ON MONESIA. 
53 
tion of mercury in Zittman's decoction, M. Wiggers re- 
renews the judicious proposition of Catel, of not preparing 
this medicine in any metallic vessel, of tin, copper, brass, or 
iron, as is often done, but to employ for this purpose glass, 
porcelain, or stone-ware, otherwise the mercury would preci- 
pitate on the metallic vessel. A. G. V. 
Jlnnalen der Pharmacie, et Journ. de Pharm. 
ART. XI.— ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF A NEW VEGETABLE, 
MONESIA, IN MEDICINE. By Dr. G. Martin St, Ange. 
A vegetable substance, called monesia, has lately been im- 
ported from South America, in the form of hard thick cakes, 
weighing about five hundred grammes, (8215 grains.) These 
loaves, which are flattened, and have paper, of a yellow color, 
adhering to them, are composed of the extract, prepared in the 
country, from the bark of a tree, whose botanical name is not 
known. M. Bernard Derosne, the druggist who introduced 
it, informs me that some travellers call the monesia bark 
goharem; and others, buranhem. 'But what is of more im- 
portance, is, that the naturalists who have examined it, think 
that the tree which furnishes it, is a chrysophyllum. 
The extract is of a deep brown, and very friable; when 
broken, it looks like a well roasted cocoa-nut. It is entirely 
soluble in water; and its taste, which is at first sugary, like 
liquorice, soon becomes astringent, and leaves behind a well 
marked and lasting acid taste, which is particularly felt in the 
tonsils. 
The bark of the monesia is smooth and grayish, like that of 
the plane tree, with this difference, however, that it is much 
thicker; that its fracture is imbricated, and that its sweet taste 
forms a strong contrast with the bitterness of the thin laminse 
which are detached from the plane. 
The chemical analysis of the bark of the monesia, and of 
