36 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 134 
Antispasmodic.—Webster (1834), surgeon on H. M. Sloop Chanti- 
cleer, was told by Capt. William Owen, of the British Navy, that an 
infusion of cockroaches was a most powerful antispasmodic. “Mar- 
quart’s Pharmaceutische Zoologie” also lists this use (Geiger, 1839), 
apparently using Webster as a source. 
Arteriosclerosis—See discussion. 
Boils—Pliny (in Blanchard, 1837) recommended crushed “Blatta” 
as a cure. “Merck’s 1907 Index” lists an oily decoction of Blatta 
orientalis as an external treatment for boils. This and other uses taken 
from Merck (1907) are also cited by Illingworth (1915). 
Bright's disease —See discussion. The use of cockroaches as a 
cure is cited in ““Merck’s 1907 Index.” 
Cirrhosis of liver.—See discussion. 
Constipation.—Sloane (1725) reported that the Indians in Jamaica 
drank ashes of cockroaches as a physic. 
Diaphoresis —Usage cited in ‘““Merck’s 1907 Index.” See discussion 
also. 
Diuresis.—See discussion. Usage listed in “Merck’s 1907 Index.” 
Recent publications still list the use of dried, powdered Blatta orien- 
talis as a diuretic: (1) 16th revised edition of “Stedman’s Practical 
Medical Dictionary” (Taylor and Taylor, 1946); (2) 22nd edition 
of “The American Illustrated Medical Dictionary” (Dorland, 1951). 
Dropsy.—Usage listed in ‘““Merck’s 1907 Index.” 
Earache.—Dioscorides (in Blanchard, 1837) stated that the entrails 
of the Sylph (possibly a cockroach, according to Blanchard), when 
mixed with oil and put into the ear, cured earache. Pliny (im Blanch- 
ard, 1837) also stated that the fat of certain “Blatta,” when ground 
with oil of roses, was very good for earaches. Paillard (1942) cited 
the use, by Matthiole, a 16th-century Viennese physician, of the 
entrails of Blatta, crushed and boiled in oil, for the treatment of 
sore ears. 
Heart disease.—See discussion. 
Indigestion—Lafcadio Hearn, in the New York Tribune, Janu- 
ary 3, 1886, reported that the Negroes in Louisiana used cockroaches 
fried in oil with garlic for indigestion (Weiss, 1925). 
Influenza.—Clausen (1954) cited the following item from the 
New York Times, November 12, 1944. During an epidemic of in- 
fluenza in Iquitos, Peru, one of the most commonly used remedies 
was an infusion of red Iquitos cockroaches steeped in pisco, a fiery 
Peruvian liquor. 
Itching—Pliny (in Blanchard, 1837) recommended crushed 
“Blatta” as a cure. 
