None of these can be removed but the cacoethes(80); the rest are irritated by every method of cure; and the more violent the operations are, the more angry they grow. Some have made use of caustic medicines; others of the actual cautery; others cut them out with a knife. Nor was any person ever relieved by medicine; but after cauterizing, the tumours have been quickened in their progress, and increased till they proved mortal; when they have been cut out, and cicatrized, they have, notwithstanding, returned, and occasioned death. Whereas, at the same time, most people, by using no violent methods to attempt the extirpation of the disease, but only applying mild medicines, to sooth it, protract their lives, notwithstanding the disorder, to an extreme old age. But no body can pretend to distinguish a cacoethes, which is curable, from a carcinoma, which is not, otherwise than by time and experiments. Therefore, so soon as this disease is perceived, caustic medicines ought to be applied; if the disorder is alleviated, and its symptoms grow milder, we may proceed both to incision and the actual cautery; if it is immediately irritated, we may conclude, that it is already a carcinoma; and every thing acrid and severe is to be taken away. But if the part is hard, without any ulcer, it is sufficient to apply a very mellow fig, or the plaister called rhypodes. If there is an ulcer, but not rising _above the surface of the skin_, the cerate of rose oil is to be put on, with the addition of a powdered shell, with smith’s forge water. If it grows fungous, copper scales (which is the gentlest caustic) must be tried, till there is no rising above the other parts; provided still that it does not exasperate; if it does, we ought to be content with the same cerate. [Sidenote: _Of a therioma._] There is also an ulcer, which the Greeks call therioma[FC]. This both comes of itself, and sometimes is consequent upon an ulcer produced from another cause. The colour is either livid or black; the smell is bad; it discharges copiously a humour like mucus; it is sensible neither of the touch, nor of medicine; and is only disturbed by itching. About it there is a pain and inflammation. Sometimes also a fever comes on. Sometimes there is a haemorrhage from the ulcer, and this disorder spreads, by which all the symptoms often increase. From these proceeds the ulcer which the Greeks call herpes esthiomenos[FD], _voracious herpes_; because by spreading quickly, and penetrating even to the bones, it devours the body. The surface of this ulcer is unequal, resembling dirt; and there is in it a great quantity of glutinous humour, an intolerable smell, and an inflammation more violent, than is found in an ulcer of that size. Both of them, as indeed all the kinds of gangrenes, happen chiefly to old people, or those, who are in a bad habit of body. [FC] θηρίωμα. [FD] ἕρπης ἐσθιόμενος.