Life But when one is naturally of an ill Constitution he loses his Health as often as he neglects the Admonitions of his Instinct and consequently must lead a very troublsome and uneasie Life CHAP. I. Of the principal Causes of Diseases in the general THERE are four Causes of Diseases viz. two remote which are Melancholy or Vexation and Debauchery and two immediate which are an excess of Blood and the too long continuance of the Excrements in the great Guts Of Melancholy The first remote Cause of Diseases Of the bad Effects which it produces both in the Body and Mind and of its Remedies THere are very few Persons who are not acquainted with Melancholy either by Reason or Experience since the Life of Man is a continual Revolution of Prosperity and Adversity and the Oppositions betwixt those two Conditions excite in us contrary Motions and very different Passions That Tranquillity of Mind which accompanies good Fortune is very proper to preserve the Health for tho' the Mind and the Body are of a different Nature yet they have an Affinity which keep 'em in such Dependance one to the other that there is nothing regularly done in the whole Composition unless it be carry'd on by an equal Combination of the two Parts All our Actions are perform'd by the assistance of the Vital and Animal Spirits and 't is their Commerce which maintains that perfect Union between the Heart and the Brain which are the principal Organs of the Body For 't is plain that the Brain cannot produce the Animal Spirits unless the subtil parts of the Blood be convey'd thither through the Arteries and that the Heart which is a Muscle hath not power by its continual Motion to diffuse the Blood through the whole Body but by the assistance of the Animal Spirits Now when the Mind is serene and undisturb'd that all the Parts may be sensible of her Impressions she furnishes 'em with a sufficient quantity of Spirits to enable 'em to perform their respective Actions But on the other hand when the Mind is agitated with a Croud of dismal Apprehensions that give Entrance to Grief and Melancholy she is perpetually ruminating on the Causes of her Disasters and endeavouring with all imaginable Application to remove 'em which must needs occasion a vast expence of Spirits So that all the Animal Spirits which are generated in the Brain are scarce able to supply those Parts which are subservient to the designs of the Soul in the performance of those hasty Motions she requires from 'em and consequently since so large a quantity of the Spirits flows into the Nerves that are bestow'd upon those Parts there are but few left for the other Nerves Now the Parts which help to change or digest the Aliments and are subservient to all the Actions which are call'd Natural being of no use to the Passions 't is plain that the Nerves which go to those Parts receive but few Spirits from the Brain and consequently that their Fibres are very weakly mov'd and their Actions disorderly and irregular so that the Excrements can hardly be expell'd and their too long continuance in the Guts is the immediate Cause of Diseases We may add that the great dissipation of the Animal Spirits when the Soul is vex'd and disturb'd is the occasion that a greater quantity of Blood than usual is sent from the Heart to the Brain to make up the Loss of those Spirits and consequently the Nourishment of all the other Parts is both much lessen'd and chang'd as to its quality For 't is always the best part of the Blood that runs to the Brain and the Body is depriv'd of its best Nourishment particularly the Membranous Parts which are weakned and dry'd up for want of fit Matter to preserve them and this Inconveniency reaching the Intestines as well as all the other Parts 't is certain that they cannot expel the Excrements with vigour by their Vermicular or Peristaltick Motion being depriv'd of the Animal Spirits by whose Assistance they were moved We also see that those who are naturally of a melancholy and peevish Humour who apply themselves to study or to other Employments which require much application are usually lean and subject to be often Costive and commonly fancy themselves to be extremely sick before they have the least disposition or tendency to Sickness What ought to be done in order to prevent the Effects of Grief or Melancholy ALL Diseases as well of the Body as of the Mind may be cured either perfectly or imperfectly A perfect Cure consists in the entire destruction of all the Causes of the Disease which must necessarily cease when the Causes are remov'd Sublatâ causâ tollitur effectus This sort of Cure is call'd cradicative Grief is not only a Disease of the Body but 't is one of the most considerable Distempers that can possibly afflict the Mind It cannot be always cur'd by an entire removal of its Causes since they are not always in our power and the best Reasons that can be alledged to persuade a Man to raise himself by the Strength of his Mind above the reach of Ill Fortune may serve indeed for a fine Amusement to a contemplative Genius but are rarely able to allay the torment