On Medicine (De Medicina), Vol. 2

xi

INTRODUCTION

source; ^a in other cases the preparation which he used was evidently much weaker or applied for some other purpose than to-day, ^b and some of the most important drugs are missing from his list. ^c

In the same way among the inorganic substances, arsenic, iron and mercury ^d are only used externally.

INTERNAL REMEDIES

Purgatives are comparatively few and treatment by clystering the bowel was preferred by Asclepiades, whom Celsus is inclined to follow, but he mentions several substances as useful for the purpose, aloes, hellebore, sea-spurge, and others. ^e Castor oil is not included. For inducing a vomit he recommends only

^a The squill provided a substance akin to digitalis (which Celsus does not know) but less satisfactory in use.
^b Opium and castor oil (see list below), papaver poppy and cicinum castor-oil (seed) (sc. oleum oil).
^c For instance strychnine (prepared from strychnos, nux vomica, a plant from the E. Indies) which was first used in comparatively modern times and aconite (aconitum napellus), still a frequent ingredient of liniments, though seldom prescribed now for internal use. Aconite had been known as a poison from the time of Hippocrates and the staphis agria larkspur, identified by Celsus with uva taminia (I.316 and list below) is said by Pliny (N.H. XXIII, 17) to be a kind of larkspur (delphinium staphisagria). He used it as a vermicide and under the name “stavesacre” it is still so used in the United States.
^d There is no mention of calomel, bismuth, iron or magnesia as internal medicines. The only trace of iron used internally is in the popular remedy for enlarged spleen—water in which a smith’s red hot tools have been dipped (I. 416); mercury Celsus only mentions in the form of cinnabar, used externally, see list s.v. minium red lead/cinnabar.
^e I. 3. 25; II. 12; copper chips were also used, see list aes copper/bronze.