From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA historical lesion term with a pestilential qualification.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 14; facsimile PDF page 342.
Historical definition
Carbunculus is an abscess or pestilential ulcer.
Meaning
The entry offers two related descriptions, one general and one qualified by pestilential character. It supplies no unique cause or diagnostic criterion. The historical adjective should remain visible without being converted automatically into the name of one present-day disease.
Cambuca gives a similar pair of lesion words but specifies the groin instead. Reading the entries together shows why qualifiers and locations matter in historical medical vocabulary. An editor can clarify the descriptive language while leaving a precise retrospective diagnosis unresolved.
Places to read
- CarbunculusRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- CambucaA localized condition described through an abscess or ulcer.
- ExituraAn abscess characterised by discharging matter.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 14; facsimile PDF page 342 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Carbunculus ; compare Cambuca, Exitura