i*£ ?! NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE Washington Founded 1836 U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Public Health Service COLLECTIONS AN ESSAY TOWARDS A MATERIA MEDICA or THE UNITJiD'-STATES. HEAD BEFORE THE PHILADELPHIA MEDICAL SOCIETT, ON THE TfTENTT-FIRST OF FEBRUART, I798. By BENJAMIN SMITH BARTON, M. D. ONE OF THE HONORARY MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY, AND PROFESSOR OF MATERIA MEDICA, NATURAL HISTORY, AND BOTANY, IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. " Sunt Simplicia defumpta e triplici Naturas Regno: e Lapideo, Vege- " tabili & Animali; heic Vegetabilia tantum depromfi, quas maximam " conftituunt Materia: Medic* partem, alio tempori refervans cetera." LlNNiEUS. FIDEM NON ABSTULIT ERROR. ,-',.«,- '- (*(wm PHILADELPHIA: V/ / . ' ' PRINTED, FOR THE AUTHOR, "^-ll£Li>^ BY WAY & GROFF, No. 27, ARCH-STREET. COPY-RIGHT SECURED ACCORDING TO LAW. TO JAMES EDWARD SMITH, M. D. F. R. S. PRESIDENT OF THE LINN2EAN SOCIETY, MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMIES OF TURIN, UPSAL, AND LISBON; AND MEMBER of the AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, toV. Dear Sir, , X CANNOT expeft to add any thing to your ^ reputation, by dedicating to you the following pages. I mean not, by this acl:, to choofe a patron who fhall veil my faults, or fcreen me from the cenfure of the public critic. The actions of men, particularly perhaps of young men, are fometimes difinterefted. It is with pleafure I declare to the public, how much I admire your exertions for the extenfion of that amiable fcience which both of us cultivate: you with the happieft fuccefs; I with an humble ardour. The age in which we live is the age of natural fcience. The mind of Linnaeus has effected more than the combined intellects of all the naturalifts of any preceding century. Natural hiftory, however, is ftill an infant fcience. This is particularly the cafe with refped to America. Even the nomenclature of our productions is extremely imperfect. We are ftill lefs acquainted with the properties of our productions. I view this blank in the hiftory of fci- ence, with pain. This pain, however, is daily dimi- nifhed: for fomething is daily added to the ftock of our knowledge. I am far from infi-nuating, that what I offer you is important in its kind. I am.fully fenfible of the imperfecrions of this Eflay. I could wifh it were more worthy of your attention. If I fucceed in convincing you, that there are fome lovers and culti- vators of botany in the United-States, one of my objects in writing this dedication will be accom- plifhed. Accept of my fincere wifhes for your happinefs, and believe me to be, with great refpecl, Dear Sir; Your friend and humble fervant, &c. BENJAMIN SMITH BARTON. Philadelphia, March 12th, 1798. PREFACE. X HOPE the following pages will be received as an earned of my defire to extend our know- ledge of the medical properties of the indigenous vegetables of the United-States. I do not expect to acquire any reputation by the publication. Per- haps, in making this affertion, I fhall not be doubt- ed, when I confefs that in every thing which I have hitherto published, I have had reputation in view. If I have not acquired it, I have borne the difap- pointment with tranquil indifference. The readers of thefe Colleclions (for every thing that is written and publifhed folicits fome readers), will form different opinions about my medical faith. Some of them will think I have too much; and others that I have not enough. I certainly do not repofe implicit confidence in the half of what is faid concerning the powers of medicines. Accordingly, I have not given a place in thefe pages to many of our vegetables which have been praifed as fpe- cifics for the cure of difeafes; in particular, as fpe- cifics againfl the bites of venomous ferpents. But, on the other hand, it will be afked, whether I mean ( vi ) that all the different vegetables which I have men- tioned, fhould have a place in the materia medica of phyficians ? I anfwer, No. But how are we to know what plants are moft proper for thepurpofes of medicine, until we fhall have examined the properties of a great body of vegetables ? The Digitalis is now thought one of the moft important of the diuretic me- dicines : but perhaps future inquiries will difcover a diuretic which fhall, in a great meafure, fuperfede the frequent ufe of this active plant. I wifh to turn the attention of our phyficians to an inveftigation of the properties of their native productions. When it is confidered how little has hitherto been done in this way, every attempt (mine is an humble one) Should be candidly received. I do not mean that its faults fhould not be pointed out. The arrangement of the articles which I have mentioned is by no means faultlefs: on the contra- ry, it is liable to many objections. I fhould not have followed this arrangement had I been confi- dering all the articles of the materia medica. I fhall give a fketch of my ideas of a method of the fci- ence, in my ftrictures on the arrangement of the learned and elegant author of the Botanic Garden, ' a poem which unites the fire of Lucretius with the tafte of Virgil, and a learning unequalled by that of Camoens or of Milton, ( vii ) I think it but candid to confefs, that fince read- ing this addrefs to the Medical Society, I have made fome alterations in it. Thefe alterations, however, are very inconfiderable. In general, even the very ftyle and faults of each phrafe are preferved, for I had not time to alter or correct much. I have left out the concluding part of the addrefs, relative to the eftablifhment of a medical library: not that I doubt the ability of the fociety to form a library of its own. The notes contained in the appendix were not read to the fociety. Whatever may be the reception of this effay by the public, whether favourable or unfavourable, I fhall purfue my inquiries concerning the nature and properties of the natural produftions of my native country. I fhall purfue them, becaufe there is at leaft a pofhbility that they may ultimately tend to fomething ufeful: and becaufe I have the expe- rience of feveral years to teach me, that the cultiva- tion of fcience is the extenfion of my happinefs. e r r a . t u m. Pa<*e 13. For Cornus Cincinata, read Cornus circu COLLECTIONS, &c. Gentlemen, E have afTembled together to celebrate the anniverfary of our foundation. It is an occafion which ought to give pleafure to us all. We have met, however, for the difficult purpofe of mingling fcience with pleafure. This difficulty falls peculi- arly upon me. By your vote, I have"been called upon to deliver the annual difcourfe. I accepted of the appointment cheerfully, becaufe I was anxi- ous to demonftrate my attachment to the Society, of which I had the honor to be a member at a very early period of my life; a Society in which I firft imbibed my love of the different fciences which conftitute the great fabric of medicine. But if I accepted of the appointment with pleafure, I do not addrefs you with confidence. I have found it difficult to feled a fubjed for your A w ( » ) entertainment. I, at one time, contemplated a comparative view of the different theories which have prevailed in medicine, in the prefent century. But I foon found this fubjed too extenfive for our purpofe: befides, in the inveftigation of this view, I fhould have been obliged to fpeak with a freedom, which might not have given pleafure to every one of us. Men are often attached to.theories, as pa- rents are attached to their children. After fome difficulty, I have feleded a fubjed. It is An EfTay- towards a materia medica of the United-States; or, if you pleafe, An Inquiry what indigenous vegetables of our country may be ufed with advantage in the treatment of difeafes. This, you will immediately perceive, is a talk both exten- five and difficult. But it is an important one. I fhall not, perhaps, perform a duty altogether un- acceptable to you, if I furnifh you with a few fads, not generally known to you before. This is all I aim at. Mine is not the firft attempt of this kind. Befides the paper entitled Specifca Canadenfium* Dr. Schoepf, of Erlangen in Germany, has favoured us with a fpecimen of fuch a work, under the title of Materia Medica Americana potiffimum regni vege- * See Amocnitates Academics. Vol. iv. Diflertatio Ixxii. ( 3 ) tab'dis. This work was printed in 1787. The author arranges the articles according to the fexual fyftem of Linnaeus. This, though an objedion, is not the