in Greek and Latin Authors. 27 



those who have no fever ; in fever cases with honeyed water ; 

 it is given in liver complaints, asthma, jaundice, dysentery, 

 kidney diseases, where there is difficulty in passing water, in 

 cases of hysteria, and to those of a sallow complexion in doses 

 of one drachma ; in cases of phthisis it is administered in 

 raisin-wine, in affections of the spleen with honey and vinegar. 

 By persons troubled with pains in the stomach and by those 

 who suffer from acid eructations, the root is chewed and swal- 

 lowed by itself without any liquid ; it stops bleeding when 

 taken with water in three-obol doses ; it is good for pains in 

 the loins and joints, in epilepsy when taken with an equal 

 quantity of honey and vinegar; it assists menstruation and 

 relieves flatulence in women when taken with equal propor- 

 tions of honey and vinegar. It prevents rigor if taken 

 before the attack ; in one- or two-drachm doses it acts as a 

 purgative when taken with honeyed water ; it is an antidote in 

 poisons in one-drachm* doses with dilute wine. In three- 

 obol doses with wine it is a relief in cases of bites and wounds 

 caused by serpents. On the whole it is serviceable in all 

 internal complaints when taken according to the age and 

 strength of the patient ; some should take it with water, 

 others with wine, and others with vinegar and honey or with 

 water and honey " (De Med. iii. 1). 



There seems to be no reasonable doubt that the agaricum 

 of Dioscorides is the Polyporus officinalis of modern mycolo- 

 gists, which grows on larches insubalpine places of Southern 

 Europe. That which he calls the female is the Polyporus 

 in question ; and probably under the name of male other Poly- 

 pori : as P. quercinus, are intended. The expression that the 

 female has straight fibres within suits the P. officinalis, while 

 the bitter taste to which Dicscorides alludes is very marked 

 in this species. An objection, however, to this identification 

 Avould seem to rest on his statement that the agaricum grows 

 on cedars, whereas the P. officinalis is found on the larch 

 alone ; but it should be noted that instead of the reading 

 eirl ru>v Kehpwv, Oribasius reads SevSpwv. Sprengel, in his 

 commentary on Dioscorides (/. c. vol. ii. p. 490), expresses 

 wonder why agaricum should have been brought by the 

 ancients from the remote Agarum of Sarmatia when the 

 Romans at least could have procured it much more easily 

 from Rhaetia, Vindelicia, and Noricum, Danubian provinces 

 of the Romans ; " still, even in our time," he adds, " agaricum 

 is sent from the remote Ural Mountains, as well as from 

 Syria, which Europeans consider to be of a most excellent 



* A drachma =albo it 66 gr, avdp. ; obol=^ of drachma. 



