The MaTeria Medica.

47

and many hollowed points fpread over the whole difk. It iscovered with a thin bark, of a pale white, (eafily feparated,Murr.) often fpotted with Hack, lightifh, and brittle. (Ber-gius.) It has no fmell, — its tafte very bitter without aitrin-gency, and not naufeous. The thicker the pieces, the morecompact the wood, though light for its fize,—the whiter in-ternally, and more bitter. It is not unufual to fee fpots erftripes afh-coloured, brown, and even of a deep blue orblack, in different parts of the furface. Where this unufüalcolour defeends deep, the wood is almoft infipid and foft,whence fome corruption may be fufpe&ed. The wood of thetrunk is to be preferred to that of the branches, and that ofthe root (which is faid to be of a deeper colour) to that ofthe trunk, as is the cafe with fome other woods, if it could beprocured eafily. (Murray App. tarn 3, page 435 0W437.)The thicker pieces are always to be preferred to the fmaller.Hagen Apotherk.

With regard to its virtues, it is eßeemed tonic, ftoma-chic,andantifeptic, andtherefore employed in lofs oftor.e, ano-rexia, hypocondriafis, epidemic, intermittent, and remit-tenf, fevers. Water is its proper menftruum, as it has moregummy than refinous parts. A ^i of the rafped root may bemacerated in a tbi of cold water for 24 hours, or in boilingwater for an hour; and from ^i to ^iv given feveral timesa day.—The watery extraft, which is faid to be moft in ufeat Surinam, is convemently given in pills to fuch as diflikebitters.

Quercus,