greateft. He has given us nothing from his own experience. He afcribes adive powers to plants which are nearly inert, and appears .to me to be, in fome meafure, governed by the old notion of Signatures: one of the tyrants of the ancient fchools. He difcovers none of that infidelity, or, if you pleafe, fcepticifm, which ought ever to be attached to phyficians: I mean not an infidelity relative to religion j but an unwillingnefs to acqui- efce, without good proofs, in the truth of every tale concerning the powers of medicines. This pliant, this credulous difpofition, has been one of the caufes which have obftruded the regular march of medical fcience. But as the effort of Schoepf is the beft of the kind, fo we ought to tread lightly on his work. He is at leaft a man of learning; and learning fhould always claim indulgence from the lovers and cultivators of fcience, I am far from fuppofing that it is in my power, cfpecially on this occafion, to fupply all the defeds of Schoepf's book. It would be eafy to point out its faults. I aim at a rude fketch of our materia medica. It is fo extremely unfinifhed, that I have no objedion to its being called by any inferior name. I confine myfelf entirely to vegetables. ( 4 ) MATERIA ALIMENTARIA. YOU are all acquainted with the great general divifion of the materia medica into two parts: that, which relates to the aliments, or nutrientia, of mankind, and the medical part, more ftridly fo called. Each of thefe is highly important; but I mean in this addrefs to confine myfelf almoft en- tirely to the latter branch. Yet the former fhould claim fome of our attention. Much may be ex- peded from a country which has bleffed us with the maize, the potatoe, &c. I could readily fur- nifh you with a long lift of the indigenous nu- trientia of this country; but fuch a lift would be very uninterefting. On this fubjed, however, an ufeful work might be written. He who fhall undertake to examine the fubjed extenfively will find, that Providence has, in the gift of efculent vegetables, been as liberal to the countries of the United-States, as to any other countries of the world, of equal extent. Under this head of the nutrientia, I fhall con- tent myfelf- with mentioning two native articles, which deferve the attention of phyficians and others. Perhaps, they may even fuperfede, on many occafions, the ufe of fome other articles, which are purchafed at a pretty dear rate, ( s ) There grows upon the river Mobile a fpecies of palm, which is but little known to naturalifts, but which promifes to be an important article of food to man. It has no ftalk or ftem above ground. The leaves fpread regularly all round, and when fully expanded are flabelliform. In the centre of thefe leaves is produced the receptacle of the fruit, which is of the form and fize of a com- mon fugar-loaf. This receptacle confifts of a vaft number of drupes, or berries, of the fize and fhape of common plumbs: each is covered with a fibrous, farinaceous, pulpy coating of confidera- ble thicknefs. This fubftance is faid to refemble manna in texture, colour and tafte; or, perhaps, it ftill more refembles moift brown fugar, with particles of loaf fugar mixt with it. It is a moft delicious and nourifhing food, and is diligently fought after in the places where it grows. Upon firft tailing it, it is fomewhat bitter and pungent.* The large tuberous roots of the Smilax China afford our fouthern Indians a nourifhing food. The frefh roots are well macerated in wooden mor- tars. The mafs is then put into veflels nearly filled with clear water, where it is well mixed with pad- dles: It is decanted off into other veffels, where it is left to fettle, and after the fubfidence is com- • From the information of Mr. William Bartram. MS/,- ( « ) pleted, the water is caft off, leaving the farinace- ous fubftance at the bottom. When this is taken out and dried, it is an impalpable powder of a red- ifh colour. Mixed with boiling water, it becomes a beautiful jelly, which, when fweetened with honey or fugar, affords a moft nourifhing and pleafant food for children or aged people. The Indians fome- times ufe it mixed with fine corn-flour, and fryed in frefh bears' oil.* The chemical hiftory of the maize, or Indian corn, the bleffing of our country, deferves to be farther inveftigated. Its importance as an article of diet is fufficiently eftablifhed by the experience of whole nations. MATERIA MEDICA, I AM not very anxious, on this occafion, about my divifion of the materia medica. I have attempted, in my ledures, to make fome improvements upon the arrangement of Dr. Cullen; and, if I live, I hope to publifh, in a few months, my ftridures on the late arrangement of the ingenious Dr. Darwin. At prefent, in poffeffion of only a fmall colledion of original fads immediately relative to the materia * From the information of Mr. William Bartram. MS penes me. Vol. i. ( 7 ) medica of the United-States, I fhall content my- felf with difpofing of thefe fads under the nine fol- lowing heads, viz. i. Astringents; 2. Tonics; 3. Stimulants ; 4. Errhines ; 5. Sialagoga, or Salivating medicines; 6. Emetics; 7. Ca- thartics; 8. Diuretics; 9. Anthelmintics* Sect. I. ASTRINGENTS. I think it proper, in the prefent ftate of our knowledge of medicines, to give place to a clafs of Astringents. There is the more propriety for the adoption of fuch a clafs, becaufe we fee more readily, than with refped to many other medicines, their dired mode of operation. Our vegetable aftringents, I mean the purer and more unmixed aftringents, are numerous. The barks of all our oaks are of this kind. But I may here particularly mention three or four native aftringents, which feem to be more efpecially entitled to your attention. The firft is the Geranium Maculatum, or Spot- ted Geranium, which grows very plentifully about this city: it flowers in the fpring. The root is ufed : this boiled in milk has been found an excel- lent medicine in the cholera of children. It is not neceflary to be very nice about the dofe. I imagine it would alfo prove ufeful in old diarrheas, where ( 8 ) the kino, and other aftringents are exhibited. If nephritis, of certain kinds, be relieved by aftringents, this geranium would feem entitled to attention, not merely becaufe it is a powerful aftringent, but be- caufe a fpecies of the fame genus, the Geranium ro- bertianum, or Herb-Robert, has been employed with advantage in this diftrefling complaint.* The Heuchera Americana is the next aftringent. This is fometimes called American Sanicle. It is more commonly called Alum-Root. The root is a very intenfe aftringent. It is the bafis of a pow- der which has lately acquired fome reputation in the cure of cancer. I fuppofe all its virtue, in this cafe, depends upon its aftringency. I may here obferve, that the difeafe of cancer is not confined to civilized nations. It is known among our Indians. I am in- formed that the Cheerake cure it with a plant which is thought to be theHydraftis Canadenfis, one of our fine native dies. I do not believe that the Heuchera has cured genuine cancer : but it feems certain that it has proved very beneficial in fome obftinate ul- cers, which have been miftaken for cancer. In fuch cafes, the aftringent medicines are too much negleded. • I am not certain that the Geranium robcrtianum is a native of any f Ert of America. ( 9 ) The Adaea racemofa, or Black Snake-root, is alfo a valuable medicine. It is fometimes called Squaw-root, I fuppofe from its having been ufed as a medicine by our Indians. The root of this plant is confiderably aftringent. In a putrid fore throat which prevailed in Jerfey, many years ago, a ftrong decodion of the roots was ufed, with great benefit, as a gargle. Our Indians fet an high value on it. A decodion of it cures the itch. In North-Caro- iina, it has been found ufeful, as a drench, in the difeafe of cattle called the murrain. The Uva Urfi* is confiderably aftringent. Yet i fufped that it does not operate entirely by virtue of its aftringent quality. This plant, from my own experience, I can recommend to you as a moft va- luable medicine. It fhould be in the hands of every phyfician. I have ufed it with advantage in old gonorrhea. But its great virtue is that of a medi- cine in nephritis. I am inclined to think that it is peculiarly adapted to cafes of what I call nephritis podagrica, or nephritis depending upon gout. This is one of the plants which is common to the old and to the new-world. It grows plentifully in Canada, New-York, New-Jerfey, &c. Schoepf fays, the Indians mix the leaves with tobacco.f B * Arbutus Uva urfi of Linnaeus, f Page 68. ( io J ; The Liquidambar afplenifolium *' of Linnaeus is well known by the name of Sweet-Fern. It has of- ten been found ufeful in diarrhea. Other virtues have been afcribed to it.f '''"" Sect. II. TONICS. I believe all the aftringent medicines are more "or lefs Tonic. But there are a good many tonics which are not aftringent. There is, certainly, fome propriety in. confidering the aftringents and tonics under two diftinct. heads, as Dr. Cullen has done. But, perhaps, the tonics fhould only form one fec- tion of the great clafs of ftimulants. Certain it is, that many of the tonic medicines are confiderably jfl,imulant.r . . 