Thanks to the various people who replied to my question about the
woman with the blocked-off breast. Everyone suggested the same solution:
cabbage leaves (possibly in addition to cold packs).
        This leads me to a further question: I never know which type of
cabbage to recommend. In Italy you usually see two types in the shops. One
is the very compact round one with white leaves which is often used for
coleslaw. The other has very dark crinkly leaves on the outside, but lighter
in colour inside. According to Lawrence the correct type is Brassica
oleracea capitata, but I can imagine the kind of look I would get if I asked
for this at the greengrocers.
        I just did a search for cabbage on the Internet. Would you believe
there is some enthusiast out there who has an entire site devoted to this
subject? Unfortunately it didn't answer my question.
                                Anna Lowenstein
                                       Zagarolo, Italy