Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Feb.,  1878.  / 
The  Bedford  Springs. 
SI 
broadly  ovate,  with  a  heart-shaped  base,  entire  or  wavy  at  the  margin, 
conspicuously  pointed,  with  9  to  1 1  ribs,  nearly  smooth  above  and 
more  or  less  downy  but  never  villous  beneath.  The  fruit  forms  a  tri- 
angular capsule,  which  is  conspicuously  winged  on  the  angles,  and  the 
pendulous  bunches  of  which  are  quite  striking  and  make  the  plant  easy 
to  identify. 
The  rhizome  is  horizontal,  about  one-half  inch  in  diameter,  somewhat 
flattened  from  above,  repeatedly  forked  or  branched  in  various  direc- 
tions, so  that  the  entire  rhizome  covers  a  space  6  to  12  inches  in  diam- 
eter, the  branches  bearing  a  slight  resemblance  to  ginger.  Upon  the 
upper  surface  at  irregular  distances  are  the  circular,  more  or  less  concave 
scars,  left  by  the  overground  stems  ;  beneath  and  on  the  sides,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  half  an  inch,  are  the  simple  wiry  rootlets  about  2  to  4 
inches  long.  Rhizome  and  rootlets  are  of  a  light  or  yellowish-brown 
color,  and  break  with  some  difficulty,  exhibiting  a  compact  white  tissue 
with  numerous  scattered  wood  bundles  of  a  yellowish  color.  Odor  is 
absent,  the  taste  at  first  insipid,  soon  becomes  strongly  acrid. 
It  is  regarded  to  possess  antispasmodic,  diaphoretic,  expectorant  and 
emetic  properties,  and  has,  among  other  complaints,  been  recommended 
in  bilious  colic  in  the  form  of  an  infusion,  made  with  one  ounce  to  the 
pint,  one-half  being  taken  at  a  dose.  In  Virginia,  and  probably  in  other 
States,  it  is  known  among  the  negroes  as  rheumatism-root^  it  being  con- 
sidered a  sure  cure  in  that  complaint. 
Continued  boiling  impairs  the  acrid  properties  of  wild  yam,  the  prin- 
ciple being  either  volatilized  or  altered  by  heat  ;  it  has  not  been  inves- 
tigated.  The  rhizome  contains  also  a  considerable  proportion  of  starch. 
THE   BEDFORD  SPRINGS. 
By  Henry  G.  Debrunner,  Chemist. 
I.  Bedford  Mineral  Springs. — The  water  of  this  spring  possesses  a 
strictly  saline  character  ;  it  is  perfectly  clear,  inodorous  and  of  a  slightly 
saline  taste.  Its  reaction  on  litmus  is  neutral.  One  liter,  evaporated 
to  dryness  on  the  water  bath,  gave  3*2592  grams  of  residue.  Another 
sample,  taken  personally  by  Mr.  James  Park,  Jr.,  left  3  2552  grams  of 
saline  residue  per  liter,  the  weight  of  which  decreased  on  subsequent 
ignition  to  2*5675  grams,  or  '25675  per  cent,  of  ignited  saline  matter.1 
1  This  loss  on  ignition  is  due  to  the  elimination  of  crystal  water  on  heating. 
