Art and open some good rule to the releef of my countreymen I haue aduentured to interpret one small work of the fatherly both Phisition and Chirurgion Galen which I iudged moste necessary for our time hauing ioyned the same with other treatises no lesse fruteful then profitable Which woork although it agreeth nether with the dignity of your noble name nor paraduenture is answerable to your honours oppinion and expectaon of me and whiche I must needs confesse is superfluous to your honour who can bothe read and vnderstand the same in the first tungs wherein the Authors haue written yet be cause other may be releued therby I thought I might bothe easely obtain pardon and also be bolde to vse your honours patronage in this behalf seeing the same your honours curtesye and clemencye is vsually extended to all men which doth not vse to esteem such gifts as this according to the value but accepting willingly the good meaning of the person Thus beseeching your honour to take in good parte this testimony of my thankfull hart suche as it is I beseech also the Immortall God to vpholde the renown of your Honours name in the noble linage of your noble Progenitors Your Honours humble and obedient Seruant George Baker To the Reader THere are two instruments aswel in Surgery as in all other Arts whereby a man is directed to the scope or purpose which he intendeth namely reason and experience Reason is occupyed about method and method as Galen in the first book De methode medendi teacheth is a contrary thing to experience rashely made and at aduenture and procéedeth a sure way taking iudications of the complexion of the body of the nature of the deseased parte of the causes and differences of the diseases and so orderly passeth frō iudication to iudication applying apt remedyes such as certain experience hath taught to haue vertue correspondent to such purpose as learned method prescribeth til at lēgth helth which is the scope and end of the art be obtained By this discription of method ye may sée plainly and distinctly the vse and necessitie bothe of reason and experience but héer must you vnderstand by reason such learned iudgement as procedeth by discretion and certain knowledge of the iudications abooue mentioned and afterwards maketh apt choise of experiments Experience also wherof Galen speaketh is a thing of more perfection then the rude obseruations of vndiscrete pratisers of our time but if they would read Galen his second book De simplicium medicamentorium facultatibus cap. x. they should learn better what appertained to experience how they try and examin their medicins and to iudge truely of their vertues And reason applyed to true method is the cause of certaintie in Phisick or Chirurgiry so on the other parte when it is vsed at randon without discretion and not deriued from true iudication but as fantasies doo féed the idle brain it is a thing as Galen witnesseth ful of great daunger And therfore he wished the vnlearned practisers of his time rather to vse the experience which they knew warely then to busy them selues with deuising euery man a method after his owne way which thīg passed their capacitie Such was the method of Thessalus before Galens time and such is the method of Paracelsus in our time but what peril did insue of the rash method of Thessalus is by Galen in sundry places declared and how great harme hath béene doon and dayly is committed by the Paracellistes both learned Erastus and Desenius with others doo witnesse by their writings and dayly experience it self teacheth And although the common practizers doo by their experience he le many diseases yet as Galen saith in the same first Book of his method they thē selues must néeds confesse that the ende of their labour dependeth vpon the pleasure of fortune For sithens experiēce is but the obseruation or remembrance of the successe had in particuler things as Galen him self defineth it and that neither art nor science consisteth in particularities it must néeds folow the naked experience maketh no art And then for asmuch as those which be healed are healed either by art or by chaunce then it must néeds folowe that those which cure by experience without method doo heal by chaūce and not by art and therfore are they wel termed of Galen to await the pleasure of Fortune Thus maist thou loouing Reader perceiue what great difference there is betwixt him that cureth artificially obseruing the learned method and order and the vnskilful practizer which after some fantastical deuise bred in the braine of the vnlearned or by vndiscrete experyence procedeth to the same So far dooth the one of these differ frō the other as light from darknes knowledge from ignoraunce order from confusion and to conclude certaintie from vncertaintie or blinde chaunce Now let the sick man be iudge whether is for him the more safetie tobe heled orderly artificially and surely or to depēd vpon the hasard of blinde Fortune happy or not happy at aduenture whether yea or nay But if ye beleeue Hipocrates Age re foeliciter est agere prudenter et agere infoeliciter est agere imprudenter to be happy is to be skilful and to deale vnluckely is to deale vnskilfully Therfore haue many obseruations of the dayly practises of many men perceiuing yea almoste dayly great errours committed in many