Natural History

THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY FOUNDEl) BY JAMES LOEH, I.1..1). EDITED BY fT. E. PAGE, C.H., LITT.D. tE. CAPPS, PH.D., LL.D. fW. H. l). ROUSE, [jtt.d. L. A. POST, L.H.D. E. 11. WARMIXGTON, m.a., f.r.hist.soc. PLINY NATURAL inSTORY VI LIBRI xx-xxiri PLINY NATURAL HISTORY WITH AN ENGLISH l^RANSLATION IN TEN VOLUMES VOLUME VI LIBRI XX-XXIII BY W. H. S. JONES, LiTT.D., F.B.A., IIONORAIIY RELLOW, ST. CATHAiUNK^S COLLEQE, CAMBHIDCIE CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD MCMLXI First printed lOHl Rcprinled 1961 Printed in Great Britain CONTENTS PAGB PBEFACE vii INTRODUCTION IX BOOK XX 1 BOOK XXI 159 BOOK XXII 293 BOOK XXIll 413 INDEX 531 PREFACE I TAKE over the task of continuing the work of my friend, the late Mr. H. Rackham, with many fears lest my efFort prove an unworthy sequeL A complete index of plants will be found at the end of Volume VII. To identify each plant or tree as it occurs would have involved many repetitions and cross-references, but a few identifications have been inserted in the text and notes where they seemed specially needed. W. H. S. J. INTRODUCTION BooKS XX-XXVII of Pliny's Natural History are concerned with the uses of trees, plants and flowers, especially in medicine. To understand his treat- ment of this subject it is necessary to examine the diseases he dealt with and the nature of the remedies he prescribed. DiSEASES OF Italy, and Their Names in Pliny. The chief diseases in Pliny's day were those of the chest, skin and eyes, together with the various forms, intermittent or remittent, of malaria (ague). The ordinary infectious fevers—smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, enteric, influenza—were apparently unknown. Enteric is doubtful, because it is so like certain types of remittent malaria, which was very prevalent, that only the microscope can distinguish between them. Plague (pesiis, pesii- lentia) often appeared in epidemic form, and, when not malignant malaria, was probably typhus or bubonic plague. The main difficulty met when attempting to find modern equivalents for ancient diseases is due to the old method of diagnosis, that is, by general symptoms. Two cases superficially alike were usually called by the same name. Many things besides gout were included under podagra, many besides leprosy under lepra, many besides cancer under carcinovia. ; INTRODUCTION Chesi diseases.—There is little difficulty in identi- fying these. Pleurisy is generally referred to as laterum dolor, and consumption is pktkisis, but the Romans did not often use the Greek word 7repi7TV€V[JLOVLa. Skin diseases.— VitiUgo included more than one kind of psoriasis : alpkos (dull white), melas (dark) and leuce (bright white). Psora was a term for several diseases, including leprosy. Often our " itch." Leprae (the singular is late) seems to refer to scaly conditions of the skin accompanied by pruritus. Scabies was not our scabies, which is Umited to the pustules caused by the itch insect. Celsus (V. 28, 16) describes it as a hardening of the skin, which grows ruddy, and from it grow pustules ^nth itching ulceration. Probably several kinds of eczema are included under this term. Impeiigo.—The modern meaning of this term is rather vague, and the Romans apparently used it of some kind of eczema. Celsus (V. 28, 17) says that there are four kinds, increasing in severity, the fourth being incurable. He says that it is Hke scabies, the ulceration being worse. Licken was used of several sorts of eruption very often it is ringwomi. On the chin it was called mentagra. Epinyctis (night pustule) caused by fleas and bugs. It was also an aiknent of the eyes. See p. ix. Eye diseases. —The same overlapping of meanings, which makes so difficult the accurate identi- INTRODUCTION fication of ancient descriptions of disease, meets us again when we come to complaints of the eyes. These were very common, because dust was everywhere, and hygienic rules for keeping it uncontaminated were unknown. Moreover, there were no mechanical aids, such as spec- tacles. Pliny mentions aegilops, albugo, argema, caligo, epinyctis, epiphora, glaucoma, hypochysis, inflammaho, lippitudo, nuheculae, nyctalops, prurigo, pterygium, scahritia, suffusio, as well as other disorders, nervous or functional. Some of these names, laying stress on a prominent symptom, which is common to more than one eye trouble, cannot be safely assigned to any particular modern disease. but a few identifications are fairly certain. Aegilops. —-This was a lacrimal fistula, at the angle near the nose. Albugo.—Occurring only in PHny, meant a white ulcer; it is uncertain of what kind. Alhugines coukl occur on the head (XXVI. § 160). Argema.—A small white ulcer, partly on the cornea. partly on the sclerotic coat of the eye. Caligo. —Any dimness, particularly that caused by ophthalmia. Epijiyctis. —A sore on the eyeHd. See p. viii. Epiphora. —Any flux from the eye. Glaucoma.