1 The clafs of tonics is extremely interefting to phyficians* It embraces fome of the moft valuable medicines with which we are acquainted, fuch as the Peruvian bark, the extenfive tribe of bitter medicines', as the gentians, &c. The natural in- firmities of mankind, and perhaps efpecially the vices to which civilized nations are fo propenfe, will always render the tonics moft neceffary implements in the hands of phyficians. * Comptonia afpleriifolia of Aiton. f See Schoepf,' p. IaX. ( "- \ Our woods poffefs feveral medicines which I aro_ inclined to think might to be ufed, with' advantage^ as fubftitutes for the Peruvian. bark^ Perhaps, moft of our Oaks, which are in general different, from the oaks of the old-world, are of this kind. Sufficient trials have not been made with them;. at leaft internally ufed. Externally fome of them have been employed with advantage. I have ufed the bark of the Spanifh oak* in gangrene, and I had every reafon to think it was, in this cafe, equal in power to the beft Peruvian bark. The bark of the Prunus Virginiana, or Wild-Cherry.tree, has. been ufed in intermittent fevers, and found ufeful. This is a very common tree. Its leaves are poifon- ous. to certain animals, as calves. Even the ber- ries intoxicate different kinds of birds. The barks of the Common Saffafras (Laurus Saffafras) and Pcr- fimmon (Diofpyros Virginiana) have likewife been found ufeful in intermittents. In the year 1793, I ufed the bark of the laft of thefe vegetables in an ulcerous fore throat, f Our Willows have not been attentively examined. We have feveral native fpe- cies and I believe they poffefs nearly the fame pro- perties which have been afcribed to the willows of * Quercus rubra montana of Marfhall. + Dr Woodhoufe has favoured us with fome interefting information concerning the Pcrfimmon. See his Inaugural Dotation. Philadelph*. 1792. ( I* ) Europe, * by Stone, Haller, and other writers. The Dogwood is a genus which feems well worthy of attention.. Of this, the Cornus of the botanifts, there are feveral fpecies in North-America. The moft common is the Cornus Florida, or Common Dogwood. I find this in every part of the United- States, It is one of our moft beautiful fhrubs. It flowers early in the fpring, and with fo much regu- larity, that fome of our fouthern tribes were accuf- tomed to name the fpring feafon from its flowering; The bark is confiderably aftringent. It has long been employed in intermittent fevers. A decodion of it has alfo been employed, and found very ufeful, in a malignant fever, called the yellow water, Ca- nada diftemper, &c. which, within the laft eight years, has carried off great numbers of the horfes in the United-States. The ripe fruit, or berries, infufed in fpirit or brandy, make an agreeable bit- ter. Our Indians employ an infufion of the flow- ers in intermittents, The fame infufion has been much recommended by fome in flatulent cholic. I have ufed it as a tea. The Cornus fericea, another fpecies, is called Red-Willow and Rofe-Willow ; which are very improper names. The bark of this is often mixed with tobacco and frnoken by the favages. It has Particularly the Salix alba, Salix pentandra, Salix latifolia, &c. ( '3 ) been found but little inferior to the common pale Peruvian bark, in intermittent fevers. This fpecies grows in wet places, on the fides of rivers, creeks, &c. and flowers in Auguft and September. I know nothing of the medical properties of the other na- tive fpecies of this genus; viz. Cornus Cartadenfis, Cornus Cincinata, &c. Many years ago, Zannichelli, and of late, Cuf- fon and other writers, recommended the bark of the iEfculus Hippocaftanum, or Common Horfe- Chefnut, as a fubftitute for the Peruvian bark. This iEfculus is not a native of America, though it thrives very well in the open ground of Pennfyl- vania, &c. But we have at leaft two native fpecies of the fame genus within the limits of the United- States.* Whether the bark of thefe poffefs the pro- perties which have been afcribed to the Hippocafta- num, I do not know. They deferve to be ex- amined. I must not omit to mention, under this head, the Magnolias. Of this fine genus, we have at leaft fix fpecies, viz. the Magnolia glauca, the acuminata, the tripetala, the grandiflora, the auriculata, and the Fraferi. I believe they all poffefs nearly one general affemblage of properties; but of this I am * JEfculus Pavia of Linnaeus, and iEfculus flava of Aiton. ( H ) not quite certain. The fpecies that is beft known to me is the glauca, commonly called Magnolia, Beaver-tree, and Swamp-Saffafras. The bark of this is an agreeable aromatic, tonic, bitter medicine. It has been ufed in intermittent fevers. ' The flow- ers have a powerful and to moft perfons an agreea- ble fmell. It is an emanation which muft be confi- dered as a potent ftimulant, or incitant. I am well acquainted with a phyfician in whom the newly- expanded flower evidently increafed the paroxyfm of a fever which came on every afternoon; and alfo increafed the pain of inflammatory gout. This is an interefting fad. In Virginia, a fpirituous tinc- ture of the cones, or feed-veffels, of the Magnolia acuminata, which is commonly called Cucumber- Tree, has been ufed, and we are told very advan- tageoufly, in rheumatic complaints.* The bark of the root of the Magnolia grandiflora, fometimes called Tulip-tree, is ufed in Florida, in combination with the Snake-root, as a fubftitute to the Peruvian bark, in the treatment of intermittent fevers. The flowers of the Magnolia tripetala, or Umbrella- tree, have a very powerful fmell. They often induce naufea and head-ache. I am inclined to think that the Cortex Anguf- turss, which has lately been introduced into medical * See Dr. Duncan's Medical Commentaries, for the year 1793. Vol. xviii. p. 4i$- ( *5 ) pradice, and is fo greatly celebrated as a tonic, by the praditibners of Britain, is the bark of fome fpecies of Magnolia. The Liriodendron Tulipifera, well known in the United-States, by the names of Tulip-Tree, Pop- lar, White-Wood, &c. is very clofely allied, by its botanical charader, to the Magnolias. They both belong to the fame clafs of the fexual fyftem, and both, I believe, poffefs nearly the fame properties. The ,bark of the Liriodendron is fometimes ufed in intermittents. Many perfons are of opinion, that in this cafe, it is but little inferior to the Peruvian bark. I have never employed it. The bark of the Populus tremula ? or Afpin ? has likewife been ufed in cafes of intermittent fe- vers. This is a powerful tonic, and deferves the attention of the American phyfician. It has been found very ufeful, as a ftomachic, in the difeafes of our horfes. ■»»■•' The Snake-root, the Ariftolochia Serpentaria, is one of the more ftimulating tonic bitters. It is certainly a valuable medicine, in the fecond ftage of certain fevers, after the inflammatory diathefis has been removed. It was ufed with great benefit, in a moft malignant fever, attended with carbuncles, ( io- ) which prevailed at Briftol, on the Delaware, in this ftate, in the years 1749 and 1753. Another fpecies of this genus, the Ariftolochia fipho of L'Heritier, grows in the neighbourhood of Pitts- burg, and in other parts of the United-States. This is a large, climbing plant. The root has a pungent, aromatic tafte, and for certain purpofes is perhaps preferable to the common Snake-root. I shall conclude this fubjed of tonics by obferv- ing, that we poffefs a good many of the bitter plants of Europe, which have long claimed the attention of phyficians. Our Gentians have not been care- fully examined. We have one fpecies which appears to be equal to any of the officinal kinds yet known... Sect. III. STIMULANTS, or INCITANTS. The clafs of Stimulants, or Incitants is fo very extenfive, that in order to exhibit a metho- dical or natural medical arrangement of thefe