The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latine and compared with the French. by Th: Johnson

CHAP. XV. Of locall medicines which may be used to a cold Gout.

LIttle doe to picke medicines availe, unlesse the body of the gouty patient shall be purged from excrementitious humours; besides also there is danger lest by the use of repelling medicines, the vi∣rulency * 1.1 of the humours may be driven into the entrailes, which thing hath bin the cause of sodaine death to many. Now in the first place we will speake of locall medicines which are thought meet for a phlegmatick juice, because this is more frequent, than that which is from

a hot cause. At the beginning in every gout, the sciatica excepted, wee must use a∣stringent things which have a faculty to binde or strengthen the joints, and to dry and waste the excrementitious humour. As, ℞. fol. sabinae m. ss. nucum cupressi ℥iii. * 1.2 aluminis roch. ℥i. gum. tragacanthae. ℥iiii. mucaginispsilii & cydon. quantum sufficit, fiat cataplasma. Or, ℞. ••••ercoris bubuli recentis lb. i. mellis ros. ℥iiii. olei ros. & aceti an. ℥ii. bulliant simulparum, fiat cataplasma. Or else, ℞. olei rosar. & myrtill. an. ℥ii. pul∣veris myrrhae & aloes an. ℥i. acaciae ℥liss. incorporentur cum aqua gallarum coctarum, & fiat unguentum. Some boyle sage, camomile and melilote flowers, wormewood and * 1.3 dane-wort, of each a handfull in a sufficient quantity of vinegar, then they put the grieved part into this decoction being warme; & by frequent using this medicine, it hath beene found to repell and consume the noxious humour, not onely cold, but also cholericke, and also to strengthen the part. The fresh faeces of Olives layd to the part, asswage paine: dryed Oranges boiled in vinegar, beaten and applyed doethe same. Or, ℞. medii corticis ulmi lb. ss. caudae equin. stoechad. consolid. majo∣ris, * 1.4 an. m. ss. aluminis roch. thuris an. ʒiii. farin. hordei ʒv. lixivii com. quantum suf∣ficit, fiat cataplasma ad formampultis satis liquidae. Commonly then when as the part swelleth up, the paine is lessened, for that the expulsive faculty driveth the humour from the center into the circumference of the part, that is, from within outwards; for in like sort, such as have the tooth ach have lesse paine when their cheekes be∣gin to swell.

After repercussives, wee must come to those which evacuate the conteyned hu∣mour by evacuating or resolving it. For every defluxion of humours remaining in any part requires evacuation. Neither must we marvaile thereat, if the digested hu∣mour doth not vanish at the first time; for we must have regard to the cold phlegme which is thick and viscide; as also of the part which is ligamentous, membranous and nervous, and consequently more dense than fleshy parts. ℞. rad. Bryon. sigilli * 1.5 beat. Mariae an. ℥iv. bulliant in lixivio, postea terantur, & colentur per setaceum, adden∣do farin. hordei & faburum an. ℥i. olei chamaem. ℥iii. fiat cataplasma. Or, ℞. farin. hor∣dei & lupin. an. ℥iii. sulphuris vivi & salis. com. an. ℥i. mellis com. ℥v. pul. aloës & myrrhae an. ℥ss. aq. vit. ℥i. cum lixivio fiat cataplasma. Or, ℞. succi caulium rub. aceti boni, an. ℥iiii. farin. hordei ℥iss. pul. Hermodactyl. ℥ss. vitellos ovorum nu. iii. olei cha∣maem. ℥iii. croci ℈ii. some burne the roots and stalkes of colworts, and mixe the a∣shes with hogs greace and the powder of Orris, and so make a pultis. Or, ℞. La∣ctis vaccini lb. ii. micae panis albi quantum sufficit, bulliant simul; addendo pulveris subti∣lis * 1.6 florum••homaem. & meliloti an. m. ss. croci ℈i. vitellos ovorum nu. iiii. ol. rosar. ℥iii. butyri recentis ℥i. terebinth. ℥ii. fiat cataplasma ad formam pultis satis liquidae. This Cata∣plasme may be applyed with good successe, not only to phlegmatick & cold, but also to any gout, at any time to mitigate the extremity of the pain in men of any temper, and it must bee changed twice or thrice a day. Also Treacle dissolved in wine, and annoy▪ ted on the part, is sayd to asswage this paine. You may for the same pur∣pose make and apply emplasters, unguents, cerats and liniments: This may bee the forme of an emplaster. ℞. gummi ammoniaci, bdelii, s••yracis, an. ℥ii. cum aceto & * 1.7 aqua vit. dissolve, & adde farin. foenugr. ℥ss. olei chamaem. & anethi, an. ℥ii. cerae quantum sufficit, fiat emplastrum molle. Or, ℞. rad. bryon. sigill. beat. Mariae, an. ℥v. bulliant in lixivio completè, & colentur per setaceum, addendo olei cham. ℥iiii. sevi hirci∣ni ℥iiii. cerae nov. quantum sufficit, fiat emplastrum molle. Or, ℞. gum. ammon. opo∣panacis galbani, an ʒii. dissolvantur in aceto, post••a colentur, adde olei li••iorum, iere∣binth. venet. an ℥i. picis navalis, & cer. nov. quantum sufficit; fiat emplastrum mol∣le. Or else, ℞. succi r••d. enul. camp. & ebuli an. ℥iii. rad. alth. lb. ss. coquantur & co∣lentur per setaceum, addendo storum cham. melil. sambuci, rorismar. & hyperici an. p. ii. nucum cupressi, nu. iiii. ol. cham. aneth. hyper. liliorum, de spica an. ʒii. pi••guedinis ana∣tis, gallin. anseris an. ʒss. ranas virides vivas nu. vi. catellos duos nuper natos, bulliant omnia simul, in lb. ii. ss. vini oderiferi, & unâ aquae vit. ad consumptionem succorum & vini, & ossium catellorum dissolutionem, & fortiter exprimantur; expressioni adde terebinth. ℥iii. cer. quantum sufficit. fiat emplastrum molle. Also, Emp. de vigo. Oxicroce∣um, de mucilaginibus, de meliloto and the like mixed together, and softened with a

little oyle or axungia, are of the like faculty, and good for the same purpose.

