In
eye care, collyrium is an antique term for a lotion or liquid
wash
WASH (or Watsan, WaSH) is an acronym that stands for "water, sanitation and hygiene". It is used widely by non-governmental organizations and aid agencies in developing countries. The purposes of providing access to WASH services include achievi ...
used as a cleanser for the
eyes, particularly in
diseases of the eye. The word ''collyrium'' comes from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, eye-salve. The same name was also given to
unguents used for the same purpose, such as unguent of
tutty (Sanskrit ''tuttha'' meaning variously zinc oxide or blue vitriol). Lastly, the name was given, though improperly, to some liquid medicines used against
venereal disease
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and ora ...
s.
Pre-modern
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
distinguished two kinds of collyriums: the one liquid, the other dry. Liquid collyriums were composed of
ophthalmic powders, or waters, such as
rose-water,
plantain-water, that of
fennel
Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...
,
eyebright
''Euphrasia'', or eyebright, is a genus of about 450 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae (formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae), with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are semi-parasitic on grasses and other ...
, etc., in which was dissolved
tutty,
white vitriol, or some other proper powder. Dry collyriums were
pastilles of
Rhasis,
sugar-candy,
iris,
tutty prepared and blown into the eye with a little pipe.
The 2nd century Mishnah mention
collyrium The
Sunan Abu Dawood
''Sunan Abu Dawood'' ( ar-at, سنن أبي داود, Sunan Abī Dāwūd) is one of the '' Kutub al-Sittah'' (six major hadith collections), collected by Abu Dawud al-Sijistani (d.889).
Introduction
Abu Dawood compiled twenty-one books related ...
reports, "Prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
said: 'Among the best types of collyrium is
antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient ti ...
(''ithmid'') for it clears the vision and makes the hair sprout.'"
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
[Hilchot Shabbat 18:2] (12th century Egypt) mentions the use of this eye salve.
References
*
*"Collyrium". ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.
History of pharmacy
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