arti- cles, it would be neceffary to confider them under a number of different heads, or fedions. But this, in fuch a fketch as I offer you, does not appear ne- ceffary. I fhall content myfelf, therefore, with fpeaking of a few of our native ftimulant vegeta- ( >7 ) 'bles,-.under the two heads of fuch as are more gene-. rali and fuch as are more partial, or topical, in their operation. General Stimulants. I think that many of our different balfamic pro- duds may, with propriety, be confidered under the head of General Stimulants, though they are r certainly not the moft diffufible articles of this clafs. Such is the refin of the Populus balfamifera, called ■Baifam, or Tacamahaca-Tree. This is a native of North-America and of Siberia. The refin is pro- cured from the leaf-buds. This baifam is fo very penetrating, that it communicates its peculiar fmell and tafte to the flefh of certain birds which feed up- on the buds. It was formerly fuppofed, that the Tacamahaca of the fhops was the produce of this tree. But it feems more probable that it is the pro- duce of the Fagara odandra. The gum-refin which exudes from the Sweet- gum, or Maple-leaved Liquidambar-Tree, the Li- quidambar Styraciflua of Linnaeus, deferves to be mentioned. The ftorax of the fhops is thought to be the produce of this tree : but perhaps this point is not yet quite afcertained. I am informed that the produce of our tree has been ufed, with advan- C ( '8 ) tage, in diarrheas. Some of our fouthern Indians mix the dried leaves with tobacco, for fmoking. To the head of ftimulants I have no hefitation in referring a number of poifonous vegetables, with the properties of which we are not fo well acquainted as we ought to be. Such are the Datu- ra Stramonium, or James-town-weed, the Cicuta maculata, &c. The Datura is one of our moft common plants. It is certainly a medicine poffeffed of ufeful powers. The properties of this vegetable have lately been more fatisfadorily inveftigated by one of our mem- bers, Dr. Samuel Cooper. We have feveral native plants of the natural order umbelliferae. That defcribed by the late Dr. James Greenway, under the name of Cicuta vene- nofa, fhould be carefully inveftigated. This, from his account, muft either be a dired fedative, or a ftimulant, whofe firft operation is very foon accom- plifhed. It kills without inducing pain or convul- fions. Perhaps the plant with which fome of our Indians, when weary of life, deftroy themfelves, is the fame. < It grows in meadows, and has a root like a parfnip. Before 1 take leave of thefe poifonous plants, I may mention fome others whofe properties are but ( >9 ) little known. The firft is the Rhododendron max- imum, or Pennfylvania Mountain-Laurel. This is certainly a poifon. It is a fpecies of the fame genus as the Rhododendron Cryfanthmum, which has lately acquired much reputation in the cure of chronic rheumatifm. Nearly allied to the Rhododendron is the genus Kalmia. Of this we have feveral fpecies, and all of them are poifons. The Kalmia latifolia, or Broad-leaved Laurel, is beft known to us. It kills Iheep and other animals. Our Indians fometimes ufe a decodion of it to deftroy themfelves. In the county of Lancafter, an empiric has ufed the pow- dered leaves with fuccefs in certain ftages of fevers, and in tinea capitis. A decodion of the plant ex- ternally applied has often cured the itch; but it muft be ufed with great care, for thus applied it has been known to occafion difagreeable fubfultus, or ftartings, and convulfions. I have given the pow- der of this plant internally in a cafe of fever, and have thus, at leaft, afcertained that it may be ufed with fafety. The medical properties of our different fpecies of Andromeda and Azalea, which in botanical character are very nearly akin to the Rhododendron and Kalmia, are but little known to me. I have long fufpeded that they are poifons. A decodion of C 2° ) the Andromeda Mariana has been found ufeful as a warn in a difagreeable ulceration of the feet, which is not uncommon ^among the flaves, &c. in the fouthern ftates. The Gaultheria procumbens, which we call Mountain-Tea, is fpread very extenfively over the more barren, mountainous parts of the United-States. It belongs to the fame clafs as the plants juft menti- oned. I have made ufe of a ftrong infufion of this plant, which is evidently poneffed of a ftimulant and anodyne quality. I am told it has been found an ufeful medicine in cafes of afthma. But I have not learned to what particular forms of this difeafe it is befl adapted, nor in what manner it operates. Our native fpecies of Laurus deferve to be in- veftigated. The Camphor and the Cinnamon be- long to this genus: but hitherto, they have not been difcovered within the limits of the United- States. The properties of the Common Saffafras, which is a fpecies of Laurus, have not been fuffici- ently examined. It is the Laurus Saffafras of the botanifts. I have already mentioned the bark. Its oil feems to be an ufeful medicine. I have been af- fured that this oil has been found an efficacious me- dicine, externally applied, in cafes of wens. This looks probable ; for our medicine is nearly allied to camphor, which has been ufed with advantage in ( *• ) bronchocele. * I knew a woman in whom an in- fufion or tea of the root of the Saffafras always induced an oppreflion at breaft, with fighing, and depreffion of fpirits. During the late American war, neceflity drove the inhabitants, in many parts of the United-States, to feek for a fubftkute for fome of the fpices to which they had been accuftomed. They ufed the dried and powdered berries of the Laurus Benzoin, which we call Spice-Wood, and Wild-AJfpice-Bufh, and found them a tolerable fubftitute for alfpice.f The celebrated Gynfeng, or Panax quinquefoli- um, may, with propriety, be thrown into the clafs of ftimulants. I find it difficult to fpeak of this plant with any degree of certainty. If it were not a native of our woods, it is probable that we fhould import it, as we do the teas of China and Japan, at a high price. The Eryngium aquaticum, or Water-Eryngo, is one of the ftimulants which more efpecially ad as fudorific. It is nearly allied in its qualities to the * The oil rubbed upon the head has been found very ufeful in killing lice. The bark, efpecially that of the root, powdered and mixed with pomatum, has the fame effect. f « A deception of the fmall twigs makes an agreeable drink in flow fevers, and is much ufed by the country people. It is faid the Indian. efteemed it highly for its medicinal virtues." Reverend Dr. M. Cutler. ( 22 ) contrayerva of the fhops. It is one of the medi- cines of our fouthern Indians. They ufe the decoc- tion. Among the more acrid ftimulants of our coun- try, I may mention the Arum Virginicum, or In- dian-Turnip, as it is moft commonly called. I could wifh that the properties of this plant were examined with attention. The leaves of a plant a good deal allied to this, I mean the Dracontium pertufum of the botanifts, are employed, by the Indians of De- merara, in a very lingular manner, in the treat- ment of general dropfy. The whole body of the patient is covered with the leaves. An univerfal fweat, or rather vefcication, is induced, and the patient often recovers. Perhaps, it would be worth trying this pradice in cafes of anafarca, which have refilled the ufual modes of treatment,* Topical Stimulants. By the Topical Stimulants, I mean thofe ar- ticles which more efpecially increafe the adion or liv- ing powers of the parts to which they are applied, and which, at the fame time, generally produce a * This fact was communicated to me by my friend the late Mr. Julius Von Rohr, a gentleman whofe death is a real lofs to natural fcience, and perhaps an irreparable lofs to the interefts of an injured and diftreffed part of mankind; I mean the blacks. ( 23 ) difcharge of fluid from the part. The Cantharis is one of thefe articles : but of this, as an animal body, and not a native, I have nothing to fay. The bark of our White-Walnut, or Butternut, the Juglans cinerea of Wangenheim, is a pretty efficacious blifter. The bark of the root is more powerful than that of the ftem or branches. It has been applied with advantage, as a blifter, to the bite of fome of our venomous ferpents. I believe the bark of our Moofe-wood, or Leather-wood, the Dirca paluftris of Linnasus, is alfo a blifter. This plant, by its botanical habit, is nearly allied to the genus Daphne, all the fpecies of which are blifters; efpecially the Daphne Gni- dium. Some of our Indians make