Book III OF CONTAGIOUS PHTHISIS 255

persons in his household, and then as a last resort try the fol—
lowing remedies. First the following decoction: Xiris'!3 5
heads, tussilage''* and dracunculus roots, all incised, 1 hand—
ful; haematite''5 stone, Lemnian earth, Armenian bole, each
14 oz.; symphytum!''* and althaea each 1 oz.; alum 2 drachms;
guaiae wood 1$ Ib. Infuse these for a day in 8 Ibs. of pure
water, decoct this, (let it simmer down) and when reduced by
one third, give 5 oz. of it in the early morning in a julep flavored
with violets. )

Here is another remedy used by the ancients and said by
Pliny'!'7? to be helpful in desperate cases of phthisis. Make a
decoction of a sufficient quantity of the leaves and roots of
consiligo, and use 113 oz. of the decoction twice or thrice a day.
Consiligo is, so far as we may conjecture, the same herb as that
which Pliny, not knowing this herb, calls by another name i. e.
enneaphyllon (nine—leaved), but our herbalists call it either
capraria (goat—wort) or pulmonaria (lung—wort). I do not
mean the lung—wort which belongs to the bugloss species, but
another lung—wort, so called because it is especially good for
diseases of the lungs, above all for pigs and goats, so that it is
appropriately called goat—wort by the herbalists. It has also
been called enneaphyllon (nine—leaved) because it has nine leaves
divided like those of hellebore, some longer, some shorter, like
the fingers of the hand. But they are oblong with serrated
edges, narrower than those of hellebore, darkish green and
polished. The flowers, like those of hellebore, are composed
of four whitish petals turned inwards to form a sort of basket.
In these flowers four seeds set close together hang like a cluster
of grapes, hence it may be thought to be a kind of hellebore.
Ruellius seems to mean this plant when he wishes to describe
what the veterinaries call pulmonaria. It has caustic proper—
ties, and we may conjecture, since it has nine leaves, that it is
the same plant as that which Pliny calls enneaphyllon. A :
third remedy is the following: Axunge 4 oz.; butter 2 oz.; tur—
pentine 1 oz.; liquid styrax 14 oz.; iris, incense, aristolochia,
elecampane,''5 each 2 drachms; quicksilver 1 oz. Make an
ointment of these and apply it on the whole of the inner sur—
faces of the arms, and the back. It will destroy the germs of
contagion and draw forth much of the corrupted substance in
the form of sputum. Only, be on your guard against hectic
fever.