The surgeons mate or Military & domestique surgery Discouering faithfully & plainly ye method and order of ye surgeons chest, ye uses of the instruments, the vertues and operations of ye medicines, with ye exact cures of wounds made by gunshott, and otherwise as namely: wounds, apos fumes, ulcers, fistula's, fractures, dislocations, with ye most easie & safest wayes of amputation or dismembring. The cures of the scuruey, of ye fluxes of ye belly, of ye collicke and iliaca passio, of tenasmus and exitus ani, and of the calenture, with A treatise of ye cure of ye plague. Published for the service of his Ma. tie and of the com:wealth. By John Woodall Mr. in chyrurgerie.

The Burras Pipe.

* 1.1 THis Instrument thus named, doubtlesse was by a Surgeon borrowed at first from some Gold or Silver-smith, and never paid him again; for the Gold smiths use it daily, and cannot perform their works without a Burras Pipe, but the Surgeons make other use thereof, (name∣ly, for the most part) to retain corroding powders in, as Vitrioll, burnt Allom praecipitate; and such other caustick medicines, which well used perform very much in healing; So also their abuse bring∣eth* 1.2 shame to the Artist, and often unrecoverable damage to the Pati∣ent. For it is common with many Artists, in the healing of new wounds to mix praecipitate either with a digestive Unguent, or with Basilic••n, and Dorsell or plegents laid on tents, according to the form of the wound, and* 1.3 to put it in, as they say, either to enlarge the wound, or to help dige∣stion, to take away proud flesh, to mundifie, and the like; and if not prae∣cipitate, then must they be busie with Vitrioll or Allom burned, or with* 1.4 some caustick medicine in that kind. But I would advise the Surgeons Mate not to use any corroding medicine at all in new or fresh wounds, but

let the flesh grow as proud as it will, the ground being clear from whence it groweth, namely, if it be from a wound wherein is no putrified bones, and if so be that the wound be full of flesh, and then will not cicatrize, a little burned Allom or Vitrioll, will doe well, and then to your for∣mer dressing again, remembring that each third or fourth dressing be merely drie lint, you shall find good therein; and if you onely take lint and wet it in a Coperas water, and let it dry again, and lay that lint drie upon the proud flesh, sometimes for a dressing or two, and then againe to your former method, doubt not but it will without pain verie well cicatrize any new wound: I write this, for that by the unskillfulness, yea,* 1.5 and sometimes by the idleness of evill minded and base Empericks, I have seen men lamed by the needless use of caustick medicines, even in slight wounds; to which, if an old wife had openly applied her one salve for all sores, no such thing had happened: yet I am not so simple to de∣nie the just use of such noble medicines in wounds, ulcers, and fistulaes, or otherwise where need is; but I onely here advise the young Artist,* 1.6 that he may not be too rash in the use of them, and likewise doe advise him, that having used them once, he first pause again at the least eight dayes, namely, till the first Esker be fallen, and certain daies after, ere he use any caustick powder again; for with the use of corroding medicines,* 1.7 one immediately after another, many Ulcers are made more painfull and rebellious then they were, and the bones sometimes made foule which were otherwise clean; which fault is too frequent now adaies: and a∣mongst many grosse faults daily committed by unexpert Empericks, this one is to be lamented, namely, the use of keeping open penetrating wounds too forcibly and too long by the use of hard tents, armed with caustick powders, whereby nature can make no true unition, but is for∣ced into much disorder; which I wish young men to make a conscience of, and to be carefull not to erre in that kind.

Notes

• * 1.1

  From whence it hath its original. The use of the Burras Pipe.
• * 1.2

  The danger of the abuse of it.
• * 1.3

  An errour in healing of a new wound observed.
• * 1.4

  Directions for the cure of a new wound.
• * 1.5

  Surgeons wil∣fulness as well as unskilfulnes blame-worthy.
• * 1.6

  Note.
• * 1.7

  Two evils to be avoided.