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LECTURESON

MATERIA MEDICA AND

THERAPEUTICS,NOW IN COURSE OF DELIVERY

AT THE

WINDMILL-STREET SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.

BY

GEORGE G. SIGMOND, M.D.

LECTURE XXIX.

(Conclusion of that division of the Course whichincludes the sedatives, anodynes, and sopo-rijics.) )

THE URTICÆ.—Opposite qualities of membersoj’the nettle tnibe. Poisoning from touchingthe urtica crenulata. Venornous qualitiesof the devil’s leaf. Structure of the sting ofthe nettle. Figs; some poisonous ; othersused as poultices. - HUMULUS LUPULUS.

Use of the hop in beer. Its locality, nante,botanical characters, and cultivation. Im-

portartt principle in agricultural. Prepa-ratiox of hops for the market. Destructive

fly which irfests the plant.—COCULUS INDI-cus. Adulteration of beer therewith. Its

principle, picrotoxine. Poisoning withboth. Hocussing. Intoxicatiort with cocu- IIus indicus. Its medicinal uses.—Employ-ment of glichoma lcederotcea and other plantsin beer. Amboise. Tobacco.—LUPULINE.Its separation from the hop, and use in beer.Oil of lupulia. Domestic use of the hop.Its remedial value. Use of beer as a beve-rage. Acidity in the stomach. Prepartt-tions of hop and lupuline. Sleeplessness.—Conclusion of this branch of the presentCourse of Lectures.

THE NETTLE TRIBE.

GENTLEMEN:—The urticae, or the nettle-tribe, in which the upas tree of Java isfound, is remarkable for the variety of effectsproduced by the different species, for, whilstsome are highly nutritious and agreeable,others are venomous and narcotic ; amongstthe former we have the fig, the bread fruit,and the mulberry ; amongst the latter, thecannabis sativa, or hemp, the leaves ofwhich are narcotic, and are said by Lix-NÆUS, to have, " vis narcotica, phantastica,dpmentans, anodyna, et repellens," and fromwhich the Hottentots prepare an intoxica-ting beverage. Also the hop, or humuluslupnlus, which is considered to be nar-

cotic, tonic, and diuretic; and the dilfer-ent species of urtica, one of which, theurtica crenulata, is highly dangerous, evenwhen touched. An instance of this is given

by LESCHENHAULT DE L TOUR: whilst in thebotanic garden at Calcutta, one of the leavesslightly touched the first three fingers of hisleft hand ; at the time he only perceived aslight pricking, to which he paid no atten-tion. This was at seven in the morning.The pain continued to increase ; in an hourit had become intolerable, it seemed as ifsome one was rubbing his fingers with a hotiron. Nevertheless, there was no remarka-ble appearance; neither swelling, nor pus.tule, nor inflammation ; the pain rapidlyspread along the arm, as far as the armpit.He was then seized with frequent sneezing,and a copious running at the nose, as if hehad caught a violent cold in the head ; aboutnoon, he experienced a painful contractionof the back of the jaws, which made himfear an attack of lock-jaw ; he then went tobed, hoping that repose would alleviate hissuffering, but it did not abate ; on the con-trary, it continued nearly the whole of thefollowing night, but he lost the contractionof the jaws about seven in the evening.The next morning the pain began to leavehim, and he fell asleep, he continued tosuffer for two days, and the pain returnedin full force, when he put his hand intowater; he did not finally get rid of the painfor nine days. Another individual, who wasstung, suffered much in the same manner,and described the pain he endured to be asif boiling water was being poured over him.The effects of the daotiti satan, or devil’s

leaf, are still more venomous; they are saidto have occasioned death.The stings of the nettle present to our

view a very curious and extraordinary pieceof mechanism. There is even a strong resem-blance in them to the dreadful fang of therattle-snake ; for each is formed of a tubularstilet which is perforated somewhere nearthe extremity ; at the lower end it enlargesinto a receptacle ; at the bottom of this,amongst the cellular substance of the plantis seated a gland, whose function it is tosecrete a juice, more or less venomous; thisis accumulated in the hollow receptacle, andwhen any pressure takes place, and some-times the slightest touch is sufficient, thetubular stilet pushes its needle-like pointinto the flesh, and at the same moment thepoison which is collected in the receptacleascends, and is poured into the cellularsubstance under the skin through the tube.The nettle has been employed as a rubefa-

