Hippocrates De fistulis 7

If the anus gets inflamed, and there is pain, fever, a frequent desire of going to stool without passing anything, and the anus appears to protrude, owing to the inflammation, and if at times strangury come on, this disease is formed, when phlegm, collected from the whole body, is determined to the rectum. Warm things are beneficial in this case; for these, when applied, can attenuate and dissolve the phlegm, and dilute the acrid and salt particles, so that the heat subsides, and the irritation in the rectum is removed. Wherefore it is to be treated thus: The patient is to be put into a hip-bath of hot water, and sixty grains of the grana gnidia are to be pounded and infused in a hemina of wine, with half a hemina of oil, and injected. This brings away phlegm and faeces. When the patient does not take the hip-bath, boil eggs in dark-colored fragrant wine, and apply to the anus, and spread to the anus, and spread something warm below, either a bladder filled with warm water, or linseed toasted and ground, and its meal stirred up and mixed equally with dark, fragrant wine, and oil, and this applied very warm as a cataplasm; or, having mixed barley and Egyptian alum pulverized, form into an oblong ball ( suppository?) and warming it gently at the fire, make it into a cataplasm, foment, form it into shape with the fingers, and then making it quite tepid, introduce it into the anus. The external parts are to be anointed with cerate, and a cataplasm of boiled garlic, with dark wine diluted, is to be applied. But if you remove these things, let him take the hip-bath of hot water, and having mixed together the juice of srychnos, the grease of a goose, swine’s seam, chrysocolla, resin, and white wax, and then having melted in the same and mixed together, anoint with these things, and while the inflammation lasts, use the cataplasm of boiled garlic. And if by these means he be freed from the pain, it is enough; but if not, give him the white meconium ( Euphorbia peplus?), or, if not it, any other phlegmagogue medicine. While the inflammation lasts, the diet should be light.