CLCS 38500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Ecballium, Pessary, Cyclamen
Document Summary
Magical medicine: the border between rational and magical medicine is hard to define, pharmakon ranges in meaning from plants/herb, drug/potion, medicine, poison, magic charm, scapegoat (community selects individual to expel from community to purge community of sin) Theophrastus: successor to aristotle first extant greek herbal: inquiry into plants, history of plants, classification in terms of morphology and growing season, evidence from rhizotomoi (root-cutters, rudimentary toxicology, some plants have inherent properties (dynameis): Birthwort: best for bruises on the head, good also for other wounds, against snake bites, to produce sleep, for the womb as a pessary. Cyclamen: used for suppurating boils; also as a pessary for women and, mixed with honey, for dressing wounds, love potion, inducing delivery. Strychnos: induces sleep and makes you crazy (does it grow on tombs because it helps you sleep?) Thapsia (deadly carrot): must stand in wayward direction of it or will swell up.