cient, and urtication, or the application ofthe urtica dioica to paralytic limbs, or intorpid and lethargic affections, has beettfound very successful; the young shoots, ortops, are gathered by the rustic classes toboil in broth or gruel; the juice of the leaveshas been employed in hemoptysis ; a con-

serve of the flowers and of the seed allaysirritation in the kidneys, and, where stoneexists, has been given, as an anodyne, withvery good effect ; a leaf of the nettle placed

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upon the tongue, and pressed hardly against leg. Professor BURNETT, whose love forthe palate, has a very instantaneous eflectin philology was one of his particular chr-bleeding at the nose. Even some of the racteristics, thinks it comes from a -’rb,species of the fig are narcotic and poisonous; meaning to climb, and that it was inded

thus, the licus toxicaria is highly poisonous ; to describe the peculiar habits of the plant.most of them have, however, the reputation The hop has a perennial root; it rises byof being generally demulcent) and slightly several weak, twining, angular, rough stems;laxative; they have long been employed in it does not climb by tendrils, but ascends adomestic medicine as poultices, and our prop, trees, or shrubs, on poles, or inolder writers on 11 Materia Medica," ascribe hedges ; it is often made to reach thetheir introduction into use, in this way, to height of twenty feet or more, always withtheir being mentioned in Isaiah for the cure the sun, that is, from right to left, or fromof Hezekiah, when "sick unto death." For east to west by the south ; this direction isIsaiah had said, "Let them take a lump of followed by some other plants, such as thefigs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, honey-suckle, and the black-briony, whilstand he shall recover." "This," as Professor most of the leguminous plants, such as theBURNET, observes, "was two hundred and kidney-bean, turn the contrary way. Thesixty years before the time of HIPPOCRATES, leaves are opposite, heart-shaped, serrated,and is the most ancient cataplasm of which entire, three or five lobed, of a deep greenhistory makes mention. Of this tribe, the colour, and sustained on long foot-stalks,humulus lupulus, or hop, is most important, which, as well as the leaves, are rough, withand requires some share of our attention, minute prickles. The stipules are two orboth as medicinal and dietetic. four, heartshaped, bifid at each joint. The

, flowers, which are on distinct plants, areHUMULUS LUPULUS. THE Her. axillary or terminal,and furnished withbrac-

The hop is indigenous to this country, al- tea?. The males are on branched pedunclesthough its use in our domestic beverage did of a greenish yellow colour; the calyx isnot come into fashion until the reign of formed of five oblong, concave, minutely ser-Henry VIIL, when its utility was first rated sepals; there is no corolla; the filamentstaught us by the Flemish beer makers; at are five, they are short, and have oblongfirst, it does not seem to have met with very anthers. The females are in axillary, stalk-general approbation, for we learn from ed, ovate, drooping catkins, composed ofBLITH, that the good people of the city of membranous scales of a pale green colour,London petitioned against two articles, and containing the germen, which is small,which are now considered indispensable to having two very short reflex styles, and awl-our comfort, Newcastle coal, and hops; the shaped downy stigmas.latter nuisance was complained of " in re- The season which, for planting hops,gard they would spoyle the taste of drink the planters in Kent prefer, are the monthsand endanger the people;" we find soon, of October and March; the latter month ishowever, that they came into general vogue; generally the best; all that is to be done isand PARki-NSON observes, "The ale which to keep in the first months the land free fromour forefathers were accustomed only to weeds; about the month of May the grounddrink, being of a thicker kind of drinke is to be dug up, raising small hills aboutthan beere, is now almost quite left off to the plant. I believe one of the most import-be made ; the use of hops to be put therein ant duties to be attended to, with regardaltering the quality thereof to be much more to all medicinal plants, is the attention tohealthfull, or rather physicaIl to preserve the digging up or hoeing the soil occasion-the body from expletion of grosse humours ally. My friend, Mr. MOORE, who certainlywhich the ale engendered." understands this subject from long practicalThis plant grows spontaneously, in hedges experience, better than any person who

