Book XXIV. The Remedies Derived from the Forest Trees.

Chaps. 1-19.

Chap. 1. (1.)—The Antipathies and Sympathies Which Exist Among Trees and Plants.

Not even are the forests and the spots in which the aspect of Nature is most rugged, destitute of their peculiar remedies; for so universally has that divine parent of all things distributed her succours for the benefit of man, as to implant for him medicinal virtues in the trees of the desert even, while at every step she presents us with most wonderful illustrations of those antipathies and sympathies which exist in the vegetable world.

Between the quercus [See B. xvi. cc. 6, 8, 33, 50.] and the olive [See B. xvii. c. 3.] there exists a hatred so inveterate, that transplanted, either of them, to a site previously occupied by the other, they will die. [As Fée justly remarks, the greater part of these so-called sympathies and antipathies must be looked upon as so many fables. In the majority of instances, it is the habitual requirements of the tree or plant that constitute the difference; thus, for instance, the oak or quercus requires a different site and temperature from that needed by the olive, and the stony soil adopted by the vine is but ill-suited for the cultivation of the cabbage.] The quercus too, if planted near the walnut, will perish. There is a mortal feud [See B. xx. c. 36.] existing also between the cabbage and the vine; and the cabbage itself, so shunned as it is by the vine, will wither immediately if planted in the vicinity of cyclamen [See B. xxi. cc. 27, 38, and B. xxv. c. 67.] or of origanum. We find it asserted even, that aged trees fit to be felled, are cut with all the greater difficulty, and dry all the more rapidly, if touched by the hand of man before the axe is applied: it is a common belief, too, that when their load consists of fruit, beasts of burden are immediately sensible [See the same statement made in B. xxiii. c. 62.] of it, and will instantly begin to sweat, however trifling it may be, unless the fruit is duly shown to them before starting. Fennel-giant, as a fodder, is extremely grateful to the ass, and yet to other beasts of burden it is a deadly poison: hence it is that the ass is consecrated to Father Liber, [Or Bacchus.] to which deity the fennel is also sacred.

Inanimate objects again, even of the most insignificant character, have their own peculiar antipathies. Cooks disengage meat of the brine, when it has been too highly salted, by the agency of fine meal and the inner bark [“Philyra.” Fée does not think that it can be of any use for such a purpose. Hardouin says, however, that in his time meat when too highly salted was wrapped in leaves of the lime or linden, for the purpose of extracting the salt.] of the linden-tree. Salt again, tends to neutralize the sickly flavour of food when over-sweet. The taste of water, when nitrous or bitter, is modified by the addition of polenta, [See B. xviii. c. 14.] so much so indeed, as to be rendered potable [Instead of having this effect, Fée says, it would render it much worse.] in a couple of hours: it is for a similar reason, too, that a layer of polenta is put [The intention being to clear the wine, though in reality, as Fée observes, it would have a tendency to turn the wine into vinegar.] in our linen wine-strainers. A similar property is possessed also by the chalk [Chalk, or in other words, sub-carbonate of lime, and argilla, or aluminous earth combining several earthy salts, would probably neutralize the acetic acid in the wine, but would greatly deteriorate its flavour.] of Rhodes, and the argilla of our own country.

Equal affinities exist as well; pitch, for instance, is extracted by the agency of oil, both of them being of an unctuous nature: oil again, will incorporate only with lime, both of them having a natural antipathy [On the contrary, lime would appear to have a great affinity for water, absorbing it with avidity, if we may use the term.] to water. Gum is most [More easily with water; though vinegar will do for the purpose.] easily removed with vinegar, and ink [“Atramentum.” By this passage, Fée says, it is clearly proved that the ink of the ancients was soluble in water, and that it contained neither galls nor salts of iron. What it really was made of is still a matter of doubt; but it is not improbable that the basis of it was spodium, or ashes of ivory.] with water; in addition to which, there are numberless other instances of sympathy and antipathy which we shall be careful to mention in their appropriate places.

