Animal Substances in Galenic and Medieval Medicine

AnimalAmbergrisAmbra; ambra odorifera A waxy substance formed in the gut of the sperm whale.Canale

AnimalBezoar stoneFrom the Persian panzehr or the Arabic badzehr, “counterpoison” A concretion formed in the stomach of goats and other animals.

AnimalCantharidesSpanish fly; Lytta The dried blister beetle Lytta vesicatoria.Deadly

AnimalCastoreumCastoreum The scent gland secretion of the beaver.

AnimalCivetZibetto The glandular secretion of the civet cat.Canale

AnimalCochinealGrana, coccinella The dried insect Dactylopius coccus, a parasite of the prickly-pear cactus of Mexico and South America.

Coral, red (Corallium rubrum), plate: Red coral (fig

Animal Coral, redCorallo rosso Precious red coral, Corallium rubrum, of the western Mediterranean, prepared as powder.Canale

AnimalCrabs’ eyesLapides cancrorum, oculi cancrorum Chalky stones from the stomachs of crayfish.

AnimalCrow’s gallFiel di corvo The bile of a crow.Canale

AnimalCuttlefish boneOs sepiae The chalky internal shell of the cuttlefish, washed up on beaches.

AnimalEarthwormLumbricus terrestris; oil of worms The common earthworm, washed in wine, dried, powdered, or boiled in oil.

AnimalFox’s heartCuore di volpe The dried heart of a fox.Canale

AnimalHartshornCornu cervi The antlers of the red deer, rasped, burnt, or distilled.

AnimalHuman fatAxungia hominis, poor sinner’s fat Fat rendered from the bodies of the executed.

AnimalIsinglassIchthyocolla, fish glue

Kermes, plate: The kermes oak, “arbre de la graine d’escarlatte.” Claude Duret, Histoire admirable des plantes (1605), woodcut.

AnimalKermesGrana di chermes The dried bodies of female kermes scale insects, which yield a red dye used since antiquity.Canale

AnimalLeechHirudo The medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis.

AnimalMummyMumia Powdered embalmed human remains, sold by the apothecaries.

AnimalMuskMuschio The secretion of the musk deer’s gland.Canale

Pearls, prepared, plate: Pearl oyster with pearl

AnimalPearls, preparedPerle preparate Pearls ground to a fine powder.Canale

AnimalSnailLimax, cochlea; snail water Garden snails, shelled and boiled, distilled, or eaten.

AnimalSpermacetiSperma ceti, “whale’s seed” A white wax from the head of the sperm whale.

AnimalToadBufo The common toad, dried, powdered, or worn.Caution

AnimalUnicorn’s hornAlicorn; cornu unicornis Almost always the tusk of the narwhal, Monodon monoceros.

AnimalViperVipera; trochisci de viperis The flesh of the viper, Vipera species, dried into troches.

AnimalWaxCera Beeswax; in the final oil, wax of the Paschal candle.Canale

AnimalWoodlouseMillepedae, sows, slaters Woodlice, the small crustaceans of damp places under rocks and logs, called millepedes in the old pharmacopoeias.