivory 
teething rings for babies, and the juice absorbed from the root was 
considered an excellent digestive. At the present lime, orris rool 
fingers are manufactured by pharmaceutical houses and are offered 
for sale by our modern pharmacies, although the majority of physi- 
cians denounce the use of orris root foe as harmful and clai à 
the ‘‘ excellent digestive juice ” is disturbing to the stomach of the 
infant who cuts his teeth on orris root. 
Besides ‘‘ fingers ” orris root furnished ‘‘ palline ” or beads which 
were used as rosaries and in medicine. During the 18th. century, 
science was of the opinion that an open wound was the surest wa F 
of curing scrofula and other skin diseases. Orris beads or ‘‘ issue 
peas ” were much in demand in this connection, being bandaged 
into the wound to keep it open. That this dubious practice was slill 
in vogue during the early part of the 19th. century is evidenced by 
the fact that something like 20.000.000 beads were made in eastern 
Italy each year and exported through the port of Leghorn. Orris 
root was also reduced to grains and colored red, blue, green, and 
yellow and used-to throw on fires to perfume halls and drawing 
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