Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-19
CURIOUS REMEDIES.
A COLLECTION OF PRESCRIPTIONS
MADE ~ THE FIRST CENTURY.

MADE Nv HE FIRST CENTURY.
Fever Cured by Amulets-A Compound
/ for Deafness - Toothache aid Head.
/ ache-Sore Eyes-Relaxed Throas-Hy
drophobia-Recipes for Everything.
In the first century of the Christian er.
| lived In Rome Caius Plinius Secundus.
He was good man and true. a seientis.
SO far as his light went, and with a pro
fessional distrust for the prescriptions OF
those whom he calls magicians. who
strove to cure by spells. amulets aad
charms And he set himself to make G
collection of prescriptions for the benefit
of the suffering Romans of his day. being
careful only to insert those which had
been duly recommended By the faculty
This curious and interesting book was
translated into English by DR. Philemon
Holland. three years before the death OF
| Elizabeth, at which time there were great
numbers of people who implicitly believed
in the remedies there set down. We
venture, then, no apology In offering our
readers few of plny's choicest prescrip-
! lions. so old that now they are new.
Fever receives the attention il deserves.
| being cured most by amulets and remedies
| to be worn round the neck; as, for in
| stance, you are TO take the right eie Of o
| wolfe, salt it, and so tie it about the
neelte. or hang it fast TO any part Of the
person" Elephants blood was invaluable,
but if the squeamish should turn against
| the remedy, a poetic substitute is pro-
/ vided-"a lions heart stepped in oil of
/ rosesl"
| Deafness was readily curable by com
pound of ''goosegrease, fresh butter and
bulls gall. tempered with rnyrrh and rue.
or the fome that horse doth froth, mixed
with oil of roses"
A very rational remedy is recommended
for toothache; If one bite off piece Of
some tree that hath been blasted with
lightning provided always"-and here is
the rub-''that be holds his hands behind
him in so doing. the said peece of wood
will take away the toothache.
Headache was at once cured by having
the forehead touched by the trunk or
shuttle of an elephat.nt;" OF, If man
peure vinigar upon the hooks and hindges
of doors and make a Hnimeut with the
durt that commeth of the rust thereof,
and Herewith anoint the forehead" his
headache is at once cured
Sore eyes were simple matter, and re-
quired only to anoint them with VOLTS
grease or Swines marrow; but actual
blindness required, of course, more elah
crate treatment The gravie or dripping
of a hy9nes liver, newly taken out of the
body and rosted, being Incorporated with
clarified hony into an unguent. riddeth
man from blindness Or if the eyes
squinted, If the eies be dipped three
times in that water wherein q man or
woman hath washed their feet. they shall
be troubled neither with blearednease nor
any other infrmity."
The remedy for relaxed throat" was
simple enough, but the doctor needed to
be of herculean strength If the uvula
be falne. it viii be up again if the patient
suffer another to bite the haire in the
erowne of his head, and so to pull him
plamb from the ground"
Should an accident occur in eating
Pliny is equal TO the emergency If
peece of bread have gone wrong, or lie in
the way readie to stop the breth. take the
crums of the same loafe and put them
into both the cares, you shall see it shall
soone be gone. and doe no further harm.
There are periodical epidemics of hydro
phobia, or rather fear of that horrible
malady. and it is as well to know how to
treat the bite of dog, whether mad or
sane This is what Pliny recommends
"Make q decoction of a badger. cuckoo
and swallow. and drink it off" Cramp
was to be cured by "a cataplasme of
live wolf. sodden in ole till the said ole
be gelied to the height or a consistence of
cerot." Pliny seems to take it for
granted that the Give wolf" would raise
no objections to be thus utilized. The
nervous and shy will be flied with cour-
age if they take the pith or marrow out
of the hyene's backbone, along and incor
porate with ole and hony; it is passing
good for she nerves"
Bees are supposed to die after singing;
md Pliny tells similarly Of serpents, that
"serpents can hurt but once, neither kill
they many together, to say nothing how,
when they have stung or bitten a man,
they die for very griefe and sorrow that
they have done such mischiefe, as II
they had some prick or remorse of con-
science afterwards.
Pliny has receipts for everybody and
everything; even the ladies are not for
gotten For the compilation, The pas
terne bones Of young white buikin, or
steere. sodden for the space of forty daies
and nights together. until such time as
they be dissolved into the lauor; IL the
face be wet with fine Grlnen cloth dipped
in the said decoction, it causeth the skin
20 look clean and white, and without any
rivels or wrinkles; but the said Imminent
must be kept all night to the face in the
manner Of a Inaske." For the hair:
"Ants' eggs stamped and incorporat with
flies. likewise pounded together, VIII give
a lovely black colour to the hair Of the
elebrows." To curl the hair: "a camel's
tale dried and reduced into ashes and in
corporal with ole doth curle and frizzle
the hair of the head"
1t seems incredible to US that remedies
such as these could grsvely DO recon
mended and believed IN, and get such ras
the case. It must have required . mar
velous amount Of faith to get some Of
these gruesome prescriptions down. and
faith. as we know, works wonders in The
the healing art.-Au tie Year Round