COLUMBO. 9,05 



SECTION XXIV. 



Columbo. 

 Calumba. Pharm. Loxd. 



The name of colambo-root seems to have had its origin in the 

 supposition that it was brought to us from Ceylon : a supposition 

 strengthened by its possessing the name of the principal town in that 

 island It being a staple export of the Portuguese, the place of 

 growth was carefully concealed, and the plant itself unknown to 

 botanists till very lately, when it was raised at Madras from a root 

 brought to Dr. James Anderson of that place, from Mozambique, 

 From a drawing in the possession of the Linnaean Society, the plant 

 appears to belong to the natural order monospermum ; but the 

 genus cannot yet be determined, in consequence of the female 

 flower not having hitherto been seen. It is brought from Columbo 

 in knobs or circular pieces, brown, and wrinkled on the outer sur- 

 face, yellowish within, and consisting of cortical, woody, and medul- 

 lary lamina. Its smell is aromatic ; its taste is pungent, and nau- 

 seously bitter. 



Practitioners in the East Indies first borrowed the use of this root 

 from the natives of those countries where it is produced, and found 

 it of great service in most disorders of the stomach and bowels, and 

 especially in the cholera, so fatal in hot climates. It stopped the 

 vomiting in this complaint, more speedily and effectually than any 

 other medicine ; an effect attributed to its property of correcting 

 the putrid disposition of the bile. With this intention its use has 

 been recommended by Dr. Percival ; and it has been successfully 

 used in this country, not only in bilious complaints, but in various 

 cases of dyspepsia. 



We have given the botanical name with the spelling of the London 

 College, who have changed Columba into Calumba. We see, 

 however, no reason for this : Columbo is the usual pronunciation 

 and orthography of the Ceylonese capital ; and to depart from this 

 mode is to make an unnecessary deviation from the established 

 chemical terms, derived from the same quarter, Columbium, and 

 Columbite* 



[Trans. Lin, Soc, Powell, Editor, 



