NEW FORMS OF DISEASE

Latine · Mayhoff 1906

Sensit facies hominum et novos omnique aevo priore incognitos non Italiae modo, verum etiam universae prope Europae morbos, tune quoque non tota Italia nec per Illyricum Galliasve aut Hispanias magno opere vagatos aut alibi quam Romae circaque, sine dolore quidem illos ac sine pernicie vitae, sed tanta foeditate, ut quaecumque mors praeferenda esset.

Gravissimum ex iis lichenas appellavere Graeco nomine, Latine, quoniam a mento fere oriebatur, ioculari primum lascivia, ut est procax multorum natura in alienis miseriis, mox et usurpato vocabulo mentagram, occupantem multis et latis totos utique voltus, oculis tantum inmunibus, descendentem vero et in colla pectusque ac manus foedo cutis furfure.

Non fuerat haec lues apud maiores patresque nostros et primum Ti. Claudi Caesaris principatu medio inrepsit in Italiam quodam Perusino equite Romano, quaestorio scriba, cum in Asia adparuisset, inde contagionem eius inportante. nec sensere id malum feminae aut servitia plebesque humilis aut media, sed proceres veloci transitu osculi maxime, foediore multorum, qui perpeti medicinam toleraverant, cicatrice quam morbo. causticis namque curabatur, ni usque in ossa corpus exustum esset, rebellante taedio. adveneruntque ex Aegypto, genetrice talium vitiorum, medici hanc solam operam adferentes magna sua praeda, siquidem certum est Manilium Cornutum e praetoriis legatum Aquitanicae provinciae HS CC elocasse in eo morbo curandum sese. accidit quoque saepius, ut nova contra genera morborum gregatim sentirentur. quo mirabilius quid potest reperiri? aliqua gigni repente vitia terrarum in parte certa membrisque hominum certis vel aetatibus aut etiam fortunis, tanquam malo eligente, haec in pueris grassari, illa in adultis, haec proceres sentire, illa pauperes!

L. Paullo Q. Marcio censoribus primum in Italia carbunculum evenisse annalibus notatum est, peculiare Narbonensis provinciae malum, quo duo consulates obiere condentibus haec nobis eodem anno, lulius Rufus atque Laecanius Bassus, ille medicorum inscitia sectus, hic vero pollici laevae manus evulso acu ab semet ipso tam parvo, ut vix cerni posset. nascitur in occultissimis corporum partibus et plerumque sub lingua duritia rubens vari modo, sed capite nigricans, alias livida, in corpus intendens neque intumescens, sine dolore, sine pruritu, sine alio quam somni indicio, quo gravatos in triduo aufert, aliquando et horrorem adferens circaque pusulas parvas, rarius febrem, stomachum faucesque ut invasit, ocissime exanimans.

Diximus elephantiasim ante Pompei Magni aetatem non accidisse in Italia, et ipsam a facie saepius incipientem, in nare prima veluti lenticula, mox increscente per totum corpus, maculosa variis coloribus et inaequali cute, alibi crassa, alibi tenui, dura, alibi ceu scabie aspera, ad postremum vero nigrescente et ad ossa carnes adprimente, intumescentibus digitis in pedibus manibusque. Aegypti peculiare hoc malum et, cum in reges incidisset, populis funebre, quippe in balineis solia temperabantur humano sanguine ad medicinam eam. et hic quidem morbus celeriter in Italia restinctus est, sicut et ille, quem gemursam appellavere prisci inter digitos pedum nascente m, etiam nomine oblitterato.

Id ipsum mirabile, alios desinere in nobis, alios durare, sicuti colum. Ti. Caesaris principatu inrepsit id malum, nec quisquam id prior imperatore ipso sensit, magna civitatis ambage, cum in edicto eius excusantis valetudinem legeret nomen incognitum. quid hoc esse dicamus aut quas deorura iras? parum enim erant homini certa morborum genera, cum supra trecenta essent, nisi etiam nova timerentur! neque ipsi autem homines pauciora sibi opera sua negotia inportant.

Haec apud priscos erant quae memoramus remedia, medicinam ipsa quodammodo rerum natura faciente, et diu fuere.

English · Bostock & Riley 1855–57

The face of man has recently been sensible of new forms of disease, unknown in ancient times, not only to Italy, but to almost the whole of Europe. Still, however, they have not as yet extended to the whole of Italy, nor have they made any very great inroads in Illyricum, Gaul, or Spain, or indeed any other parts, to so great an extent as in Rome and its environs. Though unattended with pain, and not dangerous to life, these diseases are of so loathsome a nature, that any form of death would be preferable to them.

