Description of Fig. 26.—"Of the corruption of the bones of
the arm and shin, even as far as the marrow; of the shin-
bone broken with a wound and the bones sticking out and
bound with swathe-bands brought circularly about; and of the
cutting off of the end of the hand or foot. I represents the
corruption of the bone and of the marrow of the shin-bone,
II represents the shin-bone wholly corrupted and rotten. III
represents the place where the corrupt bone was situated and
was now pulled forth with the pincers. V is that shin-bone
corrupted, which the patient laid up for a memorial. VI is
the bone of the right arm corrupted. VII represents the bone
of the arm totally corrupted and sharp, which was pulled
away with the pullers, but by pieces, without any noise or
pain. VIII shows the place where the corrupt bone of the arm
lay, which was now pulled forth, which Nature filled up with
a callous, so that the patient could perform country
business without any impediment. The patient was a
countryman of Pappatavia, whose arm a souldier broke in four
places, without any wound, anno 1636. IX is a fracture of
the shin-bone with a wound, and laying the bone naked. X is
the bone of the shin with a wound, broken, with bones
sticking forth, and bound with bands not crosswise, but
circularly brought about and laid within the capsula as it
ought to be. XI is a hand affected with a secret canker
which is cut off in the sound part, namely at the end of the
radius and cubit bone. XII is a hand that is sphacelated,
which, being laid upon the block (D), is amputated in the
sound ends of the radius and arm-bone with a chizel (E),
contrary to Hildanus, with good success. XIII is a basin
filled with oxyerat, in which swims a bladder, which, being
wet, must be applied to the mutilated part. XIV are two
swathe-bands wrapt together (F and O), whereof each hath two
ends, to bind the arm, whereof the hand at the end is cut
off. XV represents a foot that is sphacelated, which is
taken off in the mortified part, near the sound part with a
pair of pinccrs. The mortified part being removed, the rest
of the putrefaction is consumed with red-hot irons until the
patient feels the force of the fire. After this two plagets
are anointed with Hildanus, his unguent Egyptiae, which are
applied to the escar; lastly, long plaisters (7) being laid
upon it, the foot mutilated is bound with a wet band (Q} as
far as the knee, as the hand is unto the middle of the arm.
XVI are divers sorts of iron instruments and made red hot,
both to consume the remainder of the putrefied part and are
also fit to stop the flux of blood."
[Original]
By the middle and latter portions of the seventeenth century most of the better physicians and surgeons had either assumed offices and positions in which they were supported by the State, or were settled in permanent residences, which was not the case with the mass of physicians in the sixteenth century. As a result the reputation of the entire profession began to improve, while the unlimited license and absolute freedom of practice prevailing during the Middle Ages were almost entirely done away with. By this time the clerical element had disappeared almost entirely from medical circles, or only dabbled in certain specialties. The Thirty Years' War was fatal to the supremacy of the clergy in matters of public health. Moreover, the increase of international intercourse favored the communication of medical knowledge.
The physicians of this period were more occupied with chemistry and physics than had ever been the case before. Nevertheless, this was also the special age of alchemists and of impecuniosity. According to one of the classifications of the time, the regular profession was supposed to include physicians, surgeons, barbers, regimental surgeons, lithotomists, bath-keepers, midwives, nurses, apothecaries, druggists, and even confectioners and grocers. Another list of impostors and quacks, equally official, was made to include old women, village priests, hermits, quacks,—
Description of Fig. 27.—"I represents the breast affected
with an ulcerated canker, the basis whereof is thrust
through with two needles drawing after them a twisted flaxen
thread. II shews how the chyrurgeon takes hold with his left
hand, of the ends of the threads that were thrust through,
and with his right hand he takes the knife and with that he
cutteth the canker out by the roots. III shews a canker cut
from the breast weighing six physical pounds. IV shews how
the chyrurgeon, after the cutting off of a breast ulceratcd,
doth lightly cautcrize the place with a red-hot iron at
least to corroborate the parts. V is the instrument of
Hierom Fabritius ab Aquapendente wherewith a fistula of the
thorax is perforated. VI is Sostratus, his band, which is
most convenient where the breast is affected with any
disease that requires binding. VII shews how Celsus cured
the sticking forth of the navil by manual operation. VIII is
a truss for the navil made of a double: cotton linncn
cloth."