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
Galen mentions that bitters in general are destructive of intestinal
worms. The teres, he adds, is killed by the absinthium; but the latus and
ascaris require stronger medicines, such as the filix. The author of the
‘Isagoge,’ a work generally ascribed to Galen, divides intestinal worms
into the broad, the round, and the ascarides. The round are about the
length of a span or somewhat more, especially such as are formed about
the stomach. The ascarides are short, and form in the rectum. The broad,
called also fasciæ or tæniæ, from their resemblance to tape, are said to
be sometimes the length of the intestines. The round are most common in
children, the ascarides before manhood; and these are difficult to remove
except by bitters, elecampane, and acrid food.
Oribasius treats briefly of lumbrici, recommending for the l. rotundus,
southernwood, wormwood, calamint, gith, &c., taken internally or applied
outwardly; for ascarides, the juice of calamint, and cedar rosin, in like
manner; and for the tænia the bark of the root of mulberry, and the roots
of fern in honied water, and also the root of the white chamæleon and
costus.
Aëtius gives a full and accurate detail of the symptoms and treatment
of lumbrici, but as his remedies are much the same as our author’s, it
will be unnecessary to deliver any account of them. He remarks, that
anthelminthics either kill worms by their acrimony, or remove them by
their bitterness, or irritate them so as to expel them, or by lubricating
the parts facilitate the expulsion of them.
Actuarius gives a sensible account of the formation of worms, which he
ascribes to putrefaction or indigestion. White worms, he says, are the
product of indigestion, but the red, and those of any other colour, arise
from putrefaction.
Nonnus merely abridges our author’s account of this subject.
The ingredients in the compositions recommended by Myrepsus, are such as
aloes, scammony, southernwood, and bitter almonds.
Octavius Horatianus gives a good account of worms, but it contains
scarcely anything that is not to be found in our author’s. He says, that
from long experience he had great confidence in a purgative draught
consisting of scammony, the ashes of burnt peas, euphorbium, and nitre,
given in sweet wine. But garlic, and other acrid things, are to be first
eaten.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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