oil, lb. iss; of litharge, lb. j; of ammoniac perfume, oz. j; of ceruse,
oz. iv; of galbanum, of manna, of myrrh, of frankincense, of each, oz. j.
_The much-used emplastrum oxyrum._ Of dried pitch, dr. ij; of wax, lb. j;
of ammoniac perfume, oz. j; of turpentine, lb. ss; of galbanum, oz. ij;
of manna, oz. ij; of vinegar, sext. iss.
_The agglutinative plaster without wax, or emplastrum aceratum of Galen._
It is digestive and promotes the suppuration of ulcers, with oleum ricini
and old oil, when spread upon a pledget. Of litharge, lb. iij; of oil of
ricinus, or old oil, lb. iv; of the most acrid vinegar, lb. ij; of the
black squama æris, of chalcitis, of verdigris, of each, oz. ij. Boil the
litharge with the oil to the consistence of the lees in baths; then add
the metallic substances, triturated for many days with vinegar.
_The plaster from metals._ Of chalcitis, oz. j; of misy, oz. ij; of
squama æris, oz. iij; of frankincense, oz. iij; of Colophonian rosin, oz.
ij; of galbanum, oz. iss; of wax, lb. j; of oil, oz. xv; of vinegar, q. s.
_The plaster harmonia, for fractures._ Of chalcitis, oz. iv; of squama
æris, oz. iiss; of burnt copper, oz. j; of frankincense, oz. ij; of oil,
lb. j; of vinegar, lb. j. Boil the metals in the oil until it cease to
stain, then add the frankincense.
_The emplastrum melinum of Serapion._ Of litharge, lb. j; of wax, oz.
vij; of ammoniac perfume, oz. iiiss; of galbanum, of verdigris, of each,
dr. ix; of Colophonian rosin, oz. vij; of myrrh, dr. j: of oil, hemin.
iss. Boil the litharge with the oil until it cease to stain, then add the
other things.
_The emplastrum anicetum, being agglutinative, discutient, removing
scales, and answering with distortions._ Of bay-berries, of dried iris,
of frankincense, of each, dr. lx; of burnt copper, dr. xx; of natron,
of sal ammoniac, dr. xx; of pellitory, of stavesacre, of the seed of
rosemary, of the granum Cnidium, of mustard, of pigeon’s dung, of
birthwort, of cumin, of verdigris, of cyperus, of the seed of rocket, of
each, dr. viij; of vinegar, hemin. xii. Triturate during the heat of
the dog-days until the vinegar is consumed, then add, of the thickest
decoction of dried figs, oz. ix; and having mixed, form trochisks and
dry. In using it, triturate of the trochisks, oz. ij, with vinegar, and
mix, of rosin, oz. iij; of Tuscan wax, oz. ij; of oil, oz. ij.
_The plaster from darnel._ Of pitch, lb. ij; of pine-rosin, oz. ix; of
Tuscan wax, oz. v; of oil, oz. iij; of strained bitumen, oz. ij; of the
flour of darnel, sext. j; of vinegar, q. s.
_The plaster from the juice of mulberry-tree._ Of litharge, of dried
pitch, of bull’s-seam, of each, oz. viij; of turpentine, oz. iij; of wax,
oz. v; of scraped verdigris, of opoponax, of galbanum, of each, oz. j; of
the oleum ricininum, oleum susinum, or very old oil, hemin. j; of liquid
pitch, hemin. j; of the juice of the mulberry, the fruit of which is
called sycomora, hemin. j.
_The double-coloured plaster, or dichromos._ Of burnt copper, of fissile
alum, of ammoniac perfume, of each, oz. j; of wax, lb. j; of Colophonian
rosin, lb. j; of swine’s seam, lb. j; of vinegar, q. s.
_The Indian agglutinative plaster, for spreading ulcers and hæmoptysis._
Of wax, of roasted rosin, of dried pitch, of the liquid Zacynthian
bitumen, of each, lb. j; of ceruse, of chalcitis, of misy, of melanteria,
of fissile and of round alum, of the gall omphacitis, of the rind of the
pomegranate, of each, oz. vj; of vinegar, q. s.