and bushy places, in moist rich soil, in al- farms for the drug market, has ample reasonmost all parts of Europe, and likewise in to congratulate himself on his attention toNorth America. FUCHSIUS tells us, that it this point. It is one to which TULL, in hisis the same as the bruo of the Greeks, and daytlzehestagriculturist, called the attentionthe lupus salictarius of the Romans, a of the planter; his work, however, was for-plant which, according to PLINY, grew gotten until COBBETT reprinted it, and oneamongst the willows, and twining around of the maxims which he most strenuouslythem, choked them, and was as destructive enforces, is the frequent turning up of the soilas the wolf, from which it took its name; the by which means there is afforded a freshgeneric appellation of "humulus," is thought access of heat, air, light, and of the principlesto have been given to it in consequence of upon which vegetation depends. From aits preference for a humid soil. It is said, neglect of this the soil becomes so hard andthat our English name is derived from the impervious, that the richest and most valli-Anglo Saxon verb, hoppan, to climb, but that able manure is completely thrown awayverb, both in Danish and Teutonic, seems upon the land : and the vegetable and ani-only to have been used to signify that which mal matter, instead of being imbibed as itit does in modern English, to jump on one were by the ground, is rapidly decomposed,

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and passes off in the form of gas, which the precursor of an insect which (toes notrenders the air impure, and, in some in- seem to eat, but to poison the leaf; rain,stances, gives rise to the production of dis- which destroys the other flies, does notease. afl’ect them, and the great hope of destroy-

In the month of June the young branches, ing them is from lightning. These flies andor binds, are twisted together in a knot; lice are all aphides, and their excrement isabout Michaelmas a good store of manure, what is known under the name of honey-about forty loads to an acre, about thirty dew, which causes the leaves to turn black,bushels to each load, should be laid down, to shrivel, and to fall olf; so complete is theand dug in during the winter ; in the spring destruction occasionally, that a new plan-the hops are, as it is technically termed, tation is required. After all these foes havedressed, which is the clearing away of the been escaped, just when the grower’s hopesearth from the principal roots, and cutting are most excited, and the end of his labouroff, with a sharp knife, all the shoots which promises to be most fair, a new calamitygrew up with the binds during the preceding impends over him,=the red blight, whichyear, and also all the young suckers ; about causes the hops to wear a reddish or deepthe middle of April, poleing takes place, and yellow colour; the leaves grow pale andthe tying, the principal object being to place sickly, and they have a garlicky smell. Dr.the poles so that the plant has admission WITHERING has made some most valuable ob-of air and of the sun-beam ; about the middle servations on the honey-dew; and has point-of July the hop begins to blow. When the ed out such remedies to the planter as slig-seeds have a strong scent, when they are gested themselves to his enlightened mind;tolerably hard and of a brownish colour, The most important objects to be attendedthey are considered ripe and fit for picking; to, are the free circulation of air, the due ad-they should be quickly picked when they mission of light and heat, the complete drain-are in this state, for should a storm of wind ing the land, the loosening the soil at propercome on, the branches may be bruised and periods, the choosing the proper situationbroken, and the holis consequently deterio- of the hop ground, and the proper incor-rated ; the first process they then undergo poration of the manure : these subjects haveis drying, for which purpose kilns are built; engaged the attention of our first cliertiistson which the hops; with charcoal, are laid ; and botanists, to whom, of course; everya steady fire is kept under them, avoiding point connected with agriculture must betoo intense a heat, which would scorch them ; referred, although practical experience alonethey require’ turning, which must be done can be the guide for management. I mustwith some attention; as soon as they are refer you for further knowledge upon thssetaken off the oven they are laid in a room points to Professor MARTYN, to "Loudon’3for three weeks or a month, during which Encyclopædia," to Sir HUMPHREY DAVY’Sthey cool and liarden; the packing, which work on Agriculture, and to the "Bo-is denominated bagging, is the last duty of tanical and Medical Herbal," from whichthe hop grower, and consists in placing the you will derive the most important infor-hop bag, which consists of four ells and a mation.half of ell-wide cloth, and contains two COCULUS INDICUS.hundred and a half of hops, in an aperture The only ingredients which, according tdmade in an upper floor; they are trod into the laws of the country, are used for pre-this bag by one person, another person con- paring ale or beer, are malted barley andtinually putting them in as he treads on hops; but it is generally believed, that thethem; the harder they are trodden, the better greater number of brewers employ variousthey keep. The practice of the Kentish articles, either with a view of improving thehop planter is not precisely the same as the general appearance of the beer, or to gratifyone followed in Worcestershire, and it dif- the various tastes of their customers.fers in different counties ; you will find in Among these, the coculus indicus, quassia;most of the works on botany, and on agri- liquoricp, tobacco, and green vitriol, areculture, the different plans pursued. generally said to be the most commonlyThere are different varieties of the hop; made use of. The coculus indicus of the

