SECT. I.—ON AFFECTIONS OF THE HAIR, ALOPECIA, OPHIASIS, AND BALDNESS.
As some plants die from dryness for want of sap, and some from the sap being unsuitable to them, so it happens, in like manner, with the hairs; for baldness is occasioned by want of the natural juices, and alopecia and ophiasis by the badness of them. These complaints differ only in figure; for, in the latter, the affected part has the appearance of a serpent; and alopecia derives its appellation from the circumstance of foxes being frequently subject to the affection. Judging of the prevailing humour, then, from the colour of the skin, we are first to evacuate it by purging, and then to have recourse to local applications. If, therefore, the colour incline to black or white, we purge with the medicine called hiera, which evacuates both phlegm and the melancholic humour; but if it is palish, we give pills of aloes. An account of these medicines will be found in that part of our work which treats of Compound Medicines. After general depletion, we are to use masticatories composed of vinegar, mustard, and honey, and not once only, but frequently. It will be better, too, if marjoram, pennyroyal, thyme, or hyssop be infused in the vinegar. In all the other complaints of the head, the same method is to be observed, first evacuating the prevailing humour, either by purging, or by phlebotomy if there be also a fulness of blood, and then proceeding to the topical treatment.
On alopecia. Having first cleansed the part with nitre (soda), and scrubbed it with a rough cloth, more particularly a woollen cloth, and continued the friction until it become red, anoint it with vervain pounded with vinegar in the sun. Or, rub in the roughest alcyonium burnt and pounded with lamp-oil. Or, burn the root of the club-rush, or the rind of the bitter almond, and rub them in with oil or bears’ grease. These are moderate remedies. But stronger applications may be prepared from euphorbium, thapsia, and adarce, pounded with oil of bays, or liquid pitch.—Another: Having burnt the shells of sea-urchins, mix them with bears’ grease, and anoint with them, having first cleansed the part with nitre.—Another: Of pepper, of dried sheep’s dung, of hedge mustard, of rocket seeds, of each dr. iv; of white hellebore, dr. iij; of mouse-dung, dr. j: add to the gall of a bull, of a goat, or of a hog.—Another tried remedy for alopecia: Of the root of mandragora, of birthwort, of the root of wake-robin, of wax, of liquid pitch, oz. viij; of swine’s seam not salted, of the heart or inner part of the herb nerium a little: boil the seam and the nerium until the herb be softened; then strain and throw away the herb, and add to the axunge the other ingredients, and boil. Add the wax and the liquid pitch, and use boldly in the sun. When the ulcers are cicatrized, burn the head of a fox, take alcyonium, the leaves of the black alkanet, and, having pounded all together, sprinkle upon the ointment, in order to promote the growth of the hair.—Another: Of a mouse’s head burnt, one part; of the shells of the sea-urchin, one part; boil in a pot with swine’s seam, and use. They may also be sprinkled in powder.
A medicament from Thapsia, for all chronic affections. Of euphorbium, of thapsia, of bay-berries, of each, oz. j; of native sulphur, oz. ss.; of hellebore, oz. ss; of wax, oz. viij; of oil of bays, or old castor oil, q. s. When stronger applications are required, add of cardamom, oz. j; of burnt alcyonium, oz. j; and it will be applicable not only for alopecia, but for all cases of chronic coldness. But in every case of alopecia have recourse in the first place to the process of cleansing with nitre, then friction, and frequent shaving. I have seen many have their hair reproduced by friction alone, and frequent shaving.
For baldness, and to promote the growth of the hair, from Crito. Take the dried stomachs of five hares, roast carefully in an earthen vessel, add to them the third part of myrtle tops, of the fruit of acacia, of the juice of acacia, of sweetbriar, an equal part, of maiden hair, oz. iij; pound all these things together, and sift through a small sieve. Then adding of bears’ grease, lb. iv, of that of a seal the same quantity, pound and preserve in a leaden vessel. At the time of using add to any fragrant ointment.
