might be hurtful vnto the same and then to procéede with locall remedies by outward application vnto the greued part This is Galens doctrine also that no strong medicine shal be outwardly applyed for the resoluing of inflammations before the bodie be purged And furthermore in virulent and malignant vlcers which Galen nameth Cacoethe and where the bodie is full of euill and vicious humors which humors Galen calleth Caccochimia these faith Galen must be purged away before we procéede to the cure of the vlcer for otherwaies the vlcer may not be cured and if it bée it wil come againe either in the same place or else in some other or else the same humors not being euacuated may be the cause of some other greater disease in the body worse then that which was cured wherfore Galen doth reproue Thesalus in his fourth booke called Therapenticon saying Thesalus goeth about to cut away the lippes of the vlcer to apply his Malagma of Mustard seede by meanes whereof he hath inflamed all the parte and made the vlcer worse then it was before not taking any indication of the affect neither yet of the cause thereof by meanes whereof he committed great errour as Galen doth say and was accompted for a rude emperike and for an vnskilfull Phisition Obiectiō Why sir it séemeth to mée by your wordes and by the saying of these men that be learned in the arte that Phisicke and Chirurgerie are both one arte and I will assure you if these woordes be true which you recite of Hippocrates and Galen that they were both Phisitions and Chirurgions and vsed all the whole arte together then I must néedes concéeue that the vsing of all these partes together made them so excellent men and of such notable fame and that your deuiding the arte in two partes and exercising the same seuerally hath made you that be both Phisitiōs and Chirurgions vnexpert to the greate detriment and ill report of the whole arte Wherefore I most hartely desire you for that that I may know both the art and the artist the better to declare the diuision of these fiue parts which you haue spoken of before perteining vnto these artists Sir I will right gladly doe the best that I can to satisfie your desire although I haue not that learning in the Gréeke and Latine tongue which I would wish for your sake that I had and also which this arte doeth require in him that shall presisely set footh the same yet with the little learning that I haue and according to reasō and experiēce which two be the foundatiōs of euerie arte as Galen doth say in his third booke de Methodo medendi I will doe my indeuour to declare vnto you these parts in as few woords as I can desiring you to accept my good will and if I haue left out any thing by the reasō of the briefenesse of my writing which other learned men doe finde fault with all thē I most heartely desire them both for curtesie and humanitie sake to amend the faults that they shall finde and in so doing they shal not onely be profitable to the cōmon welth in the furtheraunce of this arte but also bynde mee during my life to honor them serue them and loue them and incourage mée to take further paines to the vttermost of my power Now that wée may accomplish our former talke as concerning these fiue parts pertaining to the arte of medicine which haue bene set out by these names of the auncient Phisitions long before Galens time as I haue declared vnto you before The parts Phisiologia Pathologia Hygiena Semiotica Theraputica Partaining to the arte of medicine The first part called Phisiologia is that which doth cōsider the vnnaturall thinges whereof the bodie of man is made as Elementes temperaments humours members spirites vertues and operations The Elements be foure as Fier Ayer Water and Earth The humours be foure also as Bloud Choller Flegme Melācholy And the temperaments be foure likewise as hot colde moyst and drye These foure are the matter whereby all the members of the bodie are made with the temperamentes and spirites therein conteined and he that shall cure the bodie of man rightly must chiefely vnderstand how to cōserue euery one of these by their like and to expel and remoue from them their contraries For the knowledge of these it doth behoue the artist to haue long experience and chiefely in that part which wee call the Anathomie of mans bodie which is the deuiding and seperating of dead bodies that wée may therby vnderstand all the partes of the same bodie with theyr position figure number place nature temperature office and affects and also to know their names and true diuisions and which be similer and which be compound and instrumentall for of the simuler and simple members the compound are made Simuler parts be these bones cartilages ligamentes membranas or panicles fleshe nerues arteries veines fatnesse and the skinne These be called simuler