amisse Vineger and all sowre sauces and drinks are not good for that they turne to melancholy It is most hurtfull herein to be sad and carefull Concerning the cure Neither this humor neither the former of themselves require any emission of blood for that the state of those bodies which they possesse is already too cold but if it chance to be mixed with blood then at the very beginning it shall bee convenient to let blood premising some solutive clyster or lenitive medicine Next the humor and body must bee prepared with such syrups or decoctions as do respect melancholy as with Burrage and Buglosse and Fumitory and tops of Hops and Cetrach and such like Then the humor must bee purged with such purgative medicines as respect the humor as with Sena Polipody the black Mirabolans Epithymum with Catholicon and if need be Diasenâ—a and confectio Hamech When as the humor is somwhat stayed by purging then must we come to locall medicines which first must be to repell next to resolve Such as repell must bee moderately hot because the humor is cold of it selfe as the leaves of the Terebinth tree and of the Cipres tree and the roots of Cyprus boyled in vineger wherewith the part is to bee bathed To resolve this or such like may do well Take of the tender Bay leaves and of Camomill Dill Penyrioll of Basill and the roots of the Flower-de-luce boyle all together and with the water bathe the part and stamp the herbs into a pulp whereunto adde the flower of Barly and Fenygreek and Linseed with some Capons grease or oesipus or Goose grease and May-butter and apply it warme to the place and so change it often And if one thing cannot doe good wee must devise some other for it falleth out oftentimes that some one thing may doe good at some times and sometimes it can do no good and being applyed a little while it doth good and being longer to the part it doth harme Now if the Gout come not of any severall humor but by the mixture of mo then is there a great discretion to be used of the Physitian either to judge of the predominant humor or of the manner of their mixture and accordingly to apply his remedy As if choler or blood or phlegm or melancholy be predominant then the medicines or cure must cheifly be appropriated to that somewhat respecting the rest or if there be an equall mixture of all which doth seldome befall then there must be such a mixture of things for the cure as shall respect all not doing harme to any but good unto all And this makes the Gout so hard to bee cured for if in a deflux one only humor would descend we should easily know it and sooner amend it but it falleth out for the most part that one brings downe another and mo do concurre and such as are of a contrary nature as choler and phlegm then groweth it out to bee hard both to judge of the cause and determine of the medicine for that that doth good to the one may do harme to another Thus in rude manner I have gone over the Gout first shewing the nature and essence thereof Next in giving the causes thereof Thirdly in delivering the signes whereby each cause is to bee known Then in discussing whether it may bee cured or no. And lastly what method or kind of cure is convenient for the Gout in respect of such causes whereof it proceedeth Now because hee that hath once had the Gout and he that feareth lest he shall have it would gladly have some meanes how to avoid it It remaineth that I set down an order of preservation which albeit I cannot do so absolutely for that it must cheifly be referred to the person affected so that one only rule cannot serve all because we are not all alike in constitution in diet and such like yet I will endevor a generall order which shall bee good for all such to observe as would bee willing to avoid the Gout And first in these diseases that are reciditive and chronicall long lasting diseases the the cheifest and principall point is to observe a good diet This diet must concerne certaine points first that it bee such as doth not breed distillations and rheumes Next that it bee such as doth not frait the body too full of humors Thirdly that it be such as doth not breed any weaknesse in any principall part or in the joynts To these purposes first we must take choice of the ayre avoyding a moist and cold situation as by some river and standing poole or marrish ground or moted habitation Cloudy or rainy and misty weather is naught wherein we must keep within and keep a good fire Hippocrates saith that the Southerne winds do fill the braine full of rheumatick matter because from the meridionall point they blow crosse over the seas and by the vapours thereof are made moist so that being hot of themselves and moist by the sea they become unwholsome disposing things to putrifaction and filling them with too great store of moisture wherefore they in this case must bee avoyded A cleare ayre wherein the Sunne shineth the wind standing somwhat Eastward or Northward is best In meats and drinks wee must observe certaine points as the substance the quantity the quality the time of taking them and the order how they are to be taken First for the substance the meat should bee of a good substance breeding good humors and of no hard digestion as Mutton Veale Capon Chicken Partridge Feasant Pullet Rabbet Wilde fowle is held but of a grosse substance but Woodcock Snight Mallard Teale Whinder