24 ON ASTAGAHUITE WOOD. 



ducats in ' sacco,' and a new Phrygian cap, or dashing sash, or sonie article 

 of finery for the ' innamorata ' — all, however, being thoroughly tired out, 

 and injured, perhaps, in constitution. The cargo being deposited in the 

 i magazzin ' of the merchant, is sold out to the retail merchants, who flock 

 in from Naples and elsewhere, and is soon transformed into numeroiis 

 articles of ornament or superstition — crosses, amulets, necklaces, and brace- 

 lets. And now these mariners have a long repose, till the spring comes 

 round and sends them out again on this odious service, — though there are 

 very few who make two or three consecutive voyages of this nature. 

 Many vessels are lost in the season, owing to their long-continued exposiire 

 to all kinds of weather, and to their lying amongst the coral reefs. How- 

 ever prosperous the voyage, life aboard the vessels * e la vita d : uno cane.' 

 Yet the service may be regarded as one of the most important in the 

 kingdom of the Two Sicilies, as well for the wealth it annually brings 

 in, as also for the school it offers for training hardy, well-disciplined 



ON ANACAHUITE WOOD, 



BY BERTHOLD SEEMANN, PH.D, 



During the last two years, public attention has been directed to a new 

 Mexican drug, imported from Tampico, under the name of Anacahuite 

 wood, and recommended as a remedy for consumption. Shavings of the 

 wood are administered in the simple form of infusion, to be drunk in . 

 the morning fasting, and again in the evening at bed-time. Even 

 when the disease has already made some progress, this infusion is 

 considered highly beneficial ; at least, that is its Mexican reputation. 

 The experiments made at the Berlin Hospitals have hitherto had no 

 satisfactory result, and many already begin to doubt the efficacy of the 

 wood, at least in our northern latitudes. However, the demand for the 

 drug is steadily increasing, and yet no botanist has been able to say what 

 species of plant produces this new article to our import list. Perhaps 

 some of your correspondents or readers may be able to aid us in clearing 

 up the doubts surrounding this question; and that is one of the chief 

 reasons why I trouble you with these lines. Dr Berg, who has given a very 

 elaborate account of the wood (Bonplandia, vol. viii., p. 302) thought it 

 might possibly be derived from some papilionaceous tree ; but as he had 

 no specimens of the leaves, flowers, or fruit, his opinion is founded solely 

 upon the structure of the wood itself. Some time ago, I pointed out that 

 the name of Anacahuite is not to be found in any Aztec vocabulary, even 

 the most recent ; nor is it mentioned in the work of Hernandez. There was, 

 therefore, every reason for assuming the name to be a corruption. Hanbury 

 (Pharm. Journ. for Feb. 1861) seems to have arrived at the same conclusion, 

 and conjectured that the name of "Nanahuaquahuitl, seu Morbi Gallic! 



