598

ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

Fic. 98

ascertained on this point. One fact, indeed,seems to have been fully established, viz-that moisture, which was formerly thoughtto be the fertile source of the spur, haslittle, if any thing, to do with it (Pliillipar,op. cit. 126 ; also, Bauer, MSS.)

Commerce. —Ergot is imported fromGermany , France , and America . Mr.Butler, of Covent Garden Market, tells methat about l-§ tons were imported last year.The duty is five shillings per cwt.

Description of the Ergot. —Spurredrye, or ergot ( ergota , L.), consists of grainswhich vary in length from a few lines to aninch, or even an inch and a half, and whosebreadth is from half a line to four lines-Their form is cylindrical or obscurely tri-angular, with obtuse angles, tapering at theextremities (fusiform), curved like the spur ofa cock, unequally furrowed on two sides,often irregularly cracked and fissured. Theodour of a single grain is not detectable, butof a large quantity is fishy, peculiar, andnauseous. The taste is not very marked,but is disagreeable, and very slightly acrid-The grains are externally purplish brownor black, somewhat glaucous, moderatelybrittle, the fractured surface being tolerablysmooth, and whitish or purplish white. Theirsp. gr. is somewhat greater than that of water,though when thrown into this liquid the)usually float at first, owing to the adhereoair. The lower part of the grain is som e 'what heavier than the upper.

When examined by the microscope, th°glaucous condition of the grains is fom 1to depend on the presence of numeroussporidia of the Ergotaetia abortifacieoS -tissue ofof longitudinally-elongated cells. T b ®Slar tiS 1U f' nal ,?°;' tlo n «<' the ergot is composed of the roundedST’ he "'I " having the {orm and regularity of the cells of tb«InTach of y n r"’ th ° Ugh the y are smaller (Phoebus, p. 10});

Ouekptt ct t 6 Ce ^ re , ^ r0m one to three rounded bodies, which, ^ 'mnt n i 6S - a r gl °, bules of oil > for they are lighter than water, are «°b™, Y A dln f’ but are soluble in ether. If the structure of erg 0„ uune a er the grains have been dried and remoistened, the ti £Sl1presents a most irregular appearance.

the ClL P- / 04 ) regards the inner substance of the ergot

violet 1 albume ?’ for the embryo does not appear to be formed. ^

derrerl f C f SldcrS to be the external (or external and intern®"egenerated seed-coat. The little heart-shaped body (Miilchen) at the tojof the ergot (fig. 97, h) he regards as the remains of he degenerated a»°

Secale cornutum.