more Elaborate Work For I do intend if God spare my Life and prosper my Endeavours very suddenly to acquaint the World with some remarkable Observations and Secrets in this Disease and also put the Physicians and Surgeons of this Age in a New Way of Curing the Pox far more Expedite Certain and Safe than any bitherto known to the World But in the mean time I conjure and charge you once again to beware of Mountebanks and the Illiterate Rabble of Pretenders to this Cure Farewell L. S. A Notable Expedient to root out the POX CHAP. I. A Summary Account of the Pox. Its Names Which most proper French Pox and Lues Venerea disallow'd Aloys Luisinas noted Anti-venereal Medicaments what The Pox not an Epidemic Disease against Leonicenus Fracastorius and Massa Not a New and Extraordinary Disease Shown to be Sporadic here and Endemial in the W. Indies THis Calamitous Disease has many Names some whereof we pass by as being phantastic and affected or barbarous and blasphemous The most apt Names are Morbus Indicus Hispanicus vel Neapolitanus but the most usual is the French Pox. For most Nations in Europe commonly use that Appellation And Leo Africanus Descrip Afric lib. 1. assures us 't is so called in many parts of Africa as at Tunis in Barbary and in Aegypt as also in Syria in Asia that the Mahometans usual Imprecation is Te Morbus malè perdat Gallicus But methinks 't is pity to affix the Title on the French and rob the Italians of that Honour because 't was first brought from the Indies by Columbus an Italian and at Naples first shew'd it self to Christendome and at this day is more common in Italy than in any other Country in Europe as is generally attested by Italian Physicians themselves But especially because some Italians seem to glory in it HierMercurialis an Italian Physician cap. 2. de Morbo Gallico sayes Ideo laus est Italorum ut abundent hoe morbo quia indulgent Veneri utuntur passim mulieribus infectis ut non mirum sit esse peculiarem morbum nostrarum plagarum And they tell us That since the Pox has been so familiar with them it has done them a double Kindness for 1. It has in good part freed them from the Plague for since the Pox came among them they are seldom troubled with the Test whereas in former Ages 't was far more fierce and frequent than it has been since 2. They observe that since they had the Pox the Leprosy has almost left them so that now every Lazaretto in Italy is filled with Neapolitans Some others in complement to the French forbear the Vulgar Name and call it Lues Venerea But though their Civility deserves Commendation yet this Denomination cannot be allow'd For Lues as Isidorus observes Orig. lib. 4. cap. 6. is the Plague or a Pestilential and Epidemic Disease And as Festus sayes Lues est diluens usque ad nihil tractum à Graeco 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So in the judgment of all who understand the Propriety of Words Lues denotes an Epidemic or Pestilential Disease proceeding from a Common Cause and killing the greater part of those who receive Infection But the Pox is not an Epidemic but Sporadic Disease 't is not received from any common Infection in the Air but by Contact of infected Bodies Again Lues or the Pest destroyes the greater part of the Infected but most of those who have the Pox live and may be cur'd And lastly Lues is an Acute Disease but the Pox is Chronic 2. Nor can it properly be term'd Venerea For that signifies a Disease received by the use of Venery But this Disease is not alwayes got by Venus for Children get it by sucking Infectious Nurses and Nurses often receive it from infected Infants And most Physicians tell us 't is to be got by profuse kissing of women who have Pockie Vlcers in their Mouths as also by lying in the sheets wherein Neapolitans have sweat That therefore 's an unsufferable Caprichio in Aloysius Luisinus who calls his Collection of Authors who have writ of the Pox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Venus and the Pox were one and the same Identic thing I wish Dr. H. would consider the Title of his Book Venus unmaskt Those also fall into the same Errour who call their Medicines against the Pox Anti-venereal Remedies For an Antivenereal Medicine according to the true import of the word is that which is given to luxurious persons to repress the furious desires of Venus as those Aque Castitatis so often mentioned in Authors but especially when they treat of Furor Vterinus Also Anti-venereal may signify those Magic Compositions used by Sorcerers to disable marry'd Persons from Venus Physicians differ about the Origin of the Pox for 1. Some hold it to be an Epidemic Disease and by consequence to proceed from a Common cause and of this Opinion is Leonicenus Fracastorius Nic. Massa and some others But yet these men differ about this Common Cause for some hold it to be a malign Influence deriv'd from a Conjunction