260

The Syringe,

[Book III.

There is reason to believe that the syringe was employed by the Egyp .tians in the process of embalming. In various translations of the accountgiven by Herodotus (Euterpe, 87) it is expressly named: “They fill asyringe with germe of cedar wood and inject it.” a Dr. Rees, in his edi-tion of Chambers’ Dictionary, (Art. Embalming,) uses the terms “ infusingby a syringe,” and “ syringing a liquid,” &c. The least expensive modeof embalming was “ infusing by a syringe a certain liquid extracted fromthe cedar.” b Beloe, in his translation, does not indicate the instrumentused—they “ inject an unguent made from the cedar.” As clysters origi-nated in Egypt , and were used monthly by the inhabitants as a preserva-tive of health, (Herod . ii, 77,) we are most probably indebted to the peopleof that country for the syringe. Had it been a Grecian or Roman inven-tion, the name of its author would have been known, for from its Utility andapplication to various useful purposes, an account of the citcumstancesconnected with its origin was as worthy of preservation, as those relatingto the pump or any other machine. Suetoniüs uses the term “ clyster” todenote the instrument by which it was administered; and Celsus by it,refers to “a little pipe or squirt.” (Ainsworth.) Hippocrates and the elderPliny frequently mention clysters, but without describing distinctly theinstrument employed : the latter in his 30th book, cap. 7, seems to referto the common pewter syringe, “ an instrument or pipe of tin this is atleast probable, for pewter, according to Whittaker, was borrowed from theRomans. It is well ascertained that pewterers were among the earliestworkers of metal in England. A Company of them was incorporated in1474 ; but at what time the syringe became a staple article of their mi-nufacture is uncertain.

No. 115. Syringes used by Hindoos in celebrating some religious festivals.

Had the syringe not been mentioned by ancient authors, its antiquitymight be inferred from a particular employment of it by the Hindoos. Thearts, manners and customs of these people have remained unchanged fromvery remote times; and such is their predilection for the religious msti-tutions of their ancestors, that nothing has, and apparently nothing ean m-duce them to admit of the slightest change in the ceremonies that pertamto the worship of their deities : hence the same rites are still performed,

a Quoted in Ogilby’s Africa . L»n. 1670, p. 81. b Historical Description of Egypt.Newcastle : vol. i. 603.