Preservatives of the hair. Of maiden-hair, one part; of ladanum, two parts; add to wine and myrtle oil, and use.—Another: Pound the flower of anemone, and rub it in with oil. The same will blacken the hair.—Another: Pound the straight vervain dried with its roots, sift through a narrow sieve, and, having mixed with oil, so as to have the thickness of the bath-sordes, lay it up in a copper vessel, and, when softened, use instead of oil in like manner.
A watery infusion for increasing the growth of the hairs, and for blackening them. Of rain water, six sextarii; of Alexandrian sumach, three sextarii; of maiden-hair, oz. iv; of savin, oz. iv; of ladanum, oz. j; of dried gourd, oz. j; of myrtle, oz. j; allow to macerate in a glass vessel for twenty days, stirring it twice a day with a pine spatula. On the following day plunge the comb into the infusion, and use once a day. And the seed of marshmallows, when rubbed in while in a bath, preserves the hair and promotes its growth. And, in like manner, oil may be rubbed in that has had the seed of marsh-mallows boiled in it, or added to it.
For thinning the hair. Of the leaves of the fig-tree, of the rind of the white wild vine, of pumice-stone, of the shells of buccinæ, of Cimolian earth, of each one mina. Put them into a new crude pot, and having covered it with clay, burn in a furnace, and pound, adding of aphronitrum half a mina, of the galls called omphacitæ thirty in number, pulverize and use.—Another: Of aphronitrum, half a mina; of roasted pumice-stone, four minæ; of fissile alum (alumen scissile), of dried iris, of the black wild myrtle, of gum, of the root of bryony, of each dr. iv; of unripe lupines pounded, the fourth part of a gallon; use without tallow.
For falling out of the hair. Rub in aloes, with black austere wine; or, the cover of the purpura boiled with oil; or, myrrh and ladanum, with wine and myrtle oil; or, pound burnt sheep’s dung on a shell, and rub it in with oil, having first shaved the head.
Commentary. See Galen (de Med. sec. Loc. i, Parat. Facil., and Meth. Med. xiv, 18); Celsus (vi, 4); Aëtius (vi, 65); Alexander (1); Pliny (H. N. xxviii, 46); Octavius Horatianus (i, 7); Marcellus (de Med.); Isidorus (Orig. iv, 8); Oribasius (Synops. viii, 22, and Meth. Med. iv, 5); Nonnus (8); Heliodorus (ap. Nicetam); Incertus auctor. (Frag. ap. Moschionem in Gynæc. 21); Pollux (Onomast.); Myrepsus (38); Actuarius (Meth. Med. ii, 5); Psellus (op. Med.); Serapion (i, 1); Mesue (ii, 1); Avicenna (iv, 7, 1); Avenzoar (i, 1, 3); Haly Abbas (Theor. viii, 8, Pract. iv, 12); Alsaharavius (Pract. i, 2); Rhases (ad Mansor. vi, 1, Contin. xxxvi.) See also Callimachus (Hymn. ad Dianam, l. 79); with the learned Notes of Tytler and Spanheim.
Our author copies closely from Galen, who explains at considerable length his principles of treatment; which consists of purging with warm cathartics, shaving the part frequently, rubbing it, and using calefacient applications. He says that the disease is occasioned either by the deficiency or depravity of the nutritive juices. Drs. Willan and Bateman describe this complaint by the name of porrigo decalvans. Bateman justly remarks, that, “all that can be prescribed respecting the treatment of this affection has been expressed by Celsus with his usual terseness: “Quidam hæc genera arearum scalpello exasperant; quidam illinunt adurentia ex oleo, maximèque chartam combustam; quidam resinam terebinthinam cum thapsia inducunt. Sed nihil melius est quam novaculâ quotidie radere, quia, cum paulatim summa pellicula excisa est, adaperiuntur pilorum radiculæ. Neque ante oportet desistere, quam frequentem pilum nasci apparuerit. Id autem quod subinde raditur, illini atramento sutorio satis est.”
