BOOK XX. Lxxxiv, 227-229 



their sexual desire to an infinite degree," and that 

 three roots attached near to the part have a Hke 

 efFect. He says too that injections of mallow are 

 very good for tenesmus and dysentery, and also for 

 rectal troubles, or fomentations may be used. The 

 juice is also given warm in doses of three cyathi 

 to sufFerers from melancholia,* and in doses of four 

 to those who are raving ; <^ for epilepsy the dose is a 

 hemina of the decocted juice. This juice is also 

 appHed warm to patients with stone, and to suiferers 

 from flatulence, griping and opisthotonus.'^ For 

 both erysipelas and burns the leaves are applied 

 boiled down to an oily paste,'' and they are applied 

 raw with bread for painful/ wounds. The juice of 

 a decoction is good for sinews, bladder and gnawings 

 of the intestines. The paste soothes the womb 

 whether taken by the mouth or injected; the 

 decoction makes the passage pleasant. For all 

 purposes mentioned above the root of althaea is 

 more efficacious, especially for spasms and ruptures. 

 Boiled in water it checks looseness of the bowels ; 

 taken in white wine it is good for scrofula, parotid 



' Any kind of depression, slight or severe, caused or sup- 

 posed to be caused by " black bile." See p. xiv. 



" Delirium or insanity is meant. 



<» See note on § 31. 



' With the readings of Mayhoff : " in oil " ; " and soothes 

 etc." Permeatus may be translated "peristaltic action," or 

 " the passing of excreta." 



There remains the difficulty that decocta in oleum is odd, 

 yet supported by all MSS. and implied in emollit oleum later 

 on. Mayhoff has oleo and emollit. alvo, l>ut the MSS. give us 

 the more difficult reading, and an effort should be made to 

 understand it. May oleum be the sticky paste obtained by 

 boiling the leaves with a little liquid ? 



/ See § 259. 



