BAMBUSEiE 243 



In the Filipino therapeutics rice has an extensive use, es- 

 pecially in the form of a decoction called cange, which is com- 

 monly given in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, with 

 good results. Cooked as a sort of mush it may be used as a 

 substitute for linseed poultices and has the great advantage of 

 not becoming rancid. Roasted and powdered it is dusted upon 

 wounds or abrasions of the skin and forms a dry and absorbent 

 covering under which they heal rapidly. 



It has lately been claimed that beriberi is due to a micro- 

 organism found in rice under certain abnormal conditions ; this 

 claim is not yet firmly established and beriberi is still one of 

 the many problems in medicine which are awaiting solution. 



Habitat. — All parts of the Archipelago. 



BAMBUSEiE. 



Bamboo Family. 



Nom. Vulg. — Gafta, Sp.; Bamboo, Eng. 



Linnaeus and Blanco include in the genus Bambus all the 

 different species of bamboo to which the Spaniards have given 

 the general name of carta. The plant is of incomparable value 

 to the natives of the Philippines ; they build their houses of it, 

 make agricultural and industrial instruments of it, use it in all 

 the varied apparatus of their fisheries and for a multitude of 

 household utensils and furniture. 



The variety B. arundinacea, Retz. (B. arundo, Blanco), 

 Kawayag-totoo, Tag., is the largest and most generally employed 

 in making houses and furniture. The tender shoots prepared 

 in lime water are edible but have the deserved reputation of 

 being difficult of digestion. 



The variety Schizostaehyum acutiflorum, Munro (B. diffusa, 

 Blanco), Osiw, Bohawy, Tag., is less used. The shoots are 

 used to treat opacity of the cornea, for which purpose they are 

 cut when about a palm in height, the outer leaves removed, 



