Why you might read On Fistulae?
On Fistulae is a very specific work, it covers exactly what it says. Its interest value though is still there for those interested in early greek medicine.
In my Self Education project, this is a work that, while informative, is mainly there to round out the corpus.
Content of On Fistulae
Hippocrates barely deals with what is a Fistulae. Instead, he spends this short work detailing many cures for it. These start with when to cut it open before treating and when to treat it as it is. Generally, he recommends not to cut if it has gone septic. All his remedies include some sponge or other foreign object being introduced. This is either with or after a wash or tincture has been applied.
Reflections on On Fistulae
I had never heard of the term Fistulae before and as Hippocrates does not seriously define the term. I found I needed to google it just to understand what he was treating. If your wondering it is a tube that forms between two hollow organs or one hollow organ and the skin. In this case, he is only dealing with tubes from the anus to the skin. Hippocrates does mention that untreated they can cause death.
What others have to say about On Fistulae
"Hippocrates was the first to use this technique where he inserted horsehair with lint in the fistula tract and then periodically tightened it. It is used almost for all types of anal fistulae and is showing a high healing rate between 80–100%." From Longterm outcome of anal fistula – A retrospective study
Comparisons to other texts
It reminds me of On Hemorrhoids. The treatments are similar, while not the same. Hippocrates generally packs the anus with a sponge or other object.
Unlike Instruments of Reductions, this text only mentions death once in passing. By contrast, Instruments of Reductions, details how lack of reduction can cause maiming or death.
Conclusion
On Fistulae is a short text covering many ways to treat anal fistulae. Hippocrates does not do a good job at defining his terms. He is, however, thorough in covering possible treatments. Some of his techniques still have cognates today. Also, this is the second time we have dealt with issues of the anus and how to treat them.
Have you read On Fistulae? If so what did you think of it?
Want to read On Fistulae but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.
Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.
Get a copy of On Fistulae.
