On Ulcers (21-25)

Emollients (?):—These medicines are to be used in winter rather than in summer. Emollient medicines which make the cicatrices fair:—Pound the inner mucous part of the squill and pitch, with fresh swine’s seam, and a little oil, and a little resin, and ceruse. And the grease of a goose, fresh swine’s seam, and squill, and a little oil. The whitest wax, fresh clean grease, or squill and white oil, and a little resin. Wax, swine’s seam (old and fresh), and oil, and verdigris, and squill and resin. Let there be two parts of the old grease to the fresh, and of the other things, q. s. Having melted the grease that is fresh, pour it into another pot; having levigated plumbago finely and sifted it, and mixed them together, boil and stir at first; boil until when poured upon the ground it concretes; then taking it off the fire, pour it all into another vessel, with the exception of the stony sediment, and add resin and stir, and mix a little oil of juniper, and what has been taken off. In all the emollient medicines to which you add the resin, when you remove the medicine from the fire, pour in and mix the resin while it is still warm. Another:—Old swine’s seam, wax, and oil, the dried shavings of the lotus, frankincense, plumbago,-namely, of the frankincense one part, and of the other one part, and of the shavings of the lotus one part; but let there be two parts of the old grease, one of wax, and of fresh swine’s seam one part. Another:—Or old swine’s seam along with the fresh grease of a goat; when cleaned, let it retain as little as possible of its membrane: having triturated or pounded it smooth, pour in oil, and sprinkle the lead with the spodium and half the shavings of the lotus. Another:—Swine’s seam, spodium, blue chalcitis, oil.

For Burns:—You must boil the tender roots of the ilex, and if their bark be very thick and green, it must be cut into small parts, and having poured in white wine, boil upon a gentle fire, until it appear to you to be of the proper consistence, so as to be used for a liniment. And it may be prepared in water after the same manner. Another, not corrosive:—Old swine’s

When an ulcer has formed on the back from stripes or otherwise, let squill, twice boiled, be pounded and spread upon a linen cloth and bound on the place. Afterward the grease of a goat, and fresh swine’s seam, spodium, oil, and frankincense are to be rubbed in.

Swellings which arise on the feet, either spontaneously or otherwise, when neither the swellings nor the inflammation subside under the use of cataplasms, and although sponges or wool, or anything else be bound upon the sound part; but the swelling and inflammation return of themselves again, an influx of blood

When a varix is on the fore part of the leg, and is very superficial, or below the flesh, and the leg is black, and seems to stand in need of having the blood evacuated from it, such swellings are not, by any means, to be cut open; for, generally, large ulcers are the consequence of the incisions, owing to the influx from the varix. But the varix itself is to be punctured in many places, as circumstances may indicate.