The lesser writings of John Arderne / by D'Arcy Power.

  • D'Arcy Power
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The lesser writings of John Arderne / by D'Arcy Power. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    22/28 page 128
    It is clear from this case that neurasthenia occurred in the fourteenth century. A case of caput succedaneum. Then follows an interesting case of caput succedaneum which suppurated and was cured although ‘the sculle apperyd naked & loos in the lengthe of a fyngere ’. A case of traumatic tetanus. There was also ‘a gardinere whyle that he wrowghte in the vynes kytte his owne hande with ane hooke uppone a ffryday after the ffeste of Seynt Thomas of Caunterbury in somere so that the thoombe was altogydere departyd from the hande saff only in the juncture that was joyned to the hande, and he myghte boowe bakward the thoombe to his arme & ther stremyd out therof moche blood. And so touchynge to the cure. The thoombe was furst reduced 1n-to his furste ordre & sowyd & the blood was restreyned with the reed pouder of launfrankes & with the heerys of ane hare and it was not remevyd une-to the iti? day, and in the i1i°¢ day whan it was remevyd ther apperyd no blood. Thanne was ther putte therto tho medicines that engendren blood, every day ones repeyrynge the wounde, & tho it begane to purge it-selffe and to gadere mater. And in the tte nyght after the blood brak out abowte mydnyght in the wheyghte of 11 poundes. And whane the blood was restreyned the wounde was repeyred frome day to day as it was furste. Also in the xithe nyght abowte the forseyd.oure the blood brake owt ayene in more quantyte thane it dyde afore tyme, nevertheles the blood was staunched, & by the morne the pacient was so taken with the crampe in the chekes & in the arme that he myghte resseyve no mete in-to his mowth ne neyther opene the mowth & so vexynge the pacient in the xv day the blood brake out ayene & in the xviii day the blood brak owt ayene owt of mesure & alwey the crampe endured forth & in the xx day he deyde.’ Evidently a case of recurrent secondary hemorrhage with subacute tetanus. Arderne had many friends amongst the clergy, for the next case was ‘ tolde me of a ffrere menour ther was a ryche mane that hadde ane yvyll in the legge that came uppone hyme in the manere of a blake pussch.. . but he was not curyd therof for he was uncurable.’ A case of a dermoid cyst on the scalp. The manuscript ends with an account of a dermoid cyst which is thus described : ‘ Sir Thomas Newmache hadde a sone that hadde a wenne ryght uppone the opene of the heed before & he was borne withall but it was furste no more thane a bene & it wex more & more so that by the child was v wynter of age the wenne [was] as moche as the yelke of ane ey and as water & heer gryw therone, but not so thykke allynges as in other places of the heed ; so befylle it that a mayster came & sawgh it and seyde he wolde do his crafte therto, but he wolde not undertake the chyldes lyff, ffurste he leyde an oynoun rosted therto, and under it leyde pouder for to breke it with, and so it dyde, and whanne it was brokene ther came out thenne wose & whyte, and he leyd therto every day not but laard & a pouder otherwhyle to clense it with, & so it dyde ; whane the wounde was wele enlarged aboven, thane fonde they withinne the wenne a loke of heere
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3