Pessaries are treated of at great length by Oribasius, Aëtius, and Actuarius, and preparations are described for every imaginable condition of the uterus. Aëtius gives formulæ for pessaries to procure sterility, the ingredients of which, for the most part, are powerful astringents and bitters. But Myrepsus is the most copious writer on this subject, for he describes the preparation of forty-five pessaries (§ 38). Their ingredients, of course, are various, according to the purpose for which they are to be applied. The Emmenagogue consist of cumin, ginger, birthwort, the pulp of colocynth, castor, musk, rue, &c., mixed up with wax, suet; or honey.

As there is nothing original in the views of the Arabians, we need only say with regard to them that they prepared and applied pessaries on the principles laid down by their Grecian masters. See, in particular, Rhases (Cont. xxii); Avicenna (iii, 21, 2); Serapion (de Ægritudinibus Matricis.)

SECT. XXV.—ON MEDICINES WHICH MAY BE SUBSTITUTED FOR ONE ANOTHER, FROM THE WORKS OF GALEN.

In Alexandria, he says, wishing to obtain the campion (lychnis) for a certain woman who was in danger, and not having got it, if I had not found and used the seed of acanthium, the woman would have been soon lost. Hence, having been requested by my companions, I made out a list of the medicines which may be substituted for one another, in order, beginning with this same article:

