Ἰνδικά 38.1.4

38.1.4

(5) [Εἶδον δὲ ἔγωγε καὶ κυμβαλίζοντα ἤδη ἐλέφαντα καὶ ἄλλους ὀρχεομένους, κυμβάλοιν τῷ κυμβαλίζοντι πρὸς τοῖν σκελοῖν τοῖν ἔμπροσθεν προσηρτημένοιν, καὶ πρὸς τῇ προβοσκίδι καλεομένῃ ἄλλο κύμβαλον· (6) ὁ δὲ ἐν μέρεϊ τῇ προβοσκίδι ἔκρουε τὸ κύμβαλον ἐν ῥυθμῷ πρὸς ἑκατέροιν τοῖν σκελοῖν· οἱ δὲ ὀρχεόμενοι ἐν κύκλῳ τε ἐχόρευον, καὶ ἐπαίροντές τε καὶ ἐπικάμπτοντες τὰ ἔμπροσθεν σκέλεα ἐν τῷ μέρεϊ ἐν ῥυθμῷ καὶ οὗτοι ἔβαινον, κατότι ὁ κυμβαλίζων σφίσιν ὑφηγέετο]. (7) Βαίνεται δὲ ἐλέφας ἦρος ὥρῃ, κατάπερ βοῦς ἢ ἵππος, ἐπεὰν τῇσι θηλέῃσιν αἱ παρὰ τοῖσι κροτάφοισιν ἀναπνοαὶ ἀνοιχθεῖσαι ἐκπνέωσι· κύει δὲ τοὺς ἐλαχίστους μὲν ἑκκαίδεκα μῆνας, τοὺς πλείστους δὲ ὀκτωκαίδεκα· τίκτει δὲ ἓν, κατάπερ ἵππος· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκτρέφει τῷ γάλακτι ἐς ἔτος ὄγδοον. (8) Ζῶσι δὲ ἐλεφάντων οἱ πλεῖστα ἔτεα ζῶντες ἐς διηκόσια· πολλοὶ δὲ νούσῳ προτελευτῶσιν· γήραϊ δὲ ἐς τόσον ἔρχονται. (9) Καὶ ἔστιν αὐτοῖσι τῶν μὲν ὀφθαλμῶν ἴημα τὸ βόειον γάλα ἐγχεόμενον, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἄλλας νούσους ὁ μέλας οἶνος πινόμενος, ἐπὶ δὲ τοπισιν ἕλκεσι τὰ ὕεια κρέα ὀπτώμενα καὶ καταπασσόμενα. Ταῦτα παρ’ Ἰνδοῖσίν ἐστιν αὐτοῖσιν ἰήματα.

The Indians cure the wounds of the elephants which they catch, in the manner following:—
They treat them in the way in which, as good old Homer tells us, Patroklos treated the wound of Eurypylos, — they foment them with lukewarm water. After this they rub them over with butter, and if they are deep allay the inflammation by applying and inserting pieces of pork, hot but still retaining the blood. They cure ophthalmia with cows' milk, which is first used as a fomentation for the eye, and is then injected into it. The animals open their eyelids, and finding they can see better are delighted, and are sensible of the benefit like human beings. In proportion as their blindness diminishes their delight overflows, and this is a token that the disease has been cured. The remedy for other distempers to which they are liable is black wine; and if this potion fails to work a cure nothing else can save them.