DAMASCENIN 



206 



DATURIN 



Damascenin [dam-as-e / -nin) \_damaseenus, of Damas- 

 cus]. An alkaloid from Nigella damaseena. 



Dambose (dam'-boz) [ii'dambo, the African name]. 

 C 6 H 12 6 . A glucose derived from Gaboon caoutchouc. 

 It forms hexagonal prisms, melts at 212° C, and is 

 soluble in water. 



Dambosite {dam' -bo-sit*). C 6 H 10 (CH 3 ) : jO 6 . The di- 

 methyl ether of dambose. 



Dammar. (See Illus. Diet.) Syn., Damar ; Dam- 

 aria; Resina damara. D., American, a hard, fra- 

 grant, reddish resin obtained from Araucaria brazili- 

 ana, A. Rich. D. Australian^ product of Agathis 

 australis, Steud. , and Dammara ovata, C. Moore ; a 

 semifossil resin found in the Kauri fields of New 

 Zealand. It has an aromatic taste, balsamic odor, and 

 resembles copal. On distillation it yields dammarol 

 and dammarone (q. v. ). D., Bengal, a product of the 

 sal-tree, Shorea robusta, Gaertn. f. D., Black, a resin 

 obtained from Canarhim strictum, Roxb., and C. 

 rostratum, Zipp. It is black in reflected light, amber- 

 colored by transmitted light. Partly soluble in hot 

 alcohol, soluble in oil of turpentine. A proposed sub- 

 stitute for Burgundy pitch. D., East Indian, D., 

 Indian, the product of Hopea micrantha, Hook., H, 

 splendida, De Vriese., Agathis loranthifolia, Salisb., 

 and Engelhardtia spicata, Blume. It occurs in trade 

 as irregular fragments, yellowish, transparent; it has 

 a conchoidal fracture and is softer than copal. D., 

 New Zealand. See D., Australian. D. Pine, the 

 Agathis loranthifolia, Salisb. D. puti [Hind., cat's- 

 eye dammar], the resin of Agathis loranthifolia, 

 Salisb. D., Sal-. See D., Bengal. D. of the Sal- 

 tree. See D., Bengal. D. selan, the resin of 

 Valeria ceylanica, Wight. D. Varnish, a mounting 

 medium used in microscopy ; it is made by adding 10 

 parts of white dammar to 20 partsof benzene, decanting 

 after 24 to 48 hours, and adding 4 parts of pure oil of 

 turpentine. D., White, a resin obtained from Valeria 

 inaica, Linn. 



Dammara. A genus of plants of the order Coniferee. 

 D. ovata, C. Moore, a species of New Caledonia ; its 

 exudate occurs as a semifossil resin in the Kauri fields 

 of New Zealand. See Dammar, Australian. D. 

 vitiensis, Seem., a lofty tree native of the Fiji Islands. 

 Its resin, called mabradra by the natives, is the Fijian 

 copal of trade. 



Dammarane {dam-ar'-aii). A neutral resin obtained 

 from gum dammar. 



Dammarin (dam'-ar-in). A resin extracted by Brandes 

 and Lecanu from gum dammar. 



Dammarol (dam'ar-ol). A volatile oil obtained by 

 distillation from Australian dammar. It contains 82.2 f 

 of carbon and 11.1% of hydrogen. 



Dammarone {dam'-ar-on). A yellow volatile oil, ob- 

 tained by the distillation of Australian dammar with 

 lime. 



Dammaryl (dam'-ar-il). That constituent of Indian 

 dammar which is insoluble in weak alcohol and in 

 ether. 



Dammer (dam'-ur). See Dammar. 



Damper (damf/ur) [ME., dampen, to choke]. 1. A 

 shutter placed in a flue to control draft. 2. A device 

 attached to a galvanometer to control the secondary 

 currents. 



Danaidin (dan-irh'-id-in). An alkaloid occurring in 

 Danais fragrant, Gaert; it is soluble in alcohol and 

 water and affords a yellow dye. 



Danain (dan-ah'-in). See Danaidin. 



Danais (dan-ah'-is) [Aava/c, one of the daughters of 

 Danaus]. A genus of plants of the order Ruin'acea. 

