All these kinds happen chiefly in the feet and hands; and they also infest the nails. There is no medicine more efficacious than that I mentioned for the scabies, which bears the name of Protarchus. Serapion made use of the following composition, nitre p. ii. *. sulphur p. iv. *. incorporated with plenty of resin.
Of the papula.
There are two species of the papula. One is, where the skin is made rough by very small pustules, and is both red, and gently corroded; in the midst of them is a space somewhat smoother; it spreads slowly. And this disorder is of a round form in its beginning, and proceeds in the same manner circularly.
The second, the Greeks call agria: which has a similar appearance, but the skin is more unequal and ulcerated, and it corrodes more vehemently, is redder, and sometimes also loosens the hairs.
That which is less round, heals with greater difficulty; and unless it be cured, it turns to an impetigo. But a slight papula, if it be rubbed every day with fasting spittle, will heal. The greater kind is very well cured by feverfew rubbed over it. But for the compound medicines, that same prescription abovementioned of Protarchus is so much the more powerful here, as the distemper is less. There is another of Mico’s for the same purpose; of red nitre, frankincense, each p. i. *. cantharides cleansed p. ii. *. crude sulphur a like quantity, liquid turpentine resin p. xx. *. meal of darnel three sextantes, three cyathi of git, and one sextans of crude pitch.
Of the vitiligo.
The vitiligo also, though of itself not dangerous, yet is both nasty, and proceeds from a bad habit of body. There are three species of it. It is called alphos[ FN ], when it is white; it is commonly a little rough, and not continued, but appears like drops dispersed here and there. Sometimes it spreads wider, leaving some, places between free. The melas[ FO ] differs from that in colour, being black, and like a shadow. In other respects it is the same. The leuce[ FP ] has some resemblance to the alphos, but is whiter, and penetrates deeper; and has white downy hairs in it. All these spread; but in some more quickly, in others slower. The alphos and melas come and go in some people without any regularity. The leuce does not easily quit a person it has once seized.
The two first are not very difficult to cure; the last scarce ever heals; and though the disorder be in some degree mitigated, yet the natural colour is never fully restored. Whether any of these be curable or not, is easily known from an experiment. For the skin should be cut, or pricked with a needle. If blood issues, which generally happens in the two former, there is room for a remedy; if a white humour starts, it will not admit of a cure. And therefore it should not he meddled with.
To the curable kinds must be applied lentils mixed with sulphur and frankincense, the lentils being bruised and dipped in vinegar. Another composition for the same purpose is that, which goes under the name of Irenæus. Bastard spunge, nitre, cummin, dry fig-leaves, of each equal parts, are bruised with the addition of vinegar. With this the part affected is anointed in the sun; and in a little time, it is washed off, lest it corrode too much. Some following the practice of Mico, anoint the alphi with the following medicine; they mix of sulphur p. ii. *. nitre p. iv. *. dry myrrh powdered an acetabulum; then in the bath sprinkle upon the vitiligo bean flour, and afterwards put the other over it. Those which I called melanes, are cured by the following things beat up together; bastard spunge, frankincense, barley, and beans; these are sprinkled upon them without oil in the bagnio, before a sweat comes on, and then that species of vitiligo comes off by rubbing.