SAP. 7. 



By incineration, we obtained ashes from the milk in which wer* 

 found phosphate of lime, lime, magnesia, and silica. 



During their excursions in the Cordilleras, the inhabitants fre 

 quently drink the milk of the cow-tree. M. de Rivero and mysell 

 also used it during our sojourn at Maracaibo. 



The tree which produces the milk which we examined, is, accord 

 ing to M, de Humboldt, the galactodendron dulce, of the family of 

 the verticas, or fig-trees. But several trees are known in tht 

 mountains along the coast, which yield a milky juice, and which 

 are often confounded with that just described. For instance, in the 

 environs of Maracaibo, according to M. Desvaux,* the clusia galac- 

 todendron yields an abundance of very pleasant vegetable milk ; 

 this milk, however, does not seem to contain much animalized matter ; 

 at least it does not putrefy perceptibly, and instead of the waxy 

 matter, a substance much less fusible and of a resinous character is 

 procured from it. 



MILKY SAP OF THE HURA CREPITANS, (aJUAPAR.) 



The sap of the hura crepitans is dreaded, and not without good 

 reason ; it is enough to be exposed to the emanations of this milky 

 juice, when recently extracted, to be seriously affected by it. 

 The use which is made of it, to poison the water of rivers, in 

 order to obtain the fish, is a sufiicient indication of its pernicious 

 qualities.! 



This vegetable sap would perfectly resemble that of the cow-tree, 

 if it were not slightly yellowish. It has no smell ; its taste, which 

 is very little marked at first, soon causes very violent irritation. It 

 reddens the color of turmeric ; mineral acids produce in it a white 

 and viscous curd ; the surrounding fluid is clear and of a yellow 

 color. Left to itself, the milky sap of the hura crepitans yields all 

 the products of the putrefaction of caseum. It contains : I. An 

 azotized substance similar to gluten, or caseum. 2. A vesicating 

 oil. 3. A crystallized substance, having an alkaline reaction. 4. 

 Malate of potash, 5. Nitrate of potash. 6. A salt of lime, (the 

 malate 1) 7. An odorous azotized principle. 



MILKY SAP or THE POPPY, (oPIUM.) 



The milky sap which, by concreting, furnishes the opium of com- 

 merce, is obtained by making longitudinal incisions in the capsules 

 of the poppy. The operation takes place before the fruit is ripe, 

 and after the fall of the flower. 



* Renseignements coinniuniqu6s par M. Adolphe Brongniart. 



t Rivero et Boussingault, Annales de Chim. et de Phys. t, xviii. p. 430, 2e s6rie. 



What 1 shnll no.v state may give an idea of the energy- with which this milky juice 

 acts on the animal economy : when M. Rivero and myself examined the milk of the 

 hura crepitans, we became affected with erj'sipelas ; the affection continoed for sev- 

 eral days. The milk had been sent to us in guaduas by Dr. Roulin ; the messengel 

 who brought i-t was seriou-^ly affected by it ; and along the road the inhabitants of tht 

 house's whipre he lo<lged felt the same effects. 



