ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

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Its

1. Volatile Oil of Cassia (Oleum Cassia , E.)—It is procured from cassia-lign ea : cl|] .mode of preparation, properties, and composition, are analogous to those of oil o j sliamon. Its odour and flavour are much inferior to those of the latter. Its c°to

pale yellow. Nitric acid converts it nearly into a uniform crystalline mass.

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appear that the oil which Dumas and Peligot (Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. 1 V1I ‘examined as oil of cinnamon, was, in fact, oil of Chinese cassia.

2. Resin .—Is peculiar, tasteless, yellowish-brown, soft (Bucholz). nfa&f

3. Tannic Acid. — Must have been contained in what Bucholz termed S(astringent) extractive.

Chemical Characteristics. —Sesquichloride of iron rendersof cassia-lignea dark green, and causes a precipitate ( tannate of lTGelatin also produces a precipitate ( tannate of gelatin). . jj,i

Physiological Effects. —Similar to those of cinnamon. Sun 1{Heilmittell. Bd. ii. S. 199, 3tte Aufl.) regards it as being ro° retrin gent.

Uses. —Are the same as those of cinnamon.

Administration. —Dose, gr. x. to 3ss. jj

1. Aqua Cassias, E. — (Cassia-bark, bruised, §xviii. ; Water, ^

Rectified Spirit , f § iii. Mix them together, and distil off one g 3 * j

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Used as an aromatic vehicle for other medicines. It is usually l ,re l :from the oil in the same

2 . Spibitus Cassias, E.—(Cassia, in coarse powder, lb. i*l ll ^i

Spirit, Ovij. Macerate for two days in a covered vessel; add a p lD _ j sa half of water, and distil off seven pints). Dose, f 3 i. to f3i'’-usually prepared by adding oil of cassia to proof spirit. jjjj.

3. Tinctuba Cassia, E.—(Cassia, in moderately fine powder* ^

& 3 iij.; Proof Spirit, Oij. Digest for seven days, strain, exp resSresiduum strongly, and filter. This tincture is more conveniently 1 aby the process of percolation, the cassia being allowed to macerate ^little of the spirit for twelve hours before being put into the percoDose, f5i. to fsii. Used as an adjuvant to tonic infiisions. sg ia

4. Oleum Cassije, E.—(Prepared by distillation from the c 0 flignea). Dose, gtt. i. to gtt. iv. Employed in the same cases as jcinnamon. Principally used in the preparation of aqua casst@spiritus cassia.

Cam'phora officina'rum, Nees, E .—The Camphor Tree.

Laurus Camphora, Linn. L. D.

Sex. Syst. Enneandria, Monogynia.

(Concretum sui generis sublimatione purificatum, L .—Camphor, E. —Camphors, ^ ^

History. —The ancient Greeks and Romans do not appear t0been acquainted with camphor. C. Bauhin and several subs*! ywriters state that Aetius speaks of it; but I have been unable to fi° ^0.notice of it in his writings ; and others (Alston, Led. on the M at 'L it-vol. ii. p. 406) have been equally unsuccessful in their search 'Avicenna (lib. ii. tract, ii. cap. 134) and Serapion (De temp■ *cccxxxiv.) speak of it: the latter calls it kaphor, and erroneouslyDioscorides. Simeon Seth (De aliment, faculty, who lived in th®. j e lcentury, describes it; and his description is considered, both by v o; jg),(Arzneim. Bd. i. S. 80) and by Sprengel (Hist, de la Med. t. ii. P' "to be the earliest on record. n ak e ^ -

Botany. Gen. Ciiab. — Flowers hermaphrodite, panicled, ^ jjiCalyx six-cleft, papery, with a deciduous limb. Fertile stamens n