Chap. 19.] REMEDIES FOE DYSENTERY. 441 



as being called the " oniscoa," is a cure for these pains, 

 taken, in doses of one denarius, in two cyathi of wine. 

 The magicians recommend an earth-worm to be put in a 

 wooden dish, which has been split and mended with iron 

 wire ; which done, some water must be taken up with the dish, 

 the worm drenched with it and buried in the spot from 

 which it was taken, and the water drunk from the dish. 

 They assert, also, that this is a marvellously excellent cure for 

 sciatica. 



CHAP. 19. (7.) EEMEDIES FOR DYSENTERY. 



Dysentery is cured by taking the broth of a leg of mutton, 

 boiled with linseed in water ; by eating old ewe- milk cheese ; 

 or by taking mutton suet boiled in astringent wine. This 

 last is good, too, for the iliac passion, and for inveterate coughs. 

 Dysentery is removed also, by taking a spotted lizard from 

 beyond seas, boiled down till the skin only is left, the head, 

 feet, and intestines, being first removed. A couple of snails 

 also, and an egg, are beaten up, shells and all, in both cases, 

 and made lukewarm in a new vessel, with some salt, three 

 cyathi of water, and two cyathi of raisin-wine or date-juice, 

 the decoction being taken in drink. Ashes, too, of burnt snails, 

 are very serviceable, taken in wine with a modicum of resin. 



The snails without shells, which we have 95 mentioned as 

 being mostly found in Africa, are remarkably useful for dy- 

 sentery, five of them being burnt with half a denarius of gum 

 acacia, and taken, in doses of two spoonfuls, in myrtle wine or 

 any other kind of astringent wine, with an equal quantity of 

 warm water. Some persons employ all kinds of African snails 

 indiscriminately in this manner ; while others, again, make use 

 of a similar number of African snails or broad- shelled snails, 

 as an injection, in preference : in cases, too, where the flux is 

 considerable, they add a piece of gum acacia, about the size of 

 a bean. For dysentery and tenesmus, the cast-off slough of a 

 snake is boiled in a pewter vessel with oil of roses : if pre- 

 pared in any other kind of vessel, it is applied with an instru- 

 ment made of pewter. Chicken-broth is also used as a remedy 

 for these affections ; but the broth of an old cock, strongly 

 salted, acts more powerfully as a purgative upon the bowels. 

 A pullet's craw, grilled and administered with salt and oil, has 



9 5 In B. xxix. c. 36. 