_The plaster from the ashes of asps, for discussing strumæ and gout._ Of
turpentine, of Asian stone, of Judæan bitumen, of each, dr. ccclx; of
wax, of bay-berries, of ammoniac perfume, of aphronitrum, of the fat of
calves, of each, dr. cccxl; of the lapis pyrites, of quicklime, of each,
dr. cxl; of the ashes of asps, dr. cxl; of old oil, hemin. ij. Sprinkle
the ashes upon the medicine when cooled. It is prepared also without
the ashes, because some have an aversion to them, and it is no less
efficacious.
_The desiccative and discutient plaster, called leæna or lioness._ Of
ammoniac perfume, of plumbago, of each, dr. c; of mustard, dr. viij; of
the root of chamæleon, dr. xvj; of Colophonian rosin, dr. c; of squama
æris, of the root of soapwort, of euphorbium, of verdigris, of each, dr.
viij; of birthwort, dr. xvj; of pellitory, dr. viij; of old oil, hemin.
j; and of the oil of radishes, q. s.—_Another._ The leæna for altering
and evacuating humours. Of copperas, oz. ij; of arsenic, oz. j; of black
hellebore, of cantharides’ breasts, of each, dr. iss; of sandarach, oz.
iij; of wax, lb. iss; of roasted rosin, lb. j; of oil, hemin. ij.
_The Macedonian plaster._ Of wax, of Colophonian rosin, of pitch, of the
suet of bulls, of rosemary, equal parts. Having melted and removed them
from the fire, sprinkle the frankincense.
_The plaster sphærion, for febrile complaints._ Of ceruse, of litharge,
of quicklime, of each, oz. iij; of wax, oz. iss; of Berenicarian natron,
of rose oil, of each, oz. j. Pour the melted things upon the dry and form
small balls. In using, melt, of oil, oz. vj, with oz. ij of wax, and add,
of the medicine, oz. j, and stir with a spatula. When cooled, bruize with
oz. ix of water; add also of rose-oil, oz. iij.
_The anti-inflammatory plaster from ochre, both for those cases of
inflammation which occur spontaneously, and those occasioned by judicial
torture._ Of Attic ochre, lb. ij; of chalk, lb. j; of litharge, oz. viij.
Triturate with wine, of wax, of Colophonian rosin, of pitch, of pine
rosin, of each, lb. j; of turpentine, oz. viij; of oil, lb. ij. It is
dissolved thus: of wax, lb. j; of old oil, lb. iij; of the medicine, lb.
j. Bruise with wine.
_The plaster from cedria, being agglutinative, discutient, and
detergent._ Of wax, of dried pitch, of each, lb. j; of Colophonian rosin,
oz. viij; of cedar rosin (gum juniper?), oz. vj. Having melted them
together, boil until they cease to stain.
_Another emollient plaster._ Of wax, of pitch, of each, oz. viij; of
Colophonian rosin, dr. xxv; of bee-glue, dr. xvij; of cedar rosin, dr. xx.
_The cicatrizing plaster from pumice-stone._ Of myrtle oil, lb. ij; of
wax, lb. j; of pumice burnt and extinguished in wine, dr. vj; of the
squama stomomatis, dr. vj; of burnt copper, of Cimolian earth, of each,
dr. v. It is put upon a pledget, and a sponge out of water is applied
above.
_The plaster called Paula or Rest, for strumæ and buboes._ Of wax, of
Colophonian rosin, of natron, of each, lb. j.
_The plaster from natron, for carbuncles._ Of roasted natron, oz. iij;
of wax, of oil, of Colophonian rosin, of each, dr. iss; of Cyrenaic or
Median juice, dr. x. It is applied, diluted, upon a pledget.
_The plaster from anemone._ Of anemone stripped of its nails (“the white
parts of its flowers”), oz. ij; of wax, oz. v; of oil, oz. iv; of rosin,
oz. vss; of Colophonian rosin, lb. iiss.
_The green plaster of Machærion for ischiatic diseases, infarctions of
the joints, and abscesses._ Of opoponax, of galbanum, of verdigris, of
myrrh, of iris, of ammoniac perfume, of birthwort, of each, oz. j; of
turpentine, of wax, of the oil of unripe olives, of each, oz. vij.
