287 SCHCENOCAULON OFFICINALE 



it was formerly employed internally as an anthelmintic, and in 

 rheumatic and neuralgic affections and externally for destroying 

 pediculi. It is official in the pharmacopoeias as the source of vera- 

 tria, which is of a highly poisonous nature, but it has been 

 employed in very minute doses internally in acute rheumatism 

 and gout ; as an antiphlogistic in some inflammatory diseases ; and 

 in other cases ; but it is a very dangerous remedy for internal use. 

 For external application, however, in the form of an ointment, 

 veratria has been found very useful in rheumatism, neuralgia, and 

 other painful affections, but it is not generally regarded as so 

 valuable as aconitia when used in the same form, and in like cases. 

 The ointment is also employed for the destruction of pediculi. 



Per. Mat. Med., by B. & B,., p. 422; Pharmacographia, p. 633; 

 U. S. Disp., by W. & B., pp. 750 and 1497; Garr, Mat. Med., 

 p. 384; Wigger's and Husemann's Jahresbericht for 1871, 

 p. 24; Journ. de Pharm., vol. xiv, p. 527; Amer. Journ. of 

 Pharm., vol. xxv, p. 133. 



DESCRIPTION of PLATE, 



Drawn from a specimen collected by Ernst in Venezuela (no. 219), in the 

 British Museum. The fruit added from the commercial drug. 



1. A sterile flower. 



2. Anthers, 



3. A fertile hermaphrodite flower, 



4. Perianth segments. 



5. Transverse section of ovaries. 



6. Vertical section of a carpel. 



7. Part of raceme of fruit. 



8. A single fruit. 



9. Seed. 



10. Section of the same. 



(1-6, 9, 10 enlarged.) 



