The trochisk from thapsia, for hemicrania. Of the juice of thapsia (deadly carrot), dr. xvj; of myrrh, dr. viij; of opoponax, of euphorbium, of each, dr. vj; of natron, of the Parthic juice, of each, dr. iv; of pepper, of sagapen, of each, dr. ij; of vinegar, q. s. In using it, rub it in with vinegar, and after six hours wash it off. If you wish to use in a reduced state, mix with equal parts of cerate, and spread it, allowing it to remain for a day and a night.
The trochisk called subdititious, for dysentery and pains of the anus. Of terra aster, of starch, of each, oz. iij; of saffron, oz. ij; of acacia, of tragacanth, of each. oz. j; of castor, of frankincense, of buckthorn, of each, oz. ss; and in hotter temperaments, also, of opium, oz. ss; mix with the juice of fleawort, and form into oblong trochisks.
Commentary. Celsus informs us that they are the same as the pastilli of the Latins. He thus describes their general properties: “Pastilli hæc ratio est: arida medicamenta contrita humore non pingui, ut vino vel aceto, coguntur, et rursus coacta inarescunt, atque, ubi utendum est, ejusdem generis humore diluuntur.” He gives prescriptions for six trochisks. (v, 20.)
Galen remarks that trochisks derive their name from their spherical shape. He treats of them at great length in the fifth book of his work ‘De Comp. Med. sec. gen.’ Many of our author’s receipts are copied from him.
For an account of the Arabian trochisks, see in particular Serapion (vii, 18); Haly Abbas (Pract. x, 14); and Mesue (i, 8.) The following is Mesue’s formula for the trochisks of camphor: “The trochisks of camphor, for ardent fevers, heat of the blood and bile, warm intemperament of the liver, insatiable thirst, jaundice, consumption, and hectics.—℞ Of rose leaves dr. iv; of spodium, of liquorice āā, dr. ij; of yellow saunders, dr. iiss; of the seeds of citrons, melons, cucumbers, and gourds, of saffron, of tragacanth, of gum, of spikenard, āā dr. j; of lignum aloes, of cardomum, of starch, of camphor, āā dr. j; of white sugar, of manna, āā dr. iij. Mix with the mucilage of fleawort and water of roses.” Myrepsus’s formula for the same is little different. He describes the composition of 136 pastils.
Moses Charras gives the following account of trochisks: “They are also called pastils, rolls, cakes, and lozenges. Trochisks were invented as well to preserve a long time the virtue of certain medicaments as to unite together the virtue of several. To which purpose having finely powdered the ingredients, which are to be powdered, they are to be incorporated with some juice, syrup, or other viscous liquor, to make therewith a solid paste, out of which are formed little trochisks, flat, round, triangular, square, long, or otherwise, which being spread upon paper, and dried out of the sun, and at a distance from the fire, to the end they may be dried in all parts alike, may be put up in boxes or pots for use.” (Royal Phar. ii, 21.)
Troches are pharmaceutical preparations still frequently used. According to the directions in the ‘Edinburgh Dispensatory,’ “they are composed of powders made up with glutinous substances into small cakes, and afterwards dried.” There is this difference, however, between the troches of the moderns and the trochisci of the ancients, that all the former are given internally, whereas many of the ancient trochisci were used as external applications. Of this description are five out of the six pastilli described by Celsus. Le Clerc says of them: “Ils differoient des emplâtres, et des collyres, en ce qu’il n’entroit aucune matière huileuse dans les trochisques et qu’ils servoient pour le dedans aussi bien que pour le dehors.” (Hist. de la Méd.)
SECT. XIII.—DRY APPLICATIONS AND ABSTERGENTS (SMEGMATA.)
Of dry applications or powders, some suit with ulcers, and some are applied to the skin. Of those which suit with ulcers, some act as incarnants of hollow ulcers, and some restrain fungous flesh, and some are cicatrizing, some caustic and septic, and some styptic. The incarnative applications act either by cleansing foul ulcers, such as those from tares, birthwort, iris, all-heal, myrrh, frankincense, and aloes; or by drying the superabundant discharge, as those from copper, diphryges, squama æris, burnt paper, the bark of pine and thorn. But these promote cicatrization, either by blunting acrimony and pungency, such as those from pompholyx, starch, ceruse, sphecla (impure potass), the lapis specularis, burnt oysters, terra Samia, and the like, and the compositions from them possess similar powers. Of repressing medicines, some are mild, such as those from squama æris, those from misy and chalcitis, when burnt, and galls; but those from copperas, verdigris, misy, and chalcitis, not burnt, are stronger. The caustics and septics are prepared from quicklime, arsenic, sandarach, and sphecla, which is the burnt lees of wine. All these things when reduced to a fine powder and sprinkled upon ulcers, are less pungent. The coarser the powder to which they are reduced, the more pungent are they. Styptics restrain bleeding, either by astringing or cooling, or proving desiccative or obstruent by burning and forming an eschar; and the materials of them have been mentioned in the section on Trochisks. Of those which are applied to the skin, some cleanse and absterge, such as those from Cimolian earth, pumice, bean-meal, barley-leaven, the flesh of pompions, and the flower of salt; some are attenuant and discutient, such as those from hellebore, alcyonium, sulphur, stavesacre, mustard, pellitory, the seed of the rosemary, lemnitis, or adarce, and the shell of the cuttle-fish. But those having quicklime and arsenic added to them, with some liquid, become depilatory and abstergent. Some are applied to the head in order to dry up the discharge from it, such as those from natron, salts, galls, the rind of pomegranate, and the like. All the smegmata or abstergents should be applied to the skin when it is not anointed.