L Y T T A. 851 
kales, fouled with a few fmall drops of a yellowifli fluid. 
This may be removed by fubfequent digeltion in cold 
alcohol, and the micaceous cryft'allized matter alone will 
remain. This latter is the pure veficating principle; the 
(mailed vifible particle diflolved in a little oil (in which 
it is readily foluble), and applied to the Ikin, will in an 
hour or two raife a perfect blifter. Thefe experiments are 
interefting to the medical practitioner, inafmuch as they 
offer a method of obtaining this fubltance in a ftate in 
which it is foluble in oil, and may therefore be advan- 
tageoufly employed in ftitnulating frictions. 
As a medicine, the blifter-infeCt has been thought pe¬ 
culiarly to affedt the kidneys and urinary paifages, proving 
diuretic ; though whether it affeCts the former it is much 
doubted, if we can believe the evidence of Dr. C. Smith 
and Dr. Cullen, notwithffanding Werlhof gives a remark¬ 
able inftance of the diuretic powers of cantharides; and 
tells us, he had frequently experienced the fame in dropfy 
and other difeafes. He gave a grain of the powder in a 
dofe, and repeated this every four hours; and it was only 
after the third dofe, and after a fupprefiicn of urine of 
many days Handing, that it began to yield. Externally 
they are cauftic, and are ufed for blifters. They produce 
a more plentiful difeharge of ferum than any of the vege¬ 
table acids. They alfo deftroy fungous flefh. Internally, 
their efficacy is truly valuable, when flcilfully managed. 
The cafe where their internal ufe is ntoft neceffary, and 
mod fafe, is, when they are wanted to fcour the urinary 
paflages, and this is when they are obftruCted with ffoughs, 
and fuch vifeidities as are apt to be wafhed off from the 
ulcerated parts; this happens mottly in women. In vene¬ 
real cafes, where much filth hath fallen on the genitals, 
the tinCture is very ufeful. They are recommended in 
gravel, leprofies, the fluor albus, ulcers in the bladder, 
uterus, and kidneys. The phlegmatic may take them 
without much caution; but the hot and bilious require 
them mixed with proper correctors. Their ufe in cuta¬ 
neous diforders has fometimes been fuccefsful. In cafes 
of ftone in the kidneys, fits of gravel, (tone in the blad¬ 
der, fome cedematous cafes, and fometimes in pregnant 
women, their ufe is not to be admitted. However ufed, 
they are apt to produce a ftrangury, and inflammation of 
the urinary paflages; to prevent which, when bliffers are 
applied, requires the afliltance of nitre, oily drinks, foap- 
pills, &c. Waffling the bliftered part, when dreffed, with 
warm milk, greatly relieves thefe fymptoms. When im¬ 
prudently taken into the ftomacb, they caufe great heat, 
inflammation, bloody urine, a dribbling, heat, and pria- 
pifm, third, and a cadaverous breath, See. in which cafes 
give nitre, camphor, mucilage of gum arabic, and acids ; 
Ample oxymel is of excellent ufe as an antidote. Some¬ 
times blitters laid to the thighs, or calves of the legs, have 
produced a gangrene, becaufe a flux of humours is very 
eafily invited to thefe parts; therefore, fliould not be ap¬ 
plied to them when they are cedematous, but rather to the 
infide of the arms, wrilts, nape of the neck, or head. 
Proof fpirit, or a mixture of equal parts of water and 
ftrong ardent fpirit, extracts by digeftion, a tinCture from 
cantharides which poffeffes all the virtues of the infeCts 
themfelves. Whefl this tinCture is distilled, the fpirit 
which comes over has the fmell of the cantharides. Strong 
ardent fpirit takes up the cauftic part only ; whence k 
follows that the intenfity of the tinCture may be varied, 
as well by varying the ftrength as the quantity, of the fpirit 
to a given dofe of the infeCts. The ules and abufes of 
this rinCture have been lhortly (fated at the word Can¬ 
tharides, vol. iii. p. 740. 
2. Lytta fegetum : golden ; (hells green. This is fmaller 
than the preceding ; and is found in Barbary, among corn. 
The antennae are black;. head and thorax fometimes 
golden, fometimes green with a glofs of gold ; body golden ; 
legs dufky- 
3, Lytta nitidula : green bronzed; (hells teftaceous; 
antennae black. This (pedes has been fometimes de- 
feribed as belonging to the Englifli infeCts; but by Gmelin 
as inhabiting the Cape only. 
