more violent by how much more it were forced but that malignity that doth evaporate forth doth insensibly enter into the next body it meets entring through the nostrils mouth or pores of the flesh and thus many times from animal to animal untill there is a general infection which is a general disorder for the malignity that enters in by infection is like a foraign enemy which enters into a peaceable country which not onely disorders it but makes havock and waste and many times utterly destroyes it but when a malignant disease is bred in the body it is like a civil war where uproars are raised and outrages are done by inbred corrupt humors but when malignant or other diseases are caused by surfeits it is like a deluge of fire or water that either drowns or burns up the the kingdom of the body where sometimes it is saved by assistant medicines and sometimes it is so furious as nothing can help it Chap. 189. Of Sweating diseases ALL sweating diseases are caused by such kinde of extenuating motions as melt metal and not by such kinde of extenuating motions as evaporate water for the evaporations of the watery part of the body breath forth in insensible transpirations as breathing through the pores like a thin air but sweat runs through the pores like liquid oar through gutters of earth but sweats are good or bad for the body according to the matter or humors that are melted out as for example I will compare the humors of the body to several metals as Iron Lead Tin Copper Silver and Gold Iron is melancholly dust Lead is cold and dry or cold and moist melancholly Tin is flegm Copper is choler Silver is the radical humor and God is the vital spirits These humors must be proportionably tempered to make a healthful body there must not be too much quantity of Lead Tin or Copper for the Silver or Gold but unless there be some they will not work like as coyn it cannot be wrought or formed without some allay and if the allay be too much it abases the coyn Likewise there must be so much heat in the body onely as to compound those humors not to melt them out by sweats unless they superabound and then Physicians must onely have a care to melt out that humor that superabounds for if the radical humor should be melted or the vital spirits spent it destroys the body by wasting the life But in some cases sweating is very beneficial to the body as in great colds which have knit up the pores or passages of the body or in great surfeits or in malignant diseases which help to expel the poysonous humor or corrupted humors in the body or melt the Icy humors congeal'd by cold but those sweats that are beneficial and wholesome for the body the body will be much stronger and agiler and the spirits quicker and livelier but those sweats that are pernicious to the body the body will be faint and weak after they have sweat but in these diseases a physician must be very careful when he puts a patient in a sweat as to give such medicines as will work upon that humor he would have sweat forth but in sweating diseases as when the body sweats too violently like as in great and dangerous fluxes which are not to be staied by ordinary means for although in these diseases there must be used contracting medicines yet some sweats require hot contracting medicines others cold contracting medicines and those medicines that are applied must be applied gently and by degrees lest by a sudden contraction they should stop the pores of the body too much which are the doors to let out the smoak in the body as well as the sweat of the body or by too hasty contractions those passages should be shut that should be kept open or those to be kept opened that should be shut but physicians will guess by the patient what humor they sweat forth for cold sweats are from melancholy clammy sweats from thick flegm hot burning sweat from choler cold faint sweats proceed from the radical humor hot faint sweats from the vital spirits Chap. 190. Of Surfeits SUrfeits are superfluities as too much heat or too much cold or when there is taken into the body too great a quantity of meat or drink or the like Likewise when the nature of the meat is disagreeing to the nature of the body where one scruple will be too much as being ill which will give a surfeit for surfeits do not onely oppress by the superfluous quantities of matter but disturb by the superfluous motions the disagreeing matter causing more motion then naturally belonges to a healthful body Besides like a company of rude and unruly strangers disturbs and hinders the irregular motions altering the natural constitutions and uniformity of the body and many times ruines the body unless an assistant motion in medicinable matter is brought to help to expel the superfluous or that the natural expulsive motions in the body are strong enough to throw out that ill matter either by vomit or stoole or other evacuation but many times the superfluities become so strong not onely by their own ill nature or great quantity but by making a faction And so begetting a party amongst the natural motions which makes such a general disorder that though the natural digestive motion and the natural expulsive motion joyn with the like assistant motions taken in medicines yet the body shall be ruinated and life cast out by that matter and these motions that are their enemies therein Chap. 191. Of Consumptions ALL Consumptions are caused by an unnatural expulsion caused by mistempered matter or mistempered matter caused by unnatural motions such as work not to the subsistance or health of the body which after they have corrupted the matter they turn to expulsions throwing all out of the body but if they be onely exterior expulsions they onely untile the house that is they do unflesh the body but if they be interiour expulsions they do not onely unflesh the body but rot some part in the body and if the unnatural expulsions be amongst the vital parts which are the foundations of the life of the body the whole fabrick of the body fals without redemption and the materials go to the building of other figures But if they are hot expulsions caused from a thin sharp salt humor there must be applied cold contracting medicines and if they be cold expulsions there must be apylied hot contracting medicines All cold expulsions are when the parts are tender weak and raw and undigested and hot expulsions are when the parts are burnt or ulcerated for all hot expulsions work upon the parts of the body as fire on wood when they are burning expulsions or else like as fire doth on metal melting them into a liquid substance and cold expulsions work upon the parts as when cloudes beat down into showers of rain or slakes of snow breaking or