the most valued are the streaked and the shops, is the fruit of the menispermum co-white bind. The golden hop ripens later culus, a creeping plant, which grows inthan others, and may therefore be more use- various parts of the East Indies. Thisful to the planter. The streaked bind is fruit is like a rough black pea; it is formedgenerally of a pleasant flavour, and of a of a ligneous pericarp, covered with rugo-good size. sities, and contains a kernel of a bitter taste,The hop grower has numerous difficulties which Mons. BOULLAY, a well-known apo.

to encounter; his plantation is often ruined thecary at Paris, submitted to analysis, at theby a fly, which commences its attacks early request of Professor CHAUSSIER. He found,in the spring, and destroys the first shoots; amidst other matters, a new bitter principle,this enemy is not so much dreaded as a long crystallisable and poisonous, to which hewinged ny, which is dreaded as a pestilence, gave the name of picrotoxine. Accordingnot only doing immense mischief, but being to his experiments, it constitutes about one-

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fifth part of the kernel ; but, according toNEES vorr ESSENBECK, only a hundreth part.Twelve grains of this alkali given to a dog,produced, in half an hour, vomiting, suc-ceeded by the most violent paroxysm, dur-ing which the muscles of the face were mosthorribly agitated. He staggered, alwaysbackward. This lasted for three minutes;he then fell on his side; the convulsions be-came general and shocking; the head andthe tail, which were strongly bent backupon the posterior part of the vertebral co-lumn, formed an arch, with the trunk ; the

fore-paws performed frequent movements,like those of a dog swimming ; the eyes,which were red and starting, were shutevery moment by the blinking of the eyelids,which were dreadfully agitated. Nothingthat was likely to excite the animal, underordinary circumstances, seemed to produceany effect upon him; the tongue was of alivid colour, surrounded by a large quantityof white foam ; this paroxysm continuedabout twelve minutes, and terminated inlock-jaw. He expired in fifty-three minutesafter taking the poison, having latterly suf-fered much from great difficulty of breathing.The coculus indicus is a poison for fish,

and also for different carnivorous animals.Sir JOHN Hn.L speaks of the berries, as ifhe were acquainted with their deletereouspower; but I am not aware of any cases onrecord excepting those briefly mentioned byProfessor BERNT. Nine individuals wereseized with sickness, vomiting, and pain inthe stomach and bowels, in consqeuence ofeating some soup which an idiot had, bymistake, seasoned with some of the powder.One of these persons died after the lapse oftwelve days. Some singular instances havelately been detailed in some of the periodicalpapers, in which individuals have beenrobbed under circumstances which re-

quire investigation. After drinking beer,into which some drug has been purposelyinfused, they have submitted not onlyquietly, but with an uncontrollable laughter,to be pillaged; and, although perfectly con-scious of what was going forward, theyhave been unable to make any resistance,all volition ceasing for a time. The termapplied to this drugging of liquor, is called11 hocussing." It has been said, that it isthe picrotoxine that has thus been em-ployed, whilst others have ascribed it to anextract of stramonium. The coculus indicushas certainly a very inebriating effect, and isemployed in the East Indies to intoxicatethe birds of Paradise, and thus to catchthem ; and, made into a paste, with a littleflour and water, with the addition of a littlered lead, to give it a colour, and thrownin little pellets into ponds, fish will takeit greedily, and become stupified ; they swimto the surface of the water, and are takenvery readily.The only medicinal purpose for which it

