Margosse Oil. 177 



which prevents the attacks of flies, who would other- 

 wise blow the wound and occasion a nest of maggots in 

 a few hours. This oil is very healing, and soon creates 

 a healthy appearance in a bad cut. It is manufactured 

 from the fruit of a plant in Ceylon, but I have never 

 met with it in the possession of an English medical 

 man. The smell of this oil is very offensive, even 

 worse than assafoetida, which it in some degrees resem- 

 bles. There are many medicinal plants in Ceylon of 

 great value, which, although made use of by the na- 

 tives, are either neglected or unknown to the profession 

 in our own country. One of the wild fruits of the jun- 

 gle, the wood-apple or wild quince, is very generally 

 used by the natives in attack of diarrhoea and dysentery 

 in the early stages of the disease ; this has been used 

 for some years by English medical men in this island, 

 bu ' vith no very satisfactory effect. 



M 



