remained until the time of the first Pharmacopoeia, 1618. Dr. Alleyne1 speaks thus of them : "Powers of Scabious, Valentia Scabiosa.-Take of the juice of green Scabious, pressed out and strained through a cloth, and of Hog's lard cleared of its membranes, each as much as you please. Let the Lard be beat in a stone mortar, and the juice poured in by little at a time, for the conveniency of mixture, and giving its tincture; and then put them together into a proper vessel, to be exposed to the sun, and so that the juice may cover the lard; after nine days put them again into the mortar as before, and throw away that thin and discoloured humidity, which separates upon beating, without rubbing them together; and again put into its vessel for five days. And afterwards beat it again and by little at a time, mix with it fresh juice of scabious, and after a fresh insolation of fifteen days in its proper vessel in the Sun, let it be cleared as before of its watery humidity. Let it then stand again in the same manner for fifteen days longer with fresh juice, and after a little beating let it be kept for use in a glass or earthen vessel. This, we are told by the first compilers of the College Dispensatory, was the contrivance of John Arden, an experienced surgeon at Newark in Nottinghamshire, who lived in the reign of Edward III. After insertion of this, which they had from an ancient manuscript, they particularly direct to repeat the processes with fresh juice till the Lard looks of a deep green; and that is made the measure of the repetition necessary. The powers and honey of Mullein were from the same author, and almost three hundred years ago were in great esteem amongst the surgeons of our own country, though they have now been long in disuse." "The Powers of Mullein; Tapsi Valentia.-Take of the juice of Mullen and of Hog's lard, each as much as you please; let the Lard be cleansed of its membranes and fibres, and broke into small parcels; then beat it with the expressed juice, press out and strain as directed in the preceding process. Let it afterwards be put into a proper vessel for nine or ten days, and then be twice more impregnated with fresh juice until it is quite green. Lastly, after all the humidity that will separate is poured off, beat it again briskly, and put it by in a proper manner for use." The first contriver of these processes, as appears from the first edition of the College Dispensatory, directs the medicines thus made to be fresh beat once in a month. ARDERNE. 1 "A New English Dispensatory," 1733, p. 336. с Honey of Mullen; Tapsimel.—Take of the juice of Celandine and one part Mullen, of despumated Honey two parts; boil gradually till the juices are evaporated, adding thereto, if the Operator pleases, calcined Vitriol and Alum with Copperas, and again boil secundum artem." The first College Dispensatory adds from the Author, that “if occasion requires this should be at last boiled up to a pretty thick consistence; and says that it will certainly cure itchings in any part of the body, and is a most noble ointment. But it seems the present Practice hath not faith enough to rely upon it for anything, for neither this nor the foregoing are ever prescribed or made. However, it hath been thought fit to continue such extraordinary discoveries still upon record for the sake of any that may think proper to make trial with them." It is my pleasant duty, in conclusion, to thank those who have given me much help in the preparation of this volume. First, to Dr. Warner, the Keeper of Manuscripts, who allowed me to study the Sloane MSS. at the British Museum in comfort in the room which is doing duty as the large room; secondly, to Mr. L. Galbraith, who afforded me similar facilities in the University Library at Glasgow; and, lastly, to Mr. Falconer Madan, who made me feel at home in the Bodleian. Lieut.