Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England. Being a ...

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LEECH BOOK. I. 101
dregs of beer, aud soap, and the white of an egg, and
old groats, lay tliis on against erysipelatous swellings.
Against bursting of erysipelatous inflammations, let
the man sit in cold water till the sore becometh
numbed, then get him up, then strike four scarifying
slashes about the pocks on the outside, and let the
lymph run as it will. Work thyself a salve thus
take brown"v^'ovt, and marsh gall, or marsh gentian,
and red nettle, boil in butter, and smear and bathe
with the same worts.
3. For the same, take an earthworm,' rub it thoroughly
fine, add vinegar to it, bind it on and smear
therewith. For the same, take savine, rub to dust, and
mingle with honey and smear therewith. For the same,
take roasted eggs, mingle with oil, lay on, and foment
freely witli leaves of beet. Again, take a calfs sharn,
that is clung, or an old bullocks, still warm, and lay
it on. Again for this same, take harts shavings, shaven
off the fell or skin with pumice, and wash, that is
maceraie, with vinegar and smear therewith. Again,
take a boars gall, if thou have not that, take gall of
another swine, rub and smear with that where it is
sore. For that ilk, take a swallows nest, break it
away altogether, and burn it with its dung and all,
and rub it to dust, mingle witli vinegar and smear therewith.
For tlie same, heat cold water with a hot iron,
and bathe frequently with that. For hot er3^sipelatous
humours, take betony, and wormwood, and fennel,
rub them into ale, and radish ivith tJt.em, give the
mixture to the sick man to drink. For hot erysipelatous
humours, take fen ompre, that is ivater dock,
and the small clote, that is, cleavers, boil in goats
milk and sup. Against hot erysipelatous humours,
Book I.
xxxix.
Cli.
'
Bjorn Haldorson mentions this " his lumbricis probari et curari
treatment : the earthworm is called " soleat, cum applicati marcescant
A'mumadkr (read ma'Skr), because " et moriantur." (On A'mumadkr.)
erysipelas is usually cured by it ;
A'ma is the Ome of the text.