Clysteris ad omnem colicam apud Ornithologum [284] descriptio ex Ioanne {Goveroto} <Goevroto>[1] Galliarum regis medico talis legitur: Gallus, quem vetustissimum inveneris, virgis verberatus decolletur, et in situlam aquae inijciatur: deplumati, exenteratique ventri immittantur haec medicamenta: anisi, faeniculi, cumini, polypodii, seminis cnici[2], singulorum semuncia, turpeti, senae, agarici in subtili linteo ligati de singulis drachmae binae. Florum chamaemeli[3] manipulus. Decoquantur usque ad ossium separationem. Huius decocti libra cum oleis de anetho, et de chamaemelo (duabus, vel tribus unciis utriusque) et duobus ovi vitellis misceatur, fiatque clyster, qui tepidus ventriculo vacuo exhibeatur.

In the treatise of the Ornithologist we can read the description of the following clyster suitable for every kind of colic, drawn from Jean Goevrot physician of king of France - Francis I: A rooster, the oldest you will have found, after has been beaten with sticks has to be decapitated, and place him in a bucket of water: in the belly of the plucked bird and freed from entrails put the following medicaments: a half-ounce each [around 14 g] of anise, fennel, cumin, polypody, seeds of safflower, two drachmas each [around 7 g] of turbith, sena, larch agaric - Fomes officinalis - wrapped up in a thin napkin. A handful of chamomile flowers. Cook them a long time up to separation of bones. Mix a pound of this decoction [around 327 g] with dill and chamomile oil (two or three ounces [50-75 g] of both) and with two egg yolks, and made a clyster, that must be inserted lukewarm in an empty rectum.

Ius Galli veteris cum polypodio, et anetho in colico affectu, teste Avicenna, saluberrimum est. Fimus item Gallinaceus adversus eiusdem affectus cruciatus ex aceto, aut vino iuxta Dioscoridem, cum aqua calida, et molle iuxta Rasem bibitur. Medicus quidam Mysus, ut scribit Galenus[4], hunc fimum potandum exhibebat iis, qui diutius coli dolore fuissent vexati ex {oximellite} <oxymelite>[5], vel si id non aderat, ex aceto, aut vino aqua diluto. Et rursus alibi[6] ex Asclepiade. Gallinarum interanea omnia, inquit, exempta, et in vas fictile coniecta assato, ac trita reponito: usus vero tempore cochlearium unum, et dimidium, et seminis dauci Cretici tusi, et cribrati tantundem ex aquae mulsae calidae cyathis[7] tribus exhibeto. Ornithologus in libro quodam manuscripto Germanico albam tantum huius fimi partem adversum eundem dolorem salubriter bibi legisse sese ait: ex vini cochleario. Gallinae tibiae cum pedibus coctae, et cum sale, oleo, acetoque comestae coli sanant dolorem: ex Constantino, et Aesculapio: at quidam pro coli hic colli legunt: ego coli legendum arbitror[8]. Marcellus enim Empiricus[9] simile habet medicamentum pro eodem dolore. Gallinam, inquit, per totum diem a cibo abstineto: dein postero die, cum eam occideris, crura eius cum sale, et oleo inassato, et ieiuno colico, qui se pridie cibo abstinuerit, manducandum dato, mirifice profueris. Idem Marcellus praesentaneum remedium colicis parat sic: Ova putidissima in Sole poni iubet ut persiccentur: cum aruerint, conteri, et minutissime percribrari, et ad praesidium in doliolo vitreo condi: cumque in aliquo auspicabitur coli dolor, in hemina aquae calidae dari bibenda cochlearia tria.

