"

cis contingebant. Multis tuffes aridæ et inanes, quibus cum "tuffi nihil educebatur, nec ita multo poft voces raucefcebant. Quibufdam vero ex temporis intervallo inflammationes cum "dolore in alterum teftem erumpebant, quibufdam etiam in utrofque. Alii quidem febribus corripiebantur, nonnulli vero fine febre perfiftebant. Atque adeo hæc ipfa plurimis gravia et molefta fuere. De reliquo autem quod ad ea attinet, quæ ad chirurgiam fpectant, in his inculpate habe

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"bant."

THE fpring of the year 1761 was very cold and wet; and thofe young militia foldiers, who were moft liable to this dif ease, were out early and late in the low damp grounds adjoining this town, to learn their manual exercise; which corresponds with this paffage," Fiebant ifta quidem adolefcentibus, juve"nibus, ætate florentibus, atque horum plurimis, qui in pa"læstra, et gymnafiis exercebantur."

TISSOT, in his Avis au Peuple, when treating of dif eafes of the throat, mentions a diftemper which is common in Switzerland, called by the French Les Oreillons, ou Les Ourles. This is a fwelling of the falivary glands, particularly the parotids and maxillaries, and appears to be a mild fpecies of the mumps. The tumor is fometimes fo large as to cause a difficulty in swallowing, and also to prevent the mouth from opening without pain. Children are more liable to it than adults; but as it is feldom attended with fever, no medicines are required. All that is necessary is, to protect the parts from the air, apply a foft poultice, to live abftemiously, especially in refpect to animal food and wine, to drink a weak warm beverage, and promote perspiration. He fays he cured himself in four days, with balm tea, one fourth of milk and a little bread in it. He does not mention any fwelling of the testicles; therefore this probably did not happen in Switzerland, as it never does in very flight cases of this disease.

I

I BEG leave to conclude this paper with the following words of CELSUS:

"SÆPE vero etiam nova incidere genera morborum in qui"bus nihil adhuc ufus oftenderit. Ut ideo neceffarium fit ani"madvertere, unde ea ceperint ; ceu fine quo nemo mortalium reperire poffit, cur hoc, quam illo potius utatur."

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X.

X. A BOTANICAL and MEDICAL ACCOUNT of the QUASSIA SIMARUBA, or Tree which produces the Cortex Simaruba. By WILLIAM WRIGHT, M. D. F. R. S. LOND. & EDIN. and Physician-general in Jamaica*

TH

An Hiftorical Account of the SIMARUBA BARK.

HE first knowledge we had of the cortex fimaruba was in the year 1713. Some of it was fent to France to M. LE COMPTE DE PORCHARTRAIN, the Secretary of State, as the bark of a tree, called by the natives Simarouba, which they employed with good fuccefs in dyfentery.

IN 1741, M. GEOFFROY, in fpeaking of this bark, fays, "Eft cortex radicis arboris ignotæ, in Guiana nafcentis, et ab "incolis fimarouba nuncupatæ : coloris eft ex albo flavefcentis, "nullo odore præditus, faporis fubamari, lentifcentibus fibris conftans, candido, leviffimo, infipidoque, radicum, ftipitum, truncique ligno hærens, a quo facile separatur.”

IN 1753 and 1760, LINNAEUS makes the fimaruba to be a species of pistacia, or the terebinthinus major, betulæ cortice, fructu triangulari of Sloan. Jam. 289. t. 99.

IN 1756, Dr PATRICK BROWNE publifhed his Civil and Natural History of Jamaica. At page 345. he defcribes the terebinthinus, or birch and turpentine tree.

VOL. II.

k

The bark of

the

* This paper was read before the Philofophical Society of Edinburgh, August 6. 1778. It is now printed by order of the Committee for publication of the Tranfactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

the roots, (fays he), is thought to be the fimarouba of the shops.

IN 1763, LINNEUS makes the fimaruba to be the burfera gummifera, and refers to the piftacia of former editions of the Species Plantarum; and to SLOAN and BROWNE, as above cited. In the appendix, a reference is made to the terebinthinus Americana polyphylla. Commelin. Hort. 1. p. 149. and to CATESBY'S gum elemi tree.

M. JACQUIN vifited all the West India islands, and made many difcoveries of new plants. He examined the roots of the burfera gummifera, and found their bark very different from the fimaruba bark.

IN 1772, I employed all my fpare hours in examining the plants of Jamaica. In this delightful walk of fcience, I difcovered and ascertained many hundreds of new plants which had escaped the diligence of former botanists. Amongst others, the tree which produces the fimaruba bark.

IN 1773, specimens of the fructification were sent in spirits, accompanied with a botanical account of the tree, to my late worthy friend Dr HOPE, Profeffor of Botany in the University of Edinburgh; alfo fome dried bark from the roots. The following year, fpecimens, with fimilar defcription, were tranfmitted to my late learned and valuable friend Dr JOHN FOTHERGILL of London; who fent them to the celebrated LINNEUS at Upfal, as appears by Profeffor MURRAY'S Apparatus Medicaminum, vol. iii. p. 458. *, article Simaruba. Dr FOTHERGILL caufed elegant drawings to be made of this plant; and these drawings I now have the honour of presenting to the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

IT

* QUALIS vera ejufdem arbor fit, jamjam aubletii indagine cognofcimus, ut tamen et mihi monere incumbat. b. LINNEAM equitem, litteris jam anno 1776, ineunte mihi datis, antiquam aubletii elegantiffimum opus illi innotefceret. fignificaffe, Simarubam Quaffiæ fpecies a fe haberi. Ille autem fimarubæ cortex quo Cl. WRIGHT, arborem in Jamaica, vulgarem veftitam effe innuit; pariter in alvi profluviis efficaci, &c.

It is here proper to remark, that this paper was read before the Philofophical Society of this place, and committed for publication in 1778. At the time when that Society obtained the Royal Charter, I chanced to be abroad. On my return to Edinburgh, I withdrew the communication to correct and add to my account of this important article of Materia Medica.

Defcription of the Tree.

THE tree now to be defcribed is common in all the woodlands in Jamaica. It grows to a great height and confiderable thickness. The trunks of the old trees are black and a little furrowed. Thofe of the young trees fmooth and gray, with here and there a broad yellow spot.

THE infide bark of the trunk and branches is white, fibrous and tough. It tastes flightly bitter. On cutting or stripping off this bark, no milky juice iffues, as has been mentioned by

various authors.

THE wood is hard, and useful for buildings. It fplits freely, and makes excellent ftaves for fugar hogfheads. It has no fenfible bitter taste.

THE branches are alternate and spreading.

THE leaves are numerous and alternate. On the upper fide, they are smooth, fhining and of a deep green colour; on the under fide, they are white.

THE flowers appear about the beginning of April. They are of a yellow colour, and placed on fpikes beautifully branched.

THE fruit is of that kind called a drupa, and is ripe towards the end of May. It is of an oval fhape, is black, fmooth and fhining. The pulp is fleshy and foft; the taste a naufeous fweet. The nut is flattened, and on one fide winged. The kernel is small, flat, and tastes sweet.

k 2

THE