STAPHISAGRIA 321 



tance, the credit of its introduction being, as with other 

 substances of a like nature, due to the observing "em- 

 piricists." 



SPIGELIA (Pinkroot) 

 Official in every edition of the U. S. P., from 1820 to 1910. 



Spigelia marilandica is an American plant, indigenous 

 to the temperate regions and thick woods of this coun- 

 try. The Indians employed a decoction of the root as a 

 vermifuge, thus introducing it at an early date to the 

 settlers, the physicians and the botanists. It was de- 

 scribed by Barton (43), Schopf (582) and other author- 

 ities, but was never extensively used by the American 

 schools of medicine, either the Botanic or the Eclectic. 

 As a domestic remedy it was customary, half a century 

 ago, to use a mixture of "pink root" and senna, to which 

 were added a few pieces of manna, a homemade decoc- 

 tion being given to children and others afflicted with 

 worms. In our opinion this home treatment formerly 

 consumed most of the drug of commerce, which, since 

 the discovery of santonine, has come to be of minor im- 

 portance. In the days of this writer's experience as a 

 prescription clerk in Cincinnati, 1865-1880, the mixture 

 above described was in continual domestic demand, the 

 decoction being prepared at home. 



STAPHISAGRIA (Stavesacre) 



Introduced in edition of 1880. Official in all later editions. 



Delphinium Staphisagria, a native of waste places of 

 Italy, the islands of Greece and Asia Minor, is now gen- 

 erally distributed throughout the Mediterranean coun- 

 tries and the adjacent islands, e. g., The Canaries. It 

 was known to the ancients, being mentioned by Nican- 

 der (581), Dioscorides (194), Pliny (514) and others, 



