From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordBalmed flesh, expressly extending beyond human flesh.
- In the bookLiquor Mumiæ is defined as human fat, and Axungia de Mumia as marrow of bones.
- A place to readThe 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
- MumiaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Liquor MumiæA Mumia compound explicitly identified as human fat.
- Axungia de MumiaTwo expressions identifying bone marrow.
- Mumia ElementorumMumia-language applied to a balm of external elements.
Source note
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