Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
April,  1896.  J 
Opuntia  Vulgaris,  Mill. 
177 
Pawnees  and  Papagoes  employ  it  in  cooking  meat,  and,  for  this  pur- 
pose, collect  it  while  unripe,  and  allow  it  to  dry.  Then,  again,  the 
fresh  unripe  fruit  is  often  boiled  with  water  for  ten  or  twelve  hours, 
or  until  a  product  which  has  the  appearance  of  stewed  apples  is 
obtained.  This  is  then  allowed  to  ferment,  and,  thereby  becomes 
stimulating,  as  well  as  nutritious,  and,  owing  to  these  properties,  it 
frequently  serves  to  sustain  life  in  the  absence  of  other  food. 
That  the  fruit  of  Opuntia  vulgaris  should  find  such  an  important 
economic  use  as  that  of  a  food  is  no  matter  of  wonder  when  we  con- 
sider the  amounts  of  assimilable  matter  that  it  contains  in  the  forms 
of  mucilage,  albuminoids,  nutritious  extractive  matters  and  particu- 
larly its  large  percentage  of  sugars,  and  also  its  freedom  from 
astringent  and  toxic  principles.  Its  established  popularity  with  the 
Indians  is  likely  in  greatest  measure  due  to  its  acidulous,  sweet  pulp, 
which  has  been  to  them  an  incentive  to  collect  it  in  spite  of  its  de- 
fensive character. 
On  account  of  its  formidable  spines  and  fleshy,  uninflammable 
nature,  Opuntia  vulgaris,  like  many  other  species  of  this  genus,  is 
used  for  hedges,  especially  along  railroads.  The  use  of  the  plant  as  a 
food  for  cattle  is  somewhat  lessened  by  the  spines,  but  these  obstacles 
are  removed  by  the  cowboys  with  their  bowie-knives  or  by  throwing 
into  a  fire,  whereby  the  spines  are  scorched  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  drop  from  the  plant. 
In  Mexico  the  fruit  of  the  various  opuntias  is  known  as  tuna.  They 
are  regarded  as  possessing  diuretic  properties,  and  are  employed  for 
curing  diarrhoea,  while  the  juice  is  used  in  biliary  affections  The 
flowers  have  the  reputation  of  being  useful  in  pectoral  complaints. 
For  further  details  concerning  the  genus  Opuntia,  the  following 
literature  may  be  consulted  : 
1884.  W.  W.  Light,  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  56,  3. 
1888.  Kew Bulletin,  p.  170. 
1891.  Maisch,  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  63,  2. 
1895.  Mueller,  Select  Extra-Tropical  Plants,  9th  edition,  p.  341. 
Although  there  are  several  factories  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  devoted  to 
the  preparation  of  horse-meat  for  food,  it  is  comfortable  to  be  reassured  by  the 
chemist  of  the  Board  of  Health  that  not  an  ounce  of  it  is  sold  in  this  city, 
unless  it  be  in  the  shape  of  imported  sausage.  It  is  also  stated  by  these 
authorities  that  the  flesh  of  the  horse  is  easily  detected  by  the  usual  iodine  test 
for  starch,  which  it  contains  in  contradistinction  to  all  other  butchers'  meat. 
— Medical  News,  February  8,  1896. 
