Spec. Plant. Willd. ii. 125. Cl. 6. Ord. 1. Hexandria Monogynia. Nat. ord. Asphodeleae. G. 640. Corolla six-petaled, spreading, deciduous. Filaments thread-like. Species 1. S. maritima.1 Officinal Squill. Med. Pot. 3d edit.

745. t. 255. Officinal. Scilla, Lond. Scillae maritimae radix, Edin.

Scillae maritimae bulbus, Dub. (Squill bulb).

Syn. Scille (F.), Meerzwiebel (G.), Zeeajuin (Butch), Skille (Dan.), Soilok (Swed.), Scilla (I.), Cebolla abarruna (S.), Albarra, Alvazraa (Port.}.

This species of squill is a native of Spain, Sicily, Syria2, and Barbary, flowering in April and May. The bulb is large, sometimes nearly the size of the human head, of a pear shape, and formed of fleshy scales, attenuated at both edges, and closely applied one over the other. The roots are fibrous, attached to a radical plate at the bottom of the bulb. The stem is round, smooth, and succulent, rising about three feet in height from the centre of several radical, sword-shaped, straight, pointed, long leaves, of a deep green colour. The flowers are produced in a long close spike upon purplish peduncles, with a linear, twisted, deciduous bracte at the base of each peduncle. The corolla consists of six white, ovate, spreading petals, with a reddish mark in the middle of each; the filaments are shorter than the corolla, tapering, and furnished with oblong, transversely placed anthers : the germen is roundish: the style and stigma are simple; and the capsule is oblong, smooth, three-celled, and contains many roundish seeds.

Dioscoridis. The trivial name maritima has been objected to, as it does not generally grow on the sea-coast.

2 The soil at Navarino, which is remarkable for the production of an infinite quantity of squills, "is of a red colour."-Gell's Journ. in the Morea, p. 21.

There are two varieties of the officinal squill; one with a white bulb, and the other with a reddish bulb; but both are indiscriminately used, and do not differ in their virtues. The bulbs are brought from the Levant generally in bulk. They , are preserved fresh in sand; but, as they are apt to spoil, -it is preferable to keep them in the dried state. (See Preparations.)

Qualities.-The squill bulb is inodorous; its taste is bitter, nauseous, and acrid; and when much handled it inflames and ulcerates the skin. The expressed juice slightly reddens litmus paper. The acrimony, on which its virtue depends, is partially dissipated by drying and long keeping, and completely destroyed by any heat above 212°: it is extracted by water, alcohol, and vinegar. The expressed juice, when diluted with water, filtered, and boiled, does not yield flakes of albumen, as has been stated.1 Nitrate of mercury and superacetate of lead separate from the juice white curdy precipitates. Gelatine throws down a copious precipitate; and, in a less degree, the same effect is produced by lime-water and the alkaline carbonates. Infusion of galls forms in it pale brownish flakes; sulphate of iron throws down a green precipitate; lime evolves ammonia. When the insoluble part of dried squill is digested in hydrochloric acid, filtered, and ammonia added in excess, a copious precipitate is thrown down, which is citrate of lime.

Ether, digested on dried squill, acquires a pale green hue, and, when evaporated on the surface of water, a thin pellicle of very bitter resinous matter is deposited; while the water acquires an intensely bitter taste, and yields copious precipitates, with solutions of acetate of lead and nitrate of silver From these imperfect experiments, squills appear to contain extractive, a small portion of resin, mucus, carbonate of ammonia, the bitter principle, and citrate of lime. Vogel, from a careful analysis of squill, gives the following as its principles:-Gum six parts; bitter principle (scittitina1) 35; tannin 24; citrate of lime 0; saccharine matter 6; woody fibre 302, in 100 parts of the dried bulb.

1 But when the expressed juice is boiled till one half is dissipated, a white precipitate is thrown down, which when washed with alcohol appears to be citrate of lime.-Annales de Chimie, vol. lxxxiii. p. 149.

Medical properties and uses.-Squill, in small doses, is expectorant and diuretic; in larger doses, emetic and purgative. Its medicinal powers were very early known, and it still retains its character as a remedy of great efficacy when judiciously exhibited. Although it operates powerfully as an expectorant, yet from its stimulating properties it cannot be given with propriety in pulmonary inflammations, until the fever and inflammatory action be previously greatly subdued by bleeding, and other evacuants; after which, by promoting a more copious excretion from the mucous follicles, it rapidly unloads the chest, and relieves the congestion and difficulty of breathing. It is more useful when combined with nitrate of potassa, tartar emetic, or ipecacuanha; and in asthma and dyspnoea without fever, squill combined with ammoniacum is, perhaps, the best remedy we can employ. In dropsies, conjoined with a mercurial and opium, the efficacy of squill is well ascertained. Its diuretic powers are much increased by this combination; perhaps depending on the absorbents being powerfully excited by the mercury, while the squill determines to the kidneys. Cullen recommends 3 the bichloride of mercury as the best adjunct; but I have seen every purpose answered by calomel.

Squill is a very uncertain emetic, a very small dose producing the most cruel vomiting in some persons, while in others the largest doses do not even excite nausea: where, however, it readily and moderately induces vomiting, it proves more useful in hooping-cough and croup than any other emetic. To produce its expectorant and diuretic effects, squill must be given in substance; but to excite vomiting, its infusion in vinegar, or the oxymel, is more usually employed. Of the dried squill gr. j. in the form of a pill may be given at first for a dose, morning and evening, or every six hours; gradually increasing the dose to grs. iij. or grs. iv., or until some degree of nausea is induced, and its expectorant or diuretic operation is obtained. In an over-dose it vomits, purges, produces strangury, bloody urine and stools, severe gripings, convulsions, and cold sweats.

1 Scillitina is white, transparent, breaks with a resinous fracture, and is pulverulent; but it attracts moisture rapidly from the atmosphere until it becomes fluid. It has an intensely bitter taste, with a slight degree of sweetness; and is very soluble in water and in alcohol.

2 Annales de Chimie, vol. lxxxiii. p. 158.

3 Materia Medica, ii. 558. . .

Officinal preparations. Acetum Scillae, L. E. D. Oxymel Scillae, L. D. Pilulae Scillae comp., L.E. D. Pulvis Scillae, E. D. Sy-rupus Scillae maritimae, E. Tincturae Scillae, L. D.