Chap. 29.] KEMEDIES DEEIVED FROM THE CHAMiELEON. 315 
pimples ; and it is taken for epilepsy, in doses of two oboli, in 
oxymel. Used in the form of a pessary it acts as an emmena- 
gogue. The best kind of crocodilea, is that which is the whitest, 
friable, and the lightest in weight : when rubbed between the 
fingers it should ferment like leaven. The usual method is 
to wash it, as they do white lead. It is sometimes adulterated 
with amylum^ or with Cimolian earth, but the most common 
method of sophistication is to catch the crocodiles and feed 
them upon nothing but rice. It is recommended as one of 
the most efficient remedies for cataract to anoint the eyes with 
crocodile^s gall, incorporated with honey. We are assured 
also that it is highly beneficial for afiections of the uterus to 
make fumigations with the intestines and rest of the body, or 
else to envelope the patient with wool impregnated with the 
smoke. 
The ashes of the skin of either crocodile, applied with vinegar 
to such parts of the body as are about to undergo an incision, 
or indeed the very smell of the skin when burning, will render 
the patient insensible to the knife. The blood of either croco- 
dile, applied to the eyes, efiaces marks upon those organs and 
improves the sight. The body, with the exception of the head 
and feet, is eaten, boiled, for the cure of sciatica, and is found 
very useful for chronic coughs, in children more particularly : 
it is equally good, too, for the cure of lumbago. These animals 
have a certain fat also, which, applied to the hair, makes it fall 
off* ; persons anointed with this fat are effectually protected 
against crocodiles, and it is the practice to drop it into wounds 
inflicted by them. A crocodile's heart, attached to the body 
in the wool of a black sheep without a speck of any other 
colour, due care too being taken that the sheep was the first 
lamb yeaned by its dam, will effectually cure a quartan fever, 
it is said. 
CHAP. 29. — FIFTEEN EEMEDIES DEEIVED FEOM THE CHAMELEON. 
To these animals we shall annex some others that are equally 
foreign, and very similar in their properties. To begin then 
with the chamseleon, which Democritus has considered worthy 
to be made the subject of an especial work, and each part of 
which has been consecrated to some particular purpose — This 
book, in fact, has afforded me no small amusement, revealing 
See B. xviii. c. 17. 
