450 A Treatise on 
This Plant abounds with both a thick and thin 
Sulphur, a copious ammoniacal Salt, with a mode- 
rate Quantity of nitrous Salt. The whole Plant, 
when dried and thrown upon Gledes, dailies as if 
replete with Nitre, and difperfes a foetid Smell 
from its thick Oil. 
All Parts of the Plant are ftrongly cathartick ; 
but more efpecially the Fruit, which purges up- 
wards and downwards with great Violence. Its 
expreffed Juice, infpiifated by Evaporation, is 
the Elaterium of the Shops, which many Phy- 
ficians extol for purging off the Water in Dropfiesv 
but its Operation is fo extremely vehement, that it 
ought not to be ufed but with the greateft Caution. 
The Dofe is commonly confined between gr. fs. and 
gr. v. though the Ancients, and alfo fome modern 
Authors have ordered it in a much larger Quanti- 
ty. However, it is fafeft in the Beginning to pre- 
fcribe it only from gr. fs. to gr. ij. as a Stimulus to 
other Purgatives, and corrected with Stomachicks, 
and afterwards to increafe the Dofe gradually ac- 
cording to its Effe&s, and the Strength of the 
Patient. 
Olives. 
Oliva, Off. Olives are a Fruit of an oval Figure, 
and different Magnitude, fome being as big as a 
large Plum, according to Mr. Miller *, and others 
a great deal lefs, having a long pointed Stone in 
the Middle. When they- come to us in Pickle or 
Brine they are generally df a greeniffi Colour, but 
if differed to hang upon the Tree till quite ripe, 
they become black, and very hot in the Mouth. 
The Tree which bears the officinal Olives is the 
* Botan. Ojficin, p. 319 
Qlea 