of an afflicted Mind For as it is easie for those on whom Fortune smiles to comfort the Miserable so it is hard for those who are in trouble not to feel the weight of their Misfortunes As for Example if a Man was entirely ruin'd or reduc'd to extreme want by a litigious Action enter'd against him by his Enemies a grave Philosopher might indeed admonish him that the Estate he had lost was transitory and perishable and that he ought not to have settl'd his Affections on it neither as a Man because he shou'd have consider'd that he must have left it sooner or later nor as a Christian because as such he ought not to look upon such fleeting Enjoyments as his Portion but upon those which are Everlasting These are certain and undoubted Truths but wou'd not in all probability quiet the Mind of a Person in such Circumstances or make him forget his Loss And 't is no less certain that the Recovery of his Estate wou'd be the most effectual Expedient to restore the Tranquility of his Mind Grief may be also occasion'd by many other Causes which are no less without our power and beyond the reach of Medicines than the former But that which seems to be peculiar to this troublesome Distemper is that whereas other Distempers are commonly cur'd by things that are contrary to 'em that which is contrary to this commonly augments rather than abates the Distemper For a Man who is drowned in Sorrow is incapable of taking Pleasure in any thing and Joy which is opposite to his Grief is so far from easing him that he cannot endure to perceive the least appearance of it in another ' Twou'd be needless then to attempt the Cure by endeavouring
production of new Blood does for the same reason occasion a dissipation of part of that which is already generated and consequently answers both the Indications that were propos'd But if the Disease requires a speedy Cure which cannot be perform'd by Abstinence as it oftentimes happens we must have recourse to Bleeding which by a present Evacuation of the Blood destroys the Cause of the approaching Disease ' Twou'd be ridiculous to object that Bleeding causes greater Alterations in the Body than Abstinence or a thin Diet that it occasions a sudden dissipation of the Spirits and consequently is attended with a much greater decay of Strength for that Loss will be much sooner and more easily repair'd than the Disorders that are occasion'd by Diseases CHAP. VII Of the ways to remove the Second immediate Cause of Diseases occasion'd by the too long continuance of the Excrements in the Cavities of the great Guts ' THO the Excrements that are retain'd in the great Guts are meer Impurities and extremely prejudicial to Health yet we must proceed with Caution in the means we use to expel them We must not begin with the quickest ways because they occasion great Disorders in the Body and it has been too often observ'd that inconsiderable Distempers have been exasperated and confirm'd by an over-hasty Cure and therefore gentle Remedies are both safest and most successful Instinct has furnish'd Animals with two sure and effectual Expedients to procure the expulsion of the Excrements that are retain'd in the Cavities of the great Guts viz. Clysters and Purgative Potions which 't is probable Men began to use when they observed the great Advantages which Animals receiv'd from them Bleeding and Abstinence which second the Effects of the former Remedies are also Lessons which Men owe to the Brutes and these four Expedients acting either jointly or separately are the safest and most effectual Means that can be made use of to hinder the stoppage of the Excrements in the great Guts and consequently to prevent the Diseases which proceed from such Obstructions It is easie to conceive how Abstinence or a regular Diet may contribute to the Evacuation of the Excrements if we consider that those Excrements are the remainders of our Nourishment That the more we eat and drink the more Excrements are bred in those Parts so that the Evacuation of those Excrements wou'd be an endless Work if the empty'd Guts were presently fill'd with the superfluities of a greedy Stomach But in the mean time a Diet which is only prescrib'd for prevention ought not to be so regular or thin as that which is enjoyn'd to sick Persons It is known that too nice or sparing a Diet is prejudicial to Health and is so far from assisting Nature in the Evacuation of the Excrements that it renders her unable to expel ' em Besides the Liquor which serves to dissolve the Food not finding Matter to work upon acts upon the parts that contain and receive it by drying and consuming them It may be further added that a Man who takes Physick only for prevention does not abstain from Labour and Exercise and therefore stands in need of Nourishment to repair the expence of his Spirits Wherefore to prevent Diseases one ought only to fast moderately at the same time he ought to avoid as much as he can eating in Company because People are usually wont to eat a little more than is necessary and besides he ought to chuse such Aliments as will leave but few Excrements