Before we begin: The Prefaces to Books 6–11 of Galen’s Simple Drugs

Until recently, Galen’s works on drugs had not received much attention, and this makes some sense. They don’t have critical editions, which in some circles is reason enough to avoid them. They are long and can make for pretty dull reading (although less so than much of Galen’s other writings). And they had not been translated into modern languages.

Luckily, this is changing. Caterina Manco recently completed a partial edition and French translation of Simples 6–8. And John Wilkin’s English translation and comments on Simples 1–5 with the Cambridge Galen Translations is on the way. And while there still remain the other books of Simples and the massive works on Composition of Drugs left to do, teams are working hard on these as well.

As editions and translations begin to make the work more widely available, I think there are two major hurdles for anyone starting to get into Galen’s pharmacology. First, Galen’s Greek is technical: the books contain obscure jargon from early Imperial medicine and philosophy and hard-to-identify terms for botanical, mineral and animal substances. Students and researchers also lack commentary and interpretive work, so even with a translation, it would be hard to dive in. Second is a lack of context. Galen’s works on drugs are a self-conscious attempt to rethink the discipline of pharmacology and he emphasises over and over again how different what he is doing is from earlier works. This means, in the first place, that we need to keep in mind what Galen thinks he is doing, which he describes in books 1 to 5; but, it also means that we need to know what other options were available to him in order to understand what his motivations were, and unfortunately, we don’t have many of the sources he’s responding to. We have Dioscorides, and some Pseudo-Dioscorides, Scribonius Largus and perhaps some Philumenus; but we lack the works of Asclepiades, Sextius Niger, Mantias, Pamphilus, Xenocrates, and those from the circles of Archigenes and Philipp, never mind Heracleides of Tarentum, Apollonius Mys, Cleopatra the Physician, and many others. Fragments exist in Oribasius and Aetius, but in those works they are stripped of their context, which means lots of extra work for any scholar trying to reconstruct Galen’s.

This situation is changing and will change more very soon. Caroline Petit, who is editing the entire Simples, has important articles on many aspects of Galen’s engagement with his predecessors (I will cite some as I go). Manuela Marai is working on experimental replications of ointments in Galen’s work on compound drugs. Simone Mucci is working on Galen’s Antidosis. Matteo Martelli and Lucia Raggetti have been working on the text, transmission, reception, and metamorphoses, particularly Book IX of Simples. Alessia Guardasole is editing Compound Drugs according to Places for the CUF. Laurence Totelin has published on pharmacology, cosmetics, remedies and trade in Galenic and related contexts. Veronique Boudon and Françoise Micheau have recently edited a volume on theriac. Eric Gowling completed a study, translation and commentary on the herbal portion of Aetius, book one of the Medical Books. Maximilian Haars’ work on Oribasius’ Book XV of the Medical Collections is as much a commentary on Galenic pharmacology as on Oribasius. Ianto Jocks just finished a wonderful study with translation and commentary on Scribonius Largus’ Compound Drugs. Maciej Kokoszko, Zofia Rzeźnicka, Krzysztof Jagusiak, and others at Łódź University’s Ceraneum Centre are publishing regularly on pharmacology and related topics, in addition to holding an annual colloquium highlighting work in the field. Finally, Philip van der Eijk’s classic paper on qualified experience is important for getting into the epistemological motivations for Galen’s project, and similar starting points are Barnes’ “Logic and Therapy” and much of Jim Hankinson’s work. There’s much more, but writing it all out would be a review article.

As I’ve been working through the pharmacology, it was helpful for me to have some working translations of the theoretical prefaces to Simples 6–11. These are places where Galen summarizes what he’s done, explains what he is about to do, and adds succinct details about his project that help to contextualize the project of Simples in relation to the rest of Galen’s work. Some of the prefaces have been translated by others and published in bits and pieces here and there, but not in their entirety. So, for the rest of the summer, on Monday mornings I’ll be posting my translations of them here, starting with the preface to Book 6.

List of Translations to the Prefaces of Galen’s Simple Drugs VI–XI

• Book VI, preface (plants, Α–Ι)

• Book VI, chapter 1 (abrotonum)

• Book VI, chapter 2 (agnus-castus)

• Book VII, preface (plants, Κ–Μ)

• Book VIII, preface (plants, Ν–Ω)

• Book IX, preface (earths, stones, minerals)

• Book X, preface (animal parts: fluids)

• Book XI, preface I (animal parts: solids; whole animals)

• Book XI, preface II (spontaenous non-animal products arising in humid environments)

Rufus of Ephesus on Sexual Health

On Sexual Activity from the works of Rufus (of Ephesus).

Sex is indeed a natural act, while nothing natural is harmful. But intimacy becomes harmful when it is immoderate and frequent and when it is engaged in at inappropriate times. Frequent intimacy is especially harmful for those who have weakness in the nerve-like parts, such as the chest, kidneys, lower back, hip region, or legs. Here also are some indications [it is harmful]: a person's whole strength becomes weaker during intimacy, but strength is the innate heat within us, hence concoction does not happen as well for those engaging in intercourse, and they become extremely pale and do not see or hear as they should, nor do they have any other strong sensation. Indeed, such people are forgetful and trembling, their joints painful, especially in the hip area; some also develop kidney disease, others have illness in the bladder, some develop thrush-like sores around the mouth, tooth pain, or inflammation of the tonsils; many men ejaculate blood after excessive sexual activity, some due to the violent retention and tension of pneuma, some due to the interaction of the veins and arteries running from the chest to the testicles. Women however ejaculate very little blood during intercourse due to the overall moistness of their bodies, due to the fact that they do not exert themselves as much during intercourse, and due to their regular discharges below, so that even if a woman happens to ejaculate blood, the discharges are a great healing factor for her. For these reasons, the good doctors will recommend that if any of the illnesses mentioned are present or if they are anticipated due to the natural weakness of the person, that they should abstain from sexual activity.

So far, I have spoken about the harms and co-affections (lit. sympathies) of sexual activity, to the extent that as I was able to do so succinctly. Now, we must speak about its benefits. For sexual activity is not always harmful if one takes into consideration the timing, measure, and overall health of the person engaging in intimacy. The benefits of sexual activity are these: to relieve fullness, to provide the body with lightness, to stimulate growth, and to bring about a more manly appearance. And for those in a hardened (tense) state, intimacy at regular intervals is beneficial: it softens (relaxes?) the organs, widens the pores, and removes some phlegm; it breaks up coagulated thoughts and relaxes intense desires. Hence, for a melancholic, depressed, and misanthropic person, sexual intercourse can serve as the most significant and suitable remedy. It can bring to a more moderate state of mind those driven mad in other ways, halt some epileptic symptoms, and relieve those suffering from a weary head and those with pains brought about during puberty. Hippocrates said, in a word, that sexual activity, “is the best remedy for illnesses from phlegm.” Many weakened people have been restored to health from illnesses due to intimacy, with some people’s breathing becoming easier instead of more difficult, and some people's appetite becoming better instead of worse. Some have even been freed from frequent nocturnal emissions. Natures suitable for sexual activity are warmer, more moist, and more actively disposed to intimacy than others, while least suitable are dry and cold; and the nature of those in their prime is right for it, but not the nature of those in their old age.

In terms of seasons, spring is appropriate, while autumn and summer are inappropriate. Winter is not too good either because it is cooling. Moreover, a warmer and moister diet is productive for sexual activity, while a drying and cooling diet is unproductive. Diets suitable for intercourse are appropriate for those who are unable to perform during intercourse. Therefore, the diet should be moist and warm, exertion should be moderate, and food should be plentiful. Wine therefore should be tawny in color and light in body, breads should be freshly baked and pure, meats, of young goats, lambs and pigs, poultry such as hens, thrushes, partridges, geese, and duck; of fish, octopus and whichever are called soft-bodied; of vegetables, sage, erysimon, rocket and turnip that is difficult to cook and has become tender (for these are also given as drugs); of legumes, bean, chick-peas, ochroi, phasiloi, pissoi, and loboi that are full of pneuma and provide plenty of nutrition. I also encourage adding the extremely excellent grape into the current diet; for it moistens and fills the body with blood and pneuma. But someone about to engage in sexual activity must avoid doing it on a full stomach, or with indigestion, drunkenness, or a lack of food. For it is bad to have intercourse when there are residues, one should avoid fatigue from the gym and bath, and recent vomiting and diarrhea from the belly. For these can be chronic when sexual activity causes dryness. The best intercourse happens with food but not after becoming full. For it contributes to strength and the chilling that occurs become less. If someone eagerly desires sex after breakfast, they should wait until the food settles; but if after dinner, it is necessary to sleep for a while. I do not encourage intense desires, and I rather recommend one resist them, especially those for whom it is an illness and are easily harmed by intimacy.

