Cadwallader Colden with Gronovius, Lirmceus, 9fc 95 



little acquainted with his works. But when you wish in vain, 

 it is needless for me to add my wishes. The reasons the Doctor 

 gives you for suppressing that book, in my opinion, should not 

 prevail with a good man in depriving mankind of a general 

 benefit. * * * 



The benefit of oil in the cure of the bite of the Rattlesnake 

 has been confirmed in several instances in this country, and even 

 that hog's lard is effectual; and of consequence it is probable that 

 all oily things are. It has long been observed in this country, 

 that hogs were never hurt by the bite of the Rattlesnake, or by 

 any viper; though all our other cattle at some time or other have 

 been. This I attribute to the natural defence they have by their 

 fat, through which the teeth of the viper cannot penetrate, with- 



out giving the remedy at the same time. You know how dan- 



gerous it is to trust to experiments, unless they be performed with 

 all requisite precaution; but lean assure you that I would rather 

 trust to oil or hog's lard than to the famous Polygala, or Rattle- 

 snake-root, or to any other medicine that I have heard of ; be- 

 cause the beneficial use of this comes better confirmed to me 

 than that of the Rattlesnake-root or any other* We chiefly trust 

 to the warm external application. 



As you seem to be pleased with my communicating the use 

 of any plants discovered in this country, I shall tell you what I 

 learned of the use of the Hamamelis from a minister of the 

 Church of England who officiates among the Mohawk Indians. 

 He saw an almost total blindness, occasioned by a blow, cured 

 by receiving the warm steam of a decoction of the bark of this 

 plant through a funnel upon the place. This was done by di- 

 rection of a Mohawk Indian, after other means had for a consid- 

 erable time proved ineffectual. * * * Dr. Linnaeus is right 

 in observing that I had mistaken the gemma of this shrub for 

 the involucrum, in the description I gave of it.* 



I have not yet been able to see the fruit of no. 131, but I can- 

 not doubt of its belonging to the class of the Tetradynamia, for 



* Respecting Colden's description of this plant, Linnaeus writes to Gronovius : 

 " Quod vocat Involucrum est Gemma. * * Nectaria egregie describit, quae vi- 

 dere nequivisti : fructus a te missus docet esse capsulam duram, nee nucem." 

 Nevertheless, Colden's detailed character of the genus (Planta Coldenghamia, no. 

 18.) is not only perfectly correct, but is adopted by Linnaeus in his Genera Plan- 

 tarum, fyc, where the character commences with "Involucrum triphyllum, tri* 

 jtorum." etc. — A. G. 



