MALADIES WHICH ATTACK THE WHOLE OF THE BODY

Latine · Mayhoff 1906

Talis vero tumentibus limus aquaticus cum oleo subactus mire prodest, articulis sucus e centaurio minore. idem nervis utilissimus, item centauris. Vettonica nervis discurrentibus per scapulas, umeris, spinae, lumbis pota ut in iocinere, articulis quinquefolium inpositum, mandragorae folia cum polenta vel radix recens tusa cum cucumere silvestri vel decocta in aqua, digitorum in pedibus rimis polypodii radix, articulis sucus hyoscyami cum axungia, amomon suco decocto, item centunculus decocta vel muscus recens ex aqua obligatus, donec inarescat, item lappae boariae radix e vino pota. —Cyclaminos decocta in aqua perniunculos curat omniaque alia frigoris vitia, perniunculos et cotydelon cum axungia, folia ex batrachio, epithymi sucus. clavos pedum extrahit ladanum cum castoreo, verbenaca ex vino.

Nunc peractis malis, quae membratim sentiuntur, dicemus de iis, quae totis corporibus grassantur. remedia autem haec communia invenio aput auctores potanda: dodecatheum, de qua diximus, deinde panacis omnium generum radices, peculiariter longinquis morbis, et semen interaneorum vitiis, ad omnes vero dolores corporis sucum e scordio, item Vettonicae, quae pota colorem plumbeum corporis privatim emendat, gratiorem reducit.

Geranion aliqui myrrin, alii myrtidan appellant. similis est cicutae, minutioribus foliis et caule brevior, rotunda, saporis et odoris iucundi. nostri sic eam tradunt, Graeci foliis paulo candidioribus quam malvae, caulibus tenuibus, pilosis ramosam ex intervallis, binum palmorum; esse in his folia, inter quae in cacuminibus capitula sint gruum. alterum genus foliis anemones, divisuris longioribus, radice mali modo rotunda, dulci, reficientibus se ab imbecillitate utilissima, et fere talis vera est. bibitur contra phthisis drachma in cyathis vini III bis die, item contra inflationes, et cruda idem praestat. sucus radicis auribus medetur, opisthotonis semen drachmis IIII cum pipere et murra potum. phthisis sanat et plantaginis sucus, si bibatur, et ipsa decocta in cibo; e sale et oleo a somno matutino refrigerat. eadem datur iis, quos atrophos vocant, interpositis diebus, Vettonica vero phthisicis ecligmate cum melle, fabae magnitudine, agaricum potum obolis II in passo, vel daucum cum centaurio maiore in vino. phagedaenis, quod nomen sine modo esurientium est et alias ulcerum, tithymalli medentur cum sesamis sumpti.

Inter mala universi corporis vigiliae sunt plerisque. harum remedio monstratur panaces, clymenos, aristolochia odore et peruncto capite, aizoum sive sedum, si involutum panno nigro ignorantis pulvino subiciatur, et onotheras sive onear, hilaritatem adferens in vino, amygdalae folio, flore roseo, fruticosa, longa radice et, cum siccata est, vinum olente. haec in potu data feras quoque mitigat. cruditates, quae nausiam faciunt, digeruntur Vettonica pota; eadem a cena concoctionem facit in oxymelitis cyathis III drachmae pondere et crapulam discutit, item agaricum post cibum in aqua calida potum.—Paralysin Vettonica sanare dicitur, item Hiberis ut dictum est. eadem et torpentibus membris prodest, item argemonia omniaque, quae secari periclitentur, discutiendo.

Comitiales sanantur panacis, quam Heraclion diximus, radice pota cum coagulo vituli marini ita, ut sint panacis III partes, plantagine pota, Vettonica in oxymelitis drachma vel agarico obolis III, foliis quinquefolii ex aqua. sanat et archezostis, sed anno pota. sanat et baccaris radix arida in pulverem contrita cyathis III cum coriandri uno in aqua calida, et centunculus trita in aceto aut melle aut in aqua calida, verbenaca ex vino pota, hysopi bacae ternae contritae in aqua potae diebus XVI, peucedanum cum coagulo vituli marini aequis portionibus potum, quinquefolii contrita folia ex vino et sumpta diebus XXX, Vettonicae farina pondere X iII cum aceti scillini cyatho, mellis Attici uncia, scamonium obolis II cum castorei drachmis IIII.

