34 PLTKY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XXXII. 



applied with honey, or the hurnt shells of other shell- 

 fish, 20 used with honied wine, are curative of imposthuiues of 

 the parotid glands. 



CUAI*. 26. - EEMEDIF.S FOR TOOTn-ACIIE. THE DOG-FISH : FOCU 



REMEDIES. WHALE'S FLKSII. 



Tooth-ache is alleviated by scarifying the gums with bones 

 of the sea-dragon, or by rubbing the teeth once a year with 

 the brains of a dog. fish 21 boiled in oil, and kept for the purpose. 

 It is a very good plan too, for the cure of tooth-ache, to lance 

 the gums with the sting of the pastinacu" in some cases. 

 This sting, too, is pounded, and applied to the teeth with white 

 hellebore, having the effect of extracting them without the 

 slightest difficulty. Another of these remedies is, ashes of 

 salted fish calcined in an earthen vessel, mixed with powdered 

 marble. Stale cybium,* 3 rinsed in a new earthen vessel, and 

 then pounded, is very useful for the cure of tooth- ache. 

 Equally good, it is said, are the back-bones of all kinds of salt 

 fish, pounded and applied in a liniment. A decoction is made of 

 a single frog boiled in one hemimi of vinegar, and the teeth 

 are rinsed with it, the decoction being retained in the mouth. 

 In cases where a repugnance existed to making use of this 

 remedy, Sallustius Dionysius 24 used to suspend frogs over 

 boiling vinegar by the hind legs, so as to make them discharge 

 their humours into the vinegar by the mouth, using consider- 

 able numbers of frogs for the purpose : to those, however, who 

 had a stronger stomach, he prescribed the frogs themselves, 

 eaten with their broth. It is generally thought, too, that 

 this recipe applies more particularly to the double teeth, and 

 that tho vinegar prepared as above-mentioned, is remarkably 

 useful for strengthening them when loose. 



For this last purpose, some persons cut off the legs of two 

 frogs, and then macerate the bodies in two hemime of wine, 

 recommending this preparation as a collutory for strengthening 

 loose teeth. Others attach the frogs, whole, to tho exterior of 

 the jaws: 25 and with some it is the practice to boil ten frogs, 



20 Sec Note 89 to Chapter 23 of tin's Book. 



21 " Cumcula." See B. ix. cc. 11, 70. - Qr sling-ray. 



J Tunny cut in slices. See B ix. c. 18. =* See end of B. xxxi. 



25 For the purpose, probably, of assuaging thu pain of looth-uchc by 

 their coolness. 



