150 MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Dr.-Culieu was in doubt whether to class this drug with the 

 aromatics or with the tonics, but he determined upon the latter as 

 the most proper ; besides its being stomachic and corroborant, it 

 is also reported to be diuretic : but proofs of its efficacy in particu- 

 lar diseases have not (as far as we know) been ascertained, nor even 

 attempted by any adequate trials made in this country. We shall 

 not therefore follow a late ingenious author, in depreciating this 

 medicine* from a mere speculation on its sensitive qualities, but 

 rather recommend it to the medical practitioner, as deserving a 

 farther trial. It promises most advantage given in substance, the 

 dose of which is from fifteen grains to a dram. 



These are the observations which are given by Dr. Woodville, 

 under the genus Croton, concerning which we shall have to make 

 some further observations in Chapter vn. when treating of another 

 species, Croton sebifera, or tallow-tree ; and to which therefore we 

 refer the reader. In describing the genus Clutia, however, which 

 occurs much farther on in his work, Dr. Woodville rejects the croton 

 altogether in favour of this last genus. We have been desirous, 

 says he, of introducing the annexed plate into early notice, in order 

 to determiue what was left doubtful in the former part of this work, 

 where the croton cascarilla is figured, on the authority of Linnaeus ; 

 though at the same time we observed that it did not appear " suf- 

 ficiently ascertained" whether or no it furnished the officinal casca- 

 rilla. This point however we can now confidently decide in the ne- 

 gative. 



Among other circumstances, which tended to involve the parental 

 source of cascarilla long in uncertainty, was the assertion of some 

 authors, that it was a native of the Spanish Main, and was thence 

 imported into Europe ; thus founding a presumption, that the cas- 

 carilla and elatheria barks were different, and that the latter only 

 was the produce of the Bahama Islands. But this assertion we 

 have discovered to be contrary to fact ; for, upon inquiry, we do 

 not find that this drug was ever exported from Spanish America, but 

 that the Bahamas have constantly supplied the European markets 

 with cascarilla bark, a parcel of which was sent here from one of 

 those islands, along with specimens of the tree producing it; of 

 which a faithful representation may be seen, as also a specimen of 

 the plaut itself, in the herbarium of Sir Joseph Banks. 