things concerning mine art of Chirurgery for lack of true method and that moste of all in the wounds of ioints and Sinewes or Sinewy or musculous places whiche require peculter distinct method order of cure from the cōmon wounds of other fleshly places and the same béeing more painful and for the greatnes of the accidents which folowe them béeing of far more daunger doo require therefore the greater care more artificiall handling then any other I haue therfore for looue I bere to my facultie which I wish void of infamy and for the harty desire I bere to the profit of such as be hurt and diseased indeuoured to set foorth some thing in our english tung as those which are willing to learn might therby be instructed and directed to the true method and trade of curing the said wounds of Sinowes c. And as Aristotle requireth in Philosophy the same I think also in Chirurgery moste necessary Vt exempla sunt non chaerilia sed homerica that is not to folowe the practise of bunglers or the vnskilful sort but to learne at the best learned Then for asmuch as Galen by the Iudgement of the learned of all nations hath excelled all other that haue writen in Phisick but cheefely in his method I thought good to translate into our natiue tung his third Booke of the composition of medicines accordīg to places wherin bothe learned abundantly he teacheth the curing of these wounds whiche my labour taking for the furtherance of such as be willing to learne to doo wel if it be on thy parte moste loouing Reader
inflamation it must be liquified with Oile of Roses and if there be none it may be liquified with olde Oil Recinum chamamelium and others which are for soft and tender bodyes and for the strong and boisterous you shall vse strong Oile as Oleum radicis â—icus Aggrestis Brioniae Asari Dracunculi Aristolochiae and Panacis but the Aristolochia and Panacis ar more strong then the others Another composed by Claudius Philoxenus Chirurgion for the foresaid greefs Rec. Argenti spumae Cerae ana drach 160. Ammoniaci drach 80. Propoleos drach 40. Alius 18. Terebenthine Resine Siccae Thuris Squame aeris ana drach 16. Lanae succide â–ª coÌ„bustae Squamae Stomomatis ana drach 8. Oppoponacis dra 4. Olei ricini hemi 3. A reddish medicine of Halieus Rec. Argenti spumae Cerae ana drach 100 Alius 100 Terebenthinae Mannae Thuris Galbani Minii Cinoptici ana drach 8 Olei sexta 1. This implaister The vtillitie of this Emplaister is good in gréene wounds and for wounds of the Nerues and for Vlcers of the eyes whiche bee hard to cicatrice And to resolue all hardnes and principally of the Dugs It is likewise good for biting of mad Dogs and for the stinging of Dragons and the venimouse fish called in Greek Trigon Thalassia and in Latin Pastinaca Marina Asclepiades dooth write that it is onely for wounds maketh no mention for punctures of Nerues although it wil serue in bothe Another catagmatique medicin composed by Moschion Rec. Argenti spumae minam 1. which is 160. drach Picis aride drach 160 Seue vitulinae dra 160. Resine Terebenthine drach 80. Manne thuris drach 80. Cerae drach 40. Eruginis oppoponacis Galbani ana drach 8. Olei ricini hemi 1. Aceti hemi 1. Licorice cicamini hemi 1. Picis liquid ciath 3. The manner to boil this Vnguent is thus First you shall boile the Litarge and the Oile togither then ad to the Calues greace and after that the Manna and the Thuris let them be stirred continually til they be incorporated theÌ„ you shall put to it the Pich the wax and the Turpentine and consequently the others which must be boyled in fourme of an Emplaister after that you shall ad to the Galbanum Eruge and Oppoponax dissolued in Vinagre then ye shall take the licour of Cicamini and the liquid Pich and boil them in another vessel and when they bee melted togither and somwhat thick you shall mingle them with the others and set them on the fire again til they come to a perfit consistance Then you shall let it stepe in white Wine the space of iij. dayes after you may strike it vpon a linnen cloth to vse as an Emplaister This Emplaister The vertues of this Emplaister is very good in gréen wounds and for cutting and contusion of Nerues for a Fracture with a wound and with coÌ„uenient ligature dooth cause calles to ingender in bones it is likewise good in the beginning of an Hidropsye for contufion of the Testicles for Rhagadies for Tumours of the Throte called of the greeks Bronchocilas to be bréef this is a right excellent medicine FINIS ¶ The curation of wounds of Nerues Tendons ioints THe cause of solution of continuitie the whole and sound partes in Nerueus places may chaunce diuers waies that is to say by contusions as blowes with Stones Staues Hammers Clubs Hargubush Crossebowes bitings and such other like Likewise it may come by sharp and pricking Instruments As a Bodkin Speare Dart Thorne or venimouse Beast or such like Also by cutting with a swoord or Knife Of the which wounds some be made acording to the length of the Tendone Nerue or Sinew Membrane or Caule and others according to the bredth with great incision and some meane or lesser of the which hurts these accidentê may folow As pain vehement fluxion inflamation Feuer losse of reason Sinope Apostume Gangrena and mortification of the whole parte and ofteÌ„ times death by reason of the