286 Medical Botany. 



insect of the Linnean genus Cynips, but which was first described by Olivier, 

 in the Encyclopedic Methodique, under the name of Diplolepis gallse tinc- 

 toriae. The insect punctures the tender shoot with its curious spiral sting, 

 and deposits its egg in the puncture. In a few hours the cellular tissue 

 swells, a tumour is produced, and the egg becomes enclosed in a fleshy 

 chamber, which not only serves for shelter and defence, but also for food ; 

 the larva feeding upon its interior, and there undergoing its metamorphosis. 

 The oak apple is an excrescence of the same nature, though effected by a 

 different species of insect." The best galls come from Aleppo ; and the pro- 

 duce of the first gathering, before the fly has issued from the gall, are the 

 most valuable. With the assistance of heat, galls are almost entirely solu- 

 ble in water ; and the decoction precipitates the oxides of iron of a deep 

 black colour, — ink. Medically, galls, being most powerful astringents, are 

 occasionally prescribed, combined with tonics and aromatics. — iSfcilla mari- 

 tima, the Sea Onion, or Officinal Squill ; Jsphodeleae. The bulb is as large 

 as a child's head, and contains, by chemical examination, a bitter principle 

 named scillitine, gum, tannin, citrate of lime, sugar, and woody fibre. Ac- 

 cording to the dose given, squill is either expectorant, diuretic, emetic, or 

 purgative. — jFicus carica, the Carian, or common, fig tree. The fruit is used 

 medicinally in what are termed pectoral or demulcent decoctions. " The 

 most ancient cataplasm on record is that which was used by Hezekiah, who 

 lived 260 years before Hippocrates. ' And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs, 

 and they took and laid it on the boil ; and he recovered.' " — Cassia fistula. 

 A native of Egypt, and naturalised in the West Indies and South America. 

 The pods are imported from the West and East Indies ; the pulp is the part 

 used, and it is separated from the woody parts and seeds by passing it through 

 a sieve. It is. used as an agreeable laxative to children; but Dr. Cullen 

 and others see no advantage it has over the pulp of prunes. — Cassia mary- 

 landica is a beautiful perennial plant, the dried leaves and follicles of which 

 form a mild cathartic, little, if at all, inferior to the senna of the shops. 



No. XL. for April, contains 

 156 to 159. — Pimpinella Jnisum. A hardy annual, a native of Egypt, 

 and cultivated in Malta, Spain, and some parts of the south of France, for 

 its seeds. These seeds are powerfully aromatic and warm, and contain an 

 essential oil, which is separated by expression. The seeds are used in dys- 

 pepsia, flatulencies, and other stomach complaints. Milk drawn from the 

 breast, after taking the essential oil, is found impregnated with its odour 

 [in the same way as with that of garlic, after that bulb has been eaten]. 

 — Jmyris gileadensis ; Tterebintaceae. A small, stunted-looking, evergreen 

 tree, a native of Arabia, near Yemen, and, according to Bruce, of Abys- 

 sinia. Though not a native of Judea, it was cultivated in great perfec- 

 tion many centuries before Christ in the gardens near Jericho, on the 

 banks of the Jordan ; and it was from Gilead in Judea, whence the mer- 

 chants brought the resinous product to Egypt, that it derived its appellation 

 of Balsam of Gilead Tree. The balsam is a resinous juice that distils from 

 the tree naturally. " It is at first turbid and white, of a strong, pungent, 

 agreeable smell, and slightly bitter acrid taste ; upon being kept, it becomes 

 thin, limpid, of a greenish hue, then of a golden yellow colour, and, at 

 length, like honey." It is highly " prized among the Eastern nations, parti- 

 cularly by the Turks and Arabs, both as a medicine and odoriferous unguent 

 and cosmetic. It has been highly extolled as a powerful antiseptic, vulne- 

 rary, and preventive of the plague. In its medicinal properties it agrees with 

 the balsams of Tolu, Peru, and others of the same class ; but its great 

 scarcity has prevented it from coming into use among European practitioners. 

 It is extremely liable to adulteration, and, from its high price and scarcity, 

 we believe that a single ounce of the genuine balsam of Gilead is not to be 

 obtained in this country, or even in Europe." — Copaifera officinalis ; Le- 



