CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 319 



Dr. Vaughan and Dr. Wood to Mr. Ray. 



Sir, — I shall add a few observations concerning the 

 Titliymalus hibernicus Ascyron supimmi villosiim palustre, 

 &c. \_Ei(jjhorbia hiberna, Linn.] I ordered an Irish 

 chirurgeon to make a decoction of the root and a few 

 leaves of the Tithymalm hibernicus, but its exhalations 

 were so very acrimonious, that, he holding his head two 

 or three times over the decoction to see how it proceeded, 

 his face and hands were blistered most sadly. Some of 

 the Irish use this root boiled in milk as a cathartic, 

 whose direful effect there was a melancholy instance of, 

 about three years ago, eight miles hence. A brisk young 

 Irishman, who complaining of a dull pain in his left side, 

 which I suppose was an inveterate obstruction of his 

 spleen, a countryman quack of his gave him a dose of 

 the above decoction, which occasioned a violent hyper- 

 catharsis, dreadful convulsions, and death before ten 

 o'clock that night ; but I believe that an extract might 

 be prepared with the addition of spiritus vitriolic which 

 might be of excellent use in chronic distempers of robust 

 bodies. I was by your ' Historia Plantarum,' induced to 

 make an extract of Trifolium paludosum [Menyanthes 

 trifoliata, Linn.], which I found an excellent remedy in 

 vomitu, imbecillitate ventricidi, criiditatibus acidis, scor- 

 buto, cJdorosi, and question not but that it is an extra- 

 ordinary universal deobstruent : I have used several 

 pounds of it this last year, and shall make greater use of it 

 for the future. I have also used it as an injection (in 

 sordid ulcers) dissolved in fountain water, and think it 

 has as good mundifying effects as tincture of myrrh and 

 aloes ; but then you must dissolve as much of the extract 

 as the water will well contain. I much wonder that the 

 Ascyron totnentosum palmtre [Hypericum elodes, Linn., 

 probably] has not been more taken notice of in physic, 

 for I look upon it to be one of the best balsamic 