_Another simple green plaster._ Of rosin, lb. iij; of wax, lb. j; of
scraped verdigris, lb. ss; of frankincense, dr. xxv; of vinegar, q. s.
_Another green plaster for humid and fungous ulcers._ Of Colophonian
rosin, oz. vj; of scraped verdigris, oz. iss; of wax, oz. ij; of
Cappadocian salts, oz. j; of rose oil, oz. ij; of vinegar, q. s.
_The plaster from rue, for pleuritic cases._ Of green rue, lb. j; of
butter, lb. iss; of turpentine, oz. xv; of the medicine œsypum, oz. xv;
of opoponax, oz. iij; of galbanum, oz. iij; of oil of dill, lb. j.
_The plaster from lye, for ischiatic, arthritic, and œdematous
complaints._ Of wax, of old oil, of protostacton (“a mixture of lime with
some other sort of lixivial ashes”), of each, lb. j; of roasted rosin,
of Alexandrian natron, of white natron, of turpentine, of each, oz. vj.
Triturate the natron with the ashes.
_The plaster from natron, for abscesses and scirrhous swellings._ Of
old oil, of wax, of aphronitrum, of soap, of ashes, of each, lb. j; of
turpentine, oz. vj; of galbanum, of bee-glue, of ammoniac perfume, of
each, oz. j. Prepare like the former.
_The plaster from salts._ Of wax, oz. iv; of oil, lb. j; of common salts,
oz. iv; of aphronitrum, oz. iv; of ceruse, oz. viij; of vinegar, oz. ij,
for the trituration.—_Otherwise._ Of common salts, of natron, of each,
oz. iv; of wax, of old oil, of each, oz. vj; of sea-water, q. s.
_The plaster from bacon, for dissolving tophi._ Of the fat of old swine’s
bacon, of ammoniac perfume, of the old cheese of cow’s or goat’s milk,
of bull’s fat, of the pitch of ships, of each, lb. j; of the marrow of
stags, oz. viij; of the cerate of œsypum, oz. iij; of the oil of privet,
oz. vj: of Egyptian wine, q. s.
_The plaster from dragon’s blood (cinnabaris), for tophi and all other
scirrhous swellings. It is called pampathes._ Of litharge, lb. j; of old
oil, sext. j; of squama æris, oz. j; of burnt copper, oz. j; of sanguis
draconis, scr. xviij; of a living magnet, oz. j; of Phrygian stone,
dr. vj; of the stone pyrites, of calamine, of scraped verdigris, of
frankincense, of each, oz. j; of diphryges, oz. ij; of aloes, oz. iss;
of galbanum, oz. iss; of the Scythian stone onites, scr. xviij; of the
bloodstone, oz. j; of bee-glue, lb. j, scr. xxviij; of wax, oz. xvij; of
the stone perdicites (another edition has perdiciaton), oz. j; of betony,
oz. j, scr. viij; of gentian, oz. j; of long and of round birthworth, dr.
iv; of the black chamæleon, oz. j; of dittany, scr. xij; of dried rosin,
lb. j; of the fat of the ostrich, lb. j. Triturate the stones with the
litharge, adding of the flower of salt, lb. ij, gradually until the whole
be consumed.
_The plaster from filberts, of tried efficacy, for tophi of the joints._
Of protostacton (“a mixture of lime with some lixivial ashes”), oz.
vj; of the inner part of filberts, oz. ij; of aphronitrum, oz. vj; of
old oil, lb. j; of gallic soap, oz. iv; of honey, oz. viij; the whites
of six eggs; of wax. oz. x; of turpentine, oz. ij. Triturate with the
protostacton.
_An admirable anodyne cerate from the torpedo, for gout._ On the fifth
day of the month of March, put into a pot under ground of common oil,
sext. ij, boil with the wood of vine, and when it boils, add of the
sea-fish torpedo, lb. j; and of the blood of the mole, which some call
madaniuda, oz. iv, and boil until the flesh of the fish be dissolved
or toasted; then, having strained, add of oil and of wax what will be
sufficient to give it consistence, so that the cerate may be very tender,
which, having spread upon a linen rag, apply.
_The plaster from the urine of a mule, for gout._ Of the urine of a
male mule, sext. iv; of litharge, lb. ij; of old oil, one mina. Having
triturated all the things for a long time until they become of the
consistence of the lees of baths, boil till it cease to stain.
