DiotimosReading Desk

Named clothing pests

tineis; tineas; pulicibus; pediculis; cimicibus; tinea; pulex; pediculus; cimex

The clothing paragraph first targets moths and then expands civet’s claimed effect to worms, fleas, lice and bedbugs.

From the book

Nine Books on the Nature of Things

Attributed to Paracelsus · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Meaning

The clothing paragraph first targets moths and then expands civet’s claimed effect to worms, fleas, lice and bedbugs. These are specified pest-repellent claims, not merely a general promise of resistance to decay. The text distinguishes keeping moths from gnawing or inhabiting cloth from expelling pests already associated with the material. It does not provide a modern demonstration of equal efficacy against all the named creatures.

Places to read

  1. Book 3 · Preservation · Passage 12Latin“pulicibus, pediculis & cimicibus”