NOTE: - 79 -

6. After causing the bleeding to stop, if the place of the wound aches and causes distress, then after three hours carefully undo the binding, gently wash away the congealed and dried blood with warm water, then dip thy finger in olive oil or linseed oil and in that manner probe the wound; perchance a fragment of that with which it was cut hath remained within, as for example, glass, a splinter, a piece of ironware, or a musket ball (*gulula*), or cloth, or any such thing, which it is absolutely necessary to extract. 7. After washing and cleansing, if the wound is opened wide, thou must bring lip to lip, drawing [them] together, and upon it lay plaster number 82 with a piece of linen, and above this lay a palm's-breadth of scraped linen smeared with the emollient plaster of number 83, and over this [place] linen folded in three layers or other cloth, and thus bind [it] with a long piece of cloth three fingers in breadth. 8. After binding the newly cut wound in the aforesaid manner, if the wounded person feeleth no severe pain, the wound must not be opened until it taketh matter [i.e., suppurates]. When thou seest that pus hath begun to issue from the wrapped cloths, or signs of pus appear, undo the binding, cleanse [it], wash [it] with warm water, and bind it again in such manner as is written above. 9. The firm and adhesive emollient plasters mentioned above thou must change every day until thick and white pus formeth in the wound; and after that, plaster is no longer necessary; only place soft, scraped linen upon the wound and change [it] once a day, for this pus is of great benefit to the wound and will quickly bring forth flesh, unite the mouth [of the wound], and heal [it] entirely. 10. It also happeneth very often that, instead of thick and white pus, the wound taketh on a foul-smelling, yellow, or green, or black pus. This happeneth for the most part to those who have grown feeble from long illness, that is to say, those afflicted with scrofula [*suravand*] or gout [*hoduatsats‘av*], or seized by various rheums [*k‘aminer*], or scabbed. This sort of pus in the wounds...