_The plaster from the flower of Asian stone, of Philagrius, for
scirrhus._ Of the root of hog’s fennel, of the flower of Asian stone,
or, if it is not at hand, of salts, of ammoniac perfume, of unscoured
wool burnt, of each, oz. j; of round birthwort, of pumice-stone, of
dog’s dung, of scraped verdigris, of squama æris, of misy, of each,
scr. xviij; of castor, scr. xviij; of myrrh, oz. iij; of the most acrid
vinegar, oz. iij; of wax, oz. xiiss; of pine rosin, of Brutian pitch, oz.
xviiiss, scr. vj; of old oil, and of the most acrid vinegar, q. s.
_The same, of Galen._ Of wax, of turpentine, of each, lb. j; of Asian
stone, of manna, of each, oz. iij; of oil of privet, oz. ij; of the
bonnet-maker’s water, q. s.
_The arthritic plaster from the flower of salt, in the decline of the
complaint._ Of turpentine, of roasted rosin, of pine rosin, of wax, of
each, lb. j; of dried pitch, of fissile alum, of the flower of salt, of
each, lb. ss. Boil in a double vessel.
_An incarnative plaster for ulcers._ Of rose-oil, of turpentine, of
honey, of each, oz. ij; of ceruse, of butter, of each, oz. j. Some add
also of frankincense, oz. j.
_The Italian plaster for cleansing and incarnating foul ulcers._ Having
boiled the tender bark of the wild fig in oil, throw it away, and having
melted in the oil a sufficient quantity of dark yellow wax, use on a
pledget.
_The erective plaster._ Of satyrion, of the testicle of a stag, of the
tail of a skink, of each, dr. ij; of the seed of rocket, of pellitory,
of the seed of rosemary, of wax, of each, dr. iv; of turpentine, oz. j;
three eggs of troglodytic sparrows, (“wrens?”) three swifts, of oil of
bay, or of iris, q. s. The swifts are soaked alive in vinegar for forty
days, the vessel being buried in dung.
_The golden plaster for bloody wounds._ Of frankincense, of fissile alum,
of each, oz. ij; of Colophonian rosin, of common rosin, of each, lb. j;
of oil, oz. iij; of arsenic, oz. ij. Triturate the arsenic in the vinegar.
_The plaster for fractures, of Oribasius._ Of Brutian pitch, lb. j, oz.
iv; of litharge, lb. j, oz. iv; of frankincense, oz. viij; of turpentine,
oz. v; of bull’s suet, lb. j, oz. iv; of galbanum, of opoponax, of each,
oz. j; of wax, oz. iv; of old oil, lb. j; of vinegar, oz. v.
_A plaster for fractures with a wound and without a wound. From
Heraclitus._ Of dried pitch, mina j; of litharge, mina j; of manna, mina
ss; of calves’ suet, mina j; of Tuscan wax, oz. xxvj; of opoponax, dr.
viij; of scraped verdigris, of Cyprian copper, of each, the fifth and
tenth part of a mina; of turpentine, min. iss; of copper, oz. j; of oleum
ricini (castor oil), or old oil, hem. j; of vinegar, hemin. ss.
_The preparation of the medicine called the liquid œsypum._ Of melilot,
oz. iv; of cardamom, oz. ij; of unscoured wool, oz. vj: having macerated
in sext. ij of wine for three days, boil until little is left; and having
filtrated mix with the wine, oz. iij of oil, and boil until little of the
wine remain, and then add of Colophonian rosin, oz. x; of turpentine, oz.
x. Some add likewise of wax, oz. x, and of the herb hyssop, oz. j, and
boil with the others. Others clean the wool in wine, and having dried the
wine with the sordes, which they call _pinon_, at the time of using, add
of it, oz. iij, and the other things as mentioned.
_On the mixture of wax to oil._ If you wish to prepare ointments like
those called Acopa, add four parts of the oil to the wax; but if, as in
fractures, you wish to make a soft cerate, make it double. When we wish
to give the medicine the form of a plaster, then we mix equal parts of
oil with wax, if the atmosphere be of a moderate temperature. But if the
wax be old or dry, and the atmosphere cold, then there must be a little
more of the oil than of the wax; when the wax is soft and the atmosphere
warm, the wax should be a little less than the oil. This _little_ should
be the twelfth part on each side of the middle, for in this case you will
mix xj or xiij oz. of oil to the pound of wax.