parts whereof the instrumentall or compound partes are made and some requireth more of these and some lesse according to the necessitie of the member for some member doth require all these and some doth not The compound or instrumentall members be the head the heart the liuer the legges the eyes and all other like Which member both simuler and compounde the Chirurgion ought to know with their natures temperatures and actions and their other necessarie properties or else he cannot rightly cure them when they are greued and hurt But in the curing of them that he hurt he shall distemper them that be quiet for how can he conserue the right temperament of any thing whose temperature he knoweth not that is vnpossible except it be by chaunce as the blinde man shooteth at a Crowe and hitteth one by misfortune or as Galen doth compare him which knoweth not the partes of mans bodie with their nature vnto a blinde Carpinter which cannot sée his woorke cutting more or lesse then is necessarie by meanes whereof his woorke doth neuer come to a good perfection Therefore who so euer is not expert as I haue saide before in the temperamentes and natures of these parts he can neither cure woūds nor vlcers neither yet any other thing rightly neither can he tell by what way the vlcer or wound shal be cured neither whether it may be cured or not neither yet whether any cause doe remaine that may let the curation neither how to remoue the same nor whether nature and strength may suffer the same causes to be remoued nor how to maintaine the strength and temperaments of the same bodie for he being ignorant in these seuen naturall thinges whereof the bodie of man consisteth which bodie being subiect to the arte of medicine he must of necessitie I say be also ignoraunt not onely of the preseruation of health with his temperaments but also to be ignoraunt in the curation of hurtes and diseases which chaunceth vnto our bodies Wherefore in
fewe woordes I haue proued here bothe by reason and by experience that the knowledge of this part named Phisiologia doeth chiefely and specially apertein to the arte of Chirurgerie and without the knowledge hereof we shal neuer rightly or methodically cure any maner of woūd griefe or disease neither is he worthie to take the name of a Phisition neither yet of a Chirurgion but to be called by the name of an Emprike or experimenter curing onely by chaunce without any reason but euen as the blinde Carpenter which Galen hath spoken of before sometime cutting to much and some time to little and many times marring all his woorke for want of skill ere that he beware Now to conclude for this first part he that will be further instructed herein let him reade Hip. de natura hominis humoribus elamentis de natura formatione fetus many other bookes of Hyppocrates and chiefelie that where he diuided the similer parts As Osteotome that is to saie the diuision of the bones Condrotome the Cartalages Syndestmotome the ligaments Arteriotome the Arteries Phlebotomae veines Neurotome the nerues Miotome diuiding of the Muscles Tenontotome the tendons c. There be diuers other bookes of Galen which be verie profitable to be read for this matter as his bookes of Anathomie also his bookes De temperamentis de optima corporis constitutione de facultatibus naturalibus de placitis Hippocrates Platonis de motu musculorum de causis respirationis and manie more worthie bookes of his which we will let passe There bée manie other bookes also written by diuerse men as Guido and other which doe intreate of these naturall things and speciallie of the Anatomie of mans bodie and for that you may the easilier better vnderstand these naturall things which euerie Chirurgion ought to know and haue in perfect memorie to that end he may remoue those things which doth hurt them or let them of their perfect operation which you may easilie knowe if you vnderstand their natures and properties figures c. Which Table followes héereafter as you may heholde Naturall things Eelements be foure Fire Aire Water Earth Temperaments Simple be foure Hot. Colde Moist and Drie Equall one Cōpound be foure Hot and Drie Hot and moist Colde and moist Colde and drie Foure humours Sanguine Flegmatike Cholerike and Melancholie Members Similer Bones veines arteries cartilage flesh fatnesse pannicle ligament nerues and skinne cōpound Head heart liuer lungs armes and legges Three faculties Animall Vitall and Naturall Operations or actions Animall Feeling and moouing Vitall Beating of the pulse And breathing Naturall Generatio Auctio and Nutritio Spirites be three in nūber Animall Vitall Naturall In The braine The Heart The Liuer Pathologia is that part of the arte which hath the knowledge of sicknesse against nature with their Symptoma and accident and they be thrée in number that is to saie