246 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Among the purgatives employed by the phyficians of 

 Mexico, befides jalap, pine-feed, and the fmall bean, the 

 Mechoacan, fo well known in Europe (</), was extreme- 

 ly common, alfo the Izticpatli, much celebrated by Her- 

 nandez, and the Amamaxtla, vulgarly called the Rhu- 

 barb of the Brothers. 



Amongft other emetics the Mexicans made ufe of the 

 Mexochitl, and the Neixcotlapatli ; and among diuretics 

 the Axixpatli, and the Axixtlacotl, which is fo highly 

 praifed by Hernandez. Amongft their antidotes the 

 famous Contrahierba was defervedly valued, called by 

 them on account of its figure, Coanenepilli, Tongue of 

 Serpent, and on account of its efFe&s Coapatli, or remedy 

 against ferpents. Amongft their errhines was the Zozojatic, 

 a plant fo efficacious, that it was fufficient to hold the root 

 to the nofe to produce fneezing. For intermittent fevers 

 they generally employed the Chatalhuic, and in other kind 

 of fevers the Chiautzolli, the Iztacxalli, the Huehuet- 

 zonticomatl, and above all the Izticpatli. To prevent 

 the illnefs which frequently followed too much exercife 

 at the game of the ball, they ufed to eat the bark of the 

 Apitzalpatli foaked in water. We ftiould never finifli if 

 we were to mention all the plants, gums, minerals, and 

 other medicines, both fimple and compound, which they 

 employed againft all the diftempers which were known 

 to them. Whoever defires to be more amply informed 

 on this fubject may confult the above mentioned work of 

 Hernandez, and the two treatifes publi£hed by Dr. 



Monardes, 



(rf) The celebrated root of Mechoacan is called Tacuacbe by the Tarafcas, 

 and Tlalantlacuitlapilli by the Mexicans. The knowledge of it was commu- 

 nicated by a phyfician of the king of Michuacan to the firft religious mifiiona- 

 ries who went there to preach the gofpel ; he cured them with it of certain fe- 

 vers of a putrid nature. By them it was made known to the Spaniards, and 

 from the Spaniards to all Europe. 



