Tap the page, move to the top or bottom edge, swipe down, or press Tab to reveal reading controls. Use the arrow keys or swipe sideways to turn pages.
Heliotropium
Body disease and historical medicine · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. A balm name attributed to Paracelsian usage.
In the book. Balsamum is a substance credited with preserving things from putrefaction.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 25; facsimile PDF page 353.
Historical Definition
Heliotropium is Paracelsus’s balm.
Meaning
The attribution controls the gloss. The entry does not simply identify a plant by a familiar-looking name; it calls Heliotropium Paracelsus’s balm. No ingredients or further description are supplied here.
Use in the Book
Balsamum is a substance credited with preserving things from putrefaction. Helismidan is a balsamic mummy. These comparisons provide the dictionary’s general balm vocabulary, but neither gives a recipe for Heliotropium. The particular author’s use must be consulted before assigning it the composition of another named balm.
Places to Read
Balsamum. A preservative substance described in both bodily and external forms.
Helismidan. A mummy preparation qualified through balsamic character.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 25; facsimile PDF page 353 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary 1650, s.v. Heliotropium
See also. Balsamum; Helismidan