Volume 1
A medicinal dictionary; including physic, surgery, anatomy, chymistry, and botany, in all their branches relative to medicine. Together with a history of drugs ... and an introductory preface, tracing the progress of physic, and explaining the theories which have ... prevail'd in all ages / By R. James.
- James, R. (Robert), 1703?-1776.
- Date:
- 1743-1745
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A medicinal dictionary; including physic, surgery, anatomy, chymistry, and botany, in all their branches relative to medicine. Together with a history of drugs ... and an introductory preface, tracing the progress of physic, and explaining the theories which have ... prevail'd in all ages / By R. James. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![« «r XXII P R £ F A c E. This he feems to infinuate in the following Paffage f **™<*?£. d by Evacuations made either by the ivioutn, then had recourfe to Diuretics _ r „rn_r 1JU<Ipto Vim in Acutis. “ All Difeafes,” fays he, “ terminate, or are cur d by Evacuations ma ■ ■ y termi, “ the Belly, the Bladder, or home other like Outlet; but Sweat is common to all Dilcafeo, . q , . TheSdh.rMicaMedidn?s, or fuel, as provoke Urine, were differently prepared, according toAcNaW oTthe Cafe, or the Difpofltion of the Patient. Sometimes the Bath was itfed for tins Purpofc; aid, fweet Wine was exhibited with the fame Intention. The Aliments taken al o con n ^ Among the Herbs commonly ufed, Hippocrates, for this Intention, recomment et _ » as * well as Cucumbers^ Melon* Citruls, Cytifus, both Sorts of Apium, Ferin^ly Maiden air, . id red Aliment, alb acrid Subftancesd* In the fame Clafs lie puts Honey* mixed with Water- an - ]jKA > ‘ t four Can- But when he intended to anfwer that Intention with fomewhat more Brifknefs ant 10 e , ordered rharides, from which he cut the Wings and Feet, ahff edited tKePa^er in Wi^ thefe feveral Remedies in various chronical Difofders^ ‘after Purgation, ‘when he c ievt f . loaded with that Species of Humour which he call'd Ichor, or when- them was a eten ion c . ' In fome Cafes Hippocrates propofes exciting a Diaphorefis, as well as- provoking rine , i , ' form us in what manner it is to be done. In another Paffage he tells us, that we mu care y their Sweating be proper or not •, and if it is, when, and in wliat manner, it oug t to e exci e „ . not fpecify the Means proper for that Purpofe. There is only one Paffage where e peaces o provo » _ ’ by pouring warm Water on the Head of the Patient, till -his Feet fweat; that is, ti a weat rcacs o the Parts of his Body. After this he orders the Patient to eat a large Quantity of boil d Meal, to urmk fom pure Wine upon it, to be dole cover’d up, and to remain in that Stale‘for fome time. What he adds imme¬ diately after, of eating two or three Roots of Narciffus for Supper, does not appear to \ ave any J? ie Intention of exciting a Diaphorefis, fince Diofcorides clafs’d the Narciffus among Emetics. 1S P° 1 Q lPpo crates might have given the Patient his Choice, whether he would fweat or vomit. Lis alio poiiibJe, that the Narciffus of which Hippocrates fpeaks, was not afterwards known by the lame Name, which has been the hate o feveral other Simples. In the Works of Hippocrates we meet with no other Sudorifics to be taken internally. Tfo Difeafe for which he propofes thefe Medicines is fuch a Fever,, as does not proceed from Bile or Phlegm, but: from a Latitude, or any other Caufe. From this Paffage we may fee, that Hippocrates did not approve of exciting a Diaohorefis in any Fevers, except that particular Species he mentions; and we (hall fee in the Sequel, that tne deftruftive Practice of adminiftring ftrong Diaphoretics wa$ of much later Date, and founded on a falle ‘ In the Days of Hippocrates Surgery was' fo conn edited with Medicine, that the former was fcaice diftingiufhed from the latter by any peculiar and diferiminating Name. The Book intituled De Ojficina Medici gives lo ink an Account of a chirurgical Apparatus, that it might almoft be- taken for a modern 1 leatife of Surgeiy. 