As Avicenna testifies, the broth of old rooster with polypody and dill is very efficacious in case of colic. Likewise chicken's dung dissolved in vinegar, or in wine according to Dioscorides, with warm water and soaked according to Razi, is drunk against diseases of the same kind. As Galen writes, a Mysian physician was giving to drink this dung in vinegar and honey or if it was not available in vinegar or in wine diluted with water to those persons tormented from very long time by colon’s pain. And then in another treatise drawing information from Alsclepiades the Younger he says: After all the bowels of the hens have been removed and placed in an earthenware pot they must be fried and after have been crushed lay them aside: at proper time you will use a spoon and a half of them and the same amount of Cretan carrot seeds crushed and sieved and you will give it to drink with three cyathi [around 150 ml] of warm water mixed with honey. The Ornithologist says he has read in a German manuscript book that against the same kind of pain only the white part of these excrements has to be drunk to get a benefit from it: with a spoon of wine. The hen’s legs cooked with feet and eaten with salt, oil and vinegar carry off colon’s pain: this can be inferred from Constantinus Africanus and Aesculapius: but some in this point instead of coli are reading colli, of the neck: I think that it has to be read coli, of the colon. For Marcellus Empiricus has a similar remedy for the same pain. He says: Let a hen to abstain from food for the whole day: then the following day, when you will have killed her, roast her legs with salt and oil, and give them to eat on empty stomach to a person suffering from colon’s pain and who the day before abstained himself from food, and you will help him wonderfully. The same Marcellus prepares an instantaneous remedy for those suffering from colon’s pain as follows: He prescribes that very rotten eggs have to be placed in the sun so that they dry: when dried up it is necessary to crush and pass them through a very fine sieve and put in a small glass barrel in reserve: and when a colon’s pain will start in someone, three spoons in a hemina of warm water [250 ml] have to be given to drink.

Ioannes Guinterius Andernacus[10] clarissimus medicus potionem ex decocto Gallinacei veteris, quae ad colicum dolorem, tam ex pituita quam ex flatibus contractum efficax est, praescribit, quae talis est: Hyssopi, calaminthae singuli manipuli, uvarum passarum purgatarum sescuncia: anisi, faeniculi, carvi, singulorum drachmae sex: seminis cnici unciae duae, polypodii quercini recentis sescuncia: trium florum cordi familiarium singuli pugilli, florum chamaemeli pugillus dimidius. Omnia Gallinacei cursu agitati, defatigatique et praeparati, uti decet, ventri imposita, ex aquae sextariis quinque ad ternas decoquito. In fine dum adhuc fervent adijcito foliorum senae purgatorum uncias duas, et dimidiam, agarici recenter in pastillos redacti drachmas decem, sinito per noctem macerari, deinde ius colo traijciatur, serveturque usui. Cum necessitas postulat, quatuor uncias sumito additoque syrupi violacei unciam, ac potui exhibeto. Si parum proficere medicina videbitur, quod aeger forte alvum habeat difficilem, electuarii diaphoenicon[11], aut benedictae[12] sesquidrachmae, aut duarum drachmarum instar adijcito.

The most distinguished physician Johann Günther von Andernach prescribes a potion gotten by a decoction of an old rooster effective for colic pain due both to cold and flatulence, whose composition is as follows: One handful each of hyssop and calaminthe, one ounce and a half [around 40 g] of choice raisin: six drachms each [around 20 g] of anise, fennel and caraway seeds - Carum carvi: two ounces [around 55 g] of safflower seeds, one ounce and a half of fresh oak polypody: one handful each of three favorite flowers, half a handful of camomile flowers. Cook in water a long time all these things placed in the belly of a rooster raced and tired, and properly prepared, beginning from five sextarii [2.5 l] until you have three of them [1.5 l]. At the end, when they are still boiling, add two ounces and a half [around 65 g] of choice leaves of sena, ten drachms [around 35 g] of larch agaric - Fomes officinalis - just reduced in tablets, let soak for the whole night, then strain the stock through a filter and preserve it for use. When you need it, take four ounces of it [around 100 g] and add one ounce of violet syrup and give it to drink. If it seems that the remedy is of scarce help, since perhaps the patient has an unmanageable bowel, add a drachma and a half or approximately two drachms of a dates or blessed thistle based electuary.

