SECT. LXVII.—ON CANCER.
Of cancers in the womb, some are attended with ulceration, and some are without it. In those cases in which the part is not ulcerated, a tumour is found about the mouth of the womb, hard, unequal, callous, of a feculent colour, and red, but sometimes also somewhat livid; and they have violent pains in the groins and abdomen, the lower part of the belly, and the loins, which are exasperated by handling and complicated applications. When the cancer is ulcerated, in addition to the pains, hardness, and swelling there are phagedenic and unequal ulcers to be seen, which for the most part are foul, callous, white, and having ugly scabs on them; but some appear clean, some feculent, or livid, or red, or bloody. The discharge from them always is a thin ichor, watery, black, or tawny, and fetid; but blood also is sometimes discharged along with the other symptoms of an inflamed uterus already mentioned. Wherefore the complaint is incurable, as Hippocrates has pronounced, but may be alleviated by hip-baths from fenugreek, and mallows, and by cataplasms of a like nature. And the exacerbations of the complaint may be much alleviated by common mallows, or marshmallows, softened by boiling in honied water, and pounded with a little rose-oil, and applied; and by a cataplasm of dried figs and melilots, rue, frankincense, and navew bruised carefully with oil, and also by that from dates boiled in must, containing also the yelks of eggs, and fine flour; or that from poppies with coriander, knotgrass, or endive. These things are to be applied during the violence of the pains; after which a cerate may be applied from rose-oil, or myrtle-oil, or the oil from the flowers of wild vines, or that of apples with dates boiled in must. But one particularly recommended is that from the sediment found in copper vessels, which being burnt, is reduced to a powder, and mixed with the cerate of roses until it acquire the consistence of a plaster. These are the external applications. But oil applied internally is soothing to the parts. And when they become ulcerated, the milk of a woman may be injected, and the tepid juice of plantain. But if they bleed, the infusion of knotgrass with a little rosemary proves soothing; and so also do pessaries medicated with saffron, women’s milk, and the juice of poppies, and the sordes of unwashed wool. But the following is one of the best applications, and answers also for affections of the anus: Of washed Italian litharge, oz. vj; of male frankincense, of the sordes of unwashed wool, of fresh axunge, of newly-made butter, of Tuscan wax, of each, oz. ij; of rose-oil, oz. iv; triturate the litharge with the juice of endive, and add to the other things when melted. Food of easy distribution and wholesome may be given, and some watery wine; avoiding acrid food and repletion, for they are apt to be troubled with indigestion.
Commentary. Hippocrates (de Morb. Mulier. ii, 24) gives a long account of cancer of the womb, which, when fairly formed, he pronounces to be utterly incurable. He directs us, however, to try the effect of fumigating the womb by introducing into it a pipe attached to a pot. Steams from garlic and the fat of seals are to be applied in this manner.
Aëtius gives from Archigenes exactly the same account as our author.
Aretæus describes the ulcerated cancer, and that kind in which there is no ulceration. He calls them chronic and fatal diseases.
Haly Abbas pronounces the disease to be incurable, but directs us to soothe the sufferings of the patient by various anodyne preparations. For this purpose he gives directions for the formation of several pessaries and injections, the principal ingredients of which are linseed, chamomile, fenugreek, coriander, beet, poppies, and the like. Alsaharavius also approves of such anodyne applications. Rhases enjoins abstinence from everything of an acrid nature, and such articles as engender black bile.
We will see the treatment of cancers in general detailed in the [Fourth Book].