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1770 |
Lectures on the materia medica: containing the natural history of drugs, their virtues and doses: also directions for the study of the materia medica; and an appendix on the method of prescribing. Published from the manuscript of the late Dr. Charles Alston ... by John Hope.... In two volumes. Vol. II.
London, Edward & Charles Dilly ... and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, at Edinburgh. https://archive.org/details/lecmateri02alst
–pp. 537-538: {"LAPIS MANATI. SECT. I. Lapis Manati seu Os Manati essic. The Sea-Cow Stones. -- These are of the colour and consistence of ivory, of an irregular figure, of different sizes, and without taste or smell, formed in the head of the large amphibious animal called Manati essic. Dale 406. Manati Indorum, Ald. de Pisc. 728. Ions. Pisc. 157. Manati, Phocae genus, Clus. Exot. 133. Manati, Belgis. Vacca Marina, Charlet. Pisc. 49. Manati seu Vacca Marina, R. Syn. Quad. 193. Sloan, Hist. Jam. ii. 329. The Sea-Cow.
"It is found in the American ocean, about Hispaniola, &c. has two feet like hands (whence called by the Spaniards Manati). N.B. "Hispani omnium quadrupedum anteriores pedes, manus appellant." Clus. Exot. p. 134: where are several wonderful things related concerning this biped. Some say it has two stones in its head; others say four; others, that these stones are the ossa petrosa. It has a head somewhat like a cow, and feeds a-shore on herbs. It is viviparous, the females suckling their two calves with their two dugs. "Hic piscis lutrae prope formam referens, 35 pedes longus, 12 crassus est, capite & cauda bovem referens, exiguis oculis, pelle dura & pilosa coloris Veneti, pedes duos elephantinis similes habet. Foeminae eius generis ut Vaccae catulos pariunt, eosque gemino ubere alunt; ut Hieron. Benzon scribit." Charl. l. c.
[538] "SECT. II. They seem to be of the same nature with the unicorn; but are chiefly commended for the colic and gravel. They are prepatred by calcination and levigation, and given to ?j[?drams].
"Lapis praeparatus sit ex calcinato, seu cremato. Vires. Summe commendatur ad calculos renum & vesicae comminuendos, dolores nephriticos ac colicos sanandos. Dosis ?j[?drams]. & ultra. N. Sunt qui ad ?j[?ounces].. ascendunt." Schrod. p. 851. Pomet & Lemery say they are emetic, and the last gives them only to gr. xij[grains?]. Alb. in MS. observes that they are reckoned antispasmodic. I can say nothing of them, as I never heard of their being used."}
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Bibliography and Index of the Sirenia and Desmostylia 