Heathcock and generally such as have the whiter flesh may be taken but Goose Duck and such as are of a black flesh are reproved Beefe is of a hard grosse substance Hart Hinde Buck and Doe are the like And because they are prepared with much pepper and salt and thereupon wee poure in great store of wine they procure much inconuenience Salt meats breed no good juyce nor humor Fish is a moist meat but being such as wee call petrosas or saxatiles that live by rocks or upon gravelly waters being boyled with some of the hot herbs Whiting-gurnat Haddock are good Sammon if it bee boyled in water and vineger with rosemary may bee eaten Pike is not amisse especially if it bee taken in a scowre or put into a stew to be clensed So Bream and Carp should be used and generally such fish as live in muddy or in grosse water either is to be rejected or to bee corrected in the keeping or dressing Herbs breed no good substance especially in our Climate for that the heat of the Sunne is not sufficient to concoct their watery moisture and to bring them to a perfection wherefore wee use them for sauces and not for food Some roots may bee good as Carrot Skirwirt and the Parsnep if hee
man will shew himselfe honest and good and to professe a troth without collusion or dissimulation hee must needs confesse that he cannot radically cure the Gout with warrant that it shall never returne First for that Gout which is by inheritance it is altogether impossible to remove it for that imperfection which commeth by kinde may bee releeved but not removed by Art And that Gout that commeth by surfetting and banquetting it is most hard for such persons to keepe a good diet wherein indeed the whole preservation consisteth And when the joynts are once weakned it is an hard matter to reclaime them to a naturall state because they are farre from the heart the fountaine of heat which should bee their comforter Likewise such parts as by their depravation do breed the matter of the Gout will hardly bee reformed for both the part that breedeth and the parts that receive the matter are so farre distant from the stomach whereinto the helping medicines are to bee received that before they can approach either part they suffer so great alteration as that they lose their proper effect and cannot work to that purpose upon those parts as they should I adde hereunto that when a water taketh a course it is hardly restrained so when a deflux hath once tooke a course it is hardly restrained for the stronger parts will evermore disburden themselves by the same course In ancient time the matter was not so hard for that people were of a more temperate and orderly diet Then was it true that Hippocrates saith that eunuches were not subject to the Gout for that they used no venery which because it weakneth the joynts and other principall parts if it bee used too often doth procure the Gout And that women except their naturall termes were suppressed were not subject to the Gout for by that evacuation their bodies were clensed and preserved from superfluous matter And that no yong man before hee had betooke himselfe to venery could be possessed with theÌ„ Gout But now because of excessive and disordered diet or some other disorder whereinto this age is incâ—dent I know not who can be exempted from the Gout except he can overrule his affections and direct himselfe by great moderation and having once got it it will bee hard for him to remove it Paulus Aegineta saith that the Gout by reason of so manifold causes whereof it may come and are hard to be known doth bring with it a very heavy conceit to wit that it can no way be cured by the Art of Physick And Tralliâ—nus saith that when a humor is once confirmed in a joynt there is no hope that the part can be reclaimed to a naturall state And Galen is of the same opinion which is to bee understood of the perfect and radicall cure of the Gout As for the fit no doubt there are many good meanes to releeve and remove it Wherefore thereof I will entreat comming now to that point which conteineth the cure of the Gout The cure of the Gout must bee referred to the causes thereof for except the cause bee removed the effect will still continue I have said before that the causes of the Gout are either internall or externall Now for the cure of the causes externall as they are to be understood by the patient so he being warned of the Physitian to forsake and avoid the same shall finde a good releefe to his Gout If hee live in such an aire as may procure it the counsell of the Physitian is to change If by overmuch feeding and ingurgitation of meats of sundry sorts then hee must use a more temperate diet If it come by excessive use of drinking that must bee avoided If it come by ill digestion then the patient must be carefull of better If it come by overmuch venery that is to be used in more moderation If it come by too much labour or fasting or watching or sorrow or care then the ground of the cure is to abandon the cause If it come of too much ease then let the patient use more exercise If of too much walking and travell on foot then let him avoid it If any usuall evacuation be stopped let the Physitian procure it again or derive it by some other course And so if the patient can tell from whence his Gout either beginneth at the first or afterward doth come to a fit let him avoid that