...and habit, such that he is naturally and constitutionally suited to this art, and that he has been expert in it for a long time. For not everyone is to be admitted to practice this unless he has been a disciple for a long time with an excellent master, and he himself has practiced for a long time by himself. And once the incision and excoriation of the skull have been made, remove the bone that is found to be fractured. This you must dry or cleanse properly of the pus found upon the membrane using cotton. Afterward, place over it cotton soaked in warm rose oil, and you must wash the flesh wound every day with honey-water until you remove the doubt of an abscess from it. And afterward, you will treat the wound that is in the flesh with an anaclis plaster, which in Latin is called "of palm," as will appear to you. If he is delicate and has soft flesh, mix some rose oil with the aforementioned plaster; and if not, you must use only the aforementioned plaster. And if his flesh is hard, in the end you must add to the aforementioned plaster something that has the power to consume strongly, such as calcatum, i.e., vitriol. And the keeper of this cure must consider the constitution of the sick person, and his temperament and nature and complexion.

[Paragraph symbol] But if the fracture has been caused by wood or stone, the matter will be much more dangerous, in that if the fractured bone is found to be displaced by the nature of the contusion, it is when small and minute or thin fissures occur around the circuit of the contusion, which fissures are hidden from the senses by their subtlety. And also when the membrane found under the skull, i.e., the dura mater, receives corruption and suffers harm from the force of the percussion. And few of those to whom this harm happens escape without suffering corruption and disturbance of the mind and intellect, with slowness and sluggishness of sense and motion; and they are rarely or never freed from such a percussion. And because it is of immense danger and terror, as has been said, therefore you must be diligent in removing the fractured bone, and in placing cotton soaked in warm rose oil, and in washing the wound with honey-water; and you must do this well until you see what you wish to accomplish. For this matter is grave in this our time, because we have neither seen nor heard of any surgeon in this our time who is perfect in this art; for if anyone were perfect, no one would die from a skull fracture alone. And thus, by the grace of God, it is known to him to whom a perfect physician in such a necessity or similar has arrived, so that he might liberate him; thus it is said to be by divine judgment when a sudden illness befalls someone and he dies as a result. But if, with a skull fracture, the dura mater has received some lesion, I do not intend to set forth any medicine in such cases, since the moderns and their lighter remedies are found to be insufficient; how much more are they thought to be so in graver cases. And if, along with the dura mater, the pia mater has also suffered a lesion, it is a peril to be liberated, as is proven by physicians.

The third treatise concerning the illnesses of the head begins, containing six chapters.

Chapter I. Concerning headache caused by coldness.

This illness happens to the head from an extrinsic coldness coming upon it, and the cure for this is to anoint the head with oil of acauen and chamomile, because they are hot. And if the coldness is more intense, it will not be harmful to mix with the aforementioned substances half the weight of them in mustard seed oil and oil of black cumin seed. And if we had balsam oil, it would be praised far more than all the aforementioned.

Chapter II. Concerning headache caused by heat.

If the headache is from heat, it is cured with rose oil, distilled into it in a cool place from on high with a vessel having a fine nozzle; and if the heat is stronger than aforementioned, and it is in summer, and the age is that of youth, mix with the aforementioned oil the juice of lettuces, and gourds, and cucumbers; and put the juice of the gourd in this case because of its thickness, so that it may not quickly be able to penetrate to the bottom of the head; rather, it makes the medicine remain in the place for so long that it can perform its operation, and so that it is not quickly converted into the heat of the hot member, as a subtle substance would do because of the strong heat of the head. And if you add vinegar to this medicine, it will be stronger in its operation. And you must prepare the food of the sick person according to his condition, namely, by giving him boiled lettuces and gourds and purslane dressed with vinegar; and let him smell fresh water-lily or violets or fresh gourds. And let him take care not to stay in a place where there is fire or smoke, or in hot air, until he is freed.

Chapter III. Concerning headache caused by humidity.

Abundance of humidity does not cause intense pain, but rather a feeling of heaviness and, with laborious stretching, an insane groaning. And the cure for this is little food and drink; and in summer this pain is removed with the application of sandalwood with rose water upon the head, and in winter by causing the smelling of the smoke of aloe wood or blacta bizantia or galbanum, or Indian sandalwood, or sandalwood of septa. And to smell alkitran in this is the best.

Chapter IV. Concerning headache caused by dryness.

But if dryness has abounded with coldness, it does not tend to create headache, but rather wakefulness with disturbance of the senses, if the dryness is exuberant. And the cure for it is the entry into a bath of fresh water in a temperate chamber. And bathing by steam also is beneficial. And the continuation of the application of warm water upon the head is also able to remove this illness. And eating sweet almonds with bread and fine bread can do the same, God willing.

Chapter V. Concerning abscesses of the membranes of the head.

These, however, are illnesses which occur without any extrinsic cause, namely, abscesses which form in the membranes. But an abscess that forms in the membrane that covers the skull externally we judge to be lighter than the others. And the cure for it is phlebotomy of the cephalic vein, abstaining with all diligence from the application of poultices to that place, lest it cause the matter to return to a nobler member, namely, the brain. And this could also happen if the hard membrane existing under the skull, which is called the dura mater, develops an abscess; and this happens from acute humors, and through this they suffer very strong pains with redness of the eyes, wakefulness, and disturbance of the senses and intellect. For these you must draw blood as you shall see fit to be expedient there. And if he is of medium age and the temperament is tending toward heat, feed them only with a ptisana reasonably made from barley with a small quantity of wheat bread crumbs and the marrow of Saracen cucumber seeds, or with boiled lettuces or citrills similarly boiled with a little vinegar. And you will purge him with yellow myrobalans, tamarinds, and scammony, as you shall see fit to be suitable. But if he is a youth and of large body and his veins are large, and the season is summer or spring, bleed him from the common vein of the right arm. And you shall not feed him for up to seven days except only with a ptisana reasonably made, or with boiled lettuces or purslane, which are more praiseworthy than the others; and all these are to be dressed with vinegar. And the marrow of the seeds of citrills and Saracen cucumbers are also very useful to them. And you must use this regimen until the abscesses and their accidents are removed. And even after the abscess has ceased with all its accidents, you will not feed him with meats nor any other food of much nourishment; rather, [give him] thin food, gradually ascending to coarser [foods] until you recognize him to be in his natural state. And after food, you will give him some astringent things in moderation, such as the marrow of alhao steng and yue when they begin to be various, and similar things, because these have the power to strengthen the stomach and to remove the harm of the aforementioned foods. And it is also praised for these to suck the juice of quinces and pears, chewing them after food; and if the season is not of great heat, rose-sugar in this case is said to be suitable. But you must know that if the strength is weak, or he is of an age over forty years, in very few of such people is such an abscess found to be from pure and natural yellow bile; and if it happens, we say that its cure is difficult. And you must know that all abscesses which form in the brain are for the most part either from bile mixed with windiness, or the reverse. For such, however, we command to perform phlebotomy, but in a small quantity. And afterwards they are to be purged with agaric and aloe and violets and violet syrup and fgn çabin. But if the abscess is in the aforementioned membrane, i.e., the dura mater, you must repeatedly draw small amounts of blood if it is known by the physician from the pulse and other signs that the blood is exuberant. And we do not desist from mentioning the signs of blood, except that this our book would be excessively prolonged. And if we were to set them down, we would depart from the order of the Lord King. And make him abstain from coarse food and in large quantity, and make him smell roses.