Instead ofthe seed of acanthium, campion (lychnis).
southern-wood (abrotonum), origany.
agallochus, sweet-cane (calamus aromaticus).
agaric, euphorbium.
Indian aloes, glaucium, lycium, or centaurium.
winter-cherry (halicacabus), the seed of strychnos.
asphaltum, the Bruttian liquid pitch.
aconite or wolfsbane, the root of the wild iris.
wormwood, southernwood.
opobalsam, myrtle-juice.
quicklime (calx-viva), adarce.
alkanet, hyacinth.
sal ammoniac, Cappadocian salts.
arsenic, sandarach.
starch, dried flour.
ammoniac perfume, bee-glue.
rose-wood (aspalathus), the fruit of heath, or the seed of the chaste-tree.
aracus (a species of pulse), Indian corn.
bitter almonds, wormwood.
Armenian stone, Indian ink.
the elder, thorn.
prickly-poppy (argemone), seriphium.
kingspear, the juice of beet.
wall-pepper, the juice or leaves of lettuce.
maiden-hair, aphroselinum.
Ethiopian olive, two parts of the tears of acacia.
Asian stone, gagate stone, or sal ammoniac burnt.
fox’s grease, that of a bear.
shoots of the black poplar, sampsuchum.
buprestis, bugs (blattæ).
butter, cow’s milk coagulated.
the juice of balsam, the juice of myrrh.
bdellium, the aromatic moss of trees (sphagnus).
gentian root, aromatic parsley.
Samian earth, the Egyptian leucographis.
Eretrian earth, Thebaic lime.
turnip, the sun-flower.
liquorice juice, the juice of mulberry.
vulture’s dung, pigeon’s dung.
soft earth, plumbago.
dorycnium, the seed of henbane.
dittany, sage.
bay-berries, dried wild thyme.
carrot, the seed of water-parsnip.
diphryges, Phrygian stone.
dracunculus, wake-robin.
sage, calamint.
the tear of olive, the juice of hypocistis.
wild thyme, potamogeton.
the seed of rocket, the seed of hedge-mustard.
the juice of elaterium, the juice of the leek.
the seed of hedge-mustard, soapwort.
the fruit of heath, the gall omphacitis.
ebeny, the wood of the lotus.
the leaves of wild fig, the dung of ibis (?).
the root of butcher’s broom, the leaves of the mulberry (?).
black hellebore, the root of papyrus (?).
enneaphyllon, the potamogeton.
old oil, boil a double quantity of oil with old hog’s lard.
ginger, pellitory.
deadly carrot (thapsia), the juice of the black chamæleon.
thapsia, the seed of cresses or rocket.
sulphur vivum, red arsenic (sandarach).
the rust of iron (rubigo ferri), the squama ferri.
the mistletoe of the oak, that of black chamæleon.
Illyrian iris, the aromatic elecampane.
cinnamon, double the quantity of cassia.
cyperus, the large juniper.
cardamom, cyperus.
costus, juniper-berries.
juniper-berries, ladanum.
calamus aromaticus, the moss of trees.
saffron, crocomagma.
crocomagma, Indian aloes.
castor, laserwort (assafœtida).
calamine, the Egyptian leucographis.
the tallow of the crocodile, that of the sea-dog.
hemlock (conium), the seed of coriander.
cantharides, phalangia.
the seed of bastard saffron, the seed of chaste-tree.
the juice of ivy, that of peach.
the palma Christi, the sordes from the palestra.
the root of capers, the root of heath or tamarisk.
the dung of the turtle, pigeon’s dung.
ceraunium, leucographis.
coral, moly.
cat’s dung, that of the ichneumon.
dragon’s blood (cinnabaris), the rhodoides.
cumin, the seed of cabbage.
field basil (clinopodium), the sun-flower.
calamint, the wild mint.
colocynth, the seed of the palma Christi called croton.
navelwort (cotyledon), the onocardium.
Colophonian rosin, the pitch of ships.
cynosbatos, the seed of the winter cherry.
linseed, the juice of beans.
pumice stone, Cretan earth.
cyphi, burnt dried fig.
buccina, oysters.
cardamom, xylocarpasum.
wax, bruised beans boiled and pounded with bee-glue.
frankincense, the terra ampelitis.
lathyrides (a species of spurge), the granum Cnidium.
dittander (lepidium), madder.
the magnet, the Phrygian stone.
the Phrygian stone, the agerat.
the seed of lovage, the seed of carrot.
the stone pyrites, the stone pyrobolus.
the flower of the stock gilly-flower, soapwort.
the seed of the lotus, the seed of beet.
the root of dittander, the leaves of capers.
the sea-hare, the sea-shell(?).
the root of dock, the root of pellitory.
Indian leaf (malabathrum), cassia or Indian nard.
mandrake (mandragora), dorycnium.
myrtle oil, the juice of mulberry.
mastich, the juice of lentisk(?).
myrobalan, rue.
mallows, fenugreek.
honey, rob.
manna (of frankincense?), the bark of frankincense.
mice dung, an equal quantity of flies.
stag’s marrow, stag’s grease or the marrow of a calf.
quinces, melilots.
Cyprian misy, Cyprian ochre.
spignel, myrobalan.
the juice of mulberries, the leaves of brambles.
roasted misy, diphryges.
Syriac nard, the aromatic rush.
navew, turnip-seed (?).
xylobalsam, the root of stock gilly-flower.
poppy-juice, the juice of mandragora.
opoponax, the milk of mulberry.
Cyrenaic juice, Syriac juice.
juice of carpasum, the juice of myrtle.
juice of the fig, the juice of mulberry.
juice of the willow, the juice of the black ivy.
juice of the rose bay, the mistletoe of the oak.
juice of the œnanthe, that of the cultivated vine-tree.
all-good (horminum), linseed.
rice, barley-flour.
Italian wine, Mendesian wine.
Rhodian wine, austere wine.
the star of Bethlehem (ornithogallum), anthyllis.
the unripe olive, the gall omphacitis.
onocardium, the herb psyche.
juice of hog’s fennel, liquorice-juice.
bee-glue, ladanum.
canker-worm of the pine, the wasps on the unripe rosin.
pepper, ginger.
fern, the seed of cneoros.
polypody, the root of mezereon, or of the chamæleon.
vervain, ground poplar.
polytrichon, wormwood.
rosin of the fir-tree, turpentine rosin.
dried roses, the dried leaves of the peach-tree.
oil of radishes, the oil of ricinus (castor oil).
rhodoides, Sinopic ochre.
Colophonian rosin, the pitch of ships.
aromatic rush, cardamom.
Cyprian spodium, the ashes of olive-leaves.
troglodytic myrrh, the calamus aromaticus.
stag’s grease, the grease of geese.
grease of the hyena, the grease of foxes.
grease of the fox, the grease of the bear.
root of soapwort, the root of the black hellebore.
satyrium, the seed of rocket.
salamander, the green lizard.
aromatic moss of trees, the sweet-rush.
syricum (psoricum?), litharge.
dross of lead, the scoria argenti.
marjoram (sampsuchum), the dried culinary sumach.
mustard, cresses.
sagapen, dried pine rosin.
scammony, the internal parts of the seed of palma Christi.
pine-nuts, the seed of cucumber.
alum, fossile salt.
the skink, satyrium.
antimony, the squama æris.
sweet rush, the root of knot-grass.
dross of copper, the Egyptian melanteria.
water-cress, basil.
cultivated grape, the flesh of the Syrian palm.
Saunder’s herb, southernwood,
the shell of the cuttle-fish, pumice-stone.
orchis (serapias), the root of pœony.
squill, bolbus.
sesamoides, what remains after the filtration of amaranth.
Indian grain, linseed.
the seed of henbane, the seed of sweet briar.
juice of hypocistis, the juice of acacia.
liquid pitch, opoponax.
unscoured wool (œsypum), the marrow of a calf.
hyacinth, the flower of woad.
St. John’s wort, the seed of dill.
burnt lees of wine, sandarach.
sea-weed, alkanet.
valerian, the moss of trees.
the gall of the hyæna, the gall of partridge.
the gall of the viper, that of the ichneumon.
gall of the shrew-mouse, that of the camel.
gall of the camel, that of the swift.
galbanum, sagapen.
germander, the root of the wild dock.
chamomile, anthemis.
ceruse, the dross of lead (scoria plumbi).
fleawort, the marsh lentil (lens palustris).
basil (ocimum), water-cress (sisymbrium).
ocimoides, the wild mint.

Commentary. This is taken from a work ascribed to Galen, the authenticity of which, however, is very doubtful. Cornarius has attempted many corrections of the text, and we have found ourselves compelled to make other alterations.

SECT. XXVI.—ON WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

The weight is determined by the degree of heaviness; the measure by the capacity of the vessel: but the vessel is the measure either of a dry or of a liquid quantity. So then there are three differences of a measured quantity: first, that of weight; second, that of a dry substance, and, as it were, of such things as can be heaped; and third, that of a liquid. There being many and almost infinite varieties of weights and measures according to the practice of places, and of those who use them, we shall treat only of those which are familiar to all.