MEDICINE MONDAY: Today’s “remedy” is perfect for people who prefer handling wolf poop over receiving an enema.
THE TEXT: Because many people who suffer from colic, and particularly the wealthy, do not wish to drink any medicine, nor will they permit one to give them an enema, it is therefore necessary for us to say something about medicinal talismans and amulets. If these are provided, they are wont to relieve and reduce pain soon afterwards, and therefore I will not omit to write down those that have been proven effective by the ancients, or after them by us. So first, take wolf droppings, preferably from a wolf who has eaten bones; enclose them in an earthenware vessel and bind it on the right arm or shoulder – that is, the neck – or suspend it from the hips when the pain is severe. But take care that it never touches the ground; nor should the patient take it into the bath.
– Alexander of Tralles, 6th Century AD
