Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Second opinion: advice from antiquity
Roman medicine and the Materia Medica.
And the Romans had, of course, olive oil to strengthen the nails, soften the skin and ease aching muscles and tired feet. Perhaps, speculates a classical scholar writing in The Lancet, its regular application after bathing might explain why athlete's foot seems to have been unknown in the ancient world, despite the enthusiasm for public baths that would certainly have spread the fungus around. Being a lifelong sufferer himself, he tested his theory by applying a couple of drops between the toes every day. The athlete's foot vanished, never to return. And that is very useful to know.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:50 AM
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