Materia Medica.

part II.

though the ancients had perceived something like sensation insponges by their shrinking, they were long supposed to be ofa vegetable nature, from their texture and the branched ap-pearance which they assume, till Mr. Ellis's observations * firstestablished the fact that they are animals sui generis, themouths of which are the open ends of so many branched tubesopening on the surface, through which they receive their nou-rishment and discharge their faeces like polypes. These mouthsare generally .guarded with minute spines or points, and thetubes are filled with a gelatinous matter, and often with minuteshells and sand.

Qualities — Sponge cleaned and rendered fit for use is of abrownish yellow colour, soft, light, and very porous; absorbingrapidly by capillary attraction as much as it can contain of anyfluid in which it is immersed, and again yielding it up on beingcompressed. When sponge is digested with boiling distilledwater it yields up to it a considerable proportion of gelatin, andthe sponge loses much of its flexibility, and crumbles betweenthe fingers when dry. Boiled with potash it forms a soap.Its principal constituents, according to the analysis of Mr.Hatchett, are animal gelatin, albumen, a small portion ofcommon salt, and some carbonate of lime.

Medical properties and uses. — Sponge, in its usual form, isnever employed as a remedy; but is an exceedingly useful in-strument in the practice of surgery.

Officinal preparations. Spongia vsta. L. D.

STALAGMITIS. Spec. Plant. Willd. iv. 980.Ci. 23. Ord. 1. Polygamia Monoecia. Nat. ord. Tricoccse.G. 1888. Hermaph. Calyx four-leaved. Corolla four-petalled.

Stamens thirty, inserted into a fleshy four-angled receptacle. Style

thick. Stigma four-lobed. Berry one-celled, crowned by the

style, three-seeded.

Male. Calyx, Corolla, and Staviens hermaphrodite.Sp. 1. S. Cambogioides. The Gamboge-tree. Murray App. Med.

iv. 655.Officinal. Cambogia. Lond. Gambogia. Edin. Gambogia ;

gummi resina. Dub. Gamboge.

Syn- GommeGutte (F.) Gummigutt [G.) Gomma Gotta (I.) OssSrarewund {A-rab.)Gahketu (Cingalese.)

The tree yielding this gum-resin is a native of the kingdomof Siam, and of Ceylon, where it is known by the namesGhohata, or Gokkata, or Gohlatha. It is of middling stature,and moderately branching. The leaves are on short petioles,ovate, opposite, entire, even, coriaceous, rigid, and of an ob-scure green colour. The male flowers are either in distinctclusters, or mixed with the hermaphrodite, which are axillary.The calyx consists of four ovate leaflets, the two exterior of

» Phil. Trans. U.284.