We will therefore classify the various remedies, according
to the maladies for which they are respectively used; and, first
of all, those to which man has recourse for injuries inflicted by
But the most effectual remedy of all is thought to be the rennet of a fawn that has been cut from the uterus of the dam, as already[4] mentioned in another place. Deer's blood, burnt upon a fire of lentisk wood, with dracontium,[5] cunilago,[6] and alkanet, will attract serpents, they say; while, on the other hand, if the blood is removed and pyrethrum[7] substituted for it, they will take to flight.
I find an animal mentioned by Greek writers, smaller than the stag, but resembling it in the hair, and to which they give the name of "ophion."[8] Sardinia, they say, is the only country that produces it; I am of opinion, however, that it is now extinct, and for that reason I shall not enlarge upon its medicinal properties.
(10.) As a preservative against the attacks of serpents, the
brains and blood of the wild boar are held in high esteem:
the liver also, dried and taken in wine with rue; and the fat,
In addition to all this, as will be seen hereafter, there are a thousand other remedial properties attributed to this animal; a fact which surprises me all the more, seeing that the goat, it is said, is never free from fever.[11] The wild animals of the same species, which are very numerous, as already[12] stated, have a still greater efficacy attributed to them; but the hegoat has certain properties peculiar to itself, and Democritus attributes properties still more powerful to the animal when it has been the only one yeaned. It is recommended also to apply she-goat's dung, boiled[13] in vinegar, to injuries inflicted by serpents, as also the ashes of fresh dung mixed with wine. As a general rule, persons who find that they are recovering but slowly from injuries inflicted by a serpent, will find their health more speedily re-established by frequenting the stalls where goats are kept. Those, however, whose object is a more assured remedy, attach immediately to the wound the paunch of a she-goat killed for the purpose, dung and all. Others, again, use the flesh of a kid just killed, and fumigate it with the singed hair, the smell of which has the effect of repelling serpents.
For stings of serpents, as also for injuries inflicted by the
scorpion and shrew-mouse, some employ the skin of a goat
newly killed, as also the flesh and dung of a horse that has
been out at pasture, or a hare's rennet in vinegar. They say,
too, that if a person has the body well rubbed with a hare's
rennet, he will never receive injury from venomous animals.
When a person has been stung by a scorpion, she-goat's dung,
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3. mirefeuillet in French.
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