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

CHAP. II. By what meanes a part of the nose that is cut off, may be restored; or how in stead of the nose that is cut off, another counterfeit nose may be fasten∣ed or placed in the stead.

WHen the whole nose is cut off from the face, or portion of the no∣strils from the nose, it cannot bee restored or joyned againe: for it is not in men as it is in plants. For plants have a weake and fee∣ble * 1.1 heate, and furthermore it is equally dispersed into all the sub∣stance of the plant or tree, neither is it easie to be consumed or wa∣sted, for when the boughes or branches of trees are broken, torne, or cut away, they live neverthelesse, and will grow againe when they are set or graf∣ted; neither is there any seate for the heart rightly prepared in them from whence the heat must necessarily run, and disperse it selfe continually into all the parts there∣of. But contrariwise, the separated parts of more perfect living creatures, as of men, are incontinently deprived of life, because they have their nourishment, life, sense, and whole sustentation not of themselves, by faculties flowing or comming unto them from some other parts, neither are they governed by their own heat as plants, but by a borrowed heat, so that above or beside the naturall faculty of the liver, an∣other vitall faculty commeth unto it from the heart.

Wherefore in stead of the nose cut away or consumed, it is requisite to substitute another made by Art, because that nature cannot supply that defect: this nose so artificially made, must be of gold, silver, paper or linnen clothes glewed together, it must bee so coloured, counterfeited and made both of fashion, figure and bignesse, that it may as aptly as is possible, resemble the natural nose: it must be bound or stay∣ed with little threeds or laces unto the hinder part of the head or the hatte. Also if there be any portion of the upper lip cut off with the nose, you may shadow it with annexing some such thing that is wanting unto the nose, and cover it with the haire on his upper lippe, that he may not want any thing that may adorne or beautifie the face. Therefore I have thought it necessary to set downe the figure or forme of both these kindes.

[illustration]

The forme of a nose artificially made, both alone by it selfe, and also with the up∣per lip, covered at it were with the haire of the beard.

There was a Surgeon of Italy of late yeares which would restore or repaire the * 1.2 portion of the nose that was cut away after this manner. Hee first scarified the cal∣lous edges of the maimed nose round about, as is usually done in the cure of hare-lips:

then he made a gash or cavity in the muscle of the arme, which is called Biceps, as large as the greatnesse of the portion of the nose which was cut away did require: And into that gash or cavity so made, he would put that part of the nose so wounded, & bind the patients head to his arm as if it were to a poast, so fast that it might remain firme, stable and immoveable, and not leane or bow any way, and about forty dayes after, or at that time when he judged the flesh of the nose was perfectly agglutina∣ted with the flesh of the arm, he cut out as much of the flesh of the arme, cleaving fast unto the nose, as was sufficient to supply the defect of that which was lost, & then he would make it even, & bring it, as by licking, to the fashion & forme of a nose, as near as art would permit, & in the mean while he did feed his patient with ponadoes, gel∣lies, & all such things as were easie to be swallowed & digested. And he did this work of curing the place where the flesh was so cut out, only with certain balmes & agglu∣tinative liquors. A younger brother of the family of St. Thoan, being weary of a silver * 1.3 nose, which being artificially made, he had worn in the place of his nose that was cut off, went to this Chirurgian into Italy, & by the means of the fore-named practice he recovered a nose of flesh againe, to the great admiration of all those that knew him before. This thing truly is possible to be done, but it is very difficult both to the pati∣ent suffering, and also to the Chirurgian working. For that the flesh that is taken out of the arme, is not of the like temperature as the flesh of the nose is, also the holes of the restored nose cannot be made as they were before.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Why the parts of plants being cut off, may grow againe, but those of man cannot.
• * 1.2

  A strange cure for a cut off nose
• * 1.3

  A history.