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more speedily than common cathartic medicines. I have known it in a dose of thirty grains to bring on not only vomiting, but headach, vertigo and temporary blindness. Other practitioners have given it in larger quantities without any evil of this kind, but I think such an exemption must be attributed to the age and deteriorated quality of the root. Its active ingredients being more or less volatile, it must necessarily be impaired in strength by long keeping, especially in a pulverized state.

To insure a tolerably uniform activity of this medicine, the root should be kept in dried slices and not reduced to powder until it is wanted for use. It may then be taken in pills or mixed with syrup in doses of from ten to twenty grains. These may in most instances be repeated three times a day.

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BOTANICAL REFERENCES.

Arum Americanum, CATESBY, Car. ii. t. 71.-Dracontium fœtidum, LIN. Syst. pl.-WILLD. ii. 288.-Pothos fœtida, MICHAUX, Amer. ii. 186.—PURSH, ii. 398.-Bot. Mag. 836.-Symplocarpus fœtida, NUTTALL, genera, i. 105.

MEDICAL REFERENCES.

CUTLER, Trans. Amer. Acad. i. 407. THACHER, Dispensatory, 150.

PLATE XXIV.

Fig. 1. Ictodes fœtidus in flower, the spathe inclosing the spadix.

Fig. 2. The spadix taken out of the spathe.

Fig. 3. The leaves, stalks, &c.

Fig. 4. The spadix in fruit, one quarter being cut away to show

the seeds.

Fig. 5. A flower magnified.

Fig. 6. The same opened.

Fig. 7. Petal and Stamer.

Fig. 8. Style.

Fig. 9, 10. Seeds.

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