SECT. XXXII.—ON THE SALAMANDER.
When a person has taken of salamander, inflammation of the tongue supervenes, with difficulty of speech, trembling, torpor, and ulceration. Certain parts of the body all around become livid, so that often, if the medicine remain, they mortify and drop off. In this case we should do the same things as for cantharides; but more particularly we must administer to them pine-rosin, or that of the pitch tree, or galbanum with honey, or pine-kernels with a decoction of ground-pine, or nettle-leaves boiled along with lilies in oil, the boiled eggs of land or sea tortoise, soup of frogs, having the root of eryngo boiled with them.
Commentary. The principal symptoms, as detailed by Nicander, are inflammation of the tongue, torpor, tremblings, aberration of mind, vibices, &c. He treats it like narcotic poisons, with stimulants and attenuants, such as pine-rosin, the leaves of ground-pine, nettle-seed mixed with the flour of tares, &c. Dioscorides, Avicenna, and most of the authorities direct us to treat this case of poisoning like that of cantharides; Alsaharavius recommends emetics, draughts containing pine-seed, honey, vinegar, wine, &c., with fat flesh. Oil and milk are recommended by most of the authorities.
Avicenna says the salamander is a species of lizard. Aristotle mentions the fabulous story of its being proof against fire as a circumstance which was related. Pliny (H. N. x, 67), Ælian (H. A. ii, 31), and Phile (c. 17) repeat it confidently. On the other hand, Dioscorides affirms that the story is entirely without foundation (ii, 56.)
It is the salamandra terrestris. Sprengel says it emits a cold mucus, which may extinguish a small lire. (Notæ in Dios. l. c.)