328 SELECTED ARTICLES. 
fess ourselves completely dazzled by the display of scientific 
learning exhibited. Galls are "gemmae morbidae;" it is the 
cormus of the colchicum; the " rhizoma" of the ginger; the 
^' fructus" of the umbelliferous plants, which are ordered to 
be employed. Unfortunately, botanists are not agreed about 
the term " cormus." Wildenow and Decandolle define it to 
be"partie des vegetaux cryptogames qui se trouve hors de 
terre; la fructification exceptee." We are not inclined to 
quarrel about trifles, but surely it is right to be consistent; if 
we speak of " carraway fruits,'^ and not carraway seeds, we 
should not talk about the " simple flowers" of the chamomile; 
the bark of the fruits of the orange; the pulp of the legumes 
of the "cassia;" or more correctly, the " catharto-carpus 
fistula," whose fruit is not a legume, but a lomentum. The 
"dried pulp of colocynth:" — "pulp "is applied to cellular 
tissue contained within the cells of the carpels; the part of 
the colocynth used, is the sarcocarp, or flesh. The " stigmas 
of saffron:" — stigma is the denuded extremity of the style ; 
it is the styles that are employed. Here, again, we have some 
desirable information aff'orded us. We were not before aware 
that musk was "humor in folliculi praeputii secretus;" and we 
we were much edified by the Hispanio-Latin coinage, " Vinum 
Xericum." But we are sick of this petit maitre kind of 
science. " In our souls we loathe all affectation;" and when 
men are called on to perform a grave and important duty, the 
exhibition of pseudo-scientific frippery is most uncalled for. 
Forsooth, red bark is the produce of the " cinchona oblongi 
folia;" aloes, of the "aloe spicata;" rhubarb, of the "rheum 
palmatum;" copaibi, of the " copaifera langsdorfii." 
"Si j'ouvre Phistorie de la matiere medicale," writes a very 
great authority, "j'observe qu'un grand nombre de medica- 
mens, meme les plus actifs, qui, dans Penfance de la science 
avaient ete regardes comme les produits d'une seule plante, 
se sont trouves, lorsque leur histoire a ete mieux suivie, appar* 
tenir a plusieurs especes, voisines-ainsi le quinquina est tire 
de toulQs les especes de vrais Cinchona, la rhubarbe de pres- 
que tons les Rheum, Popium de plusieurs Pavots, le semen- 
