Ceruse, owing to its colour, cannot be mistaken, and when taken voluntarily it whitens the palate, tongue, and the intervals between the teeth. It also brings on hiccup and cough, dryness of the tongue, and coldness of the extremities, with disorder of the intellect and difficulty of moving. In this case it will be proper to give honied water or the decoction of figs, or of mallows, or hot milk, or sesame triturated with wine, or the lye of vine-shoots, or the oil of marjoram, or of iris; also the bones of peaches, with a decoction of barley or frankincense, or the gum of prunes, or the juice of the elm which is contained in its follicles, along with tepid water; but let them immediately vomit. The juice of thapsia will also be proper for them, or three oboli of the juice of scammony, when drunk with honied water.
Commentary. Nicander compares the colour of ceruse to frothy milk. The symptoms of poisoning by it are constriction of the palate and gums, asperity of the tongue, singultus, a dry cough, nausea, heaviness of the head, unnatural vision, and torpor. His remedies are emetics of oil, thin milk, decoctions of mallows, sesame triturated with wine, prunes or elms, which are to be given partly as emetics, and partly with the intention of their being digested; for which purpose the patient is to be put into the warm bath. See the Paraphrase of Eutecnius; also Dioscorides, Aëtius, Avicenna, and Rhases, who recommend similar treatment. Aëtius, like our author, directs us to give scammony, evidently to counteract its astringency. Alsaharavius recommends emetics of the decoction of figs with mead or common oil, the infusion of wormwood as a diuretic, scammony with hydromel, and hot milk. Rhases recommends emetics of the decoctions of figs and oil, with drastic purgatives and diuretics. (Ad Mansor. viii, and Contin. xx, 2.) Avicenna’s principles of treatment are quite similar, that is to say, he trusts to emetics, diuretics, and clysters, and prevents the patient from sleeping. (iv, 6, 1.) Haly Abbas recommends an emetic consisting of honey with hot water, vinegar and salt; he also gives diuretics, such as the infusion of parsley, fennel, anise, and southernwood. (Pract. iv.)
Dr. Alston says, “our white lead is certainly the ψιμύθιον of Dioscorides and the cerussa of Pliny.” It was prepared by exposing the carbonate of lead to the vapours of vinegar. See Milligan (Ad Cels. p. 112.)
SECT. LX.—ON LIME, SANDARACH, AND ARSENIC.
Lime, sandarach, and arsenic, when taken in a draught, bring on pains of the stomach and bowels, with violent corrosion. Wherefore we must administer all things of a diluent and solvent nature, such things as will produce ready vomiting and lubricate the bowels, as the juice of the marsh or common mallows, and a decoction of linseed, or of spelt, or of rice, copious draughts of milk and honied water, broths which are fatty and contain wholesome juices.
Commentary. Nicander has not treated of poisoning by these substances. Dioscorides, Aëtius, and Actuarius give almost the same account of the symptoms and treatment as our author. Their remedies are emetics, lubricants, and laxatives. The Arabians copy their descriptions and follow their treatment. Thus Alsaharavius directs these cases to be treated by giving emetics of oily and fatty things, emollient clysters, and unctuous articles, to prevent ulceration of the intestines. Avicenna orders, in the first place, an emetic of warm water and oil, then emollient decoctions, such as those of linseed and mallows, and fat broths and milk. The cough is to be soothed by demulcents. (iv, 6, 1.) Rhases states that quicklime and arsenic occasion putrefaction of the intestines. (Cont. xxxvii. tr. 1.) Galen, however, has stated that arsenic is not, properly speaking, a septic, but a strong caustic. (De Simp. 1.)
However meagre this account of these important medicines may appear, it will be seen, upon reference to the standard works on toxicology, that the treatment at the present day scarcely differs, in any one point, from the ancient mode of practice. Emetics, demulcents, consisting of decoctions of emollient herbs, or copious draughts of milk, laxatives and clysters, form the present practice.
The ancient arsenicum, or auripigmentum, was orpiment; the sandarach was realgar, or the orange-red sulphuret. Our oxide of arsenic is a factitious substance, prepared by sublimation from cobalt: it is much more deleterious than auripigmentum or orpiment. Servitor and Avicenna have described the factitious arsenic, or oxide of arsenic of the moderns. The Arabian chemist Geber treats largely and ingeniously of orpiment, which he holds to be closely allied to sulphur. He also speaks of sublimed arsenic. (iii. 29.)
SECT. LXI.—ON LITHARGE.
Litharge, when drunk, brings on heaviness of the stomach and bowels, with intense tormina; sometimes by its weight it wounds the intestines, occasions retention of urine and swelling of the body, which becomes of a leaden hue, and assumes an unseemly appearance. In such cases it will be proper, after vomiting, to give the seed of the wild clary (horminum) to drink with wine, three oboli of myrrh, wormwood, parsley-seed, pepper, the flower of privet with wine, and the dried dung of wild pigeons, with nard and wine.