6 
220  MATIAS  BARK. 
is  from  three  to  four  lines  thick,  brittle,  though  somewhat 
fibrous  ;  emitting,  when  freshly  bruised,  an  aromatic  odor  not 
unlike  that  of  the  acorus  calamus ;  it  is  of  a  brown  hue,  covered 
with  an  ash  colored  tuberculous  epidermis  ;  it  possesses  a  bitter, 
pungent  taste.  Heated  along  with  hydrate  of  potash  free  am- 
monia is  disengaged,  indicating  the  presence  of  an  azotized  prin- 
ciple. With  water  it  forms  an  agreeable  bitter  infusion.  With 
alcohol  a  powerful  bitter  tincture.  Ether  extracts  from  it  a 
volatile  oil  and  resin.  It  is  without  astringency.  It  appears  to 
coincide,  as  suggested  by  Mr.  Guibourt,  both  in  regard  to  physi- 
cal and  sensible  qualities,  with  malambo,  the  Indian  name  for 
the  bark  of  a  tree  which  grows  in  New  Grenada,  and  which  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  the  natives  as  a  febrifuge  and  stomachic. 
Malambo  bark  was  analyzed  by  M.  Cadet  de  Gassicourt  about 
twenty-eight  years  ago.  (Jour,  de  Pharm.  torn.  ii.  p.  172.) 
Subsequently  by  M.  Vauquelin,  who  ascertained  the  presence 
of  three  distinct  substances,  namely  :  an  aromatic  volatile  oil ; 
2,  a  very  bitter  resin  ;  3,  an  extract  soluble  in  water,  which 
yielded  ammonia  when  heated  with  caustic  potash.  (Annales  de 
Chem.  torn  xcvi.  p.  113).  It  afforded  no  tannin,  scarcely  a  trace 
of  gallic  acid  and  none  of  the  alkaloids  of  cinchona.  It  is  stated 
that  in  countries  where  this  tree  is  indigenous  incisions  are  made 
in  the  bark,  and  there  exudes  an  aromatic  oil  which  sinks  in 
water.  Most  of  the  authors  believe  it  to  be  the  produce  of  a 
species  of  drimys,  but  Bonpland  regards  it  as  a  quassia  (Merat 
de  Lens,  Dictionnaire  de  Mat.  Med.  torn.  iv.  p.  99). 
This,  however,  is  impossible,  since  none  of  the  quassia  tribe 
yet  discovered  are  possessed  of  aroma.  The  above  Columbian 
bark  has  frequently  been  administered  by  me  as  a  substitute  for 
cinchona  with  good  effect.  It  offers  the  useful  combination  of  a 
tonic  and  an  aromatic,  and  seems  to  exercise  its  influence  on  the 
principle  last  laid  down  by  Professor  Shultz  with  regard  to  other 
therapeutic  agents  of  the  same  class,  namely :  of  increasing  the 
flow  of  bile,  whereby  digestion  is  perfected  and  healthy  blood 
formed.  In  scrofulous  ophthalmia,  after  removing  floculent  accu- 
mulations from  the  bowels,  I  have  known  an  infusion  made  with 
3ij  of  the  bark  to  Oj  of  water,  cause  a  speedy  and  complete  re- 
moval of  the  inflammation  and  morbid  sensibility  of  the  eyes. 
The  dose  of  the  infusion  just  mentioned  is  from  one  to  two 
