Treatises of fistula in ano : haemorrhoids, and clysters
John Arderne
D'Arcy Power

11. Of þe maner of a ful hard cure in bolnyng of al a manneȝ arme.

[leaf 155 (in a different hand)]

11. [þ]e arme of a certane manne biganne sodenly for to ake & prik in þe buȝt of þe arme*. [in flexu brachii.] and afterward gretly to bolne fro þe shulder to þe fyngers; þe pacient, forsoþ, hauntyng or vsyng þe medycineȝ of ladieȝ, as it war by a moneþ, euermore had hymself worse. At þe last he soȝt & asked my help. And when I biheld his arme gretly bolned & replete of redenes & of brennyng & hardneȝ & akyng, ffirst I made hym ane emplastre of tartare of ale, i.[e.] dreggeȝ, & of malueȝ, & hony, & salt, & bran, & schepeȝ talowe boiled togidre to thikneȝ, & streched vpon stupeȝ and folden with a lynne cloþe. I put þe emplastre on his arme, and alsone he feled alegeance of akyng. Þe 3 day, forsoþ, remeuyng þe emplastre, þe bolnyng in party was slaked. Bot in þe buȝt of þe arme al þe colleccion or gedryng abode stille, schewyng as it schuld gadre to ane heued. Þe which y-sene, I putte to ane emplastre maturatyue of malueȝ y-soþen and y-brissed, with grese 3 daies or 4, and neþerles I perceyued neuer þe soner for to be matured, bot þe bolnyng abode mych stil. And in þe buȝt of þe arme þe skyne appered rounde with diuerse colours to þe maner of a tode,*. [ad modum bufonis.] alwaieȝ denying tokne of rupture. And in þe ground or bothme of þat gedryng was felt ane hard þing, as it war ane nutte riȝt in þe buȝt vnder vena epatica."i.[e.] lyuer vayne" Which y-sene, I putte to al a niȝt anePage  50emplastre of coluerȝ dong*. [ex fimo columbino.] & porris"lekeȝ" & garlek y-brissed with þe iuyse of apii and a gode handful of salt. And in þe mornyng remeuying it, þe place was ful of litle bladders in maner of pustuleȝ, and þer went out as it war water; þis y-sene, where þe sore semed þikker I putte vpon a cloþe schapen to þe brede of þe sore ane vntement made of blak sope and sulphure & of arsenec; aboue þat, forsoþe, þe emplastre seid afore. Þe second day, forsoþ, þat emplastre & oyntement remeued, þe skyn was vtterly bristen, and þer appered a litel hole of þe arme, and þer went out vnder blak water and holdyng in maner of groute. Þan I made putte aboue þat place chauyng of lard; aboue, forsoþe, ane emplastre þus made. Recipe: Iuyse of apii, wormode, Mugwort, netle, walwort, hony, white of ane ey, ana, and tempred with mele of ry. And if þou may noȝt haue al þise þings, þe iuyse alon of apii"smallach" with hony and white of ane ey and mele availeþ mych. And þan bigan þe ded flesch for to disseuere, And in þe arme wher war bifore þe bladders euermore went out droppes of white watire when þe arme was bare with-out þe emplastre. And in middeȝ of þe more wonde appered pappeȝ of gret flesch; and euermore þer appered (a certayne?) [unclear] *. [et semper quidam rubor in cute.] rednes in þe skyn. To þe pappeȝ, forsoþe, I made sich a poudre; Recipe viridis [æris], vitriol, auripigmentum,alum ana; And I put it to ich oþer daie; aboue þe poudre, forsoþe, I putte carpe, and at þe last aboue þat I put a litel clouth to þe quantite of þe wounde enoynted with vnguento fusco or albo or viridi. Þe rednes, forsoþe, and þe watry placeȝ I enoynted with ane oyntement made of blak sape, and poudre of sulphur; aboue, forsoþe, a dry lynnen cloute, whiche I lete lye stille to þat it wold fall away bi it-self. And þan þat place put away from it al dry skynneȝ; than eftsoneȝ I anoynted with þe forseid vntement vnto þat þe rednes & þe water went vtterly away. Þe forseid wonde, forsoþe, was fully cured in þe forseid maner. Witte þou þat þis anoyntment is best to al spotteȝ or filþeȝ of þe skyn which giffeþ oute watre and makeþ redneȝ, for itPage  51drieþ mich and doþe away rednes in euery place of þe body, out-tak in þe eiȝen.

Bot witte þou þat after þe puttyng to of þe oyntment þat is þus made—Recipe sape, sulphur & arsenec —þer appered a blak litel cruste to þe þiknes of a seme of a scho, þat was hard for to parte with þe forseid corrosiueȝ for it was mich ritted. To which I putte aboue a cautery, i.[e.] a brynnyng iren, þat þe pacient almost feled it noȝt. After þe cauteriyng forsoþe, I putte to þe schauyng of larde, as it is seid aboue, in sewyng al þings vnto þe ende.