Περὶ ἀφροδισίων ἐκ τῶν Ῥούφου. Φυσικὸν μὲν ἔργον ἡ συνουσία ἐστίν, οὐδὲν δὲ τῶν φυσικῶν βλαβερόν· παρὰ δὲ τὴν ἄμετρόν τε καὶ συνεχῆ χρῆσιν καὶ κατὰ καιρὸν τὸν οὐ προσήκοντα παραλαμβανομένη βλαβερὰ γίγνεται, πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον βλαβερὰ ἡ συνεχὴς χρῆσις γίγνεται τοῖς τὸ νευρῶδες ἀσθενὲς ἔχουσιν ἢ θώρακα ἢ νεφροὺς ἢ ὀσφὺν ἢ ἰσχιάδα ἢ πόδας. ἔστω δέ σοι τεκμήρια καὶ τάδε· σύμπασα γὰρ ἡ ἰσχὺς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀσθενεστέρα γίγνεται ἐν τῇ χρήσει· ἡ δὲ ἰσχύς ἐστι τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν ἔμφυτον θερμόν· ὅθεν αἱ πέψεις οὐκ ἀγαθαὶ τῷ μισγομένῳ καὶ ἔξωχροι γίγνονται καὶ οὔτε δεόντως ὁρῶσιν οὔτε ἀκούουσιν, ὡς χρή, οὐδὲ ἄλλην τινὰ αἴσθησιν ἐρρωμένην κέκτηνται καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ἐπιλήσμονες οἱ τοιοῦτοι καὶ τρομώδεις εἰσὶ καὶ τὰ ἄρθρα ὀδυνηροί, μάλιστα τὰ τῶν ἰσχίων, καὶ οἱ μὲν νεφριτικοὶ γίγνονται, οἱ δὲ καὶ κατὰ κύστιν νόσημα ἔχουσιν, τοῖς δὲ καὶ στόματα ἀφθώδη γίγνεται καὶ ὀδόντων πόνοι καὶ γαργαρεώνων φλεγμοναί· πολλοὶ δὲ ἄνδρες ἐπὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀφροδισίοις καὶ αἷμα ἔπτυσαν, τὸ μέν τι τῇ βιαίῳ κατοχῇ τε καὶ ἐντάσει τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ δέ τι τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ θώρακος ἐπὶ τοὺς ὄρχεις φερομένων φλεβῶν καὶ ἀρτηριῶν. γυνὴ δὲ ἥκιστα ἐπὶ ταῖς μίξεσι πτύει αἷμα τῇ τε ἄλλῃ τοῦ σώματος ὑγρότητι καὶ τῷ ἧσσον πονεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ μίξει, καὶ διὰ τὰς εἰωθυίας κάτω καθάρσεις, ὥστε κἂν τύχῃ γυναῖκα πτύσαι αἷμα, μέγα ἴαμα αἱ καθάρσεις αὐτῇ γίγνονται. διὰ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ τὰ εἰρημένα παρακελεύονται τῶν ἰατρῶν οἱ ἀγαθοί, ἤν τε πάρεστι τι τῶν εἰρημένων νοσημάτων, ἤν τε προσδόκιμον ᾖ διὰ τὴν φυσικὴν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν ἀφροδισίων.

ἄχρι μὲν δὴ τούτων τὰς βλάβας καὶ τὰς συμπαθείας, ἐφ' ὅσον δυνατὸν ἦν ἡμῖν διὰ βραχέων εἰπεῖν, εἰρήκαμεν· ῥητέον δὲ νῦν καὶ τὰς ὠφελείας· οὐ γὰρ παντάπασι κάκιστα τὰ ἀφροδίσιά ἐστιν, ἐὰν καὶ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς χρήσεως καὶ τὸ μέτρον καὶ τὴν ὑγιεινὴν κατάστασιν τοῦ χρωμένου σκοπεῖν ἐθέλοις. ὠφέλειαι δὲ αἱ ἐκ τῶν ἀφροδισίων εἰσὶν αἵδε· πλησμονήν τε κενῶσαι καὶ ἐλαφρὸν παρασχεῖν τὸ σῶμα καὶ εἰς αὔξησιν προτρέψαι καὶ ἀνδρωδέστερον ἀποφῆναι. καὶ τῇ δὲ σκληρᾷ ἕξει ἐκ διαλειμμάτων πλειόνων ἡ χρῆσις ὠφέλιμος· μαλάσσει γὰρ τὰ ὄργανα καὶ ἀνευρύνει τοὺς πόρους καί τι τοῦ φλέγματος ἐκκαθαίρει, καὶ συνεστηκότα δὲ λογισμὸν διαλύει καὶ ὀργὰς μεγίστας ἐπανίησι. διὸ καὶ τῷ μελαγχολικῷ καὶ κατηφεῖ καὶ μισανθρώπῳ ὄντι ὥς τι μέγιστον ἴαμα ἐπιτηδειότατον μίσγεσθαι. καθίστησι δ' εἰς τὸ σωφρονέστερον καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἄλλον τρόπον ἐκμανέντας καί τινας ἐπιλήπτους ἔπαυσε καὶ βαρυνομένους τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ ἀλγοῦντας μεταβολῇ τοῦ ἡβάσκειν. Ἱπποκράτης δὲ ἑνὶ λόγῳ “τοῖς ἀπὸ φλέγματος νοσήμασιν εἶναι κράτιστα” ἀφροδίσια ἔφη. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἐκ νόσων ἄτροφοι ἀνεκομίσθησαν ἐπὶ τῇ χρήσει· οἱ δὲ καὶ εὐπνούστεροι ἀντὶ δυσπνουστέρων ἐγένοντο, καὶ εὐσιτότεροι ἀντὶ ἀποσίτων· οἱ δὲ καὶ ὀνειρωγμῶν συνεχῶν ἀπηλλάγησαν. φύσεις δὲ πρὸς ἀφροδίσια ἐπιτήδειοι αἱ θερμότεραι καὶ ὑγρότεραι καὶ πλέον τῶν ἄλλων εἰς τὴν χρῆσιν εὔφοροι, ἥκιστα δὲ αἱ ξηραὶ καὶ ψυχραὶ καὶ ἡ μὲν τῶν ἀκμαζόντων εὔθετος, ἡ δὲ τῶν γερόντων οὐδαμῶς.

ὥρα δὲ τὸ μὲν ἔαρ ἐπιτήδειον. ἄθετον δὲ τὸ φθινόπωρον καὶ τὸ θέρος. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ χειμών ἐστιν ἀγαθὸς τῷ ψύχειν. καὶ δὴ καὶ δίαιτα ἡ θερμοτέρα καὶ ὑγροτέρα εἰς λαγνείαν εὔφορος, δύσφορος δὲ ἡ ξηραίνουσα καὶ ψύχουσα. αἱ γὰρ δίαιται πρὸς μίξεις τῷ ἀδυνάτῳ μίσγεσθαι ἐπιτήδειοι. χρὴ τοίνυν τὴν μὲν δίαιταν ὑγρὰν καὶ θερμὴν ὑπάρχειν· εἴη δ' ἂν πόνων μὲν μετριότης καὶ σίτου εὐωχία. οἶνος μὲν οὖν ἔστω κιρρὸς τῇ χροιᾷ, λεπτὸς δὲ τῇ συστάσει, ἄρτοι καθαροὶ ἰπνῖται πρόσφατοι, κρέα ἐρίφων καὶ ἀρνῶν καὶ χοίρων, πτηνὰ ἀλεκτορίδες ἀτταγῆνες πέρδικες χῆνες νῆσσαι· ἰχθύων δὲ οἱ πολύποδες καὶ ὅσα μαλακόσαρκα λέγεται· λαχάνων δὲ ὅρμινον ἐρύσιμον εὔζωμον γογγυλὶς δύσεφθος καὶ τακερὰ γενομένη (ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ ὡς φάρμακα δίδοται), ὀσπρίων δὲ κύαμοι ἐρέβινθοι ὦχροι φάσιλοι πισσοὶ λοβοὶ πνεύματός τε ἐμπιπλῶντες καὶ ἀφθονίαν τροφῆς παρασκευάζοντες. μεγάλως δὲ ἐπαινῶ καὶ τὴν καλλίστην σταφυλὴν εἰς τὴν νῦν δίαιταν· ὑγραίνει γὰρ καὶ αἵματος καὶ πνεύματος ἐμπίπλησι τὸ σῶμα. τὸν δὲ μέλλοντα ἀφροδισίοις χρῆσθαι πλησμονὰς προσφάτους φυλάττεσθαι χρὴ καὶ ἀπεψίας καὶ μέθας καὶ ἐνδείας. κακὸν γὰρ ἐπὶ περιττώμασι μίσγεσθαι καὶ ἀπὸ γυμνασίων καὶ λουτρῶν καὶ κόπους δὲ φυλακτέον καὶ ἐμέτους γεγενημένους καὶ διαρροίας γαστρὸς προσφάτους. τὰς γὰρ χρονίους ἐστὶν ὅτε ξηραίνει τὰ ἀφροδίσια. κάλλιστον δὲ τὸν μισγόμενον ἐπὶ σίτοις μίσγεσθαι μὴ ἐμπλησθέντα· καὶ γὰρ πρὸς ἰσχὺν συμφέρει καὶ αἱ γιγνόμεναι ψύξεις ἧσσον γίγνονται καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀρίστῳ τις προθυμηθείη, ἀναπαύσασθαι χρὴ μέχρι καταστῇ τὸ σιτίον, εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ δείπνῳ ὑπνοῦν ἀνάγκη πρὸς ὀλίγον. καὶ τὰς σφοδρὰς δὲ ἐπιθυμίας οὐκ ἐπαινῶ ἀλλὰ κελεύω δὴ πλέον ἀντέχειν καὶ μᾶλλον οἷς νόσημά ἐστι ῥᾷον ἐκ τῆς χρήσεως βλαπτόμενον.

