PHARMACOPCEIAL VEGETABLE DRUGS.

and jalap. Its domestic use in America came through European homemedication.

Professor Flückiger (see Preface) arranged with this writer togive unitedly the record of the American drugs and plants. One sub-stance considered was "American Manna," the article being printedin the Am. Journ. Pharm., 1897, pp. 1 to 10.

MARRUBIUM

Horehound, Marrubium vulgare, is indigenous to Europe, buthas been naturalized in America, where it is now very common. Itsuse as a bitter decoction led to its early introduction into domesticmedicine, as well as to its populär use as a bitter flavor in candy. Prob-ably the well-known horehound candy may be cited as a domestic.medicine that has become populär as a confection. The date of theuse of horehound as a sweetened domestic tea must have been veryearly in the records of European home medication.

MASTICHE

Mastic, Pistacia lentiscus, is an evergreen shrub, native to theMediterranean shores, from Syria to Spain, being found also on theadjacent islands as far as the Canaries. The collection of mastic,however, is localized to the northern part of the Island of Scio, wherefrom all time the tree has been known, exuding most abundantly theresinous tar that, when dried, is known as mastic. The origin of itsuse is lost in antiquity. Theophrastus (633), fourth Century B. C,mentions it, and both Dioscorides (194) and Pliny (514) refer to it,in connection with the Island of Scio, or Chios. The writer of thisarticle made a study of mastic during a journey to the Orient, butas yet has not published the paper. By distiliation with alcohol, masticproduces a drink, this also being described in the paper in preparation,the drink being probably of great antiquity, and known to the Greeksand Romans. The use of mastic in medicine followed its empiricalemployment as a breath sweetener (it being sold in all Oriental bazaarsfor this purpose) and as a flavor for cordials and other drinks. Per-haps the first record of its authoritative employment in medicine isabout the thirteenth Century, by the Welsh "Meddygon Myddfai"(507) (see Note, p. 1), as an ingredient of ointments.

MATICO

Matico, Piper angustifolium, is a shrub native to Bolivia, Peru,Brazil, Venezuela, and other South American countries. Its qualitiesare said to have been discovered by a Spanish soldier named Matico,the legend being that he applied some of the leaves to a wound, andobserved that the bleeding was thereby stopped. This legend, currentin South America, gave to the shrub the name soldier's herb, or tree.(See Stramonium.) It is probable, however, that he learned of itsnative use by the Indians. In the beginning of the nineteenth Centurymatico came to the attention of the profession of medicine in North

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