and hath as much recourse to the heart as to the head and so to the other parts of the body for any thing I can perceive But that matter I call the rational and sensitive spirits which others call the animal and vital spirits perchance fools may think me extravagant for giving the matter other names but I was forced to take these names because they were more significant to the sense of my discourse besides perchance they may think when I speak of rational and sensitive spirits that they are hobgoblins ghosts or visions such as nurses fright their children with or superstitions or as the wiser sort doth to make credulous fools beleeve to keep them in awe knowing they are apt to disorders Chap. 182. Musick may cure mad folks THere is great reason why Musick should cure madnesse for this sort of madnesse is no other but the spirits that are in the brain and heart put out of their natural motion and the spirits having a natural sympathy with Musick may be composed into their right order but it must be such Musick as the number of the notes must goe in such order as the natural motion of the brain though every brain hath not one and the same motion but are set like notes to several tunes wherefore if it were possible to set notes to the natural motion of the heart or that brain that is distempered it might be perfectly cured but as some notes do compose the brain by a sympathy to the natural motion so others do make a discord or antipathy and discompose it putting the natural motions out of tune Thus much for the sensitive Maladies Chap. 183. Of the fundamental diseases first of fevours THere are many several sorts or manners of fevors but I will onely treat of the fundamental fevours which are three from which three all other fevors are partly derived the first is a malignant fevor the second the hective fevor and the third the ordinary burning fevours the first is catching and often deadly the second is never catching but alwayes deadly the third is neither catching and seldom deadly the first proceeds from violent disordered motions and distempered matter and humour The second from swift motions which distemper and make waste of the matter which matter I mean the substance of the body The third is too violent motions on well tempered matter And these three sorts of fevours are often mixt as it were a part of all mixt into one but a high malignant fevor is a sudden usurpation for the disordered motions joyned with a mistempered matter which is corrupt humours surprise the body and destroy the life therein as we shall see in great plagues the body is well sick and dead in a moment these or the like diseases are caused after three manner of wayes as being taken from outward infection or bred by an evil habit in the body or by taking some disagreeing matter therein which causeth a war of sicknesse for upon the disorder which the disagreeing matter makes the natural motions belonging to the body grow factious and like a common rout arise in an uproar which strives onely to do mischief stopping some passages that should be kept open and opening some passages that should be kept shut hindring all regular motions from working after that natural manner forcing those they can over power to turn rebels to the life of the body For it is against the nature of the innated matter to be idle wherefore it works rather irregularly then not work at all but as long as a body lies sick the power is divided one part of the innated matter working irregularly the other according to the natural constitution which by the regularity they strive to maintain the chief forts of life which are the vital parts especially the heart and disordered motions striving to take or pull them down making their strongest assaults thereon for the disordered innated matter makes out-works of corrupted matter stopping as many passages as their power will give leave so striving either to starve the vital parts or to oppresse them with corruption or to burn them by their unnatural heat they make in the body or to drown them with watrish humor which is caused by the distemper of ill disgestions and obstructions the regular innated matter strives to break down those works and to cast and expel that filth out of the body and according as each party gets the better the body is better or worse and according as the siege continues the body is sick and according as the victory is lost or won is life or death Chap. 185. Of the infections of animals Vegetables and elements Such motions as corrupt animal bodies corrupt vegetable bodies and as corrupt and malignant air is infectious to animals so likwise to vegetables and as malignant diseases are catching and infectious to those that comes neer them so oftentimes vegetables are infectious to animals as herbs and fruits which cause some yeers such dangerous sicknesse and killing diseases to those that eat thereof likewise those bodies that are infected do infect sound and nourishing food when once it is eaten causeth that which is good also malignant when once in the body Chap. 186. Of burning fevros ALL burning fevours for the most part are produced from the vital spirits as when they move irregularly they corrupt the natural humours which cause a distemper of heat in the body moving towards expulsions which are dilation and when they move with supernatural quicknesse after an extenuating maner they inflame the body in either causes emptying the body and quenching the fire is to be put in execution for the emptier the body is the lesse humours there will be Ltkewise lesse motion as having lesse matter for in matter motion lives likewise the lesse cumbustible matter there is the sooner the unnatural fire will be quenched unlesse that the fire be in the arteries then it is like a colepit set on fire wherein there is no quenching it unlesse you drown the coles so when the unnatural heat is in the arteries you must drown the life of the body like the colein the pit before you can quench the fire but a 〈◊〉 may be eased somwhat prolonged with cooling brothes and quenching julips for though they cannot enter the arteries yet they may keep the outward parts cold and moist which may cast cold damps quite through the body but in this case all evacuations are dangerous for the more empty the body is of humour the sooner the body is consumed for the humours serve as oyl and though they flame yet they keep in the light of life in all other fevours evacuations of all sorts are good for if it be some melancholy pitch humours that are set on fire in the body or some oylie cholerick humours it is but quenching it with cooling julips without any hurt to the body and if it be a brandy blood set on fire it is
