MEDICIITES.] 



THE HOESE, AND 



[medicines. 



glossopetr(B, pectinites, &c., and also, not unfre- 

 quently, the bard parts of amphibious and land 

 animals, as the beads and vertebrae of croco- 

 diles, and the teeth of elephants. Its uses are 

 very extensive. The more compact kinds are 

 used as building stone, and are burnt to lime ; 

 nearly all the buildings in London being 

 cemented with chalk-mortar. It is also largely 

 employed in the polishing of metals and glass ; 

 in constructing moulds to cast metal in ; by 

 carpenters and others as a material to mark 

 with ; and by starch-makers and chemists to 

 dry precipitates on, for which it is peculiarly 

 qualified on account of the remarkable facility 

 with which it absorbs water. 



Prepared chalk is made by washing common 

 chalk in water, and allowing the grosser parti- 

 cles, as sand, &c., to fall to the bottom ; whilst 

 the firm particles floating on the water, are 

 poured off with it into another vessel, and then 

 permitted to subside, and are afterwards made 

 into nobs, and dried. 



Medicinal Uses. — Absorbent, anti-acid. It 

 is either given alone, or in combination with 

 kino, catechu, &c., in quantities of from four 

 ounces to six ounces in diarrhoea. To ulcers 

 that discharge a thin and ichorous matter it 

 is successfully applied. 



Copaiba — Balsam Capivi. 



Copaiha, or balsam of capivi, is a liquid resi- 

 nous juice which comes from the trunk of the 

 copaifera halsamum. It is distilled in water, 

 and yields a quantity of limpid essential oil. 



Medicinal Uses. — Diuretic; but, from its 

 expensivsuess, it is little used, as its proper- 

 ties are little difierent from those of other 

 diuretics. 



Ceotoni Semina — Croton Seeds. 

 The Croton-nut has only recently been 

 introduced into veterinary practice, although, 

 as a very strong purgative, it has been used in 

 India from time immemorial. There are 

 many species of the plant which produce the 

 seeds, the principal of which are : — I. The tinc- 

 torium, which grows naturally in the south of 

 Trance, and from which is made the turnsole 

 used for colouring wines and jellies. This is 

 made of the juice lodged between the empale- 

 ment and the seeds; and if rubbed on cloths, 

 at tirst appears green, but soon changes to 



352 



a purple. If these cloths are put into water 

 they will dye it of a claret colour. The rags 

 thus dyed are brought to this country, and 

 sold under the name of turnsole. — 2. The 

 sevife/'um, or tallow tree, is about the height 

 of the cherry tree ; the leaves are heart-shaped, 

 and of a deep red colour. . The fruit is enclosed 

 in a cover like the chestnut ; and consists of 

 three white grains, each having a capsule, and 

 within that a stone. This stone is surrounded 

 with a white pulp, which is not the tallow ; 

 for that is expressed from the kernels, and the 

 Chinese make their candles of it. — 3. The 

 aromaticum, with heart-shaped serrated leaves, 

 and an arborescent stem. The bark of this 

 tree is the same with the cascarilla and eleu- 

 tlieria. It is a strong bitter, and has been 

 used in intermittent fevers in preference to 

 the Peruvian bark. — 4. The cascarilla de- 

 scribed by Dr. Wright, is the wild rosemary 

 shrub of Jamaica; but its bark has none of 

 the qualities with the preceding. — 5. The 

 Tigleiim ; one drop applied to the tongue acts 

 as a powerful cathartic. This is the one that 

 is used in horse-practice. 



Medicinal Uses. — Cathartic, in doses, from 

 ten to thirty grains in a ball. It appears from 

 experiment from the meal, or rather cake, which 

 remains in the press after the expression of the 

 oil from the seeds, that the active principle 

 does not reside so much in the oil as in a 

 peculiar resin. Its effects are rather uncer- 

 tain. On account of the rapidity of its opera- 

 tive powder, it is given in staggers and locked- 

 jaw. Prom twenty to forty drops put on the 

 tongue of a horse produces purging ; but the 

 membrane of the mouth is often violently in- 

 flamed by it. 



CuPEi SuBACETATis. ^RUGO — Sulacetate of 



Copper — Verdigris. 



Verdigris is principally made in the south 

 of Prance, by putting plates of copper among 

 the residuum of the grape, after the expression 

 of its juice. By frequently sprinkling them 

 with water, and allowing the grape-stalks to 

 ferment, a thick coating of verdigris is formed 

 on the surface of each plate, and is scraped off' 

 by means of a knife, then put into bags, and 

 exposed to the sun and air to dry. 



Medicinal Uses. — Detergent and escariotic. 

 It has been administered internally, but it is 



