COTTON ROOT BARK 603 



Under this head may be included bleeding from the nose, 

 mouth, stomach, intestines, lungs, uterus and kidneys. The 

 drug should usually be given under the skin (ergotin) in 

 these emergencies. . It is, however, extremely doubtful 

 whether the increase of blood pressure caused by ergot does 

 not more than offset its beneficial action in contracting 

 vessels when used to stop internal haemorrhage, and the best 

 clinicians to-day condemn its use and resort to ice and 

 opium ill this condition. Ergot may be beneficial in causing 

 constriction of the blood vessels in the early stages of some 

 hypersemias and inflammations, — notably pulmonary, cere- 

 bral and spinal congestion, parturient apoplexy, cerebritis, 

 cerebro-spinal meningitis, spinal meningitis and myelitis ; 

 and in vasomotor palsy following surgical shock. In most 

 of these states (except the latter, where ergotin is indicated, 

 under the skiu) ergot must be exhibited in very large doses 

 three times daily. 



For the same physiological reason that ergot is employed 

 as a haemostatic, it has been prescribed with alleged ad- 

 vantage in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, 

 and bleeding piles. Ergotin is injected between the skin 

 and vessel walls for the cure of aneurism and varicocele. 

 This treatment is of doubtful utility. 



GossYPii Eadicis Cortex. Cotton Eoot Bark. 



(U. S. P.) 



Synonym. — Ecorce de racine de cottonnier, Fr., baum- 

 wollen-wurzelrinde, G. 



The bark of the root of Gossypium herbaceum Linne, 

 and of other species of Gossypium (nat. ord. Malvaceae). 



Habitat. — Sub-tropical Africa and Asia ; also cultivated 

 in the United States. 



Description. — In thin, flexible bands or quilled pieces ; 

 outer surface brownish-yellow, with slight, longitudinal 

 ridges or meshes, small, black, circular dots, or short, trans- 

 verse lines, and dull brownish-yellow patches, from the 



