Of Medicine, in Eight BooksCelsus, Aulus Cornelius
History
Of Medicine, in Eight Books
Celsus, Aulus Cornelius
Medicine, Greek and Roman
It is necessary also to consider, whether fevers are simple, or whether
other disorders are not likewise concomitant; that is, whether the
head be pained, the tongue rough, or the præcordia tense. If there be
pains in the head, it is proper to mix oil of roses with vinegar, and
to apply that(10); then to have two pieces of cloth, which are as
broad and as long as the forehead; to have one of these alternately
in the vinegar and rose-oil, and the other on the forehead; or to put
on sordid wool dipped in the same. If vinegar is offensive, pure oil
of roses must be used. If even the rose-oil is offensive, bitter oil.
If these do little service, dry iris, or bitter almonds, or any of
the cooling herbs may be powdered. Any of them mixed with vinegar and
laid upon the part lessens the pain: but in some one of these is more
successful, and in others another. Relief is also procured by bread
laid on with poppies, or with oil of roses, cerus, or litharge. It is
also not improper to smell at either serpyllum or dill.
But if there is an inflammation and pain in the præcordia, in the first
place restringent cataplasms must be applied; and not the hotter kind,
lest there should be a greater flux of matter thither. After that, as
soon as the inflammation has abated, recourse must be had to hot and
moist, in order to discuss what remains. Now the marks of inflammation
are four, redness, and swelling, together with heat, and pain. So much
was Erasistratus mistaken, when he declared there was no fever without
it.
Wherefore if there is pain without inflammation, nothing is to be
applied at all; for the fever itself will presently remove that. But
if there is neither an inflammation, nor fever, but only a pain of the
præcordia, warm and dry fomentations may be immediately used. If the
tongue is dry and scabrous, it is first to be wiped with a penecillum
dipped in hot water; and then anointed with a mixture of rose-oil and
honey. The honey cleanses, and the oil of roses restringes, and at the
same time does not suffer it to grow dry. But if it is not rough, but
only dry, after wiping it with the penecillum it ought to be anointed
with rose-oil mixed with a little wax.
CHAP. XI.
REMEDIES AGAINST A COLDNESS OF THE EXTREMITIES PRECEDING A FEVER.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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