cause and it shall bee a great help unto him for except the patient bee obedient herein no good cure can bee done The cure of the Gout in respect of the causes internall have two principall scopes the one is an order of diet the other consisteth in administration of medicines and neither of these can be generall but particularly must bee appropriated unto the cause Wherefore first I will begin the cure of the Gout proceeding from blood And first for the diet of the patient which in all diseases is a principall point the aire must be somwhat disposed to coldnesse and drinesse sleeping and watching must be used moderately If the belly bee costive it must bee made soluble with gentle clysters when as the flux doth begin the patient must rest and hold up his leg on a stoole for the motion would draw downe the greater deflux and laying up doth resist the deflux but when it is in declination a little motion is good for that it doth evacuate that which remaineth All sorrowes and cares and great perturbations of the minde must be avoyded Little meat must bee used especially if it nourish much and breed store of blood because that encreaseth the cause Wherefore in the fit of this kinde of Gout the patient should altogether abstaine from flesh or if that cannot bee by reason of his weaknesse then let him eat of birds especially such as live in the hils as Feldefares Thrushes Black birds And wine in this cause must altogether bee avoyded for that it is an increaser of blood and through the heat and thinnesse and peercing property it searcheth each part of the body and both breedeth and stirreth defluxes Wherefore many by abstaining from wine have had more speedy recovery and longer intermission of the Gout Here also the use of Venus must bee omitted or seldome and moderately used for there is nothing worse to procure the Gout especially if it bee used dayly and out of season as when the stomack is full for then it destroyeth concoction or when the body is too empty for then it spendeth and weakneth the body And here because eating and drinking too much breedeth great store of raw humors the patient must give himselfe to a moderate and sober diet for as Hippocrates saith the principall point of maintaining good health is not to stuffe the stomach too full and to bee ready to put the body to exercise This order being observed in respect of the aire and eating and drinking and sleeping and watching and resting and stirring and
such like wee are to descend to the cure The Gout when it commeth of blood requireth some things inwardly to bee given and some things to bee done outwardly The order of both is after this sort First wee must give a lenitive medicine either by clyster or potion or in a solid substance which must be such as stir not the humors too much for that will encrease the deflux as by the mouth may bee given Cassia and Manna and the syrup of roses solutive or such compounds as consist of these and the pulp of damaske prunes and tamarinds and such like Next it is good to let blood especially at the first beginning of the Gout for that doth evacuate the matter thereof and the blood must bee let on the same side whereon the Gout is as if it be in the right foot wee must let blood in the right arme in the liver veine which by way of revulsion and plucking back the blood that is descending doth good And here Galen reporteth that by letting of blood in the spring in such as have been oft taken with the Gout hee hath preserved them from it a long time And Aetius is of the same opinion counselling not at the spring only but more often to let blood But Paulus Aegineta thinketh that such as are often troubled with the Gout shall receive more harme than good by letting of blood especially if the body be but of a weak constitution and inclining to a colder state And Alexander Trallianus is of the same opinion wherefore it must rest in the wisdome of the Physitian to consider of the state of the body and age of the person and times of the yeere and such like circumstances which may give him warrant for his action Next we may use some purgation if need bee so it be gentle And wee must apply to the foot somewhat to strengthen the part and to put back the deflux and to mitigate the paine To this purpose at the beginning of the fit wee do use old wine-vineger mixed with oyle of roses especially if the paine be setled any thing deep in the joynts for the vineger doth penetrate and having an astringent property doth strengthen the part and because it is cold in operation it doth repell the deflux and the oile of roses doth both comfort the part and mitigate the paine If the paine bee not grounded so deep and the inflammation not great then we must use oyle of roses and a little white wine in sommer not warmed in winter made a little warm And a stronger than this is to take of the pill of the Pomgranate and Sumach and Sengreen boyle them in water and vineger and adde thereunto the flower of barly or beanes and some oyle of roses and apply it unto the part Also a Pomgranate if it be boyled and brayed in a mortar is of it selfe good to bee applyed Also it is good to take of Goats milk and Ewes milk and boyle therein some flower of barly or beanes and some of the flower of Fenygreek seed or crummes of white bread and mix therewith the yolks of egges and the oyle of roses and a