is employed, is for the destruction of thevermin that infest the hair; reduced to a veryfine powder, and thrown upon the head, it

more effectually and quickly destroys theseinsects than anything else we are acquaintedwith.You will find, in some of the recipes for

making beer, this poison, with grains of

Paradise, and other stimulants, unhesitat-ingly mentioned, though contrary to legis-lative enactments ; and, as DON observes,judging from the quantity that is annuallyimported into this country, it must find somepersons very little scrupulous in makingtheir beer bitter and intoxicating by in-

fusing it.OTHER SUBSTANCES FOR ADULTERATING LEGl:,

There are many vegetable productionswhich have, at various times, been employedas substitutes for the hop, which are by nomeans dangerous; but the beer that is pro-duced is of a very inferior quality. It istrue, that some of them impart a bitternessquite equal to that which our favouriteplant produces, but the aroma is manting.Nor do they possess a sufficient quan-tity of tannin. The glichoma hederaceawas employed, at the earliest period, forthis purpose, and was very much prizedby our ancestors, by whom it was called,ground ivy, and likewise gill ale, ale

hoof, and tun toof, not, as has been said,from the shape of the leaves, but from theSaxon " holf," to help, as the leaves werethrown into the vat with ale to clarifyand give it a flavour; or, as it is sometimessaid, in some parts of the country, to helpthe beer. Dr. CULLEN thought the use of itin ale frivolous;" but MYRICK asserts,that when bruised and thrown into the vatwith the liquor, it not only effectually cla-rifies it, but also communicates an antiscor-butic virtue.

The lentaurea benedicta, a plant called,par excellence, 11 blessed," from its reputa-tion in curing all the diseases under whichman labours, and, according to SUWN PAUL,and Arnaldus de Villa Nova, one of the mostvaluable remedies we possess, has been oc-casionally used ; it is very apt to producenausea, and even vomiting, for which it hasbeen employed medicinally as a popularsimple. The menyanthes trifoliata, or marshtrefoil, has also imparted its bitterness tobeer. The teucrium scorodonia, the sage-leafed germander, or wood sage, resemblesthe hops very much : indeed, in Jersey, it hasa high character. It is there called amboise ;and we learn, that when cider fails, they malttheir barley at home, and, instead of hops,use, to a very good purpose, the amboise oftheir hedges. RUTT says, that when thisherb is boiled in wort, the beer sooner be-comes clear than when hops are made useof; but Dr. WITHERING relates that, upon

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trial, it gave too much colour to the liquor.It is singular enough, that in Flanders, fromwhence we learned to have recourse to the

hop, they at this day, according to LAURENTS,prefer the plant which I have just named.The ginger, the gentian, the colocynth,

the quassia, the aloes, and the horehound,which are employed by nefarious traders, aregenerally added where the beer is consum,ed; and most generally that which containsany portion of these ingredients is reserveduntil slight intoxication has begun, and thepalate has become deadened to the accus-tomed stimulus, I believe, that the adulte-rations formerly carried on were much moreinjurious to the health than those which arenow practised, and which led to such stronganimadversions from some of the most expe-rienced of our physicians. One of our her-balists observes, " Tobacco is notoriouslysubstituted for the hop, and green vitriol,with other poisons too numerous to name ;hence it is that the poor mechanic is drawninto habitual inebriation; he cannot slakehis thirst without causing it to return withgreater force, at very short intervals. Un-conscious of the cause, he repeats the

draught, and the consequences are disease,and premature and even sudden death.Half the apoplexies arise not so much fromdrinking spirits, as from the noxious ingre-dients administered in the malt liquors thusconsumed." To the works of Mr. Accu,8i,and those of other writers who profess to be Ifully acquainted with the secrets of the trade,I must refer you for further information ; Iand when I have occasion to speak to youof the various agents employed as stimulants,and amongst them the results of fermentation,I shall have some opportunities of pointingout to you the peculiar effects of differentvegetables which act upon the human eco-nomy, when either converted into beverage,or added to some of those fluids which areused as articles of diet, or to promote acce-leration of the circulation, and thus influencedirectly or indirectly the nervous or mus-cular system.

LUPUI.INE.

