A worthy treatise of the eyes contayning the knowledge and cure of one hundred and thirtene diseases, incident vnto them: first gathered & written in French, by Iacques Guillemeau, chyrurgion to the French King, and now translated into English, togeather with a profitable treatise of the scorbie; & another of the cancer by A.H. Also next to the treatise of the eies is adoiyned a work touching the preseruation of the sight, set forth by VV. Bailey. D. of Phisick

The third section containing the diseases of the muscles of the eies which are by som referrd to the whole eie.

CHAP. I. Of the squint eye, called in greek Stra∣bismus, in latin Strabositas or oculi di∣stortio.

STrabismu•• is a wresting or writhing, which draweth the sight vnequally: or a conuulsion and pulling of the

muscles which moue the eye: or when some muscles of the eye are loosed, and the contrary to them shortened, in such sort, that it is dravven either vpvvard, or downevvard, to the right side, or to the left. For sometime in the same part are contrary muscles, equall in number and greatnes, and strength, so that if some of them bee subiect to a palsey, a conuulsion falleth vpon the contrarye: Olde folke manye times by the dravving backe of the muscles being very drie or moist are subiect to this disease, or the like affection, as they also which haue bene vexed vvith any great disease of the head as the falling sicknesse, giddinesse or any o∣ther: I haue seene it proceede in some of hauing too much company with vvomen, the excesse vvhereof doth maruelously scatter the spirites. But commonly it is a malladie most inci∣dent vnto childrē presently after their birth, through the negligence of the Nurce, who setteth the cradle in which the infant lieth on the side of the light, & not directly contrary vnto it which maketh the children looking to the light to turne the eie on the side to it,

and thus by continuance they are ac∣customed to turne their eie awry when the muscles haue attained to a ha∣bite, because one sort of them doth so obeye and follovv the contrary which dravv them that these do grovv longer the others shorter. For the cure if the disease come of fullnesse, softenesse, palseye, in some muscles, it shalbe ne∣cessary to purge the braine and to drye it, vvherein the fore-running cause of this disease was contained, to which purpose also let him chewe thinges in his mouth, & put other into his nose, vse good diet, and strengthen the part as much as may bee vvith drying and resoluing fomentations. But if on the contrarye it is engendred by too much vvant, and emptinesse of the blood and spirites, the sicke party must b•• nourished very vvell, and vse to drinke asses milke. The particular re∣medies must bee fomentations which are moist, and the blood of a Turtle or Pigeon dropped into the eie. Paulus A Eg••neta appointed a maske for such as had this disease, to the ende they might looke alwaies straight, which is most fit for yong children. The por∣trayture

vvith the description is in Ambrose Pare his booke, which with∣out knowledge of the same set downe in the old writers hath very wittely & cunningly inuented the sayd maske & instrument as hee hath done many o∣ther, thorough the long obseruation vvhich he had in viewing many disea∣ses. Moreouer the Nurse shall drawe her hand ouer the childes eies often∣times to repaire the sight. And follo∣wing the counsaile of the old writers there shalbe some redde thing hanged and fastened vpon the temples, or on the contrary eare to the wresting of the eye, that the childe may to that turne the eye, and so amende the de∣formed sight. In like maner the cradle shalbee set vvith the contrary side to the light.

CHAP. 2 Of the shaking eye, or horse eye, called in greeke hippos, in latin equus.

HIppos is an affection of the eye comming at the first framing, and from the birth of the party where∣in the eyes cannot abide in one place,

but are alwaies shaking, and continu∣ally trembling in such maner, that you may beholde the eie going hither and thither vvithout any rest. This affection (as Galen sayth) commeth by the defaulte of the muscle which ma∣keth fast the eie, compassing the low∣est part of the sinewe of sight yet the latter anatomistes haue not founde this muscle in menne, neither haue I obserued it, albeit in Oxen it is most euident. Therefore I iudge the cause of this trembling to come not from the weakenesse of one, but rather of all the muscles. The same Authour compareth it to the naturall grinding or gnashing of the teeth, vvhich is in vs from our Natiuitie, whereupon Gor••eus accompteth it not a disease sith no Phisition hath set dovvne any cure for it.

Neuerthelesse in labouring to re∣dresse this faulte I woulde vse the in∣strument called a Maske as wee haue spoken in the former Chapiter, to the ende, that hee which were infected therevvith might not see but by that little hole, whereby the eie shoulde bee compelled to stay in that place in

looking which might cause it to re∣maine afterwarde stedfast in the same place Some thinke it best to binde or roll the eies for a short time, and a∣gaine to vnroll them, which may bee profitable in this affection as also in the squint eie.

CHAP. 3. Of the Senselesse eie, or Palsie in the eie, called in greeke paeralysis op••hal∣mou, in latin resolutio oculi.

PAralysis is taken for want of sense and motion in the whole bodie, or in any parte, as vvee see in the eie, when it canne neither bee moued to the right side not to the left, vppe, nor downe because the muscles are be∣nummed, and if any sharpe remedie bee laide to, it cannot feele the same. The causes are the flovving of the hu∣mours, and especiallie of fleume, which fall vpon the seconde paire of sinewes cōming from the braine, which spread forth their braunches into the muscles of the eie. If the whole eie be loosed it is hardly cured especially in olde folke: if it bee naturall it is vtterly incurable.

And vvhere there is hope, you must doe as followeth. The sicke must es∣chew strong wines, vaporous & grosse meates, vsing such onely, vvhich are easily digested, and make the humours thinne: if the partie be of a good com∣plexion hee shalbee let blood in the arme, thē being prepared with clisters, he shalbe purged, afterward let him vse to chewe certaine proper remedies in his mouth, and haue others put into his nose to drawe dovvne the matter, and vse vomite fasting, yet without great constraint, & also hauing bound the eye before least it might start forth thorough the vehement vomiting. There shalbe applied vnto it cupping glasses on the shoulders, with scarifi∣cation, and set bloodsuckers on the temples. His head being shauen make an embrocation of oxirodinum, where∣in a little castoreum is melted. In the particular cure the eye shalbe bathed with such herbes as are good for the sinewes, hauing vertue partly to com∣fort, partly to make thinne, and let a plaister or cataplasme bee layd vpon it made of the same hearbes putting to it a little castoreum carefully proui∣ding

that it goe not into the eye. Then the vvater of Fenell, Any∣feedes, Cynamon, Eyebright, mingled together and dropped into the eye in small quantitye are singular: so is the blood of a Turtle or Pigeon.

Notes

• Definition.
• Obseruation
• To whome this disease incident.
• Causes.
• Children most subiect to it.
• Cure.
• 3. booke.
• Ambrose Pare his paynes commended
• Auicen. Aeginet. Actua•• Oribas.
• Definition.
• Definition. med.
• Later anato∣mists dissent from Galen.
• In prognost. Hip. com 2. sect 21.
• Gorraeus.
• Definition.
• Causes.
• Prediction.
• A tried re∣medie.