Febres frigidas leviores facit agaricum potum in calida aqua, tertianas sideritis cum oleo, item ladanum, quod in segetibus nascitur, contusum, plantago ex aqua mulsa II horis ante accessionem pota binis drachmis vel sucus radicis madefactae vel tusae vel ipsa radix trita in aqua ferro calfacta. quidam ternas radices in III cyathis aquae dedere. eadem in quartanis quaterna fecerunt. buglosso inarescente, si quis medullam e caule eximat dicatque, ad quem liberandum febri id faciat, et alliget ei VII folia ante accessionem, aiunt febri liberari; item Vettonicae... drachmam in aquae mulsae cyathis III vel agaricum, maxime in iis febribus, quae cum horrore veniant. quinquefolii folia quidam terna tertianis dedere, quaterna quartanis, plura ceteris; alii omnibus III obolos cum pipere ex aqua mulsa. verbenaca quidem et iumentorum febribuss in vino medetur, sed in tertianis a tertio geniculo incisa, quartanis a quarto. bibitur et semen hyperici utriusque in quartanis et horroribus, Vettonicae farina, quae omnes horrores coercet, item panaces, adeo excalefactoria natura, ut per nivem ituris bibere id perunguique eo praecipiant. et aristolochia perfrictionibus resistit.

Phreneticos somnus sanat, qui contingit peucedano ex aceto capiti infuso, anagallidum suco. e diverso lethargicos excitare labor est; hoc praestant Euphorbeum ex aceto naribus tactis, peucedani sucus. contra insanias Vettonica bibitur. carbunculos rumpit panaces, sanat Vettonicae farina ex aqua aut brassica cum ture, frequenti potu calidae, vel e carbone in conspectu restincto favilla digito sublata et inlita, vel plantago tusa, tithymallus characias.

Hydropicos sanat panaces, plantago in cibo, cum prius panem siccum comederint sine potu, Vettonica drachmis II in II cyathis vini aut mulsi, vel agaricum vel semen lonchitidis II lingulis ex aqua potum, psyllion ex vino, anagallidum sucus, cotyledonis radix e mulso, ebuli recentis radix excussa tantum nec colluta, quod II digiti conprehendant, ex vini veteris caldi hemina, trifolii radix drachmis II in vino, tithymallum platyphyllon cognomine, semen hyperici, quod caros appellatur, acte, quam esse ebulum putant quidam, radice contrita in vini cyathis III, si febris absit, vel semine ex vino nigro, item verbenaca fasciculo manus plenae in aqua decocta ad dimidias. praecipue tamen chamaeactes sucus aptissimus creditur.— Eruptiones pituitae emendant plantago, cyclamini radix e melle, ebuli folia trita e vetere vino; inposita etiam boam sanant, id est rubentes papulas, pruriginem sucus strychni inlitus.

Igni sacro medenturn aizoum, folia trita cicutae, mandragorae radix; secatur in asses ut cucumis, primumque super mustum suspenditur, mox in fumo, dein teritur e vino aut aceto. prodest et vino myrteo fovere, mentae sextans vivi sulpuris uncia ex aceto simul trita, fuligo ex aceto. ignis sacri plura sunt genera, inter quae medium hominem ambiens, qui zoster vocatur, et enecat, si cinxit. medetur plantago cum creta Cimolia et peristereos per se, radix persollatae; aliis, quae serpunt, cotyledonis radix cum mulso, aizoum, sucus e linozosti ex aceto.

English · Bostock & Riley 1855–57

For swellings of the ankles, slime, kneaded up with oil, is wonderfully useful, and for swellings of the joints the juice of the smaller centaury; this last being remarkably good also for diseases of the sinews. Centauris, too, is very useful; and for pains in the sinews of the shoulder-blades, shoulders, vertebræ, and loins, an infusion of betony is taken in drink in the same way as for diseases of the liver. Cinquefoil is applied topically to the joints, and a similar use is made of the leaves of mandragora, mixed with polenta, or else the root, beaten up fresh with wild cucumber or boiled in water. For chaps upon the toes, root of polypodion is used; and for diseases of the joints, juice of henbane with axle-grease; amomum, with a decoction of the plant; centunculus, boiled; or fresh moss steeped in water, and attached to the part till it is quite dry.