All the peculiar fragrance and bitternessof the hop are concentrated in a principlewhich is spontaneously formed upon thescales of the strobiles of the female plants.It is to Dr. IvES, of New York, that we areindebted for the knowledge we have gainedupon this matter; for he first pointed out,and by a variety of experiments demon-strated, that the hop, on being shaken andsifted, yields a powder which has a verysubtle aroma, which is soon imparted towater and alcohol, and which is very spedilydissipated by a high temperature. To thissubstance, the name of 11 lupuline" has beengiven, and lately it has been called " lupu-lia." In the market it is commonly knownunder the technical term, condition, Lupuliacontains tannin, gallic acid, and a bitter

principle; these are soluble in alcohol andin water ; it has an extractive matter, whichis soluble only in water; it contains resin,soluble in alcohol and ether, and wax,whichis only soluble in alkalies and boiling ether.The aromatic and bitter properties of thelupulia are more readily and completelyimbibed by alcohol than by water, andmuch sooner by both hot, than when cold ;about five-eighths of the whole are solublein water, alcohol, and ether, there beingabout three-eighths of a vegetable fibrousmatter. Having ascertained that for brew-ing, the only part of the hop which was abso-lutely and indispensibly necessary, wasthis lupulia, Dr. IvES proceeded to discoverwhat quantity was yielded by a givenweight of hops. Six pounds of hops, fromthe centre of a pocket, were put into alight bag, and, by thrashing, rubbing, andsifting, fourteen ounces of lupulia were ob.tained. The idea that was then entertained,was, that dry hops would produce a sixth-part of their weight of this substance ; andthis was confirmed ; for two barrels of beerwere made, in which nine ounces of lupulinewere substituted for five pounds of hops.Although the quantity of lupuline was lessthan commonly enters into the same quan-tity of wort; and although the weather, forthis was done in the month of June, was,in consequence of the great heat, unfavour-able to the beer, it was, at the end of fiveweeks, remarkably fine. This may prove a

l discoveryof essential advantage to the brewer-it may render the whole hop unnecessary ;and, as Dr. IvLs observes, " if any mecha-nical means can be devised by which thelupulia may be easily and readily separatedfrom the strobiles, it will consummate animprovement of incalculable value in thepreservation of hops and the art of brewing."MM. PAYER and CHEVAUER obtained a

volatile oil from the lupulia, which is verysimilar in its odour to the hop, but is muchmore penetrating, feels harsh to the mu-cous membrane of the nose, and that of thethroat, and is likewise narcotic. Dr. IvFshad not observed this oil ; from its greatsolubility in water, and its volatility, it atfirst escaped his attention.Mr. PLANCHE has given a formula by

which lupulia may be obtained in a purifiedstate ; he directs that " to separate the sandfrom the lupulia put it into water, shake itfor a few minutes, decant that which is heldin solution by the water, and a dark-colour-ed sand is deposited. Repeat the processseveral times, and spread the lupulia, whichis insoluble in water, on bibulous paper;let it drain, and then dry it in the air, nei-ther exposed to the sun nor to a temperatureabove 76°. It should be prepared yearly,and this cleansing process must be quicklyconducted, or it will undergo a change.

The uses to which in domestic economy

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the hops are placed, are principally to com- that there is no probability of any morbidmunicate their peculiar aromatic, agreeable secretion taking place, but it may be veryilavour, and to cover the sweetness of unde- fairly asserted, that there are very few peo.composed saccharine matter, and to separate ple who have the organs of assimilation in aa portion of a peculiar vegetable mucilage, proper state, and that the great tendency,in consequence of the gallic acid and the after a certain period of life, is to the forma-taunin they contain. This mucilage dif- tioii of acid. In the process of digestion, iffused through the beer, would very spee- the laboratory of nature do not possess thedily assist in the decomposition that would proper powers, the food undergoes the sameoccur, and the consequent conversion of the decomposition that it would do if exposedfluid into vinegar. The separation, in small to the action of the atmospheric air, and theflakes, like those of curdled soap, is produc- consequence is production of acidity. Ased by the hops, and if the beer or ale be very the acids thus formed would endanger thethick, full-bodied, and apparently abound- great organs of life, the kidneys removeiug with this mupilage, the probability is, them, and they are thrown out by the tiri.that if it be kept but a very short time it nary fluid, or they become deposited in thewiil run into fermentation, and be unfit for kidneys or bladder. In some cases 1)"i- isdrinking. It is in the solution of malt and very quickly conveyed into the cii-elliatioll,water known by the name of wort," that and from thence passes to the kidneys, sothe hops are boiled, until the liquor "parts," that its diuretic powers prevent the acidsas it is called ; that is, until this mncilagi- from becoming deposited, and from remain-nous portion, which rendered it turbid, se- ing in the system; and hence; where it