little saffron and vineger which must be applyed and often changed Also take Quinces well boyled and bray them in a mortar with the crummes of white bread and oyle of roses and apply it When the part must be washed wee must not take water only but water and vineger warmed or the decoction of some astringent thing Now when by these meanes the deflux is wholly restrained and the paine somwhat ceased then wee may apply things to resolve out that which is descended into the part affected Such are the oyles of white Lillies of Camomill of Dill either applied so or with a little virgin-wax made in forme of an ointment or the decoction of them with Mallowes and Hollyhock leaves and roots and the seeds of Fenygreek and Linseed with which decoction it shall bee good to bathe the part and the residence of the decoction being beaten in a mortar into a pulp with a little oyle of Roses and Camomill and Dill mixed together will bee good to bee applyed unto the part Much more might bee added unto this cure but it would be too tedious and I must expresse many things in Latine termes which would be obscure Wherefore I passe over unto the cure of the Gout proceeding of choler And first for the diet the ayre must be inclining to moisture and cold rest and sleep are to bee used for watching and labour are naught for that they increase the heat and cholerick quality of the humor in which sense abstinence is alike naught Wherefore it shall bee good for the patient to take his meat as a Ptisan or the pulp of a Ptisan or a Chicken boyled with Lettuce and Endive and Succory or other cold herbs Boyled meats are better than rosted Albeit Capon Hen Pullet Fesant Partridge Blackbird rosted are allowable In a cholerick state Fish is not disallowed so it bee such as do feed in sandy and gravelly water Some fruits are not forbidden as Pomgranate and Peares and Cherries and such as have some little astriction The drinke must bee small wherefore wine in this case is most hurtfull In meats and drinks that moderation must bee used as that the stomach be not overcharged As in the former it was tolerable to use but little Venery so here it is altogether forbidden It is also most hurtfull to bee angry and testy for it inflameth the humor and stirreth it more wherefore all meanes must bee used for musick or pleasant conceits to delight the patient These for the diet The administration of medicine hath this kinde of method First it shall bee good if the belly be too costive to use an emollitive clyster or some of those gentle things prescribed before as Cassia Manna syrup of Roses or Violets solutive or sugar of Violets or the pulp of Tamarinds or such like which work upon choler in gentle wise neither stirring nor heating the humor Then it shall be good to use a vomit as with warme water and vineger or syrup of Acetose or Oxymell mixed together and drunk for that by revulsion may do good by plucking back the humor descending Next some for the same cause do let blood but that must bee done with circumspection for that the blood is a bridle to choler repressing by the moystnesse thereof the drynesse and heat and acrimony of choler Wherefore therin the Physitian is to use good discretion whether in the person affected it shall be so expedient or no. After this the cholerick humor which causeth this Gout must be repressed somwhat that is his acrimony heat and fury must bee abated by cooling potions as of Endive and Succory and Lettuce and Violet leaves and Strawbery leaves or such like either decocted or made in syrup and taken with barly water or the boyling of a Chicken
quantity of which compositions the Apothecaries shop wanteth no store Now the best writers would have a man not passe benedicta or using the other it should bee in some of the gentlest confections wherein they were in no great quantity and perfectly corrected After this it shall bee good to use some lotion or bath for the feet wherein are boyled some things of an astringent property to roborate the joynts that they may bee more able to resist the deflux of any humor And throughout all the yeere it shall bee good to keepe the body in soluble state and rather by meats that have that property than by medicines Or if by medicines then by the gentlest as such as may bee given with meat or a little before or after But if nature it selfe doe worke sufficient expulsion then wee may abstaine from any farther attempt FINIS The first distinction of the word Gout The second Morbus Gallicus i. Lues venerea The generall proposition The generall division The definition of the Gout Foure sorts of griefes The application of this fourefold distinction Foure reasons wherefore the feet are subiect to the Gout Wherefore in the Gout the feet should suffer paine There are eight sorts of distemperatures The causes thereof The foure elements The foure complexions and whereof they proceed The foure humors and whence they proceed How a distemperature may befall any part Three sorts of humors A humor may offend in three respects 1 Quantity 2 Quality 3 Substance Three sorts of bodies considered in Physick * i. e. good * i. e. naught * i. e. neither good nor bad The application of the former distinction of humors The good estate of all parts in the body consisteth in the naturall heat Three inconveniences through the infirmity of naturall heat The application