WILLOW. 417 



by M. Leroux, who discovered it in the bark of S. Helix. It is obtained 

 by adding snbacetate of lead to a decoction of the "bark, as long as a pre- 

 cipitate falls, filtering, boiling with chalk, filtering again, and evaporating 

 the solution, when the Salicin crystallizes *. 



Medicinal Properties and Uses. — Passing over the praises 

 bestowed by the ancients f upon the Willow, for its good effects 

 in diseases of the nerves, gout, haemorrhages, obstructions of 

 the liver, wounds, &c, we find it recommended in later times 

 as a valuable remedy for intermittent fevers. The Rev. E. 

 Stone % relates, that he gave the powdered bark in two scruple 

 doses, repeated every four hours between the paroxysms, in 

 fifty cases of ague with complete success. In some rebellious 

 autumnal and quartan agues, he added one-fifth part of Peru- 

 vian bark. Clossius §, Gunz||, and others have confirmed 

 this statement. Coste and Willemet ^ seldom found a decoc- 

 tion of the bark disappoint their expectations in intermittents, 

 an emetic or purgative being premised. The tonic and astrin- 

 gent properties of this substance have also suggested its em- 

 ployment in alvine fluxes, pulmonary haemorrhages, habitual 

 vomiting, debility of stomach, dyspepsia, and in dropsical and 

 worm cases ; in phthisis, and hectic fever, it often agrees better 

 than the cinchona bark. 



Externally it has been applied either in powder or by 

 fomentation to atonic, fungous, and gangrenous ulcers. Hal- 



* See Magendie's Formulary, by Gregory, p. 204. 



f Ettmuller (Opera ed. J. C. Westphali, p. 648.) has the following 

 observations on the effects of this plant ;— effects which no one in the 

 present day will be disposed to credit. " lino per salicem non saltern im- 

 minuitur appetitus muliercularum, sed se possunt ilia reddere omnino 

 steriles jejuno ventriculo aliquoties potum (i. e. a strong decoction of the 

 leaves). Sic contra furorem uterinum prodest." He also mentions, that the 

 leaves are usefully added to foot baths for the purpose of inducing sleep. 

 We should imagine the flowering catkins to be more likely to prove 

 hypnotic, as they exhale a pleasant aromatic odour, which they yield to 

 water like the blossoms of lime, meadow-sweet, &c. 



+ In Philos. Transactions, 1763, vol. 53. 



§ Nov. Variol. Med. Meth. p. 128. 



|| De Cort. Salicis, cort. Peru v. subst. 1772. 



% Essays sur quelques Plantes indigenes, p. 56.— See also Murray, App. 

 Med. torn. i. p. 68. 



VOL. II. F r 