ufe of a plant, which, when mafhed a little, induces nearly as good a blif- ter as the cantharides. It has been ufed with ad- vantage in fciatica. I do not know this plant. The Ranunculus fceleratus, or Celery-leaved Crowfoot, is a very acrid plant. If it be bruifed, and laid upon any part of the body, it will, in a few hours time, raife a blifter. This plant is a na- tive of Europe and of America. The Ranunculus bulbofus, called Bulbous Crowfoot, and Butter- C M ) cups, poffefles the fame properties. This plant grows very plentifully in our meadows and fields j but I believe it is not a native. To this head of topical ftimulants, I may refer feveral fpecies of the genus Rhus, or Sumac; par- ticularly the Rhus radicans, or Poifon-vine; the Rhus Vernix, or Vernice-tree; and the Rhus Toxi- codendron, or Poifon-oak. In many perfons they induce a peculiar and very troublefome vefcication, which I have frequently removed, in a fhort time, by means of a mercurial wafh. Thefe plants are more adive in the fouthern than in the northern climates. They more readily poifon immediately af- ter than before a full meal. Their ftimulant effed is extended beyond the fkin. It is faid that the bark of one fpecies (but I cannot tell you what fpecies) has been found ufeful in intermittents. Sect. IV. ERRHINES. I have but little to fay under the head of Err- hines, or Sternutatory Medicines. Our native vegetables of this clafs, with the exception of the Tobacco, are but little known to me. Of the Tobacco, as being fo well known to you all, I need fay nothing. ( 25 ) The brown powder which is attached to the footftalks of the leaves of the Andromeda, the Kalmia, and the Rhododendron, formerly menti- oned to you, is confiderably errhine. The powder about the feeds*, in the feed-veffels of the fame vege- tables, poffeffes a fimilar quality. Whether this powder may be advantageoufly employed in prac- tice I cannot fay. We have many native fpecies of the genus Eu- phorbia, or Spurge. There can be little doubt, that fome of them are fternutative. Sect. V. SIALAGOGA. The number of Salivating Medicines is, I believe, much greater than has been commonly imagined. Perhaps, there are but few of the Incitant medicines which may not be fo managed as to falivate. Opium, camphor, and hemloe * all induce falivation. I am but little acquainted with our indigenous falivating vegetables. The Seneca Snake-root has long fince been obferved to poffefs this property. D * Conium maculatum. ( 26* > The Zanthoxylum Clava Herculis, or Afh-Ieaved Tooth-ach-Tree, is a very powerful ftimulant. Ap- plied to the mouth and internal fauces, it oceafions a copious flow of faliva. By this property it appears to be a good deal allied to the Pyrethrum, Cochle- aria, &c. I am informed that our plant is not merely an external fialagogue, but that even when taken into the ftomach, it exerts its effeds upon the fali- vary glands. I fpeak of the bark of the plant: but the feed-veffels have the fame property. This me- dicine has been given internally in cafes of rheuma- tifm. Sect. VI. EMETICS. Among the indigenous vegetables of our coun- try, there are feveral which are entitled to your at- tention as Emetics. Such are the Euphorbia Ipe- cacuanha, the Spiraea trifoliata, the Afarum Cana- denfe, &c. The firft of thefe, the Euphorbia Ipecacuanha, like all the fpecies of the genus, is an extremely adive plant. It is employed as an emetic by fome of the country-people. I do not know the dofe. I fuppofe it is fmall, for it belongs to the head of draftic emetics. I am not certain that it would be a valuable addition to the materia medica; but, perhaps, it would. There are many cafes in which C *7 ) we have occafion to make ufe of immediate and adive emetics; as when certain poifons, fuch as laudanum, &c. have been fwallowed. In fuch cafes it may poflibly be of much ufe. I can fpeak with more confidence of the Spiraea trifoliata. This is a fhrub, which grows very plen- tifully in various parts of the United-States. It- is one of the few adive plants of thp-daf&.kofandria, to which it belongs. The root, which is the part made ufe of, like that of the officinal ipecacuanha, confifts of a cortex or bark, and a ligneous or woody part. The adive power of the root feems to refide exclufively in the bark. It is a fafe and efficacious emetic, in dofes of about thirty grains. Along with its emetic, it feems to poffefs a tonic power. It has accordingly been thought peculiarly beneficial in the intermittent fever, and it is often given to horfes to mend their appetite. This plant has a number of different names, fuch as Ipecacu- anha, Indian-Phyfic, Bowman's Root, &c. We have feveral fpecies of the genus Afarum, or Afarabacca. I am beft acquainted with the Afarum Canadenfe, which is wellknownby the name of Wild-Ginger. In Virginia it is called Coltsfoot. Both the root and leaves may be ufed. The ex- preffed juice of the frefh leaves is a powerful emetic. ( 23 ) Some of our Indians alfo prepare an emetic from the bark of a certain vine, which a good deal refem- bles the Celaftrus fcandens of Linnaeus. This vine bears bunches of red berries of a fweetifh tafte, but of a poifonous nature. I know nothing of this plant from my own experience; but a gentleman * who has ufed it prefers it to every other emetic. The Indians make a decodion of the bark. A large dofe is required to produce the effed. This is cer- tainly an objedion againft its ufe, A decoction of the Eupatorium perfoliatum, or Thorough-wort, is alfo emetic. I might have ob- ferved, that this plant is ufed by our Indians as a medicine in intermittent fevers. The root of the Sanguinaria Canadenfisf has been mentioned to me as an emetic. I know no- thing particular of this property of the plant. I fhould have obferved, under the head of General Stimulants, that the feeds appear to poffefs nearly the fame quality as the feeds of the Datura Stra- monium. I have been affured, that the Six-Nations make ufe of at leaft twelve or fourteen different emetics. * Mr. John Heckewelder. •J- Called, in the United-States, Indian-Paint, Puccoon, Turmeric, &c. ( »9- ) All them, except the fulphat of iron, are vegeta- bles. It is probable that the Spiraea, Euphorbia Ipecacuanha, &c. are among the number of thefe vegetable emetics. I shall conclude this fubjed of emetics by recommending to your attention an examination of the properties of fome of our native fpecies of Viola, or Violet. I fufped it will be found, that the roots of fome of thefe are endued with an ufeful emetic quality. Sect. VII. CATHARTICS. We have many indigenous Cathartics. Some of them are well worthy of your attention. Thefe may be divided into two kinds, the milder, and the more draftic. Among the more mild, I may mention the Tri- ofteum perfoliatum, fometimes called Baftard-Ipe- cacuanha. This, when given in very large dofes, fometimes proves emetic ; hence the vulgar name. But I find it a good cathartic. The cortex, or bark, of the root is employed. I give it in dofes of twenty and thirty grains. On fome oceafions, it has feemed to operate as a diuretic. But this may have been only an accidental circumftance. Rhubarb fometimes produces the fame effed, as has been ob- ferved by C Pifo. (■ 3<> ) Nearly allied to the Triofteum, I mean in its properties, is the Afclepias decumbens. This is one of our moft beautiful and common plants. It has received many vulgar names, fuch. as Pleurify-root, Flux-root, Butterfly-weed; &c. It has been much celebrated in Virginia, as a remedy in dyfentery. I have ufed it, and I think witL advantage. I believe it does good principally by its purgative quality. The dole is from twenty to thirty grains of the root in powder. A great deal has been faid about the virtue of this vegetable in pleurify. The powder of this Afclepias is efcarotic, and has been found ufeful in reftraining fungous flefh in ul- cers. I believe this, and not the Poke, as has been fuppofed, is the plant which is employed by our fouthern Indians in cafes of venereal chancre. The dried fruit of our Papaw, or Cuftard-apple, the Annona triloba of Linnasus, is likewife pur- t gative. I can fay nothing of it from my own ex- perience. I know nothing, from experience, of the Mecha- meck, or Wild-Rhubarb, of fome of our Indians. It is, certainly, a fpecies of Convolvulus, orBind-weed, and I believe the Convolvulus panduratus, which in Virginia is called " wild potatoe." Its name Wild- Rhubarb, implies that it is a purgative. An ex- ( 3' ) trad but little, if any thing, inferior to the Scam- mony of the fhops, has been procured from one of our fpecies of Convolvulus. One muft have a good deal oi medical faith to believe what Catefby has faid concerning the remarkable power of the Convolvulus purpureus, or Purple-Bindweed.