hinder digestion, and often cause the matter to stinke, as also many other pernitious symptomes. Yet most usually pus or quitture appeares within three or foure dayes, sooner and later according to the various complexion, and temperament of the patients bodyes, and the condition of the ambient ayre in heate and cold. Then by little and little you must come to detersives, adding to the former medicine some Turpentine washed in Rose, Barly, or some other such like water, which may wash away the biting thereof. If the encompassing ayre be very cold, you may to good purpose adde some aqua vitae; for by Galens prescript, we must use hot medi∣cines in winter, and lesse hot in summer. Then in the next place use detersives, as ℞. aquae decoctionis hordei quantum sufficit, succi plantaginis, appij, agrimon. centaurei minoris, an. ℥j, bulliant omnia simul; in fine decoctionis adde terebinthinae venetae ℥iij. mellis rosat. ℥ij. farin. hordei. ℥iij. croci ℈j. Let them be all well mixed together and make a Mundificative of an indifferent confistence. Or ℞. succi clymeni, plantag. absinth. appij, an. ℥ij. tereb. venet. ℥4. syrup. absinth. & mellis ros. an. ℥ij. bulliant omnia secundum artem, postea colentur, in colatura adde pulver. aloes, mastiches, Ireos Florent. far. hord. an. ℥j. fiat Mundificatiuum ad usum dictum. Or else ℞. terebinth. venet. lotae in aq. ros. ℥v. olei ros. ℥j. mellis ros. ℥iij. myrrhae, aloes, mastich. aristoloch. rotundae, an. ʒiss. far. hord, ʒiij. misce. Make a Mundificative, which you may put into the wound with tents, but such as are neither too long, nor thicke, lest they hinder the evacua∣tion of the quitture and vapours, whence the wounded part will bee troubled with erosion, paine, defluxion, inflammation, abscesse, putrefaction; all which severally of themselves, as also by infecting the noble parts, are troublesome both to the part affected, as also to the whole body besides. Wherefore you shall put into the wound no tents, unlesse small ones, and of an indifferent consistence; lest (as I sayd) you hinder the passing forth of the matter, or by their hard pressing of the part, cause paine, and so draw on maligne symptomes. But seeing tents are used both to keepe open a wound so long, untill all the strange bodyes be taken forth, as also to carry the medicines, wherewithall they are annointed: even to the bottome of the wound. Now if the wound be sinuous and deepe, that so the medicine cannot by that meanes arrive at the bottome and all the parts thereof, you must doe you busi∣nesse by injections made of the following decoction. ℞. aq. hord. lib. 4. agrimon. centaur. minor. pimpinellae, absinth. plantag. an. M. ss. rad. aristoloch. rotund. ʒss. fiat deco∣ctio ad lib. j. in colatura expressa dissolve aloes hepaticae ʒiij. mellis ros. ℥ij. bulliant modi∣cum.
Inject some of this decoction, three or foure times into the wound, as often as you dresse the patient; and if this shall not be sufficient to clense the filth, and waste the spongious, putride and dead flesh, you shall dissolve therein as much Aegyptiacum as you shall thinke fit for the present necessity; but commonly you shall dissolve an ounce of Aegyptiacum in a pint of the decoction. Verily Aegyptiacum doth power∣fully consume the proud flesh which lyes in the capacity of the wound; besides also it only workes upon such kind of flesh. For this purpose, I have also made triall of the powder of Mercury, and burnt Alome equally mixed together, and found them ve∣ry powerfull, even almost as sublimate, or Arsenicke, (but that these cause not such paine in their operation.) I certainely much wonder at the largenesse of the Eschar which arises by the aspersiō of these powders. Many Practitioners would have a great quantity of the injection to be left in the cavityes of sinuous ulcers, or wounds; which thing I could never allow of. For this contained humor causeth an unnaturall tensi∣on in these parts, and taints them with superfluous moysture, whereby the regene∣ration of flesh is hindered; for that every ulcer as it is an ulcer, requires to be dryed, in Hippocrates opinion. Many also offend in the too frequent use of Tents; for as they change thē every houre, they touch the sides of the wound, cause pain, & renew other maligne symptomes; wherefore such ulcers as cast forth more abundance of matter, I could wish rather to be dressed with hollow tents, like those I formerly described to be put into wounds of the Chest. You shall also presse a linnen boulster to the bottome of the wound, that so the parts themselves may be mutually condensed by that pressure and the quitture thrust forth; neither will it be amisse to let this boulster have a large hole fitted to the orifice of the wound & end of the hollow tent and pipe, that so you may apply a spunge for to receive the quitture, for so the matter will be more speedily