MORUS NIGRA. 229 



Mechanical Irritants. 



Under this head may be included the 

 various substances which were formerly used in the 

 treatment of intestraal worms, not on account of any 

 specific vermifuge property which they possessed, 

 but because they were supposed, by the penetration 

 of their particles into the worms, to cause them to 

 relax their hold upon the mucous membrane, so that 

 they could be readily expelled by purgatives, admi- 

 nistered subsequently. 



The principal agents which were used with this 

 view were the hairs of the pods of the DolicJios 

 pimriens, or cowhage ; steel, tin, and zinc, divided 

 into minute, sharp spiculae ; and vegetable charcoal. 



They were usually given in the form of an 

 electuary, made by mixing the substance with simple 

 syrup, honey, or treacle ; and some purgative, gene- 

 rally castor oil, or a powder containing scammony, 

 jalap, or calomel, was administered in the course of 

 a few hours after the remedy had been taken. 



They seldom failed to cause nausea, vomiting, 

 cohc, and severe intestinal irritation and inflam- 

 mation, besides which they were often insufficient to 

 procure the expulsion of the worms ; so that they 

 are now almost entirely abandoned. 



Mulberry. 



The bark of the root of this tree, Morus 

 nigra, was formerly held in great repute as an 

 anthelmintic, and was ranked by Galen and other 

 old writers with the male fern and the pomegranate. 

 It was principally used in the treatment of taenia. 

 The dose of the powdered root is from one to four 