communication and consent that they haue with the Brain and other noble partes Moreouer it is to bee vnderstanded that when the Nerues or Tendones bee but half or little cut the wound is more daungerous then if they were cut quite a sunder That which couereth the Scul And so is it with the Periosten pericranium and membranes or because that the portion or parte that is cut doth drawe him self to his beginning which causeth conuultions and Cramps but when they be wholly cut there foloweth no accidents Insomuch that they haue no contrarietie when they retire the which is manifestly seen in the woundê of the head for where the Pericranium is but half cut the accidents are more vehement then when it is wholly cut as we may dayly sée by example when we make incision to apply the Traepan And amongst all the hurtes of the Nerues the prickings bringeth moste pernicious and terrible accidents by reson that the orifice is so small that the humour cannot issue out but remaineth within and there gathereth a sharpnes whiche drincketh into the Nerues and Tendons and dooth cause them to swel and by the swelling they are shortned wherof commeth suche pain that it causeth most painful cramps and such other like accidents as before hath béen said The cure of punctures of the Nerues FOr the curation there are two things to be considered that is to say to appease the pain and to defend the parte afflicted from fluxions and Apostumation for the accomplishing of the whiche you shall applye vpon the wound at the beginning a dessiccatiue medicine of a thin and suttle substance to the end it may penetrate more easy the botom of the prick and consume the moisture therin which other wise wold cause an egre sharpnesse as afore said which sharpnes would bring great pain and accidents Wherfore you shall apply Oil of Turpentine with a little Aquauitae wel rectified or Euphorbium and Sulpher poudred and incorporated togither and applyed very warme or els Oile of Vitroel and Aqua vite and round about the place this Cataplasma folowing Rec. Farine hord orrob ana vnces 2. Sirup acetosi vnces 3. Flor. Camomil two handfuls Lixiuii qui sufficien fiat Cataplasma If by this order the paine dooth not ceasse and that there be any contraction of Nerue you shall apply speedily hot seething Oil with lint beeing dipt in it as well at the botome as the edges of the wound which must be doon two or thrée times at one dressing for by this kinde of Cauterization you shall ceasse the pain by reason of the burning of the Oile the Nerues or Tendons dooth loose their sensible feeling Of the wounds of the ioints THe wounds of the ioynts are for the moste parte mortall by reason of their deneruations or Tendones and membranes with the which is mingled Nerues for the which cause they haue greater feeling for the Nerues beeing mingled with them causeth more pain which pain bringeth this
common Chirurgians for when they begin the cure they make fomentation with hot water wherein hath béen boyled Mallowes Violets and such like then after the fomentation they apply an appeaser of pain made with the crummes of white Bread béeing mingled with the yolke of an Egge Oil of Camomil and Oil of Roses The which things are altogither contrary to the Punctures of Nerues For asmuch as their application dooth moisteÌ„ to much the Neruous places and retaineth or kéepeth in the matter whiche is all redy come to the place and if there be any apostume it dooth augment and encrease him and causeth the matter to assend vp to the brain wherby ensueth conuolsion and finally death Wherfore to auoide this daunger and to follow the cure methodically you shall haue first a regarde to the Euacuation of the body and if the strength of the patient be good to vse Flebetonice Reuolsiue or according to the cause of the gréef Then to take a way that whiche is redy conioinct you shall enlarge the Orofice to the end that the medicin may the better penetrate to the bottom and take away the sharpnes of the humor In this case I haue found very profiitable the Oil of Hippiricon prepared in this forme that is to say with Venice Turpentine and for one vnce of the said Oil you shall take half a scrupple of Euphorbium which shal be applyed very hot with pledgets vpon that a Plaister made with Propolis Gum ammoniack and Wax asmuch as shall suffise By this meanes the matter which is drunk into the Nerues or tendons shal be drawen out to the outwarde partes Also for this intent I haue found profitable Linseed Oile and Enphorbium of eche like muche with the xx parte of Sulpher béeing very finely poudred with Perosin and wax as much as shall suffice to make an Vnguent This Vnguent dooth heat moderatly attract and dissicate and is of a subtil facultie with the which by the help of God the Chirurgians shall get bothe honor and profit The sixth error is touching the abuse of the runners about called cutters for the stone and Ruptors AMong the common Runnees about which vse to cut for the stone and Ruptures is vsed a great abuse and to be lamented of any christian hart for vnder this cure of cutting the Hernyes they doo miserably take away the stone aswell in the Hernia aquosa or ventosa as in all the rest the which is vnmanly and against the wil of God and they doo not only vse it in men but moste of all in little Children