Bin. 
The alpine bistort, Polygonum viviparum, is 
also a herbaceous perennial, but differs in both 
habit and chemical principle from the snakeweed 
bistort. It grows on lofty pastoral mountains in 
Great Britain, either among the moist sward or 
in moist fissures of rocks. Its root is somewhat 
astringent, but not medicinal; its stem seldom 
exceeds 6 inches in height; and its flowers are 
stalked and whitish green, and appear from May 
till September. 
BIT. The iron part of a bridle, put into a 
horse’s mouth, and of chief use for restraining 
and controlling him. Many a bit is too sharp, 
and sometimes ulcerates the base of the mouth, 
and wears part of the lower jaw down to the 
bone, or tears portions of it away. Little sores 
in the mouth, usually ascribed to ee of 
the bit, are far oftener occasioned by contusions 
either from a sharp bit, or from a too severe use 
of a moderate one. Extreme play of the bit is 
sheer wanton cruelty to a docile animal, and may 
sometimes provoke an obstinate one so to rear as 
to endanger both himself and his rider. 
BITE. A wound inflicted on one animal with 
the teeth of another. An ordinary bite must be 
treated as a lacerated wound; and a venomous 
bite, whether inflicted by a reptile or by a hydro- 
phobous quadruped, must be treated first for the 
extraction of the poison, and next for the heal- 
ing of the incision. See the articles Wounps and 
Porson, 
BITHWORT. See AristonocHta. 
BITTER OAK. See Oax. 
BITTER PRINCIPLE. The extractive por- 
tion of many plants is often termed bitter extract, 
or bitter extractive, from its possessing a bitter 
taste; and it was formerly divided into mild, 
* 
- acrid, and narcotic. 
The bitter portions of plants, if fresh, are 
pressed, or if dry, are extracted with water, and 
the juice or solution concentrated by evaporation, 
when a deposit usually takes place, consisting of 
albumen, apothem, and insoluble salts of lime, 
&c. The filtered liquor is evaporated to an ex- 
tract, and treated with dilute alcohol, which ex- 
tracts the bitter principle in a purer state, leaving 
starch, gum, salts, &c. 
Prepare an extract of the plant directly with 
dilute alcohol and treat it with water, which 
dissolves the bitter, leaving resin. In either case 
the solution yields, by evaporation, a dark-col- 
oured extract, which, besides the bitter, contains 
resin, sugar, colouring matter, and various salts. |. 
Absolute alcohol removes resin and some salts; 
some of the salts may also be removed by adding 
sulphuric acid to the tincture, and forming sul- 
phates insoluble in alcohol, while the excess of 
sulphuric acid is removed by carbonate of lead. 
Sugar is removed by fermentation. The colour- 
ing matters are removed by neutral acetate of 
lead. To the filtered solution add basic acetate 
of lead, wash the precipitate with a little cold 
water, suspend it in water, decompose it by sul- 
BITTER PRINCIPLE. 
The 
phuretted hydrogen, filter, and evaporate. 
bitter principle thus obtained is probably not al- 
ways free from a little foreign admixture. 
The bitter principle is uncrystallizable, yellow- 
ish or brownish, translucent, and, after perfect 
drying, brittle, with conchoidal fracture, and 
pulverizable. It is heavier than water, inodor- 
ous, with a pure bitter taste, soluble in water and 
spirit of wine, but not in absolute alcohol, ether, 
or the oils. Subjected to dry distillation it yields 
gases, an acid, generally an ammoniacal liquid, 
empyreumatic oil, and charcoal. It burns with a 
feeble flame in the air, leaving a porous charcoal, 
which generally yields ashes by combustion. 
By repeated evaporation, or by the action of 
chlorine, it deposits apothem. Its solution is 
rendered darker by alkali without precipitation. 
Alumina, most metallic oxides, and especially 
basic acetate of lead, form insoluble or difficultly 
soluble precipitates. It does not precipitate with 
gelatin. Many bitters are abstracted from a solu- 
tion by boiling with bone-black, with which they 
enter into combination. The above properties 
are general, and subject to exceptions from the 
presence of other substances. 
The exact chemical character of the different 
kinds of bitter has not been determined, nor is it 
at all probable that they will agree in their con- 
stitution, or other essential characteristics. The 
following list comprises some of those best deter- 
mined, which are free from nitrogen, and have a 
neutral reaction :— 
Absinthiin, flowers of Artemisia absinthium. 
Aloin, Aloé spicata. 
Bryonin, root of Bryonia alba. — 
Cathartin, leaves of Cassia lanceolata. 
Cetrarin, Cetraria Islandica. 
Colocynthin, seed-pulp of Cucumis Colocynthis. 
Columbin, root of Menispermum palmatum. 
Cusparin, bark of Galipea cusparia. 
Daphnin, Daphne Mezereum, &c. 
Elaterin, fruit of Momordica elaterium. 
Ergotin, Ergot of Rye. 
Fraxinin, bark of Fraxinus excelsior. 
Gentianin, root of Gentiana lutea. 
Hesperidin, spongy part of Orange-rind. 
_Ilicin, leaves of Wex aquifolium. 
Lactucin, lactuca sativa, &c. 
Liriodendrin, root-bark of Liriodendron tulipifera, 
Lupulin, female flowers of Humulus Lupulus. 
Olivil, Gum-resin of Olea Europea. 
Olivin, leaves of do. do. 
Picrolichenin, Variolaria amara. 
Picrotoxin, Menespermum cocculus. 
Phyllyrin, bark of Phillyrea media. 
Quassiin, wood of Quassia amara. 
- Scillitin, bulb of Scilla maritima. 
Tanacetin, Tanacetum vulgare. 
Tanghinin, seeds of 'Tanghinia Madagascariensis. 
Xanthopicrin, bark of Xanthoxylon Clava Her- 
culis. 
Bitters are so generally known to act as tonics, 
strengthening the stomach, improving the appe- 
tite, and assisting digestion, that they are popu- 
larly termed stomachics. A deficier.t supply of 
bitter matter, either in any one plant or in ac- 
companying articles of food, prevents saccharine 
matter from having a nourishing and fattening 
