Another, for sycosis, encanthis, and sarcoma. Of roasted misy, dr. vj; of copperas, dr. iv; of Attic honey, sext. j.
The liquid collyrium panchrestus of Erasistratus, having wonderful efficacy, in complaints of the eyes, tonsils, pudenda, and suppurated ears. Of copper, dr. vj; of roasted misy, of myrrh, of each, dr. iij; of saffron, dr. iss; of pepper, dr. j; of Chian wine, and of Cretan must, of each, hemin. iss. Having triturated all the things in the wine until dry, pour in the must and boil to the consistence of honey.
Agglutinants for defluxions of the eyes. Of Samian earth, of manna, of frankincense, of myrrh, equal parts. Adding to it the white of an egg, apply to the forehead spread upon linen.
Another.—Of the seed of henbane, dr. j; of opium, dr. j; of myrrh, dr. ij; of saffron, dr. j; of pollen, dr. iv; the yelks of two roasted eggs. Mix with the white of an egg.
Commentary. Gorræus derives the word collyrium from κολοβὴ ὀυρὰ, i. e. cauda trunca, being expressive of their conical shape. (Defin. Med.) Blancard prefers the derivation from κωλύω and ῥοῦς. (Lexicon Medicum.)
Oribasius states that collyria were applied—to the eye, to the uterus, and to fistulous ulcers. (Med. Coll. x, 23.) It is obvious, therefore, that the ancients used the word in a more general signification than the moderns do. Le Clerc gives the following description of the ancient collyria: “Les uns, qui étoient composés de matières sèches, eurent le nom de ξηροκολλούρια, collyres secs. Les autres, où il n’entroit que des matières liquides, s’appellèrent ὑγροκολλούρια, collyres humides ou liquides. Les ingrediens des premières, qui étoient les mêmes que ceux des collyres entières, étoient des poudres métalliques, de ceruse, de pompholyx, d’antimoine brulé, de vert-de-gris, de chalcitis, de cadmia, et autres semblables. Il y entroit aussi des poudres tirées des plantes, quelques sucs d’herbes, et quelques gommes, comme du saffran, des roses, du suc de chelidoine, et de fenouil, de l’aloes, de la myrrh, de l’opium. On mêloit tous ces ingrédiens et on en formoit des masses que l’on faisait sécher, et dont on faisait de la poudre lorsqu’on vouloit s’en servir. Les collyres liquides étoient seulement composés de matières liquides. On prenoit, par exemple, du miel d’Attique, qui étoit estimé le meilleur, de l’opobalsamum, avec du fiel de vipre, de perdrix, ou de quelque autre animal, et du suc de fenouil. On faisait de cela un mélange, dont on laissoit tomber quelques gouttes dans les yeux de ceux qui avoient la vue foible, ou quelque suffusion commençant.” (Hist. de la Méd. iii, ii, 1.)
The Ophthalmic Collyria are treated of with extraordinary accuracy and minuteness of detail in books iv and v of Galen’s work ‘De comp. med. sec. locos.’ Notwithstanding the success with which the surgery of the eye has been cultivated of late, we are confident that the oculists of the present day might derive still further improvement from an attentive study of these books. It is to be remarked that several of his collyria, as well as those of Celsus, contain opium, so that the use of the vinum opii in modern practice is not an original invention. Many of them contain very powerful escharotics, such as copper and arsenic, which indicates a great degree of boldness in ancient practice. Why is arsenic never used now for the cure of complaints of the eye? Our author’s account of them, which is mostly taken from Galen, is very accurate and deserving of consideration.
All the collyria of Celsus are ocular remedies. As he states, they consist principally of soothing and refreshing medicines variously mixed.
Scribonius Largus describes fully the composition of collyria, which he divides into the soothing and the acrid. The former consist of saffron, gum, tragacanth, calamine, antimony, opium and the like. The latter contain such ingredients as these, burnt copper, verdigris, chalcitis, misy, alum, ammoniac, and galls.
Myrepsus gives prescriptions for 87 ocular collyria, of every possible variety of character.