Chapter VIII: 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

IV. Of fractures of the skull 393

V. Of fractures of the nose 399

VI. Of fractures of the ears 400

VII. Of a fractured maxilla, together with some general
observations relating to fractures 401

VIII. Of a fractured clavicle 402

IX. Of fractures of the ribs and spine 404

X. Of fractures of the humerus, fore-arm, thigh, leg,
fingers, and toes 406

XI. Of luxations 414

XII. Of a luxated maxilla 416

XIII. Of a luxation of the head 417

XIV. Of a luxation of the spine 418

XV. Of a luxation of the humerus 419

XVI. Of a luxation of the cubitus 420

XVII. Of a luxated hand 421

XVIII. Of luxations in the palm 422

XIX. Of luxations of the fingers 422

XX. Of a luxation of the femur 423

XXI. Of a luxation of the knee 424

XXII. Of a luxated ancle 425

XXIII. Of luxations in the soles of the feet 425

XXIV. Of luxated toes 426

XXV. Of luxations attended with a wound 426

ROMAN MEASURES OF CAPACITY FOR THINGS LIQUID, REDUCED TO ENGLISH WINE MEASURE, THE WINE PINT HOLDING 28-7/8 SOLID INCHES.

No. I.

|_Pints_ |_Sol. in. dec._
Ligula |0,-1/48 |0,117-5/12
+------+ | |
| 4 |Cyathus |0,-1/12 |0,469-2/3
+------+-----+ | |
| 6 | 1 |Acetabulum |0,-1/8 |0,704-1/2
+------+-----+-----+ | |
| 12 | 3 | 2 |Quartarius |0,-1/4 |1,409
+------+-----+-----+-----+ | |
| 24 | 6 | 4 | 2 |Hemina |0,-1/2 |2,818
+------+-----+-----+-----+----+ | |
| 48 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 |Sextarius|1 |5,636
+------+-----+-----+-----+----+ | |

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._
Ligula |0,-1/48 |0,01
+------+ | |
| 4 |Cyathus |0,-1/12 |0,04
+------+-----+ | |
| 6 |1-1/2|Acetabulum |0,-1/8 |0,06
+------+-----+-----+ | |
| 24 | 6 | 4 |Hemina |0,-1/2 |0,24
+------+-----+-----+----+ | |
| 48 | 12 | 8 | 2 |Sextarius|1, |0,48
+------+-----+-----+----+ | |

THE SAME TABLE IN ANOTHER FORM.

No. IV.

_Eng. corn _Solid
_Ligulæ. Cyathi. Acetab. Heminæ. Sextarius._ pint._ inches_
48 or 12 or 8 or 2 == 1 == 1. and 0.48
24 or 6 or 4 == 1 -- -- == 0. 17.04
6 or 1-1/2 == 1 -- -- -- -- == 0. 4.26
4 == 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- == 0. 2.84
1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- == 0. 0.71

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 us[U], that he divides the _uncia_, or _ounce_, into _seven denarii_, and the _denarius_ into _six sextantes_.

[U] Lib. v. cap. 17.

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 Greaves[V], from repeated experiments, concluded the _Roman denarius_ to contain 62 grains English Troy weight, from which the proportions of the other weights are determined.

[V] Dissertation on the Denarius.

No. V.

_Grains._ _Scruples._ _Drachms._ _Ounces._ _Pound Troy._
gr. ℈ Ʒ ℥ ℔
5760 or 288 or 96 or 12 == 1
480 or 24 or 8 == 1
60 or 3 == 1
20 == 1
1

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 Ӿ, 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 denarius_[W]. 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_.

[W] Rhodius de Ponderib. et Mensur. Cels.

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.
-- myrrh multiplied by 4
-- calcined copper, each p. x.*. == 1 : 2 : 1 : 0 --and so all
-- isinglass p. vi. *. == 0 : 6 : 0 : 12 the rest.
-- rasile verdigrease
-- round allum
-- crude misy
-- birthwort, of each p. viii.*. == 1 : 0 : 0 : 16
-- copper scales p. xx.* == 2-1/2 : 0 : 2 : 0
-- male frankincense, p. ii.*. == 0 : 2 : 0 : 4
-- 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.

ERRATA,

IN THE TEXT.

Page 110 line 9 _for_ substances, _read_ medicines.
---- 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.

_BOOK I._