of Saturn Mars and Venus c. And this is the Opinion of Massa in his Book of the Pox. But Leonicenus will have it to be a great Inundation of Tyber in P. Alexanders time which drowned the greatest part of Rome and corrupted the Air from whence he imagines the Pox to have had its first Beginning And this he endeavours to confirm by telling us that in P. Pelagius's time Tyber overflow'd his banks and upon that Inundation presently ensu'd the Pest and a strange ill-natur'd Scab or Manginess which the Physicians of that age could not cure And he sayes the like happen'd in P. Bonif 4th's dayes also Here two things are to be remarqu'd 1. That 't is probable the Favourers of this Opinion first called the Pox Lues Ven. supposing it a General Epidemic Disease proceeding from a Common Cause 2. That these men were of opinion it would in time senescere decay and be quite antiquated as other Epidemic Distempers are But the Reasons offered by Fracast and his Partizans have not at all satisfy'd the world or convinced us that 't is Epidemic or that it will in future Ages abandon these parts of the World For 1. We have no Reason to believe it Epidemic or to proceed from a Common Cause as the pernicious Influence of Stars or Corruption of Air because Diseases proceeding from such Causes never continue long but when the bad Influence is at an End and the Air freed from that adventitious venemous quality they end also But the Pox has continued some Ages and with as much fierceness as ever Nor 2. have we any Grounds to believe as some endeavour to perswade us that the Pox does decline and by degrees abate of its former Fury for our daily Observation tells us the contrary and that 't is to the full as fierce and formidable as
Charity to the Prostitutes themselves We shall discourse of this Seclusion towards the end of this Treatise But in the first place we will enquire after the Defensives and lay them down in a plain familiar and intelligible Method and also call in a dozen of the learnedst Physicians in Christendom to give their Sentiments in the Case whose Judgments and Prescriptions will farther explicate confirm and enlarge the whole business But first we are to consider three things First what kind of Pocky Women are most dangerous and infectious and when Secondly what men are most apt to receive Infection and Thirdly the Way or Manner how the Pox is imparted to the body 1. What kind of Pockie Women are most dangerous I answer that young Women are more infectious than Ancient so also those who are of a spare thin cholerique Constitution of body and also such as are of a sanguin hot and moist complexion and lastly those who have the Pox complicate with the Scurvy The Reason is manifest for young women are more hot and moist than old and by consequence the Venom in such bodies must needs be more diffusive of it self than 't is in an old dry and cold body The Pox is very malignant in a cholerique hot and dry Constitution because by the great heat of the Body the Venom is calcin'd and advanc'd to a high degree of Malignity In bodies which are sanguin hot and moist the Venom is active spirituous and quick because Heat and Moisture increase Putrefaction and Corruption of Humours and being diffusive qualities soon communicate and spread the Venom And lastly the Scurvy in the judgment of all who have writ of it is a venemous contagious Disease and something of kin to the Pox so according to the Proverb Vis unita fortion a combination of Venoms is most forcible But of all Women she who is dull sluggish and of a phlegmatique gross cold Constitution is the least infectious for such a woman if she have no Gonorrhoea nor Vlcers in the uterin Passage does not very quickly communicate the Pox but many times the first that converses with her receives no dammage at all but the second who comes upon her when her body is heated and the Venom agitated and stirr'd receives the Pox. A Gonorrhoea and Vlcers in the Vterin Passage may be guess'd at by the Lubricity and Moisture of those parts The other part of the Question is When are Pockie Women most infectious Answ When the Venom and Humours are most agitated and heated with Wine Hearing Drinks and burning Lust For all these things heat the body agitate the infectious Humours and diffuse the Venom But above all the most dangerous time to meddle with such women is when they have their Courses For at that time Nature mightily endeavours to discharge all the Venom and impurities of the whole Body that way so that of necessity they must be exceeding pernicious at such times 2. The second Thing to be consider'd is what men are most apt to receive Infection I Answer Young people receive it far sooner than Ancient so also those who are of a sanguin hot and moist constitution of body but especially when they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 under the