m 
Asia; similar in flavour and virtue, but ra- 
ther less bitter than the orange. 
Lauras cinnamomum, cinnamon, cortex, 
Ceylon. This is the most grateful of the 
aromatics. 
Lauras cassia, cassia, cortex, E. Indies. 
This nearly resembles the cinnamon in ap- 
pearance, taste, and virtue. Jt is therefore 
used with the same intention as this last. Its 
flavour, however, is less grateful. 
Canella alba, cortex, West Indies. This 
is a moderately strong aromatic.: it is not 
much used except in combination with other 
substances in the form of tincture. 
Acorns calamus, sweet-scented flag, radix, 
indigenous. This is scarcely at all employ- 
ed m medicine. 
Ammonium zingiber., ginger, radix, East 
Indies. The do^e of ginger Is about ten 
grains. 
Kcempferia rotunda, zedoarla, radix, East 
Indies. This is seldom employed in medi- 
cine. 
Suntalum album, yellow sanders, lignum, 
E. Indies. This wood is now nearly banished 
from practice. 
Pterocarpus santaliitus, santalum rubrum, 
flfed sanders, lignum, India. This, although 
slightly aromatic, is at present merely used in 
pharmacy as a colouring ingredient. 
M prist ica moschata, India, Under the 
officinal name myristica, both nutmeg and 
mace are included: the former is the seed, or 
kernel of the fruit; the latter its capsule. 
Nutmeg is given as an aromatic in doses of 
from live to fifteen grains. In larger doses it 
is narcotic. Mace is employed for the same 
purposes as nutmeg. 
Carophjl us aroniaticus, clove, flores, In- 
dia. Cloves are the unexpanded flowers of 
the plant. Dose from five to ten grains. 
Capsicum annuum, capsicum, Guinea pep- 
per, fructus, E. and \V. Indies. This fruit is 
a very powerful stimulant. It is not in much 
use as a medicine. Dose from five to ten 
grains. 
Piper nigrum, black pepper, fruit, India. 
Black pepper is the unripe fruit of the plant. 
White pepper is the ripe berry of the same 
vegetable, freed from its outer covering. It 
is milder than the black. Dose ten or fifteen 
grains. 
Piper longum, long pepper. This is the 
berry of the plant, gathered before it is fully . 
ripened. It is similar to the black pepper in 
its qualities. 
Piper Cubeba, cnbebs, the dried fruit of 
the tree. It has similar virtues to the other 
peppers. 
Myrtus pimento, Jamaica pepper, baccae, 
W. Indies. This is usually called pimento; 
it is used in medicine principally on account 
©fits flavour. 
Amomum repens, lesser cardamom, se- 
men. Cardamoms form an ingredient in 
many of the bitter tinctures. 
Carum carui, caraway, semen, indigenous. 
These are in common use, in culinary as well 
3 S medicinal preparations. 
Coriandum sativum, coriander, semen, 
South of Europe. These are used with the 
same intention as caraway. 
Pimpin'. 3 Ha anisum, .mise, semen Egypt. 
Anise is used chiefly in the flatulence of 
.children. The four following seeds have si- 
milar virtues to the anise and caraway : Ane- 
t/tlmmfcenicuiu/n, sweet fennel, semen, indige- 
MATERIA MEDICA. 
nous. Anethum graveolens, dill, semen, 
Spain and Portugal. Cumimum cynimum, 
cumin, semen. South of Europe. 
Angelica archangelica, garden angelica, 
semen, folia, radix. North ot Europe. 
Mentha piperita, peppermint, herba, in- 
digenous, Mentha viridis, spear mint, her- 
ba, indigenous. Mentha pulegium , penny- 
royal, herba, indigenous. Of these three 
mints the first is the most pungent and car- 
minative. 
Hyssopus officinalis, hyssop, herba, Asia, 
South and East of Europe. This plant 
is nearly similar in virtues to the mints just 
enumerated. 
OF ASTRINGENTS. 
Astringents are those substances that re- 
strain morbid evacuations. Their mode of 
operation has been erroneously supposed si- 
milar to that by which dead animal matter is 
constringed and condensed. Increased eva- 
cuations do not depend merely upon mecha- 
nical laxity of the solids; the process, there- 
fore, by which they are arrested, cannot en- 
tirely be ascribed to chemical principles ; al- 
though in some cases medicines which are 
employed to arrest profuse discharges, con- 
fessedly possess a power of constringing dead 
animal fibre. This faculty in vegetables is 
denominated astringency, and results from 
the union of gallic acid and tanning principle 
combined; the former, when separated, is 
distinguished by its property of striking a 
deep-black colour with the salts of iron ; the 
other by its great attraction to animal gelatin. 