It is in tendencies of this description that the medical art first took its rise; though it was originally intended, no doubt, by Nature, that our only medicaments should be those which universally exist, are everywhere to be found, and are to be procured at no great outlay, the various substances, in fact, from which we derive our sustenance. But at a later period the fraudulent disposition of mankind, combined with an ingenuity prompted by lucre, invented those various laboratories, [“Officinas.”] in which each one of us is promised an extension of his life—that is, if he will pay for it. Compositions and mixtures of an inexplicable nature forthwith have their praises sung, and the productions of Arabia and India are held in unbounded admiration in the very midst [“In medio.” The reading is very doubtful here.] of us. For some trifling sore or other, a medicament is prescribed from the shores of the Red Sea; while not a day passes but what the real remedies are to be found upon the tables of the very poorest man among us. [This, of course, is mere exaggeration.] But if the remedies for diseases were derived from our own gardens, if the plants or shrubs were employed which grow there, there would be no art, forsooth, that would rank lower than that of medicine.

Yes, avow it we must—the Roman people, in extending its empire, has lost sight of its ancient manners, and in that we have conquered we are the conquered: [He would seem to imply that the medical men of his age had conspired to gain an adventitious importance by imposing upon the credulity of the public, on the principle “Omne ignotum pro magnifico;” much as the “medicine-men” of the North American Indians do at the present day.] for now we obey the natives of foreign [He alludes to the physicians of Greece more particularly.] lands, who by the agency of a single art have even out-generalled our generals. [“Imperatoribus quoque imperaverunt.”] More, however, on this topic hereafter.

Chap. 2. (2.)—The Lotus of Italy: Six Remedies

We have already [In B. xiii. c. 32, and B. xvi. c. 53. Pliny ascribes here to the Lotus of Italy, the Celtis Australis of Linnæus, the same medicinal properties that are given by Dioscorides, B. i. c. 171, to the Egyptian bean or Nymphæa Nelumbo of Linnæus. Galen gives the same account as Dioscorides; it is not improbable, therefore, that Pliny is in error.] spoken in their appropriate places of the herb called lotus, and of the plant of Egypt known by the same name and as the “tree of the Syrtes.” The berries of the lotus, which is known among us as the “Grecian bean,” [See B. xvi. c. 53, Note 2539.] act astringently upon the bowels; and the shavings of the wood, boiled in wine, are useful in cases of dysentery, excessive menstruation, vertigo, and epilepsy: they also prevent the hair from falling off. It is a marvellous thing—but there is no substance known that is more bitter than the shavings of this wood, or sweeter than the fruit. The sawdust also of the wood is boiled in myrtle-water, and then kneaded and divided into lozenges, which form a medicament for dysentery of remarkable utility, being taken in doses of one victoriatus, [Half a denarius. See Introduction to Vol. III.] in three cyathi of water.

Chap. 3. (3.)—Acorns: Thirteen Remedies

Acorns, [Acorns, as well as the bark of the various kinds of oak, are of an astringent nature.] pounded with salted axle-grease, [Or, hogs’ lard.] are curative of those indurations known as “cacoethe.” [In the singular number, “cacoethes,” “a bad habit;” signifying a malignant or cancerous tumour.] The acorn of the holm-oak, however, is the most powerful in its effects; and in all these trees the bark is still more efficacious, as well as the inner membrane which lies beneath it. A decoction of this last is good for cœliac affections; and it is applied topically in cases of dysentery, as well as the acorns, which are employed also for the treatment of stings inflicted by serpents, fluxes, and suppurations. The leaves, acorns, and bark, as well as a decoction prepared from them, are good as counter-poisons. A decoction of the bark, boiled in cows’ milk, is used topically for stings inflicted by serpents, and is administered in wine for dysentery. The holm-oak is possessed of similar properties.

Chap. 4. (4.)—The Kermes-berry of the Holm-oak: Three Remedies.

The scarlet berry [See B. xvi. c. 12. All the properties here ascribed to it, Fée says, are hypothetical. It is no longer used in medicine, at least to any recognized extent.] of the holm-oak is applied to fresh wounds with vinegar; and in combination with water it is dropt into the eyes in cases of defluxion of those organs or of ecchymosis. There grows also in most parts of Attica, and in Asia, a berry of this description, which becomes transformed with great rapidity into a diminutive worm, owing to which circumstance the Greeks have given it the name of “scolecion:” [Hence the Latin word “vermiculum,” from which our word “vermilion” is derived.] it is held, however, in disesteem. The principal varieties of this berry have been previously [In B. xvi. c. 12.] described.

Chap. 5.—Gall-Nuts: Twenty-three Remedies.

