50  Orthography  of  Asafcetida.  {^"t^.b::-.8^7^""'- 
to  have  been  introduced  bv  the  monks  of  the  famous  school  of  Salerno 
in  the  middle  ages.  It  is  not  used  by  the  Greek  and  Roman  writers, 
so  that  it  is  searched  for  in  vain  in  classical  dictionaries.  In  order, 
therefore,  to  form  an  intelligent  opinion  on  the  subject,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  inquire  into  the  derivation  of  the  word,  and  also  to  note  the 
preference  shown  by  careful  and  competent  writers  for  either  of  the 
two  forms. 
The  term  asa  has  been  for  ages  applied  to  two  different  drugs, 
namely,  asa  dulcis  (benzoin)  and  <^j^  fostida.  The  former  seems  to  be 
used  in  Latin  only  with  a  single  consonant,  while  the  variation  occurs 
in  the  latter.  This  apparent  inconsistency  is  most  probably  to  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  name  asa  dulcis  having  become  obsolete  before  the 
term  assa  came  into  vogue. 
The  origin  of  the  word  asa  is  veiled  in  so  much  obscurity,  that  dif- 
ferent etymologists  ascribe  it  to  four  entirely  distinct  sources.  The 
first  of  these  is  the  Latin  word  laser  or  lasar^  which  was  applied  to  the 
juice  of  the  plant  Laser  p'lt'ium.  This  was  a  medicine  of  great  renown 
among  the  Romans,  who  knew  it  also  as  Laser  cyrenaicum^  or  Succus 
cyrenaicus^  and  as  Silphlum.  Many  authors  claim  that  laser  was  iden- 
tical with  asafoetida,  though  this  is  hardly  probable,  since  Theophras- 
tus,  Aristophanes  and  Dioscorides  assign  to  it  a  sweet  and  agreeable 
flavor.  Worcester,  Muspratt,  and  many  other  writers  mention  this 
derivation.  The  word  laser  is  itself  derived  by  some  authors  quoted 
by  Fliickiger  from  the  Greek  ailifcov  as  follows  :  silphi'^  sirphi\  sirpe^ 
lac  serpitiiim^  laserpitium.  The  intermediate  form  s'lrpe  is,  used  by 
Plautus,  B.  C.  184.  ''Francis  Gouldman's  Dictionary,"  Cambridge, 
1674,  says:  Laser  est  decurtatiim  ex  Laserpitio.  Laser  herha  cujus 
succus  primum  diet.  Lactir^  quoniam  manat  in  modum  lactis.  The  same 
author  then  quaintly  defines  it  as  being,  "the  loathsome  liquor  which 
issueth  out  of  the  stinking  laserpitium^  and  is  called  of  the  Apothecaries 
Asa  fast'ida.''^ 
The  second  derivation  is  from  the  triliteral  root  asa^  occurring  in  sev- 
eral oriental  languages  ;  thus,  aza^  in  Persian,  means  mastic,  isci^  in 
Arabic,  a  remedy,  and  asa  signifies  healing  or  curing  in  both  Hebrew 
and  Arabic,  being  often  used  substantively  for  a  physician.  Webster, 
Hager,  Dorvault,  the  Paris  Medical  Dictionary  and  others,  favor  this 
view.  My  esteemed  friend.  Dr.  J.  Thomas,  a  diligent  student  of 
comparative  philology,  and  author  of  a  medical  and  other  dictionaries. 
