Cista militaris, or, A military chest, furnished either for sea, or land, with convenient medicines, and necesary instruments amongst which is also a description of Dr. Lower's lancet, for the more safe bleeding / written in Latin, by Gulielmus Fabritius Hildanus ; Englished for publick benefit.
About this Item
- Title
- Cista militaris, or, A military chest, furnished either for sea, or land, with convenient medicines, and necesary instruments amongst which is also a description of Dr. Lower's lancet, for the more safe bleeding / written in Latin, by Gulielmus Fabritius Hildanus ; Englished for publick benefit.
- Author
- Fabricius Hildanus, Wilhelm, 1560-1634.
- Publication
- London :: Printed by W. Godbid :
- 1674.
- Rights/Permissions
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- Subject terms
- Medicine -- Early works to 1800.
- Cite this Item
-
"Cista militaris, or, A military chest, furnished either for sea, or land, with convenient medicines, and necesary instruments amongst which is also a description of Dr. Lower's lancet, for the more safe bleeding / written in Latin, by Gulielmus Fabritius Hildanus ; Englished for publick benefit." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A41139.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 7, 2024.
Pages
Page 1
A Description of a LANCET, FOR The more secure Letting of BLOOD, By Dr LOWER.
FOrasmuch as it hath been thought convenient by seve∣ral good Chirurgeons, to con∣trive a safe way of Blood-letting, for the benefit of young Beginners in that Profession; and whereas Dr. LOVVER of late, in his Trea∣tise of the Heart, hath discovered a plain and secure way of Blee∣ding, and given a figure of the
Page 2
Lancet, which he commends for that purpose, I have been advised, for the publick Good, to translate what he hath written, and like∣wise give the figure of the Lancet, and description of the Ʋse of it, as it is printed in the 166 page of the last and truest Edition of his Book, Printed at Amsterdam 1671, in the Author's own words.
HOw great Ebullition sometimes happens in the Blood, in what vessels, and with what swift motion it is cast about every where through the Body, and if an Artery be opened how quickly, and with what force it breaks out, it hath been hitherto trea∣ted of in the foregoing Discourse; by which it appears, how necessary some∣times Blood-letting is, to diminish its Quantity, or to stop its Career, and how dangerous the Administration
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of it is, if it be performed by a rude and unskilful hand.
For it often happening, either by want of skill, or common practice of Bleeding, (which makes the Mind fear∣ful, and consequently the Hand trem∣bling and uncertain) that an Artery is opened, or a Nerve or Tendon cut or prick'd, Inflammations, Gangrenes or Convulsions, which put the member in danger of being cut off, or render'd useless, I thought it might not be be∣yond the scope of my Treatise, if, by way of Appendix, I should shew by what means and Instrument any Vein might be safely and securely opened, (if it swell upon a Ligature) though it have an Artery, Nerve or Tendon im∣mediately under it.
Forasmuch therefore as never any harm happens in Blood-letting, unless a Vein be prick'd through, or slipping aside, the Lancet be put too deep into the part, the Fabrick of this Lancet is such, and ought to be so put into the Vein, as both may be easily prevented.
Page 4
For the Laneet is so contrived, that it is not cutting on each side, unless it be near the point, but is purposely blunt, and made round on the lower side, which is to be applied next to the skin, that it may more easily slide over it, as it appears by the following Table, in which
[illustration]
a the Lancet.
b the place where the upper edge of the Lancet ends in a plain.
c where the under edge of the Lan∣cet ends, the rest of the under part being polish'd round, and thick, (but not made thicker than the upper plain part) that it may not grate or tear the skin (upon which it must be applied) by its compression.
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Which figure of the Lancet differs nothing from a common ordinary Lan∣cet, but that the under edge of it is blunted almost to the point.
The way of using it is only this, that the Member being tied, and the Vein swelling, the Lancet must be applied as neer to it as possible, but so that the Lancet may be depress'd as much as may be; then the Point of it being directed upwards, it must be gently, and by an oblique transverse Incision be put into the Vein: which if so directed, neither can the Vein a∣void the point of the Lancet, or the parts underneath be any way offended. Which way of Blood-letting, as it is most easie, so it will never prove un∣happy to any one, though but meanly skilful.
And though I do not write this to Physicians and Chirurgeons, who are ex∣pert, and frequently exercised in blee∣ding; yet having seen many peoples health and life endangered, either by ill Blood-letting, or because a good Chirurgeon could not timely be called
Page 6
in by Physicians, who most commonly forbear the Practice of it, therefore I have devised this figure of a Lancet, that they may more securely and con∣fidently use it.