MANIHOT. 
253 
cooled in the air, acquires a firm consistence, and 
takes the name of cassave-bread. 
The cassave is seldom eaten without a secondary 
preparation ; this is merely to dip it in water or in 
broth, by which it is made to swell considerably, 
and in this state forms a solid and wholesome nou- 
rishment, which the inhabitants of many parts of 
South America, and particularly the negroes, prefer 
to other bread. 
The juice which is expressed from the root of 
the manihot carries with it a very fine white faecu- 
lum, which falls to the bottom of the receiving ves- 
sel. When the juice is poured off, and this faecu- 
lum collected, it appears perfectly white, and feels 
between the fingers like starch. This kind of flour 
is used for the most delicate purposes, such as 
making of pastry and cakes. It is likewise manu- 
factured into powder ; and indeed appears to answer 
all the purposes of wheaten flour. 
We have already noticed that the root of the 
manihot, besides its nutritive farina, contains a real 
poison. It is in the juice freshly expressed that 
this poison is to be found ; and Dr. Fermin, while 
resident at Surinam, made several experiments to 
prove its deleterious effects. From these we learn 
that a moderate dose of the juice given to dogs or 
cats, kills them in about twenty-four minutes, and 
that an ounce and a half is sufficient to kill a dog 
of a middling size. The death of the animal is at- 
tended by the usual symptoms of poison, such as 
attempts to vomit, great anxiety, convulsive motions, 
