from bloud in the Liuer and sucked from thence into the Raines from whence it distilleth downe into yâ— Bladder and soe passeth foorth Seeing therefore that Vrine is the excrement that is seperated from yâ— bloud there is good cause why it should shew the state of the Liuer of the Bloud in all partes of the body and it can also declare the state of all such members as it passeth by as of the Raines the Bladder and such like But certainely in other diseases that be out of the Vaines be distant from the places by which the Vrine passeth there is no certaine iudgment to be geuen by the Vrine vnlesse the vehemencie of the disease hath infected the bloud or the Liuer after some sort Neuertheles such is yâ— ignoraÌ„ce of many people that they thinke him woorthye of noe estimation in Phisicke which cannot at the first sighte of the Vrine although it hath been carried xx Miles tel whether it be the water of a man or a woman and how the disease greeueth the patient better then himselfe also whether he shall liue or dye what disease soeuer it be which thinges vndoubtedly in diuers diseases are impossible to be knowne by the onely sight and inspection of the Vrine Therefore it is very necessarie for him that will minister Phisicke duly and rightfully to obserue these 4. rules following That is to say first to see the sick Person to conferre with him or her which soeuer it be for there is none that can soe well declare any griefe whatsoeuer it be as he can that is troubled therewith Secondly to view and feele the Pulses and to obserue well the state of them Thirdlye to view very diligently all the excrements not onely the vrine but also the Spettle Sweat and Ordure Fourethlie and last of all to haue a respect to the place where the griefe is and to consider well the accidents that doe arise thereof not omitting to know the former diet and trade of life which the sicke person hath vsed These thinges then being diligentlie seuerally marked the Phisition may more certainly learne the chiefest cause of the disease the strength thereof and to what ende it will come vnto then by seeing the Vrine onely and also by what meanes he may minister a meete medicine for it whereby the sick person may soone finde ease and purchase vnto himselfe exceading greate fame Thus haue I partely declared what thinges oughte to be knowne of euery Phisition that thereby he might withdraw take awaye the fonde and foolish opinion that a greate number of people do deeme to be true that is that the sight of the Vrine is sufficient ynough for a cunning PhisitioÌ„ perfectlie to know the disease of the sicke and the true cause thereof to minister apt medicines for it And now I cease to speake any more hereof but I will as briefly as I may entreate somwhat of the vse and benefit that doth arise come of Purging and Bloud-letting I would wish all those that do practise the same to be carefull thereof Note also that if the bodye of a manne doe abound with humours which are ready to oppresse nature then whether there be any sicknes in the body present by meanes of them or if there be but daunger of sicknes those humours must be euacuat out of the bodie eyther by Bloud-letting Purging vomit Sweating Bathes or else by some other kind of euacuation But I will speake here onely of euacuation by Bloud-letting and Purging and first of all of Bloudletting There be diuers thinges to be considered of before Bloud-letting as the age of the patient the complexion the time of the yeare the region the custome the strength and the vehemencie of the disease The age must be considered because Children vnder 14. yeares of age and old folke may not be let bloud vnlesse great necessitie require it The complexion is to be noted because a hote complexion hath large vaines and aboundeth with much bloud and they may therefore forbeare a good quantitie of bloud But colde complexions haue narrow vaines and litle bloud and therfore theire euacuation must be small The time of the yeare must be very well marked that the weather be not too hote nor too colde and therefore the spring time is the most aptest time for bloud-letting because that then it is temperate The Region and Cuntrey is to be spoken of because it is to be noted that if the Region be very hote or else very colde it is not good to let bloud but a temperate Region is moste meetest of all for it Custome is not to be neglected for thereby we may knowe that they that haue bene accustomed to bleede may better suffer bloud-letting then those that were neuer letten bloud at any time before The strength of the Person must be regarded for if there be greate weakenes then is it very daungerouse to let bloude at all except great necessitie compelleth Also the vehemencie of the disease is worthie to be marked for if it be a vehemente disease then you must let bloud foorthwith if the former circumstances will permit it These thinges being considered if they will permit bloud-letting and if it be in a needefull cause