The root, too, of lappa boaria, taken in wine, is productive of similar effects. A decoction of cyclaminos in water, is curative of chilblains, and all other affections resulting from cold. For chilblains, cotyledon is also employed with axle-grease, leaves of batrachion, and juice of epithymum. Ladanum, mixed with castoreum, and vervain applied with wine, extract corns from the feet.

Having now finished the detail of the diseases which are perceptible in individual parts of the body, we shall proceed to speak of those which attack the whole of the body. The following I find mentioned as general remedies: in preference to anything else, an infusion of dodecatheos, a plant already described, should be taken in drink, and then the roots of the several kinds of panaces, in maladies of long standing more particularly: seed, too, of panaces should be used for intestinal complaints. For all painful affections of the body we find juice of scordium recommended, as also that of betony: this last, taken in a potion, is particularly excellent for removing a wan and leaden hue of the skin, and for improving its general appearance.

The plant geranion has the additional names of “myrrhis” and “myrtis.” It is similar to hemlock in appearance, but has a smaller leaf and a shorter stem, rounded, and of a pleasant taste and odour. Such, at all events, is the description given of it by our herbalists; but the Greeks speak of it as bearing leaves a little whiter than those of the mallow, thin downy stems, and branches at intervals some two palms in length, with small heads at their extremities, in the midst of the leaves, resembling the bill of a crane. There is also another variety of this plant, with leaves like those of the anemone, but with deeper incisions, and a root rounded like an apple, sweet, and extremely useful and refreshing for invalids when recovering their strength; this last would almost seem to be the true geranion.

For phthisis this plant is taken, in the proportion of one drachma to three cyathi of wine, twice a day; as also for flatulency. Eaten raw, it is productive of similar effects. The juice of the root is remedial for diseases of the ear; and for opisthotony the seed is taken in drink, in doses of four drachmæ, with pepper and myrrh. Juice of plantago, taken in drink, is curative of phthisis, and a decoction of it is equally good for the purpose. Plantago taken as a food with oil and salt, immediately after rising in the morning, is extremely refreshing; it is prescribed, too, in cases of atrophy, on alternate days. Betony is given with honey, in the form of an electuary, for phthisis, in pieces the size of a bean; agaric, too, is taken in doses of two oboli in raisin wine, or else daucus with the greater centaury in wine. For the cure of phagedæna, a name given in common to bulimia and to a corrosive kind of ulcer, tithymalos is taken in combination with sesame.

Among the various evils by which the whole of the body in common is afflicted, that of wakefulness is the most common. Among the remedies for it we find panaces mentioned, clymenus, and aristolochia, the odour of the plant being inhaled and the head rubbed with it. Aizoüm, or houseleek, is beneficial, wrapped in black cloth and placed beneath the pillow, without the patient being aware of it. The onotheras too, or onear, taken in wine, has certain exhilarating properties; it has leaves like those of the almond tree, a rose-coloured flower, numerous branches, and a long root, with a vinous smell when dried: an infusion of this root has a soothing effect upon wild beasts even.

For fits of indigestion attended with nausea, betony is taken in drink: used similarly after the evening meal, it facilitates the digestion. Taken in the proportion of one drachma to three cyathi of oxymel, it dispels crapulence. The same is the case, too, with agaric, taken in warm water after eating. Betony is curative of paralysis, it is said; the same, too, with iberis, as already stated. This last is good, too, for numbness of the limbs; the same being the case with argemonia, a plant which disperses those affections which might otherwise necessitate the application of the knife.

Epilepsy is cured by the root of the panaces which we have spoken of as the “heraclion,” taken in drink with sea-calf’s rennet, the proportions being three parts of panaces and one of rennet. For the same purpose an infusion of plantago is taken, or else betony or agaric, with oxymel, the former in doses of one drachma, the latter in doses of three oboli; leaves of cinquefoil are taken, also, in water. Archezostis is also curative of epilepsy, but it must be taken constantly for a year; root of bacchar, too, dried and powdered, and taken in warm water, in the proportion of three cyathi to one cyathus of coriander; centunculus also, bruised in vinegar, warm water, or honey; vervain, taken in wine; hyssop berries, three in number, pounded and taken in water, for sixteen days consecutively; peucedanum, taken in drink with sea-calf’s rennet, in equal proportions; leaves of cinquefoil, bruised in wine and taken for thirty days; powdered betony, in doses of three denarii, with one cyathus of squill vinegar and an ounce of Attic honey; as also scammony, in the proportion of two oboli to four drachmæ of castoreum.