And no fewer are the varieties of the gall-nut which we have described: [In B. xvi. c. 9.] we have, for instance, the full-bodied gall-nut, the perforated one, the white, the black, the large, the small, all of them possessed of similar properties; that, however, of Commagene is generally preferred. These substances remove fleshy excrescences on the body, and are serviceable for affections of the gums and uvula, [They might be used advantageously, Fée thinks, in the shape of a decoction, for procidence of the uvula and uterus.] and for ulcerations of the mouth. Burnt, and then quenched in wine, they are applied topically in cases of cœliac affections and dysentery, and with honey, to whitlows, hangnails, malformed nails, running ulcers, condylomatous swellings, and ulcerations of the nature known as phagedænic. [“Eating,” or “corrosive.”] A decoction of them in wine is used as an injection for the ears, and as a liniment for the eyes, and in combination with vinegar they are employed for eruptions and tumours.

The inner part of the gall, chewed, allays tooth-ache, and is good for excoriations between the thighs, and for burns. Taken unripe in vinegar, they reduce the volume of the spleen; and, burnt and then quenched in salt and vinegar, they are used as a fomentation for excessive menstruation and procidence of the uterus. All varieties of the gall-nut stain the hair black.

Chap. 6.—Mistletoe: Eleven Remedies.

We have already [See B. xvi. cc. 11, 93, 94.] stated that the best mistletoe is that which grows on the robur, [See B. xvi. cc. 10, 11.] and have described the manner in which it is prepared. Some persons, after bruising the berries, boil them in water, till nothing appears on the surface, while others, again, bite the berries with the teeth, and reject the skins. [This passage, as Fée remarks, is somewhat obscure.] The best kind of viscus is that which has none of the outer skin in it, is extremely light, yellow without, and of a leek-green colour within. There is no substance more glutinous than this: it is of an emollient nature, disperses tumours, and acts as a desiccative upon scrofulous sores; combined with resin and wax, it heals inflamed swellings of every description. Some persons add galbanum as well, using equal proportions of each ingredient, and this preparation they employ also for the treatment of wounds.

The viscus of the mistletoe has the additional property also of rectifying malformed nails; but to effect this it must be taken off at the end of seven days, and the nails must be washed with a solution of nitre. [As to the identity of the “nitrum” of Pliny, see B.. cc. 22, 46.] Some persons have a sort of superstitious notion that the viscus will be all the more efficacious if the berries are gathered from the robur at new moon, and without the aid of iron. They have an impression too, that if it has not touched the ground, it will cure epilepsy, [Fée says, that till very recently it was a common belief that the oak mistletoe is curative of epilepsy. It was also employed as an ingredient in certain antispasmodic powders.] that it will promote conception in females if they make a practice of carrying it about them: the berries, chewed and applied to ulcers, are remarkably efficacious for their cure, it is said.

Chap. 7.—The Excrescences Which Grow on the Robur: One Remedy. The Cerrus: Eight Remedies.

The round excrescences [See B. xvi. c. 10.] which grow on the robur * * * and mixed with bear’s grease, are remedial in cases of loss of the hair by alopecy.

The leaves, bark, and acorns of the cerrus [See B. xvi. c. 8.] act as a desiccative upon gatherings and suppurations, and arrest fluxes. A decoction [This decoction would be of a tonic and astringent nature, owing to the tannin and gallic acid which the leaves and bark contain.] of them, used as a fomentation, strengthens such parts of the body as are paralyzed; and it is a very good plan to employ it as a sitting-bath, for its desiccative or astringent effects upon the lower extremities. The root of this tree neutralizes the venom of the scorpion.

Chap. 8.—The-Cork Tree: Two Remedies.

The bark of the cork-tree, [See B. xvi. c. 13.] pulverized and taken in warm water, arrests hæmorrhage at the mouth and nostrils; [“Ex utrâlibet parte.”] and the ashes of it, taken in warm wine, are highly extolled as a cure for spitting of blood.

Chap. 9. (5.)—The Beech: Four Remedies.

The leaves [There is no foundation, Fée says, for any of these statements.] of the beech are chewed for affections of the lips and gums. A liniment is made of the ashes of beech-mast for urinary calculus, and, in combination with honey, for alopecy.

Chap. 10.—The Cypress: Twenty-three Remedies.