Rufus of Ephesus, quoted in Aetius of Amida, Medical Books, 3.8, 265,13–268,12 Olivieri

Also in Daremberg’s Oeuvres de Rufus d'Ephèse, pp. 318–325

Galen on Designer Drugs

On luxurious preparations of drugs for nerve damage.

It would not be useless to know about these kinds of drugs as well. While perhaps not as frequently as budget drugs, there is sometimes a need for them. For wherever there is a man who is an amateur pharmacist or doctor, even if he does not have more than five hundred thousand denarii, the man would not consider it worth his while to use any of the budget drugs. All the more if one is rich or especially a king—they would want the drug to be fragrant and prepared along with a great deal of silver.

There once was a rich man, the same one I told a story about in the first book of On Prognosis by Pulses, whose name I did not mention then and will not mention now, but you will get a sense of the kind of man he was from this pair of stories about his conduct. He once tried to treat a slave’s malignant ulcers. When he was unsuccessful, he entrusted the person to me, and when he saw that I had cured him, he asked me for the prescription for the drug. He was not aware that there are many different kinds of malignant ulcers and many different kinds of drugs but thought that one drug would be able to cure everything. Yet, even though the one administering the drug does not need to have any skill to use it, when he heard what the drug was made of and that all its ingredients were inexpensive, he exclaimed, “Keep this one for your beggars and teach me about the more luxurious ones.”

Another time, there was a young child who had a chronic ear condition and the man had no success in curing him (since even though he used drugs many times, he used them without a method). And so he ordered the child to be brought to me for treatment. Later, when he had learned that I had treated the child with what was available, he considered it not to be worth his while to acquire the prescription for the drug. So, having witnessed for himself many cases of nerve damage—fingers cut off and gone septic, some even leading to death or permanent injury—and recognizing that none of the patients I treated were in danger but had all quickly become healthy, he still thought what was important was to get a drug from me that was soothing and luxurious and which he could also use to treat nerve damage at the same time.

I had already often given many rough and ready prescriptions to colleagues and amateur doctors following the method we wrote about earlier, so that the theory behind their composition had been confirmed by their results. I would not give to poor people the kind of luxurious drug that this man wants, since I consider it better when cures are prepared with what is readily available. But since the rich man considered it important to get a recipe for a soothing and luxurious drug, I gave him several prescriptions that I produced according to the method I mentioned before. He was eager to have them tested and ordered both freedmen and slaves to find him patients with nerve damage. When the drugs worked beyond all expectations, first he praised me for generously sharing my recipes with him, and then he honoured me with gifts, for he was also prepared for such things. The recipes for the drugs I gave to him are as follows.

Cinnamon, Cretan dittany and maron [1], each in the amount of 40 drachmas. For these also have a pleasant aroma and are composed of fine parts. As for marjoram, since it does not have a pleasant aroma, I did not intend to mix it in at all. And yet, since it was difficult to get in Rome, as was maron, and I noticed that things that were difficult to get made him happy, just like the luxurious ones did, I added one small portion of it to the recipe, a fourth or fifth, I believe. After chopping and sifting them with a fine sieve, I ordered them to be mixed into a cerate prepared with the finest balsam sap and Tyrrhenian wax. I figured the right balance was to make it with eight parts wax and ten parts balsam sap.

To prevent the drug from being brittle but to make it rather somewhat cohesive, I mixed in one part terebinth resin, which itself has a pleasant aroma when it is of excellent quality. Additionally, I said, if you wish to make the drug more potent, do not add only one part of each of the herbs we mentioned, but a bit more, about one and a half parts. This drug has been tested by experience.

In addition to it, a second was composed with the same cerate and the juice of Cyrene, the mixture produced with the same proportion of spurge; and another, third, composed from both; and in addition to them a fourth, once I had gotten hold of stacte myrrh. For those patients whose nerve was exposed, I prepared the cerate from what’s called perfumer’s wax and from the ointments called spicatum and foliatum by the Romans. I mixed into it a twelfth part of pompholyx, washed, either using the masculine (peplumenos) or feminine (peplumenēs) form of the word; for whichever you choose, you will not do the drug either any good or harm [2].

And there is another way you can prepare it with Tyrrhenian wax: it is also possible to make it without the perfumes previously mentioned, by melting the Tyrrhenian wax with good nard in, naturally, a double vessel, since this is common for all perfumes. Once the wax has been scraped, you mix it with spikenard, amomum, malabathrum leaf, and washed pompholux in equal amounts. As we mentioned, in the case of stabbings, one needs more acrid drugs, which always protect the open wound. For exposed wounds, one should administer moderate styptics that have a dispersing capacity without any sting. Among styptics, one is amomum, but better are spikenard and malabathrum leaf.

Περὶ τῶν πολυτελῶν σκευασιῶν τῶν πρὸς τοὺς νευροτρώτους φαρμάκων.

Οὐκ ἄχρηστον ἂν εἴη καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπίστασθαι φάρμακα. χρεία γὰρ αὐτῶν ποτε γίγνεται σπανιώτερον, ὥσπερ τῶν εὐτελῶν πολλάκις. ὅπου γάρ τις οὐ πλείους ἔχων πεντακοσίων μυριάδων ἀνὴρ φιλοφάρμακός τε καὶ φιλίατρος οὐδενὶ τῶν εὐτελῶν ἠξίου χρῆσθαι, πολὺ μᾶλλον ἤτοι πλούσιός τις ἢ καὶ μόναρχος, εὐῶδές τε ἅμα καὶ πολλοῦ σκευαζόμενον ἀργυρίου βουληθήσεται τοιοῦτον ἔχειν φάρμακον.

τοῦ δὲ ἱστορηθέντος μοι πλουσίου κατὰ τὸ πρῶτον τῶν περὶ τῆς διὰ τῶν σφυγμῶν προγνώσεως μέμνημαι χωρὶς ὀνόματος, ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν, ὁποῖός τις ἦν, ἐκ δυοῖν αὐτοῦ τοιῶνδε μαθήσῃ πράξεων. ἕλκος οἰκέτου κακόηθες ἐπειρᾶτο θεραπεύειν αὐτός. ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν ἤνυσεν, ἐνεχείρισεν ἐμοὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἰδών τε θεραπευθέντα τοῦ φαρμάκου τὴν γραφὴν ᾔτει μὴ γιγνώσκων πολλὰς μὲν εἶναι διαφορὰς τῶν κακοήθων ἑλκῶν, πολλὰς δὲ τῶν φαρμάκων, ἀλλ' οἰόμενος ἓν φάρμακον δύνασθαι θεραπεύειν ἅπαντα. μὴ γοῦν μήτε τεχνικῶς αὐτῷ χρωμένου τοῦ προσφέροντος, ὡς ἤκουσεν ἐκ τίνων συνέκειτο, καὶ ἦν ἅπαντα εὔωνα, τοῦτο μὲν, ἔφη, τοῖς προσαίταις φύλαττε, τῶν πολυτελεστέρων δέ τι δίδαξόν με.

καὶ μέντοι καὶ παιδαρίου χρονίαν ἐν ὠσὶ διάθεσιν ἔχοντος, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπὶ πολλοῖς οἷς ἐχρήσατο φαρμάκοις ἄνευ μεθόδου μηδὲν ὤνησεν, ἐμοὶ κᾀκεῖνο τὸ παιδάριον ἐκέλευσε προσαχθῆναι θεραπευθησόμενον. ὕστερόν τε γνοὺς αὐτὸ διά τινος τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων θεραπευθὲν, οὐκ ἠξίωσε λαβεῖν τοῦ φαρμάκου τὴν γραφήν. οὗτος τοίνυν αὐτὸς ἑωρακὼς πολλὰς τῶν νευροτρώτων, ἀποκοπέντας τε δακτύλους καὶ σαπέντας, ἐνίους δὲ καὶ τελευτήσαντας ἢ κυλλωθέντας, εἶτα γνοὺς ὅτι μηδεὶς ἐκινδύνευσε τῶν ὑπ' ἐμοῦ θεραπευθέντων, ἅπαντες δὲ διὰ ταχέων ὑγιεῖς ἐγένοντο, φάρμακον ἠξίου τι παρ' ἐμοῦ λαβεῖν εὔπνουν τε ἅμα καὶ πολυτελὲς, ᾧ τοὺς νευροτρώτους δυνήσεται θεραπεύειν.

ἐγὼ δὲ πολλὰς ἤδη πολλάκις ἐδεδώκειν ἑταίροις τε καὶ φίλοις ἰατροῖς γραφὰς αὐτοσχεδίους κατὰ τὴν προγεγραμμένην μέθοδον, ὅπως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκβάσεων ὁ τῆς συνθέσεως αὐτῶν λόγος βεβαιῶται. πολυτελὲς δ', οἷον ἐκεῖνος ἐβούλετο, πένησιν ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἂν ἔδωκα νομίζων ἄμεινον εἶναι διὰ τῶν εὐπορίστων γίγνεσθαι τὰς ἰάσεις. ὡς οὖν ὁ πλούσιος ἠξίωσεν εὔπνου τε καὶ πολυτελοῦς φαρμάκου λαβεῖν τινα σύνθεσιν, ἔδωκα πλείους αὐτῷ γραφὰς κατὰ τὴν προειρημένην μέθοδον ποιήσας, ὧν πειραθῆναι σπεύδων ἐκεῖνος ἐκέλευσε τοῖς ἐλευθέροις τε καὶ δούλοις ἀναζητεῖν αὐτῷ νευροτρώτους. ἐνεργησάντων δὲ τῶν φαρμάκων ὑπὲρ ἅπασαν ἐλπίδα, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπῄνεσεν ὡς ἀφθόνως αὐτῷ κοινωνήσαντά με τῶν γραφῶν, εἶτα καὶ δώροις ἐτίμησε, καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἕτοιμος καὶ εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα. τῶν δοθέντων δ' αὐτῷ φαρμάκων ἡ σύνθεσις ἦν τοιάδε.

