The historie of foure-footed beastes Describing the true and liuely figure of euery beast, with a discourse of their seuerall names, conditions, kindes, vertues (both naturall and medicinall) countries of their breed, their loue and hate to mankinde, and the wonderfull worke of God in their creation, preseruation, and destruction. Necessary for all diuines and students, because the story of euery beast is amplified with narrations out of Scriptures, fathers, phylosophers, physitians, and poets: wherein are declared diuers hyerogliphicks, emblems, epigrams, and other good histories, collected out of all the volumes of Conradus Gesner, and all other writers to this present day. By Edward Topsell.

Of Wounds.

VVOunds commeth by meanes of some stripe or pricke, and they are properly called wounds, when some whole part is cut or broken. For a wound accor∣ding [ 30] to the Phisitians, is defined to be a solution diuision, or parting, of the whole; For if there be no solution or parting, then methinkes it ought rather to be cal∣led a bruse then a wound. And therfore wounds are most commonly made with sharpe or piercing weapons, and bruses with blunt weapons. Notwithstanding, if by such blunt wea∣pons, anie part of the whole be euidently broken, then it ought to be called a wound as wel as the other: Of wounds some be shallow, and some be deepe and hollow: Againe, some chance in the fleshy partes, and some in the bonye and sinnewie places: And those that chaunce in the fleshy parts, though they be verie deepe, yet they be not so dangerous as the other, and therefore we will speak first of the most dangerous: If a horse haue a wound newly made, either in his heade, or in any other place that is full of sinnewes, bones, or [ 40] gristles: first Martin would haue you to wash the wounde well with white wine warmed: That done to search the bottome of the wound with some instrument meete for the pur∣pose, suffering it to take as little winde in the meane while as may be.

Then hauing found the depth, stop the hole close with a clout, vntill your salue be rea∣die: Then take of Turpentine of Mel Rosatum, of Oile of Roses, of each a quarterne, and a little vnwrought Waxe, and melt them together, and if it be a cut, make a handsome rol of cleane picked Towe, so long and so bigge as may fill the bottome of the wound, which for the most part is not so wide as the mouth of the wound: then make another role grea∣ter than that to fill vp the rest of the wounde, euen to the harde mouth, and let both these rolles be annointed with the ointment aforesaid Luke-warm. But if the hurt be like a hole [ 50] made with some pricke, then make a stiffe taint, such a one as may reach the bottome, an∣nointed with the aforesaid ointment, and bolster the same with a little Towe: And if the mouth be not wide inough, so as the matter may easily runne forth, if it be in such place you may do it without hurting anie sinnew, then giue it a pretie slit from the mouth down¦ward, that the matter may haue the freer passage, and in anie wise haue a speciall regarde,

that the taint may be continually kept in by one meanes or other, as by binding or staying the seine with the ends of shoomakers thread as is aforesaid. And if the hole be deep, & in such place as you may not cut it, then make your taint of a spunge, and so long as it may reach to the bottom, and the taint being made somewhat full, with continuall turning and wrying of it, you shall easily get it downe, and then dresse the wound with this twice a day, clensing the wound euery time with a little white wine lukewarm. For this spunge, anoin∣ted with the ointment aforesaid, will both draw and suck vp all the filthy matter, and make it so faire within as is possible: and as it beginneth to heale, so make your taint euery day lesser and lesser, vntill it be ready to close vp, and neuer leaue tainting it, so long as it will [ 10] receiue a taint, be it neuer so short. For hasty healing of woundes breedeth Fistulas, which properly be old wounds, and therefore must be cured like Fistulas.