Scilla Maritima. (Squill.)

Preparation.—Prepare a tincture from the bulb ℥viij. to Alcohol 50° Oj. Dose from gtt. j. to gtts. x.

In the larger dose, the Squill is a stimulant to mucous membranes, especially those of the air passages, and may be employed to check profuse secretion. In minute doses it relieves irritation of mucous tissues and stimulates secretion.

In dropsy, presenting a dry, harsh skin, parched tongue, fevered lips, and contraction of features, the Squill may be employed as a diuretic. In the majority of cases it has been used with Digitalis, the dose being large, but it then proved beneficial in the opposite class of cases—where the circulation was feeble.

Though it has been so extensively employed, it needs to be re-studied.

Specific Medication and Specific Medicines, 1870, was written by John M. Scudder, M.D.