-Col. Walter D. McCaw, Surgeon of the United States Army, responded kindly, promptly and fully to my questions about the only manuscript of Arderne which Dr. Harvey Cushing of Baltimore has been able to obtain tidings of in America. Miss Evaline G. Parker at Oxford, and Miss Margaret E. Thompson in London, have helped me by transcribing obscure passages which I was quite unable to decipher; whilst my friend, Mr. J. H. Noble, has assisted me with the heraldry of the various MSS., a subject of much interest, which I hope some day to consider in greater detail. My obligations to Mr. S. Armitage-Smith are great; and I have endeavoured to show my appreciation of the interest which Dr. Frank Payne has always taken in Arderne, and the help I have received by dedicating to him this edition of his treatises. I have tried to make the text literally accurate, and to elucidate it by such notes as were needed to explain to myself the various difficulties which occurred in reading it. No one can be more conscious of the defects in the notes than myself, but the work has been a labour of love, and if they seem extremely bad it must be remembered that, after all, I am but a surgeon, whose business in life is to act and not to write. BIBLIOGRAPHY. The following table shows the manuscripts which I have examined personally at the British Museum, and in Oxford, Cambridge and Glasgow. There is said to be a French version in Paris and a Latin one at Stockholm, but I have not yet been able to obtain any information about them: there is a manuscript in Washington and another in Dublin. Arderne issued his writings in the form of treatises, written in Latin, and with his own hand. These treatises were afterwards collected and were sometimes translated. The manuscripts therefore contain different combinations. The collection here printed is one of the more usual groups, but the translator has not rendered the whole of the last part on the preparation of various remedies. It is given in greater detail in the Ashmole MS. 1434 in the Bodleian Library. * MANUSCRIPTS OF JOHN OF ARDERNE IN THE VARIOUS LIBRARIES. I. PRACTICA DE FISTULA IN ANO, &c. Soc. xiv. Brit. Museum, Sloane MSS. No. 341, ff. 41-69 b. University Library, Glasgow, No. 339. Soc. xiv-xv. University Library, Glasgow, No. 112, ff. 38-98. Surgeon-General's Lib., Washington, U.S.A., ff.41-138. Sæc. xv. Brit. Museum, Sloane MSS. No. 6, ff. 141-154 b. [English]. وو No. 76, ff. 143 and 144. [English]. No. 277, ff. 60 b.-75 b. [English]. No. 347, ff. 122-240. No. 563, ff. 63-121 b. [English]. No. 795, ff. 96 b.-163 b. No. 2002, ff. 1-180. No. 2122, ff. 10-32. No. 29301, ff. 22-32 b. No. 8093, ff. 140-174 [English]. Harleian MSS. No. 3371, ff. 13–39 b. No. 5401, ff. 34 b.-52. University Library, Glasgow, No. 251, formerly Sloane 2. Bodley's Library, Oxford, Ash. 1434, ff. 11-107. St. John's College, Oxford, No. 132, ff. 68. Emmanuel Coll., Cambridge, No. 69. Saec. xvi. Bodley's Library, Oxford, Ash. 829, ff. 76–80 and 81–115. Sæc. xvii. Brit. Museum, Sloane MSS. No. 1991, ff. 142–159. Sac. xiv. Brit. Museum, Sloane MSS. No. 56, ff. 1–100. Manuscripts of John of Arderne in the various Libraries. xxxv Sac. xiv-xv. University Library, Glasgow, No. 112. Sac. xv. No. 238, ff. 8-96 b. No. 347, ff. 2-75. No. 795, ff. 20 b.-96 b. No. 962, ff. 123 b.-248 b. No. 2122, ff. 32–74. د, ,, No. 29301, ff. 3-22, and 32 b.-47 b. Bodley's Library, Oxford, Ash. 1434, ff. 117–131. Caius Coll., Cambridge, No. 219. University Library, Cambridge, No. 292. Trinity Coll., Cambridge, No. 1153, ff. 99 + 3. Sac. xvi. Brit. Museum, Sloane MSS. No. 563, ff. 122–129 b. Sac. xvii. Brit. Museum, Sloane MSS. No. 1991, ff. 168-224. No. 2271 [English]. Bodley's Library, Oxford, Rawl. 355 c. Sæc. xix. Royal College of Surgeons, England. Transcript of E. H.'s [Sloane 2271] abstract. III. COMMENTARY "DE JUDICIIS URINARUM." Sac. xiv. University Library, Glasgow, No. 328 [English]. |