Mr. Rovrz on the Lycium of Dioscorides. 89 
it is evident that the Acacia Catechu is not that plant, for it does not extend 
beyond India; and though Rhamnus infectorius may have produced one kind 
of Lycium, it is a plant which does not exist in India: but from the Barberry 
possessing so many of the same properties, being used for the same purposes, and 
occurring in the same countries, it appears to me as likely as any other to have 
been the true Lycium. But if it be required that species of the same genus 
should have produced the two kinds of Lycium, it will not be difficult to find 
one, of which species are indigenous both in India and Asia Minor, possessing 
all the requisite characters, and from which an extract is even at the present day 
prepared, answering in every respect to the Zycium of Dioscorides. 
It is well known that the knowledge of Grecian medicine was transferred 
to the Arabians by means of translations made at Bagdad in the caliphates of 
Al-Mansor, Harroon-Al-Raschid, and especially of Al-Mamoon ; and among 
the first works translated were those of Pliny, Galen and Dioscorides. The 
Persians have translated from the Arabic into their own language, and their 
works are now the text-books of all the Mahommedan students and prac- 
titioners of medicine throughout India: we may expect, therefore, to find some 
traces of Lycium in the portion of these works which treats of Materia Medica. 
In the Index to the Mukhzun-ool-Udwieh (or Storehouse of Medicines), I 
find „ssd, loofyon, mentioned as the plant which yields huziz, and that in 
Persian it is called feel-zuhreh. In referring, in the body of the work, to the 
account of Aüziz, loofyon is said to be its Greek name. This must evidently 
be intended for lookyon, particularly if we attend to the context, which corre- 
sponds with the description of Dioscorides ; and this there is no difficulty in 
conceiving, for the letters f and k in composition are similarly written in the 
Arabic alphabet, and differ only in the latter having two, and the former only 
one diacritical point placed over it; thus, „ï, /ookyon, may easily, by an + 
error of the transcriber, be converted into _.,,.3,), loofyon, as has been done, to 
adduce a familiar instance, in the name of Antiochus, the first of Alexander’s 
successors who reigned in Persia, from Antakhash into Abtakhash ; (43.5, 
Filafoos, Philip of Macedon, into wils, Filakoos. 
Hoozuz, or hooziz, is further described as being of two kinds; one from 
India of which the Hindee name is rusot, and the other from Arabia; that the 
Greek name is loofion ; the Persian feel-zuhreh, which in Hindee is also called 
VOL. XVII. N 
