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 — John Shaqi
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
Nonnus, as usual, abridges our author’s detail of the treatment, and
omits the description. He says it arises from a melancholic humour, which
corrodes the extremities. According to Psellus, the disease is produced
by _melancholy adust_ and the lees of putrid blood.
The account of elephantiasis given by Leo is brief and imperfect. The
disease, he says, is produced by a melancholic humour, which has become
putrid, and corrodes the extremities. It is, he adds, almost incurable,
but may be benefited by purging with the dodder of thyme, by the theriac,
and burning the head at the bregma. The affection, he says, is also
called satyriasmus.
Myrepsus merely mentions some of the common remedies for elephantiasis,
such as arsenic, turpentine, litharge, &c. He gives no description of the
disease.
We now proceed to the Arabians.
Avicenna gives a very circumstantial account of elephantiasis, under the
name of _juzam_ or _judam_, which his translator renders by _lepra_.
He calls it a cancer of the whole body, which arises from black bile,
and is sometimes attended with ulceration, and is sometimes without
it. The disease, he says, is contagious: it is produced by living upon
the flesh of asses, lentils, &c., and is endemic in Alexandria. It is
sometimes called _leonina_, because the face assumes the stern appearance
of the lion’s. He states that, although it begins internally, its first
symptoms are manifested on the extremities. He then describes minutely
the symptoms, namely, redness of the face, inclining to lividity; falling
off of the hairs, enlargement of the veins, affection of the breathing,
thickening, and discoloration of the lips; and afterwards ulceration of
different parts of the body, corrosion of the cartilages of the nose,
then falling off of the nose and extremities, loss of voice, &c. The
treatment he gives with great minuteness, but as it is little different
from that of the Greeks, we need scarcely enter upon it. Suffice it to
say that he mentions early bleeding, purging with hellebore, colocynth,
scammony, &c.; the theriac of vipers, the application of the cautery
to the head, and so forth. Enough has been said to show that this
description applies to the elephantiasis of the Greeks. Considerable
confusion, however, has arisen in consequence of his translator applying
the term _elephantia_ to a very different disease, namely, to an
enlargement of the leg with varicose veins, now generally known by the
name of the _Barbadoes leg_. This complaint he directs to be treated at
first with local bleeding and astringents; but when ulceration takes
place, it is to be remedied only by amputation.
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