* More adive than any of the native purgatives which I have mentioned is the Podophyllum pel- tatum of Linnaeus. This is a very common plant through the whole of the United-States, and in other parts of North-America. It is known by a variety of names, fuch as May-apple, Mandrake, Ipecacuanha, Wild-lemons, &c. The fruit is ef- culent, and by many perfons is thought delicious. The leaves are poifonous.—It is the root which is ufed in practice. In dofes of twenty grains, it is an excellent cathartic. It has fome advantages over the rhubarb and jallap. It is moft advanta- geoufly ufed in combination with calomel, or the cryftals of tartar. I have heard much of the vir- tues of an extrad prepared of this root; but have never ufed it. There is a plant which was thought by Linnaeus to be a fpecies of the fame genus. He called it Podophyllum diphyllum. I have fhown, that it is * The Natural Hiftory of Carolina, &c. Vol. i. p. 3*- ( 32 ) a new genus.* I have not been able to colled a fufficient quantity of this to afcertain its powers; but, judging by the tafte and fmell, which it muft be confeffed are fometimes fallacious tefts, I fufped its root poffeffes the virtues of the May-Apple, or Podophyllum peltatum. The Caffia Marilandica, one of our fineft plants, belongs to the fame genus as the fenna of the fhops. The American fpecies poffeffes nearly the fame vir- tues as the eaftern fpecies. It is ufed as a purgative in different parts of the United-States. An extrad prepared from the inner bark of the Juglans cinerea, or Butternut*Walnut, has long been ufed as a purgative in the United-States. It is a valuable medicine. As it is often, however, very carelefsly prepared by the country-people, it has gone into fome kind of negled. It ought to be prepared by the better informed apothecaries, and have a place in the Pharmacopoeia of this country, WHEN SUCH A DESIDERATUM SHALL BE SUP- PLIED. The dofe of this extrad is from ten to thirty grains. I have thought it poffeffes fome- thing of an anodyne property. I have been told, that fome of our Indians ufe asi a cathartic a decodion of the bark of the root of * See Tranfa&ions of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. III. No. XU. ( 33 ) the Dirca paluftris, or Leather-wood, already mentioned to you. Of this property of the Dirca t know nothing farther. The decodion or powder of the root of the Poly- gala Senega, or Seneca Snake-root, is alfo a pur- gative. Dr. Cullen, indeed, thinks its purgative is its moft ftriking property, and therefore he ar- ranges it under his head of cathartics.* Some of our native fpecies of Iris, or Flag, are powerful cathartics. Such are the Iris verficolor and the Iris verna. They are both ufed by our fouthern Indians.! I can fay nothing certain con- cerning the dofe of thefe vegetables. It is doubtlefs fmall, for they are very adive plants. Several of the European fpecies of Iris are irritating cathartics. A species of Groton, or perhaps of Stillingia, is ufed in the fouthern ftates, as a cathartic. It enters into the compofition of a medicine which has ac- quired much celebrity in the cure of that hideous difeafe the Frambasfia, or Yaws, This plant grows E * « I have put it into the catalogue of purgatives, as this is the only operation of it that is conftantly very evident; and perhaps all its other virtues depend upon this." A Trcatife of the Materia Medica. Vol. II. p. 53a. Edinburgh; 1789, quarto. Mr. William Bartram. ( 34 ) fpontaneoufly on the dry, high lands of Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It is called Yaw-weed, and Cock-up-Hat. The Stillingia fylvatica, perhaps the very plant I have been fpeaking of, is faid to be a fpecific in the venereal difeafe.* Sect. VIII. DIURETICS. Diuretics havefo long been employed with be- nefit, in the treatment of dropfies, that it becomes a matter of confequence to increafe the number of the medicines of this clafs, and to learn how to exhibit, with more advantage, thofe which are already known. I do not mean by this obfervation to affert, that dropfies cannot be cured without the ufe of di- uretic medicines. On the contrary, I am perfuaded that they can, and often are, efpecially when the dropfy depends upon fever, or is conneded with it. But in the management of all kinds of dropfies, it is often neceffary to have recourfe to the ufe of diu- retics, and iDelieve that fome of the wbrft forms of this difeafe, fuch as hydrothorax, are moft effedu- ally cured by thefe medicines. The Digitalis pur- purea, fo much and fo juftly celebrated at prefent, is not, to my knowledge, a native of any part of * Bernard Romans fays, th; Jallap grows wild near Pcnfacola, in Florida. ( 35 ) America.* But we have feveral native diuretics, which deferve the attention of our phyficians. Such are the Seneca-Snake-root, the Lobelia fiphilitica, the Serratula fpicata, the Caffena, and others. The firft of thefe, the Polygala Senega of the botanifts, along with its diuretic, poffeffes an emetic, cathartic, expedorant, falivating, and diaphoretic power. I have already hinted at its falivating and cathartic operation. As a diuretic, it has been employed, and found ufeful, in dropfy, by Tennent, Bouvart, and other writers. I am informed that it has lately been ufed, with great fuccefs, in the treatment of the cynanche trachealis, or croup, by Dr. Archer of Maryland. He ufes a ftrong de- codion of the root, which operates as an emetic, cathartic, and expedorant.f This medicine fome- times operates fo powerfully as a fudorific, that I have been affured it has been known to remove por- tions of the mucous body, or rete mucofum, from * This plant, however, bear, extremely well the open ground of Penn- fylvania. f There is a fpecies, or rather variety, of croup, which I have fome- times called the Bronchial Hives. In this there does not appear to be any reafon to fufpecft the exiftence of a preternatural membrane in the trachea : but thedifeafedependsupon theprefence of large quantities of mucus, which exifts in a loofe ftate in the ramifications of the trachea. I believe tins fpecies is much more common than the other, which might be called Cy- nanche trachealis coriacea. In the bronchial hives, I have found ftrong coffee of evident ufe: but the difeafe often requires a much more adwe treat- ment. The Seneca fhould have a trial. ( 3« ) the fkin of blacks who have ufed it. I do not vouch for the truth of this fad: but I muft confefs that to me the circumftance does not feem improbable. Our Indians ufe a decodion of this root in fyphilis. I have no confidence in the powers which have been afcribed to the Seneca, in curing the bite of the rat- tle-fnake. Befides the Polygala Senega, we have fer veral other native fpecies of this genus. I do not know how far they poffefs the powers which have been afcribed to the Seneca itfelf. It is probable that they only differ in degree. Kiernander, a long time ago, remarked that the Polygala vulgaris, which grows fpontaneoufly in Europe, poffeffes, though in a lefs eminent degree, the virtues of the celebrated American fpecies.* The Lobelia fiphilitica is alfo confiderably diure- tic. This plant was purchafed from the northern Indians, by the late Sir William Johnfon, as a reme- dy in the venereal difeafe : hence its fpecific name, fiphilitica. I do not believe, after paying fome at- tention to the fubjed, that this plant has cured con- firmed fyphilis. I know that the Indians, even thofe who are beft acquainted with the plant, are glad to have an opportunity of applying to the whites for relief, when they have the difeafe. They certainly do not truft the cure entirely to the Lobe- * See his paper, entitled Radix Senega, in the fecond vohjme of the Amoenitates Academics, ( 37 ) Ha. They ufe the bark of the wild cherry (Prunus Virginiana), the root of the May-apple (Podophyl- lum peltatum), and many other plants.