parates; and they are afterwards removed proves diuretic, it may be considered ser-

by pouring the fluid through a coarse viceable in calculous affections, and may bestrainer, before the cooling and subsequent recommended to be employed with the food,fermentation take place, but, on the other hand, the beer when taken

Great medicinal virtues have at some pe- may not only impede the half-performed di-riods been ascribed to the hop plant, and gestion, but promote acidity, and its extend-some of the older herbalists speak of its ed train of evils; again, so far from being apowers in very enthusiastic language; bnt diuretic, it may rather deaden every part ofmore modern inquirers have shown that the the nervous system, and prevent the tissueslimits of its utility are very circumscrihed. and organs from being sensible to their usualIt 3vas at one period described as one of the stimulus. It then retards the circulation;most valuable medicines for the solution of the kidneys take up the aeld, and seem tostone in the bladder. It was said by LOBD want the power of transmitting it throughto he capable of softening the hardest cal- their own tissues, and hence formations ofculus. " Decocto emollitus est calculus various kinds are produced. As I shallurinarius durissimus, unde coiieluditur li- hereafter have occasion to dwell upon thisthauthrnptici vim in corpore humano exer- subject, when speaking of diuretics, I shall.cere posse," are the words of MnRRAV, of only observe, that when there is acidity,Gottingen; and our great botanist, RAY, t.’eartburn, flatulence, and a previous ten-seems to have believed that since the hop dency to calculous disorders, beer will be

pad been introduced to make beer, fewer very injurious, and the red gravel will heindividuals had laboured under nephritic produced, and that more especially will becomplaints in London than previously; the result of taking ale. There is a fashionhpH’ever, this opinion soon lost ground, and now predominant of taking scda with ale orthe very reverse doctrine was promulgated, porter, and certainly in many instances inthat the hop was prodttclive of calculous small quantities it assists in promoting di-complaints, but we find Dr. QUINCY, in the gestion, and in neutralising the superabnn-" London Dispensatory," thus delivering dant acid.the general views of medical men:—" That COLES, the herbalist, in 1657, and Dr.part of the plant which is such a mighty BuooKEs, in our Dispensatory, have bofh ufcommodity in England, and used in our them spoken of hops as medicinal, but themalt liquors, is reckoned very discutient, subject was very much brought before theaperitive, and good, in all obstructions of profession in the year 1801, previous to

the viscera, and particularly of the liver which there were a few scattered observe-and kidneys, and therefore that notion of tions, but Mr. FREAKE recommended it as asuch liquors from them reviving adisposi- valuable bitter, and published the result oftion to breed the stone in the bladder, can his experience, and this was confirmed byhave no foundation. They are likewise an several of the medical men of the day,agreeable bitter, and,upon that account, good whilst others again tried it in various dis-to strengthen the stomach, and render those eases. Thus Dr. LATHAM was induced toliquors in which they are brewed much more give it in phthisis, and considered it in thegrateful to it." last stages to be a very valuable substitute

I believe that to a stomach in the right for laudanum ; lae found it, too, very ser-exercise of its functions, the different varie- viccable in checking obstinate vomiting.ties of malt liquor will be beneficial, and Dr. MAYO had occasion to speak very highly

895

of its efficacy in the convulsive diseases towhich young children are liable, and moreparticularly under the influence of teething.Dr. STOVe was convinced that it possessedconsiderable power in the removal of thegreater number of symptoms which attenddisordered states of the stomach. Dr. MA-TON formed a high opinion of its value as asedative. Dr. CJLLEN said, that he hadlearnt from the highest authority that it wasemployed in Spain as a sudorific, when theremains of the syphilitic taint lingered inthe system. It was also recommended forworms, and the practice of DARELIUS, whospoke of it as all anthelmantic, was re-vived.

