436 MEALS MEDICINAL. 
“excellent against consumption, hecticks, phthisicks, and 
asthmas ; the eyes (calcareous) take away all acidities, breaks 
the stone, dissolves the tartareous coagulations, and congealed 
blood.” Crabs also were prescribed of old as of value for in- 
creasing a flow of maternal breast-milk. It is the black-clawed 
species which comes to our tables. 
Again, the Crayfish, or Crawfish (Cancer atacus), affords a very 
nourishing aliment that hath recovered divers in consumption. 
The soup concocted therefrom is Bisque, which used to be known 
in this country as cullis, because it needed a coulis, or veal broth 
for its completion. Herbs, spices, some white wine, and 
anchovies are intermixed with the standard broth of the Crayfish. 
Bisque soup has been long credited with strengthening curative 
powers, and as a sexual restorative. ‘‘ Le bouillon d’ecrevisses 
fait un bouillon analeptique, anciennement recommandé dans la 
phthisie pulmonaire, dans la lépre, et dans les affections du systeme 
cutané.” In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the Cray- 
fish was much esteemed as an antidote to hydrophobia ; the fish 
was to be collected when the sun was astrologically in a certain 
house, and was to be cooked whilst alive. 
LOZENGES. 
OrIGINALLY the Lozenge was a square, flat slab of gravestone, on 
which “Jlosange” or flattery was inscribed ; but this grim and 
deceitful recorder has given place to our modern little oval tablet 
of hard paste, serving as a vehicle for this or that spice, medica- 
ment, fruit, or what not, to be sucked in the mouth, and provoke 
a flow of saliva. Such saliva is alkaline, and if swallowed 
repeatedly during the slow mastication of a hard lozenge, it will 
correct dyspeptic acidity in the stomach. This will specially 
occur if the lozenges contain some stimulating ingredient, as 
ginger, cayenne pepper, etc., or if they be made with the herb 
Pellitory, which is an active excitant of the salivary glands in 
the mouth. A very sensible relief is thereby afforded when the 
digestive processes hang fire: and this accounts for the habit 
which country dames acquire of carrying about with them in 
their capacious pockets Peppermint drops, or a piece of ginger 
root, to be put into use for comforting a stomach-ache ; thereby 
“besides the cordial carminative condiment,” says Sir W. 
Roberts, “or essence, the advent of a bland gummy solution, 
