Of Medicine, in Eight BooksCelsus, Aulus Cornelius
History
Of Medicine, in Eight Books
Celsus, Aulus Cornelius
Medicine, Greek and Roman
That also, which is called Hierax’s, is powerful against a roughness.
It consists of myrrh p. *. ammoniacum thymiama p. ii. *. rasile
verdigrease p. iv. *. with rain water. For the same purpose that
also is proper, which is called canopite, and the smilion, and the
pyxinum, and the sphærion. But if compound medicines are not at hand, a
roughness may be easily enough cured by goat’s gall or the best honey.
[Sidenote: _Dry lippitude._]
There is likewise a kind of dry lippitude, which the Greeks call
xerophthalmia[GC]. In this the eyes neither swell, nor run, but are
only red, and heavy with some pain, which is commonly slight, also an
itching, and the eye-lids without any hardness stick together in the
night-time by means of a very troublesome gum: and the less violent in
its degree this species is, so much the longer does it continue.
[GC] ξηροφθαλμία.
In this disorder it is necessary to walk much, to take much exercise,
to bathe often, and sweat in the bagnio, to use much friction. The
proper diet is neither such as is filling, nor over acrid, but the
middle kind betwixt these. In the morning, when it is evident that the
concoction is completed, it is not improper to gargle with mustard, and
alter that to rub the head and face a considerable time.
[Sidenote: _Rhinion._]
The collyrium best adapted to this case is that called rhinion. Which
contains of myrrh p. i. *. poppy tears, acacia juice, pepper, gum, each
p. i. *. blood-stone, Phrygian stone, lycium, scissile stone, each p.
i. *. calcined copper p. iv. *. The pyxinum also is suitable for the
same purpose.
[Sidenote: _Basilicon of Euelpides._]
But if the eyes be scabrous, which mostly happens in the angles, the
rhinion mentioned already may be serviceable. For the same purpose
that may be useful, which contains, of rasile verdigrease, long pepper,
poppy tears each p. ii. *. white pepper, gum, each p. iv. *. cadmia
washed, ceruss, each p. vi. *. However, there is none better than that
of Euelpides, which he called basilicon. It contains of poppy tears,
ceruss, Asian stone, each p. ii. *. gum p. xiii. *. white pepper p. iv.
*. saffron p. vi. *. psoricum(7) p. xiii. *. Now there is no simple,
which by itself is called psoricum; but a certain quantity of chalcitis
and a little more than half its quantity of cadmia are rubbed together
with vinegar; and this being put into an earthen vessel, and covered
over with fig leaves, is deposited under ground for twenty days, and
being taken up again it is powdered, and thus is called psoricum. The
basilicon collyrium too is generally allowed to be proper for all
disorders of the eyes, that are not treated by mild medicines.
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