(seq. 377)

370

Materia Medica

Stimulants

histeria with rather good effects, its most active parts are the most volatile
and they are therefore carried of by distillation, the plant has
nevertheless been used in diet.

Lauri Camphor. This
is certainly a stimulant though its stimulating effects are not so evident
as the Hyosciamus and Belladonna especially when given in small doses,
it is not much employ’d in this country and therefore our Physicians are
not able to make up their minds with respect to its operation, camphor
may be obtained from many vegitables, it may be collected from the
sassafras in small quantities, from rosemary, sage, &c, it is produced from
the laurus Camphori; this tree grows to such a size in the Cape of Good
Hope, and Japan, that two men cannot lift it, the branches are cut
into peices and the camphor is discovered in the interstices it is then
scraped out with Iron Instruments, there are three kinds of camphor,
the head, the belly, and the foot, the head camphor is the best kind, and
received in its native state as produced from the tree, it occasions a coolness
in the mouth checks nausea and has an acid taste, imparts the whole
of its oil in distillation, the belly or common camphor produces nausea
and has acid taste, producing camphor comes to us in a white solid
mass, it is tenaceous between the teeth, and of an aromatic taste,
producing cold in the mouth, it floats on the surface of water and in open