Chap. 33.] EEMEDIES FOE THE OTHER POISONS. 407 



The lizard known by some persons as the *' seps,"'- and by 

 others as the " chalcidice," taken in wine, is a cure for its 

 own bite. 



CHAP. 33. REMEDIES FOR THE OTHER POISONS. 



Where persons have been poisoned by noxious preparations 

 from the wild weasel, '^^ the proper remedy is the broth of an 

 old cock, taken in considerable quantities. This broth, too, 

 is particularly good, taken as a counter- poison for aconite, in 

 combination with a little salt. Poultry dung — but the white 

 part only — boiled with hyssop, or with honied wine, is an ex- 

 cellent antidote to the poison of fungi and of mushrooms : it is 

 a cure also for flatulency and suffocations ; a thing the more to 

 be wondered at, seeing that if any other living creature only 

 tastes this dung, it is immediately attacked with griping pains 

 and flatulency. Goose blood, taken with an equal quantity of 

 olive oil, is an excellent neutralizer of the venom of the sea- 

 hare : it is kept also as an antidote for all kinds of noxious 

 drugs,made up into lozenges with red earth of Lemnos and juice 

 of white4horn, five drachmae of the lozenges being taken in 

 three cyathi of water. The same property belongs also to the 

 young of the weasel, prepared in manner already''^ mentioned. 



Lambs' rennet is an excellent antidote to all noxious pre- 

 parations ; the blood, also, of ducks from Pontus -"^^ for which 

 reason it is preserved in a dry state, and dissolved in wine when 

 wanted, some persons being of opinion that the blood of the 

 female bird is the most efiicacious. In a similar manner, the 

 crop of a stork acts as an universal counter-poison ; and so does 

 sheep's rennet. A broth made from ram's flesh is particu- 

 larly good as a remedy for cantharides : sheep's milk also, taken 

 warm ; this last being very useful in cases where persons 

 have drunk an infusion of aconite, or have swallowed the 

 buprestis in drink. The dung of wood -pigeons is particularly 

 good taken internally as an antidote to quicksilver ; and for 



^2 See B. XX. cc. 6, 20. It is somewhat doubtful what the ** seps " 

 really was ; whether, in fact, it was a lizard at all. Littre suggests the Tri- 

 dactylus saurius. 



" Or Ferret, probably. See c. 16 of this Book. 



■?* In c. 16 of this Book. 



■'^ From the circumstance that that country was covered with herbs and 

 plants of a medicinal nature. 