in the Body and especially he must take care never to eat to satiety The second Expedient we propos'd to facilitate the Passage of the Excrements is Bleeding which is doubtless one of the best Methods that Nature cou'd suggest to Animals for it is certain that besides that there is no Remedy which depends more absolutely upon the Pleasure of the Person who either orders or performs it so there is none which in most Cases gives more speedy relief to the Patient Every Surgeon knows how useful Bleeding is to put a stop to Defluxions and the falling down of Humours which are always apt to fall upon wounded Parts how effectual it is to dissolve large Tumours with which Wounds are frequently accompany'd how powerfully it stops the inordinate Flux of Blood in the Wounds of the Vessels and both Surgeons and Midwives know how helpful it is to facilitate so difficult a Work Our Business at present is to enquire how it may contribute to the Expulsion of the Excrements out of the Cavities of the great Guts The Expulsion of the Excrements retain'd in the Cavities of the great Guts is perform'd chiefly by the Contraction of its moving Fibres assisted by those of the Muscles of the lower Belly and by the continual Inspiration which obliges the Diaphragma to press all the Guts All these Actions are perform'd by means of the Animal Spirits which upon such Occasions flow plentifully to the Parts which are the Organs of these Actions Now these Spirits are continually dissipated and that expence must be repair'd by the Blood of which they are compos'd provided there be a reasonable quantity in the Vessels which are appointed to contain it for when there is a Redundancy of Blood the Spirits are as it were suffocated and drown'd in the abundance of their Matter so that the best Office we can do to Nature on such Occasions is by Bleeding to reduce the Mass of Blood to a moderate quantity in order to ease her of an unnecessary Burthen which obstructs the liberty of her Actions Bleeding ought always to precede Purgations when both these Remedies are indicated by the signs of a Redundancy excessive Heat or Corruption of the Blood For we find by Experience that Purgatives operate both more gently and effectually when the Vessels are empty'd and the excessive heat of the Blood allay'd and its Depravation corrected by Bleeding 'T is further observable that we ought rather to bleed early in the Morning than at any other Hour of the Day and that when we are oblig'd to have recourse to this Remedy in very hot Weather we ought to be let Blood before the Rising or after the Setting of the Sun and in very cold Weather at Noon But in the general we ought to avoid Bleeding as much as we can when the Season is either excessively hot or cold for 't is certain that Bleeding is always attended with better Success when these Cautions are observ'd than when they are neglected With respect to the Age of the Patient we ought to bleed Infants less frequently and to take less Blood from them than from other Persons because a great part of their Blood is consum'd in the Nourishment and Growth of their Body in all its Dimensions So that from six Weeks or two Months after the birth of an Infant which is the time at which we may begin to let him Blood if there be a pressing Occasion to the Age of five or six Years I wou'd not take
mildest opening Medicines we have The Five great opening Roots viz. Asparagus Fennel Parsley Smallage and Butcher's-Broom provoke Urine and even sometimes procure Sweating but I shou'd rather chuse to make use of those which are call'd the lesser opening Roots because they do not occasion so great an agitation in the Blood and consequently open a freer Passage to the Serous and Saline Particles Those Roots are Dogs-Grass Capers Eringo Madder and Rest-harrow You may prepare a Decoction of 'em adding if you please a sufficient quantity of Sal Prunellae A Spoonful of the Juice of Roses in a little Spanish Wine or in two or three Spoonfuls of Brandy is also a very good Remedy for the Colic occasion'd by the Pain of the Kidneys A Simple Bath of lukewarm Water is Diuretical because it dilates the Passages of the Urine and augments the Serosity of the Blood Of Emeticks or Vomits VOmitting is a contraction of the Fibres of the Stomach by which the Matter contain'd in that Part is forc'd upwards thro' the Oesophagus or Gullet Emeticks may be profitably used when the Stomach is burden'd with ill-digested Food or full of corrupt Humours in which case we are troubl'd with an aversion to Meat frequent Reachings Bitterness in the Mouth Dimness of Sight and sometimes with a Lienteria that is when we void what we eat or Drink by Stool without any signs of Digestion Melancholic or Phthisical Persons ought to abstain from the use of these Remedies and likewise Women with Child unless in some cases to hasten their Delivery A large Draught of warm Water proves Emetic to those who are naturally enclin'd to Vomiting because it slackens the Fibres of the Stomach and agitates the Saline Particles that are lodg'd in it Asarabacca taken in