Uvularia perfoUaia as a remedy for Poisoned Wounds. 271 



gentleman attached to the Delaware coal company, hut who has 

 forbidden me to use his name. No other remedy of a nature cal- 

 culated to diminish pain appeared to have been employed, unless 

 a tight and hard ligature above the knee be considered such. 

 This, however, appeared to me rather to increase than diminish 

 the sufferings of the wounded individual. I apprehend, further, 

 that the pain produced by the bite of a copper-head does not in 

 general, terminate in so short a period as three hours, and that 

 the amount of pain relieved exceeded that usually experienced 

 from the application of cold and wet substances, as mud, &c. to 

 envenomed stings. Under these circumstances, the case seemed 

 to possess a certain weight in favor of the real usefulness of this 

 antidote. The details of the narrative will be appended to the 

 present notice. 



The gentleman already alluded to, had known it to be previ- 

 ously employed in two cases with apparent success; in the first 

 of which, it was applied by an old Indian to the bite of a rattle- 

 snake near the shoulder of a boy. 



I observe in the Medical Flora of Prof. Rafinesque, that the 

 diiferent species of Uvularia, particularly the perfoliata and g.randi- 

 flora, are set down as " said to be equal to Hreracium nervosum 

 [venosum] in bites of rattlesnakes ;" and to the Hieracium he 

 elsewhere (p. 228) gives a high character. I am ignorant from 

 what sources Mr. Rafinesque derives his information relative to 

 the powers of the Uvularia, unless it is from the following passa- 

 ges in Schoepf, p. 40 : " vis, — ^^maturans, aperiens : usus, — radix 

 aqua contusa ad vulnera Caudisonss, aliaque vulnera et ulcera. 

 Herbse decoctnm ad inflammationem oris, laryngis, tonsillarum." 

 From its affinities, it may be reasonably supposed to possess active 

 properties ; Dr. Lindley placing it with Veratrum, Helonias and 

 Colchicum, and Dr. Torrey, near Medeola and Trillium. When 

 chewed, it afforded but little mucilage, with a bitterish taste, and 

 produced a strong sialagogue effect, with a scarcely perceptible 

 nausea. 



Upon summing up this evidence I am induced to believe, that a 

 certain degree of probability attaches to the ascription of remedial 

 virtues to this plant in cases of envenomed wounds. If we add 

 together the observations at Pottsville, the statements of Professor 

 Rafinesque, and the botanical analogies, I can hardly feel willing 

 to pass them by as unworthy of attention. We may further sug- 



