PART 7
When pain seizes the side, either at the commencement or at a later
stage, it will not be improper to try to dissolve the pain by hot
applications. Of hot applications the most powerful is hot water in
a bottle, or bladder, or in a brazen vessel, or in an earthen one;
but one must first apply something soft to the side, to prevent pain.
A soft large sponge, squeezed out of hot water and applied, forms
a good application; but it should be covered up above, for thus the
heat will remain the longer, and at the same time the vapor will be
prevented from being carried up to the patient's breath, unless when
this is thought of use, for sometimes it is the case. And further,
barley or tares may be infused and boiled in diluted vinegar, stronger
than that it could be drunk, and may then be sewed into bladders and
applied; and one may bran in like manner. Salts or toasted millet
in woolen bags are excellent for forming a dry fomentation, for the
millet is light and soothing. A soft fomentation like this soothes
pains, even such as shoot to the clavicle. Venesection, however, does
not alleviate the pain unless when it extends to the clavicle. But
if the pain be not dissolved by the fomentations, one ought not to
foment for a length of time, for this dries the lungs and promotes
suppuration; but if the pain point to the clavicle, or if there be
a heaviness in the arm, or about the breast, or above the diaphragm,
one should open the inner vein at the elbow, and not hesitate to abstract
a large quantity, until it become much redder, or instead of being
pure red, it turns livid, for both these states occur. But if the
pain be below the diaphragm, and do not point to the clavicle, we
must open the belly either with black hellebore or peplium, mixing
the black hellebore with carrot or seseli, or cumin, or anise, or
any other of the fragrant herbs; and with the peplium the juice of
sulphium (asafoetida), for these substances,
[p. 67] when mixed up together,
are of a similar nature. The black hellebore acts more pleasantly
and effectually than the peplium, while, on the other hand, the peplium
expels wind much more effectually than the black hellebore, and both
these stop the pain, and many other of the laxatives also stop it,
but these two are the most efficacious that I am acquainted with.
And the laxatives given in draughts are beneficial, when not very
unpalatable owing to bitterness, or any other disagreeable taste,
or from quantity, color, or any apprehension. When the patient has
drunk the medicine, one ought to give him to swallow but little less
of the ptisan than what he had been accustomed to; but it is according
to rule not to give any draughts while the
medicine is under operation; but when the purging is stopped then
he should take a smaller draught than what he had been accustomed
to, and afterwards go on increasing it progressively, until the pain
cease, provided nothing else contra-indicate. This is my rule, also,
if one would use the juice of ptisan (for I hold that it is better,
on the whole, to begin with taking the decoction at once, rather than
by first emptying the veins before doing so, or on the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, or seventh day, provided the disease has not previously
come to a crisis in the course of this time), and similar preparations
to those formerly described are to be made in those cases.