—An opaqueness of the crystalline lens. Hypochysis. —Cataract. Lippitudo.—Ophthalmia, inflammation of the eye. Nubecula.—A cloudy film over the eye, perhaps sometimes a form of cataract. Nyctalops. —One who is afliicted with night blindness. INTRODUCTION Prurigo.—Chronic itching of the eye. Pierygium.—Also called unguis, an inflammatory swelling at the inner angle of the lower lid. Also whitlow. Scabritia.—Inflammation of the eyelid. It will be seen that often a Latin name can be associated only with a symptom or symptoms. Moreover, Pliny's nomenclature does not altogether coincide with that of Celsus, so that the invaluable aid of the latter is not always available. Abscesses are called by various names, such as carbunculus, collectio , furunculus , panus, parotis, tumor. The parotis received its name from its position by the ear, the panus was a superficial abscess in a hair follicle (Spencer on Celsus V. 18, 19), and the others probably denoted variations in size or severity. There is much confusion in the use of Latin terms to denote conditions due to mortification and putre- faction of the tissues. We have the terms cancer, carcinoma, erysipelas, ig?iis sacer, phagedaena, and Phny's favourite word ulcera, very often quaUfied liy an adjective or participle Uke vetera, manantia, putrescentia, serpentia. On the other hand there are the modern terms sepsis, erysipelas, lupus, shingles, gangrene, cancer. Identifications are often difficult, or even impossible, and the medical his- torian, faced with the Latin names, can do Uttle more than make probable guesses. PUny does not use the word erysipelas, but igjiis sacer, and this mav sometimes refer to lupus or to shingles (XXVI. § 121). Phagedaena is certainly gangrene, and so perhaps are ulcera serpentia or putrescentia. Superficial maUgnant disease would — — INTRODUCTION be included under carcmoma, but neither Celsus nor Pliny says anything about internal cancer, though this was known to Hippocrates [Apkorisjtis VI. 38). Podagra presents a probleni to the translator. " " Gout is really too narrow an equivalent, for podagra and chiragra were used of any pain in the joints of the feet and hands. Usually, however, our gout is meant, unless Dr. Spencer is right when he says (Celsus I. 464) that chronic lead poisoning, which presents the symptoms of gout, may have been common at Rome owing to the extensive use of lead water-pipes. Two terms are very troublesome to the translator —opistkotonus ' and ortkopnoea, and a third, augina. is ahnost equally so. The diseases concerned are discussed by Celsus in IV. 6, I, IV. 8, I and IV. 7, 1. These are translated by Dr. W. G. Spencer as follows : " (a) There is, however, no disease more distress- ing, and more acute, than that which by a sort of rigor of the sinews, now draws down the head to the shoulder-blades, now the chin to the chest, now stretches out the neck straight and immobile. The Greeks call the first opisthotonus, the next emprosthotonus, and the last tetanus, although some with less exactitude use these terms indiscriminately." IV. 6, I. [b) " There is also in the region of the throat a malady which amongst the Greeks has different names according to its intensity. It consists altogether in a difficulty of breathing ; when moderate and without any choking, it is called dyspnoea; when more severe, so that the patient cannot breathe xiii — — ; INTROUUCTION without making a noise and gasjjing, asthma ; but when in addition the patient can hardly draw in his breath unless with the neck outstretched. orthopnoea." IV. 8, I. (c) " Whilst this kind of disease involves the region of the neck as a whole, another equally fatal and acute has its seat in the throat. We call it angina the Greeks have names according to its species. For sometimes no redness or swelling is apparent, but the skin is dry, and breath drawn with difficulty, the limbs relaxed ; this thev call svnanche. Some- times the tongue and throat are red and swollen, the voice becomes indistinct. the eyes are deviated, the face is pallid, there is hiccough ; that they call cvnanche : the signs in common are, that the patient cannot swallow nor drink, and his breathing is obstructed." IV. 7, 1. According to Jans Jndex, opisthotanus occurs in Phny 24 times. ietanus 9 times, and emprosthotonus not at all. According to the same Index, dyspnoea is mentioned 4 times, asthma twice, orthopnoea 28 times, and suspiriosi (not apparently in Celsus) 34 times. The first reaction of a reader is to infer that Pliny was lax in his use of these terms, as Celsus says some people were in their use of the terms for the various forms of tetanus. But Piiny is not an original authority ; he is merely a note-taker, borrowing his technical terms from other writers, whether Greek or Roman.

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