Vegetable astringents then may be consider- 
ed as moderate permanent stimuli, modified 
in their action, even on living matter, by the 
principle above alluded to. Inordinate eva- 
cuations are, however, often restrained by 
mineral as well as vegetable substances, and 
in this case the former deserve to be ar- 
ranged in the class of astringents, according 
to the definition above given of these powers. 
Dr. Darwin refers astringency to the pro- 
motion of absorption. Many agents, how- 
ever, which have the greatest efficacy in ex- 
citing the absorbent vessels, are not capable 
of stopping hemorrhages, or other morbid 
discharges. 
Vegetable Astringents. 
Quercus robur, oak, cortex, indigenous. 
This has been employed in luemorrlKige, di- 
arrhoea, and intermittent fever. Its close in 
powder is from fifteen to -thirty grains. 
S uercus cerris, galls, south of Europe. 
These are tubercles found on the branch of 
the tree which produces them. They are 
employed in medicine for the same purposes, 
and are used under the same forms, as oak- 
bark. 
Torment iV.a erecta, tormentil, radix, in- 
digenous. This has been used in diarrhoea in 
decoction. Its dose, in substance, is from 
half a drachm to a drachm. 
Polygonum bistorta, bistort, radix, indige- 
nous. This is a strong astringent. Dose a 
scruple to a drachm. 
Anchusatinctoria, alkanet, radix, South erf' 
Europe. This is at present merely employ- 
ed as a colouring matter. 
Hcematoxylon Campechianum, logwood. 
It is used as an astringent under the form of 
decoction, or watery extract. 
Rosa gallica, red rose. South of Europe. 
The principle use of this astringent is in the 
form of gargle. 
Arbutus uva uysi, bear’s whovtl e-berry, 
iqlia Europe, America. This has been prin- 
cipally given in disorders ot the urinary or- 
gans. Recently it has been proposed in 
phthisis pulmonaiis. 
Mimosa catechu, catechu, or Japan earth, 
h ast. Indies. 1 his is a powerful and useful 
astringent in diarrhoea. Its dose is from fif- 
teen to thirty grains. Kino is employed with 
the same intention as catechu. Its' dose is 
from twenty to thirty grains. 
Pterocarpus draco, dragon’s blood, resina, 
South America. This is scarcely employed 
m medicine. 
Lacca, lac, ficus indica, resina. East In- 
dies. Lac is very little employed as a me- 
dicinal. 
Pistacea lentiscus, mastiche, resina, South 
of Europe. I his is likewise discarded from 
practice. 
Mineral Astringents. 
I he chief of these are the mineral acids, 
especially the sulphuric, and the compounds 
this acid affords with metals and earths. 
Acid-urn sulphuricum, vitriolic acid. This 
is used in haemoptysis, menorrhagia, diabetes, 
hectic, &c. It is given in general in the form 
ot diluted acid. Dose from ten to thirty 
drops. J 
Argilla, argil, argillaceous earth with oxyd 
of iron, forming the boles of which the chief 
is the armeniau bole, were formerly employ- 
ed in, but are now rejected from, practice as 
nearly inert. 
. Supersulphas argilla; et potassce, alum, 
is given in haemorrhage, and serous evacu- 
ations. Its dose is from five to fifteen grains. 
Calx, lime ; calx viva, quicklime. Lime 
has been employed as an astringent in the 
form ot lime-water; it is now not much 
used. 
Carbonas calcis, carbonate of lime. The 
cai bonates of lime are chalk (creta alba), 
crab s-claws (chelae eancrorum), oyster-shells 
(testae astreormn) ; they are rather antacids 
than strictly astringents. 
Plumbum, lead. This, in the form of 
oxyd, or salts, is evidently and powerfully 
astringent. Its preparations that a e em- 
ployed are the white oxyd (cerusa, white 
lead), and the acetate (acetis plumbi, sugar 
of lead). 
Zineum, zinc. The sulphate of zinc (sul- 
phas zinci), and the acetate (acetis zinci), are 
both powerful astringents. The former is in 
principal use. It is given sometimes in dy- 
sentery, in the dose of two or three grains 
twice a day. In injections and collyria, it is 
employed in the proportion of two or three 
grains to an ounce of Water. 
Ferrum, iron. The sulphate is the most 
astringent preparation of iron: it is, how- 
ever, ottener used as a tonic than astringent. 
Cuprum, copper. The saline preparations 
ot this metal are considerably astringent. 
The sulphas cupri is the most powerful. It 
has been employed externally as a styptic. 
The acetite of copper (verdigris) is used as 
a collyrmm from its astringent styptic pro- 
perty, 
OF EMETICS. 
Emetics are very properly defined by Mr. 
Murray, “ Substances capable of exciting 
vomiting, independant of any effect arising 
from the mere quantity of matter introduced 
into the stomach, or of any nauseous taste or 
6 
