Plural of cantharis; or specifically, a dried preparation of blister beetles used historically in medicine, also known as Spanish Fly.
From Latin 'cantharides,' plural of 'cantharis,' derived from Greek 'kantharos.' The term became standardized in European pharmacology during the Renaissance.
Cantharides was listed in major pharmacopeias (official medicine books) until the 1900s, and was even prescribed by legitimate doctors—but it was so dangerous that poisoning by 'Spanish Fly' became a common historical crime!
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