therfore it should be very good for the parents which haue their Children in any maner of wayes troubled with any kinde of Hernies that before they commit their Children to léese their stones and some times liues by any of these that bee Runnagates for so may I wel terme them that they shew them to some learned Chirurgian to the end that he may sée what kinde of Hernies they haue and so to discerne the Aquosa or Ventosa from Intestinale or Omentales For certainly I haue séen Hernies in childreÌ„ which came by the relaxasion or deuision of the PeretoneuÌ„ haue been perfitly healed by the apt applying of glutinatiue medicins such otherlike without cutting or taking away of the Testicle But such is the couetouse desire of these Runners whiche make the parents beléeue that it cannot bee helped without their butcherly cutting and for to intrapmony for they be as greedy after it as any liuing thing is after their pray not hauing the fear of God before their eies but like gréedy gripers catch what they may for the time and care not what become of them afterwardes whether they liue or die wee haue had it by experience of them what harme they haue doon bothe by the murdering cruelly and also laming with continual pain for when they come rushing into England and haue suche a great name at their first comming But after when their woorkê be tried and then the proof of them seen the people for the moste parte are wery of them and many a fatherlesse childe and widdow which they haue made may lament the time that euer they knewe them and many others which is not a few bide tormentê and pain by the dealing with them I dare affirme they neuer did any cure in this Realme but that there be English men which haue doon the like and greater Suche is the folish fantasyes of our English nation that if he bee a Straunger he shall haue more fauourers then an English man though the English mans knowledge doo far passe the others as experience therin hath shewed and this I wil stand to the proof that ther be English men that shall in all things doo asmuch bothe by learning and experieÌ„ce as any of them all Paraduenture you wil obiect and say that there be Straungers which haue doon cures which some English men haue refused I wil graunt that it may be so for there bee a great many of vnlearned Chirurgians which take vpon them the art look what they doo it is by blinde chauÌ„ce and so through their blindenes some are marred wherby after it falls to a straungers chaunce to doo it and then it is giuen out that all the ChirurgiaÌ„s in London could not doo it and so the whole company is defamed and euil thought of but I could shewe to the contrary where the straungers haue left and could not doo English men haue doon it diuers times which if néed be I can bring the proof and no small sort whiche to name I will omit til another time more meet And now to return to the matter sée how long any of these cutters doo tarry in a place some a quarter of a yéere some half and none scant a yéer for it wil bee to hot for them for after their beastlines is once knoweÌ„ then they must seek a new place for if they should tary in one place they would bee hated like mad Dogs that they knowe wel inough Now for because that they shall not deceiue the coÌ„mon people with their fair promises I wil write all the kindes of Ruptures or burstings and how to knowe euery one of them to the end that if any ChirurgiaÌ„ which hath not the knowledge may straight at the first sight knowe what may be doon and so to enforme the parents of the Children the trueth of it what the Cutter may doo in it for moste commonly they bee so ignorant that they knowe not the one from the other therfore as I haue said before it is néedfull for the Patients to haue an expert chirurgiaÌ„ to aprooue him and sée whether hee be able to fulfill that which he promiseth or no. Now I will begin to treat of the kindes of Ruptures and first I wil begin with the deuision of them in generall and then perticulerly Of the viij kindes of Hernies THere be eight kindes of Hernies or Ruptures wherof soÌ„e haue
thighe néer vnto the knee Also they are within the palmes of the hands and the soules of the feet Of tendoÌ„s their â—â—â—de â—ormes situations Now we wil return to the matter in wouÌ„ds of Nerues you must not make fomentation with hot water as the Phisitions before Galenes time did nor yet vse Cataplasmus made with wheat meal and boyled with Hidrelaeum for Galen made onely fomentation with Oile and the medicines aforsaid by which menes he healed many And béeing but of the age of xxviij yeeres at whiche time hée came from Alexandrin into his owe contrey did inuent and deuise the maner to cure the wounds of Nerues A note of Galen and since that time hath been many goodly cures by the method and midicines aforesaid And now for an example marke this history which is recited Vpon a time among others there was a certain Captain af war the whiche had a wound in his thigh transuersales the whiche wound was of a great deapth that the one side was drawen vpwarde the other downwarde towarde the knée for to heale the said wound Galen did not dout to stich it in the musculous partes Neuerthelesse he gaue good respect in touching of any Tendon for he knew that the muscles might wel be stitched without daunger and