* I believe, however, that the Lobelia has been of fervice in the difeafe. In gonorrhea it has certainly performed a cure; but the tendency of the conftitution, unaid- ed by medicines, to get rid of this complaint, is well known. I may here obferve, that gonorrhea ap- pears to be much more common among the Indians than fyphilis. The Lobelia feems to operate chief- ly by its diuretic quality. From their ignorance of botany, many perfons in the weftern country have been ufing a plant, which they call Lobelia, in the fame complaints. I have received fpecimens of the plant under the name of Lobelia. It proves to be the Serratula fpicata, or Spiked Sawrwort. There is good reafon to believe, that it has been found ufe- ful, not only in venereal complaints, but alfo in cafes of nephritis calculofa, or gravel. Thus igno- rance fometimes leads to knowledge. This fuppof- ed Lobelia is a powerful diuretic. The Indians fometimes drink the decodion of it fo ftrong that it oceafions gleets.t It is the root of the plant * I do not believe that the difeafe of fyphilis was known among the North-American Indians before they became acquainted with the whites, Mr. John Heckeweldcr informs me, that the Indians fpeak of it as a fo- reign difeafe communicated by the whites. f They cure thefe gleets by eating turpentine, as I am informed by Colonel Winthrop Sargent. An old Indian affured this gentleman, that ( 38 ) which is commonly employed, but the flowers and the leaves may alfo be ufed. An infufion of another fpecies of Lobelia, I be- lieve the Lobelia inflata, has been found very ufeful in the leucorrhoea, or whites. It is a ladefcent, and very adive plant. I do not know that this ads as a diuretic, and it would have been more proper to have mentioned the plant under the head of ftimu- lants. The Caffena is a fpecies of Ilex, or Holly. It is the Ilex vomitoria of Aiton, and is a native of Ca- rolina, Weft-Florida, &c. It has been called South-Sea-tea, or Evergreen Cafline. It is thought to be one of the moft powerful diuretics hitherto difcovered. It is held in great efteem among the fouthern Indians. They toaft the leaves and make a decodion of them. It is the men alone that are a decodion of this Serratula cures fyphilis in all its forms. Dr. Allifon, one of the army-phyficians, has an high opinion of the plant, in this difeafe. I am told Dr Bedford, of Pittfburg, has found it an efficacious medicine in the gravel. It certainly ought to have a fair trial in thefe difeafes. The teti Major Jonathan Hart affured me, that the Indians northweft of the Ohio could not cure confirmed fyphilis. He faid the Lobelia (I fuppofe the Serratula fpicata) had been of fervice in flight cafes : but he was perfua- ded that the Indians would fall victims to the general complaint, if they were to truft wholly to their own remedies. A Mr. Wilfon, who is well acquainted with the Indians, particularly the Delawares and Shawnccfe, moft confidently afferts, that they cannot cure the venereal difeafe, " when it gets into the blood;" but that they can cure the gonorrhea. He alfo faid, they can remove the venereal difeafe for a time, but " that it will break out again." ( 39 ) permitted to drink this decodion, which is called Black Drink. The Medeola Virginica grows plentifully in the vicinity of this city, and in almoft every other part of the United-States. Its root is white, and taftes a good deal like the cucumber, which has given the plant the name of Cucumber-root. I am told that this root is diuretic, and has cured dropfies. The fenfible qualities of the plant do not promife much; but this does not prove that it is not an ufeful medi- cine. Sect. IX. ANTHELMINTICS. Of the clafs of medicines called Anthelmin- tics, or deftroyers and expellers of worms, we have feveral which are entitled to your notice. One of the moft celebrated of thefe is the Carolina Pink- root, the* Spigelia Marilandica of Linnaeus. This is a very common plant in our fouthern ftates. It is a valuable medicine, as has been demonftrated by the phyficians of Europe and of this country. It is commonly given in the form of an infufion, or tea; but I prefer the exhibition of it in powder. It has been accufed of occafioning, for a fhort time, a dif- agreeable affedion of the eyes. But this effed may often be prevented by combining with the Spigelia fome of the common Virginia Snake-root. The ( 46 ) Cheerake-Indians have fo high an opinion of this plant, that it would fometimes be dangerous for a perfon to be deteded in digging it up, to carry it out of the country. The whites learned the anthelmin- tic powers of this vegetable from the Indians. The Spigelia is faid to poffefs other valuable properties. Infufed in wine, it has been found an ufeful medi- cine in intermittent fevers. But I can fay nothing particular concerning the precife mode of admi- niftering it in this cafe. The Chenopodium anthelminticum grows plenti- fully in the United-States. It is commonly called Worm-feed. The whole plant has a moft powerful fmell, of which it is very retentive. The tafte is bitter, with a good deal of aromatic acrimony. The root of the May-apple, (Podophyllum pel- tatum), which I have mentioned to you under the head of cathartics, has often been found to operate as an anthelmintic. It is ufed as fuch by the Chee- rake, and other fouthern Indians. Whether it ope- rates by its cathartic quality exclufively, or partly by fome other quality, deleterious to the worms, I cannot fay. The whites learned from the Indians the anthelmintic power of this plant.* * The beft time for gathering the may-apple, for medical purpofes, is the autumn, when the leaves have turned yellow, and are about falling off. The Indians dry it in the fhade, and powder it for ufe. ( 4" ) The Helleborus foetidus, or Stinking Heilebore, has been mentioned as a powerful anthelmintic, by * Biffet, and other European writers. It has been ufed in this country, and has been found very effi- cacious. It is fuppofed to have been the worm- medicine of a Dr. Witt, who acquired much repu- tation by the ufe of it.* The Cheerake ufe a decodion of the root of the beautiful Lobelia Cardinalis, or Cardinal-Flower, as a remedy againft worms. I have already mentioned the diuretic quality of another fpecies of this genus, the Lobelia fiphilitica. The feeds of the Common Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum) have alfo been found ufeful as an anthel- mintic. The Silene Virginica, or Ground-Pink, as it is called in fome parts of our country, is another native anthelmintic. A decodion of the root is ufed, and is faid to have been found a very effica- cious remedy.f F * I am indebted to Dr. Adam Kuhn for this information. He fays that Witt ufed the powder of the leaves in combination with the ethiops mine- ral. f From the information of my friend the late Dr. James Greenway, cf Virginia. ( 42 ) I have not loft all confidence in the anthelmin- tic powers afcribed to the Polypodium vulgare, or Male-Fern. I do fuppofe, however, that too much has been afcribed to this plant. We have feveral native fpecies of this genus, which it would, at leaft, be a matter of curiofity to examine. The Polypodium Virginianum grows about this city, and probably poffeffes the fame powers as the Eu- ropean fpecies. A plant, called the " Pride of India," has lately been mentioned as an excellent anthelmintic. The bark of the root has been ufed as fuch in South- Carolina. This vegetable, the Melia Azedarach of Linnseus, is not a native of our country.* I shall conclude this account of anthelmintics by obferving, that the fouthern Indians drefs all their difhes, prepared of the Indian-corn, or maize, (Zea Mays) with a ftrong lixivium, or lye, of the afhes of bean-ftalks and other vegetables, in order to prevent the generation of worms. They are of opinion that this grain nourifhes the worms ex- ceedingly. Nor is this opinion peculiar to the In- dians. * Mr. Andrew Michaux informed me, that in Perfia, where this planf grows fpontaneoufly, the pulp which invefts the ftone of the feed is pound- ed with tallow, and ufed as an " antifphoric," in cafes cf tr.ca capitis in children. ( 43 ) I have thus, Gentlemen, endeavoured to prefent you with a fpecimen, or rather rude outline, of an Effay towards a Materia Medica of the United- States. My objed has been a colledion of fads. I could have wifhed for more leifure to have purfued the fubjed : but that leifure I do not poffefs. I hope, however, that with all its imperfedions, I have pre- fented you with a fketch which will not prove un- acceptable to you. I have opened a path which deferves to be trod by you all. The man who difcovers one valuable new medi- cine is a more important benefador to his fpecies than Alexander, Caefar, or an hundred other con- querors. Even his glory, in the eftimation of a truly civilized age, will be greater, and more lad- ing, than that of thefe admired ravagers of the world. I will venture to go farther. All the fplendid difcoveries of Newton are not of fo much real utility to the world as the difcovery of the Pe- ruvian bark, or of the powers of opium and mer- cury in the cure of certain difeafes. If the diftance of time, or the darknefs of hiftory, did not pre- vent us from afcertaining who firft difcovered the properties of the Poppy, that " fweet oblivious anti- dote" for alleviating pain, and for foothing, while the memory remains, thofe rooted forrows which difturb ourhappinefs; if we could tell who firft difr- vered the mighty ftrength of Mercury in ftrangling the hydra .