Platerus golden practice of physick: fully and plainly discovering, I. All the kinds. II. The several causes of every disease. III. Their most proper cures, in respect to the kinds, and several causes, from whence they come. After a new, easie, and plain method; of knowing, foretelling, preventing, and curing, all diseases incident to the body of man. Full of proper observations and remedies: both of ancient and modern physitians. In three books, and five tomes, or parts. Being the fruits of one and thirty years travel: and fifty years practice of physick. By Felix Plater, chief physitian and professor in ordinary at Basil. Abdiah Cole, doctor of physick, and the liberal arts. Nich. Culpeper, gent. student in physick, and astrology.

The Kinds,

THe Griefs of the fleshy parts of the Mouth, as the Tongue, Gums, Cheeks and Palate, in any or all of them: come somtimes to the Jaws, of which we shall speak hereafter: they are distinguished, as they have sense of roughness, or heat, or burning, or prick∣ing, or are ulcerated.

There is molestation in the mouth and tongue, * 1.1 only with sense of roughness, be∣cause the taste and Speech are offended, we speak thereof in the hurt of Speech and Tast.

I have seen some that have had burning and pricking in the sides and tip of the Tongue many years without any appearent disease. * 1.2 Somtimes in this part only, som∣times in the tips and other parts of the body, as we shall shew in pains of the habit of the body.

Somtimes the tongue is troub∣led only with heat, * 1.3 somtimes with burning also and a manifest disease. And then it is not exactly red as other parts that are white, but yellow and swels and is in∣flamed, and is somtimes also ve∣ry dry and rough and is cleft, and hath pimples somtimes, which so molest the Patient that he cannot speak without pain and stammerring, and the part near and the jaws are afflicted therewith, and there is a quinsie and the patient is in danger of suffocation. These are most in feavers; but not alone as I shewed in Feavers continual and malignant, cal∣led in High-dutch Breune. Also this Inflammation of the mouth, may come from the use of quick-silver in the French Pox.

The Gums often swel and are hot, at the roots of the Teeth, with a tumor appearing outward, as in the Tooth-ach, and the pain is great, especially when the inflammation Impostumateth, as shall be shewed in pains of the Teeth.

Also the Checks and Palate by consent of the parts, and of themselves do swel and are inflamed.

There is somtimes such a pain with swelling and Inflamation in the loose flesh under the tongue, * 1.4 in the disease called the Frog, which extendeth also to the parts adjoyning, and being suppurated it turns to an Impo∣stum. * 1.5 And I saw a long stone which came from thence after great pain. Con∣cerning the tumor, without pain I shall speak elsewhere.

There is also in divers parts of the mouth a sharp pain, * 1.6 with burning or without: with Pustles in the tongue or Palate or cheeks or Gums, often in Infants by means of the smal Pox.

Somtimes it is with Excoriation after the Pustles are broken.

And with clefts in the tongue, long and cross, there is great pain, and that with dryness and Inflammation of the tongue. And this pain is increased by hot or sharp meats.

There is also pain with Ulceration, after Excoriari∣on, or Rawness, or Pustles broken, or after an Inflam∣mation impostumated, especially under the tongue, or at the root of the Gums in the Tooth-ach.

Little Ulcers are called Aphthae or Thrush, * 1.7 they are in the Cheeks, Sides of the tongue and root there∣of, Gums or Palate, in one, two, or more places. These are in Children usually, and in the French Pox; they are at the first smal, as Lentiles round and white in the middle, and red about; infla∣med and painful, they spread presently, if you prevent not, and infect the parts adjoyning.

From these neglected cometh a malig∣nant Ulcer in Children especially, * 1.8 or from other causes, it is in the Gums with little or no pain, Rhasis cals it the Cancer of the Gums. It is first white and mattery, then yellow, after black, it creeps on, and is hollow, and eats up the Gums where it is, and the Jaw-bone, and turns to a Sphacelus, And I have seen a piece of a rotten Jaw with the Teeth taken out which deformed the Face. And in two Chil∣dren of a Merchant my Country-man, that bred teeth, I saw an Ulcer that eat up the upper teeth before, and another after the drawing of the tooth, that eat up the lower Jaw-bone, tongue, and palate, and at length af∣ter great torment caused their Death.

The Tumor and Ulcer of the Gums in the usual Disease, * 1.9 in Northern Sea towns called the Scurvy may be referred to this: In which the Gums swell and sweat blood, are rotten and so consumed that the roots of the teeth are bare. We shal only speak here of this Scurvy as it is in the Mouth; but in Diseases that foul the body, we shal speak fully of it as it infects the Feet with Spots, and Swellings, and Ulcers.

Somtimes there is a pain with a Wound made by a Prick, a Cut, or a Bite with Inflammation also. If this pierce the Cheek, it is in the number of outward Wounds.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Roughness of Mouth and Tongue.
• * 1.2

  Pricking and bur∣ning of the Tongue, when no Disease ap∣peareth.
• * 1.3

  A heat alone or with Tumor and burning and somtimes with clefts and pustles of the Tongue and parts of the Mouth.
• * 1.4

  Frog under the Tongue.
• * 1.5

  The stone under the Tongue.
• * 1.6

  A pain in the Mouth and Tongue with an ulcer, excoriation or clifts.
• * 1.7

  Aphtha or Thrush called Alcola by the Arabians.
• * 1.8

  A Cancer in the Gums.
• * 1.9

  The Scurvy or Scrobute.