then it shal be very necessarie to knowe in what signe the Moone is in for you muste take heed that she be not in the signe that gouerneth that member wherein you intend to open the vaine also to forsee that shee be in such a signe as is good to let bloude in The vses and commodities of bloud-letting are these that are here expressed First This is a generall rule that bloud-letting is a very good remedie for all diseases that be engendred of aboundance flowing or eruption of bloud as be chieflie the Feuers called Sinochy Also the Phrenesie Squinancie Plurisie Peripnewmony Opthalmie and against all inflamatious and impostumatioÌ„s engendred of bloude in the Lyuer the Spleene the Raines the Wombe the Share the Arme-holes the Armes the Legges and to conclude in all inwarde or outwarde partes wheresoeuer the inflamation bee bloud-letting is good for it whether it be now present or that there be any danger that it wil shortely engender Also Bloud-letting is good in Feuers whether they be continuall or intermittent insomuch that the obstructions stoppinges of the Vaines be caused of immoderate repletion of the humoures Note also that Bloud-letting doth emptie aud euacuat from the bodie all humours alike as well the good as the bad And therefore it is chieflie to be vsed when there is to great an abâ—â—dance of bloude in the bodie other humours which doe straine the vaines and that there is greate daunger ieopardie in breaking of some vaines or the brusing out of some fluxe of bloude or of choking and to extinguish naturall heate And therefore in such cases you must let bloud with all spead although the sicknes be not already present For by letting of bloud
A Rich Store-house or Treasury for the Diseased Wherein are many approued Medicines for diuers and sundry Diseases which haue been long hidden and not come to light before this time Now set foorth for the great benefit and comfort of the poorer sort of people that are not of abillitie to go to the Physitions Rebus aduersis constans AT LONDON Printed for Thomas Purfoot and Raph Blower Ann. 1596. ¶ To the Right Honorable Thomas Skinner Lord Mayor of the City of London IT hath been and is right Honorable a lawdable custome in this Citie that at the entring of any Lord Maior into his Office not onely his familiar friends and acquaintance but also of euery fraternitie some selected men should present his Lordship with one gift or other Whereby they do not only congratulate with him his late increase of honor but also those presents are as tokens or earnest pence of their yeelding dutie and obedience vnto his Lordship during his office In like sort I my selfe though one of the poorest yet a Citizen and none of the least in humble obedience and dutifull good meaning towardes your honor am imboldened to present your Lordship with this Booke intituled A rich Store-house or Treasury for the Diseased A Booke Right Honorable very necessary and conuenient to bee vsed of the poorer sorte of people for the preseruation of their health that are not of abilitie to go to the Phisitions and I assuring my selfe that your Lordship will vouchsafe to be a protector of the poore peoples profit and good both in health and wealth the same comming by chaunce into my hands haue thought it good to publish it vnder your honorable name whose Authority may best countenance the same and whose curteous admittance shall be a sufficient guerdon of my dutifull good meaning heerein If my worth were greater my dutie would shew greater in the meane time as it is it is bound to your Lordship To whome I wish long life still lengthened with all happinesse Your Lordships in all duty Raph Blower ⧠DIVERS SVNDRYE GOOD Instructions Rules for all such as are the true Practisers of Phisick and Chirurgerie which are very meete and conuenient to be obserued and knowne vnto them And also concerning Bloud-letting Purging and of the vse and commoditie that often times commeth thereof FOR AS MVCH as Health is profitable and pleasant to all men since that all men do continually wish and pray eyther for the restitution or coÌ„tinuance of the same and how that it is the propertie of nature onely to fighte and striue against diseases and also that the Phisition is but the minister and seruant of nature either to apply such thinges to her as may be vsed to distroy the disease withall or els by taking away the greatest parte of the same matter which causeth and mainteyneth the sickenes and therefore it is very meete necessarie for euery Phisition before such time as he doe minister any thinge at all to the sick person diligentlie to learne and to search out perfectly the principall cause of the disease in the which â—â—be be ignorant it is more by good fortune then by any cunning or skill that he doe euer cure any disease at all For how is it possible to helpe nature with that which she hath neede of â— except it be first knowne what she needeth which none can knowe except the cause of the disease be first