hand and pulled from its seat. This surgical manipulation is
fully described, and is undoubtedly taken from the similar chapter
of Roger. It is worthy of notice also that just at the close of this
chapter, Gilbert mentions a swelling called "testudo," a gland-like,
gaseous (_ventosa_) tumor, usually solitary and found in "nervous"
localities, like the joints of the wrist and hand. He says it often
occurs from fracture (_cassatura_?) of the nerves, is cured by
pressure, friction or incision, but is not entirely free from danger.
Possibly this may refer to ganglion. Now, Roger makes no mention
whatever of "testudo," while Roland says:

"_Nota quod quamvis Rogerius non designat inter glandulum et
testudinem, scias igitur quod testudo fit ex majori parte flegmatica,
minori melancholie, glandula vero a contrario_," a statement which
might readily suggest the suspicion that Gilbert had before his
eyes the text of Roland, or that, at least, he had not acquired his
knowledge of testudo from Roger, his usual surgical authority.

Gilbert's sections on goitre (_bocium gulae_)[8] are interesting in
themselves, and characteristic of the method adopted by him in his
discussion of surgical or semi-surgical subjects. An introduction
relative to the pathology of the disease and which seems to be
original, is followed by a treatment, medical and surgical, adopted
almost literally from the Chirurgia of Roger. Thus he says: "Goiter
occurs most commonly among the inhabitants of mountainous regions,
and is due to an amplification and dilatation of the veins, arteries
and nerves, together with the soft tissues, occasioned by the north
wind (_ventum boreale_), or some other confined wind, which during
childhood has accumulated in (_coadunabatur_) and enlarged the part
to the size of the goiter." After suggesting an analogy between the
disease and the redness and turgidity of the neck produced by passion
or in singing, he adds that some cases are due to an accumulation
of spongy tissue between the veins and arteries, or to the use of
flatulent food, and he even tells us that some old women know how to
produce and remove goitrous swellings by means of certain suitable
herbs known to them.

[Footnote 8: Cf. the French _bosse de la gorge_.]

Under medical treatment we find the following: "Dig out of the ground
while chanting a pater noster, a nut which has never borne fruit. The
roots and other parts pound well with two hundred grains of peppe