^SS&fffif1'}    Dr.  Peter  Smith  and  His  Dispensatory.  7 
"Indian  doctor,"  much  to  interest  the  historian  in  the  line  of  Ameri- 
can medicine,  much  information  that  has  been  used  over  and  again, 
and  which  stands  in  our  works  to-day  uncredited  to  its  originator, 
who  charged  twenty-five  cents  more  than  his  book  was  worth  for  the 
information  his  father  and  himself  had  gathered  from  the  Indians 
and  others. 
Thus  in  his  Materia  Medica  department,  he  speaks  of  "  Home 
Ipecacuanha,"  a  term  lost  to  us  now,  but  which  he  appropriately 
used  for  Indian  physic.  The  absence  of  balances  for  weighing  led 
him  to  instruct  the  reader  to  "  take  a  pugil "  of  it,  which  is  to  be 
"  made  into  a  decoction  of  half  a  gill,"  which  is  to  be  given,  one- 
third  of  it  at  a  time,  every  ten  minutes,  "  until  it  does  work, 
either  up  or  down." 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Dr.  Smith  neglected  the  use  of  bo- 
tanical names."  His  plants  are  all  employed  under  common  names, 
but  he  describes  the  appearance  and  habitat  of  each  specimen  so 
•carefully  as  to  enable  the  experienced  reader  to  identify  most  of 
them.  Rafmesque,  who  credits  Dr.  Smith,  objects  to  his  common 
names,  which,  however,  are  very  interesting  in  connection  with  the 
text.  The  pains  he  takes  to  credit  authorities  from  whom  he  ob- 
tained information  is  very  refreshing,  the  relationship  of  their  names 
to  the  substances  used  being  familiar  to  us  to-day  in  connection  with 
many  drugs. 
A  few  examples  of  lost  terms  and  others  still  in  use  may  be 
cited  : 
Brinton's  or  Culver's  Root. 
Miami  Columbo  (American  Columbo)  Root. 
The  Nine- bark  Root. 
The  Square  stalk  Root. 
The  Corn  Snake  Root. 
The  Horse  Balm. 
The  Mountain  Mint. 
The  Sore  Throat  or  Blueberry  Root. 
The  Devil's  Nip. 
The  Devil's  Bit. 
The  Backache  Root,  etc. 
Following  the  description  and  uses  of  simples  comes  recipes  for 
diseases,  in  which  the  originator  of  each  compound  is  conscientiously 
credited.  We  find  a  few  of  these  names  familiar  yet,  e.  g.t  green 
ointment  and  ointment  of  red  lead.  Concerning  this  latter,  he  refers 
