Of Medicine, in Eight BooksCelsus, Aulus Cornelius
History
Of Medicine, in Eight Books
Celsus, Aulus Cornelius
Medicine, Greek and Roman
Cicatrices formed from ulcers are liable to two defects; of being
either concave, or protuberant. If they be concave, they may be filled
by the sphærion collyrium; or that called asclepias. This consists of
poppy tears p. ii. *. sagapenum, opopanax, each p. iii. *. verdigrease
p. iv. *. gum p. viii. *. pepper p. xii. *. cadmia washed, ceruss, each
p. xvi. *. But if the cicatrices are thick, they are rendered thin
by the smilion, or canopite collyrium, which last contains cinnamon,
acacia, of each p. i. *. cadmia washed, saffron, myrrh, poppy tears,
gum, each p. ii. *. white pepper, frankincense, each p. iii. *.
calcined copper p. ix. *. with rain water. Or the pyxinum of Euelpides,
which consists of the following ingredients; of fossile salt p. iv.
*. ammoniacum thymiama p. viii. *. poppy tears p. xiii. *. ceruss p.
xv. *. white pepper, Cilician saffron, each p. lii. gum p. xiii. *.
cadmia washed p. ix. *. Yet the composition, which contains gum p. iii.
*. verdigrease p. i. *. crocomagma p. iv. *. seems to be the best for
removing a cicatrix.
There is also another kind of inflammation, in which if the patient’s
eyes swell, and are distended with pain, it is necessary to bleed in
the forehead; and to foment the head and eyes plentifully with hot
water; to gargle with lentils, or cream of figs; to anoint with the
acrid medicines mentioned above; particularly that, which is called
sphærion, and which has blood-stone in it. And others are useful too,
which are calculated to lessen the roughness; of which I am going to
speak.
This commonly follows an inflammation of the eyes; sometimes it is
more violent, at other times more slight. Sometimes too a roughness
occasions a lippitude, and that again increases the roughness, and in
some is short, in others it continues long, and so as to be hardly ever
cured.
In this kind of disorder some scrape the thick and hard eye-lids
both with a fig-leaf and a specillum asperatum(6), and sometimes
with a knife; and turning them up, they rub them every day with
medicines. Which ought not to be practised, unless in a considerable
and inveterate roughness, nor that often. For the same end is better
obtained by a suitable regimen and proper medicines. Therefore we shall
use exercises and the bath more frequently: and foment the eye-lids
with plenty of warm water. The food must be acrid and extenuating.
[Sidenote: _Cæsarian._]
The medicine, which is called Cæsarian, contains of copperas p. i.
*. misy p. *. white pepper p. v. *. poppy tears, gum, each p. ii. *.
cadmia washed p. iii. *. antimony p. vi. *. And this collyrium is
allowed to be a good remedy against every kind of disorder in the eyes,
except those, that are treated by mild medicines.
[Sidenote: _Hierax’s._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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