RHEUM. 



RHEUM. 



in each kind : touching the deliberative he inquires whether it be use- 

 ful, c. 4 to 8 ; touching the demonstrative, whether it be honourable, 

 c. 9; touching the judicial, whether it be just, c. 10 to 16. He con- 

 eludes the first book by stating and explaining the modes of producing 

 persuasion without the art of rhetoric, c. 16. 



In the second book he proceeds to say that, in reference to certain 

 question*, special persuasion must be considered aa depending on the 

 character of the speaker, c. 1 ; and on the passions of the hearers, c. 2 

 to 13 ; as also on the general character of the hearers, such as their 

 passions, their moral habits, their different ages and conditions in life, 

 c. 17 to 19. He closes the discussion of special persuasion by viewing 

 it in connection with questions common to the three kinds of persua- 

 sion, such as possibility, fact, futurity, and magnitude, c. 19. He then 

 proceeds to persuasion considered generally and indefinitely, of which 

 he mentions two kinds, example (rafaXirrna) and enthymeme (<0vpwta), 

 adding ;,ntme (7*^11) as included in enthymeme, c. 20 to 26. 



He commence* the third book with the second part of rhetoric, 

 namely, expresnon. He states what is necessary to constitute expres- 

 sion, c. 2 to 4 ; and describes it* various forms, P. 5 to 9. He treats 

 of elegance ( T* iorila), c. 10, 11; and represents the different kinds 

 of expresnon, c. 12. 



hen comes to the third part of rhetoric, which is arrangement. 

 This, he says, consists necessarily of two parts, the proposition of any 

 subject, and its confirmation ; but there may be four parts, introduc- 

 tion ( wpaolfuor ), proposition ( wpMiou), confirmation (wdrra), and 

 peroration (t*t\tyot). He concludes the work by discussing these four 

 part* of arrangement : introduction, c. 14, 15 ; proposition, c. 16 ; con- 

 firmation, c. 17 ; peroration, c. 19. 



Aristotle's ' Rhetoric' is not only the be*t treatise upon this subject, 

 but a model of profound thinking and reasoning for the investigation 

 of various other subjects. 



I : H K C M ( MnAoroi, JftrfiVaf Pmptrtitt of. As the particular species 

 which yields the officinal rhubarb, and even the precise place of its 

 growth, are not known, the varieties met with in commerce are here 

 described, without attempting to assign them to any ascertained 

 specie*. There are six well-marked varieties, namely, Russian or 

 Turkey, Dutch-trimmed, Chinese, Himalayan. English, and French. 

 Of the first sort the greater portion at present comas from St. Peters- 

 burg, and U denominated Muscovite, Bokharian, or Siberian rhubarb, 

 while a " part has always formed one of the import* from China into 

 Bokhara, whence passing to Smyrna, it U known in Europe as Turkey 

 rhubarb" (Royle, 'Flora of the Himalaya'), which name it commonly 

 bears in the shops. This kind varies much in size and appearai 

 pieces being cylindrical, spherical, flat, or irregular, from two to three 

 inches long, one to three broad, and one to three thick. " The smaller 

 piece* are picked out, being preferred, while the larger pieces and the 

 dust are employed for powdering.'' Hole* are remarked in many of the 

 piece*, of which one occasionally extend* entirely through, the others 

 only partially ; the former having been made in order to suspend the 

 piece in drying, the others in examining the quality. This kind, and 

 probably the other sort*, la frequently worm-eaten, owing to the ravage* 

 of a small beetle, Sn<J<+dnm ptmUm. (Hirby and Spence, ' Ento- 

 mology,' L, p. 253.) 



Externally the pieces are covered with a bright yellow.-coloured 

 powder, which either result* from the friction of the pieces during 

 their p****ge to this country, or from the process of rouncing (that is, 

 shaking in a bag with powdered rhubarb), previous to it* exportation. 

 The odour I* strong, both of the root and fresh powder, peculiar, 

 somewhat but not pleasantly aromatic. When chewed, it feels gritty, 

 owing to the presence of numerous raphide* (or crystals of oxaiate of 

 lime, which are present to the amount of between SO and 40 per 

 cent) ; it communicate* a bright yellow colour to the saliva, and ha* a 

 Miter, slightly astringent taste, which to some persons U not unplea- 

 sant, a* they are in the habit of chewing rhubarb to obtain it* tonic 

 effect* oo the stomach ; but this practice is objectionable from the 

 yellow colour it impart* to the teeth and gums. 



When the dust which covers the surface is removed, It exhibits a 

 more or less reddish -yellow hue with white lines interspersed, which 

 form beautiful reticulations, best seen on a vertical section, while a 

 transverse section exhibits small star-like spot* and depression* of a 

 darker colour. The transverse fracture is uneven, the longitudinal 

 still more no. " The powder of genuine Russian rhubarb is of a bright 

 Yellow colour, verging to red, but aa met with in the shop* it is almost 

 Invariably mixed with the powder of English rhubarb," which give* it 

 a much lighter colour. 



The analynis of this sort by Hornemann shows it to consist of 



fthabsrbrrln far btttrr principle of rffT ) 

 T*Uaw colouring matter (of Ilsarr) . 



Oxidtnd uanln ..... 



M :r. KJI ...... 



A rasxaao* titrated from the woody ten 

 Oulwacld ..... 



WoodTlbn ...... 



Moisten, loss, odorotu principle . 



16 



9 

 14 



I 



U 

 18 



1 

 14 



S 



arbtrln is also called chrysopbanic acid, or yellow crystalline 

 granulated matter of rhubarb. According to Schtossberger and Dic^'i "g. 



rhubarb contains three resins : Aporetine, Phaeoretine, and Erythore' 

 tine. It is supposed to contain some volatile oil, to which the peculiar 

 odour is due. 