Haec potio ad morbos tum ex atra bile, tum ex pituita ortos plurimum valet. Verum praecipuus eius usus est ad colicos dolores partim ex flatuosa materia, partim ex pituita creatos. Sed in huiusmodi potionibus observandum esse admonet, quod quanquam {agaricus} <agaricum> hisce addi soleat, tamen consultius in doloribus intestinorum omitti: primum quod clysteribus iniectum essentiae suae levitate adhaerens, interanea pungat, stimulet, defluxionemque ad ipsa provocet, ac frequentissimam desidendi cupiditatem pariat: deinde, quod vim humoris a longinquis partibus attrahendi obtineat. Chamaemelum autem recte hisce decoctis imponi asserit quanquam alias medici hoc in illis uti non soleant. Constare autem ipsa experientia huius solius decoctum omnibus internis doloribus praesertim colicis, et nephriticis praesentissimum esse remedium, ut permulti magno salutis suae commodo comprobarunt. Aqua stilliticia chamaemeli idem fere praestat, sed decoctum efficacius. Sin autem delicatiores hoc propter amarorem assumere recusent, {zaccharo} <saccharo> gratius reddere poterunt.

This potion is very efficacious against diseases arisen both from black bile and cold. In truth its specific use is against colic pains produced partly by substances giving flatulence, partly by cold. But he advises that in such potions it is necessary to take care that, although usually larch agaric is added to them, nevertheless it is more prudent that it is omitted in intestinal pains: firstly because after it has been given with clysters, since it sticks for lightness of its structure, irritates the bowel, stimulates it, and provokes in it a diarrheic situation and causes an unrestrained desire to stool: besides, since it has the power of attracting liquids from the most remote districts. And he affirms that rightly chamomile is added to these decoctions even if on the other hand physicians are not accustomed to use it in these preparations. But according to the experience it follows that a decoction of chamomile alone is a very suitable remedy for all inner pains, above all if colic and nephritic, as many people experienced through the big advantage for their health. The chamomile water poured drop by drop provides almost the same result, but the decoction is more effective. But if those who are more finicky refuse to drink the decoction because of its bitterness, they can make it more pleasant with sugar.

Rursus aliam ex Gallinacei iure potionem ad colicos pariter dolores praestantissimam hanc praescribit. Gallinaceum veterem quatuor nimirum annorum cursu defatigatum interficito, exinanitoque et repleto salis fossitii drachmis tribus, seminis cnici, polypodii quercini recentis, et contusi, hyssopi, singulorum uncia, seminis dauci, anethi, am<m>eos[13], singulorum semuncia, turpet<h>i drachmis tribus. Deinde resarto ventre in duodecim aquae libris ad dimidias coquito: iuris decocti uncias quatuor, aut sex potui exhibeto: nonnunquam etiam libram ab inferioribus[14] per clysterem infundito. Kiranides contra eosdem, et nephriticos cruciatus ova Gallinarum imparia ex urina asini elixata, et esa mirifice laudat: et pelliculam alias interiorem de ventriculo Galli [285] in vino mixtam siccatam, ac tritam cum sale potam cum vino, vel condito {niphrium} <nephriticos>[15] sanare perfecte pollicetur.

Then he prescribes another potion from rooster's broth as equally very efficacious against colic pains. Kill a rooster unquestionably four years old exhausted by racing and then empty him, and fill him with three drachms [around 10 g] of salt extracted from earth - rock salt, one ounce each [around 28 g] of safflower seed, of fresh and crushed oak polypody, and of hyssop, a half-ounce each [around 14 g] of carrot seeds, of dill and Ammi majus - bishop’s weed or bullwort, three drachms [around 10 g] of turbith. Then after the belly has been closed cook him in twelve pounds of water [around 4 l] reducing this to half: give to drink four or six ounces [around 100-150 g] of broth long-cooked: sometimes also give a pound of it [around 325 g] through the anus with a clyster. Kiranides against the same and nephritic pains praises in extraordinary way hen eggs in odd number cooked in donkey urine and then eaten: and on the other hand he assures that the inner membrane of rooster gizzard mixed with wine, dried and crushed with salt, drunk with wine or with pepper and honey aromatized wine cures perfectly nephritic patients.