Treatment of erysipelas

Here it is necessary to empty the body, removing the yellow bile from the bottom, and if bloodletting needs to be done, then the patient is also bled. Bloodletting is very helpful only if the matter is between two layers of skin, but if it is in the depths, then it is of little benefit, and sometimes it even attracts matter. If after bloodletting it is necessary to repeat the relaxation, then this is done, and it depends on the expected amount of matter. After this, they turn to cooling using strong cooling agents, known from the paragraph on phlegmon, and pour cold water on the sore spot, doing this until the color of the skin changes: clear erysipelas disappears when the color changes and the redness decreases. In general, during erysipelas, cooling is more necessary, because the burning and pain from inflammation is then stronger, and emptying is more useful during phlegmon, because the matter is more rebellious and thicker.

Cooling agents should be strongly astringent at the beginning, so that the binding almost exceeds the coldness, and towards the end, let the cooling be stronger than the binding. In this case, measures should be taken to ensure that matter does not return to any internal and especially noble organ and beware lest the diseased organ begins to blacken and darken and enters the path of decay, and if any signs of this appear, it is necessary to move to effects opposite to binding and cooling.

If erysipelas spreads across the skin, then it is printed with lead scale and tart wine boiled with beet leaves. They are also treated with medications that strongly dissolve and dry out along with cooling. Namely: they take, for example, burnt unwashed old wool - twelve and a half dirhams, pine tree core coal - the same amount, wax - fifteen dirhams, lead scale - nine dirhams, old goat fat washed in water - fifteen dirhams, myrtle oil - five ukiy.

Another medicine, easier than this one, is a plaster prepared from lead scale with squeezed rue juice, rose oil and wax.