All these authorities have led to the elu-ployment of the hop in the shape of tincture,pr of extract, and, though it may not be artactive medicine, it is highly useful, and verymuch aids other medicines by its soothingpower on the stomach, and its grateful bit-terness, which renders it a very serviceabletonic where other drugs could not safely beadministered. The extract of the Pharma-copœia is to be made of two pounds and ahalf of the hop ; and boiling distilled watertwo gallons; macerate for twenty -four hours,then boil down to a gallon, and strain theliquor while hot; finally, evaporate to a suita-ble consistence ; of this, five grains to a

scruple may be employed. For the tincturenow called " tinctura lupuli," and before," tinctura humuli," take of hops sixounces, proof spirit two pints, macerate forfourteen days, and strain; of this, from thirtyminims to two drachms may very fearlesslybe prescribed. Dr. Ivns attributes the sti- i

mulating eflect rather to the proof spirit thanto the hops, and, therefore, thinks the tonicor narcotic inliuence cannot be of much re-medial benefit. He has been led to prescribelupulia, and he finds it frequently inducesleep, and quiet nervous irritation, withoutcausing costiveness, or impairing, like opium,the tone of the stomach. A tincture is madeby digesting two ounces of the lupulia in apint of alcohol, of which, from one to twodrachms is the dose Dr. IvES states, thatinquietude and watchfulness, connected withexcessive irritability, in all gradations, fromthe restlessness consequent upon exhaustionand fatigue, to the piost uncontrollable pa-roxysms of delirium tremens, are more fre-quently allayed by this remedy than by anyother. There is a formula, which is calledMagendie’s powder of lupulin, whichconsists merely in rubbing one part of lupu-lin with two parts of white sugar, until theyare intimately blended, which forms a massby being beaten, from which pills can bemade, and this is the best preparation thatcan be employed.An infusion of the root of the hop has

been used instead of sarsaparilla, and like-wise for nephritis. There is an infusion or-dered by our Pharmacopoeia, but not of the

root, to he made from six draclims maceratedin a pint of boiling distilled water for fourhours, in a vessel lightly covered, and thento be strained. Externally, an ointment hasbeen used in caucerQus sores to relieve pain,and a cataplasm of an infusion of the driedstrobiles has been applied with some good re-sult to ill-conditioned and sloughing ulcers,The pommade de lupuline is made of threeparts of lard and one part of bruised lupulia;dissolve in a warm batla, and strain it througha lawn sieve ; this has been spoken of as avery valuable application for soothing pain-.A pillow stuffed with the strobiles of thehop, and gently warmed, until the aroma isfully developed, has been from an earlyperiod a great- favourite as a domestic re-medy against sleeplessness, but it does notproduce much effect unless a little camphorbe added to it, when the odour seems muchincreased, as well as the powers of theplant.

Conclacsien of one branch of this Course.

I have now taken a view of the most im-

portant narcotics to which you can have

recourse when called on to allay pain, toproduce sleep, or to cure the morbid statesof the human body. There are still some

therapeutic agents, which possess these

powers, which I shall hereafter have occa-sion to point out to you, but they are not tobe considered as influencing the cerebrp-spinal system in the same way as those Idiscussed have the power of doing; and,again, there are some which cannot be en-tered on without explaining, more fully,changes which take place in the vegetableeconomy, by which educts of peculiar ch2-racter are deveiQped ; thus, the alcoholicagents cannot be thoroughly elucidateduntil the laws which govern the decompo-sition of vegetable matter are previouslyunderstood. I shall therefore coiicludethat part of the first branch of the MateriaMedica, which embraces the considerationof sedatives, anodynes, and soporifics. Ishall next direct your attention to a class ofmedicines not less important in their effects,nor less valuable in the great economy ofnature; indeed, I think, as you advauce inthe contemplation of this important depart-ment of medical science, you will find freshobjects to excite your curiosity, and togratify that ardent desire which so muchdistinguishes the student of the present day,

of rendering himself worthy the respect andesteem of his fellow men.