Pill Millipede, Shu Fu 鼠妇

HOGLOUSE, or PILL MILLIPEDE.
The Hoglouse (Common Armadillo), is very well known throughout Europe, and has long been employed as a populär medicine. It is technically called Glomeris marginata, being found as a familiar object under old wood and dry stones in almost every country garden, and certainly in every field, throughout the greater part of England.

When touched it rolls itself up into a ball, and frequently remains in the same state for a considerable time. This Hoglouse, or Millipede, was the primitive medicinal pill. It must not be confounded, as is often done, especially by the former writers, with the Woodlouse (quod vide); a similar insect which inhabits rotten wood and old walls, being somewhat larger than the Hoglouse, but the body whereof does not contract itself into a ball, whilst its tail is seen to be furnished with two prominent lateral styles. By these characters it may be readily distinguished. Millipedes abound with a nitrous salt which bas made them of much reputed use for curing scrofulous diseases, and inveterate Struma, as also for some kinds of stone in the bladder. The London College of Physicians in early days directed that thesc creatures sbould he dried, and suspended in a thin canvas bag placed within a covered vessel over the steam of bot spirit of wine, so that being killed by the spirit they might become friable. They were prescribed both fresh and dry in obstruetions of the liver, and of the digestive organs, as well as for the other conditions just named. Dr. Salmon (1696) said : “They dissolve the stone in both reins and bladder ; they open obstructions, and cure the jaundice, help the cholic and asthma, restore the appetite, and are most admirable things.” Dr. Quincy wrote (1730), “They abound with a nitrous salt which they seem to derive from what they live on; they are good in palsies, and all nervous distempers: likewise because of their asperities they cut their way through any obstructions they are good in struma, scrophulous tumors, and inveterate ulcers, being much best taken in substance, or bruised in white wine, the liquor being swallowed without settling fine, else a great deal of the saline matter will fall to the bottom.” Nevertheless Dr. Willis (1662), who tried to reform the ignorant, and merely empirical medicine of his day, pronounced,” It is a vulgär, and ill-considered remedy for our countrymen to take (for the jaundice) nine hoglice alive in the morning for five or six days together: by doing which I have heard that many have been cured when other things did no good; and these certainly can give relief in no other way than by restoring the volatile salt which had become depressed in the blood.

Millipedes have a faint disagreeable smcll, and a somewhat pungent sweetish taste. On analysis they afford an alkalescent fluid, and an oil seemingly inert. Given in modern days by Dr. Lewis they have been found considerably active; whilst Dr. Cullen teils us he has known a hundred of the little creatures taken twice a day without producing any sensible action. Perhaps the difference of experience may have been partly due to a confusion between the kinds of insects administered, whether the millipede, or its Simulator, the woodlouse.

In Scotland the Porcellio Scaber (allied to the Hoglouse,) which is called there” Sclater,” has been for some while in rustic medicinal vogue. Varioua names are commonly given in this country to the millipede, such as Thrush louse, Tiggyhog, Cheslip, Kitchenball, Chiselbob, Lugdor, and Palmer, also Cudworm, because it is sometimes put down the throat of a Cow, like a pill to promote the restoration of her Cud.

In the Eastern counties it is known as Old Sow, or Saint Anthony’s Hog; whilst the Welsh call the small creature Grammar Sow, the little old Woman of the wood, and the little Grey Hog; their word “gurach,” like grammar, or gammar, meaning a dried up old dame. Millipedes may be still found among the obsolete stock of some druggists’ shops, being supposed by those who notice them to have been used in former medicine more on account of their resemblance in shape to pills than because of any inherent curative virtues, or properties they could boast. In reality their earth salts and characteristic oil must be the remedial principles which they actually possess.

These creatures, as Dr. Salmon put it, are so much in the acquaintance of the common people that folk seem to be masters of their medicinal virtues, and use them in many cases without any other direction: the Hoglice are by all experience very diuretick, and abstersive, not only for disorders of the reins, but also in obstructions of the viscera, and in the jaundice particularly. Dioscorides wrote : “The loops, or the worm with many feet, drunk in wine cureth the jaundice: these loops lightly bruised, and bound in a thinner piece of linen, adding thereto wine, and being pressed, are given thereof to the sicke (of jaundice,) in the morning as he lieth in his bedde, and for some daies together; and for the taste’s sake a little cinnamon and Sugar may be added.’.