sicknesse it selfe the cause of sicknesse and the accidents which followeth after sicknesse sicknesse it selfe may come two waies either of outward causes or of inward causes we do commonlie call the outward causes primatiue the Gréekes call them Cathertica the inward causes we do cōmonlie name Antecedent or Internam The affectes commonlie followe these causes and if the affectes come of outward causes then commonlie they be wounds contusions fractures dislocations biting of mad dogs of serpents c. If they come of inward causes then they make tumors against nature as Phlegmō Eresipula Oedema Sirrhus with many kinde of malignant and stubburne vlcers to be cured which tumours and vlcers cannot be made whole except their causes with their euill affects may be remoued and taken awaie I suppose that there is no man but hée will iudge this part of the art chieflie to pertaine to Chyrurgerie for that it taketh cure of wounds vlcers and tumors against nature as I haue said before Then if this part doe appertaine to the art of Chyrurgerie as it is most certaine it doeth it behoueth the Chyrurgion perfectlie and rightlie to vnderstand what kinde of sicknesses there be with their differences names what partes of the bodie these sicknesses may be in and what manner of sicknesse it maketh in the same partes As for example euill complection maketh a distemperature in the similer parts euil constitution or euil cōposition maketh a deformitie or imbecilitie in the instrumentall partes And solution of vnitie or continuitie chaunceth both in the similer partes and instrumentall And all these doe appertaine to the Chirurgion to haue most exact knowledge of for he that taketh vpon him to cure an vlcer or a wound or anie other manner of griefe and doth not know the nature of the parts neither yet what part it is in neither yet the cause neither how to remooue the same cause it is vnpossible as I haue sayde before that he shoulde cure the same griefes or diseases rightlie And therefore these blinde emperikes that haue neither reason nor method to leade them to doe those things which they dailie doe I saie their dooings are so pernitious that many people taketh great hurt thereby shall I saie hurte nay rather brought to vtter destruction and many times to death The Symptoma or accidents which followeth sicknesse is also diuided into thrée partes The first is the qualitie being altered as with vehement heate in Phlegmon The action or function hurt but not vtterlie depriued The action vtterlie depriued and taken awaie For these causes aboue rehearsed it is speciallie required that a Chirurgion shoulde be learned and also to haue greate experience that hée maye rightlie iudge and discerne one disease from another with their natures and causes to the end that when you come to the curation thereof you may take right indications what to do first what next and so foorth to the end for other waies you may applie medicines nothing fit for the purpose but those that might doe great harme and you might also applie those first that would be applied last and those last which should be applyed first and in the end marre all your workes as the blinde Carpenter doth Thus farre I haue proued for Phisiologia to be one part of Chyrurgerie or of the Art of curing as we may tearme it and I thinke there is no man that will count him to be a right Chyrurgion that lacketh this part of the Arte or that is not verie expert in the same And for the further knowledge héereof there be certaine bookes appointed of Galen and other auncient writers that you may reade concerning the same part as hereafter followeth Libro Hippocrates de Morbis libro Epedimsorum Hippocrates Galen de locis affectis Galen de Morbis Symptomatis de 4. temporibus morborum Galen de differentijs morborum causis Smptomatis Galen de inequali intemperie Galen de arte Medica Galen de tumoribus praeter naturam Hippocrates de Vulneribus vlceribus Fistulis fracturis immorodibus c. And also
maligne we may vse these names indifferentlie that is to saie we call them Cachoethae inueterate or Diuturnus In like manner the affect of the disease called Cachoethae that is to saie stubburne and rebellious to be cured that maketh some thing for our purpose to know neuerthelesse the saide diuturnitie of the saide vlcers because they come againe or be of long continuance waxe olde haue no conuenient indication of curing but that must hée considered because the vlcerate part is ill affected that ill affect béeing once knowen the cure is manifest But thou wilt aske how can this be done trulie if thou wilt heale the vlcerate part affected thou must first take awaie the abundance and corrupt vicious humors from all the bodie for in cleansing awaie the same the diuturnitie is taken awaie but the finding out which is profitable to vs