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καίουσι. Cauterization is a frequent remedy among primitive tribes; cf. Hippocrates περὶ ἀέρων 20, of the Scyths ‘whose bellies are full of moisture’; Layard quotes it in Mesopotamia (N. and B. p. 291); and Denham calls it ‘the sovereign Arab remedy for almost every disorder’ in Africa (Travels, i. 173); cf. Bähr ad loc. for other instances. The Libyans are unique in applying it to the temples by burning ‘greasy wool’; but perhaps H. was unfamiliar with cauterization in any form.

According to ancient medical theory there were four ‘humours’ in the human body, αἷμα, ὕδωρ, χολή, and φλέλμα (cf. Hippocrates, i. 374 ed. Kühn); the last caused all kinds of catarrh.

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