The most insupportable of all these diseases is the one which, after its Greek appellation, is known to us as “lichen.” In consequence, however, of its generally making its first appearance at the chin, the Latins, by way of joke, originally—so prone are mankind to make a jest of the misfortunes of others—gave it the name of “mentagra;” an appellation which has since become established in general use. In many cases, however, this disease spreads over the interior of the mouth, and takes possession of the whole face, with the sole exception of the eyes; after which, it passes downwards to the neck, breast, and hands, covering them with foul furfuraceous eruptions.

This curse was unknown to the ancients, and in the times of our fathers even, having first entered Italy in the middle of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius Claudius Cæsar; where it was introduced from Asia, in which country it had lately made its appearance, by a member of the equestrian order at Rome, a native of Perusium, secretary to the quæstor. The disease, however, did not attack either females or slaves, nor yet the lower orders, or, indeed, the middle classes, but only the nobles, being communicated even by the momentary contact requisite for the act of salutation. Many of those who persevered in undergoing a course of remedial treatment, though cured of the disease, retained scars upon the body more hideous even than the malady itself; it being treated with cauteries, as it was certain to break out afresh, unless means were adopted for burning it out of the body by cauterizing to the very bone.

Upon this occasion several physicians repaired to Rome from Egypt, that fruitful parent of maladies of this nature, men who devoted themselves solely to this branch of medical practice; and very considerable were the profits they made. At all events, it is a well-known fact that Manilius Cornutus, a personage of prætorian rank, and legatus of the province of Aquitania, expended no less a sum than two hundred thousand sesterces upon his cure.

It is much more frequently, on the other hand, that we hear of new forms of diseases attacking the lower orders; a singular fact, and one quite unequalled for the marvellous phænomena which sometimes attend these outbreaks. Thus, for instance, we find an epidemic suddenly making its appearance in a certain country, and then confining itself, as though it had made its election so to do, to certain parts of the body, certain ages, and even certain pursuits in life. In the same way, too, while one class of diseases attacks the young, another confines itself to adults; while one malady extends itself only to the higher classes, another is felt exclusively by the poor.

We find it stated in the Annals, that it was in the censorship of L. Paulus and Q. Marcius that carbuncle was first introduced into Italy, a malady which till then had confined itself solely to the province of Gallia Narbonensis. In the year in which I am writing these lines, two persons of consular rank have died of this disease, Julius Rufus and Q. Lecanius Bassus; the former in consequence of an incision unskilfully made by his medical attendants, the latter through a wound upon the thumb of the left hand by pricking a carbuncle with a needle, a wound so small originally as to be hardly perceptible.

This disease makes its appearance in the more hidden parts of the human body, and mostly beneath the tongue. It originally has the form of a hard, red, pimple, with a blackish head mostly, though sometimes of a livid colour. It produces tension of the flesh, but unattended with swelling, pain, or any itching sensation; indeed, the only symptom that accompanies it is a confirmed drowsiness, which overpowers the patient, and carries him off in the course of three days. Sometimes, however, it is accompanied with shuddering, and small pustules about the sore; and occasionally, though but rarely, with fever. When these symptoms extend to the fauces and œsophagus, death ensues with the greatest rapidity.

We have already stated that elephantiasis was unknown in Italy before the time of Pompeius Magnus. This malady, too, like those already mentioned, mostly makes its first appearance in the face. In its primary form it bears a considerable resemblance to a small lentil upon the nose; the skin gradually dries up all over the body, is marked with spots of various colours, and presents an unequal surface, being thick in one place, thin in another, indurated every here and there, and covered with a sort of rough scab. At a later period, the skin assumes a black hue, and compresses the flesh upon the bones, the fingers and toes becoming swollen.

This disease was originally peculiar to Egypt. Whenever it attacked the kings of that country, it was attended with peculiarly fatal effects to the people, it being the practice to temper their sitting-baths with human blood, for the treatment of the disease. As for Italy, however, its career was very soon cut short: the same was the case, too, with the disease known as “gemursa” to the ancients, a malady which made its appearance between the toes, and the very name of which is now buried in oblivion.

It is a remarkable fact that some diseases should disappear from among us, while others, again, should continue to prevail, colic for example. It was only in the reign of Tiberius Cæsar that this malady made its appearance in Italy, the emperor himself being the first to be attacked by it; a circumstance which produced considerable mystification throughout the City, when it read the edict issued by that prince excusing his inattention to public business, on the ground of his being laid up with a disease, the very name of which was till then unknown. To what cause are we to attribute these various diseases, or how is it that we have thus incurred the anger of the gods? Was it deemed too little for man to be exposed to fixed and determinate classes of maladies, already more than three hundred in number, that he must have new forms of disease to alarm him as well? And then, in addition to all these, not less in number are the troubles and misfortunes which man brings upon himself!

The remedies which I am here describing, are those which were universally employed in ancient times, Nature herself, so to say, making up the medicines: indeed, for a long time these were the only medicines employed.