COMMENTARY. Galen has devoted a whole book of his work ‘De Med. sec. genera’ to the consideration of wounds of tendons, membranes, ligaments, and nerves properly called, and he also treats of them more generally in the sixth book of his work ‘Meth. Med.’ He professes to have had ample experience in the treatment of these cases while attending wounded gladiators. As our author has given a very comprehensive abstract of Galen’s principles of cure, it will be unnecessary for us to enter into any minute detail of them. He states very decidedly that cold applications, especially cold water, are highly dangerous, and inculcates that calefacient oils are the most proper applications. He particularly praises oils medicated with spurge, or sagapene, or turpentine-rosin. They are to be applied upon soft wool. In certain cases, he says, I have mixed the powerfully desiccant substances, such as quicklime, misy, chalcitis, pompholyx, arsenic, and sandarach, with the oils or cerates. When tendons are cut across he directs us to unite the ends together by sutures. Wounds of membranes and ligaments are said to be less dangerous than those of tendons. In general he further recommends either bloodletting or purging. Oribasius, Aëtius, and, in short, all the subsequent authorities, like our author, copy everything from Galen. As a specimen we shall give an abstract of the method of treatment recommended by Octavius Horatianus, who, it is probable, belonged to the Methodical sect. He commences with stating that wounds of nervous parts are in general very dangerous, and recommends applications of a digestive nature to avert the violent symptoms and pains. In such cases he directs us to bleed and purge, forbids all fomentations of warm water, but approves of those made with tepid oil, after which dressings composed of turpentine-rosin, either by itself or with some sponge, are to be applied. But for women and children of a delicate frame he recommends turpentine alone; for others, however, he recommends turpentine with spurge and oil, to which occasionally may be added bee-glue, sagapene, assafœtida, and opoponax. He also from personal experience speaks favorably of an application prepared from lime washed in water, spurge, sulphur, turpentine, wax, and pitch. He mentions other preparations from rosin, spurge, with oil and sea water. The Arabians copy from Galen very closely. Thus Avicenna condemns cold applications, and recommends calefacient ones. He approves of sutures when the tendons are cut asunder. Haly Abbas cautions against cold water, and particularly commends wool dipped in hot oil of violets. When spasm (tetanus) supervenes owing to the wound of a nerve, he directs us to divide it asunder lest the affection of it spread to the brain and prove fatal. Rhases also forbids all relaxing applications. He commends hot stimulant oils, and basilicon mixed with spurge, natron, lime, assafœtida, castor, &c.