commeth not first of the diuturnitie but of the ill disposition malignitie of the humour by meanes whereof these thrée things following must chiefly be considered that is the signe the affect and curation The signe is the diuturnitie or continuance of the vlcer the affect is the vicious humours repairing to the vlcer and the curation is the taking awaie of the saide humours By this meanes you shall finde that the auncient Phisitions manie times after the first made mention of the third leauing the middlemost as Hyppocrates did whē he said it is vtill to cause the bloud to flowe out often of inueterate vlcers But it is inutill that the indication curatiue should be taken of the diuturnitie of the vlcer but of the ill disposition of the bloud For a little after he saith thus the vice and euill bloud hindereth greatlie the cure of the said vlcers Also putrefaction of the bloud all things that commeth by transmutation of the bloud letteth also the curation of the sayd vlcers And afterward he speaketh of vlcers that come not to a cicatrise The vlcers trulie saith he may not be closed together if the lips and partes that are rounde about be swart or blacke with rotten bloud or Varises that causeth the fluxe if you cure not the sayd partes that bée about it they will not come together And afterward hée writeth of the cure of Varises and then maketh mention of the purging of all the bodie as well in woundes as in Vlcers where feare of daunger or putrefaction in Gréeke called Sphaselos doth remaine and besides in Vlcers called Herpes and Esthioninus that is to saie which doe erode and eate the skinne And thus Hyppocrates is wont to call those vlcers after this sorte wherein anie ill humour doth cause erosin And thus when he speaketh of them that ensueth he saith in such wordes In euerie Vlcer whereas chanceth Erisipelas all the bodie must be purged And finallie if you reade diligentlie the booke of vlcers you shall finde that he taketh Indication alwaies of the affect of the disease if he haue anie consideration of time it is onelie to knowe the affect And that it is so you may know it in the beginning of the said booke which concludeth thus You may not minister anie moist thing to Vlcers what vlcers so euer they be but wine Then sheweth hée the cause and saith Drie vlcers are néerest to health and moist the contrarie then after he saith it is an vlcer for that it is moist but if it be dry it is whole Therfore in all his cure in as much as he hath constituted the end of al the cure of vlcers to be drinesse it ought to be considered Then he findeth out the perticular thinges admonishing vs manie times of the same end writing in this manner Euerie wound that is diuided with a cutting Instrument receiueth medicines in the beginning that ought to be applied to rawe and bloudie wounds the which Medicamentes in Greeke is called Enaimon which is drying and letteth the wound to come to suppuration for it is more drier by the reason of the bloud which floweth out of it And agayne Hyppocrates sayth All vlcers that are well purged they come sooner to drynesse and ciccatrize but if anie superfluous flesh do grow it is by the reason of some contusion And againe he saith if that anie of the wound cannot consode together the moistnesse is the cause thereof In all these sayings Hyppocrates admonisheth vs of the first Indication curatiue of all Vlcers for of a truth the curation of an Vlcer for as much as it is an vlcer is moderate drynesse whereof the demonstration hath bene giuen in the booke going before For the curation of an vlcer that is coniunct with another affect whereof the cure ought to procéede is not like to a simple vlcer for the first curation of such a one as is coniunct with anie other affect shall begin first of the same affect and then at the vlcer For if there be either Phlegmon or swart coulour or Ecchymosis or Erysipilas or Oedema in the vlcerate part first you must begin the curation at one of the sayde affectes Neuerthelesse all men knowe well that sometimes these Vlcers are not well cured but are made greater for that the partes round about the Vlcer is affected either with Phlegmon either by brusing either with some other tumour which should haue ben first taken awaie before you had procéeded to the cure of the vlcer And for a certaintie it is not possible to heale the vlcer if the place where these be be not first cured And therefore Hyppocrates putteth vs in memorie of those things which he hath spoken of in the beginning of his booke and also of those things before especified and of those that be present he writeth thus Euerie wound that is diuided with a cutting Instrument or sharpe pointed receiueth Medicament called Enaemon and also a medicament desiccatiue that may let the filthie mattier But if the flesh be contused or