I. IT is called in Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. in Latin, Malum mortuum; in English, the Black Scab, or, Dead Evil.
II. It is a certain kind of Scab; so called, because the Part appears black, and as it were mortified.
III. Or, It is a kind of Sca∣bies, which therewith gives a livid or black colour, with crusty Pustles; which are black, foul, dry, without any matter, sense, or any great pain; and that chiefly in the Hips, Legs, and other fleshy parts.
IV. The Cause. It is generally caused from a total stoppage of the Pores of the Part affected, so that the least part of the Humor cannot perspire; which then putrifies, corrupts, and becomes black, and as it were dead.
V. And this comes many times from a continual lying upon the Part for many days; whereby the Natural Spirits being suffocated, the Skin and Flesh seems to be deprived of life, and so indeed they are: for the Skin first dies, becomes black, and as hard as the sole of a shooe; and after that, the Flesh also dies: and all this without any extra∣ordinary sense of Pain.
VI. I once saw a young Man, affected with this Disease upon both his Buttocks: he was first taken with a Fever, which in some reasonable time went off; but left him so weak, that he could not turn himself in his bed, but lay constantly upon his back, for twenty days or more; having only a poor little weak Girl to look after him.
VII. At length, a pious and industrious Matron hearing of his condition, went to see him, and causing him to be turned upon his Belly, found all his Buttocks black, full of little hard Pustles, and the Skin so hard, that she could not easily cut it with a Knife: she first cut it round by the edge of the blackness, and so took off the Skin, with some of the mortified Flesh sticking to it: this work she did, with∣out the Patient so much as feeling of it.
VIII. This done, and finding she was not yet come to the quick, or sensible parts, she yet cut off more of the Flesh from both the Buttocks with a sharp