4. Lytta collaris: black ; crown, thorax, and legs, fer¬ 
ruginous ; the (hells are of an azure colour. This is a 
large infeCt, and is found in the fouthern parts of Ruffia. 
The antenna: are ferruginous ; edge of the thorax a little 
black. The male is as fmall again as the female. 
5. Lytta gigas : azure; bread ferruginous; it inhabits 
Guinea. The fize of this infeCt is about the fame as that 
of the L. veficatoria ; one fex has the (hells (triate, but in 
the other they are fmooth. 
6. Lytta Syriaca : villous, green-blue ; thorax rounded 
and ferruginous. It inhabits the fotnhern parts of Eu¬ 
rope, and is (hown on the Plate, at fig. 3. 
7. Lytta ruficollis : glabrous, green-gold ; thorax ru¬ 
fous, tapering before. Inhabits the Ea(t Indies. See fig. 4. 
8. Lytta teftacea : above teftaceous; (hells with a large 
oblong black fpot near the tip. The head is teftaceous'; 
mouth and antennae black ; thorax punCtured and tefta¬ 
ceous ; (hells fmooth ; body black. Inhabits Tranquebar. 
9. Lytta feftiva : (hinifig braffy-green ; (hells teftaceous 
with fpots of braffy-green. The body is entirely green 
bronze ; fpot on the (hells varying. Inhabits Siberia. 
jo. Lytta marginata : black; margins of the (hells pale 
cinereous. Above opaque, beneath cinereous. Inhabits 
the Cape of Good Hope. 
11. Lytta vittata: (hells black, with a yellow margir*. 
By fome entomologifts this is deferibed as the Cantharis 
vittata. Head yellowifli ; crown with two black fpots ; 
thorax black, with three yellow lines ; abdomen and legs 
black. Inhabits America. 
ia. Lytta atrata r body black, immaculate. About 
half the fize of the vittata, and entirely of a deep black. 
Inhabits Barbary; and is the Meloe Pennfylvanica of fome 
writers. 
13. Lytta erythrocephala: black; head teftaceous f 
thorax and (hells with cinereous lines. The head is tefta¬ 
ceous, with a black line down the middle ; mouth black ; 
thorax channelled ; antenna: and feet black. Inhabits 
leveral parts of Auftria; and is (hown at fig. j. 
14. Lytta oculata : black, with a yellow callous dot be¬ 
hind the eyes. Body entirely black, immaculate; behind 
the eyes on each fide is a large raifedyellow dot. Female 
apterous, (hells abbreviated. Inhabits Guinea. 
15. Lytta d tibia : black; Grown* fulvous ; thorax and 
(hells immaculate. Inhabits Siberia ; and is the Melee 
Aigirlcus of fome entomologifts. See fig. 6. 
16. Lytta Afra: black; thorax rufous. This fpecies 
is found in Africa ; and is the Cantharis Afra of Olivier. 
17. Lytta hsemorrhoidalis : blackifb blue; end of the 
abdomen rufous ; the antennas are black ; head and tho¬ 
rax villous; body bluifli. 
18. Lytta quadrimaculata : black, glabrous; bread 
downy ; (hells yellowifli grey, with two black and almoft- 
fquare fpots. A native of the northern parts of- Alia ; 
is found among flowers ; and it exudes a very plealant- 
fmelling oil from its legs. This.is a circunrftance attach¬ 
ing likewife to> 
19. Lytta feneftrata : glabrous, pale, teftaceous; thorax- 
ckpreffed ; (hells grey, tint with black, and have two 
fquarifh hyaline fpots. Found .dfo in the Afiatic parts cf 
Siberia, chiefly among flowers. 
20. Lytta clematidis : black, with a fteel-blue glofs;. 
(hell pale, teftaceous, immaculate. Found on tne clema¬ 
tis in Siberia. 
21. Lytta Uralenfis : black, opaque, glabrous. This 
is often confounded with the atrata above deferibed, and 
is- not fufliciently diltinbt from it. Inhabits Siberia. 
22. Lytta Sibirica: black, opaque, glabrous*; (hells 
edged with white; head red; eyes, moutn, aiul antennae,; 
black. Is found on the lotus in divers parts of Siberia. 
23. Lytta lutea : black, woolly ; (hells ventricofe, fub — 
compreffed, pale yellow with fix black dots. Inhabits*-- 
Siberia. 
24, Lytta. 
