In the translation of Haly Abbas, leuce is correctly described by the name of lepra. It is represented as a whiteness sometimes affecting the whole body, and it is said to be occasioned by debility of the assimilative faculty. When the hairs are white, and the skin does not bleed when pricked with a lancet or needle, the disease is incurable. Alphos albus is described by the name of morphea alba, and is distinguished from the former by the whiteness being more superficial, and the colour of the hairs remaining unchanged. In the morphea nigra, that is to say the alphos niger, the colour is said to be black, owing to the prevalence of black bile, and if rubbed a furfuraceous scale falls off, and it becomes red. The lepra nigricans is described by the names of impetigo and sarpedo, as an asperity of the skin, inclining to blackness or redness, and terminating in round scales, like those of fishes. For the cure of lepra, he directs us to abstain from all articles of food which engender phlegm, to take hiera of colocynth, with pepper, &c., and also the theriac of vipers, and various other internal medicines. He recommends various external applications, containing sulphur, arsenic, hellebore, spurge, &c.
Alsaharavius describes three varieties of morphea. 1st. The morphea terrestris, which is attended with furfuraceous scales on the skin, and tingling. This is evidently the psora of the Greeks. 2d. The morphea alba, which consists of a more superficial whiteness of the skin than the albaras (leuce): this is the alphos albus. 3d. The morphea nigra, is like the former, only that the colour is black. This must be the alphos niger. All these affections he treats upon much the same principles as the Greeks, namely, by evacuants, and stimulant applications to the skin, such as sulphur, hellebore, &c. Albaras he describes as a deep-seated whiteness of the skin, and directs us to prick the skin with a needle, and if it does not bleed the disease is to be set down as incurable. This, of course, is the leuce of the Greeks. He treats it upon much the same principles as the morpheæ. He appears not to make any distinction between the leuce and the lepra.
Rhases describes the lepra of the Greeks by the term impetigo; alphos albus by that of morphea alba; alphos niger by that of morphea nigra; and leuce by that of albaras. There is nothing very particular in his treatment of leprosy. It may be worth while to mention, however, that he strongly recommends leeches to the affected part, at the commencement. Scabies, he says, is formed by a salt diet, old wine, and neglect of the bath. For the cure of it, he recommends bleeding, purging, and various external applications, some of which contain quicksilver, nitre, vinegar, and the like. In his ‘Continens’ he gives a full account of these diseases, upon the authority of preceding writers. He gives the names of baras to lepra, and morphea alba to alphos. He recommends stimulant applications containing cantharides, nitre, with vinegar, &c. He says that he had found a mixture of sal ammoniac and oil of eggs an excellent application.
It will be remarked that the leuce of the Greeks, the leuce and fourth species of impetigo of Celsus, and the albaras of most of the Arabians, are the same as the lepra vulgaris of Drs. Willan and Bateman; that the alphos of most of the Greek authorities and of Celsus, and the morphea alba of most of the Arabians, correspond to the lepra alphoides of our English nosologists; that the melas, alphos niger, and common lepra of the Greeks, Celsus’ third species of impetigo and his melas, and the morphea nigra and impetigo of most of the Arabian translators, apply to the lepra nigricans of our modern arrangement; and that the psora of the Greeks, Celsus’ second species of impetigo, and the scabies of Octavius Horatianus, and of most of the Arabian translators, comprehend both the psoriasis and scabies of Willan and Bateman.
Since many of the ancient authorities speak of scabies as being infectious, they must have applied the term to the true itch, with which it is not likely, as Rayer maintains, that they were wholly unacquainted.
The earlier modern writers, such as those of the Schola Salernitana, Platearius, Guy of Cauliac, and Lanfrancus, jumble together the Latin and Arabian names, so as to produce no ordinary degree of confusion. Guy of Cauliac, indeed, maintains that there is little necessity for distinguishing lepra, alphos, melas, impetigo, gutta rosacea, and such like cutaneous complaints from one another, as they are all varieties of the same disease. Lanfrancus, however, is of a different opinion. (i, 3, 6.)
SECT. III.—ON LICHEN.
Lichen is formed by the mixture of a thin and acrid ichor with other gross humours, and passes readily into leprosy and psora; wherefore it requires to be treated by the most desiccative applications. After general depletion, if necessary, the following simple medicines will be proper: chick-peas, hellebore, the urchin which dwells among rocks, pitch mixed with cerate and rosin, the dung of the land crocodile, that of starlings fed solely upon rice. And many have cured the complaint when occurring on the chin, or other parts of the body, by this application alone: take several grains of wheat and place upon a stithy red-hot, and taking the fluid which flows from them while yet warm, anoint the part affected with lichen. The lichen of children is to be rubbed frequently with human saliva. The gum of the plum tree, when rubbed in, is beneficial in these cases. When the complaint is protracted, the leaves of the chaste tree, triturated with vinegar, are to be applied, or the leaves of capers in like manner. The following are compound applications: Dissolve sulphur with rosemary in vinegar, or with ammoniac, and anoint. A trochisk for lichen: Of artificers’ glue, dr. iv; of frankincense, dr. iij; of vinegar half a cyathus; dissolve in vinegar, and anoint.—Another: Of chalcitis, of gum, of each, dr. viij; of sulphur vivum, of misy, of each, dr. vj; of the flakes of copper, of acacia, of each, dr. ij; anoint with vinegar.—Another: Of sulphur vivum, of spuma nitri, of each, dr. iv; of the seeds of rosemary, lx; triturate with vinegar, and anoint only the part which is affected, not touching the sound skin. When dry, wash it away with cold water.—Another: Of white hellebore, dr. viij; of the flour of lupines, of burnt shell-fishes called buccina, of natron, of each, one chœnix; rub with it dry. They call that variety of lichen agrius which is nowise remedied by moderately desiccative applications, and is exacerbated by more acrid ones. These cases are therefore to be treated by applications which are sufficiently strong, without being pungent, such as this: of horned poppy, of frankincense, of alcyonium, of bitumen, of sulphur, of gum, of each, oz. j; anoint with vinegar. Boil African pitch with vinegar, and, when dissolved, anoint.—Another, for lichen and prurigo: Of copperas, of sulphur vivum, of natron, of frankincense, equal parts; use for lichen with vinegar, and for prurigo with wine.—Another, for lichen: Of ammoniac perfume, of the flour of bitter vetch, of the flour of lupines, equal parts; add to vinegar.
Commentary. See Hippocrates (de Humor., de Affect.); Galen. (Isagoge, de Med. sec. loc. v); Oribasius (Morb. Curat. iii, 59); Aëtius (viii, 16); Actuarius (Meth. Med. ii, 11); Marcellus (19); Nonnus (236); Celsus (v, 28); Pliny (H. N. xxvi, 2); Serapion (v, 2); Avicenna (iv, 7, 3, 3); Alsaharavius (Pract. xxxi, 7); Rhases (Divis. 117); Haly Abbas (Pract. iv, 10.)