The Egyptians also cultivate the pesoluta[2381] in their gardens, for chaplets. There are two kinds of this plant, the male and the female: either of them, it is said, placed beneath the person, when in bed, acts as an antaphrodisiac, upon the male sex more particularly.
CHAP. 109. (34.)—AN EXPLANATION OF GREEK TERMS RELATIVE TO WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
As we have occasion to make use of Greek names very frequently when speaking of weights and measures,[2382] I shall here subjoin, once for all, some explanation of them.
The Attic drachma—for it is generally the Attic reckoning that medical men employ—is much the same in weight as the silver denarius, and is equivalent to six oboli, the obolus being ten chalci; the cyathus is equal in weight to ten drachmæ. When the measure of an acetabulum is spoken of, it is the same as one fourth part of a hemina, or fifteen drachmæ in weight. The Greek mna, or, as we more generally call it, “mina,” equals one hundred Attic drachmæ in weight.
Summary.—Remedies, narratives, and observations, seven hundred and thirty.
Roman authors quoted.—Cato the Censor,[2383] M. Varro,[2384] Antias,[2385] Cæpio,[2386] Vestinus,[2387] Vibius Rufus,[2388] Hyginus,[2389] Pomponius Mela,[2390] Pompeius Lenæus,[2391] Cornelius Celsus,[2392] Calpurnius Bassus,[2393] C. Valgius,[2394] Licinius Macer,[2395] Sextius Niger[2396] who wrote in Greek, Julius Bassus[2397] who wrote in Greek, Antonius Castor.[2398]
Foreign authors quoted.—Theophrastus,[2399] Democritus,[2400] Orpheus,[2401] Pythagoras,[2402] Mago,[2403] Menander[2404] who wrote the Biochresta, Nicander,[2405] Homer, Hesiod,[2406] Musæus,[2407] Sophocles,[2408] Anaxilaüs.[2409]
Medical authors quoted.—Mnesitheus[2410] who wrote on Chaplets, Callimachus[2411] who wrote on Chaplets, Phanias[2412] the physician, Simus,[2413] Timaristus,[2414] Hippocrates,[2415] Chrysippus,[2416] Diocles,[2417] Ophelion,[2418] Heraclides,[2419] Hicesius,[2420] Dionysius,[2421] Apollodorus[2422] of Citium, Apollodorus[2423] of Tarentum, Praxagoras,[2424] Plistonicus,[2425] Medius,[2426] Dieuches,[2427] Cleophantus,[2428] Philistio,[2429] Asclepiades,[2430] Crateuas,[2431] Petronius Diodotus,[2432] Iollas,[2433] Erasistratus,[2434] Diagoras,[2435] Andreas,[2436] Mnesides,[2437]
Epicharmus,[2438] Damion,[2439] Dalion,[2440] Sosimenes,[2441] Tlepolemus,[2442] Metrodorus,[2443] Solo,[2444] Lycus,[2445] Olympias[2446] of Thebes, Philinus,[2447] Petrichus,[2448] Micton,[2449] Glaucias,[2450] Xenocrates.[2451]