greatest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and most rapid Commotion of Lust And lastly those who have the Glans cover'd with the Praepuce Now that this is so is manifest from Observation and it 's also attested and confirmed by that learned Physician Gabriel Falloppius in 's Book dè morbo Gallico cap. 22. who gives this Reason of it viz. the Glans by reason 't is constantly cover'd with the Praepuce is most tender soft and susceptive of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and venemous Impresses of the Pox but on the contrary when that part is bare and uncover'd it becomes more firm compact and hardned and does not so easily admit the Venom Hercules Saxonia dè Lue Venerea cap. 4. grants the thing to be true but he thinks Falloppius mistaken in the cause for he is of opinion that 't is not because the part is more soft and tender but because the Venom does insinuate between the Glans and Praepuce and afterwards impart its malignity to the whole body For my part I believe these learned men are both in the right for without doubt as Fallappius asserts when the Glans is perpetually cover'd the skin must of necessity be more loose thin and warm and much easier admit the Venom than when 't is otherwise So also according to Saxonia the Venom does insinuate between the Glans and Praepuce and more closely attaque the Patient But of this we have discours'd more largely in our Treatise of the Pox. 3. The Way or Manner how the Infection of the Pox is communicated to the Body is thus when a Woman gets the Pox from a Man the Infection is sometimes receiv'd from the Chancres on the Genital but most commonly from his infectious Sperm When a Man receives it from a Woman the Contagion insinuates into the Glans from the Vterin Passage which commonly is full of Pockie Vlcers or besmer'd with the virulent matter of a Gonorrhoea These Vlcers emit a venemous sanies which infects that tender part call'd the glans These impressions of Venom remain some time upon the Glans onely and afterwards if let alone insinuate into the humours and spirits and so infect the whole body You are also to understand that a Woman may in Coition give the Pox to her Gallant notwithstanding she has no Gonorrhoea nor Vlcers in the Vterin Passage This being premis'd we come now to the Defensive Method And here it would be vain and fruitless to think to secure the body by Internal Antidotes only and wholly neglect Topique Applications seeing that the inward parts at first are entire and free and the Venom lies only in the glans We therefore 〈◊〉 this Defensive Method are to propose two things 1. To make the Genital part or member 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 firm and as it were impassible This has been attempted by Falloppius and since by others who to this purpose prescribe Stiptic Lotions and Linnen Raggs impregnated with such decoctions and apply them to the Glans in men and to the Vterin Passage in women both before and after Coition as you shall see in the ensuing Chapters 2. By Lotions Fomentations Attractives Suffiments c. to draw forth the Venom whilst it is in the genital part only before it get to the internal parts For this Venom if compar'd with that of other venemous beasts is somewhat dull and sluggish and for some hours moves not but afterwards if let alone it gets into the bloud and by a continuity of parts soon infects the whole body You are therefore presently after Coition to make water for that cleanses the inward part of the genital Then use Bandage or strict ligature to that part of the Genital next the belly for this Ligature compresses the
Vessels and hinders the circulation of the Blood and Humours and cousequently it hinders the Venom from insinuating with the blood into the inward parts Then foment it with warm Vrine or which is much better with white Wine as hot as can be indur'd Wash all the members but especially the Glans Do so several times in the day for two or three days together Or this Decoction boyl Guaiacum Chamaepitys Germander Horehound Scordium Ash-leaves and Keyes Dictamnus Creticus Gentian c. in white Wine if you add a little Praecipitate 't will be far more efficacious and foment the Glans and whole Part with it often in a day After the first day take off the Ligature The Ligature is to be loosen'd when the Patient makes water or when the Part erects it self and swells After every bathing apply Pigeons or Whelps newly dissected and hot Some commend a Liniment of Mithridate or Venice Treacle For these things have great virtue to draw forth Venom You may also sweat four mornings together with an Apozeme of Guaiacum Here I conjure and charge all persons concern'd not to be wanting to their own good nor to neglect these Remedies or defer the time but immediately after Venus to wash and mundify the parts with the aforesaid Lotions and they may be confident of the Cure But if they