The leaves of the cypress [See B. xvi. c. 60. The leaves of the cypress, Fée says, contain tannin and an essential oil; all the medicinal properties therefore, here attributed to them, which are not based upon these principles, must be looked upon as hypothetical.] are pounded and applied to wounds inflicted by serpents, and with polenta, to the head, in cases of sunstroke. They are used also for hernia, and an infusion of them is taken in drink. [Down to the present century the leaves and fruit of the cypress were recommended in some medical works for the cure of hernia. The juice, however, of the leaves, taken internally, would be, as Fée says, highly dangerous.] They are applied with wax to swellings of the testes, and mixed with vinegar they stain the hair black. [Owing probably to the gallic acid they contain.] Beaten up with twice the quantity of light bread, and then kneaded with Aminean [See B. xiv. c. 4.] wine, they are found very soothing for pains in the feet and sinews.

The excrescences of this tree are taken in drink for the stings of serpents and for discharges of blood from the mouth; they are used also as a topical application for gatherings. Fresh-gathered and beaten up with axle-grease and bean-meal, they are good for hernia; and an infusion of them is taken in drink for the same complaint. In combination with meal, they are applied topically to imposthumes of the parotid glands, and to scrofulous sores. From these excrescences, pounded along with the seed, a juice is extracted, which, mixed with oil, disperses films of the eyes. Taken in doses of one victoriatus, [See Introduction to Vol. III.] in wine, and applied at the same time in a pulpy, dried fig, the seeds of which have been removed, this juice cures maladies of the testes and disperses tumours: mixed with leaven, it heals scrofulous sores.

The root of the cypress, bruised with the leaves and taken in drink, is curative of diseases of the bladder, strangury, and the sting of the phalangium. [See B. x. c. 28, and B. xi. cc. 24, 28.] The shavings of the wood, taken in drink, act as an emmenagogue, and neutralize the venom of the scorpion.

Chap. 11.—The Cedar: Thirteen Remedies.

The larger cedar, known as the “cedrelates,” [See B. xiii. c. 11.] produces a pitch called “cedria,” which is very useful for tooth-ache, it having the effect of breaking [Fée remarks, that many of the moderns attribute to frankincense the properties here ascribed to cedria; a most unfounded notion, he thinks.] the teeth and extracting them, and so allaying the pain. We have already [In B. xiv. c. 25, and B. xvi. cc. 21, 22.] stated how the juices of cedar are extracted, so remarkably useful for seasoning books, [Sillig reads “volumina;” in which case it is not improbable that the allusion is to the practice of seasoning the paper of manuscripts with a preparation of cedar, as a preservative against mildew and worms. Another reading is “lumina,” and it is not impossible that it is the right one, meaning that pitch of cedar is useful for making lamps or candles. Fée reminds us that we are not to confound the “cedria” with the “cedrium” of B. xvi. c. 21, though Pliny seems here to confound the two. See Note 2326 to that Chapter.] were it not for the head-ache they produce. This extract from the cedar preserves [As in B. xvi. c. 21, he has said the same of “cedrium,” a red tar charged with empyreumatic oil, it is clear that he erroneously identifies it with “cedria,” or pitch of cedar. It is with this last, in reality, that the Egyptians embalmed the dead, or rather preserved them, by dipping them in the boiling liquid.] the bodies of the dead uncorrupted for ages, but exercises a noxious effect upon the bodies of the living—singular that there should be such a diversity in its properties, taking away life from animated beings, and imparting a sort of life, as it were to the dead! It injures clothing also and destroys [If he implies that it is poisonous, such in reality is not the case.] animal life. It is for this reason that I cannot recommend it to be taken internally for the cure of quinzy and indigestion though there are some who advise it: I should be greatly in dread too, to rinse the teeth with it in combination with vinegar, for tooth-ache, or to use it as an injection for the ears in cases of hardness of hearing, or for worms in those organs. There is one very marvellous story told about it—if the male organs, they say, are rubbed with it just before the sexual congress, it will effectually prevent impregnation. [A mere absurdity, of course.]

Still, however, I should not hesitate to employ it as a friction for phthiriasis or porrigo. It is strongly recommended also, in raisin wine, as an antidote to the poison of the sea-hare, [It would be of no use whatever for the cure of injuries inflicted by the Aplysia vulgaris or Aplysia depilans of Linnæus. See B. ix. c. 72, and B. xxxii. c. 3.] but I should be more ready to use it as a liniment for elephantiasis. Some authors have prescribed it as an ointment for foul ulcers and the fleshy excrescences which grow in them, as also for spots and films on the eyes; and have recommended it to be taken, in doses of one cyathus, for ulcerations of the lungs, and for tapeworm.

