The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 6 (of 6)

For diseases of the ears, fresh gall of the fish called “batia”212 is remarkably good; the same, too, when it has been kept in wine. The gall, also, of the bacchus,213 by some known as the “myxon,” is equally good; as also that of the callionymus,214 injected into the ears with oil of roses, or else castoreum,215 used with poppy-juice. There are certain animals too, known as “sea-lice,”216 which are recommended as an injection for the ears, beaten up with vinegar. Wool, too, that has been dyed with the juice of the murex, employed by itself, is highly useful for this purpose; some persons, however moisten it with vinegar and nitre.217

Others, again, more particularly recommend for all affections of the ears one cyathus of the best garum,218 with one cyathus and a half of honey, and one cyathus of vinegar, the whole gently boiled in a new pot over a slow fire, and skimmed with a feather every now and then: when it has become wholly free from scum, it is injected lukewarm into the ears. In cases where the ears are swollen, the same authorities recommend that the swellings should be first reduced with juice of coriander. The fat of frogs, injected into the ears, instantly removes all pains in these organs. The juice of river-crabs, kneaded up with barley-meal, is a most effectual remedy for wounds in the ears. Shells of the murex, reduced to ashes, and applied with honey, or the burnt shells of other shell-fish,219 used with honied wine, are curative of imposthumes of the parotid glands.