 D. fragrans. Gaertn. f., a native of the Mascarine 

 Islands and Madagascar. The root and bark, together 



with the alkaloid danaidin, are used as a substitute for 

 cinchona ; the fresh juice is employed as a vulnerary, 

 and a decoction of the root is a remedy in skin-dis- 

 eases. 



Dance. (See Illus. Diet.) D., St. Guy's, chorea. 

 D. of St. John the Baptist, a form of chorea major. 

 Possibly the connection with this saint was through 

 the dancing of the daughter of Herodias, but more 

 probably it was because the old pagan festival of danc- 

 ing and leaping through fire took place on St. John's 

 Day at midsummer. (Fagge and Pye-Smith.) 



Dancing Madness. Synonym of Choromania. 



Dansomania (ilan-so-ma' -ne-ah) [Fr., danser, to dance; 

 fiavia, madness]. Epidemic chorea. 



Danta (dau / -tah) [Sp.]. The American tapir, Tapirns 

 americanus ; the powdered- hoofs are employed as a 

 sudorific and as a remedy for epilepsy. 



Daphne. (See Illus. Diet.) D. alpina, L., a low 

 shrub native of the Mediterranean region and the 

 Himalayas. It contains daphnin (</. v.). D. can- 

 nabina. Wall., the Nepal paper-shrub, a small tree or 

 shrub of the Himalaya region. The bark affords good 

 paper stock ; the bark and root are purgative. D. 

 cneorum, I,. , the garland flower, a poisonous species 

 indigenous to southern Europe. The bark is employed 

 as a vesicant and as a dye-stuff. D. gnidium, Linn., 

 flax-leaved daphne, a poisonous species growing in 

 southern Europe. It affords in part the mezereum of 

 commerce, as well as a yellow dye. C. laureola, L., 

 dwarf-bay, wood-laurel, spurge-laurel. A species in- 

 digenous to southern Europe and northern Africa. It 

 is one of the sources of mezereum. D. mezereum, 

 L., the mezereon, a species native to Europe and 

 northern Asia. It is cultivated for its root, which is 

 the chief source of mezereon. The berries act as a 

 drastic purgative. Cf. Daphnism. D. pontica, L., 

 a poisonous species of Asia Minor. The honey made 

 from its flowers is said to be poisonous. 



Daphnism [daf'-nizut). Poisoning by Daphne meze- 

 reum, L., or allied plants. It produces a hemorrhagic 

 gastroenteritis with delirium and collapse. 



D'Arcet's Metal. See under Metal. 



Dasya (da-se / -ah) [choir, hairy]. A genus of marine 

 Alga indigenous to the Mediterranean. D. coccinea, 

 a species of bright scarlet color, used in the preparation 

 of the vermifuge known as helminthochorton. 



Datiscetin (da-t/Y-el-in). C, 5 H I0 O 6 . A dissociation- 



■ product of datiscin, occurring in colorless needles sol- 

 uble in alcohol, ether, and alkalis, insoluble in water. 



Datura. (See Illus. Diet.) D. arborea, Linn., a 

 South American species, the leaves of which are used 

 as an emollient. D. ceratocaula, Jacq., a species in- 

 digenous to tropic America; its properties are similar 

 to those of D. stramonium. D. fastuosa, 1... a 

 species found throughout the tropics of the Old World. 

 The root is administered by Mohammedan physicians 

 in cases of epilepsy. The fruit, seeds, and leaves ait- 

 used in poultices for boils, carbuncles, and in the treat- 

 ment of herpetic diseases. A tincture and decoction are 

 given as a remedy for asthma. The plant is poisonous 

 and soporific, and is used in India as an intoxicant, 

 and by professional poisoners for killing newborn 

 female infants. Cf. Dhatureas. D. ferox, I. inn., an 

 exceedingly poisonous Chinese species, D. metel. 

 See />. fastuosa. D. sanguinea, Ruiz et Par, a 

 South American specie--, the floripondio of Peru, from 

 the seeds of which an intoxicating beverage called tonga 

 is prepared. Taken alone and in large doses it pro- 

 duces furious delirium, but diluted is a soporific. The 

 seeds are used in the preparation of an ointment. D. 

 tatula. Same as I). stramonium, L. 



Daturin (da-tu'-riu\. C^H^NO,. A poisonous alka- 



