Page 124 - My FlipBook

126 SECOND PERIOD—THE MIDDLE AGES

into a fistula, against which no medical remedy is of any use, it is necessary
for thee to take a cautery corresponding in size to the aperture of the
fistula, and after having heated it, to introduce it there and to keep it
applied there until the cauterizing iron reaches the bottom of the said fistula
and bevond. This thou shalt do once or twice, and then shalt use fitting
medicaments until a complete cure is obtained. This is attained when
suppuration ceases. Otherwise one cannot do less than uncover the bone
and extract that part of it which is diseased."^
"When through excess of moisture the gums become flaccid, the teeth
loose, and of no use are the remedies employed by thee, thou shalt lay
the patient's head on thy lap, and after having applied to the tooth,
where it borders on the gum, the end of an appropriate little metal tube,
in this thou shalt quickly introduce the cautery of which mention will be
made in the following chapter; and thou shalt prolong the application
as long as suffices to let the patient feel the heat right in the root of the
tooth. This thou shalt repeat as often as thou shalt think necessary.
Then the patient shall keep salt water in the mouth for an hour. By
effect of such a cure, the corrupted moisture will dry up, the gums will
regain their tone, and the tooth its firmness.""
"When toothache depends upon cold, or if there exist some worm
in the tooth, and the medicaments are of no use, recourse must be made to
cauterization, which in such cases may be performed in two ways, viz.,
either bv means of butter or with a cautery. Desiring to use butter,
some of it must be warmed in an iron or copper spoon; a little cotton
must then be wrapped around the extremity of a probe, dipped into the
boiling butter, and then immediately applied to the tooth, keeping it
there in contact until it has cooled. This must be repeated several times,
so that the action of the heat reaches right down to the root of the tooth.
If thou preferest, thou canst use cold butter, applied to the aching tooth
b\- means of a little tuft of wool or cotton, upon which thou shalt lay a
red-hot iron; prolonging the application of this until the heat has reached
the very root of the tooth.
"To perform the cauterization directly with the iron, thou must first
rest on the tooth a small tube of iron or copper, designed to preserve the
neighboring \rdYXs from the action of the heat, and which must, therefore,
be of sufficient thickness. 1 hrough such a tube thou shalt apply on the
tooth a cautery of the shape given here below, and shalt keep it there
iinni ir is cooled. This thou shalt do several times. The pain will
cease the same day or on the morrow. It is, however, necessary that

' AI)iilc;iMs (Ic Cliiruifii;!, lib. i, cap. xix, p. 47; Latin translation h}' Channing with the
Arabic tixt in front, Oxford, 1778.
47.
- Cap. XX, p