manifestly knowne vnto him soe yâ— he may minister thinges directly contrary to the cause of the same disease And therefore I doe most greatelye lamente the ignorance of the common sort of People who for the moste parte are perswaded that one medicine is sufficient for one disease not regarding that one disease may come of sundrye causes and therefore it doth necessarilie require diuers medicines as for example weaknes of the stomacke that it cannot digest well or that it hath no good Appetite is one disease which neuerthelesse may come a dozen sundrie waies at the least Therefore the cure of it cannot be alwaies with one medicine As if weakenes of the stomacke doe come of a weake distempure of it selfe onely then it must of necessitie be made hotte by some meanes but if heate be the cause of weakenes then it must needes be cooled Likewise you must moisten drynes and drye moisture But if the weakenes doe come of some superfluous humour that both abound which hath flowed into the stomacke or hath been there ingendred then must that ill humour of necessitie be purged out eyther by a vomite or els a purgation with a meeke medicine for it And if it be fleame then with a medicine that expelleth sleame But if choller be abounding there then must it be such a medicine as doth purg choller And likewise for melancholy a meete Purgation must be vsed to expell the humour But if the imbecillitie of the stomacke be caused by a distillation and Rewme that falleth out of the head into it then is the cure to be remedied in yâ— head and not in the stomacke Likewise if distempure of the liuer or spleene doe weaken the stomacke then the cure consisteth in the healing of those members and not in ministring of any thinge for the stomacke Therefore let no man thinke it sufficient for the Phisition if he knowe that a man hath such a disease as the Ague the Collick the Flix or such other like c. that then hee maye straighte way if he be skillfull minister a medicine meet for it Noe not foe but he must first search by all meanes possible the very cause it selfe of the disease which many ignorant People doe perswade themselues that a skilfull Phisition may doe in all diseases by the onely sight inspection of the Vrine But alas they are altogether deceiued and for to come to yâ— knowledg of the cause of some inward disease the Vrine profiteth nothing at all for in moste inwarde diseases of the bodye there ought as greate a regard to be had and taken to the Pulses and to the dispositions state of the Braine of him that is sick as there should be had of the Vrine Also the Egestions Sweat Spettle and other Excrements are not to be neglegted in soemuch that at some time they do declare yâ— cause of the disease and the state thereof when the Vrine doeth not shewe any thinge at all Likewise for example in a Plurisie or an inflamation of the Lunges or in a Squinancie or such like there is more to be knowne by Spettle then there is by Vrine Also in a Laske or a bloudye Flixe or in a Collicke or Iliake there is more certaintie of Iudgment to be geuen by Egestion or Ordure then there is by Vrine Which thinges those that are not altogether addicted to their owne fantasies may easely by good reason be perswaded to credite for Vrine is nothing else but the watrie and washie parte of the bloude for it is seperated
in due season the superfluous fullnes of the vaines is brought into a meane state againe and the paines that came of the fulnes and stretching of the vessels beeased And the heauines that was felte in the bodie is cleane taken away and the bodie is lightened and made more quick and nimble to doe all such actions as nature hath ordeyned it to doe Also it causeth nature to haue a larger scope a free passage by opening emptying of the straight waies passages of the vaines and Arteries Last of all if it be done in time it preuenteth diuers and sundrie diseases into which the bodie was both apt and readie to haue fallen into Many more commodities might here be rehearsed as concerning bloud-letting which is done when necessitie requireth and as it ought to be done but to conclude omitting all other Note this for a generall rule that bloud-letting is very good against all kinde of diseases which be caused and engendred of bloude and not onely when the diseases are present but also it is good letting of bloude to preuent any such diseases if they be forseene or feared alwaies regarding that there be none of these impediments aforesaid which doe prohibite forbid bloud-letting except it be in great necessitie and extremitie for then as the common prouerbe is Necessitas non habet legem that is Necessitie hath noe lawe Heere would I leaue of to speake of bloud-letting but that there commeth into my minde the common opinion of the ignorant people which doe certeinly beleeue that if any person be let Bloud one yeare yâ— he must likewise be let bloude euery yeare or els he is in I cannot tell how great danger which fond opinion of theires