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
melancholy which affects them, the poison putting on the nature of that
humour in like manner as we know other melancholic persons dreading some
one thing and some another; which reason accords also with those who say
that they think they see the image of the dog that bit them in the water.
Of persons falling into this affection we know none who has been saved,
except that we have learned the histories of one or two cases, and these
were of persons who had been bitten, not by a mad dog, but by some person
who had been bitten and imparted the disease to them. But before the
affection has made its attack many, even of those who have been bitten
by a dog, have been saved. Wherefore we must begin the treatment from
thence. And since often from the attack of hydrophobia having not yet
come on (for most commonly it comes on about the fortieth day, and in
some cases after six months, nay, instances are related of its coming on
after seven years,) some supposing that the dog who inflicted the bite
was not mad, and making haste to heal up the wound have thereby given
rise to the complaint. By the following experiment you may ascertain
whether the bite was inflicted by a mad dog or not: Pound walnuts
carefully and apply them to the wound, and next day take and present
them for food to a cock or hen. At first indeed he will not touch them,
but if he is compelled by hunger to eat of them, observe, for if the dog
that inflicted the bite was not mad, then the fowl will live, but if mad
he will die next day; and then you must hasten to open the wound, and
after a few days repeat the same experiment; and when the fowl does not
die you may bring the wound to cicatrization, inasmuch as the patient is
then freed from danger. Oribasius recommends this experiment: If from
the symptoms which we have mentioned we know for certain that the dog is
mad, we must have recourse to medicines for laying open the sore, the
principal of which is that from pitch, very acrid vinegar, and opoponax,
which is described accurately in the section on the wounds of nervous
parts. But if the person who has been bitten has a tender skin, it is
to be diluted with oil of iris, of balsam, or the like; or having first
fomented the sores, apply a cataplasm of garlic. This also forms eschars.
A dry escharotic for persons bitten by mad dogs: Of fossile salts, dr.
viij; of chalcitis, dr. xvj; of squills, dr. xvj; of green rue, dr. iv;
of scraped verdigris, dr. iv; of the seed of horehound, dr. j; use it
at first dry that it may form an eschar, and then with rose-oil that
the eschars may fall off. Keep the parts from cicatrizing for forty-two
days at least. A cataplasm for persons bitten by mad dogs, which keeps
the mouth of the wound open: Apply a cataplasm of onions with salts and
rue, or of laserwort with salts, or of old pickle, or of the cinders
of burnt wood with oil, or of garlic, or apply the leaves of the elder
tree, or mint, or baum, each with salts, or walnuts with onions, salts
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account