SECT. IX.—ON LINIMENTS TO BE APPLIED TO THE ANUS, AND PURGATIVE APPLICATIONS TO THE NAVEL.
A liniment to the anus for the discharge of flatulence. Rue is triturated with honey so as to form one juice, and the inner parts of the fundament rubbed with it. It becomes more efficacious if a small quantity of cumin and natron, or the juice of sowbread be added. It is daubed upon flocks of wool and introduced; or a suppository is formed with the addition of honey. For the flatus escapes freely, affording relief.
A liniment to the anus, evacuating the belly; called Chezananche. Alum being triturated with honey is to be boiled until it become yellowish, and the anus is to be rubbed with it. It forces a free evacuation of many things, but not without trouble.
An application to the navel as a laxative of the bowels. Of sowbread, dr. iv; of natron, dr. iij; of black and white hellebore, of each, dr. ij; of colocynth, dr. iij; of scammony, dr. ij; of the juice of elaterium, dr. iv; of granum Cnidium, dr. iv; of fatty dried figs, oz. ij; of the gall of bulls, oz. j. Another very excellent one: of elaterium, of lathyrides, of galbanum, of sowbread, of black hellebore, of each, dr. iv; of the medullary parts of colocynth, dr. viij; of fresh wild cucumber, of scammony, of granum Cnidium, of each, dr. ij; of spurge, dr. ij; of turpentine, dr. iij; mix these with the gall of bulls, and use as a liniment. Some, by mixing with them of wax, oz. vij, and of Sicyonian oil, q. s., make it of the form of a plaster.
Commentary. It is clear that the liniments applied to the anus were a sort of suppositories. The Chezananche is described in much the same terms as our author’s by Myrepsus. The rest of his compositions of this class are also very similar to our author’s. (xxvi, 2.) Actuarius gives a full account of them. (Meth. Med. v, 9.)
Purgative applications to the navel were much trusted to by the ancient physicians as laxatives, but they are now seldom used. The late Dr. Kerr, of Aberdeen, however, sometimes had recourse to them, and spoke highly of their efficacy.