whence soeuer it sprong at the first is noe more like to be true then I shoulde say when a man hath a greate wounde by chaunce in any part of his body whereby he loseth much bloud and that after it is healed he must of necessitie haue the like wounde againe the next yeare to auoide as much bloud or els he is in daunger of greate sicknes or of death Which opinion if I my selfe did affirme it to be true although it be most false yet I might vse the like reasoÌ„ and aucthoritie to defende it that the common people doe vse for theires for they can say nothing if they be asked why they thinke soe bnt that they haue heard many say soe Therefore I would wish that noe man should credite any longer this fond and foolish opinion being most false vnlesse he can shewe good reason for it which I ame very well assured of noe man can doe Mary this I thinke that like as bloud-letting is not good against all diseases soe also it is not good in all persons but onely in those that will be content to vse afterward a moderate and conuenient diet Those therefore that doe abound with bloud and will be let bloud to preserue themselues from the daunger of any disease which is like shortely to ensue and molest them They must for a long time after be content to vse a moderat and conuenient diet For those that be vntemperat gluttonous in meates or are great drinkers wine-bibbers they doe not onely receiue no commoditie at all by bloud-letting but also often times they catch more hurt by it then they should haue had without it for in 3. or 4. daies space after they fill stuffe themselues with more raw iuices and humours by meanes of vnmeasusurable diet then they had before and often times they do dye through connulcion And therefore note that there is such force and vertue in a moderate diet to eschue and decline diseases that without the due obseruation of it bloud-letting is to noe purpose at all And therefore if the common saying of the people be true in any body that they must of necessitie be let bloud often it is verie true but it is in such as keepe an immoderat diet presently after Bloud-letting and therefore I do aduertise all men to beware of excesse in eating drinking after bloud-letting Note also yâ— after bloud-letting none ought to walke very fast or to runne or to vse any vehement exexcise but let him be quiet and rest himselfe vntill such time as his spirites shall be wel refreshed and quieted againe Note also that no person being let blood ought to sleepe immediatly after bloud-letting but let him keepe himselfe both quiet and wakinge and auoiding all contention and exercise of body and minde and about two houres after lettinge of bloud there may a litle foode be taken but let it be suc◠〈◊〉 will make good iuice and nourish apace and within 4. or 5. houres after bloud-letting or some what afore the patient may be permitted to sleepe soe that it be prouided for taken heed of that he doe not turne himselfe vpon that Arme where the vaine was opened and let him also take good heede that he do not loosen the band and soe let the bloud flowe out againe and let him afterwardes vse a sparing diet dayly increasing it by little and litle vntill such time as he be come to his accustomed or ordinarie diet againe And note that the morning is the most meetest time of all for bloud-letting when euery digestion is perfectly finished the superfluities and excrements of ech of them fully auoided out which thinges of necessitie must be foreseene that they bee so Or at the least in a time of great extremitie the next apt time to let blood in is when the stomacke is somewhat emptie and that is about sixe or eight houres after meate Thus much I haue entreated of as concerning blood-letting and now I am purposlie minded to speake somewhat of the vse and commodities that come of Purging First it is to be vnderstood that euery kinde of Purgation hath that secret vertue and propertie in it selfe that when it is receiued into a mans body and prouoked to exercise the vertue that it hath by naturall heate labouring to digest it then doth it draw vnto it all such humours as it hath vertue and power to Purge And therefore a Purgation is an euacuation of vicious and corrupt humours which doe oftentimes trouble and molest yâ— body but not of all corrupt and bad humours alike For euery Purging medicine doth drawe vnto it selfe one peculier and proper humour that is eyther Hegme or choller or else melancholie or watery humours And therefore those persons that be perfectlie in health ought not to take a Purgation since they doe not abound with corrupt humours wherefore in those when the medicine findâ—â—â— no such superfluous humours as it hath vertue to drawe it consumeth and wasteth the bloud and the flesh And for that cause whole folkes are not purged by purgations but rather consumed and wasted for it is manyfest hereby that PurgatioÌ„s be very daungerous to them that are in perfect health which thinge is testified also of Hippocrates