The seven books of Paulus Ægineta, volume 2 (of 3) : $b translated from the Greek: with a commentary embracing a complete view of the knowledge possessed by the Greeks, Romans, and Arabians on all subjects connected with medicine and surgeryPaulus, Aegineta
History
The seven books of Paulus Ægineta, volume 2 (of 3) : $b translated from the Greek: with a commentary embracing a complete view of the knowledge possessed by the Greeks, Romans, and Arabians on all subjects connected with medicine and surgery
Paulus, Aegineta
Medicine; Medicine, Arab; Medicine, Greek and Roman
It is greatly to be lamented that Cælius Aurelianus’ account of
elephantiasis has come down to us in an imperfect state. His description
is entirely lost, and his detail of the treatment is in a mutilated
state. It appears, however, that his views were similar to those of
Celsus, and that he considered it to be a malignant disease, affecting
principally the skin. He approves of rubbing stimulant ointments into
the skin, and of using medicinal baths, especially the aluminous and
chalybeate. When the applications produce ulceration of the skin, he
directs us to treat it upon general principles. He makes mention of
vomiting by radishes, and latterly by means of the white hellebore. He
approves of a sea voyage and change of scene. He says the first author
who described elephantiasis was Themison, the same person that is damned
to everlasting fame in one of the lines of Juvenal: “Quot Themison agros
autumno occiderit uno.” (Sat. x, 221.) If this statement be correct,
it is clear that Celsus cannot be of so early a date as is generally
believed, that is to say, the Augustan age, for Themison flourished
towards the end of the first century, P. C. He was the founder of the
Methodical sect. Cælius also blames Themison for recommending bleeding
and vomiting unseasonably, and disapproves of his directions respecting
the applications to the skin. It appears that he also disapproved of the
theriac of vipers, and of giving to drink water in which red-hot iron had
been extinguished. There can be no doubt, from the circumstances which he
mentions, that the disease was thought contagious in his time.
Octavius Horatianus, who lived under the emperor Valentinian, gives a
pretty full detail of the treatment, but his description of the symptoms
is defective. He makes mention, however, of _maculæ_, which affect
principally the face; he contends that the whole system is attacked with
the disease, and that the flesh is corrupted. His remedies are much the
same as those recommended by the other authorities, namely, bleeding,
purging, vomiting, the theriac of vipers, and rubbing with the usual
applications for scabies. He also speaks favorably of the natural and the
sea-water baths.
Marcellus the Emperic, who is supposed to have flourished in the reign of
Theodosius, recommends, like Serenus, mint, juniper, and mezereon, for
elephantiasis. He describes it as being attended with hard excrescences
of the extremities, eruptions on the face, and disease of the bones. He
speaks of its being endemic in Ægypt.
The disease, elephantiasis, according to Isidorus, is so called from
its resemblance to the elephant. The skin in it is hard and rough, from
which it gets its appellation, because the surface of the patient’s body
resembles that of an elephant; or because it is a mighty affection, as
the elephant is one of the largest of animals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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