not the tendones albeit that some ancient Phisitions doo stich but onely the vpper lips of the skin though the wound be neuer so deep for they did fear to stich the muscles and there were others whiche would stich the fleshey parts of the muscles but they were of the vpper parte of the wouÌ„d and not in the depth Wherfore when there did chaunce any déep wound béeing transuersales he did boldely stitch the musculous partes As for the other woundê made according to the length of the member it is not néedful to stitch them for with good and conuenient rowling the musculous parts may wel be agglutinated Therfore they which be ignorant in the Anothomy doo fear to stich the membranes with the muscles but Galen beeing learned in that matter did stiche them safely without danger although that the large Tendones are muche like the membranes yet for all that there is difference for the Tendones be more hard and of a grocer substance then the said membranes be The differeÌ„ce betwen the tendoÌ„s and membranes Except it be in the muscles of Abdomen which the Prince Auicenna calleth Mirac for in that place they be very tender and suttle as the membranes be in all points except it be in the straight muscles By this it appéereth that the iij parte of Phisick which the gréeks call Chirurgia that is to say the which is exercised by handy operation Pharmaceutice that is to say by medicines as to the Apothecary Diaitetice by regiment of the life haue néed one of the other wherfore he whiche dooth take vpon him this profession ought exactly to be exercised in these iij. Note this place wel After that he first hath had the perfet knoweledge of the Theorick that is to say speculatiue in the whiche is taught the method to cure by reasons and Demonstrations and if he be ignorant in any of these he is not worthy to be called a good Chirurgion and shall neuer be able to doo any thing which shal be to the profit or easement of his Patients The composition of medicines for wounds of the Nerues made of metalles AMongst the metalls you must auoid them which are astringant and principally in the prickings of the Sinewes The substance of metalls But the abstersiues as Aeris squama others are profitable And this must be noted that all metalls are partly of a groce and terrene substaÌ„ce because that there dooth contain in them much earthy nature wherfore they doo require to be prepared to the end that they may be more suttle One way to prepare them is this To prepare the metals First the said metalls ought to be laboured in a morter onely with very strong Vinagre which hath a pearcing facultie and ought to be so laboured very long Ther be some of the said metalls that wil not wel be beaten although they be very long labored Neuerthelesse they may easely be dissolued as Chalcitis misy and such like but others may be beaten and redused into poulder as Aeris Squama and such others And this you shall note that Chalcitis Erugo if they be burnt they haue lesse sharpnes in theÌ„ wherfore the greater quantitie may be occupyed when any medicine is made The Pastils or Trocis of Andronis Poluidas and Pacion be right excellent and conueniable in wounds of Sinews so that they be dissolued in Sapa as they ought Excellent pastils Sapa is made of Must Sapa and wherof it is made that is to say sodden Wine but the said Must ought to be made of swéet Raysons and not of sower which are Abstersiues and of the latter running of the Tub the whiche wine must be boyled vnto the consumption of the half and with the said Wine the Pastils may be dissolued to be applyed vnto the Nerues which lye bare But when you vse them you shall take that kinde of Polidas for they be moste temperate and principally in these bodyes which are temperate tender in which bodyes all the kindes of Pastils ought not tobe vsed but medicins according which we haue al redy spoken of and wil speak héerafter for all bodies be not of one temperature for they differ in thrée things that is to say as for their temperature secondly in the augmentation of their age and last in their states and exersises as they whiche woork much or liue idlely Wherfore it foloweth that no medicine can bee conuenient A method worthy to be noted in all bodyes And for this cause you must haue two sortes of medicines the one strong and the other weke and then when necessitie dooth require According to the temperature of the body the midicine ought to be compounded prepared and applyed the mixtures may be according to the temperature of the body ¶ Medicins for strong and boisterous people Rec. Aeris squama parte 3. Misyos crudi partes 2. Chalciteos cruda parte 1. Cerae parte 12. At the beginning when Galene prepared this medicament hée did put to it Arsenicon and after that when he sawe that it was superfluous he left it out ¶ Medicine for delicate and tender complexions Rec. Misyos combusti Chalcitidis vsti ana parte 1. Aeris squamae partes 4. Cerae parte 18. Medicin for mean complectioÌ„s whiche Galen did often vse Rec. Misyos vsti Chalcities vstae Erugini vstae ana parte 1. Aeris squamae part 3. Cerae part 5. For to make these medicines the quantitie of the Oile ought to exceed the quantitie of the Wax Note that Galenes pound is but xii vnces as if there be viij vnces of Wax you shall put xij vnces of Oile which is a