1 hat Hippocrates himfelf affifted the Sick by manual Operation, is a Each which cannot be called in Queftion. How this Phyfician acquitted himfelf when he had a Wound or Ulcer to Cure, we^ learn from that Book intituled De TJlceribus, which, notwithftanding its Title, treats principally of recent Wounds. But fince it is univerfally efteem’d genuine, we fhall make ufe of it in giving an Account of the Surgery of Hippocrates. This Phyfician, then, forbids a recent Wound in any Part, except in the Joints, to be wafli’d with any thing but Wine. He requires no other Dreffifigs befides a Cataplafm, which is not to be apply’d immediately to the Wound itfelf, but to the adjacent Parts. The Food and Drink mull be exhibited in moderate Quantities ; and the harder they are of Digeftion, their- Quantities mult be proportibnably the lefs. The Patient mult alfo remain in a State of Relt and Eafe. When the Wound is notin the Abdomen* but only in the Extremities, he fuffers the Blood to difeharge itfelf plen¬ tifully, fince by that means the Parts become lefs foil, and a lefs confiderable Corruption enfues. Oils, and oleous Subftances, are by no means proper for recent Wounds. In many Wounds, especially where a Corruption is threatened, Purging is of lingular Service. If a Wound is not thoroughly cleanfed, it will neither heal fponta- neoufiy, nor even when its Lips are brought into Contact. An Eryfipelas accompanying a Wound renders Purging abfolutely neceffary. Where there is a Wound with Contufion, a Suppuration muft be made before the Cure can be performed. For anfwering this Intention therefore* Cataplafms muft be apply’d to the tumid Part, but not to the Wound itfelf. _ Thefe, are his general Diredtions with regard to Wounds, to which he fubjoins an Account of the Cataplafms to be ufed •, and of fuch as are proper for cleanfing fordid Ulcers. Fie there alfo gives us an Account ot a Medi¬ cine proper both for recent and inveterate Ulcers ; dnd that Preparation comes pretty near to the Nature cf the Unguentum Mgjptiacum, at prefent ufed for the lame Intention. Towards the End of the Book there are fome things relating to an Oedema and Varices. Fie orders cedematous Swellings of the Feet to have a large Number of fmall deep Wounds made in them •, and direfts, that a Varix fhould be prick’d here-and-there, that the Blood may flow in fmall Quantities from the little Orifices. In another Paftage 'he aftigns a Reafoft for this feemingly unaccountable Piece of Practice. 44 Though,” fays he, 14 it is “ not expedient to allow a full and thorough Effufion of Blood, yet Neccffity often calls upon us to take away u fome.” With regard to Bandages, he gives the following Direction: 46 We ought, fays he, to defpife thofe whimfical « and curious Bandages, which pleafe the Eye of the Spectator, without aflfwering the Intention for wlfich they «< are apply’d ; for they are not only troublefome and idle, but alfo frequently hurtful and prejudicial •, and ’tis 44 obvious, that the Afflidted feek rather a Relief from their Pains, than a conceited and fupertiuous- Elegance in 44 their Dreffmgs. ” What we afe to obferve, with regard to Bandages, he elfewhere accurately lays down, pro¬ vided the Book de Officina Medici claims him a£ its genuine Author. His Book de Fijlulis treats almoft wholly of thofe of the Anus. After he has laid down the Caufes whence they proceed, he informs us how to make a Search, by introducing a Stalk of freth Garlick. Then he orders a fivefold Thread, or a Hair, to be paffed thro’ the Orifices ot the Fiftula, and to be gradually drawn clofer, that its Sinus maybe open’d. Then he preferibes feveral Medicines neceffary for the Cure of this Diforder, but makes no mention of the Method by cutting. Flitherto the Surgery of Hippocrates appears to be not very bold •, but, in his other Chirurgical Pieces, we find him employ’d in cutting and burning. When treating ot Wounds of the Plead, he directs us when, and how far, the Bone is to be ferap’d or perforated. When the Surgeon negledts this, where it ought to have been ufed, a Suppuration happens internally, and the Patient dies convoked and delirious. 44 But, fays he, this Convulsion 44 feizes molt Patients in the oppofite Side of the Body •, for, if any one has an Ulcer on the Lett Part of his « Head, the Convulfion feizes the Right Part of his Body, and vice verfa. ” That](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30455625_0001_0033.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
