Of Medicine, in Eight BooksCelsus, Aulus Cornelius
History
Of Medicine, in Eight Books
Celsus, Aulus Cornelius
Medicine, Greek and Roman
But if these methods afford small relief, it is proper to clip the hair
close to the skin: then it must be considered, what was the cause of
the pain. If heat, it is expedient to pour a great quantity of cold
water over the head, to apply a concave sponge frequently dipped in
cold water and squeezed, to anoint with rose-oil and vinegar, or rather
to apply sordid wool dipped in these, or some other cooling cataplasms.
But if cold has brought on the disorder, it is proper to pour upon the
head sea water, or at least salt water warm, or a decoction of laurel;
then to rub the head briskly; next to embrocate it with warm oil, and
to cover it. Some even bind it up; others clap on cervicalia(5) and
cloaths, and thus are relieved; others are assisted by hot cataplasms.
And therefore, where the cause is not known, it is proper to try,
whether cooling things, or heating give most relief, and to use those,
which upon experiment shall be found best.
But if the cause cannot be discovered, it is proper to pour over the
head first warm water, as has been prescribed, or salt water, or a
decoction of laurel, then cold vinegar and water. The following methods
are of general use in all inveterate pains of the head: to excite
sneezings, to rub the lower parts briskly, to use gargarisms of such
things as promote saliva, to apply cucurbitals to the temples and back
of the head, to sollicit an hæmorrhage from the nose, to vellicate the
temples now and then with resin, and by applying mustard to ulcerate
those parts, that are affected, first putting linen below, that it may
not corrode too severely, or to make ulcers where the pain is, by hot
irons, to eat always moderately, and drink water; when the pain is
abated, to go into the bath, there to pour over the head first a great
quantity of hot water, and then cold. If the pain is wholly removed, to
return even to the use of wine; but ever after to drink water before
any thing else.
That kind is different, where a humour is collected within the head.
In this it is necessary to clip to the skin; then to apply mustard, so
as to ulcerate it; if that does not prove effectual, the knife must
be made use of. The management must be so far the same with dropsical
cases, that the patient must be exercised, sweated, briskly rubbed, and
take such food and drink, as are powerful diureticks.
[Sidenote: _Of the cynicus spasmus._]
There is a distemper incident to the face, which the Greeks call
cynicus spasmus[CE]. It comes on an acute fever. The mouth is turned
aside with a kind of grin, and therefore it is nothing else than a
distortion of the mouth. There is also a frequent change of colour in
the face and the whole body, and a great propensity to sleep.
[CE] κυνικὸς σπασμὸς.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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