Gr. H. F. Nuttall 
517 
parts and that useful applications are the bile of the bull, calf, capon or 
partridge with juice of centaury and mercury. Saffron and lye are stated 
to be commonly used for body-lice in Ireland and Iceland. Amatus 
Lusitanus (1511—?) prescribed bitter lupins iii pugils, seeds of stave- 
acre ii pugils and strong vinegar q.v., boiled, as a wash for the body 
which is afterwards dried and anointed with staveacre, red arsenic 
(sandaracha), nitre, vinegar and oil of radish. Marcellus (1536) “doth 
very much commend Hogs dung mingled with wine and juice of Roses; 
also to anoynt with Honey and Sal Armoniack, but chiefly Oyl of 
Radishes with a strong lie.” Hildegardis (Saint Hildegardis) “provides 
a he made of Date-stones, which being mingled with Oyl of Radish roots, 
will kill the Nits. Ardonus mingles some sublimate of Quick-silver with 
spirit of wine: And he saith also, that if the head be first wet with Hens- 
eggs, and then with the joice of Sowbread, or Sea-water, that the Nits 
will never breed again. Gilbert (loc. cit.) an English man highly commends 
(for nits) the gall of any Creature as also all bitter things, cleansers, and 
Aromatical Drugs, with the juice of Marigolds.” Constantinus (ca. 1600) 
gives two prescriptions for lice: (1) mercury, ashes, litharge, vinegar and 
oil mixed; (2) “pine-tree juyce, sea-water, staveacre, arsenic nitre, oyl of 
wilde Saffron.” Johannes de Rupescissa prescribes Mercury and Aquae 
vitae mixed with powdered Staveacre worn on a girdle about the loins 
to kill lice. 
James’s Medical Dictionary (1743-5, cit. Ehott, 1905, p. 194), 
after referring to the need of cleanliness, combing the hair, etc., 
advises applications composed of various combinations of the following 
remedies: wormwood, staveacre, rue, horehound, lesser centaury, and 
oak ashes in washes and ointments. Ointments, etc. of oils of bitter 
almonds, rue, bay, staveacre; myrrh, powdered aloes, vinegar and 
salted lard; mercury; staveacre, red arsenic, salt, olive oil and 
vinegar; staveacre, powders of nitre, white hellebore, oil of bitter 
almonds. Sennertus [lived 1572-1637] recommends a lotion of birth- 
wort, lupin, leaves of pine and cypress boiled in water; and besides other 
remedies stated to be most effective he mentions an ointment prepared 
from powdered staveacre, white hellebore, mercury, hog’s lard and bay 
oil. The Dictionary points out the dangers of mercury, and black soap 
is recommended as equally effective for anointing the skin. 
Linnaeus (1767, p. 1016) recommends the following for killing head- 
and body-lice: “Seminibus Yeratri, Staphisagriae, Menispermi, Rutae, 
Apii, Angelicae, Lauri, Croco, Pipere, Ledo, Lycopodio, Pinguicula, 
Hydrargyro, Gelu, JEstu.” 