_From the works of Antyllus, on the boiling of those medicines which
are the ingredients of plasters._—Litharge. In the boiling of the
medicines, the litharge will be boiled with the oil; but the litharge
having been previously triturated, is to be triturated again with the
oil, so as to become viscid, and then it is to be boiled at a gentle
fire, stirring incessantly. At first, then, it swells and bubbles; but
when nearly boiled sufficiently, it becomes of a more feculent colour.
It has attained its measure of boiling when the swelling subsides, and
it no longer stains. The molybdæna is to be boiled in a similar manner
to litharge; but the measure of the boiling of it is not only when it
ceases to stain, but when it changes from a fiery colour to a yellow
and strongly florid. Burnt copper in boiling is not to be put in at the
commencement, but when the plaster is half boiled: the measure of the
boiling, unless a small quantity only is put in, is when its colour
predominates and renders the plaster yellow; sori and diphryges are put
in during the boiling. The measure of the boiling of the diphryges,
like the squama, is to be when its colour predominates. With regard
to the sori, there is no particular measure, except the common one,
to make the plaster of such a consistence that it does not stain. The
chalcitis is boiled like copper, and the measure of it is the degree to
which it renders the plaster of a deeper yellow and more ruddy colour.
The flower of copper is like copper, and is regulated by the common
measure of boiling. Copperas (blue vitriol?) is added in the middle of
the boiling, and when boiled it gives a stronger shade to the colour of
the plaster; and if not prevented by other circumstances, it renders
the plaster black; misy is added in the end, but there is no particular
measure with regard to it; arsenic and sandarach are added at the end of
the boiling; burnt lead is put in at the middle of the boiling; ceruse
is put into white plasters at the end, for thus it preserves their
colour and whitens them still more, but it is added to the black at the
commencement, for by being more boiled it becomes blacker; verdigris is
added to the green plasters after the boiling; and, in some cases, it
is not put into the pot at all, but being triturated with vinegar, and
remaining in the mortar, the other things are mixed with it: to those
of an apple colour (pale red?) it is added when the preparation is half
boiled; for when it undergoes moderate boiling, it puts on the apple
colour; but in those which are to have a double appearance, and double
colour, we must boil the verdigris immediately after the commencement;
when the boiling is persevered in, it first puts on the apple colour,
then the double appearance, and at last its colour becomes yellow; alum
is added for the most part after the boiling, but there is no measure
of its boiling; vermilion is added at the end; calamine and pompholyx
are added at the commencement; salts and natron are added at the middle
of the boiling; sulphur at the end, the boiling of it blackens the
plasters. All earths and stones are added at the end for the most part:
pumice-stone, too, at the end. Burnt shells are added at the end. Oil,
if added at the commencement to rosin and liquid pitch, prevents the
plaster from acquiring consistence. The oil, therefore, is to be added
after it has acquired consistence. Other fatty substances which do not
contain salt, are to be added at the middle of the boiling. Of ointments,
the Irinum bears boiling, the Cyprinum and Rosaceum less; the others,
none at all. The ingredients are, therefore, to be added at the end of
the boiling. Wax is not boiled alone by itself, for it burns, neither
with liquid rosin nor liquid pitch, for it remains disunited. But it is
added to pure oil or oily matters boiled with the metals, or to rosin
and pitch, previously boiled and thickened with other things which are
to be added. Dried rosin is added with wax. The liquid, before all other
things, is boiled by itself, unless a very small quantity is used.
Pitch is added before all other things. The measure of the boiling of
the liquid is its acquiring consistence; but of the dry especially, if
boiled with vinegar, when it ceases to bubble and swell. The pitch of
ships, when triturated and separated by a sieve from its recrements, is
sprinkled upon a plaster when boiled; but if soft, it is dissolved with
the oil. The former method is the more correct, because in the second the
weight is not preserved. Bitumen (asphaltos) is boiled by being added
at the commencement. But it is not to be levigated, because it contains
asperities like grains of figs. It is, therefore, to be broken into large
pieces and boiled in vinegar, not stirring it lest it bubble. I, says
Timocrates, have succeeded by boiling it in oil. Bee-glue (propolis)
is to be softened and boiled. For, by the boiling, it is not entirely
incorporated. But if the plaster receives, as an ingredient, common wax,
the bee-glue, like the galbanum, is to be pounded with the wax and added.