The chief chemical distinction between this and English rhubarb is 

 the presence in the latter of a principle termed rhaponticin, and 14 per 

 cent, of starch, with a smaller portion of rhubarberin, of yellow colour- 

 ing matter and extractive : iodine furnishes a ready distinguishing 

 test, for a " decoction of Russian, Dutch-trimmed, or Chinese rhubarb 

 becomes, with a solution of iodine, greenish-blue (iodide of starch) ; 

 after a few minutes the colour disappears, and no iodine can be 

 detected in the liquor by starch, unless nitric acid be previously 

 added; a decoction of English rhubarb is rendered by a solution of 

 iodine intensely blue (iodide of starch), the colour not completely dis- 

 appearing by standing." ( Pereira. ) This difference is clearly dependent 

 on the much greater portion of starch existing in English rhubarb. 

 Inferior rhubarb, or roots cut to resemble rhubarb, and sprinkled over 

 with powdered turmeric, or dyed with it, may be detected by means of 

 boracic acid, or any berates rendered acid, since the colour of genuine 

 rhubarb, or paper dyed with it, is not affected by these re-agents, 

 whereas turmeric-paper is reddened by them. Yellow ochre, with 

 which black and worthless pieces are covered, or which is used to fill 

 the hole* in worm-eaten pieces, may be detected by heat, as it burns 

 with a brownish red appearance, and exhibits the characters of a 

 ferruginous earth. 



Portions unusually white are occasionally found in the chests of 

 Russian rhubarb, and are presumed to be specimens of imperial 

 rhvlmrli ; nothing certain is known of its origin or relative value, but 

 it is assigned to Rfitum IttirorrHizum, Pallas, /?. nanum, Sievers, Rltcum 

 lataricum, Linn. 



2. Dutch-trimmed rhubarb, called also by some writers Persian 

 rhubarb, and Batavian, occurs in flat or round pieces, and is not much 

 different in appearance from the preceding, but it reaches Europe 

 through Canton and Singapore. It is said to be very liable to the attacks 

 of a small coleopterous insect, Anubiitm Meli, aud that the holes so 

 made are stopped with yellow ochre. 



8. Chinese or East Indian rhubarb, termed in commerce lialf trimmed 

 or uHtrimmrd rhubarb, rarely present* an angular character, but occurs 

 in rounds or flat*. " The best piece* are heavier and more compact 

 than those of the Russian kind, and the odour is much less powerful 

 and las* aromatic." 



4. Himalayan rhubarb U not known as a commercial article in this 

 country, nor is It even an article of large consumption in India, where 

 it sells for only one tenth of the best rhubarb, resembling in quality 

 the Russian, and which is found in India. The finest Russian rhubarb 

 might be introduced and cultivated in the territories of the East India 

 Company, or, as Dr. Royle observes, * a trade in rhubarb with Tibet 

 or Western Mongolia might be established by means of the Tartars 

 who resort to the hill fairs. This trade might easily be encouraged by 

 the government purchasing all the rhubarb it requires, which might 

 thus be employed for hospital use after crossing the frontiers, instead 

 of, as now, after making a journey of 20,000 miles, or nearly the 

 circuit of the globe." (' Flora of the Himalaya.') 



5. English rhubarb occurs in two states, " drtued or trimmed, so as 

 to resemble the Russian kind, and itick rhubarb. The first is grown at 

 Banbury in Oxfordshire, and is frequently used for the show-bottles in 

 druggist*' windows, and often sold in the streets of London for Turl-ry 

 rkuKirl,, by persons dressed up as Turks. Stick rhubarb is sold in the 

 herb shops, and is in long pieces." 



6. French rhubarb Is not brought into this country. 



What is termed Mmk't rhubarb is not the produce of any species of 

 rnVust, but of the Kttma: alpinta, which grows in Switzerland, Ger- 

 many, and Mount Taurus, and is more astringent than purgative : it is 

 mostly used by the monks of the Alps, or to adulterate the other 

 sorts. 



Large importations of rhubarb are made into this country, partly 

 from Russia, but much more from the East Indie* ; but the greater 

 part is for re-exportation. The quantity retained for home consump- 

 tion scarcely constitute* one-fourth of the entire amount. 



Rhubarb present* the peculiarity of producing two opposite effects, 

 according to the dose exhibited. In small doses it is tonic and 

 astringent, in large doses purgative, but generally followed by con- 

 stipation. It is moreover somewhat heating, and therefore unfit for 

 the early stage of inflammatory diseases ; on the other hand, its tonic 

 properties render it eminently proper in the later stages of these 

 diseases. In debility of the digestive organs, alone, or better in con- 

 junction with other agents, it is a most valuable remedy ; but it is very 

 improper in the form of powder for very young children, as the 

 insoluble woody fibre irritates their delicate stomachs, and contributes 

 to produce that state of irritation under which so many young children 

 sink who are overdosed with domestic medicines. Dr. Reid, from 

 large experience at a public dispensary, stated it as his deliberate 

 opinion, that half the children which died in London under two years 

 of age were killed by mothers and nurses dosing them with rlmli:irl> 

 and magnesia. A more rational proceeding is to regulate the diet of 

 tender infants, especially of such as are not suckled by the mother or 

 a wet nurse ; above all, to avoid giving them stimulating drinks or raw 

 fruits. Where any form of gentle aperient nml kntaoid JH really 

 necessary for children or infants, an infusion uf rhubarb made with 