In A Thousand Notable Things (1815), we read, as “a perfect sure proved remedy, and a rare secret for helping of women’s breasts that are swol’n, and full of pain,” “stamp or bruise nine little worms, of some called swine lice (which commonly would be found between the bark and the wood of old dry trees, and which have many feet, and being touched become round as a button), in eight or nine spoonfuls of drink; let them remain therein all night, and the eighth morning strain the same drink: and let the diseased woman drink the same a little warm at one draught, and then let her lay on her breast a two or threefold linen cloth warmed; the next morning let her take eight of the same little worms in drink in such order as before; and the third morning seven, and the fourth morning six, and so every morning following one less, until nine mornings be ended, on which ninth morning she must take but one of them, as it. will fall out by decreasing one every day; and if she be not then thoroughly whole of her breast, let her increase every morning one immediately following until she hath received nine at one time, according to the order before appointed.

Again, in 1695, the Hon. Richard Boyle in his Collectüm of Medicines, directed as “a choice external remedy for sore throats, to take mellepedes, sows, or hoglice alive, and sew them up between the foldings of a piece of linnen, and apply them to the throat in the form of a stay, which is to be kept on all night,” Small beds of lemon thyme {Thymus Citriodorus) are cultivated at Penzance in which to rear millipedes or hoglice, for administration as pills in scrofulous disease of various forms. From three to twelve were formerly given, either whole, or in Rhenish wine for a hundred days togetber to cure all kinds of Cancer.

Swamerdam relates an amusing mistake of a servant maid who, finding in the garden a good many millipedes rolled up, thought she had discovered some choice materials for a necklace, and betook herseif to string them with much care; but on suddenly seeing them unroll themselves she was terrified, and ran screaming into the house.

In The Pharmacopoeia of London (1696), all the wonderful qualities then supposed to be inherent in hoglice, or millipedes, were summed up thus : they dissolve the stone in both reins and bladder to a slime, and bring it away; they open obstruetiona, cure the jaundice, all obstructions of the urine, help the cholick and asthma, restore lost appetite, and are most excellent things, being given for a hundred days together, or more, for the curing of all sorts of Cancers and scirrhous tumours in what part of the body soever, the king’s evil, old sordid and rebellious ulcers, convulsions, the rickets in children, and dimness of sight, yea blindness itself; outwardly the powder of them is good against diseases of the eyes and ears, and the quinsy, being mixt with honey, and applied.

“I can personally vouch,” says a present practitioner of medicine, “for undeniable success in treating cases of obstinate catarrhal jaundice by pills made entirely from the pounded bodies of these smal] creatures freshly killed, when the ordinary treatment by hot stupes, aiterative medicines, and gentle mercurials had signally failed.” In France Dr. de Haen has recorded that in certain forms of impaired vision the patients have taken hoglice on bread as a remedy, and that without doubt the odd medicine proved efficacious.

M. Adanson “a vu des etudiants en medicine en croquer quelques douzaines dans ses herborisations ä In campagne, et s’en trouver tres bien.”

Dr. Quincy (1728) directs for “A Simple Expression of Millipedes: Take live Millipedes, and white sugar, of each three ounces: beat them well together in a marble Mortar, and pour upon them one pound of white wine, which strain out again by hard squeezing”:—

” Laudatur vinum simplex : oerevisia duplex :
Est liona duplicitas: optima Simplicitas.”

” Wine which is Simply pure we praise: but Double Stout,
Iike double dealings, we regard with doubt.”

Dr. Füller declared that” too much cannot be well said in commendation of Millipedes; and that the above way of managing them does most surely retain their füll virtues. It may be given for some time together, about three ounces every morning.”” But they seem not convenient for a hot thin blood; and ’tis reported that taken in large quantities overnight they will cause a scalding of urine.” Instances are quoted of wonders performed by them for inveterate strumas, and ulcers.” (Animal Simples approved for modern Uses of Cure, Fernie, 1899)