ON THE MAGINOLA GRANDIFLORA. 
91 
Medical History. — Little can be said in regard to the 
medical history of the Magnolia grandiflora. Like the offi- 
cinal varieties it is stimulant, aromatic, and tonic. It has 
been little, if at all, used b)^ the scientific physicians, but in 
many of the southern states it is occasionally employed in 
domestic practice, in the treatment of the intermittents so 
common in that section of the country. As a febrifuge it is 
doubtless inferior to cinchona, but in obstinate cases, where 
the system has become accustomed to that drug, the disease 
has been found to yield to the bark of this magnolia, given in 
doses of from one to two drams, frequently repeated. The 
best form for its administration is powder or infusion ; the de- 
coction is nearly inert, 5 and the tincture is objectionable in 
many cases on account of the menstruum employed. 
Chemical History. — Little is yet known of the chemical 
history of the Magnoliaceae. The Magnolia glauca seems to 
have received more attention, both in a medical and chemical 
point of view, than any others of the species. The only other 
plant of this natural order, (native of North America,) so far as I 
am acquainted, which has received attention from the 
Chemist, is Liriodendron tulipifera. Professor Emmet 
of Virginia, in a paper read before the Philadelphia College 
of Pharmacy, details an analysis of the bark of that plant, and 
succeeded in demonstrating the existence of a peculiar princi- 
ple in it, endowed with some remarkable properties, of which 
the following is a sketch. 
" Crystallized Liriodendrin is solid, brittle, and inodor- 
ous at 40°, fusible at 180° and volatile at 270° Fahrenheit. 
When carefully heated in a glass tube closed at one end, it 
gives off a white vapor, which condenses again without signs 
of crystallization ; but it is impossible, even with the utmost 
care, to effect the complete sublimation of this substance. 
About one-half remains, which appears to consist of a solid, 
brittle resin." 
The most remarkable peculiarity of this principle, is its re- 
fusal to crystallize under certain circumstances, while under 
others it does so with extreme readiness. It is important 
that water be present, and Professor Emmet inclines to the 
