MENAGERIE MEDICINES. 251 



summer was made into an infusion, and was given for disorders 

 of the ears, teeth, and eyes. 



The discovery of the New World opened in its flora and fauna 

 too valuable a field to be neglected in the search for new remedies, 

 and the animals which soon became accepted in medicine were 

 the Beaver, the Buffalo, and the Armadillo. " Castorem " was 

 an extensively used drug two centuries ago. It was made from 

 the Beaver, and given for nervous disorders, and even for measles 

 and small-pox. Buffalo horn was an esteemed sudorific. The 

 bone in the tail of the Armadillo was broken into very small 

 pieces, which were put into the ears to cure humming in these 

 organs and deafness. We find a warning not to use more than 

 one piece at a time. 



The roasted heart of a Monkey was believed to sharpen the 

 memory. Stones said to exist in the head or stomach of a Por- 

 cupine were believed to chase away "bad humours" by causing 

 perspiration. The claws of the Lynx, worn as an amulet, were 

 good for the nerves. The flesh of the Chameleon was held 

 remedial in cases of gout and rheumatism, and the dried blood 

 of the Tortoise was given for epilepsy. The list might be 

 extended down the whole catalogue of animal life as it was 

 known at the time of which we write. 



If the domestic animals were not held in higher esteem than 

 those which required to be hunted, the methods of preparing 

 them or employing them in medicine were often more repulsive. 

 For instance, we read that for pains in the side a living Cat 

 opened and applied thereto performed a cure. Not. quite so 

 disastrous for the Cat, but perhaps more dangerous for the 

 patient, was a remedy recommended for whitlow, a trifling but 

 painful growth under the finger-nail. One was advised to put 

 the finger into the ear of a living Cat several times a day for 

 fifteen minutes each time. The Dog was often treated as un- 

 ceremoniously as the Cat. For certain brain diseases a newly- 

 born Dog was cut open and applied to the head as a cap. The 

 fat of a Dog was considered to make a good ointment, and was 

 frequently used as a base. It was applied for deafness, and 

 given internally for consumption. The inwards of the Horse 

 appear to have been neglected by ancient medical practices, but 

 the excrescences which appear upon the legs of Horses were, if 



