DiotimosReading Desk

Body disease and historical medicine

Nacta

A swelling identified by its position at the breast.

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 swelling identified by its position at the breast.
  • In the bookMorus identifies an aposteme through resemblance to a mulberry; Ordoleum through a barley-grain comparison.
  • A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 34; facsimile PDF page 362.

Historical definition

Nacta is an aposteme of the breast.

Meaning

Location supplies the main distinction. The entry does not describe a shape, identify an internal cause, or supply enough features to equate the historical term with one particular modern diagnosis.

Use in the book

Morus identifies an aposteme through resemblance to a mulberry; Ordoleum through a barley-grain comparison. The contrast shows how a location-name and a form-name can perform different work within the book’s medical terminology.

Places to read

  1. NactaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
  2. MorusA swelling recognised through a mulberry comparison.
  3. OrdoleumA small swelling identified through a grain comparison.

Source note

Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 34; facsimile PDF page 362 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 362, Nacta