cut with a blunt weapon remedie must be giuen in such wise that it come soone to suppuratiō For in so doing it shal be the lesse molested and grieued with Phlegmon And also it is necessarie that the putrified flesh which hath bene contused incised come first to suppuration and afterward new flesh to be engendered By these wordes Hyppocrates sheweth manifestlie that all the affects of the vlcerate partes ought to be desiccated except those where Pus will sodainelye bréede And so he going forward saith that Pus commeth through some putrefaction Furthermore that all putrefaction commeth through moistures and heate and therefore the Cataplasmes made of Barlie meale séeing that they are hot and moist we will minister it to all diseases where it is expedient to engender Pus for the Barlie meale with water and oyle and likewise bread with oyle or a fomentation of much hot water or the Malagma called Tetrapharmice and to conclude all things that moist and heat ingender Pus And if in the parts where Phlegmon is there ariseth pulsation in such wise that there is no
proper part of the arte but such as is common to all men for the first indications in euerie arte are naturallie grafted in all men Wherefore if this bée sufficient to make Artists what letteth but we may build ships and make matter and all men maye readilie make shooes and garments and houses and also to be Architectistes Musitions and Rethoritions but it is not so neyther is hée a Physition that knoweth howe that there must bée made naturall vnion in the wounded parte but hée whiche vnderstandeth with what thinges that maye be done although that this is not inough if he knew not how to vse them but he onlie is a Phisition who knoweth all the way so farre vntill he may attaine his desired scope Therefore it happeneth to these methodlesse Disciples of Thessalus that presuming great thinges aboue their might they attaine not vnto those which otherwise they might For when one latelie was wounded with a Stile in the hand in such sorte that all the skinne béeing diuided some of the nerues vnder was pricked a sapient Thessalian in the beginning applyed an emplaister which hée often vsed with good successe in great wounds he thought I suppose that euerie wound had one curation but an inflammation following hée applied a Cataplasme which is made of wheat floure and so rotting the member killed him within seauen daies Neither can it bée numbred how manie haue perished by conuulsion happening into their Peoman handes Whereby if God will this Thessalians decrée may bée kept and euerie gréene Vlcer is like to bée healed and that the partes affected giuing no indication But the true methode is not as this methodlesse methode of Thessalus but euen now and that after so great Phisitions there may bée found not onelie better medicines than haue bene but also a vniuersall waie of curing for no man vsing presentlie at the beginning those medicines which we haue inuented sell into conuulsion for I truelie noted whereof a nerue was and how there followe of necessitie greater dolour than in other partes because it hath sharpnesse of féeling and that also of force there followeth inflammation except one did asswage the dolour and let the generation of inflammation Therefore it séemeth reasonable to mée that the wound of the skin bée kept open and without glutination whereby the mattier may flowe out of the wound and then to vnburthen the bodie of all superfluities and chiefelie to be carefull that the wounded parte bée frée from dolour so I haue excogitated not a fewe medicines which béeing applyed to the wound doeth meruailouslie serue both vses both to mittigate dolour and to make way to the comming out of the mattier and it shal bée more sure if the skinne be wider cut and that the bodie bée emptied by bloud letting if the Patient bée strong And if the bodie bée full of ill humours presentlie purge him and warme water although it doth much mittigate other inflammations it is most hurtfull to wounded nerues séeing their substance is made of a moister mattier refrigerated and coniealed and all such constitution is resolued and doeth putrifie by those thinges which doe both make hot and moist therefore I kept those which were thus wounded from warme water iudging it méeter to foment the place with warme oyle because that I haue also shewed that oyle béeing applyed colde doth stoppe the small pores but if it be hot it dooth digest Furthermore I fled also crude oyle called in Gréeke Omotriues and that which had an astringent faculty those which was most thinne as Sabinum which if it be two or thrée yéeres olde is the more profitable for because that which is olde doth more digest by euaporation than that which is new and how much elder it is so much it is able to digest but yet it doth lesse cease