518 B ULLETIN DE LA SOCIÉTÉ DE PATHOLOGIE EXOTIQUE 
Ils natives uses are as follows. 
1. A small bundle is tied above the female flower of the date. 
This is said to be doue to promote fertilisation but the more 
likely reason is to keep away some noxious animal. 
2 . A décoction is drunk by vvomen to promote fertility and 
the menstrual discharge. 
Mrs. Growfoot thinks that it is probably the saine plant as 
thaï referred to by Dr. Bousfield on page 275 of the 3rd. Report 
of these Laboratories under the term « Haza » Arabie for « this » 
(but the natives of the Sudan use a word spelt similarly but 
pronounced differently something like HHaza for a purgative 
ni ed ici ne) as being used to induce u te ri ne contractions. We refer¬ 
red to Dr. Bousfield with regard to this malter but he was una- 
ble to defmitely support it. 
It may be the same as the plant (Haza?) mentioned by Balfour 
on page 3oo of the same report as being useful for flatulence and 
dyspepsia. 
Forskal and Le Maout and Decaisne say that the Egyptian 
women bruise its leaves in waler and use it as a hair wash with 
a view to stimulating the growth of the hair but, we think, it 
was more probably used to get rid of vermin. 
It is extremely interesting to compare these local uses with 
those of the well known Rata graveolens Linnaeus, which lias 
been reported for âges as : 
1 . An emmenagogue. 
2 . A cure for flatulent colic. 
3. Of use in keeping away noxious insects. 
With regard to the Dermatitis Yenenata which we believe 
Baplophyllum tuberculatum to hâve caused, it is also interesting 
to note that R. graveolens according to Bentley and Trimen cau¬ 
ses redness, swelling and even vésication if much handled, 
while Le Maout and Decaisne state that R. montana , found in 
Spain, produces erysipelas, and ulcerous pustules on the hands 
of those who gather it. Thus in both these plants we hâve defi¬ 
ni te support of our belief as to the origin of the symptoms 
shown in our case. 
/ 
Treatment. — The best therapeutic remedy is to remove the 
susceptible patient from the région wliere the plant is growing 
and to combine with this repeated bathing of the whole body 
