Of Medicine, in Eight Books

by Aulus Cornelius Celsus

Asclepias.

Cicatrices formed from ulcers are liable to two defects; of being either concave, or protuberant. If they be concave, they may be filled by the sphærion collyrium; or that called asclepias. This consists of poppy tears p. ii. *. sagapenum, opopanax, each p. iii. *. verdigrease p. iv. *. gum p. viii. *. pepper p. xii. *. cadmia washed, ceruss, each p. xvi. *. Canopite.But if the cicatrices are thick, they are rendered thin by the smilion, or canopite collyrium, which last contains cinnamon, acacia, of each p. i. *. cadmia washed, saffron, myrrh, poppy tears, gum, each p. ii. *. white pepper, frankincense, each p. iii. *. calcined copper p. ix. *. with rain water. Pyxinum of Euelpides.Or the pyxinum of Euelpides, which consists of the following ingredients; of fossile salt p. iv. *. ammoniacum thymiama p. viii. *. poppy tears p. xiii. *. ceruss p. xv. *. white pepper, Cilician saffron, each p. lii. gum p. xiii. *. cadmia washed p. ix. *. Yet the composition, which contains gum p. iii. *. verdigrease p. i. *. crocomagma p. iv. *. seems to be the best for removing a cicatrix.

There is also another kind of inflammation, in which if the patient’s eyes swell, and are distended with pain, it is necessary to bleed in the forehead; and to foment the head and eyes plentifully with hot water; to gargle with lentils, or cream of figs; to anoint with the acrid medicines mentioned above; particularly that, which is called sphærion, and which has blood-stone in it. And others are useful too, which are calculated to lessen the roughness; of which I am going to speak.

This commonly follows an inflammation of the eyes; sometimes it is more violent, at other times more slight. Sometimes too a roughness occasions a lippitude, and that again increases the roughness, and in some is short, in others it continues long, and so as to be hardly ever cured.

In this kind of disorder some scrape the thick and hard eye-lids both with a fig-leaf and a specillum asperatum[(6)], and sometimes with a knife; and turning them up, they rub them every day with medicines. Which ought not to be practised, unless in a considerable and inveterate roughness, nor that often. For the same end is better obtained by a suitable regimen and proper medicines. Therefore we shall use exercises and the bath more frequently: and foment the eye-lids with plenty of warm water. The food must be acrid and extenuating.

Cæsarian.

The medicine, which is called Cæsarian, contains of copperas p. i. *. misy p. *. white pepper p. v. *. poppy tears, gum, each p. ii. *. cadmia washed p. iii. *. antimony p. vi. *. And this collyrium is allowed to be a good remedy against every kind of disorder in the eyes, except those, that are treated by mild medicines.

Hierax’s.

That also, which is called Hierax’s, is powerful against a roughness. It consists of myrrh p. *. ammoniacum thymiama p. ii. *. rasile verdigrease p. iv. *. with rain water. For the same purpose that also is proper, which is called canopite, and the smilion, and the pyxinum, and the sphærion. But if compound medicines are not at hand, a roughness may be easily enough cured by goat’s gall or the best honey.

Dry lippitude.