The Gout proceeding from a deflux may be in two respects The rheume is the mother of many diseases The reason why the rheume from the braine doth cause many diseases Foure points to be considered in every deflux The application thereof The conclusion of the first generall point The second generall point which containeth the causes of the Gout * 1 Reason * 2 Reason * 3 Reason * 4 Reason 5 Reason 6 Reason 7 Reason 8 Reason 9 Reason 10 Reason 11 Reason 12 Reason 13 Reason 14 Reason 15 Reason How diseases may come by our parents The internall causes of the Gout which are foure The first to wit blood How blood is made The definition of blood Two sorts of blood The signes to know good blood Ill blood is caused after sundry sorts The application how blood may be a cause of the Gout The second internal cause of the Gout This humor hath no proper place but doth converse with the blood for three causes The definition of the humor phlegmatick Two sorts of phlegm in generall The particulars of the first The particulars of the second A distinction How the Gout may come of phlegme The third cause internall of the Gout The cholerick humor is of two sorts The definition The unnaturall choler is of two sorts Mo sorts of choler What kindé of choler is in cause of the Gout Melancholy the fourth internall cause of the Gout The definition Two sorts of naturall melancholy The unnaturall melancholy The third generall point contayning the signes of each cause of the Gout The signâ—s of the Gout proceeding oâ— blood The signes of the Gout proceeding of choler The signes of the Gout proceeding of the humor phlegmatick The signes of the Gout proceeding of melancholy The fourth generall point that is whether the Gout can be cured or no The reasons why the Gout is hard to be cured Why in ancient time the Gout was not so common The fift generall point that is the cure of the Gout The cure in respect of the causes externall Two principall scopesin the cure of the Gout to be observed The cure of the Gout proceeding of blood What diet must be observed The administration of medicines â—nternall Externall or locall medicines To repell the descending humor Partly to repell and a little to resolve To ease the paine and to resolve and a little to repell An observation Medicines to resolve The cure of the Gout pro ceeding of choler The order of diet The order of administration of medicines Locall medicines To repell and mitigate pain To coole and repell To coole and mitigate pain An experiment To mitigate paine and to resolve Stupefactives A caution to be obserued The cure of the Gout proceeding of the humor phlegmatick The order of diet The method of cure The order to be used in applying medicines A caution to be observed This is to disâ—â—sse and repell This is more discussive This is more discussive A defensive This is good in the declination of the fit The cure of the Gout proceeding of the humor melancholick The diet The method of the cure by medicines The locall medicines An observation The method of cure when the Gout pro ceedeth upon a mixture of humors A conclusion of the five general points antecedent The last point which is a preservation from the Gout The order of diet to be used of such as will be preserved from the Gout which doth consist upon three generall points The ayre Of meate and things to bee considered therein Substance Quantity Quality Time Order Concerning the substance Mutton veal Capon Chickken Partridge Fesant Pullet Rabbet Uenison Wilde-fowle Beefe Salt meats Fish Herbs Roots Fruits Milk and all things made of milk are to be auoyded The quantity that is to wit how much we are to eat How we shall know when we have eaten too much It is better to eat a little too much than much too little The quality of meats The time of taking our meat The order therein To eat of many sorts of meats is not good Banquetting dishes are hurtfull after meat Curious Cookes mar good meat Concerning our drink Small drink is not good Wine Some allow of white wine in preservation from the Gout But nothing can be worse The reasonâ— Claret wine Of sweet wines Sack and how it is to be used What quantity of drink is convenient with meat The quality of our drinks Bragget Alacras Hipocras Ale is better than Beere The time to drink Of sleepe To sleepe in the day is not good What rules are to bee observed if wee sleepe in the day time Our night sleepe is most naturall and requireth some observations How long we are to sleep An observation Of watching how hurtfull it is to watch too much Of our exercise and of the commodities thereof The ends of exercise The place wherein wee are to exercise The time when What kind of exercise is best for such as feare the Gout Of rest and ease and the discommodities thereof The fift point of this preservative diet Bleeding too much is hurtfull So is Sweating too much So is often use of Uenery The commodities of seasonable and moderate Venery A continuall lask is hurtfull or any other immoderate evacuation Competent evacuation of superfluities is requisite Costivenesse is hurtfull Of the passions of the minde Concerning medicinall matters what is to bee done in this preservation Why at the Spring and at the Fall we are to purge in this preservation What is to be respected in this evacuation A caution A distinction of purgative medicines The application thereof