258 E UFEORBIA CE2E. 



Arabian scliool of medicine. In dcscribiuo: the route from 

 Aghmat to Fez, El-Bekri of Granada, in 1068, mentioned the 

 numoroua plants of El-Farhlyan growing in tlie country of the 

 Beni Oaareth, a tribe of the Sanhadja. [Phannacographia^) 

 Ibn Sina notices the drug nnder tbe name of Farbiyun; Haji 

 Zein states tbat it is called Farbiyun, A farbiyun, Farfiyun 

 and Takdb, and that the men who collect it have to tie up their 

 faces to prevent the dust entering their mouths, as it would 

 cause all their teeth to fall out. He says that as soon as it is 

 collected, it is mixed with husked beans to preserve its streugth, 

 and that when fresh it is of a yellow colour, translucent, and 

 easily soluble in olive oil; when old it turns, reddish -yellow, the 

 odour is acrid. As regards its medicinal properties, he states 

 that it is a useful application in sciatica, palsy, colic, lumbago, 

 and removes phlegmatic humors from the joints and limbs; 

 internally administered it acts as a purgative of bile and phlegm. 

 However used, it should always be diluted with such substances 

 as oil of roses (fatty extract), bdellium, extract of liquorice, 

 tragacanth or gum arabic ; the dose is from one carat to one dnng. 

 When given internally to women, it causes abortion, but a pessary 

 containing one grain of cuphorbium causes the mouth of the 

 uterus to contract and prevents abortion. Mixed with honey it 

 is used in purulent ophthalmia. Three dirhams is a fatal dose, 

 cau.sing ulceration of the stomach and intestines; the antidotes 

 for it are sour milk, the juice of sour pomegranates, aad cam- 

 phor. 



The author of the Tithfat-Gl-mnminin gives almost a literal 

 translation of what Dioscoridcs says about euphorbium, and 

 reproduces a great part of Haji Zein's account of it; he men- 

 tions its use as a snuff, when diluted with beet juice, in certain 

 affections of the brain, as a dusting powder to remove proud flesh, 

 and as an enema in obstructed menses. In modern medicine, 

 euphorbium is n-vcr given internally, but it is still sometimes 

 employed as an evrhine, after having been largely diluted with 

 some im.t powder, in amaurosis, deafness, a'lid other chronic 



Its use as a counter-irritant is now almost 

 entirely conhned to veterinary practice. 



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^-- v^'wi Whi* 