a glibby and moist body rather then a soaking wet body but when this watry extenuation extenuates beyond the degree of water they turn to vapour which causeth the diseased to be puft or blown like a bladder rather then swell'd out as we shall perceive that a little time before the patients fall into a consumption they will be so puft out as their flesh wil be like a fire-bal the next degree they fall into a fiery extenuation For when the humour extenuates beyond vapor which is a kinde of an aire then it becomes hot like fire which is a hective fevour and when the humour hath extenuated to the farthest degree it expulses and so pulls down and throws out the life of the diseased but in the hidropical diseases there must first be applied attractive medicines to draw out the watry overflows by issues cupping-glasses or the like then there must be applyed expulsive medicines as purgings and bleeding and sweatings yet they must be gently applyed for fear of weakning the body by drawing out the humour too suddenly then there must be applied contracting medicines to draw into an united substance as to gather or draw up those parts that have been made loose porous and spungie with the disease then there must be applied retentive medicines to confirm and settle them after their natural manner or form then last there must be applied disgestive medicines to restore what is wasted but if any of the principal parts be impaired wasted or expulsed they neither can be restored nor mended but by a new creation which uncreating braines perhaps conceive not but I must intreat my readers to observe that some sorts of motions begin a disease that is they lay the foundations thereof and other sorts of motions work upon those foundations Chap. 193. Of apoplexies SOme sorts of apoplexies are caused by an inbred superfluous water in the brain which being congealed by a cold contraction falling to the knitting part of the head which is the hinder part it stupifies the senses stopping the natural motions as a flowing river that is turned into ice but those sorts of apoplexies are curable if assistance be taken in time which is by hot dilating medicines not onely to stretch out the icy contraction but to expell that cold watry humour by a rarification but if the apoplexie be caused by an inbred slime as flegme which is of a thicker nature then water and is become crusted or peterated by hot contractions it is seldom or never cured no more then brick which is once baked by the sun or in a fire can be made to such clay as it was before it was burnt But mistake me not for I do not mean the humour is as hard as stone or brick in the head but so hard as to the nature of the brain that is the flegme is grown so dry and tough as not to be dissolved so soon as the nature of the brain requires it for though flegme will be contracted into stone as in the bladder and kidnies yet not in the brain by reason the nature of the brain is so tender and so sensible as it cannot indure so solid a substance therein nor suffer so long a time as the humour will be penetrating to stop the passages to the brain not but those kinde of motions that produce stone may be so strong and so swift as to turn matter into stone immediately but I do beleeve not in the animal bodies for they are too weak figures for so strong motions to work in but as I said these hot or cold contractions for both sorts of contractions produce stone so both sorts of contractions make tough clammy crusted hard flegme which is some degree towards stone flegme if it stop the passages to the brain it causeth an apoplexie but the 〈◊〉 why the watry contractions are more apt for cure is because the nature of water is fluid and is easily dissolved by dilations having interior nature to extenuations but slime and flegme are more solid and so not so flexible to be wrought upon as suddenly to change shape or nature in being dissolved or transformed The third cause is a fulnesse of blood or a thicknesse of blood for when the veins are too full there is not vacuity enough for the blood to run so stops the motion thereof or if the blood is too thick or clammy it becoms lesse fluid and the more solid it is the slower the motion is and though the blood may have too quick a motion by reason of heat so it may have too slow a motion by reason of thicknesse and if the veines are filled too full of hot blood wherein are many spirits it endangers the breaking some of the veines like as when strong liquor is put into a barrel if it be filled too ful the strength of the spirits striving for liberty break the barrel the like will the blood in the veins and if a vein chance to break in the head it overflows the brain and drowns the life therein The last is grosse vapor which may ascend from the bowels or stomack which causeth so great a smoak as it suffocates or choaks the brain smothering out the life of the body All apoplexies are somewhat of the nature of dead palsies Chap. 194. Of Epilepses which is called falling-sicknesse THis disease is caused by a water in the brain which water is most commonly green like sea water and hath an ebbing and flowing motion like the tides thereof and when the water is at full tide on the forepart of the head it takes the diseased after the manner of panting and short breathing beating themselves and foaming at the mouth neither can they hear see smell nor speak the reason is that the flowing motion driving the watry humour so far out as it extends the pia mater and dia mater of the brain farther then the natural extention which extention swelling out towards the outward part of the head hinders all recourse stopping those passages which should receive the objects through the exterior senses and the froth or slimy humor which is betwixt the skin where the brain lies and the skull being pressed out fals through the throat into the mouth and there works forth like yeast which is called foaming but though the motions of the head are thus altered for a time so as there is neither sense nor rational knowledg yet the body may be after the natural course and not any wayes altered but the body feeling life opprest in the head the several parts or members in the body strive and struggle with what power and strength they have to release it Like as a loyal people that would defend or release their natural and true born King from being prisoner to a foraign enemy but when this water flows to the hinder part of the head the pia mater and dia mater extending out that way stops all the nerves in the nodel of the head by which