[ 68i ] 
coloured ground liverwort ( 1 1 ) of Ray belongs to 
this order. It is very common all over England on 
dry and barren ground j and indeed almoft all Eu- 
rope, and America too, feems to afford it in fuffi- 
cient plenty, as we find it obferved by almoft all the 
the botanic writers fince Ray, who was one of the 
firft that defcribed it. 
The earlieft account we have of its ufe for the bite 
of a mad dog is in the Philofophical Tranfa<£tions(i2), 
from Mr. Dampier, in whofe family it had been a 
fecret for a number of years. It was communicated 
firft to Sir Hans Sloane, as a kind of fungus, or Jew’s- 
earj and, at the requeft of Dr. Mead, was fome 
years afterwards received into the London difpenfa- 
tory. Scarce any of the boafted fpecifics of former 
ages ever acquired fo great reputation as this plant 
has done in modern times, for its prevalence againft 
the bite of a mad dog ; and the patronage of the 
late learned Dr. Mead made it fufficiently known 
throughout all the world. Happy would it be in- 
deed, if it fully deferved the high encomiums, which 
have’ been beftowed upon it. A great and eminent 
phyfician (13) has doubted its efficacy at all in fuch 
cafes; and it is well known, that Boerhaave even 
laughed at it. Dr. Mead had certainly an high opi- 
nion of it : he tells us it never failed, thro’ the courfe 
of thirty years experience, where it was duly given 
(11) Lichenoides digitatum cinereum laifuca foliis finuofts Dillen. 
Hift. Mufc. 200. Platyfma fmuofum jcutellis ovato-rotundis Hill 
Hift. PI. 89. Lichen caninus Lin. Sp. PI. 1 149- 
(12) See Lowthorp’s Abridgment, vol. III. p- 2,84. 
( 1 3) Dr. Van Swieten. See Comment, in Boerh. Aphor. §• 1 H7 • 
Vol. S o. 4 S before 
