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　　Medicinal tablets are nothing new. Doctors have been dispensing¹ pills for thousands of years. And now archaeologists have turned up some of those ancient medicines, which were preserved in a shipwreck² for close to two millennia⁴.

　　The 2nd-century Pozzino wreck³ was discovered in 1974 off the coast of Italy in 1974. It’s cargo⁵ included medical equipment like a cupping vessel⁶, iron probe, and tin boxes of supplies. And in one of those boxes, researchers recovered five gray tablets. Now, they’ve analyzed⁷ the antique medication. The work is in the Proceedings⁸ of the National Academy of Sciences. [Gianna Giachi et al., Ingredients of a 2,000-y-old medicine revealed by chemical, mineralogical, and botanical investigations]

　　The pills primarily contained zinc⁹ compounds, probably the active medicinal ingredients. But researchers also detected starch¹⁰, pollen¹¹, charcoal¹², fats and linen¹³ fibers¹⁴. Those fibers helped the tablets hold their round, loaf-like shape, which may be the key to the medication's use: the Greek word meaning “small round loaves” also inspired the word collyrium, or eye-wash. The pills were probably either dissolved in liquid or ground into a powder and used to treat eye conditions. Who knows, maybe Hippocrates used them on his pupils.

　　—Sophie Bushwick

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1 dispensing
v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药）
参考例句：
A dispensing optician supplies glasses, but doesn't test your eyes. 配镜师为你提供眼镜，但不检查眼睛。来自《简明英汉词典》 The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。来自《简明英汉词典》

2 shipwreck
n.船舶失事，海难
参考例句：
He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。 The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。

3 wreck
n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难
参考例句：
Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。 No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

4 millennia
n.一千年，千禧年
参考例句：
For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。 In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

5 cargo
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物
参考例句：
The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。 A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 vessel
n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管
参考例句：
The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。 You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

7 analyzed
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析
参考例句：
The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。来自《简明英汉词典》 The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。来自《简明英汉词典》

8 proceedings
n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报
参考例句：
He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。 to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

9 zinc
n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌
参考例句：
Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。 Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

10 starch
n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆
参考例句：
Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。 I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。

11 pollen
n.[植]花粉
参考例句：
Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。 He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

12 charcoal
n.炭，木炭，生物炭
参考例句：
We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。 Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

13 linen
n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的
参考例句：
The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。 Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

14 fibers
光纤( fiber的名词复数 )；（织物的）质地；纤维，纤维物质
参考例句：
Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。 Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。