Agaric, taken in warm water, alleviates cold fevers: sideritis, in combination with oil, is good for tertian fevers; bruised ladanum also, which is found in corn fields; plantago, taken in doses of two drachmæ, in hydromel, a couple of hours before the paroxysms come on; juice of the root of plantago made warm or subjected to pressure; or else the root itself beaten up in water made warm with a hot iron. Some medical men prescribe three roots of plantago, in three cyathi of water; and in a similar manner, four roots for quartan fevers. When buglossos is beginning to wither, if a person takes the pith out of the stem, and says while so doing, that it is for the cure of such and such a person suffering from fever, and then attaches seven leaves to the patient, just before the paroxysms come on, he will experience a cure, they say.

Fevers too, those which are attended with recurrent cold shiverings more particularly, are cured by administering one drachma of betony, or else agaric, in three cyathi of hydromel. Some medical men recommend three leaves of cinquefoil for tertian, four for quartan, and an increased number for other fevers; while others again prescribe in all cases three oboli of cinquefoil, with pepper, in hydromel.

Vervain, administered in water, is curative of fever, in beasts of burden even; but care must be taken, in cases of tertian fever, to cut the plant at the third joint, and of quartan fever at the fourth. The seed of either kind of hypericon is taken also for quartan fevers and cold shiverings. Powdered betony modifies these fits, and panaces is of so warming a nature that persons when about to travel amid the snow are recommended to drink an infusion of it, and to rub the body all over with the plant. Aristolochia also arrests shivering produced by cold.

Phrenitis is cured by sleep induced by the agency of an infusion of peucedanum in vinegar, poured upon the head, or else by the juice of either kind of anagallis. On the other hand, when patients are suffering from lethargy, it is with the greatest difficulty that they are aroused; a result which may be effected, they say, by touching the nostrils with juice of peucedanum in vinegar. For the cure of insanity, betony is administered in drink. Panaces brings carbuncles to a head, and makes them break; and they are equally cured by powdered betony applied in water, or else cabbage leaves mixed with frankincense in warm water, and taken in considerable quantities. For a similar purpose, a red-hot coal is extinguished in the patient’s presence, and the ashes are taken up with the finger and applied to the sore. Bruised plantago is also used for the cure of carbuncles.

For the cure of dropsy, tithymalos characias is employed; panaces also; plantago, used as a diet, dry bread being eaten first, without any drink; betony, taken in doses of two drachmæ in two cyathi of ordinary wine or honied wine; agaric or seed of lonchitis, in doses of two spoonfuls, in water; psyllion, taken in wine; juice of either anagallis; root of cotyledon in honied wine; root of ebulum, fresh gathered, with the mould shaken off, but not washed in water, a pinch in two fingers being taken in one hemina of old wine mulled; root of trefoil, taken in doses of two drachmæ in wine; the tithymalos known as “platyphyllos;” seed of the hypericon, otherwise known as “caros;” the plant called “acte”—the same thing as ebulum according to some—the root of it being pounded in three cyathi of wine, if there are no symptoms of fever, or the seed of it being administered in red wine; a good handful of vervain also, boiled down in water to one half. But of all the remedies for this disease, juice of chamæacte is looked upon as by far the most efficacious.

Morbid or pituitous eruptions are cured by the agency of plantago, or else root of cyclaminos with honey. Leaves of ebulum, bruised in old wine and applied topically, are curative of the disease called “boa,” which makes its appearance in the form of red pimples. Juice of strychnos, applied as a liniment, is curative of prurigo.

For the cure of erysipelas, aizoüm is used, or else pounded leaves of hemlock, or root of mandragora; this last being cut into round slices like cucumber and suspended over must, after which it is hung up in the smoke, and then pounded in wine or vinegar. It is a good plan too to use fomentations with myrtle wine: two ounces of mint beaten up in vinegar with one ounce of live sulphur, form a mixture sometimes employed; as also soot mixed with vinegar.

There are several kinds of erysipelas, one in particular which attacks the middle of the body, and is known as “zoster:” should it entirely surround the body, its effects are fatal. For this disease, plantago is remedial, mixed with Cimolian chalk; vervain, used by itself; or root of persolata. For other kinds of erysipelas of a spreading nature, root of cotyledon is used, mixed with honied wine; aizoüm also, or juice of linozostis, in combination with vinegar.