♃ κινναμώμου, δικτάμνου καὶ μάρου ἀνὰ ἑκάστου δραχμὰς μʹ. καὶ γὰρ εὐώδη καὶ λεπτομερῆ ταῦτ' ἔστι. τὸ δὲ ἀμάρακον ὡς οὐκ εὐῶδες ἐνενόησα μηδ' ὅλως μιγνύειν. εἶτ' ἐπεὶ δυσπόριστον ἦν ἐν Ῥώμῃ, καθάπερ καὶ τὸ μάρον, ἑώρων δὲ ἐκεῖνον χαίροντα τοῖς δυσπορίστοις ὥσπερ γε καὶ τοῖς πολυτελέσι, προσέθηκα τῇ γραφῇ κᾀκείνου βραχύ τι μέρους ἑνὸς, ὡς οἶμαι τέταρτον ἢ πέμπτον. ταῦτα κοπέντα καὶ σηθέντα λεπτοτρήτῳ κοσκίνῳ μιγνύειν ἐκέλευσα κηρωτῇ δι' ὀποβαλσάμου τοῦ ἀρίστου καὶ κηροῦ Τυῤῥηνικοῦ. σύμμετρον δ' ἐστοχασάμην εἶναι τοῦ κηροῦ μὲν ὀκτὼ ποιήσασθαι μέρη, τοῦ δὲ ὀποβαλσάμου δέκα.

χάριν δὲ τοῦ μὴ ψαθυρὸν εἶναι τὸ φάρμακον, ἀλλ' ἡνωμένον πως ἑαυτῷ, καὶ τῆς τερμινθίνης ῥητίνης ἔμιξα μέρος ἓν οὔσης καὶ αὐτῆς εὐώδους, ὅταν ᾖ καλλίστη. γενναιότερον δ', ὡς ἔφην, εἰ βούλοιο ποιῆσαι τὸ φάρμακον, οὐχ ἓν μέρος ἑκάστης τῶν εἰρημένων βοτανῶν ἐμβάλλῃς, ἀλλὰ πλέον, ὡς ἓν καὶ ἥμισυ γενέσθαι. τοῦτ' οὖν ὑπὸ τῆς πείρας ἐμαρτυρήθη τὸ φάρμακον. ἕτερον δὲ δεύτερον ἐπ' αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς κηρωτῆς καὶ ὀποῦ τοῦ Κυρηναίου συντεθὲν, κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀναλογίαν τῷ εὐφορβίῳ τῆς μίξεως γενομένης, ἄλλο τε τρίτον ἐκ τῆς μίξεως ἀμφοῖν συντεθὲν καὶ τὸ τέταρτον ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τῆς στακτῆς σμύρνης προσλαβόν. ἐφ' ὧν δὲ γυμνόν ἐστι τὸ νεῦρον, ἐπὶ τούτων τὴν μὲν κηρωτὴν ἐκ κηροῦ τοῦ καλουμένου μυρεψικοῦ καὶ μύρων τῶν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ὀνομαζομένων σπικάτου καὶ φουλιάτου συνέθηκα. δωδέκατον δ' αὐτῇ μέρος ἔμιξα πομφόλυγος, εἴτε πεπλυμένου λέγειν ἐθέλοις ἀῤῥενικῶς, εἴτε πεπλυμένης θηλυκῶς· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὁπωτέρως ἂν εἴποις οὔτ' ὠφελήσεις οὔτε βλάψεις τὸ φάρμακον.

ἔστι δέ σοι καὶ διὰ τοῦ Τυῤῥηνικοῦ κηροῦ σκευάζειν αὐτό. πάρεστι δὲ καὶ χωρὶς τῶν εἰρημένων μύρων τὸν μὲν Τυῤῥηνικὸν κηρὸν τῆξαι διὰ νάρδου καλῆς ἐπὶ διπλοῦ δηλονότι σκεύους, κοινὸν γὰρ τοῦτο ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν μύρων. ξυσθείσῃ δὲ τῇ κηρωτῇ μίξεις νάρδου στάχυος καὶ ἀμώμου καὶ φύλλου μαλαβάθρου καὶ πομφόλυγος πεπλυμένου τὸ ἴσον ἑκάστου. ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν νύξεων, ὡς εἴρηται, δριμυτέρων ἐστὶ χρεία φαρμάκων ἀνεῳγμένον ἀεὶ φυλαττόντων τὸ τραῦμα. τοῖς γεγυμνωμένοις δὲ τὰ μετρίαν στύψιν ἔχοντα μετὰ διαφορητικῆς ἀδήκτου δυνάμεως προσφέρεσθαι χρή. στύψεως δὲ μέτεστι μέν τι καὶ τῷ ἀμώμῳ, μᾶλλον δ' αὐτοῦ τῷ τε τῆς νάρδου στάχυι καὶ τῷ τοῦ μαλαβάθρου φύλλῳ.

Galen, Compound Drugs by Place 3.8, 13.635–640 K.

[1] Lots of opinions, not much certainty about what μάρον / marum is. Nice note from Bostock’s Pliny (relying on Fée) available via this link.

[2] Suggesting some debate over the gender of the word, pompholyx, πομφόλυξ.

Catching fish

A bait for every fish in all seasons.

• Leaves of Celtic nard, 4 drachmas

• One drachma of cyperus

• Alexander, the size of an Egyptian bean

• Cumin, as much as three fingers

• Dill seeds, one handful

Grind, sift and place into a small reed.

To use, take an earthworm, wash it, and place it into a vessel; take a small fish from the area and squeeze out its fluid into your hand, then mix it with a sufficient amount of the drug; then after grinding up the worms, add them into the mixture. Then suspend it and use it as a bait.

Δέλη πρὸς πάντα ἰχθὺν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ.

Νάρδου Κελτικῆς φύλλα [δραχ.] δʹ· κυπέρεως ἕν, σμυρνίου Αἰγυπτίου κυάμου τὸ μέγεθος, κυμίνου ὅσον τοῖς τρισὶ δακτύλοις, ἀνήθου σπέρματος δράκα, κόψας σήσας βάλε εἰς καλαμίσκον.

ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς χρείας λαβὼν ἔλμιν ἢ γῆς ἔντερα ἀπόπλυνον, καὶ βάλε εἰς ἀγγεῖον, καὶ ἔγγραυλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου ὑγρὰν ἀποπίασον εἰς τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ μίξον ἐκ τοῦ φαρμάκου τὸ αὔταρκες, καὶ τὰς ἔλμεις βαλὼν εἰς τὸ μάγμα ἀνάτριψον, καὶ τότε ἄρας δελέαζε.

Geoponica 20.24

Poetic Adventures in ChatGPT 3 Translation

I've been testing how ChatGPT handles ancient Greek translation. Here's one attempt. I prompted it to translate a pharmacological poem written in imabic verse by Damocrates and containing a recipe for a plaster.

The text is from Galen’s Compound Drugs According to Kind (De compositione medicamentorum per genera), Book 5, Chapter 10.

The conversation is presented here unedited but abridged in places.

---

User. translate

ChatGPT. Certainly! I can help you with translation. Please provide me with the text you would like to translate and let me know the target language you want it translated to.

User.

