642 MEALS MEDICINAL. 
Apple Snail was brought to the South Downs of Surrey, and 
Sussex, as well as to Box Hill, in the sixteenth century, by one 
of the Earls of Arundel for his Countess, who dressed, and ate 
them to promote the cure of consumption, from which she suffered. 
Paris alone at the present time uses up about thirty-eight 
millions of Snails yearly. They did not come really into French 
vogue until the return of Louis the Eighteenth (in 1814), on 
which occasion the Bishop of Autun entertained the Emperor 
Alexander of Russia. This popular host, who was a famous 
gastronome, had in his service a most accomplished cook, the 
best in Paris at that time; they put their heads together, and 
hit upon Snails as the most suitable novelty for presenting to 
the Imperial guest. Together with this dish, which was handed 
round, there appeared on the card, under the heading “‘ Escargots 
ad la Bourgignonne,” a description of the delicious seasoning 
with which each shell was filled up. The same dish was straight- 
way adopted in Paris for the ‘‘ Dejewner « la fourchette.” Within 
the last year spurious Snails, made from calves’ liver (boiled), 
have been found in Paris as artificially put upon the market 
in place of the Helix pomatia, or edible Snail; they are, of 
course, much to be reprobated. In 1854 M. de la Marr, of Paris, 
set forth the virtues of helicin as a glutinous extract obtained 
from Snails, and which had long been given in broth asa successlul 
domestic remedy for pulmonary phthisis. Against consumptive 
disease of the lungs the Snails are not only eaten, but also 
crushed in their shells, and rubbed over the back, and chest, the 
Snail juice being deemed by come superior even to cod-liver oil. 
Gipsies are great Snail-eaters, but they first starve these 
gasteropods, which are given to devour poisonous plants, and 
must be rendered free from the same, for it is certain that Snails 
retain for a while the flavour, and odour of the vegetables on 
which they feed. According to a gipsy, the common English garden 
Snail (Helix aspera) is quite as good to eat as the Apple Snail, 
but there is “less of him.’ In gipsy language the Snail is a 
“bauri.” Some think that those Snails are the best for eating 
which have lived through the winter. English Snails are pre- 
ferred when first soaked in salted water, and then cooked, 
being pulled out" of the shell with a pin, like winkles, to be 
eaten with pepper and vinegar. For consumptive persons they 
should be cooked in milk. Collecting Snails is carried on 12 
the French provinces all day long, by men, women, and 
