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

CHAP. XIIII. Of the fourth manner of curing the Lues venerea.

SOme have devised a fourth manner of curing the Lues venerea, which is by suffitus or fumigations. I doe not much approve hereof, by reason of sundry maligne symptomes which thence arise, for they infect and cor∣rupt by their venemous contagion, the braine and lungs, by whom they are primarily and fully received, whence the patients during the residue * 1.1 of their lives have stinking breaths. Yea many while they have beene thus handled, have beene taken hold of by a convulsion, and a trembling of their heads, hands, & legges, with a deafenesse, apoplexie, and lastly miserable death, by reason of the ma∣ligne vapours of sulphur and quicksilver, whereof cinnabaris consists, drawne in by their mouth, nose, and all the rest of the body. Wherefore I can never approve the use of such fumigations which are to bee received in ••umes by the mouth and nostrills for to work upon the whole body; yet I doe not dislike of that, which is un∣dertaken for some one part onely, as to dry up ill conditioned ulcers, which so affect * 1.2 it, that they cannot bee overcome by any other meanes, or for to disperse or digest knots, or to resolve fixed paines, otherwise unmoveable. These fumigations by rea∣son

of the admixture of Argentum vivum have an attenuating, cutting, resolving, and colliquating faculty. Those who prepare these fumigations for the cure of the whole disease and body, take this course. They put the patient under a tent or cano∣py * 1.3 made close on every side, lest any thing should expire, and they put in unto him a vessell filled with hot coales, whereupon they plentifully throw Cinnabaris, that so they may on every side enjoy the rising fume, just after the same manner as Farriers use to smoake their horses for the glaunders: they repeat this every day so long, un∣till they begin to fluxe at the mouth. The principall matter or basis of such fumigati∣ons, as we have already noted, is cinnabaris consisting of sulphur and argentum vivum mixed together; there is added also, radix ireos flor. thus, olibanum, myrrha, juncus * 1.4 odoratus, assa odorata, mastiche, terebinthina, & theri••••••, all which have a faculty to resolve and strengthen the spirits, and nature, and correct the stench and evill qua∣lity of the argentum vivum. There are also other fumigations made after another manner, but that also when as the argentum vivum is extinct, and as it were fixt after this manner; let some lead bee melted, and let there be powred or put thereto some argentum vivum, then let it all be poudred, adding thereto Antimony, Aloes, Ma∣stich, coprose, orpiment, and Benjamin made into pouder, and framed into Tro∣chisces * 1.5 with some turpentine. Or else, ℞. cinnabaris, ℥i. styracus rub. & calamitae, nu∣••is moschat. an. ʒiii. benzoini, ℥ss. excipe terebinthin. fiant trochisci ponderis ʒii. for the foresaid use. The terebinthina is added to incorporate the dry things, and the gums are added to yeild matter to the fume. But virulent ulcers of the Lues venerea shall not be fumigated before they be cleansed; also this following fumigation is good. ℞. •…•…baris, ℥i. benzoini, myrrhae, styracis, olibani, opopanacis, an. ℥ss. mastiches, ma∣cis, thuris, is, an. ʒ••••. excipiantur terebinthina, & fiat suffumigium.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The hurt that followes upon fumigations.
• * 1.2

  What fumigati∣ons good.
• * 1.3

  The common manner of using them.
• * 1.4

  The matter of them.
• * 1.5

  Trochisces for fumigations.