Amj^;-1f8h6arm-}  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  301 
cleavers  and  goosegrass,  is  a  common  weed  found  in  hedges  and 
thickets  in  North  America,  Europe  and  Asia.  Its  weak  quadrangular 
stem  is  retrorsely  prickly,  about  2  to  4  feet  long,  and  reclines  upon  other 
plants ;  the  linear-lanceolate  leaves  are  in  whorls  of  eight,  tapering 
at  the  base,  and  rough  on  the  margin  and  midribs ;  the  small,  white 
flowers  are  produced  from  May  to  September,  and  ripen  a  subglobular 
twin  fruit,  which  is  covered  with  hooked  prickles.  The  plant  was 
formerly  employed  as  a  diuretic,  in  dropsy  and  in  pectoral  complaints. 
Recently  Dr.  T.  R.  Orwin  (Brit.  Med.  Jour.),  reported  its  successful 
employment  in  a  case  of  psoriasis,  which  had  not  yielded  to  chrysaro- 
bin,  tar  or  arsenic.  The  plant  was  applied  in  the  form  of  poultice 
and  was  internally  given  in  infusion. 
Danais  fragrans,  Commerson,  nat.  ord.  Rubiaceae,  is  a  climbing 
shrub  of  Reunion,  Madagascar  and  other  islands,  with  small,  red, 
fragrant  flowers.  A  decoction  of  the  root  has  been  used  in  herpetic 
affections,  and  as  a  tonic  and  febrifuge ;  and  the  bright  orange-colored 
juice,  which  the  fresh  root  exudes,  has  been  used  as  a  dye,  and 
medicinally,  as  an  application  to  wounds,  causing  rapid  cicatrization. 
Bourdon  has  isolated  from  the  root  an  alkaloid  called  dana'idine;  but 
the  medicinally  active  principle  is  dana'ine,  as  reported  by  Heckel  and 
Schlagdenhauffen  to  the  Academie  franeaise. 
Mercurialis  perennis,  Lin.,  nat.  ord.  Euphorbiacese,  was  formerly 
employed  in  medicine,  like  the  less  active  Merc,  annua,  Lin.  In  1863 
E.  Reichardt  isolated  from  both  plants  the  volatile  alkaloid  mercuri- 
aline,  which,  in  1877,  was  ascertained  by  E.  Schmidt  to  be  identical 
with  monomethylamine ;  besides  which,  also,  ammonium  salts  and 
trifling  quantities  of  trimethylamine  are  present.  The  alkaloid  in  the 
form  of  hydrochlorate,  and  administered  by  hypodermic  injection, 
was  recently  found  by  Dr.  Hugo  Schulz  (Arch.  f.  experim.  Pathol,  u. 
Pharmak.,  1886,  p.  88),  to  produce  no  decided  effect;  but  the  herb,  as 
well  as  the  fluid  extract,  given  to  pigs  and  rabbits  caused  paralysis  of 
the  muscles  of  the  bladder  with  diuresis  and  diarrhoea.  The  plant  is 
known  to  contain  a  chromogene  yielding  a  blue  coloring  matter 
resembling  indigo.  Whether  the  physiological  action  of  the  plant  is 
due  to  this  principle,  as  Dr.  Schulz  believes,  or  to  some  other  com- 
pound, has  not  been  established. 
Polygonum  aviculare,  Lin.j  popularly  known  as  knotgrass  or 
goosegrass,  is  a  common  annual  weed,  growing  in  cultivated  and 
uncultivated  grounds  in  most  countries.    The  thin  stem  is  prostrate 