Ammoniac is added about the middle of the boiling. But if it can be
levigated, it should be sprinkled in the state of a powder, but if not,
it may be triturated with some liquid; but if it be a plaster for fresh
wounds, it is to be triturated with vinegar or wine; but if for fistulæ
or strumæ, by all means with vinegar. If it be a soft plaster (such as
those for the fundament), it is to be triturated with water; then, being
levigated, it is to be added to the other things when cooled that they
may not boil. Opoponax is added much later than ammoniac: it requires
but very little boiling; but it must be frequently triturated with wine
or vinegar. Galbanum does not bear boiling. But when the plaster has
attained such a consistence that it does not stain, it is to be taken
off the fire, and it is to be softened and added. Sagapenum is pounded
in a mortar, and when it becomes tender it is softened with the plaster
after being removed from the fire. Aloe is sprinkled after the boiling.
Poppy-juice is macerated for one day in a little water, and is then
levigated in a mortar, and in this state the plaster is poured upon it.
Thapsia is sprinkled last, or triturated with some fluid. Bdellium being
levigated, is sprinkled after the plaster is taken from the fire; but if
it is of a fatty nature, and cannot be levigated, it is to be pounded
like sagapen, and made into the form of a plaster, and softened with the
plaster after the boiling. Frankincense and manna are sprinkled at the
end of the boiling, becoming glutinous, with a little honey, vinegar,
water, or wine, if the plaster admit a liquid. Myrrh is added when the
boiling is over. None of the seeds, roots, and herbs can endure boiling;
but when levigated, and while they remain in the mortar, the other things
are poured upon them in a state of solution.
* * * * *
COMMENTARY. The following are the general directions given by Celsus for
the formation of plasters: “Emplastrum hoc modo fit: arida medicamenta
per se teruntur; deinde mixtis his instillatur aut acetum, aut si quis
alius non pinguis humor accessurus est, et ea rursus ex eo teruntur;
ea vero quæ liquari possunt, ad ignem simul liquantur, et si quid olei
misceri debet, tum infunditur: interdum etiam aridum ali quod ex oleo
prius coquitur.” He describes the composition of 28 plasters. (v, 19.)
The composition of plasters is treated of by Galen at so great length
that it is quite out of the question to attempt even an abstract of his
account of them. His accuracy of detail and attention to minutiæ are
almost inconceivable. See the first four books of his work (De Med. sec.
genera.) Our author, as usual, is much indebted to him.
For further information regarding the emplastra of the ancients, see also
Haly Abbas (Pract. x, 18); Mesue (De Unguentis); and Myrepsus (§ x.)
Myrepsus, as usual, is most copious: he gives formulæ for 199 plasters.
The _diachylon plaster_ is described by Galen and Mesue, but as the
ingredients of theirs are nearly the same as in that of our author, we
need not give their formulæ.
The _Ægyptiacum_, which is still celebrated as a remedy in certain cases
is thus described by Mesue: “Take of verdigris, dr. v; of honey, dr. xiv;
of very acrid vinegar, dr. vij: boil to a proper consistence. Some also
add dr. iiss of triturated frankincense.”
The following is an _itch ointment_ by Mesue: “Take of ceruse, of
litharge, of aloes, of saffron, of calamine, of mercury extinguished,
equal parts; make into an ointment, with oil of oleander and vinegar, q.
s.”
An _itch ointment_ of Myrepsus consists of the fresh leaves of the
bay-tree boiled with oil, and having wax and sulphur added to it. We can
say, from ample experience, that such an ointment is a most effectual
remedy for scabies.
The preparation of the _basilicon_, as directed by Avicenna, is a nearer
approach to the modern ointment of that name than our author’s: “Of
rosin, of pitch, and of wax, equal parts, prepare with olive oil.”
SECT. XVIII.—ON EMOLLIENT PLASTERS AND EPITHEMES.