Substance from half a Dram to a Dram provokes Vomiting but if it be infus'd in Wine you may take from one Dram to three Black Hellebore taken from four to eight Grains purges upwards and downwards somewhat violently and according to the Opinion of Paracelsus cures the Apoplexy Gout Dropsie and Epilepsie Of Sudorifics and Diaphoretics WE call a Medicine Sudorific when it procures Sweating and Diaphoretic when it works by insensible Transpiration They are both endu'd with a power to drive the Serosities outwards by putting the Mass of Blood in Motion Guaiacum Sarsaparilla Butter-Burr Carduus Benedictus wild Marjoram Penyroyal Thyme Sage Sweet Marjoram Bay-Berries Corn Poppies Treacle and Brandy are Sudorifics The Dose of the Roots is from half an Ounce to an Ounce and a half to each Quart of the Decoction and the Dose of the Leaves is a handful The Shavings of Harts-Horn from one Dram to two is both Sudorific and Cordial as are also those of Ivory from a Dram to a Dram and a half They must be taken in two Ounces of Carduus and Baum-Water and the Patient must be kept very warm in Bed Of Sneezing Medicines and Errhina SNeezing being occasion'd by the Irritation communicated from the inferiour Membrane to the Dura Mater by the mediation of the Olfactory Nerves causes a Contraction by the reflux of the Spirit into the Carnous Fibres so that the Motion of the Spirits being almost entirely stopt for some time after the Pressure is over they run most impetuously into the freest and openest Passages which are those that are bestow'd upon the Muscles of Respiration And therefore when one sneezes after the Contraction is over he finds always some difficulty in Breathing From hence it may be inferr'd that such Remedies as provoke Sneezing are very useful in the Obstructions of the Substance of the Brain because the Dura Mater pressing the Spirits communicates to them a sufficient degree of Motion to make way for themselves The most common Sneezing Medicines are Betony Tobacco Pellitory of Spain Sage Sweet Marjoram Ginger and all other Plants which abound with a sharp Salt These Remedies must be avoided in the Epilepsie Convulsions and in the Hysterical Passion because they encrease those Distempers which consist in a disorderly Motion of the Spirits Errhina are Medicines which bring forth mucous and impure Humours from the Nose without Sneezing They may be made of the Juice or Decoctions of those Plants which I have already recommended for Sneezing Of Incrassating or Thickening Medicines THey are such as fix and put a stop to the inordinate Motion in the Mass of the Blood occasion'd by the eating of such things as are full of sharp and volatil Salts Decoctions made of the Roots of Succory Sorrel Marsh-Mallows Water-Lily c. are of this nature The Dose of the Roots is an Ounce or an Ounce and a half to each Quart of the Decoction The Leaves of Purslain Lettice Sorrel and of wild and Garden Succory produce the same effect if a handful of all together be added to each Quart of the Ptisan or Decoction The four greater Cold Seeds viz. Cucumbers Gourds Citruls and Melons and the four lesser Cold Seeds viz. Lettice Purslan and both sorts of Endive produce the same effect The Dose of all together may amount to half an Ounce in Emulsions They are useful in heat of Urine The Juice of Limons from half an Ounce to an Ounce may also be reckon'd an Incrassating Remedy Of Narcotics or Medicines that procure Sleep THey quiet the unusual and preternatural Motion of the Muscles and the violent Convulsions of the Nervous Parts by Procuring a peaceable and quiet Sleep When they reach the Mass of the Blood they unite themselves to the Spirits and hinder both their Action and Separation for these Medicines are compos'd of Volatile Sulphurs mixt with Terrestrial and Oily Particles They are frequently given to those who are Delirious or Light-headed as also to such as are troubl'd with violent and obstinate Evacuations The four Cold Seeds either greater or lesser taken from a Dram to half an Ounce in any convenient Liquor may be used for this purpose The Roots of Henbane applied externally by way of Cataplasm may also serve to procure Sleep Opium may be also taken from half a Grain to two or three Grains Of Styptics or Astringents BInding or Astringent Medicines dissipate the Serous Particles of the Blood and render it less fluid They must not be us'd in the beginning of Evacuations that are set on foot by Nature which must not be stopt for some Days according to the Age and Strength of the Patient Rhubarb may be profitably us'd in such cases from a Scruple to a Dram. Nor ought Claret to be omitted on such occasions Of Carminative Medicines THey are such as dissipate and expel Wind. The most Natural and most Common Carminatives are Cloves the Seeds of Anise Fennel and Coriander and 't is to be observed that they are more agreeable to the Stomach when they are confected and crusted over with Sugar or mixt with Comfits If you are troubl'd with Wind in the lower part of your Belly you must prepare a Clyster of a Decoction of those Seeds with