defer the time and let the Venom get head and take rooting in the body the fault is their own I have given them fair warning Note also that none is to converse a whole night with an infectious woman for in twelve hours time the venom may do much hurt and insinuate into the inward parts beyond a possibility of Extraction by Topique Applications Mundifie therefore the part and wash off the poysonous matter with warm Vrine presently after the Act then get the aforesaid Remedies Principiis obsta Sometimes after medling with infected Women the Patient will feel an Itching in the Genital In this case I advise you to use Falloppius's Suffiment describ'd in the next Chapter or that of Varandaeus set down in the eleventh Chapter of this Treatise Take a little earthen Pot with some live coals in it and put some of the Powder upon the coals and place an artificial Funnel over it so as you may admit the smoke to the glans or whole Part be sure you do it dexterously that you admit not the cold Air to the part nor the Smoke to the Patients Nose or Mouth and when you have done wrap it in warm Cotton Do so three mornings together This Suffiment is a potent Medicine and to be administer'd with discretion put not too much powder upon the coals neither are you to continue the Operation too long These Suffiments if prudently us'd are of admirable virtue to prevent the Pox. What has been already said is sufficient to prevent the Pox and secure any person whatsoever Yet that our Defensive Method may be compleat and full I shall annex the Prescriptions of a dozen of the greatest Physicians of this and the last Ages CHAP. VI. Falloppius his Defensives to prevent the Pox. Of the Vse and Way of preparing his Medicinal Linnen His two Suffiments of excellent virtue in this case FAlloppius de Morbo Gallico cap. 89. layes down this Defensive Method to preserve the body from Chancres and the Pox. Ego nihil fecisse videor c. I might seem says be to have done just nothing unless also I teach you a way how any person seeing a beautiful Siren and conversing with her although she be infected may yet be secur'd from the Pox. I was always of Opinion that there was some way to be us'd to prevent Chancres and the Pox. But what is this way I told you formerly that these Chancres or Vlcers on the Genital were caus'd by little venemous bodies imparted from the infectious woman and being receiv'd into the porosities of the glans cause an Eruption of Vlcers therefore 't is necessary that after Venus we forthwith cleanse away this venemous matter from the Glans But if it has insinuated into the Pores notwithstanding we wash the parts with Wine Vrine or Water yet we cannot wash off the matter And this frequently falls out in those who have the glans tender and cover'd with the praepuce How therefore must we proceed I ever believ'd that we might lay down some Remedy which has power of its own nature to penetrate the skin and disperse the malignant matter or else to draw it forth or dry it up and overcome it Therefore I have invented this ensuing Remedy But because we must court these Courtizans and win their Affections it is not convenient to carry Oyntments and Salves along with us therefore I have found out the use of a fine linnen Rag imbu'd and impregnated with a Medicinal virtue which may conveniently be carri'd with us As oft therefore as any shall pollute himself with these Strumpets let him if possibly he can wash the Genital part afterwards let him apply the Medicinal Rag being cut and exactly proportion'd to cover the whole glans let him I say after coition apply it to the glans and cover it with the Praepuce If you fear Vlcers in the Vrinary passage put this Praeservative Linnen into that passage I have experimented this Remedy in a thousand and I call the Immortal God to witness that not one was infected Observe also that any clean linnen has a great preservative virtue also new soft Cotton wrapt about the naked glans after you have mundify'd it with detersive Washes wonderfully preserves when the Patient takes off this Lint let him look upon it for he shall see it sanious and discolour'd with a yellowish pale or blackish colour Let the person always wrap this Linnen upon the Glans for four or five hours The way of preparing this defensive Linnen is excellent and is as follows Take Gentian all three sorts of Birthwort of each a drachm white and red Sanders Wood of Aloes of each two Scruples red Coral Spodium of Ivory burnt Harts horn of each half a drachm Scordium Sowthistle Betony Seabious Tormentil of each one handful Rose-leaves a handful and half Guaiacum two ounces Squama Aeris two drachms Praecipitate prepar'd a drachm and of the best Muscadel of Creet one pint and half waters of Sow-thistle and Scabious two pints Take the Wine and the Water and infuse the Guaiacum therein 24 hours then add the other things and let them boyl 'till half be consum'd Then strain forth the Decoction In this Decoction a pure linnen cloth is steep'd all night and afterwards dry'd in the shade this is perform'd three times for we macerate it thrice dry it thrice After that we cut it inpieces of a just proportion to involve the glans they are always to be kept in readines The same Author gives us another Description of this Preservative Linnen and also further prosecutes the business Take round Birthworth Gentian white Dittany of each
