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 surgical class directed towards the ripening of a swelling.
- In the bookIncarnativa concerns generating flesh and skin, Mitigativa allaying pain, and Mundificativa cleansing.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 32; facsimile PDF page 360.
Historical definition
Maturativa are medicines used by surgeons to ripen an aposteme.
Meaning
The agricultural verb ripen describes the intended development of the aposteme. The entry names a therapeutic aim, rather than one ingredient, and does not say that every medicine applied to a swelling performs that aim.
Use in the book
Incarnativa concerns generating flesh and skin, Mitigativa allaying pain, and Mundificativa cleansing. The differing verbs distinguish the purposes for which surgeons’ medicines are grouped in the dictionary.
Places to read
- MaturativaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- IncarnativaA surgical class defined by the formation of new flesh and skin.
- MitigativaA class of surgical medicines defined by easing pain.
- MundificativaA therapeutic class defined by cleansing.
In this edition
Aposteme is retained as the historical category of a swelling. The short definition does not warrant replacing it with one narrowly diagnosed modern condition.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 32; facsimile PDF page 360 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 360, Maturativa