 Τῶν περιβοήτων δ' ἐστὶν ἐμπλάστρων μία,
 Μόνη τ' ἔχουσα Κρητικὸν τὸ καλούμενον
13.821.5
 Δίκταμνον, ἰᾶται δὲ τὰς τῶν ἑρπετῶν,
 Ἰοβόλων πληγάς τε καὶ τὰ δήγματα
 Πάντων τετραπόδων, κᾂν λελυσσήκῃ τινὰ,
 Τετυλωμένα θ' ἕλκη, τάς τε τῶν νεύρων φθοράς.
 Μυῶν τε καὶ τῶν ὀστέοις ἐπικειμένων
13.821.10
 Χόνδρων, ἐχόντων διὰ βάθους ἤδη φθοράν.
 Τά τε περὶ μαστοὺς καὶ τράχηλον καὶ ῥάχιν
 Ἕλκη θεραπεύει, κᾂν χρόνους πολλοὺς ἔχῃ·
 Καὶ πάνθ' ὅσ' εἶπον τὴν καλουμένην ποιεῖν
 Αἰγυπτίαν ἔμπλαστρον ἔμπροσθεν βραχύ.
13.821.15
 Ταύτην ἀγαθὴν σφόδρ' οὖσαν ἔνιοι καὶ μόνην
 Δοκοῦσι πασῶν τῶν καλῶν βελτίονα,
 Πολλῶν διὰ πείρας οὐκ ἔχοντες φαρμάκων.
 Ἔχει δὲ λιθάργυρον δὶς ἑκατὸν δραχμὰς, 
13.822.1
 Λίτρας δ' ἐλαίου τοῦ παλαιοῦ τέταρτον.
 Τινὲς δὲ κοτύλης φασὶ μᾶλλον τέταρτον.
 Δὶς δ' εἴκοσι πέντε Ποντικοῦ κηροῦ δραχμὰς,
 Κολοφωνίας δὲ τῆς καλῆς, κηροῦ διπλοῦν,
13.822.5
 Τινὲς δὲ μᾶλλον, ταὐτὸ τῆς τερμινθίνης.
 Ἰοῦ δὲ χαλκοῦ καὶ ἀλόης Ἰνδικῆς,
 Χαλκοῦ τε κεκαυμένου καὶ διφρυγοῦς καλοῦ
 Ἑκκαίδεχ' ἥμισυ ἐξ ἑκάστου μίγματος,
 Εἴκοσι δραχμὰς δὲ χαλβάνης καὶ δʹ.
13.822.10
 Μάννης, λιβάνου τε τὰς ἴσας δὶς ιβʹ.
 Ἀμμωνιακοῦ δὶς εʹ. καὶ δὶς κʹ.
 Ἑκκαίδεκα δραχμὰς προπόλεως τῆς Ἀττικῆς,
 Ἀριστολοχίας τῆς μακρᾶς δὶς ιʹ. δραχμὰς
 Δὶς στʹ. λεπίδος, τοῦ Κυπρίου χαλκοῦ δραχμὰς
13.822.15
 Καὶ γεντιανῆς ξηροτάτης ῥίζης ἴσον.
 Τούτοις προσαπόδος πᾶσι δικτάμνου πόας
 Ξηρᾶς ἐχούσης ἄνθος ὁλκὰς κʹ.
 Λείας. λιθάργυρον δὲ μετ' ἐλαίου βαλὼν, 
13.823.1
 Εἰς λοπάδα καινὴν κεραμίαν πλατύστομον,
 Ἕψε πυρὶ κούφῳ καὶ μαλακῷ, κινῶν σπάθῃ
 Ἕως γένηται μέλιτος Ἀττικοῦ πάχος.
 Ἴσον δὲ καὶ τῆς λεπίδος προσβαλὼν πάλιν
13.823.5
 Ἕψε λαβρότερον, εἶτα κιῤῥοῦ γενομένου
 Τοῦ φαρμάκου, πρόσβαλε χαλκὸν καὶ διφρυγὲς,
 Ποιῶν τ' ἀμόλυντον καὶ πεπηγὸς φάρμακον
 Πρόσβαλλε κηρὸν τήν τε ῥητίνην ἅμα.
 Ὧν συντακέντων, ὅταν ἴδῃς κεκραμένην
13.823.10
 Ἔμπλαστρον, αἴρεις τὴν χύτραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς
 Καὶ προσβαλὼν προπόλεώς τε καὶ χαλβάνην,
 Ἀμμωνιακὸν, μάνναν τε καὶ ἀλόην, τότε
 Ψύξας τὸ πυρῶδες καὶ ζέον τοῦ φαρμάκου,
 Ἀριστολοχίαν λειοτάτην προσεμπάσεις
13.823.15
 Καὶ γεντιανὴν, τήν τε δίκταμνον πόαν
 Καὶ προσανακόψας τῇ σπάθῃ τὸ φάρμακον
 Χερσὶ καὶ μαγδαλιὰς ποιῶν, ἔχε,
 Εἰς ἃς προεῖπον χρώμενος περιστάσεις. 
13.824.1
 [Περὶ τροχίσκων Ἀσκληπιάδου.

ChatGPT. The provided text appears to be in ancient Greek. Here's a translation into English:

"And among the famous plasters, there is one,
The only one called Cretan,
It heals the wounds of reptiles,
And the bites of vipers
And all four-legged creatures,
Even if someone is affected by rabies,
And it relieves swellings and damages to the nerves.
And it treats the muscles and those attached to the bones,
The cartilages that have already suffered deep damage.
And it heals ulcers around the breasts, neck, and spine,
Even if they have persisted for a long time.
And it does all that I mentioned
In a short time, being the so-called Egyptian plaster.
Some consider it to be exceedingly good and superior
To all other good remedies,
Not having experienced many other drugs.
It costs two hundred drachmas of silver,
And a quarter of a liter of old oil.
Some say it is a little less than a kotyle.
And it costs twenty-five drachmas of Pontic wax,
And twice the value of good Colophonian wax,
Some even say it is the same as turpentine.
And with Indian copper and aloe,
And burnt copper and good tripod,
One part of each mixture,
And twenty drachmas of chalbanum.
And twice twelve librae of frankincense,
And twice two hundred drachmas of ammoniacum.
And sixteen drachmas of Attic propolis,
And twice ten drachmas of long Aristolochia,
And twice fifty lepta of lead,
And an equal amount of Cyprian copper,
And an equal amount of dried gentian root.
To these, for every two drachmas,
Add eight dry leaves of Dictamnus,
Smoothed with silver. And after adding oil to it,
Apply it to a new wide-mouthed clay pot,
And heat it with a gentle and soft fire,
Stirring it with a sword
Until it becomes the consistency of Attic honey.
And after that, add it again to the blade,
And stir it more forcefully,
Then apply it to copper and tripod,
Making a smooth and well-blended remedy,
Add wax and resin at the same time.
When you have prepared these things,
And when you see that the plaster has solidified,
Remove the pot from the fire,
And after adding Attic propolis and chalbanum,
Ammoniacum, frankincense, and aloe,
Cool the fiery and boiling mixture,
And add the finest Aristolochia,
And gentian, and after cutting the remedy with the sword,
With your hands and almond tree,
You will have what I previously mentioned,
Using it according to the appropriate circumstances."

Please note that the translation may not capture the exact nuances of the original text, as ancient Greek can be complex and context-dependent.

 User. translated again, assume λιθάργυρον is "litharge" and δραχμὰς refer to the unit of weight "drachma" not the currency

ChatGPT. Certainly! Here's the revised translation, taking into account the terms "litharge" for "λιθάργυρον" and "drachma" for "δραχμὰς" as a unit of weight:

"And among the renowned plasters, there is one,
The only one called Cretan,
It heals the wounds of reptiles,
And the bites of vipers,
And the injuries of all quadrupeds,
Even if someone is afflicted by rabies,
And it alleviates swellings and nerve damage.
It treats muscles and those attached to the bones,
The cartilages that have already suffered profound damage.
It also heals ulcers around the breasts, neck, and spine,
Even if they have persisted for a long time.
And it accomplishes all these things
With what is known as Egyptian litharge in a short time.
Some consider it to be extremely good and superior
To all other beneficial remedies,
Not having the experience of many other drugs.
It requires two hundred drachmas of litharge,
And a quarter of a liter of old oil.
Some say it is a little less than a kotyle in weight.
And it costs twenty-five drachmas of Pontic wax,
And twice the value of good Colophonian wax,
Some even say it is equivalent to turpentine.
And with Indian copper and Indian aloe,
And burnt copper and a good tripod,
One part of each mixture,
And twenty drachmas of chalcanthum (chalbanum).
And twice twelve librae (pounds) of frankincense,
And twice two hundred drachmas (units of weight) of ammoniacum.
And sixteen drachmas (units of weight) of Attic propolis,
And twice ten drachmas (units of weight) of long Aristolochia,
And twice fifty lepta (units of currency) of lead,
And an equal amount of Cyprian copper,
And an equal amount of dried gentian root.
For these, for every two drachmas (units of weight),
Add eight dry leaves of Dictamnus,
Smoothed with silver. And after adding oil to it,
Apply it to a new wide-mouthed clay pot,
And heat it with a gentle and soft fire,
Stirring it with a sword,
Until it becomes the consistency of Attic honey.
And after that, add it again to the blade,
And stir it more forcefully,
Then apply it to copper and tripod,
Creating a smooth and well-blended remedy,
Add wax and resin at the same time.
When you have prepared these things,
And when you see that the plaster has solidified,
Remove the pot from the fire,
And after adding Attic propolis and chalcanthum (chalbanum),
Ammoniacum, frankincense, and aloe,
Cool the fiery and boiling mixture,
And add the finest Aristolochia,
And gentian, and after cutting the remedy with the sword,
With your hands and almond tree,
You will have what I previously mentioned,
Using it according to the appropriate circumstances."

Please note that the translation may still vary based on different interpretations of the text, and the terminology used for certain substances or measures may differ in specific contexts.

[At this point, I pasted the passage again with more context included at the beginning and asked it to retranslate]

User.

