CHAP. XIX. OF PLAISTERS.
Of plaisters there are none more useful, than those, which are immediately applied to bloody wounds; the Greeks call them enaima[ DW ]. For these repel an inflammation, unless it be excited by something very violent, and even then they diminish its force, and agglutinate wounds, which are not inflamed, and cicatrize them. They consist of medicines not fat, and therefore by the Greeks are called alipaina[ DX ].
1.
Barbarium plaister.
The best of these plaisters is that, which is called barbarum. It contains of rasile verdigrease[(46)] p. xii. *. litharge p. xx. *. alum, dry pitch, dry pine resin, each p. i. *. to which is added of oil and vinegar each a hemina.
2.
The choacon.
There is another for the same, which is called choacon; it contains of litharge p. x. *. dry resin as much. But the litharge is first boiled in three heminæ of oil. The colour of both these plaisters is black, which generally results from pitch and resin, as the blackest is from bitumen; from verdigrease, or scales of copper, green; from minium, red; from ceruss, white.
3.
The basilicon.
There are a very few compositions, in which the variety of the mixture causes some different appearance; therefore that also is black, which is called basilicon. It contains of opopanax p. i. *. galbanum p. ii. *. pitch and resin, of each p. x. *. half a cyathus of oil.
4.
The smaragdine.
But that, which is very green, is called smaragdine, in which there are of pine resin. p. iii. *. wax p. i. *. verdigrease 1/2 p. *. flour of frankincense p. ii. *. as much oil and vinegar, with which last the flour and verdigrease are united.