Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  "> 
March,  1909.  | 
Medicinal  Earths. 
"3 
The  Earth  of  Samos,  according  to  Dioscoricles,  rubbed  together 
with  rose  water  and  rose  ointment  (just  notice  how  old  our  Ung. 
Aq.  Rosse  is)  helps  against  inflamed  breasts  and  also  against  inflamed 
testicles.  The  Earth  of  Chios  smoothens  the  face  and  the  entire 
skin,  the  Earth  of  Kirnolos  helps  against  erysipelas,  etc. 
By  accident  it  was  discovered  that  the  above  natural  products 
possess  cooling,  astringent,  absorbent  and  preserving  properties. 
The  reputation  of  the  works  of  Dioscorides,  which  contain  all,  even 
the  principal  remedies  of  to-day,  also  helped  to  popularize  the  differ- 
ent earths  as  remedies  and  effective  remedies  against  all  skin  diseases. 
In  ancient  times  the  following  two  forms  of  medicines  were  used 
extensively. 
1.  The  Sphragis  Pastilles  (sphragis — seal),  originated  by  the 
Greek  physician  Polyiadas,  composed  of  Alum,  Myrrh,  Iron  Vitriol, 
Ox-gall  and  the  blood  of  goats,  and  on  account  of  the  latter  ingredi- 
ent they  were  stamped  with  the  emblem  or  image  of  a  goat.  This 
incident,  by  the  way,  may  be  considered  as  the  origin  of  the  trade- 
mark. 
2.  The  Terra  Lemma,  from  the  island  Lemnos,  the  preparation 
of  which  was  studied  by  the  great  Roman  physician-pharmacist, 
Claudius  Galenus,  who  travelled  purposely  to  that  island.  This 
earth  contained  besides  aluminum  and  iron  silicates  also  more  or 
less  magnesium  silicate.  Prospero  Alpino  in  his  work  "  De  plantis 
TEgypti,"  Venice,  1592,  states  that  at  that  time  a  substitute  was  sold 
in  place  of  Terra  Lemnia,  the  so-called  Boabab  Pulpa  prepared  from 
the  fruit  of  Adansonia  digitata. 
Aulus  Cornelius  Celsus,  the  learned  Roman  physician,  the  Cicero 
of  Medicine  (Medicinse  Cicero)  uses  and  describes  different  earths 
in  his  works.  In  fact  every  nation  and  even  every  place  praises  their 
earth  as  the  very  best. 
In  my  "  History  of  Pharmacy  "  I  pointed  out  that  the  great  North 
Persian  physician,  Abu  Mansur  Mmvaffak,  in  his  0  Liber  funda- 
mentorum  pharmacologic "  (Book  of  the  Principles  of  Pharma- 
cology), the  oldest  Persian  book  of  pharmaceutics,  among  the  584 
remedies  describes  several  earths,  Terra  Cimolise,  etc.  (Terra  or 
Pulvis  Cimolise  is  even  to-day  used  as  a  synonym  for  our  Fuller's 
Earth). 
But  not  only  externally  were  these  earths  used  in  olden  times,  but 
also  locally  and  even  internally.  They  were  said  to  help  against 
snake-bites  inasmuch  as  when  pressed  upon,  or  in  powder  form 
sprinkled  upon  the  fresh  bite,  they  absorb  the  blood  and  possibly 