[Ἡ διὰ δικτάμνου ὡς Δαμοκράτης.]
13.820.15
Εἴρηταί μοι πολλάκις ὡς οὐ μόνον εἰς μνήμην αἱ ἔμμετροι
γραφαὶ χρησιμώτεροι τῶν πεζῇ γεγραμμένων εἰσὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ
εἰς τὴν τῆς συμμετρίας τῶν μιγνυμένων ἀκρίβειαν. διὰ τοῦτ'
13.821.1
οὖν καὶ νῦν τὴν διὰ δικτάμνου προσέγραψε συμμετρίαν
ἀκριβῆ διασώζουσαν ἐν τῇ Δαμοκράτου γραφῇ.
Τῶν περιβοήτων δ' ἐστὶν ἐμπλάστρων μία,
Μόνη τ' ἔχουσα Κρητικὸν τὸ καλούμενον
13.821.5
Δίκταμνον, ἰᾶται δὲ τὰς τῶν ἑρπετῶν,
Ἰοβόλων πληγάς τε καὶ τὰ δήγματα
Πάντων τετραπόδων, κᾂν λελυσσήκῃ τινὰ,
Τετυλωμένα θ' ἕλκη, τάς τε τῶν νεύρων φθοράς.
Μυῶν τε καὶ τῶν ὀστέοις ἐπικειμένων
13.821.10
Χόνδρων, ἐχόντων διὰ βάθους ἤδη φθοράν.
Τά τε περὶ μαστοὺς καὶ τράχηλον καὶ ῥάχιν
Ἕλκη θεραπεύει, κᾂν χρόνους πολλοὺς ἔχῃ·
Καὶ πάνθ' ὅσ' εἶπον τὴν καλουμένην ποιεῖν
Αἰγυπτίαν ἔμπλαστρον ἔμπροσθεν βραχύ.
13.821.15
Ταύτην ἀγαθὴν σφόδρ' οὖσαν ἔνιοι καὶ μόνην
Δοκοῦσι πασῶν τῶν καλῶν βελτίονα,
Πολλῶν διὰ πείρας οὐκ ἔχοντες φαρμάκων.
Ἔχει δὲ λιθάργυρον δὶς ἑκατὸν δραχμὰς,
13.822.1
Λίτρας δ' ἐλαίου τοῦ παλαιοῦ τέταρτον.
Τινὲς δὲ κοτύλης φασὶ μᾶλλον τέταρτον.
Δὶς δ' εἴκοσι πέντε Ποντικοῦ κηροῦ δραχμὰς,
Κολοφωνίας δὲ τῆς καλῆς, κηροῦ διπλοῦν,
13.822.5
Τινὲς δὲ μᾶλλον, ταὐτὸ τῆς τερμινθίνης.
Ἰοῦ δὲ χαλκοῦ καὶ ἀλόης Ἰνδικῆς,
Χαλκοῦ τε κεκαυμένου καὶ διφρυγοῦς καλοῦ
Ἑκκαίδεχ' ἥμισυ ἐξ ἑκάστου μίγματος,
Εἴκοσι δραχμὰς δὲ χαλβάνης καὶ δʹ.
13.822.10
Μάννης, λιβάνου τε τὰς ἴσας δὶς ιβʹ.
Ἀμμωνιακοῦ δὶς εʹ. καὶ δὶς κʹ.
Ἑκκαίδεκα δραχμὰς προπόλεως τῆς Ἀττικῆς,
Ἀριστολοχίας τῆς μακρᾶς δὶς ιʹ. δραχμὰς
Δὶς στʹ. λεπίδος, τοῦ Κυπρίου χαλκοῦ δραχμὰς
13.822.15
Καὶ γεντιανῆς ξηροτάτης ῥίζης ἴσον.
Τούτοις προσαπόδος πᾶσι δικτάμνου πόας
Ξηρᾶς ἐχούσης ἄνθος ὁλκὰς κʹ.
Λείας. λιθάργυρον δὲ μετ' ἐλαίου βαλὼν,
13.823.1
Εἰς λοπάδα καινὴν κεραμίαν πλατύστομον,
Ἕψε πυρὶ κούφῳ καὶ μαλακῷ, κινῶν σπάθῃ
Ἕως γένηται μέλιτος Ἀττικοῦ πάχος.
Ἴσον δὲ καὶ τῆς λεπίδος προσβαλὼν πάλιν
13.823.5
Ἕψε λαβρότερον, εἶτα κιῤῥοῦ γενομένου
Τοῦ φαρμάκου, πρόσβαλε χαλκὸν καὶ διφρυγὲς,
Ποιῶν τ' ἀμόλυντον καὶ πεπηγὸς φάρμακον
Πρόσβαλλε κηρὸν τήν τε ῥητίνην ἅμα.
Ὧν συντακέντων, ὅταν ἴδῃς κεκραμένην
13.823.10
Ἔμπλαστρον, αἴρεις τὴν χύτραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς
Καὶ προσβαλὼν προπόλεώς τε καὶ χαλβάνην,
Ἀμμωνιακὸν, μάνναν τε καὶ ἀλόην, τότε
Ψύξας τὸ πυρῶδες καὶ ζέον τοῦ φαρμάκου,
Ἀριστολοχίαν λειοτάτην προσεμπάσεις
13.823.15
Καὶ γεντιανὴν, τήν τε δίκταμνον πόαν
Καὶ προσανακόψας τῇ σπάθῃ τὸ φάρμακον
Χερσὶ καὶ μαγδαλιὰς ποιῶν, ἔχε,
Εἰς ἃς προεῖπον χρώμενος περιστάσεις.

ChatGPT. Translation:

"[As] Dictamnus says, like Democritus.
13.820.15
It has been said to me many times that not only are metrical compositions more useful for memorization than those written in prose, but they also contribute to the precision of the composition when it comes to the arrangement of mixed elements. Therefore,
13.821.1
he has now prefaced this composition with the symmetry achieved through Dictamnus,
preserving accurate measurements in the writing of Democritus.
Among the renowned plasters, there is one,
the only one called Cretan,
13.821.5
Dictamnus, which heals the wounds of reptiles,
the bites of scorpions, and the stings
of all four-legged creatures, even if someone is afflicted with madness,
healed ulcers, and damage to nerves.
For flies and those affected by bone diseases
13.821.10
and cartilage diseases that have already progressed deep,
it heals the sores around the breasts, neck, and spine,
even if they have persisted for a long time.
And it does all these things in a short time,
an Egyptian plaster applied beforehand.
13.821.15
This excellent plaster, being considered by some as the best of all,
having tested many remedies,
contains 200 drachmas of litharge,
a quarter of a liter of old olive oil.
Some say a fourth of a kotyle.
Twice twenty-five drachmas of Pontic wax,
twice the good Colophonian wax,
13.822.5
some say the same as termentine.
And two drachmas of Indian copper and aloes,
and twice 100 drachmas of burnt copper and good turpentine.
Twenty drachmas of resin and four,
twice 12 drachmas of ammoniac,
13.822.10
and twice 20 drachmas of Attic propolis,
and twice 12 drachmas of long Aristolochia,
twice 9 drachmas of copper blade, and the same of Cyprian copper,
and an equal amount of dried gentian root.
With all these ingredients, taking dry Dictamnus herb,
13.822.15
grind it into a smooth powder, mixing it with litharge
and pouring it into a new, wide-mouthed clay pot.
Stir it gently and softly with a sword
until it becomes the consistency of Attic honey.
Then, applying it again to the blade,
13.823.5
stir it more vigorously until it becomes red and boiling,
and when the medicine is formed, apply it to copper and good turpentine,
making it unadulterated and adhesive,
and add wax and resin together.
When you see it has been properly mixed and heated,
13.823.10
remove the pot from the fire,
and after applying Attic propolis and resin,
ammoniac, and frankincense,
cool the fragrant mixture of the medicine,
and add the finest Aristolochia
13.823.15
and gentian, and, with the sword, cut the medicine,
and with your hands and kneading, form it into almonds.
These are the circumstances I previously mentioned, using them accordingly."

User. can you tell me what meter the greek is in?

ChatGPT. The Greek text you provided is written in dactylic hexameter, which is a meter commonly used in ancient Greek epic poetry. Dactylic hexameter consists of six metrical feet per line, where each foot is either a dactyl (long syllable followed by two short syllables) or a spondee (two long syllables). This meter is characterized by its rhythmic pattern and was used by renowned poets such as Homer and Hesiod.

User. can you scan a line for me?

ChatGPT. Certainly! Please provide me with a specific line from the Greek text you provided, and I'll do my best to scan it for you.

User. the last

ChatGPT. The last line you provided is:

Ἡ διὰ δικτάμνου ὡς Δαμοκράτης.

Here is the scanned version with long (—) and short (⏑) marks:

— ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑

This line consists of eleven syllables and follows the pattern of dactylic hexameter, which is a common meter in ancient Greek poetry. In dactylic hexameter, each line typically consists of six feet, and each foot contains either a long syllable (—) or two short syllables (⏑).

User. scan this line: Ἔμπλαστρον, αἴρεις τὴν χύτραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς

ChatGPT. Sure! Here's the scanned version of the line you provided:

— ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑

This line consists of seventeen syllables and follows the pattern of dactylic hexameter.

User. can you put the scan over the text of the line

ChatGPT. Certainly! Here's the line with the corresponding scansion markings:

Ἔμπλαστρον, αἴρεις τὴν χύτραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς

— ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ — ⏑

The symbols "⏑" represent a stressed or long syllable, and "—" represents an unstressed or short syllable.

User. ⏑ means short

ChatGPT. Apologies for the confusion. You are correct. In the scansion markings, "⏑" represents a short or unstressed syllable, and "—" represents a long or stressed syllable.

User. how many syllables?

ChatGPT. The line "Ἔμπλαστρον, αἴρεις τὴν χύτραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς" has a total of 15 syllables.

User. i count 13

ChatGPT. I apologize for the confusion. You are correct. The line "Ἔμπλαστρον, αἴρεις τὴν χύτραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς" has a total of 13 syllables. Thank you for pointing out the error.

[...]

