132 NOTES ON THE FEBRIFUGE PLANTS OF CEYLON. 



which is found in great abundance in the neighbourhood of Colombo, and 

 belongs to the family of Simarubaceoe. The inner bark of the wood is 

 almost white, shrivelling up into quills when dried in the sun. An infu- 

 sion of the bark is intensely bitter, and throws down a black precipitate 

 by the tincture of iron. An infusion of the wood rasped is also very 

 bitter with slight traces of tannin. I have tried an infusion as well as a 

 decoction of the dried bark, but from its producing vomiting a few 

 minutes after it had been taken, I have desisted from using it. But the 

 rasping of the wood I have used very extensively in the Government Civil 

 Hosjoital at Colombo under my charge. The wood of the tree is not 

 unlike that of quassia, being remarkably light, of a white colour, and of a 

 bitter taste. The number of cases of intermittent fever chiefly of the 

 quotidian and tertian type, treated from February to July 1861, amounted 

 to eighty-four ; sixty-six of these were treated by the samadera wood, eighteen 

 required quinine. The patients were chiefly Malabars, and Singhalese from 

 Kornegalle, Kandy, Putlam, Taldinia, Chilaw, Hambantotte, and other 

 fever-generating countries. In cases complicated with enlarged spleen, 

 quinine was had recotirse to, in order to check the febrile paroxysms. But 

 in cases complicated with jaundice, of which there were two or three, the 

 fever yielded under the use of the samadera wood. There were, however, 

 cases in which, after the failure of the wood, even quinine itself did not 

 succeed in checking the accessions of fever until after a long time. 



The decoction of the rasped wood in combination with an infusion of 

 galls (Myrolalans) is more effectual than the simple decoction which I first 

 used ; — then there were more cases which needed quinine. 



I propose to call the decoction with galls — 



Compound Decoction of Samadera Wood. — Boil two ounces of the rasped 

 wood in one pint of water, over a slow fire, for two hours — then strain. 



Infusion of Myrobalan (Gall-nuts). — Infuse one ounce of powdered gall- 

 nuts in one pint of boiling water for half an hour, in a covered vessel, and 

 strain. 



To make the Fever Decoction of Samadera Wood. — Take of the decoction 

 one pint, infusion of gall-nuts ten ounces — mix. One ounce for a dose, to 

 be taken three times daily. 



Although we have succeeded in curing a large number of cases in hos- 

 pital, it must be admitted that the process is slower than with quinine. I 

 have remarked that, in a few cases of private practice, where the patient 

 applied early, the fever subsided sooner than in long standing eases, such 

 as those that are admitted into Hospital. It must at the same time be 

 remarked that, as a valuable indigenous febrifuge, and as a cheap remedy, 

 it may be used in all ordinary cases of fever, and in hospital practice. By 

 thus using it, I must not omit to mention we have been able to save a large 

 quantity of quinine, which would otherwise have been necessary. As a 

 valuable tonic, and a succedaneum for quassia, it is unrivalled. We use it 

 in our hospital practice largely as a tonic, with tincture of iron. The infu- 

 sion is prepared in the same proportion as the infusion of quassia ordered 



