Hen feddegyaeth kymrie : (antient Cymric medicine) and lecture memoranda, British Medical Association meeting, Swansea, 1903.

Date:
[1903]
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Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Hen feddegyaeth kymrie : (antient Cymric medicine) and lecture memoranda, British Medical Association meeting, Swansea, 1903. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The lirsl part deals with the treatment of various cliseases, such as pneumonia, fevers, ascites, peritonitis, and many others. Thej[isurgery is of a somewhat advanced character. The general practice seems to have been to attempt the removal of any tumour or diseased condition, first by ilrugs taken internally or applied externally, and when these means failed, to re.sort to the knife or the cautery. Lithotomy and trepanning the skull are specially mentioned, and ligaturing hyemorrhoids was practised. The following examples arc of .some of the aidiorisms given in the manu.scri]it;— “ There are three bones in a man’s body which when fractured will never unite again, and neither of these exists when a man is born, namely, a tooth, the knee-pan, and the os frontis.” “ The physician’s three master dilliculties are a wounded mammary gland, a wounded knee-joint, and a wounded lung.” The materia medica mentioned in the manuscript comprises about 175 plants, flowers, roots, etc., the list including foxglove, poppy, valerian, peppermint, broom, etc. The preparations of these were generally in the form of infusions, decoctions, pills, or ointments. In the latter part of the manuscript there is given a large number of recipes recom- mended for various complaints. ' The following are examples :— ^ “ For Eczema. — An unguent of honey of ivy, fox-marrow and white re.sin.
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