296 
pliny's natural history. 
[Book XXVIII. 
or carriage^ exercise; this last being performed in various ways. 
Exercise on horseback is extremely good for affections of the 
stomach and hips, a voyage for phthisis,^ and a change of 
locality^ for diseases of long standing. So, too, a cure may 
sometimes be effected by sleep, by a recumbent position in bed, 
or by the use of emetics in moderation. To lie upon the back 
is beneficial to the sight, to lie with the face downwards is 
good for a cough, and to lie on the side is recommended for 
patients suffering from catarrh. 
According to Aristotle and Fabianus, it is towards spring and 
autumn that we are most apt to dream ; and they tell us that 
persons are most liable to do so when lying on the back, but 
never when lying with the face downwards. Theophrastus 
assures us that the digestion is accelerated by lying on the 
right side ; while, on the other hand, it is retarded by lying 
with the face upwards. The most powerful, however, of all 
remedies, and one which is always at a person's own command, 
is the sun : violent friction, too, is useful by the agency of 
linen towels and body-scrapers/ To pour warm water on the 
head before taking the vapour-bath, and cold water after it, is 
looked upon as a most beneficial practice ; so, too, is the habit 
of taking cold water before food, of drinking it every now and 
then while eating, of taking it just before going to sleep, and, 
if practicable, of waking every now and then, and taking a 
draught. It is worthy also of remark, that there is no living 
creature but man^ that is fond of hot drinks, a proof that they 
are contrary to nature. It has been ascertained by experiment, 
that it is a good plan to rinse the mouth with undiluted wine, 
before going to sleep, for the purpose of sweetening the breath ; 
to rinse the mouth with cold water an odd number of times 
every morning, as a preservative against tooth-ache ; and to 
wash the eyes with oxy crate, as a preventive of ophthalmia. 
It has been remarked also, that the general health is improved 
by a varying regimen, subject to no fixed rules. 
1 "Gestatio." Exercise on horseback, in a carriage drawn by horses, 
01 in a litter. See B. xxvi. c. 7. 
2 See B. xxxi. c. 33. A sea voyage, to Madeira, for instance, is still re- 
commended for consumptive patients. 
3 Change of locality is still recommended for diseases of the spleen, as 
tliey are called. * " Strigilium." 
^ Except monkeys and some domesticated animals, Ajasson remarks. 
