# History of Monsters. 306

coats of arms, two or three arms are seen depicted; but among these lineages, the most noble de' Segni family delights in the image of an extended arm, as if poised for consecration.

Finally, leaving aside those clans whose arms represent the depiction of legs and feet, let us briefly turn to those in whose family insignia whole likenesses of humans shine forth. Some lineages delight in the image of a youth, others an old man, some a wild man, and others a woman representing Fortune. Some add a distinguished crest to their own kind with the image of a man dressed in German clothing, and others with a painting of a pilgrim. There are those who decorate and fortify their crest with a drawing of a man in armor, such as the de' Ferri family, to whom the most celebrated physician Gasparo recently added much splendor and dignity; even now, his son Giuliano—a Doctor of Philosophy, most highly skilled in literature, and the provost of the canons of Santa Maria Maggiore—makes this family even more illustrious.

Finally, there is no lack of Bolognese citizen families who paint in their heraldic crest the images of two men embracing each other, while others depict two joined hands representing the symbol of Faith. We could review six hundred such coats of arms that exhibit figures of human parts or a complete depiction of the person, but enough of these for now.

# Signatures of the Parts of the Human Body in Plants

All herbs, trees, and shrubs, as well as their foliage and flowers, are like so many books born from the immense kindness of the Heavenly Creator for the human race. Through these, any industrious investigator can penetrate the knowledge of true medicine. Indeed, Almighty God assigned to every plant its own indicator, so that their genuine hidden virtues might be revealed and made manifest through external "signatures"—that is, through a likeness of form and figure corresponding to parts of the human body. For plants, by their signatures, suggest their specific powers to humans as if with so many tongues. Therefore, professors of botany should not only be diligent in identifying and exploring the various names of herbs but should also investigate the more useful traces impressed upon plants by divine hand, so that they may grasp their hidden prerogatives by inspecting their outward appearance.

Thus, beginning from the head, it should be noted that the Maidenhair (the *Polytricon* of Apuleius), Adiantum, and Trichomanes express human hair with their clusters of curls; for this reason, these plants make hair thick, curly, and beautiful. Thapsia, with its thin foliage, emulates human locks; therefore, according to Avicenna, it is second to no medicine in restoring hair for those suffering from alopecia. We might also mention the long moss clinging to trees and herbs growing in marshes, which are hair-like in form, and whose decoctions are consequently recommended for hair loss.

The nut, or walnut, possesses the complete signature of the head. With its green outer casing, it represents the pericranium; with its harder shell, the skull; with the thin skin covering the kernel, the pia mater of the brain; and finally, with the kernel itself, it skillfully represents the form of the brain. What wonder is it then, if a decoction of the green husk turns hair black, or if a salt extracted from it heals wounds of the pericranium, or if the kernels, driving out poisons, benefit the brain and, when applied externally, strengthen it? The Indian nut [coconut] nearly equals the human head in its size, and its oil is usefully applied to disorders of the head. The squill is also similar in shape to the head and exercises its powers in cases of epilepsy and other such afflictions. The enclosed seedpod of the peony flower exhibits a model not only of the head but of its sutures; therefore, in illnesses of the cere-