Friday 11 October 1661

All day in bed with a cataplasm … [to my Codd – L&M] and at night rose a little, and to bed again in more ease than last night. This noon there came my brother and Dr. Tom and Snow to dinner, and by themselves were merry.


16 Annotations

First Reading

Judy B  •  Link

Merriam Websters online defines a "cataplasm" as a poulice: "Etymology: Middle French cataplasme, from Latin cataplasma, from Greek kataplasma, from kataplassein to plaster over, from kata- + plassein to mold"

So maybe he has put a poultice on his "late bruise."

daniel  •  Link

Judy, i suspect so.
poor Sam stuck in bed while family makes merry below!

j.simmons  •  Link

"With A Catplasme..."
Another "short change"...Latham shows: "with a cataplasme to my Codd;" etc. Interesting that there was no note on this...the capital C is Sam's.

j.simmons  •  Link

To go the extra inch...
According to "The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories":
"CODPIECE: This male fashion accessory in the shape of a pouch worn over other clothing and over the genitals, is based on Old English 'codd' first meaning 'bag', later written cod and meaning 'scrotum'. The fish we call cod may have got its name from this same word, thus 'bag fish' because of its shape, but this is uncertain; 'cuttlefish' (first only referred to as cuttle) is related to Old English 'codd' being so named because of its inkbag."

vicente  •  Link

Are we sure that Mrs Castle did not use 'er 'at pin after the frolic and after seeing the bush of the Beggar ??? and he not letting on. Just asking.

Jesse  •  Link

"with a cataplasm . . ."

Well, found this http://www.testicle-pain-symptoms… As about half of us might know, pain from contact is harsh but relatively short lived (or we'd have surely read of the incident). Methinks the doctor's quote from yesterday may be closer to the truth. And possibly something here that may effect fertility?

A. Hamilton  •  Link

Cataplasm

What would Sine, the French cartoonist and cat punster, have made of this? (Sorry, no proper accents on my keyboard)

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"all day in bed with a cataplasm"
greetings from Santarem, Brazil,on the Amazon River.
He could have had epidydimitis or orchitis(Mumps?)but it wouldnt explain the bruise(ecchymosis)so it could have been trauma .

Ann  •  Link

OED gives the commonly-known meaning of bruise. Anyone know if maybe in 1661 bruise had any other meaning/usage? General soreness, swelling, etc.?

Bullus Hutton  •  Link

..cod...
Still very much in use in N.English rugby clubs - in plural form, as in "poor sod got a kick in the cods"

vicente  •  Link

I guess the league doth not provide the required protection, a hardern cod piece, where as us union boys, were prepared in the scrum, for unsavory games.

vicente  •  Link

I guess Dr Tom has dropped his Paduan tones[no complaints] , no doubt could provide some waters D'Arno to cure the bruising, this bruise does appear to make entries to his Kalendarium difficult.
cata- kata: greek it doth seem to be, prefix in accordance with. A nice word for those enjoy the use and misuse of prefixes et. al.

Second Reading

Bill  •  Link

"with a cataplasm"

CATAPLASM, a Poultice of Herbs, Roots, Seeds, &c.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

Bill  •  Link

COD, a Husk or Shell; the Bag containing the Testicles of a Male; also a Kind of Sea-fish.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Sam isn't keen on either of the two Toms (although he holds the Doctor's brother Roger in high regard), so perhaps he is relieved to be able to hide upstairs out of the way while the family duty is done.

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

OED has:

‘cataplasm, n. . . < Greek κατάπλασμα poultice, . . med.
a. A poultice: formerly also a plaster.
. . 1626 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. (ed. 2) , Cataplasme, a plaister, compounded of certaine oyntments to cure sores . . ‘

‘cod, n.1 . . Old English cod . .
. . 4. a. The integument enveloping the testicles, the scrotum; improperly in pl. testicles. (Not in polite use.)
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) vii. lv. 269 The codde of the genetours.
. . 1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 250 The cod is a rugous and thin skin.
1632 R. Sherwood Dict. in R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues (new ed.) , The cod or cods of a man or beast, couillon, testicule . . ‘

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