Seaweed a7td its Uses. 



313 



the close of the thirteenth century, and the discovery of 

 iodine in the ashes of sea plants, induced Dr. Coindet, of 

 Geneva, in 18 19 to study the effects of iodine, and led to 

 the introduction of that element into medicine. 



The Fucus vesicidosus, Lin., grows on rocky shores of 

 the Atlantic on or near high-water mark. Formerly it was 

 known by the name of Qitercits marina or sea-oak, its 

 common English names being bladder-wrack, sea-wrack, 

 sea-ware, kelp-ware, and black tang. Of late the bladder- 

 wrack seems to have been employed to some extent medi- 

 cinally in the United States. It has also been employed 

 in France in the form of extract, by exhausting the plant 

 with 54 per cent, of alcohol. 



There are two species in which a considerable trade 

 is carried on — a lichen, and the sea-wrack or Zostera 

 marina, vulgarly known there under the name of "pail- 

 leule," which have become considerable sources of profit to 

 the inhabitants. The moss or lichen is used by chemists 

 and for making gummy preparations, and is even for- 

 warded to Belgium. The Zostera marina is largely used 

 for stuffing beds and chairs by packers and upholsterers, 

 under the name of crin vegetal — in England, "alva." In 

 1873 over 4,100,000 lbs. of this dried weed were sent from 

 Granville by land and sea. As this quantity represents 

 about two-thirds of the whole sale, the total may be 

 approximatively estimated at about ^2,000 in value. The 

 Zostera has the habit of the seaweeds, although belonging 

 to another natural order. 



Algae and fuci are the scientific names given to various 

 marine plants which grow at the bottom of the sea. They 

 are collected on the coasts in different parts of the world, 

 where they are found at certain periods of the year, driven 

 by the currents and thrown on the beach by the waves and 

 tides. 



