Abhomeron Abynzohar & Colliget Auerroys (Medical Compendium)

... when it has first changed its flavor; and let them abstain from fruits, except for sweet pomegranates and from the insides of Saracen cucumbers, that is, watermelons, since they do not harm one in the least when eaten; rather, they are proven to draw out bad humor through urine. And let them also beware of all things fried in a pan, and of all fried foods, and of every kind of fish and eggs, since these cause harm in various ways. And make them smell roses, or myrtle, or water-lily continuously; and command them not to turn toward the rays of the sun or toward a fire and similar things. And by doing so and continuing what we have said, he will be completely liberated, God willing.

¶ Cap. VIII. Concerning the graying of the hair according to different places.

It happens on the head that in certain places the hair turns white; this whitening is called morphea by the common people. And it can be that the hair changes to a yellow or an uglier color. And this can happen before birth and after; and as for that which happens after birth, the cause of this is an excess of cold humor [flowing] to that place, changing its nature to coldness. And according to the change or alteration of the place, the color of the hair changes more or less. And its cure is to organize a regimen with moderately heating and drying things; and let them eat in their meals turtledoves and small birds, roasted and boiled; and let them use exercise before food, and let them rest after; and let the place be anointed with oil of cherna, or with oil of peaches, or with oil of citrus rind, or with oil of raunim, three times a day, or more or less according to the size and smallness of the affliction.

¶ Cap. IX. Concerning the bad disposition and shape of the hair of the head.

It also happens to the hair sometimes that it takes on a twisted shape when they grow spiraled, and afterwards when they revolve toward their root. And this happens due to much dryness of the skin; and it can be that in certain places they are twisted and in certain others not, according to how the dryness is found to abound more or less in the place. And the cure for this is to constantly anoint the place with oil of egg yolks and oil of sweet almonds, and oil of linseed in equal weight, and it will be freed.

¶ Cap. X. Which is concerning the dandruff of the head.

It happens also to the skin of the head that similar [things] to dandruff are generated in it, and this is through the expulsion of thick excrement to the place. And the cause of this is much repletion of food, and to eat with those things that are sticky, and to rest before food and exercise after; and what can be done more in this is exercise immediately after food; and also to bathe oneself outside the steam-room in cold or tepid water. In the case of, however, it is judged not to harm in the least. And the cure of this is exercise before food and before the bath; and let them eat turtledoves prepared with vinegar, and small birds, and abstain entirely from drinking plain water unless honey or boiled wine is mixed into it, and let him be purged with a suitable cathartic. And that which is praised more is aloes and coloquintida. For this, a confection likewise is worth much for this: R. Aloe succotrina and seeds of nettle and yrcos of each 1 ounce, mastic 1/2 ounce, sarcocolla 1/3 of an ounce, inner coloquintida 1/8 of an ounce. The coloquintida should indeed be cut minutely, and the other things should be finely pulverized, and you shall add from the powder of tragacanth and sweet almonds to the weight of all; and mix the whole by mashing with syrup of sarcocolla, adding to it of scammony the weight of three barley grains. And the dose of this is 5 ounces, with one cyathus of water of the decoction of hyssop and garlic, abstaining just as is done in laxatives. And let his head be washed with wine vinegar, epithematizing it with mud or earth with which the ultramarines wipe their heads; and if you will have mixed honey with the vinegar and will wash his head with it, it will be better. Also, if you will wash or anoint the head in winter with refined tar, it will be freed; and ablution also from water of scitibile or from water of lesser centaury removes this affection.

¶ Cap. XI. Which is concerning lice.

Lice also happen on the head. And Galen says that their exit is between the flesh and the skin, and others show that they are generated from a viscous sweat existing upon the skin. But in whatever way it may be, this is the truth: that they are generated from a humor [that is] very sticky, to which some heat is admixed with some

kind of putridity—and I do not mean complete putridity, but that which is in the process of becoming. The cure of this is to give them a preparation of whey [of milk] which has been coagulated with the seeds of nettle, or with the milk of figs. And place drying agents over the head; and if it is in summer, vinegar in which lesser centaury has been boiled suffices for you. In winter, you shall anoint his head with tar, since it destroys the humor causing the lice and kills them.

¶ Cap. XII. Which is concerning nits.

Nits sometimes attach to the hairs of the head; regarding their generation, diverse opinions are found among physicians. And the cure of them is to anoint the head with those things that we have mentioned—namely, with lesser centaury and with tar. And they will no longer be generated. And make them accustom themselves to baths, and washing the head many times destroys them. And whoever wishes to remove the cause or the [dampness] of them, it is necessary that he abstain from unsuitable foods. And let him be content to eat hens or turtledoves boiled with vinegar or verjuice or the juice of barberries. And now there does not remain for us anything to mention concerning those things which can happen to the head externally, unless they happen to proceed from the external. Now, however, I begin to treat of those things which must proceed from the same by external causes.

¶ Here begins the second treatise containing a single chapter, which is concerning the diseases of the head, happening from the outside, such as from a blow.

A blow happens to the head from iron, or a stone, or wood, and from similar things. And that which is from iron, if it is without incision of the skin, for the most part does not create pus; and if it is [there], it is in a small quantity, and this harm is removed by washing the place with honey-water after shaving the head and by placing from above a balnele plaster, and also an ointment or plaster of palm. And if the blow has been from a stone or similar thing without incision, it certainly produces pus. And the cure of it is as we have said, except that it is prolonged more. And an incision made from iron, if it extends to the membrane which covers the cranium externally, generates strong pain, and thus creates fever. It is necessary in such a case to empty the body with cephalic bloodletting from the opposite side, since in this case it is better to bleed from the opposite. Modern physicians, however, rely on the words of a certain old physician who was dwelling in such things, by the name of Benfouſages, since it seemed sufficient to him to incline the incision from above to below; and in this case he bled the median vein, seeing that a good orientation seemed sufficient for him. But my own opinion did not at all assert this; on the contrary, he commanded to use both opinions, since my own teacher called his [the physician's] by name. And this is my opinion, and I have used it, and use it, and will use it in the times of my life, and through experience daily I know this to be the truth. Afterwards, you shall have wool or cotton joined with rose oil, aromatized and tepid, and place it from above; and this you will continue until the fever is removed from the place. And if the pain is strong and is not removed with this, add to the aforementioned oil half of its own of oil of egg yolks, knowing that a wound of this membrane is not to be feared much, in that from the root and origin of it, heavy and perilous accidents happen to a man; and for this reason it must be attended to solicitously that fever is not created. And when you will be secure from fever, return to the aforementioned cure. But due to the dryness of the membrane, it is necessary that the inner barks of acorns or horsetail be decocted with water, and with the same decoction make honey-water with which you must wash the wound; and place over the wound an ointment or plaster of palm, and this medication you must continue until it is agglutinated. And if the wound has been from a stone with a fracture of the membrane covering the cranium, such that it extends up to it, there is no addition or diminution in the cure, except that the time is prolonged more. But if the wound has been from a sharp iron, such that the incision touches or bores the cranium without penetration of it, the aforementioned cure suffices for you for this. And if the incision has penetrated to the depth, then it entirely requires a surgeon and manual operation. And this you must begin first, namely, to skin the membrane from the cranium, making first an incision in a cross, according to what the Sal—that is, the Lio—calls the way of health. But in this time of ours, few are found who know how to do this, and few who know this by experience and reason, since it is imprudent to exercise such a work only by words. And I say to you, in order to find a man proficient in this art, that he be of those who have understanding...