User. now scan

ChatGPT. Certainly! Here's the correct scansion with the appropriate markings placed over the text:

Ἔμ-πλα-στρον, αἴ-ρεις τὴν χύ-τραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυ-ρὸς

˘ ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ ¯ ˘

Each syllable is marked with the corresponding scansion symbol, indicating whether it is a short (˘) or long (¯) syllable.

User. is τὴν short or long?

ChatGPT. Apologies for the oversight. The syllable "τὴν" in the line "τὴν χύτραν" should be marked as long (¯¯) rather than short (˘). Here's the corrected scansion:

Ἔμ-πλα-στρον, αἴ-ρεις τὴν χύ-τραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυ-ρὸς

˘ ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ ¯ ˘

User. what meter is that?

ChatGPT. The meter of the line "Ἔμπλαστρον, αἴρεις τὴν χύτραν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς" is primarily iambic trimeter (ὁλοκληροῦ τριμέτρου ἰαμβικοῦ), with variations and metrical licenses. The iambic trimeter consists of three metrical feet, each containing one long syllable (¯) followed by one short syllable (˘). However, the presence of anapaests (˘ ¯ ¯) and spondees (¯¯) within the line creates variations and breaks the strict iambic pattern.

User. Can you repeat your translation, but understand that Ἡ διὰ δικτάμνου ὡς Δαμοκράτης means Ἡ Κυζικηνή διὰ δικτάμνου ὡς Δαμοκράτης "the cyzicus [made with] dittany, according to Damocrates"

ChatGPT. Apologies for the misunderstanding. Taking into account the phrase "Ἡ Κυζικηνή διὰ δικτάμνου ὡς Δαμοκράτης," which can be translated as "the Cyzicus [made with] dittany, according to Damocrates," here's a revised translation of the passage:

"It has been repeatedly said to me that not only are metrical compositions more useful for memorization than those written in prose but also [useful] for the precise arrangement of mixed medicines. Therefore, even now, preserving the accurate symmetry through the use of the Cyzicus made with dittany, according to Damocrates."

Please note that the translation is based on the provided context, but additional details or nuances may affect the interpretation.

User. Please translate the whole passage:

ChatGPT. Certainly! Here's the translation of the entire passage:

"It has been repeatedly said to me that not only are metrical compositions more useful for memorization than those written in prose but also for the precise arrangement of mixed medicines. Therefore, even now, preserving the accurate symmetry through the use of the Cyzicus made with dittany, according to Damocrates.

Among the renowned plasters, there is one, the only one called the Cretan plaster, which heals the wounds of serpents and the bites of snakes, as well as the ailments of all four-legged creatures, even if they are afflicted by madness. It also treats rolled-up sores and the damage to nerves, muscles, and bones. It heals the ailments around the breasts, neck, and spine, even after long durations. And all that I mentioned, it accomplishes as the Egyptian plaster, applied externally for a short time.

This excellent remedy, being considered by some as superior to all other good remedies, is without many drugs. It consists of two hundred drachmas of silver stone and one-fourth of a liter of old olive oil. Some say it is one-fourth of a kotyle. It also contains twenty-five drachmas of Pontic wax, twice the amount of good Colophonian wax, or, according to some, the same as turpentine.

It includes two and a half drachmas of copper and Indian aloe, as well as double that amount of burnt copper and good frankincense. It has twelve drachmas of Attic propolis, twice the amount of storax, and two times two and a half drachmas of ammoniacum. Additionally, twenty drachmas of Galbanian, and four drachmas of bitter gentian root. In mixing all these, when you see that the new pottery basin has been heated with a gentle and soft fire, stir it with a sword until it becomes the consistency of Attic honey.

Then, by applying it again with the sword, spread a smoother layer, and when the medicine has cooled and become firm, apply copper and good diphrygus, making the ointment smooth and adhesive. Apply lead, with the addition of olive oil, into the newly made wide-mouthed clay pot. In addition, rub the mixture with the blade until it becomes thicker, and then apply copper and double diphrygus, making the ointment smooth and sticky.

By preparing it according to the mentioned circumstances, when you cool and harden the plaster, you will have it, consisting of dried dittany, two hundred and fifty drachmas. Smooth, litharge ointment mixed with olive oil will be added in equal parts, one-fourth of the diphrygus, and fifteen drachmas of the finest gentian root. By applying the mixture with the sword, and making almond-sized pieces, you will have it, fulfilling the mentioned circumstances."

User. now translate it in a way that matches the meter of the original

ChatGPT. Certainly! Here's a translation of the passage that aims to match the meter of the original:

"Repeatedly told, to me, they say
That compositions in meter's array
Are not only useful for memory's sway,
But for medicines mixed, with order to stay.
So now I preserve, with careful employ,
The Cyzicus made with dittany's joy,
As Damocrates taught, in precise employ.
Among plasters renowned, there exists but one,
Called Cretan plaster, its virtues well-spun.
It heals serpent wounds, bites of snakes' spite,
And four-legged creatures, afflicted with blight,
Even madness subdued, it brings them respite.
Rolled-up sores, nerves, muscles, and bones,
Breasts, neck, and spine, its healing intones,
After long durations, ailments it dethrones.
Egyptian plaster, briefly applied,
Does all I've mentioned, far and wide.
This potent remedy, some deem supreme,
With fewer drugs, it fulfills its theme.
Two hundred drachmas of silver it holds,
And one-fourth liter of oil, as unfolds.
Some say one-fourth kotyle, to be precise,
With twenty-five drachmas of wax, the device.
Colophonian wax, double the measure,
Or turpentine, as some might treasure.
Two and a half drachmas of aloe it bears,
With burnt copper doubled, for healing affairs.
Good frankincense, twelve drachmas it shows,
Twice the storax amount, as the recipe goes,
Two and a half drachmas of ammoniacum's repose.
Added are twenty drachmas of Galbanian kind,
And four drachmas of bitter gentian, we find.
In mixing, with heat, the new basin aligned,
Stirred with a sword, till Attic honey defined.
Applied with the sword, a smoother layer bestowed,
As the medicine cools and hardens, its code.
With copper and diphrygus, smoothness bestowed,
Lead and olive oil, in the clay pot's abode.
The mixture rubbed, till it thickens in turn,
Copper and double diphrygus, ointment to yearn.
Prepared as mentioned, cooled plaster revealed,
With dried dittany, its power unconcealed.
Two hundred and fifty drachmas, its yield,
Smooth litharge ointment, in olive oil's field,
One-fourth diphrygus, fifteen drachmas concealed.
Applied with the sword, in pieces well-sized,
Matching the mentioned circumstances, apprised."

More on menstruating women and mirrors

I covered some of the Aristotelian tradition here. This time, an obscure man named Bithus (Bythus?) from Dyrrhachium, (modern Durrës in Albania), if we can trust Pliny and the manuscript tradition.

“Bithus of Dyrrachium says that mirrors dimmed by the look [sc. of menstruating women] recover their brightness when the same women return their gaze to the backs of them, and that all such powers are broken if women keep mullet-fish on them.”

bithus durrachinus hebetata aspectu specula recipere nitorem tradit isdem aversa rursus contuentibus, omnemque vim talem resolvi, si mullum piscem secum habeant.

Plinius Secundus, Naturalis historia 28.7

Spell for unknown effect

Take the blood of an owl and myrrh ink, mix the two together, and, using a new reed, draw the figure as appended* on a clean tablet. And having stared simultaneously at a clean wall, while glancing to the east, having fixed the image to a pure linen cloth using thorns from a male date palm, veil the image completely. Then after stepping back from it six cubits, once you have veiled it, count to fifty-nine three times while walking backwards, stopping at the six-cubits-mark.

Λαβὼν αἷμα νυκτιβαοῦτος καὶ ζμυρνομέλαν, ὁμοῦ τὰ δύο μίξας γράφε καινῷ καλάμῳ τὸ ζῴδιον, καθὼς περιέχι, εἰς πιττάκιον καθαρόν, καὶ ἅμ' ἀτενίσας εἰς τοῖχον καθαρόν, εἰς ἀνατολὴν βλέπων, πήξας εἰς σουδάριον ὁλόλινον σκόλοψιν ἀρρενικοῦ φοίνικος συνκάλυπτε τὸ ζῴδιον καὶ ἀποστὰς ἀπ' αὐτο̣ῦ̣ πήχεις ἕξ, συνκαλύψας μέτρησον πεντήκοντα ἐννέα ἐπὶ τρὶς ἀναποδίζων, στήκων ἐπὶ τὸ σημῖον τῶν ἓξ πηχῶν.

Magical Greek Papyri 36.264–274

*The image is not appended. No purpose is given.

Venerean Arts

‘mulier recte olet ubi nihil olet’

I’ve not had much time to post recently. I’ve been working on starting up Alchemies of Scent and trying to finish a few articles and books. But I’m also getting into some material on perfumery and other arts associated with Aphrodite / Venus. I had some time to translate and find a nice photo, so I thought I would put it up.

In the Greco-Roman lineage of texts I work with, there are many references to arts and technology of elegance, luxury and playfulness. They include perfumery, dyeing, fine metal working, embroidery, garment making, garland weaving, and also singing and other arts associated with the symposium.

I’ve started referring to them as the arts of Venus, “the Venerean arts,” since Aphrodite / Venus seems to govern them in astrological texts. As a nice bonus, Eros and Psyche figure in the arts’ frescoes at the house of the Vettii in Pompeii, hinting at a connection beyond astrology.

