COMMENTARY. The symptoms which Nicander mentions as being superinduced by litharge are borborygmi, pains resembling those of ileus, retention of urine, and discoloration of the skin. His remedies are carminatives, warm stimulants, and diuretics, such as myrrh, clary, St. John’s-wort, hyssop, pepper, hedge mustard taken in wine, the green shoots of privet, and the fruit of pomegranate. Scribonius Largus recommends emetics and calefacient medicines, such as pepper, myrrh, parsley. The Arabians, namely, Rhases, Avicenna, and Alsaharavius, concur in recommending emetics, drastic purgatives, and calefacient medicines. The ancient litharge was prepared like the modern. It is a semi-vitrified peroxide of lead. SECT. LXII.—ON LEAD. When a person has drunk the shavings of lead or its soil, he experiences the same symptoms as those from litharge, and is to be treated in the same manner. * * * * * COMMENTARY. We need scarcely say that litharge is now ascertained to be a preparation of lead. (See the preceding section.) Most of the ancient authorities state, like our author, that the symptoms and treatment of poisoning by lead and litharge are exactly the same. It appears singular that it should be asserted in some modern works on the materia medica that the ancients were unacquainted with the deleterious properties of lead. Galen even mentions that water conveyed in leaden pipes sometimes proves deleterious by occasioning dysentery. (Med. sec. loc. vii.) Aëtius makes the same observation. (xi, 45.) Palladius, the writer on agriculture, speaks of it in the following terms: “Ultima ratio est, plumbeis fistulis ducere, quæ aquas noxias reddunt; nam cerusa plumbo creatur attrito, quæ corporibus nocet humanis.” (ix, 11.) Vitruvius also mentions that water impregnated with lead is deleterious. (Arch. viii.) Pliny notices the deleterious effects of the exhalations from lead mines. (H. N. xxxiv, 50.) The Greek writers on toxicology do not treat of copper as a poison; but the Arabians have done so in brief terms, all agreeing in recommending the same treatment as in cases of poisoning with arsenic. (See Avicenna, Rhases, Haly Abbas, and Alsaharavius.) These authorities, likewise, lay down in very succinct terms the treatment of poisoning by iron, which they direct to be conducted upon general principles. They in particular recommend laxative and demulcent medicines. (See Avicenna iv, 6, 18.) As a slight novelty in their practice we may mention that he recommends the affusion of vinegar with oil of roses, violets, &c., upon the head. Averrhoes recommends from ⅓ to 1 dr. of balsam. (Coll. v.) SECT. LXIII.—ON MERCURY. Mercury, when swallowed, brings on the same symptoms as litharge, and the same remedies are to be used in this case. A copious draught of milk seems to be beneficial, and vomiting ought to be produced. * * * * *