Part 78

On bleeding at the nose. Most of the remedies mentioned in this Section are taken from Galen (sec. loc. and Meth. Med.) Aëtius repeats his directions (vi, 94.)

Avicenna has surpassed every other author in the accuracy with which he details the phenomena and treatment of epistaxis; but his account is too long for us to do justice to it. His local applications consist of styptics, incrassants, and caustics. He very properly inculcates the propriety of producing revulsion and evacuating the general system by bleeding at the arm, which, he says, should be carried the length of producing deliquium animi. He directs us to apply ligatures to the testicles and extremities, to place the patient in water cooled with ice, and to pour the same upon his head. He says a man will lose from twenty to twenty-five pounds of blood before he dies. Haly’s treatment agrees in most respects with that of Avicenna. He directs us to pour water upon the head, to apply to the forehead a plaster of galls, roses, &c., or a piece of cloth soaked in the infusion of roses cooled with snow and vinegar. He also makes mention of general bleeding, and the application of a cupping-instrument to the nape of the neck. Alsaharavius cautions us not to stop a critical epistaxis. Like Haly, he recommends us, as a general practice, to bleed from the arm if the strength be good, to apply a cupping-instrument to produce revulsion, to pour cold water upon the head, and to snuff up the nostrils water impregnated with the virtues of such astringents as galls, alum, camphor, roses, &c. One of the styptic powders recommended by Rhases contains quicklime, vitriol, galls, and red arsenic. He also directs snow to be applied to the head. In extreme cases he approves of the cautery.

Respecting the manna thuris, mentioned in this Section, see Bernard’s Nonnus (96.) Dale thus explains it: “Manna thuris, offic. sunt micæ, fragmenta, pollen, et farina thuris, quæ ex collisione, dum in saccis vehitur, colliguntur. Alii autem per mannam thuris grana ejusdem intelligunt.” (Pharmacol. 381.)

SECT. XXV.—ON AFFECTIONS OF THE FACE.

How to preserve the face free from wrinkles. Of frankincense, dr. iv; of fucus, dr. iij; of crashed litharge, dr. viij. Dissolve them all in a decoction of bruised ichthyocolla, make trochisks, and use.—Another: Of ivory shavings, dr. viij; of male frankincense, of ichthyocolla, the same quantity. Use as aforesaid.

For darkness of the face. Of iris, of ptisan, of bruised beans, of each a sextarius and a half; of sal ammoniac, of burnt hartshorn, of ammoniac perfume, of each, oz. ij. Dissolve in water, and make trochisks, and having again triturated with water, anoint before bathing.—Another: Of ptisan, of tares, of frankincense, of bruised beans, of Illyrian iris, of aphronitum, of costus, of each, the fourth part of a chœnix; bitter almonds, xx in number; form with the white of an egg and the milk of an ass, and use as aforesaid. The trochisk peponatus also answers well.

For freckles and lentigo. Of toasted Cimolian earth, half a hemina; of toasted aphronitum, dr. viij; of the flour of tares, dr. iv; of the refuse of bull’s gall, dr. viij. Triturate and use.—Another: Of the lees of wine, dr. x; of the flour of tares, dr. x; of bruised beans, dr. x; of white hellebore, dr. v; of aphronitrum, dr. x; of alcyonium, dr. x. Triturate, and rub with it.

For bruised spots, or hypopia. First foment with the decoction of fenugreek, and afterwards with that of melilot, mix the collyrium of Nilus from roses with water, and anoint; then use the myrrh collyrium. If these do not produce the effect, anoint with the collyrium of burnt sandyx; or apply hyssop with water; or bind hyssop into a piece of rag, dip it in warm water, and foment; or foment with strong salt water, and rub down the skin of radish with honey, and apply. This answers also for chronic cases. For chronic spots and lividity, take of Cretan hartwort, two parts; of Samian earth, one part; apply with honey, taking care that it do not produce an ulcer.—Another abstergent application: Of hyssop, of thapsia, and of cassia, of each, dr. ij; of wax, dr. ij; of turpentine, dr. j. Apply, taking care that it do not occasion an ulcer, and on that account removing it frequently.