dolour in medicines All my whole scope was to haue their facultie attenuated and moderatlie heating and which might exiccate without inducing of dolour séeing that this onelie could drawe the mattier from the bottome the part being thereby neyther contracted nor yet bitten Trulie I first vsed Turpentine and Rosen both alone and mixing with it also a little Euphorbium I vsed it alone in Children and Women and generallie in softe bodies but with Euphorbium in hard bodies in like sorte also Propolis both alone and softning it also with Euphorbium and if it were more hard with some thin oyle I vse also in hard bodies Sagapenum mixing it with oyle and Turpentine and after the like sort also I vse Apoponax euen as I doe Sagapenum Also Lachrima Epreniaca is not vnprofitable if one make an emplaister of it in such sorte as wée haue made with Euphorbium but wée haue not approued this by experience as we haue done all the other for it behooueth that the inuention of remedies which commeth from a true methode doth goe before and then experience for the more certaintie to follow this and we hope that by the same Method Also Sulphure which hath not touched fire nor is stonie but of thin parts shall profite him that is wounded in the neruie partes mixing so much of it with thinne oyle as that it come to the thicknesse of Sordium or as you would saie rotten mattier which commeth out of a sore and in strong and harde bodies thou shalt profit if it bée as thicke as Honie for that is also allowed by Experience we haue also excogitated to applie to this wound washed Lime mixed with thicke Oyle which if it were washed with the Sea water it wold more profite it is best to wash it in the dogge daies and if thou doest wash it thrée or foure times the medicine is the better but in what manner such medicines are to bée prepared thou shalt vnderstand in our Commentaries which we haue set out of the composition of Medicines And it is héere sufficient for mée to shewe that I haue inuented both these and many other medicines against the woundes of Nerues séeing that I neuer sawe them vsed vnder anie Maister neither yet sée them sette out in anie of the olde Bookes of curing or in the Bookes of the faculties of the auncient Phisitions but I tooke indication of the nature of thinges which I thinke to be the office of the Phisitions which vseth a Method But this wonderfull Thessalus when he neuer yet inuented one medicine doeth affirme that euen nowe the matter of them to be knowen but the matter of many medicines which wée haue excogitated is not onelie vnknowen to Thessalus and the Phisitions before his time but vnto those which hath béene since vntill this daie For I in times past béeing called vnto one which was made rotten of these methodelsse Thessalian Phisitions and beheld that hée woulde applie that Cataplasme which is made of Wheate meale hauing no other medicine present I asked of a certaine Potter neighbour to the patient some lée and by boiling it in Barlie meale and not in oyle and water as he
did the Wheate meale I applyed it After which in like sorte the meale of Eruum boiled I applied it to the nerue the inflammation béeing inflamed and rotten by the good cure of these Thessalians I deliuered the Patient from the same putrefaction But of these woundes which putrifie with inflamation wee will largelie dispute in a conuenient place of this worke and that is now sayde is sufficient for wounded nerues And truelie among those medicines which wée haue found out manie do vse that emplaister which is made of Euphorbium Waxe and molten Rosen and so to make a composition thereof and some suppose it to be my inuention but I made it so at the first and peraduenture some mixed with it Flos Salis or such like thinges which might alter the choler and not diminish the vertue of the medicine but through ignorance one may adde such lyke things that shall change the vertue of it But wée made it of Waxe Rosen Turpentine Pitch and Euphorbium putting in one parte of Waxe of Turpentine and Pitch of each halfe a parte so that the quantitie of these two maye bée more than the Waxe or you may mixe the one of these with the Waxe and also in the scarcenesse of Turpentine you may aptlie vse Humidum pineam that is to saie moist Perrosen and also to put into these Abietenam but Scrobilina is onelie méete for harde bodies wherefore it is not to bée mixt for softe bodies therefore if thou doest mixe Humidam resinam then put that in thy Euphorbion beaten and searced to the other béeing molten let the waight of it be the twelfth part of the waxe or a little more when as thou determinest to make the medicine stronger but if it be drie as Fucta is then the Euphorbion desireth a little oyle wherefore I beating it with oile and making it to thicknesse of Honie or Sordium which