Anatomical and practical observations in St. Thomas's Hospital, 1674-1677 / by James Molins ; edited, with an introduction and notes from the MS. in the British Museum, by J.F. Payne.

  • Molins, James.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Anatomical and practical observations in St. Thomas's Hospital, 1674-1677 / by James Molins ; edited, with an introduction and notes from the MS. in the British Museum, by J.F. Payne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    a draught of small Beere. When all the things was ready the operatione was done presently. First niy Mr. desired the patient to loose his Breeches and bowe himselfe upon his bed holding his thighs asunder, then my Mr. did oyle his middle finger thrusting it up at the fundament till he came to the upper part of the fistula. Then with the other baud he toobe a needle made of Lead threaded with foure or five fold of stitching silk made into a Ligatour well waxed. Then my Mr. took the needle and [passed it into the fistula,] setting it upon the end of his finger which is within the fundament, and conveying it out at the fundament. Then he did knitt the ligatour as straite as he could pull it, of a double whizle knot, cutting both the ends awaj', and then drest him twice a day with Basilicon until the ligatoure did drop from him which was nine dayes. Then did he dress him with Egiptiacum' mixt with Basilicon to heall him and dry him up. But in the meantime as he was proceeding on, and had brought the cure in a forward way, a new business befell him, piles came downe and did lie upon the sore that it could not heall. For that he let him blood in tho armo and applyed Leaches to them and applyed drying powders with a chafing dish and a little fire, throwing powder upon the fire and he sitting over it to dry up the piles, so that it con- tinued a month longer in care than it would have done if them piles had not happened, and upon the 24th of March ho returned back to his home a perfect sound man. Note. It is worth notice that this operation is done almost exactly according to the directions of John Arderne, the old • Unguentum £gyptiacitm (of the ' London Pharmacopoeia,’ 1062) was tlius made:—P> .iiruginis minutissime tritffi partes v; Mellis partes xiv; Aceti accr- rimi partes vij. Coquantur omnia simul in justam spissitudinem, et in colorem subrubeum. (Tlie cupric salt being reduced by the honey, it would have con- tained suboxide of copper, and thus be of a reddish colour.) The name of Basilicon ointment has lasted to our day. In the Pharmacopoeia of 1662 there were two Basilicons, the greater and the less (or cheaper). The latter was thus composedIjt Cera) flavoo, Kesinm pinguis, Picis Gra)ca), ana lib. dimid. Olei uncias novem. Liquata commisceantur, et fiat s. a. unguentum. It was thus almost the same ns our modern resin ointment. The greater Basilicon contained in addition Turpentine, Olibanum, and Myrrh.