The "De morbo quem gallicum nuncupant" (1497) of Coradinus Gilinus / by Cyril C. Barnard.

  • Cyril Cuthbert Barnard
Date:
1930
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The "De morbo quem gallicum nuncupant" (1497) of Coradinus Gilinus / by Cyril C. Barnard. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ioo from leprosy l), and lastly, the warning against a too free em¬ ployment of bloodletting2). The first two points are not original for they are found in the works of his contemporaries, especially Grunpeck, Leoniceno and WlDMANN 3). Any claims, and it must ’be admitted they are very slight, that GHILINO has to originality must rest on the latter two points. At that time syphilis was commonly confused with leprosy though it was beginning to be recognised as a distinct disease and to be treated with mercurial inunctions. Ghilino’s identification of it with ignis pensions found no support among his contemporaries, but it was revived early in the nineteenth century; SWEDIAUR [32], e. g. says: „Exact and attentive observers have there remarked, that the disease called Persian Fire in that country [i. e. Hindustan], seems to be the same as the syphilitic disease in Europe”. In his warning against excessive bloodletting GHILINO really does seem to be ahead of his time. We do not meet such another advocate of moderation in this respect for over a century and a half, when Franz de la Boe [33] of Leiden expressed similar views. J. B. VAN Helmont [24] went so far as to condemn venesection entirely, but he was an iconoclast in most things. The general practice of the period and indeed for a century or more to come was very different (see HAESER [22]). The following is an analysis of the treatise: Introduction: Outbreak of the epidemic in 14.96. — Reasons for writing the treatise.p. 102. I. Causes: Astrological — The wrath of God . . pp. 102—4. II. Essence: Identified with Ignis Persicus . . . p. 104. Distinguished from Elephantia . . . pp. 104—5. Elephantia identified with Leprosy . p. 105. III. Diagnosis: 1. Pustules.p. 106. 2. Pains m the joints and nerves.p. 106. 3. First appearance in the pudenda .... pp. 106—7. 1) See p. 104, 1. 8 et seqq. 2) See p. no, 1. 14 et seqq. fiJ ^ ^st Panted works on syphilis earlier than or contemporary’’ with Ghilino’s is given in Section D, of the Bibliography Nos [9] to [19].