The modes of treatment recommended by the other authorities are in principle the same as our author’s and that of Celsus. Octavius Horatianus, after directing pills containing colocynth, aloes, scammony, and wormwood, recommends nearly the same external treatment as Celsus: “Omnes confectiones quæ mediocriter calefacere possunt, mediocribus et delicatioribus corporibus adhibendæ sunt. Prius ergo loca linteolo usque ad ruborem ante curam confricentur mediocriter, ne vulnerentur. Quæ si vulnerabuntur, oleo roseo, vel adipibus anserinis recuranda sunt.”
Dioscorides recommends tar-water and other preparations of pitch for alopecia.
In a Fragment of an anonymous author, published along with ‘Moschion’ in the ‘Gynæcia,’ very sensible rules of treatment are given; namely, to shave the part frequently, to rub it with compositions containing mustard, adarce, wormwood, alcyonium, &c., and to purge with aloes, scammony, colocynth, and the like. Similar directions are given by Heliodorus. Even Alexander, who in general controverts freely the opinions of Galen, does not differ from him at all in this case. He lays down the treatment of baldness very systematically, according as the falling off of the hairs arises from preternatural dryness of the part, or from contraction or expansion of the pores, or whether it proceed from the purging of the system from depraved humours. In the first of these cases he recommends baths, and a moistening diet, but forbids the use of astringent applications. For preternatural openness or relaxation of the pores he recommends applications of an astringent and bracing nature, and strongly nourishing food. For preternatural contraction of the pores he advises the opposite class of remedies. When the hairs fall out owing to the cleansing of the system from depraved humours, as happens after diseases, he cautions against a too meddlesome interference with the process of nature. Aëtius and Oribasius are the servile copyists of Galen. Marcellus gives a long list of compound medicines for the cure of alopecia. Pliny recommends bull’s gall with Egyptian nitre. The ancients were in the practice of using nitre for cleaning linen, as is remarked by Bernard (ad Nonnum, u. s.) On the ancient practice of scrubbing the head with nitre or soda, see Salmasius (ad Tertull. de Pallio, 432.)
The Pseudo-Dioscorides recommends shaving, rubbing with nitre, and stimulant applications containing arsenic. (Euporist.)
The Arabians treat the disease exactly as the Greeks. Avenzoar recommends purging, a regulated diet, and friction with oil of nuts and cherva. Haly Abbas approves of general evacuants, friction, and stimulant applications containing cantharides, nitre, &c. Alsaharavius recommends emetics after food, purging with hiera picra, friction with compositions containing mustard, euphorbium, pellitory, nettle-seed, with oil of sesame, or with liquid pitch. Ophiasis, he says, is to be treated upon the same principles. Among the ingredients of Mesue’s compositions, we remark cantharides, musk, and amber. Serapion, like Galen and some of the others, makes mention of red arsenic as an ingredient in these applications. Rhases, in his ‘Continens,’ collects the opinions of all preceding authorities on the nature and treatment of these diseases. Most of the local applications recommended by them are stimulants and rubefacients, such as mastich, euphorbium, cantharides, ladanum, St. John’s-wort, &c. which are to be rubbed in with oil or pitch. He mentions that the celebrated Antyllus recommended scarifications, cupping, and leeching. Servitor directs a depilatory, prepared by mixing two parts of quicklime with one of arsenic in a crucible or mortar, and adding a little water to them. Pliny, Samonicus, Marcellus Empericus, and other ancient authorities speak highly of bear’s grease for the cure of baldness.
For the cure of ophiasis the earlier modern surgeons recommended depilatories containing arsenic, quicklime, vitriol, hellebore, and the like. One described by Rolandus consists of quicklime and arsenic boiled in water. (i, 14.) A similar one is described by Plempius.