INTRODUCTION 



Chesi diseases. — There is little difficulty in identi- 

 fying these. Pleurisy is generally referred to 

 as laterum dolor, and consumption is pktkisis, but 

 the Romans did not often use the Greek word 



7repi7TV€V[JLOVLa. 



Skin diseases. — VitiUgo included more than one 

 kind of psoriasis : alpkos (dull white), melas 

 (dark) and leuce (bright white). 



Psora was a term for several diseases, including 

 leprosy. Often our " itch." 



Leprae (the singular is late) seems to refer to 

 scaly conditions of the skin accompanied by 

 pruritus. 



Scabies was not our scabies, which is Umited 

 to the pustules caused by the itch insect. 

 Celsus (V. 28, 16) describes it as a hardening of 

 the skin, which grows ruddy, and from it grow 

 pustules ^nth itching ulceration. Probably 

 several kinds of eczema are included under 

 this term. 



Impeiigo. — The modern meaning of this term 

 is rather vague, and the Romans apparently 

 used it of some kind of eczema. Celsus (V. 28, 

 17) says that there are four kinds, increasing in 

 severity, the fourth being incurable. He says 

 that it is Hke scabies, the ulceration being worse. 



Licken was used of several sorts of eruption ; 

 very often it is ringwomi. On the chin it was 

 called mentagra. 



Epinyctis (night pustule) caused by fleas and 



bugs. It was also an aiknent of the eyes. See 



p. ix. 



Eye diseases. — The same overlapping of meanings, 



which makes so difficult the accurate identi- 