Being a luxury art doesn’t usually carry positive connotations for the authors I study. Instead, they are associated with things these authors consider to be morally inferior or wrong: wealth, femininity, impermanence, vanity and untrustworthiness.

The association between these authors’ moral categories and the Venerean arts is likely one reason why these arts were attacked and mocked by so many Greek and Roman voices that have survived and by many people who have followed them.

For example, we’re told Solon proclaimed a law that forbade Athenian citizens from being perfumers [1]. Xenophon’s Socrates says men have no need of perfume beyond the scent of sweat and olive oil, while women have no need for any scent at all beyond what is natural [2]. Plautus, in his Ghost Story (the Mostellaria, perhaps an adaptation of an earlier Athenian play), has a character say, mulier recte olet ubi nihil olet —‘a woman smells best when she smells of nothing at all’ [3]. Seneca reports a saying that one can tell a scoundrel by the fact that he wears perfume [4]. Doctors like Athenaeus or Galen say that a luxurious lifestyle also involves unhealthy behaviours, where ‘unhealthy behaviours’ often map closely on to behaviours these same figures take to be morally wrong (the causal direction here is not always clear).

Such condemnations of the Venerean arts are pretty familiar from surviving philosophical and political writings of the period.

Despite these critiques, however, the markets continued and the arts themselves survived. Even if the promoters of Solon and Socrates would want to make it appear so, the interest in and demand for luxury goods seems not to have exclusively provoked moral concern. There are many other interesting aspects of such arts, including their place in the history of science.

Still, I think it’s interesting that so many critics of these arts survive and how loud they have been in Greco-Roman literature’s history. I’m curious why we don’t find more impartial or even positive discussions of them, as, e.g., in Theophrastus or Dioscorides. I’m also curious what the original context of the discusisons about luxury might have been, since it is not obvious, and it is perhaps even doubtful, that such critical views were held by everyone.

For now, though, I’m looking into the artists of elegance and luxury themselves: how were they seen and grouped together at different times and how did they see themselves?

One set of sources I’ve come across are 2nd century CE astrological writings—texts where Aphrodite is given provenance over certain arts and offices. The following two are in Greek language by authors from the eastern and southern Mediterranean.

Sources for Veneran Arts in Astrological Writings

Here is Vettius Valens, who was originally from Antioch and perhaps later worked in Egypt:

“Aphrodite is desire and love. She is a sign of motherhood and nurturing. She produces offices of priests, schoolmasters, those with a right to wear a gold ring, and those with the right to wear a crown; she produces cheerfulness, friendship, companionship, the acquisition of property, the purchase of ornaments, contracts on favourable terms, marriages, arts of elegance, fine voices, song writing, sweet melodies, shapeliness, painting, mixing of pigments in embroidery, dyeing, and perfumery, and the inventors or even masters of these crafts, craftsmanship or trade to do with working of emeralds, precious stones, and ivory; and along her boundaries and portions of the zodiac, she makes gold-spinners, gold workers, barbers, people fond of elegance, and people who love playfulness.”

Ἡ δὲ Ἀφροδίτη ἐστὶ μὲν ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἔρως, σημαίνει δὲ μητέρα καὶ τροφόν· ποιεῖ δὲ ἱερωσύνας, γυμνασιαρχίας, χρυσοφορίας, στεμματοφορίας, εὐφροσύνας, φιλίας, ὁμιλίας, ἐπικτήσεις ὑπαρχόντων, ἀγορασμοὺς κόσμου, συναλλαγὰς ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν, γάμους, τέχνας καθαρίους, εὐφωνίας, μουσουργίας, ἡδυμελείας, εὐμορφίας, ζωγραφίας, χρωμάτων κράσεις καὶ ποικιλτικήν, πορφυροβαφίαν καὶ μυρεψικήν, τούς τε τούτων προπάτορας ἢ καὶ κυρίους, τέχνας ἢ ἐμπορίας ἐργασίας σμαράγδου τε καὶ λιθείας, ἐλεφαντουργίας· οὓς δὲ χρυσονήτας, χρυσοκοσμήτας, κουρεῖς, φιλοκαθαρίους καὶ φιλοπαιγνίους αὐτοὺς ἀποτελεῖ παρὰ τὰ τῶν ζῳδίων αὐτῆς ὅρια καὶ τὰς μοίρας.

Vettius Valens, Anthologia 1.1.6 (3,16–26) (English)

And here is Ptolemy, from Alexandria:

“When Aphrodite causes someone’s profession, she makes them persons whose activities lie in the scents of flowers or of perfumes, in wines, pigments, dyes, spices, or adornments, as, for example, sellers of perfumes, weavers of garlands, innkeepers, wine-merchants, sellers of drugs, weavers, dealers in spices, painters, dyers, sellers of clothing.”

ὁ δὲ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης τὸ πράσσειν παρέχων ποιεῖ τοὺς παρ’ ὀσμαῖς ἀνθέων ἢ μύρων ἢ οἴνοις ἢ χρώμασιν ἢ βαφαῖς ἢ ἀρώμασιν ἢ κοσμίοις τὰς πράξεις ἔχοντας, οἷον μυροπώλας, στεφανοπλόκους, ἐκδοχέας, οἰνεμπόρους, φαρμακοπώλας, ὑφάντας, ἀρωματοπώλας, ζωγράφους, βαφέας, ἱματιοπώλας.

Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos 4.4.4

[1] Athen. Deipn. 15.34, 519 Kaibel (Greek | English)
[2] Xen. Symp. 2.3 (Greek | English)
[3] Plaut. Mostell. 1.3 273 (Latin | English)
[4] Sen. Ep. 86.11 (Latin | English)

The Metamorphosis of Pamphile

Walpurgisnacht 2022. A mirror-story to Lucius’ metamorphosis.

“[Photis and I] spent a few nights in pleasure like this, until the day she ran to me, excited and trembling, to tell me that, because her mistress had not made any progress with her lovers by other means, she would turn herself into a bird at the first watch of the night and fly down to the object of her desire. I meanwhile was to get ready to observe such an event.

“After we had waited for the first watch of the night, Photis led me silent-footed to the upper bedchamber and suggested I look through the crack of the door to see what was happening.

“First, Pamphile completely undressed herself. Then, she opened a chest and took out a few small boxes. She removed the lid from one of them and poured out some perfume. She worked it for a while between her palms. Then she rubbed herself all over from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair, and after whispering to her lamp a while in secret, her limbs began to tremble, quivering and shaking. As they began to swell, soft plumage and powerful wings burst out and took shape. Her nose hardened and curved, her toenails thickened into talons, and Pamphile became an owl. She let out screech, and after a few small attempts, she sprung from the ground and flew, her wings wide, out into sublime heights.”

Ad hunc modum transactis voluptarie paucis noctibus, quadam die percita Fotis ac satis trepida me accurrit indicatque dominam suam, quod nihil etiam tunc in suos amores ceteris artibus promoveret nocte proxima in avem sese plumaturam atque ad suum cupitum sic devolaturam; proin memet ad rei tantae speculam caute praepararem.

Iamque circa primam noctis vigiliam ad illud superius cubiculum suspenso et insono vestigio me perducit ipsa, perque rimam ostiorum quampiam iubet arbitrari quae sic gesta sunt.

Iam primum omnibus laciniis se devestit Pamphile et arcula quadam reclusa pyxides plusculas inde depromit, de quis unius operculo remoto atque indidem egesta unguedine diuque palmulis sui affricta ab imis unguibus sese totam adusque summos capillos perlinit, multumque cum lucerna secreto collocuta membra tremulo succussu quatit: quis leniter fluctuantibus promicant molles plumulae crescunt et fortes pinnulae, duratur nasus incurvus coguntur ungues adunci, fit bubo Pamphile. Sic edito stridore querulo, iam sui periclitabunda paulatini terra resultat, mox in altum sublimata forinsecus totis alis evolat.

Apuleius, Metamorphoses 3.21

Aetius of Amida on the Choking Cure of St. Blaise

“[Treatment] for swallowing of a bone and for removing things that are stuck in the throat. Hold on to the patient with them sitting opposite you, and make them hold on to you. Say: ‘Come up, bone—whether you are a bone or a twig or anything else—just like Jesus Christ brought Lazarus up from the grave, and like Jonah was brought up out of the sea monster.’ Another. Cover the throat of the patient. Say: ‘Blaise, the martyr, the servant of god, says, ‘either rise up, bone, or go down.’”

Πρὸς ὀστοῦ κατάποσιν καὶ πρὸς ἀναβολὴν τῶν καταπειρομένων εἰς τὰ παρίσθμια. προσέχων τῷ πάσχοντι ἀνθρώπῳ ἄντικρυς καθεζομένῳ καὶ ποιήσας αὐτὸν προσέχειν σοι λέγε· ἄνελθε, ὀστοῦν, εἴτε ὀστοῦν ἢ κάρφος [<ϛ>] ἢ ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν, ὡς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς Λάζαρον ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου ἀνήγαγε, καὶ ὡς Ἰωνᾶν ἐκ τοῦ κήτους. Ἄλλο. κατέχων τὸν λάρυγγα τοῦ πάσχοντος λέγε· Βλάσιος ὁ μάρτυς ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ λέγει· ἢ ἀνάβηθι, ὀστοῦν, ἢ κατάβηθι.

Aetius of Amida, Libri Medicinales 8.54