There is an oil extracted from this pitch, known as “pisselæon,” [See B. xv. c. 7, and B. xxv. c.. “Pitch oil,” a volatile oil.] the properties of which are of increased activity for all the purposes before-mentioned. It is a well-known fact that the saw-dust of cedar will put serpents to flight, and that a similar effect is produced by anointing the body with the berries [This mention of the berries clearly proves, Fée thinks, that the Cedrelates of Pliny belongs in reality to the genus Juniperus.] bruised in oil.

Chap. 12.—Cedrides: Ten Remedies.

Cedrides, or in other words, the fruit of the cedar, [Or of the juniper, Fée thinks.] is curative of coughs, acts as a diuretic, and arrests looseness of the bowels. It is good also for ruptures, convulsions, spasms, and strangury, and is employed, as a pessary, for affections of the uterus. It is used also to neutralize the venom of the sea-hare, [See Note 58 above.] and for the cure of the various affections above-mentioned, as also of gatherings and inflammations.

Chap. 13.—Galbanum: Twenty-three Remedies.

We have already [In B. xii. c. 56.] given some description of galbanum: to be good, it should be neither too moist nor too dry, but just in the state which we have mentioned. [Cartilaginous, clear, and free from ligneous substances.] It is taken by itself for inveterate coughs, asthma, ruptures, and convulsions; and it is employed externally for sciatica, pains in the sides, inflamed tumours, [It is still employed, Fée says, to a small extent, as a topical application for ulcerated sores. Its properties are energetic, but nearly all the uses to which Pliny speaks of it as being applied are hypothetical.] boils, denudations of the bones, scrofulous sores, nodes upon the joints, and tooth-ache. It is applied with honey also, to ulcerations of the head. In combination with oil of roses or with nard, it is used as an injection for suppurations of the ears; and the odour of it is useful for epilepsy, hysterical suffocations, and faintness at the stomach. Employed as a pessary or as a fumigation, it brings away the fœtus in cases of miscarriage; branches too of hellebore covered with it and laid beneath the patient, have a similar effect.

We have already [In B. xii. c. 56.] stated that serpents are driven away by the fumes of burnt galbanum, and they will equally avoid persons whose body has been rubbed with it. It is curative also of the sting of the scorpion. In protracted deliveries, a piece of galbanum the size of a bean is given in one cyathus of wine: it has the effect also of reducing the uterus when displaced, and, taken with myrrh and wine, it brings away the dead fœtus. In combination with myrrh and wine too, it neutralizes poisons—those which come under the denomination of “toxica” [Narcotic poisons.] in particular. The very touch of it, mixed with oil and spondylium, [See B. xii. c. 58. See also c. 16 of this Book.] is sufficient to kill a serpent. [This statement is entirely fabulous.] It is generally thought to be productive of strangury.

Chap. 14 (6.)—Hammoniacum: Twenty-four Remedies.

Of a similar nature to galbanum is hammoniacum, a tearlike gum, the qualities of which are tested in manner already [In B. xii. c. 49. Gum ammoniac is still used to some small extent in modern medicine, for asthma, boils, tumours, and diseases of the bladder.] stated. It is of an emollient, warming, resolvent, and dispellent nature. Employed as an ingredient in eye-salves, it improves the sight. It disperses prurigo, effaces the marks of sores, removes spots in the eyes, and allays tooth-ache, more particularly when burnt. It is very useful too, taken in drink, for hardness of breathing, pleurisy, affections of the lungs, diseases of the bladder, bloody urine, maladies of the spleen, and sciatica: employed in a similar manner, it acts as a purgative upon the bowels. Boiled with an equal proportion of pitch or wax, and with oil of roses, it is good for diseases of the joints, and for gout. Employed with honey it ripens hard tumours, extracts corns, and has an emollient effect upon indurations. In combination with vinegar and Cyprian wax, or oil of roses, it is extremely efficacious as a liniment for affections of the spleen. In cases of extreme lassitude, it is an excellent plan to use it as a friction, with vinegar and oil, and a little nitre.

Chap. 15.—Storax: Ten Remedies.

