Contents
Book I
III. Observations suited to new incidents, and the different constitutions, sexes, and ages; and the seasons of the year, 19
V. Directions for those that labour under a lippitude, gravedo, catarrh, and disorders of the tonsils, 27
Book II
CHAP. I. Of the different seasons, weather, ages, constitutions, and the diseases peculiar to each, 34
XXXIII. Of those things which draw, repel, or cool, or heat, or harden, or soften, 84
Book III
General diagnostics of acute and chronic, increasing and declining diseases; the difference of regimen in each; and precautions necessary upon the apprehension of an approaching illness,
The proper times for giving drink to persons in fevers; and the kinds of aliments suited to the several stages of the distempers; together with some general observations,
Book IV
XXIV. Of the diseases of the joints of the hands and feet, and their cure, 182
Book V
XXVI. Of five different kinds of disorders incident to the body; and of the nature, symptoms, and cure of wounds, 217
Book VI
Of the disorders of the eyes, carbuncles of the eyes, pustules, wasting, lice in the eye-lids, dry lippitude, dimness, a cataract, palsy, mydriasis, a weakness, and external hurts in the eyes, and the various collyriums adapted to each disorder,
VII. Of the diseases of the ears; pain, pus in the ears, worms, dulness of hearing, a noise, extraneous bodies in the ears, 281
Book VII
VII. Of the diseases of the eyes cured by manual operations; of vesicles in the upper eye-lids 321
IX. The operation necessary in a want of substance in the ears, lips, and nose 335
XXVIII. Of the operations required, when a membrane or flesh obstructs the vagina in women 373
Book VIII
CHAP. I. Of the situation and figure of the bones of the human body 381
II. General division of disorders in the bones. Of a blackness and caries, and their treatment 388
III. Of the use of the modiolus, and perforator, and other instruments, especially for the bones of the head 390
Roman measures of capacity for things liquid, reduced to english wine measure, the wine pint holding 287/8 solid inches.
No. I.
Pints Sol. in. dec.
Possibly No. I. may be better understood in the following form.
No. II.
Eng. wi. Solid
Ligulæ. Cyathi. Acetab. Quart. Hem. Sext. pint. inch.
48 or 12 or 8 or 4 or 2 == 1 == 1. and 5.636
24 or 6 or 4 or 2 == 1 — - == 0. 17.255 1/2
12 or 3 or 2 == 1 — - — - == 0. 8.627 3/4
6 or 1 1/2 == 1 — - — - — - == 0. 4.313 7/8
4 == 1 — - — - — - — - == 0. 2.875 11/12
1 — - — - — - — - — - == 0. 0.718 47/48
Roman measures of capacity for things dry, reduced to english corn measure, the english corn pint holding 33 3/5 inches.
No. III.
Pints Sol. in. dec.
The same table in another form.
No. IV.
Eng. corn Solid
Ligulæ. Cyathi. Acetab. Heminæ. Sextarius. pint. inches
Note, The tables, No. I. and No. III. are exactly copied from Dr Arbuthnot, No. XII. and XIII. I have here gone no higher than the sextarius, as that is the greatest measure mentioned by Celsus; it has its name from making the sixth part of the Roman congius.
I would have taken the table of weights from Dr Arbuthnot also, if he had given one accommodated to Celsus; but as he has not, I have composed the following, No. VI. according to the division of Celsus himself, who tells usU, that he divides the uncia, or ounce, into seven denarii, and the denarius into six sextantes.
Besides these, in several compositions our author uses semuncia and sescuncia, that is half an ounce and ounce and half; and to save the reader the trouble of reduction, I have given them also a place in the table.
The accurate Mr GreavesV, from repeated experiments, concluded the Roman denarius to contain 62 grains English Troy weight, from which the proportions of the other weights are determined.
No. V.
Grains. Scruples. Drachms. Ounces. Pound Troy.
gr. ℈ Ʒ ℥ ℔
Celsus’s weights compared with apothecaries’ weights.
No. VI.
Grains of Sextan- Dena- Semun- Ses- Li- Apothecaries’.
Troy wt. tes. rii. ciæ. Unciæ. cun. bra. ℥ Ʒ ℈ gr.
5208 or 504 or 84 or 24 or 12 or 8 == 1 == 10: 6: 2: 8
651 or 63 or 10 1/2 or 3 or 1 1/2 == 1 — — == 1: 2: 2: 11
434 or 42 or 7 or 2 == 1 — — — — == 0: 7: 0: 14
217 or 21 or 3 1/2 == 1 — — — — — — == 0: 3: 1: 17
62 or 6 == 1 — — — — — — — — == 0: 1: 0: 2
10 1/3 == 1 — — — — — — — — — — == 0: 0: 0: 10 1/2
1 — — — — — — — — — — — — == 0: 0: 0: 1
Note 1st. The Romans divided all integers, as they did their as, into twelve equal parts called unciæ. Thus the sextans was the sixth part of the as, containing two of these unciæ, quadrans one fourth, or three unciæ, triens the third part, or four unciæ, semis one half, or six unciæ, bes or bessis two-thirds, or eight unciæ, dodrans three-fourths being nine unciæ. The weight of these then differs, as the integer is the libra, the uncia, or denarius, which the attentive reader will easily reduce, if he is disposed to calculate the quantities, observing that they are not to be taken for aliquot parts of the denarius, but when they follow the mark of the denarius. The integer preceding, and the nature of the composition will be the best explication.
Note 2. The denarius mark was X or, as containing originally ten small asses. This by the copiers has been often confounded with X, denoting the number of ten denarii; so that after all the pains of critics and commentators, the proportions of the ingredients in several compositions seem to be irrecoverably lost. For this reason, I suppose the later editors have thought fit to change it for the common asterisk.
Note 3. The characters for quantities are variously marked in different authors, and the same note has several values. There is one of this uncertainty in Celsus, that is Z, which we are told expresses the libra, the sescuncia, the sextans of a pound, the denarius and the sextans of a denariusW. Which of these different values it bears in any particular place must be determined by the connection. When it follows the mark of the denarius, it can mean no more than the sextans of a denarius.
Note 4. p. stands for pondo, which is an indeclinable word, and when joined with numbers, signifies libra or a pound; when with other weights, it stands for no more than pondus or weight in general.
For an example of the reduction of Celsus’s weights to ours, the following may serve.
Lib. v. cap. 19. no. 7. Philotas’s plaister contains,
Of Eretrian earth ℥ Ʒ ℈ gr.
— chalcitis, each p. iv.*. == 1/2: 0: 0: 8 viz. Ʒi. gr. ii.
multiplied by 4
—and so all
the rest.
Myrrh
Rasile Verdigrease
Round Allum
Crude Misy
Oil of Roses— Bitter oil, of each three cyathi, or 1 quartarius = between 1/4 and 1/3 of an English pint.
Vinegar, a Sufficient Quantity
—— 189 —— 26 for flour read flower.
—— 240 —— 22 for warm ingremedies read warming remedies.
—— 249 —— 14 for comes read come.
—— 257 —— 30 for verjuice read omphacium.
—— 271 —— 16 for wines read wine.
—— 323 —— 31 for straight read strait.
—— 350 —— 18 dele also.
A. CORNELIUS CELSUS
OF
MEDICINE.