Strange phenomena from Pliny

Pliny the Elder, author of the encyclopedic work “Natural History”, often relied on various and often unverified sources. The writer even mentions that if a mother wanted her child to have black eyes, she had to eat a shrew during pregnancy.

Another strange phenomenon that he describes is the matter of a scorpion bite. If a man bitten by this animal whispers in the donkey’s ear about it, the ailment will immediately pass to the innocent donkey. Pliny adds that scorpion is the most dangerous in the morning when the venom tank is full.