For vari or warts. They are small hard tumours about the face. Anoint, by rubbing with oxymel; or triturate litharge with turpentine and some white oil, and anoint by rubbing; or rub in fissile alum with turpentine; or triturate bitter almonds in vinegar, and rub. For callous vari: Of Gallic soap, dr. iv; of frankincense and ammoniac, of each, dr. j. Dissolve in water, and anoint; after an hour, wash away.

For vari, hairs, and roughness of the face. Of wax, dr. x; of turpentine, dr. j; of mistletoe, dr. ij; melt, adding a small quantity of oil, and scrub the face with it, for it takes out the hairs by the roots.—Another: Apply powdered poppy, or pennyroyal, with salt and vinegar.

The cerate of Thais, for rendering the face ruddy. Of saffron, of madder-root, of fucus, of frankincense, of myrrh, of each, dr. ij; mix with calf’s fat and mastich oil, and then anoint, and after a little interval wash away with a sponge out of hot water. These applications for the face will also answer for other parts of the body.

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COMMENTARY. Most of the authors referred to in the preceding Section may be consulted on these complaints.

This Section is mostly copied from Oribasius (de Loc. Affect. iv), who, however, is greatly indebted to Galen (De Med. sec. loc. v.) Aëtius gives a long list of compositions for these complaints of the face, and to it the lovers of personal appearance are particularly referred. Celsus seems to have thought it necessary to make an apology for treating of these trifling complaints: “Pæne ineptiæ sunt curare varos, et lenticulas, et ephelidas; sed eripi tamen fæminis cura cultus sui non potest.” His applications are like those of our author. For vari he recommends equal parts of rosin, fissile alum, and some honey. Ephelis, he says, is removed by rosin, with a third part of fossil salts, and a little honey.

The φάκος and ἐφηλίς are, we believe, the lentigo and maculæ of Haly Abbas. (Theor. viii, 18; Pract. iv, 15.) His remedies consist of bitter almonds, mercury killed (sublimed?), mustard, with the oil of figs. The ἴονθος is his morum. For it he recommends the flos æris and other stimulant applications. Alsaharavius speaks of the juice of the wild cucumber, the root of iris, pine-gum, and if these are not sufficient, venesection. He treats minutely of these affections of the face. (Pract. vi.) The ἴονθος is the acne of Drs. Willan and Bateman. Galen says these affections are to be removed by emollient and discutient applications in general. He treats very fully of hypopion or ecchymosis of the face. For it Alsaharavius recommends an application consisting of the infusion of radish and red arsenic. (Pract. iv, 4.) This must have been a powerful stimulant. Marcellus recommends to apply frequently a new sponge soaked in hot salt water. (De Medic. xix.)

Rhases describes this affection by the name of pannus faciei. Among the ingredients of his compositions we remark fenugreek, ammoniac, frankincense, liquid pitch, &c. Some of them contain arsenic. He also recommends scarifications.

SECT. XXVI.—ON AFFECTIONS OF THE MOUTH; AND, FIRST, OF THE TEETH.

The teeth are pained without inflammation of the gums, sometimes from pain attacking the body of the teeth, and sometimes from the nerve which enters them being affected. Wherefore they require the strongest remedies; the greater part of which are prepared from the most acrid vinegar. When the gums are pained from inflammation, the best application is oil of lentisk retained in the mouth in a tepid state. But see that it is new; for the older it is so much the worse is it for this purpose. This general rule ought to be observed, to evacuate first whatever humour prevails in the general system.

