108 
Pliny's natural history. 
[Book XXV. 
plant, to which he gave the name of euphorbia," in honour 
of his physician, Euphorbus, the brother of the same Musa, 
whom we have mentioned^^ as having saved the life of the late 
Emperor Augustus. It was these brothers who introduced the 
practice of douching the body with large quantities of cold 
water, immediately after the bath, for the purpose of bracing 
the system : whereas in former times, as we find stated in the 
works of Homer^^ even, it was the practice to wash the body 
with warm water only. With reference to euphorbia, there 
is a treatise still in existence, written upon it by King Juba, 
in which he highly extols its merits : he discovered it growing 
upon Mount Atlas, and describes it as resembling a thyrsus in 
appearance, and bearing leaves like those of the acanthus.^^ 
The properties of this plant are so remarkably powerful,^^ 
that the persons engaged in collecting the juices of it are 
obliged to stand at a considerable distance. The incisions are 
made with a long pole shod with iron, the juice flowing into 
receivers of kid-leather placed beneath. The juice has all the 
appearance of milk, as it exudes, but when it has coagulated 
and dried, it assumes the form and consistency of frankincense. 
The persons engaged in collecting it, find their sight improved^ 
thereby. This juice is an excellent remedy for the stings of 
serpents : in whatever part of the body the wound may have 
been inflicted, the practice is to make an incision in the crown 
of the head, and there introduce the medicament. The Gsetuli 
who collect it, are in the habit of adulterating it with warm 
milk a fraud, however, easily to be detected by the agency 
of fire, that which is not genuine emitting a most disgusting 
smell. 
Much inferior to this is the juice extracted, in Gaul,^^ from 
the chamelaea,^^ a plant which bears the grain of Cnidos. When 
broken asunder, it resembles hammoniacum^^ in appearance ; 
and however slightly tasted, it leaves a burning sensation in 
^9 In B. xix. c. 38. so n xii. 444. 
^1 The Euphorbia officinarum of Linnaeus, Officinal spurge, 
^2 An incorrect statement, as Fee remarks. 
6^ Its odour, Fee says, is not so strong as Pliny would have us believe. 
6^ On the contrary, Fee observes, it would be not unlikely to produce 
ophthalmia of the most obstinate kind. 
This Fee considers to be almost impracticable. 
6' Cisalpine Gaul. 67 g^e B. xiii. c. 35. 
68 See B. xii. c. 49, B. xxiv. c. 14, and B. xxxi. c. 39. 
