Tes iatrikes kartos, or, A treatise de morborum capitis essentiis & pronosticis adorned with above three hundred choice and rare observations ... / by Robert Bayfield ...

CAP. LXXVI. De Hypochyma, seu Suffusione.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, seu Suffusio, A Suffusion or Cataract, is a heap of superfluous humors made thick, between the horny membrane and the Cry∣stalline humour, directly upon the apple of the eye, swimming above the waterish humour in that place, which Celsus affirmeth to be void and empty, hindering the sight, or (at least) the dis∣cerning and judging of such things as are before the eyes.

A Suffusion newly begun, when the Patient can perceive an Object as through a cloud, is cu∣rable, as Galen saith: A Cataract in an old man, whose eyes are naturally of a weak constitution, is altogether uncurable. Si ex febre acuta, pe∣ripneumonia, phrenitide, aut dolore capitis intensi suffusio proveniat, difficillimè curatur. A black

Cataract free from all brightness, can neither be cured by Physick, nor Chirurgery; because the visive spirits are destroyed; but a cleer Cataract that hath some splendor, is curable. Suffusio confirmata, in qua materia jam concreta est, discuti medicamentis non potest, & sola compunctione cu∣rabilis est. That which moveth, and is colour∣ed like Quick-silver is incurable; as also, that which is green, dark, or very yellow. A Cata∣ract which representeth objects full of holes, is not to be tampered with: The Cataract which is fit for touching useth to be sky-coloured, and sea-green, or of the colour of Iron or Lead, not black; also it ought to be like a thin skin, which may be rolled about the needle; for if it be too thick and solid, it cannot be touched, which you may perceive when it is like Chalk, or Hail.

Quercetan, in his Dispensatory, doth much commend the Infusion of Crocus metallorum, which is thus prepared: ℞ Aquarum chelidonii maj. ℥ vi. croci metallorum, ℈ i. Infundantur si∣mul, and drop three or four drops of this water warmed into the eyes, three or four times a day for a long continuance. Fonseca saith, That he knew one cured by this water, who was very dim-sighted many moneths: This is the ex∣cellency of it, which few other Medicines have; it cleanseth very powerfully, without any sharp∣ness.

It is good to chew sweet Fennel-seeds in the morning some space of time, and then to fill the mouth with white Wine; and when it is warm, to wash the eyes therewith, till they begin to smart.

It is no less profitable to let a child eat sweet Fennel-seeds in a morning, and afterwards breathe into the eyes.

You may make bread with the bran in it, with the pouder of Rue, Celandine, Eye-bright, Be∣tony, and Fennel, with a little Honey, which as soon as it drawn, and cut in pieces, must be put between two peuter, or silver dishes; whence will come a water, which Zechius affirmeth, dropped into the eyes doth wonders.

Alexander Trajanus Petronus declares, that a certain man, before he had the French disease, being blinde of one eye with a thick Suffusi∣on, was wonderfully freed from his Cataract and Pox both at once hydrargyri inunctione: Neither is it without reason that Cataracts may be dis∣solved with that Unction, when we see by expe∣rience, that very hard tumors of thick and gross flegm are powerfully dissolved by the Unction of Quick-silver.

Plura de Suffusione vide in meo Enchiridio Me∣dico, lib. 3. c. 6. Next, of what is amiss in the humors of the eyes.