How not to make Nero’s bruise-removing cerate
Thursday night I oversaw a discussion of the Medicina Plinii ’s chapter For Bruisings and Swellings . 1 It was a small turnout which is unsurprising for the penultimate week of classes, but those who attended were engaged and interested. I made a few of the remedies to show attendees, so I was relieved that at least three people had attended. That said, I personally learned a lot from my experimentation. I had first intended to make a recreation of the cerate. Cerates often include oils too, but I am using this as a term for a wax-based medicament. This product and its use was described by Pliny the Elder thus: Nero Caesar gave renown to this [the juice from the African thapsia ] at the start of his rule, when his face was beaten as a result of nocturnal prowlings, anointing it with frankincense and wax, and on the following day bearing uninjured skin in opposition to the rumour.² The Medicina Plinii , obtaining the recipe from Pliny, wrote: At the beginning of h...