For inflammation of the teeth. Wash with vinegar in which have been boiled galls, or the root of winter-cherry, or the seed or leaves of henbane, or pennyroyal, or the juice of nightshade, or the root of capers, or the leaves of myrtle, or poley, or the root of the wild cucumber, or the leaves of rue with oxymel, or hartshorn, or the vinegar of squills, or pellitory with hyssop. To the eaten part of the tooth apply storax with opium, or galbanum, or sulphur vivum with lycium; or, let the patient inhale the steam from the seed of henbane through a small funnel. And the antidote of Philo, if applied round the tooth, removes the pain. When there is a defluxion on the teeth, rinse with a decoction of myrtle, lentisk, and galls, or of Syrian sumach, or of the flowers of the wild pomegranate, or of its rind. Sprinkle also of salts two parts; of burnt alum extinguished in vinegar and pulverized, one part; then wash with wine. For bloody gums, sprinkle fine alum, or rinse with aloes in wine, or with the root of bramble boiled in wine, or Syriac sumach. When the gums both bleed and are affected with a rheum, burn pickled tunny in a pot until it be reduced to ashes, with which touch the parts. Loose teeth are fastened by being sprinkled with aloes, or Syriac sumach, or fissile alum, or galls, or the root of bramble, either by themselves or boiled in wine.—Another: Pulverize the bark of green nuts, and to the expressed juice add Minnæan myrrh and fissile alum, and mix together, and use, by pouring it into the mouth, and put upon the gums of the pained tooth, which it will cure.—Another: Triturate together garlic, pepper, and stavesacre; put into a linen cloth; make small balls of it, and change frequently; by which means you will purge the humour in the head, and effect a cure of the teeth.

For loose teeth, running gums, and for every spreading ulcer in the mouth. Of burnt chalcitis, dr. xij; of calamine, dr. viij; use in powder with vinegar.

How to remove the teeth without pain. Apply flour with the juice of spurge, and above it an ivy leaf, and leave it for an hour. They will spontaneously break in pieces.

A dentifrice, also for parulis, or gumboil. Of that kind of alum called plinthitis, oz. iv; of sal ammoniac, oz. iv; of myrrh, of costus, of pellitory, of each, dr. iv; of pepper, eighty grains.

For parulis. Of sulphur vivum, of pepper, of fissile alum, equal parts. Parulis is an inflammation in a part of the gums, which, not being resolved, suppurates. Haring suppurated, and being divided with a scalpel, it is to be kept separate with a tent. Epulis is a fleshy excrescence from inflammation on the innermost dens molaris, being attended sometimes with fever and pain. It must be repressed; and, therefore, we must use the species of verdigris called xyston, either by itself or with an equal part of galls, or burnt sori, or burnt alum, or galls alone, or the flakes of copper triturated with vinegar for a sufficient number of days and dried.

A dentifrice. The burnt roots of birthwort, burnt hartshorn, with some mastich.—Another: White salts mixed with honey, and wrapped in the leaves of the fig-tree, and burnt until reduced to ashes.—Another: Buccinæ filled with salt and burnt; land snails burnt with honey; unwashed wool burnt with a little salts. With each of these, for the sake of fragrance, let there be mixed the schænanth, or spikenard, Indian leaf (malabathrum), or cyperus, or iris.

An application which will whiten the teeth, repress swelling of the gums, and produce fragrant breath. Of pumice-stone, of roasted salts, of iris, of each, dr. iv; of cyperus, dr. v; of spikenard, dr. j; of pepper, dr. vj; pulverize, and use.

For teeth set on edge. Painful feeling in the teeth is relieved by chewing purslain, or by rubbing oil of unripe olives, or by lees of oil boiled in a copper vessel to the consistence of honey, and rubbed in after being long kept.

For worn teeth. For worn teeth, apply, of bay-berries, of fissile alum, of the climbing birthwort, equal parts.

For corroded gums. Of the flowers of roses, dr. viij; of galls, dr. iv; of myrrh, dr. ij. Erosions and running from the gums are cured by washing with asses’ milk, the decoction of olive leaves, or vinegar of squills; or by the following dry applications: the rust of iron, and flowers of the cultivated pomegranate. For swelling and fungous flesh of the gums, the juice of purslain retained in the mouth, the brine of pickled olives, warm oil of unripe olives, or lentisk oil, or oil of apples, or lees of oil, are applicable; and the following powders: the rust of iron or copper, the roots of birthwort, the seed of plantain, diphryges, calcined copperas, pomegranate flowers.