( 44 ) of pleafures and of generation ; if we could even afcertain who was the native of Peru, that firft experienced and revealed to his countrymen the powers of the Bark in curing intermittent fevers; would not the civilized nations of mankind, with one accord, concur in ereding durable monuments of granite and of brafs to fuch benefadors of the fpecies ? Would not even the favage, who wants not a fenfe of benefits conferred upon him, be feen to form the tumulus of ftones, or to raife the green fod, the only monuments his humble condition would admit of his ereding ? And may we not yet look for the difcovery of medicines as important to mankind as opium, the bark, and mercury ? For this purpofe, the difcovery of new and valua- ble medicines, your fituation, Gentlemen, (I addrefs myfelf at prefent, more efpecially to the younger part of my audience); for this purpofe, your fitua- tion is peculiarly happy. In the purfuit of one of the moft dignified and moft ufeful of all the fciences, you are placed in an extenfive country, the produdions of which have never been invefti- gated with accuracy, or with zeal. From this fchool, I will venture to call it the punclum Jaliens of the fcience of our country, you are to fpread yourfelves over the happieft and one of the faireft portions of the world. In whatever part of this vaft continent you may be placed, you will find an abun^ ( 45 ) dant field of new and interefting objeds to reap in. The volume of nature lies before you: it has hard- ly yet been opened: it has never been perufed. But by your afliftance, the knowledge of the natural produdions of our country may be greatly extended, and travellers fhall then no longer upbraid us with an utter ignorance of the treafures which an all-bene- volent Providence has fo largely bellowed upon us. May I not flatter myfelf that among the number of thofe whom I am now addreffing, there are fome of you for whom medical difcoveries of importance are referved? difcoveries which would add a luftre to your names, whilft they would enfure to you that which is much more to be defired, in this mixed fcene of affairs, an happinefs that is imbofomed in the hap- pinefs of one's country, and the world. appendix, CONTAINING ILLLTSTRATIONS and ADDITIONS. JiT AGE 14. "I am well acquainted with a phyfician," &c. The room in which the flowers of the Magnolia glauca produced the effeds here mentioned, was not a fmall one, and was well aired. It was in the month of June. I ought to have obferved, under the head of Tonics, that the Menyanthes trifoliata, or Marfh-Trefoil and Bog-bean of the Englifh, is a native of our country. It grows fpontaneoufly in Pennfylvania. This is certainly an active plant, and if we can depend upon the half of what has been faid of its virtues, it deferves a place in the Pharmacopoeia of every country. Page 18. Dr. Samuel Cooper. See his valuable Inaugu-. ral DiiTertation on the Properties and Effects of the Da- tura Stramonium, &c. Philadelphia; 1797. Page 18. Cicuta venencfa. In Virginia, this plant is called Wi!d-Carrot, Wild-Parfnip, Fever-Root, and ^ock-Eel-root. See Tranfadions of the American Phi- lofor'hiccu Socictv. Vol. Hi, No. x>:ix. ( 47 ) Page 19. Kalmia latifolia. In South-Carolina, this beau- tiful fhrub is called " Calico-Tree." Pages 19, 20. " A decodion of the Andromeda Mari- ana has been found ufeful as a wafh, in a difagreeable ul- ceration of the feet, which is not uncommon among the flaves, &c. in the fouthern ftates." This complaint is Very common, particularly among the negroes, and the poorer fort of white people, in Carolina, Georgia, &c. It is called " Toe-Itch and Ground-Itch." It is a kind of ulcerous excoriation between the toes, fome- times extending as high as the inftep, and is attended With moft intolerable itching. It is probably, in a great meafure, the confequence of inattention to cleanlinefs. Is it occafioned by particular infeds? Some perfons, with whom I have converfed on the fubjed, are of opinion, that it is owing to the great warmth of the waters to the feuthward, in which the inhabitants are accuftomed to wade a great deal. The difeafe is fometimes feen in Pennfylvania. Befides the Andromeda Mariana, or Broad- leaved Moor-wort, a decoaion of the leaves of the Kalmia latifolia is ufed for the cure of this complaint. The de- codion of the leaves of both thefe plants is ufed. They are both called " Wicke" to the fouthward. Page 2t."l knew a woman," &c. She was a flout, and feemingly very hearty, woman. She informed me, that a lady of her acquaintance was affeded in the fame way by this tea. I could not learn whether the flowers of the Saffafras produced a fimilar effed. Pa-e 24. Rhus, or Sumac. " It is faid that the bark of one fpecies (but I cannot tell you what fpecies) has been four.d ufeful in intermittents." Perhaps it is the ( 48 ) bark of the Rhus glabrum, or Smooth Pennfylvania Su^ mac. In fome parts of our country, this fpecies is called " Indian Salt." Was it ufed as a condiment to their food by the Indians ? The berries of this fpecies are ufed as a mordant, or fixer, for the red colour with which they die their porcupine quills. They ufe other mordants for the fame purpofe. The juice of the Upland-Su- mac (Rhus glabrum ?) is faid to be excellent for remov- ing warts, and alfo tetters. It is applied to the affeded parts. Page 27. u The expreffed juice of the frefh leaves" of the Afarum Canadenfe, " is a powerful emetic." I fhould have obferved that the leaves are errhine. " Afari canadenfis radices fuaveolentes in petio vino fermentanti immerfae, liquorem gratiorem reddunt." Cornutus, as quoted by Schoepf, p. 73. Page 30. Afclepias decumbens.—The Afclepias de- cumbens, and the Afclepias tuberofa, of Linmeus, appear to me to be merely varieties of the fame fpecies. Dr. Schoepf (page 160) mentions a plant which he fays is called in Maryland, Butterfly-root, and Pleurify-root. He fays he has not feen the plant; but that the name Butterfly- root feems to fhew that it belongs to the clafs of Dia- delphia. I fufped this plant is no other than the Afcle- pias decumbens. It is called Butterfly-weed, &c. be- caufe its flowers are often vifited by the butterflies. Page 35. Polygala Senega. If this plant has been found fo ufeful in pleurify as it is faid to have been, by Tennent, and other writers, I cannot fuppofe it has been in genuine inflammatory pleurify, unlefs previously to the ( 49 ) exhibition of the medicine, the lancet has been liberally ufed. In the pleurify, as it is called, which prevails in the low and marfliy countries, it is not improbable it has been of real ufe. This is a true intermittent or remittent, at- tended with a local pain, either in the fide, or in the/ head. When it is in the head, the difeafe is called (a ridiculous name) the pleurify in the head. In either cafe, it is a complaint in which cordial medicines, and fuch the Seneca is, have been exhibited with advantage. Almoft an hundred years ago, the Reverend Dr. Cot- ton Mather mentioned an American plant, called " Par- tridge-berries," as being excellent for curing dropfy. A decoftion of the leaves is to be drank as a tea, for feveral days. It difcharges, he fays, a vaft quantity of urine, as long as the difeafe lafls, " after which it may be drank without provoking urine obfervably. Gouty perfons drink it with benefit."* I take the plant mentioned by Mather, to be the Mitchella repens of Linnxus. This is a very common plant in every part of the United-States. In New-England, it is called Partridge-berry. Catefby has given us a wretched figure of it. I know nothing of the powers of this plant. I could mention fome of the fuper- ftitious notions of our Indians concerning it. Page 40. Chenopodium anthelmintic urn. This is alfo called Jerufalem-oak. It is the feeds that are ufed. * The Philofophical Tranfadlons, Abridged. Vol. V. Part ii. p. 160, THE END. V/Z ★ * ARMY * * MEDICAL LIBRARY Cleveland Branch NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NLM DDTflfiTET *. NLM009889299