Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
A Treatise on Fevers (Author: [unknown])
Section 20
{TCD 1302 fol col and line fol 6b2line13} Let it be asked here whether continuous fever is created by internal ulcers, or intermittent fever. It seems it is continuous fever, for Galenus says there are three matters of disease in the ulcer alone, i.e. unfavourable complexion, and offending matter, and continuous dispersal, and Galenus says continuous fever can be caused by the unfavourable
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complexion alone, if so, it can the more be caused with the other two it is continuons fever which is created by internal ulcers. Almusor opposes this and says oripilacio is the sole cause there, and oripilacio occurs only in intermittent fever, and an ulcer is formed only outside the veins in the pores of the members, the proper place of intermittent fever, so it is intermittent fever which is created from internal ulcers. And apostema is the swelling (?) of a member unnaturally due to flatulence or an offending humour, and apostema is created from two causes, i.e. when a strong member expels its excess to a weak member forming an ulcer in the member, and Avicenna calls this condition apostema direuaciones i.e. an ulcer which comes from the diverting of the excess of a strong member to a weak member. The second cause, when nature leaves an excess of nourishment in a member without evacuating it, it stays viscously bound in the member, and from that are generated unfavourable complexion and continuous dispersal, and after that the ulcer called apostema congestiones, i.e. an ulcer caused by choking and viscosity ot the matter. We answer this question and say that every corrupt ulcer in the neighbourhood of the heart must cause continuous fever, for that ulcer sends horrible corrupt vapours {TCD 1302 fol col and line fol 7a1line1} to the heart, and the heart moves to expel that vapour, and that movement inflames the natural heat causing continuous fever. And Isaac says in the book of fevers, when the ulcer is on the spleen intermittent fever is created by it, and its access occurs from the fourth day on as in quartana. And he says in the same place that ephemeral fever is created by an ulcer of the internal members, and again by an ulcer of the external members, and so we leave that question.