Diachylon (from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''diachȳlōn'', representing

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

', " medicamentcomposed of juices"),, . also rendered diachylum or diaculum, was originally a kind of medicament made of the juices of several plants (thus its name), but now commonly the name for

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

, ''emplastrum plumbi''—a plaster made of

lead oxide Lead oxides are a group of inorganic compounds with formulas including lead (Pb) and oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), gr ...

boiled together with

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

and water. It is applied to sheets of linen, and works as an

adhesive Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...

plaster when heated. Historically, several different types of diachylons have been described. White, or simple, diachylon is compounded of common oil, litharge of gold (

litharge Litharge (from Greek , 'stone' + 'silver' ) is one of the natural mineral forms of lead(II) oxide, PbO. Litharge is a secondary mineral which forms from the oxidation of galena ores. It forms as coatings and encrustations with internal tetr ...

mixed with

red lead Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

), and adhesives drawn from the root of the '' Althaea'', the seeds of

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

and

fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small Glossary_of_leaf_morphology#Leaf_and_leaflet_shapes, obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiar ...

. The diachylon called ''direatum'' has for its basis the common white diachylon, but with every pound of which is mixed an ounce of powder of

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...

; this plaster digests, incides, and ripens with more force than the simple diachylon. There is also the ''great diachylon'', or ''diachylon magnum'', composed of litharge of gold, oils of iris,

chamomile Chamomile (American English) or camomile (British English; see spelling differences) ( or ) is the common name for several plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the species, '' Matricaria chamomilla'' and '' Chamaemelum nobile'', are commo ...

, and

aneth Aneth () is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 427 at the 2020 census. The origin of the name Aneth is obscure. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a tot ...

, turpentine, pine resin, yellow wax, and adhesives derived from flax, fenugreek, with new figs, raisins of Damascus, ichthyocolla, juices of iris,

squill Squill is a common name for several lily-like plants and may refer to: *''Drimia maritima'', medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean, formerly classified as ''Scilla maritima'' *''Scilla'', a genus of plants cultivated for their ornamental fl ...

, and

hyssop ''Hyssopus officinalis'' or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expect ...

. This diachylon was said to soften hard swellings called '' scirrhus'', and dissipate tumors. The ''diachylon gummatum'' is the great diachylon with the addition of gum ammoniac,

galbanum Galbanum is an aromatic gum resin and a product of certain umbelliferous Persian plant species in the genus '' Ferula'', chiefly '' Ferula gummosa'' (synonym ''F. galbaniflua'') and '' Ferula rubricaulis''. Galbanum-yielding plants grow plentif ...

, and sagapenum, dissolved with wine, and boiled to a consistency of honey. This plaster was believed the most power of all for digesting, ripening, and resolving.

Use as abortifacient

In the late 1800s, working-class women discovered that lead poisoning caused by ingesting diachylon could cause abortion, or, as they described it, "bring on their period." "Diachylon was readily at hand in every working-class home for use on cuts and sores, as a plaster and for drawing milk away after parturition. Now it was put to a new use. In the words of one doctor, 'I have reason to suspect that in this district the practice of taking diachylon in the form of pills to bring on miscarriage is far more prevalent among the working-class than is generally supposed.'".

References

Sources

* {{cite book , last1=McLaren , first1=Angus , title=Birth Control in Nineteenth-century England , date=1978 , publisher=Holmes & Meier , isbn=978-0-8419-0349-4 Adhesives History of pharmacy Abortifacients History of abortion