In speaking too of the exotic trees, we have made mention [In B. xii. c. 55. Fée says that it is of the Amygdalite storax that Pliny is here speaking. It is little employed at the present day for internal maladies.] of the properties of storax. In addition to those which we have already mentioned, it ought to be very unctuous, without alloy, and to break to pieces in whitish fragments. This substance is curative of cough, affections of the fauces, diseases of the chest, and obstructions or indurations of the uterus. Taken in drink, or employed as a pessary, it acts as an emmenagogue; it has a laxative effect also upon the bowels. I find it stated that, taken in moderate doses, storax dispels melancholy; but that when employed in large quantities, it promotes it. Used as an injection it is good for singings in the ears, and employed as a friction, for scrofulous swellings and nodes of the sinews. It neutralizes poisons of a cold nature, and consequently, hemlock. [This is not the fact.]

Chap. 16.—Spondylium: Seventeen Remedies.

At the same time we have also spoken [In B. xii. c. 58. It is no longer used in medicine, though possessed of properties of considerable energy. Fée says that most of the assertions here made respecting it are unfounded.] of spondylium; an infusion of which is poured upon the head in cases of phrenitis and lethargy, and of head-ache of long standing. Combined with old oil, it is taken in drink for affections of the liver, jaundice, epilepsy, hardness of breathing, and hysterical suffocations, maladies for which it is equally serviceable in the shape of a fumigation. It relaxes the bowels, and with rue it is applied to ulcers of a serpiginous nature. The juice which is extracted from the blossom is a most useful injection for suppurations of the ears; but the moment it is extracted it should be covered up, as flies and other insects of a similar nature are remarkably fond of it.

Scrapings of the root, introduced into the interior of fistulas, have a caustic effect upon their callosities; and they are sometimes used, in combination with the juice, as an injection for the ears. The root itself also is prescribed for jaundice, and for diseases of the liver and uterus. If the head is rubbed with the juice, it will make the hair curl. [An absurdity, Fée remarks.]

Chap. 17.—Sphagnos, Sphacos, or Bryon: Five Remedies.

Sphagnos, sphacos, or bryon, grows, as we have already [In B. xii. c. 50. Various lichens probably were called by this name. No use is made of them in modern medicine.] stated, in Gaul. A decoction of it, employed as a sitting-bath, is useful for affections of the uterus: mixed with nasturtium, and beaten up in salt water, it is good for the knees and for swellings in the thighs. Taken in drink with wine and dried resin, it acts very powerfully as a diuretic. Pounded in wine with juniper berries, and taken in drink, it draws off the water in dropsy.

Chap. 18.—The Terebinth: Six Remedies.

The leaves and root of the terebinth [See B. xiii. c. 12. The leaves and root of the terebinth or turpentine-tree have some medicinal properties, owing to their resin or essential oil; but no use is made of them in modern medicine.] are used as applications for gatherings; and a decoction of them is strengthening to the stomach. The seed of it is taken in wine for head-ache and strangury: it is slightly laxative to the bowels, and acts as an aphrodisiac.

Chap. 19.—The Pitch-tree and the Larch: Eight Remedies.

The leaves of the pitch-tree [See B. xvi. c. 18.] and the larch, [See B. xvi. c. 19. The leaves of these trees are of an astringent and acid nature, Fée says, but they are no longer employed in medicine. All that Pliny here states relative to them is very problematical.] beaten up and boiled in vinegar, are good for tooth-ache. The ashes of the bark are used for excoriations and burns. Taken in drink this substance arrests diarrhœa, and acts as a diuretic; and used as a fumigation, it reduces the uterus when displaced. The leaves of the pitch-tree are particularly good for the liver, taken in doses of one drachma in hydromel.

It is a well-known fact that forests planted solely with trees from which pitch and resin are extracted, are remarkably beneficial for patients suffering from phthisis, [Fée says that it is still the practice of the Turkish physicians to recommend to their patients the air of the cypress groves of Candia. He states also, that it is a very general supposition that resins, balms, and balsams are good for pulmonary phthisis, but is of opinion that the notion is founded upon no solid basis.] or who are unable to recover their strength after a long illness: indeed it is said, that in such cases to breathe the air of localities thus planted, is more beneficial even than to take a voyage to Egypt, [See B. xxxi. c., also Celsus. B. iii. c. 22. Similar to a voyage to Madeira, recommended to our consumptive patients at the present day.] or to go on a summer’s journey to the mountains to drink the milk there, impregnated with the perfumes of plants.