444 PLINY'S NATUBAL HISTORY. [Book XXX. 



the abdomen with mouse-dung. The flesh of a hedge -hog is 

 agreeable eating, they say, if killed with a single blow upon 

 the head, before it has had time to discharge its urine 3 * upon 

 its body : [persons 4 who eat this flesh, it is said, will never by 

 any possibility suffer from strangury.] The flesh of a hedge- 

 hog thus killed, is a cure for urinary obstructions of the blad- 

 der ; and the same, too, with fumigations made therewith. If, 

 on the other hand, the animal has discharged its urine upon its 

 body, those who eat the flesh will be sure to be attacked by 

 strangury, it is said. As a lithontriptic, 5 earth-worms are 

 recommended, taken in ordinary wine or raisin wine ; or else 

 boiled snails, prepared the same way 6 as for the cure of asthma. 

 For the cure of urinary obstructions, snails are taken from the 

 shells, pounded, and administered in one cyathus of wine, three 

 the first day, two the second, and one the third. For the ex- 

 pulsion of calculi, the empty shells are reduced to ashes and 

 taken in drink : the liver also of a water- snake, and the ashes 

 of burnt scorpions are similarly employed, or are taken with 

 bread or eaten with a locust. For the same purpose, the 

 small grits that are found in the gizzard of poultry or in the 

 craw of the ringdove, are beaten up and sprinkled in the 

 patient's drink ; the craw, too, of poultry is taken, dried, or if 

 fresh, grilled. 



For urinary calculi and other obstructions of the bladder, 

 dtmg of ring-doves is taken, with beans ; ashes also of wild 

 ring-doves' feathers, mixed with vinegar and honey ; the in- 

 testines of those birds, reduced to ashes, and administered in 

 doses of three spoonfuls ; a small clod from a swallow's nest, 

 dissolved in warm water ; the dried crop of an ossifrage ; the 

 dung of a turtle-dove, boiled in honied wine ; or the broth of 

 a boiled turtle-dove. 



It is very beneficial also for urinary affections to eat thrushes 

 with myrtle-berries, or grasshoppers grilled on a shallow-pan ; 

 or else to take the millepedes, known as " onisci," 7 in drink. 

 For pains in the bladder, a decoction of lambs' feet is used. 



3 * See B. viii. c. 56. 



4 This passage is omitted by Sillig as an evident interpolation from the 

 context a couple of lines below. 



5 The belief in lithontriptics can hardly be said to exist at the present 

 day. Ajasson refers to the grant made by the British Parliament of 5000 

 to Mrs. Stephens for her lithontriptic ! ! 



6 In c. 16 of this Book. 7 See B. xxix. c. 39. 