Let this be the forme of an ointment. ℞. anserem pinguem, & imple catellis duobus, * 1.8 de quibus deme cutem, viscera, caput & pedes; item accipe ranas nu. x. colubros detra∣cta cute in frusta dissectos nu. iv. mithridat. & theriac. an. ℥ss. fol. salviae, rorismar. thy∣mi, rutae, an. m. ss. baccarum lauri, & juniperi conquassat. an. ℥i. pulveris nuc. moschat. zinzib. caryophyl. & piper. an. ʒi. de co quod stillabat fiat unguentum vel linimentum cum cera & terebinth. veneta, pauca aqua vitae addita; this marvelously asswageth the paine of the gout arising from a cold cause. Another, ℞. Gummi pini, & lodani, an. ℥iv gummi elemi & picis naval. an. ℥ss. terebinth. venet. clarae ʒvi. chamaemel. & lilio∣rum an. ℥iv. vini rub. lb. i. ss. aq. vit. & salv. an, ʒvi. dissolvantur omnia simul lento igne, baculo semper agitando, deinde adde pul. ireos, flor. baccarum lauri, & hermodactyl. and ℥iiss. mastiches, myrrhae & olibani an. ℥ii. farinae fabar. ℥iv. incorporentur omnia si∣mul, fiat unguentum molle. Or else, ℞. mucag. seminis foen••gr. in aceto extract. quan∣tum volueris, cui misce mellis quantum sufficit; let them be boyled together untill they acquire the consistence of an oyntment. These things shall be changed, as often as need shall seeme to require. Also anodine and discussing fomentations are good to * 1.9 resolve; as this, ℞. fol. rutae, salv. rorismar. an. m. i. bulliant cum aceto & vino; and so make a decoction for a fomentation, which you may use not only in a cold gout, but also in a hot, because it resolveth and strengtheneth the part by astriction, and freeth it from the defluxion: you must have a care that the medicines which are used * 1.10 to paines of the gout be changed now and then. For in this kinde of disease that re∣medy which did good a little before, and now availeth, will in a short time become hurtfull.

But if the contumacy and excesse of the pain be so great, that it will not yeeld to the described medicines, then it is fit, because the disease is extreme, to use (according to Hypocrates counsell) extreme remedies, such as are those which follow. ℞. axun∣giae * 1.11 gallinae, olei laurini mastic. & ••uphorb. an. ℥i. pulver. euphorb. & pyreth. an. ʒi. fiat li∣tus; herewith let the part bee rubbed every day, for it is a very effectuall medicine. For euphorbium and pellitory by their heat attenuate and resolve, the capons grease and oile of bayes, relaxe, the oyle of mastich strengtheneth the part and hindereth a new defluxion. Also there is made a very anodine ointment of oyle of foxes, where∣in earth-wormes, the roots of elecampane and bryoni•• have beene boiled, with a lit∣tle * 1.12 turpentine and waxe; this softens, attenuates and resolves the cold humour im∣pact in the joints. Or else, ℞. seminis sinapi pulverisati, & aceto acerrimo dissoluti, ℥iii. mellis anacardini ℥ii. aquae vitae ℥i. salis com. ʒii. Let them bee all mixed together, and applyed to the pained part. Or, ℞. picis nigrae, ℥iii. terebinth. venetae ℥ii. sulphuris vivi subtiliter pulverisati ℥iii. olei quant. sufficit, liquefiant simul, fiat emplastrum; Let it bee spread upon leather, and laid upon the part for two or three dayes space, if the pati∣ent perceive any ease thereby; if otherwise, let it be changed as we said before. Some for the same purpose apply nettles thereto, and presently after wash the part in sea or salt water. Others foment the part with vineger wherein pidgeons dung hath beene boiled. A vesicatory made of very sower leaven, cantharides, and a little a∣qua * 1.13 vitae, is very powerfull to evacuate the conjunct matter. For thus the maligne and virulent serum, or whayish humour is let out, whence followes some ease of the pain. Now there are some gouty paines, which cannot bee lessened or asswaged unlesse by remedies more powerfull than the distemper, therefore vesicatories ought not to be rejected, seeing that the Ancients in this affect have also made use of actuall caute∣ries, as we shall shew hereafter. Christopher Andreas in his booke termed Oëcoitarie [that is, Domestick physicke] much commends Oxe dung wrapped in cabbage or vine leaves, and roasted in the embers, and so applyed hot to the grieved part.

Notes

• * 1.1

  It is not safe to use repercus∣sives in the gout before purging.
• * 1.2

  An astringent Cataplasme.
• * 1.3

  A discussing fo∣mentation.
• * 1.4

  One partly a∣stringent and partly discus∣sing.
• * 1.5

  Why the gouty humour doth not presently vanish upon the use of reper∣cussiv••s. Greater dis∣cussers.
• * 1.6

  A Cataplasune good for any gout at any time.
• * 1.7

  Discussing em∣plasters.
• * 1.8

  Ointments.
• * 1.9

  Discussing fo∣mentations.
• * 1.10

  Remedies must be often chan∣ged in the gout.
• * 1.11

  A great dis∣cusser.
• * 1.12

  An anodine.
• * 1.13

  A vesicatory a∣gainst the con∣tumacy of the conjunct mat∣ter.