MEZEREON. 81 



Hospital ; but as it only concerns the sons of 

 Esculapius and the disciples of Venus, we 

 shall refer them to the London Med. Obs. 

 vol. iii. p. 189. 



The considerable and long-continued heat 

 and irritation that is produced in the throat, 

 when mezereon is chewed, induced Dr. 

 Withering to give it in a case of difficulty of 

 swallowing, seemingly occasioned by a para- 

 lytic affection. The patient was directed to 

 chew a slice of the root as often as she could 

 bear it, and in about a month she recovered 

 her power of swallowing; she had suffered 

 the above complaint upwards of three years, 

 and was greatly reduced, being totally unable 

 to swallow solids, and liquids but very imper- 

 fectly. * 



The medical men of France have a practice 

 of applying the bark of this plant to the skin, 

 for the purpose of producing a discharge or 

 issue without blistering ; and it is thus ren- 

 dered useful in chronic cases of a local nature, 

 answering the purpose of what is termed a 

 perpetual blister, whilst it occasions less pain 

 and inconvenience. The operation is per- 

 formed, by affixing to the skin a piece of the 

 bark about an inch square, that has been pre- 



* Woodville. 

 VOL. II. G 



