NOTES 321

in that part which is regarded as merely sediment, resides the whole
strength of vinegar'. Quoted by Charles Singer, 7he De»elop—
ment of ihe Contaguum Vivum, London, 1913, who says that this
remark of Bacci is "'the first clear attempt to describe the organised
basis of a ferment"^. Hence, though not wholly relevant, I quote
the passage.

ï: Massalongo, in his lecture on Fracastorius, praises him for
condemning such fantastic remedies as the excrements of animals,
bone of a stag's heart, etc.  But, though he does ignore most of the
revolting remedies described by his favorite Pliny, it is obvious in
the present work that he had not discarded all the superstitions of
his century; see p. 297, where he recommends lion's fat.

: Vatrachium or Batrachium (Greek Garpaæxos, frog), frog—wort.
Dioscurides II. 175 says there are several kinds; good for psora,
myrmecia, alopecia etc; leaves, stalks and root.

' Thapsia, said by Dioscurides IV. 153 to be named after the
island Thapsos, where it was first found; skin and juice of the root
to be used for many ailments, e. g. asthma and alopecia. Possibly
to be identified with 7^apsta garganica, an umbelliferous plant from
the coasts of the Mediterranean; the resin used in blistering plasters.
Pliny XIII. 124 says it is highly poisonous, but some use it for alope—
cia.

:'4 Hermodactyl is said to have been the name for the seeds and
bulbs of Colchscum autumnale, saffron, used as a diuretic, originally
from Colchis on the Black Sea; but Mundella, Epistolae, p. 189,
says "they are not really Colchica, but perhaps roots of the penta—
phyllon (cinquefoil); unsafe to use'. *'Hermodactils from the East
Indies", says Burton, Anatom/y of Melancholw.

ï Hgyptian Ointment, made of honey, verdigris and vinegar,
is still used by veterinaries. It is recommended by Vigo, Pracfica
in arte chirurgica copiosa, Book V, for ulceration of the mouth in
syphilis.

16 Andron was a physician who begins to be quoted about 70 s. c.
He wrote on materia medica, at any rate several of his remedies are
mentioned by Galen, Aetius, Paul of Aegina, and by Celsus VI. 14,
who gives his formula for a medicamentum Andronium made of alum,
hammerings (squamae) of red copper, chalcanthus, etc., to be used
for inflammation of the uvula; also V. 20, the chapter 'On Pastilles',
he advises 'pastilles of Andron' (i. e. the troches mentioned by Fra—
castorius) as good ""even for cancer?!'.

:* Mastic, the yellow resin of the lentisk (Greek, cæxt»os). Dios—
curides I. 70, says the best comes from the island Chios.

:5 Galbanum, & gum—resin described by Dioscurides III. 83 under
its Greek name x&^ja»j; he gives the method of preparation and
its many uses in medicine. From the umbelliferous plant Ferw/a
albanifera, indigenous in Syria.  See Theophrastus IX. 7. 2, where
e says it is the juice of raär»axes, 'all—heal'; Hort regards this as an
error on his part.  See Celsus III. 21 and Pliny XII. 126, who says
galbanum is the gum of ferula.