12 



omnia quae necesse est Medicum de oculorum affectibus (dia^igsuv) 

 nosse.'* * In the inscription on the seal, — diathesis stands instead of 

 the common Roman accusative diathesES, or the Greek accusative 

 diathesEis. 



The collyrium mentioned in the prescription (the Crocodes) de- 

 rives its designation from its containing the crocus, or saffron, as one 

 of its principal ingredients. 



In describing the therapeutic effects of the crocus, Dioscorides 

 mentions as its first special use — its efficacy in " fluxions of the 

 eyes."f 



Pliny, in enumerating the qualities of the crocus, begins by ob- 

 serving, that it has a discutient effect upon all inflammations, but 

 chiefly on those of the eyes (discutit inflammationes omnes quidem, 

 sed oculorum maxime) ; and in speaking of its combinations he tells 

 us that it has given a name to one collyrium (colly rio uno etiam 

 nomen dedit).]: But it entered into the composition of very many 

 of the ancient eye medicines, and more than one of these passed 

 under the name of Crocodes, as in the inscription on the seal. Galen, 

 in his list of eye remedies, gives a recipe for the composition of a 

 Crocodes collyrium for epiphorse, pains and affections (diadsgsig) from 

 wounds of the eye.§ He discusses the composition also of the aro- 

 matic Crocodes of Heraclides, and the oxydercic Crocodes of Ascle- 

 pius, &c. II When describing, in another part, the remedies for ulcers 

 of the eyes, he mentions a collyrium containing crocus, and adds, 

 ** habet autem plurimum in se crocum, unde etiam croceum (xgoxw^gj) 

 appellatur."^ 



Celsus, Alexander Trallianus, and Paulus -ZEgineta, give recipes 

 for eye collyria, under the name of diacrocus (6/a xgoxog).** 



We have not yet alluded to the expression apalo, standing before 

 Crocodes. This expression presents the only difficulty in reading 



* Kuehn's Edit, of Galen, xii., p. 699. 



t P. Dioscoridis Opera quae extant Omnia. (Edit. Saraceni., 1698.) P. 21, 

 lib. i., cap. XXV. 



X Naturalis Historia. Leyden edit, of 1635. Vol. ii., p. 473. 



§ Opera a Kuehn. Tom. xii., p. 770. || Ibid. Pp. 785 and 773. 



% Ibid. P. 713. 



** See Milligen's Celsus, p. 295 ; Principes Artis Medicae, p. 170 of Part II. 

 and p. 432 of Part III. Our own Pharmacopoeias long retained similar terms. 

 Tiie London Pharmacopoeia, for example, for 1662, contains an electuary termed 

 Diacrocuma, an emplastrum Oxycrocum, &c. 



