A Chymical Dictionary

Mumia

Body disease and historical medicine · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. Balmed flesh, expressly extending beyond human flesh.

In the book. Liquor Mumiæ is defined as human fat, and Axungia de Mumia as marrow of bones.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 34; facsimile PDF page 362.

Historical Definition

Mumia is not only human flesh prepared with balm, but any other flesh prepared in the same way.

Meaning

The first branch is familiar within the book’s bodily vocabulary, but the second prevents a restriction to human material. What binds the category together is preparation with balm. The entry does not give the balm’s composition or describe every step of that preparation.

The extension matters when the term appears without a named animal source. A reader cannot infer human flesh solely from Mumia, even though several related compounds explicitly concern human materials.

Use in the Book

Liquor Mumiæ is defined as human fat, and Axungia de Mumia as marrow of bones. Mumia Elementorum, by contrast, applies balm-language to external elements. The complete compounds distinguish materials and scales which the shared name alone cannot settle.

Places to Read

Liquor Mumiæ. A Mumia compound explicitly identified as human fat.

Axungia de Mumia. Two expressions identifying bone marrow.

Mumia Elementorum. Mumia-language applied to a balm of external elements.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 34; facsimile PDF page 362 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 362, Mumia

See also. Liquor Mumiæ; Axungia de Mumia; Mumia Elementorum