is thicke mattier the other after the melting béeing colde I doe mixe them stirring them together Also I often mixe in making the medicine so much water as maye quite euapour awaie and bée consumed in melting the mixed simples But all this kinde doe most appertaine to the treatise of compounding medicines Now it suffiseth as before we haue done to put for exāples sake a fewe particularly shewing what the kinde of medicine ought to be for thou shalt finde in our woorke De simplicibus medicamentis a copious matter of medicines and you must prepare them as I shewed in the work of their compositions Wherefore it is sufficient to haue declared thus much and to passe forth to other things The curation of the wounded Nerue doth require medicines which may prouoke a moist heate and doe strongly drye and that also by the substance of their making hath power to attract and is of thinne partes truely the curatiue methode doth not onely profit to the inuention of medicines and diet but also to the vse of these which are inuented for like as before we haue declared so now also we doe affirme that he which goeth about to finde apt medicines for an Vlcer without a methode cannot vse the least of them rightly For he is able to cure by a certaine Method who vnderstandeth how much the application of the medicine hath either dryed the affect or made hot or mittigated or increased for he onely doth know how to adde vnto those which he vsed at the first or to take away from them For when one had applyed at the first to a wounded Nerue Dia Euphorbion or that he had luckely before made profe of it he shewed mée how the third daye that the wounded part had dolour and inflammation maruailing that the medicine did nothing profit I then asked the patient whether the first day when the medicine was applyed he felt not a soft heate as it were of the Sunne and he denyed to haue felt any such thing Then againe I asked the Phisition how long he had that medicine by him prepared and when he had cured with it he aunswered that he had it a yere and had cured with it two children and a young man when I demaunded of the body of the yoūg man he affirmed that it was white and soft whē I heard these things perceiuing that there lacked Euphorbium for this young mans temperature I demaund the Emplaister and also Euphorbium and taking of both so much as I thought sufficient to mixe them together I bad him soften the medicine with his handes so beat the Euphorbium diligently and these being done I bad him mixe them together and I making somewhat hot Oyle of Sauine which was olde and foment therewith the wounded part And opening lightly the puncture which was close I did put the medicine into the hole and willed him to abstain from meate I bad also the Phisition that when he did take it away at night that he should vse the oyle in like sort as he had séene mée And these being obserued the day following the affected part was found void of dolour and inflammation And all they that were present vnderstoode that to be most true that we often saye the medicine can doe no great thing except there be one that can rightly vse it For the right vse is that which procéedeth by the same Methode which we haue often set out in the bookes going before All the vse of medicines being referred vnto it colde moyst drye as vnto certaine rules which Methode these Methodlesse followers of Thessalus are not able rightly to follow neither yet Erasistratus or any other Phisitiō which hath not sought out the Elementes of bodies or hath put out other thinges than those which wée haue here comprehended The third Chapter BVut if the Nerue be not pricked but cut you must consider in what sort it is woūded Whether it be cut ouerthwart or in length and also how much of it is deuided Lette vs first put for an example that there is so great diuision of the skinne that the bare Nerue doth appeare and that this Nerue is cut in length and not ouerthwart thou shalt not apply to this Nerue any of the rehearsed medicines which are made of Euphorbium or sharpe medicines of like kinde For the bare nerue cannot now abide their force as when the skinne was betwixt it and the medicine Therfore vse thou in this case washed Lime dissolued in much oyle and also Diapompholix is verie profitable dissolued in a great quantitie of oyle of Roses and it shall be the better if both the Oyle of Roses and also the oyle to be without Salt for all the scope of curing the Nerue béeing bare is to exiccate without biting and truelie there be few medicines which can so work Therfore in this case in the Summer let him be washed in healthfull fresh water let also the Pompholix bée as is afore sayde washed because it hath many other simples which are not washed For all medicies which consist of mettalles ought to haue all these washed