before Venus hardens the parts dries up superfluous moistures hinders putrefaction so that Falloppius has attested that of 1000 to whom he gave this Antidote not one was infected Nor are those things to be omitted which after Venus may conduce to the preservation of the party those are Washing the Privity with Vrine or Hot water but warm or hot Lie is better than that and White Wine hot excells all With this wash not the glans only but the whole part as also the Testicles not once or twice but often and at least two daies But if after Venus any have heat in their Urin or excoriation in the glans then stronger Remedies are to be us'd the Venom is to be drawn forth the Passages are to be intercepted that the contagion may not have passage to the inward parts We must use internal Antidotes to subdue the Venom and Topique Applications to draw forth the Malignity as Decoctions of Dictamnus Calamint Scordium Gentian Guaiacum made in Wine as also Suffiments of Cinnabaris Frankincense Myrrh Wood of Aloes Saffron The same also is done with exenterate Animals as Pigeons Chickens or the Lungs of Whelps apply'd hot to the Privities If there appear no Chancre Vlceration or Inflammation then foment it with Aqua vitae or apply a Liniment of Venice Treacle Mithridate or an Oyntment of Figs Nuts and juice of Rue To intercept the passage of the Venom apply a Defensive Oyntment to that part of the member next the belly As concerning internal Antidotes use Venice Treacle Mithridate Diascordium and generally those Antidotes which are Praeservatives against the Pest are very good in this case But if the Patient has the glans ulcerated or inflam'd we are not presently to judge it requires the grand Diet-drink for many times this accident happens immediately after impure Venus and without dammage in any other part whatsoever In this case Praecipitate is an excellent Remedy if duly us'd Take of Praecipitate a drachm of Vnguent Ros or frest butter an ounce mix them Use this not continually but between times use a warm and emollient Lotion est the Praecipitate cause a callosity upon the part Therefore after 24 hours take it off and wash the part with a decoction of Mallows Linseed and a little Guaiacum and if need require apply the Praecipitate again If the body be full purge gently with some Lenitive lest strong Purges draw the Venom which is in the outward part only to the inward Forbear Bleeding unless the Chancre has an Inflammation connex'd with it if there is Inflammation bleed in the foot rather than in the arm Thus Hercules Saxonia CHAP. IX Minadous his Prophylacticore AVrelius Minadous de Virulentiâ Venereâ cap. 33. lays it down thus I return says he to the principal Design proposing the Opinion of those who believe that if after Venus the genitals were all cover'd with warm Horse-dung it would be a soveraign Remedy to prevent Infection or rather of notable force to draw forth and disperse the venom For they believe that in that Dung there 's a certain innate faculty of drawing forth and dispersing Pockie venom And Ioan. Costaeus affirms that 't is discover'd by the Experiment of some modern Physicians that if one who has the Pox cover his whole Body in Horse dung permitting himself only the liberty of breathing it will perfectly cure him But if this Medicine can cure the body when 't is throughly infected how much more is it to be commended if apply'd to the Genital only by way of Prevention Thus Minadous CHAP. X. The Defensives of Panarolus Fracastorius Torrella Cataneus Fonseca Petronius Sylvius c. PAnarolus in 's Book of Observations proposes a Way of preventing the Pox for Women with new Sponges and he says 't is infallible Fracastorius bids after the Combat Wash the endanger'd part with Aq. Ros and then foment it decocto aluminis aerug aeris and anoint that and the vicine parts with a certain Theriac Vnguent As for Internals he bids give Theriaca or Mithrid Torrella and out of him Cataneus advise to take an equal proportion of Bole-Armeny and Sang◠draconis and with juyce of Plantain and Vinegar to be temper'd and spread on a linnen cloth and bound about the root of the Genital to compress the Veins and intercept the passage of the Venom Then to draw forth the Poyson he scarifies the lips of the Chancre or applies Sope with Chalk or Mithridate or the deplum'd Fundament of a live Pigeon to the Ulcer And lastly for a Bezoartique to expel the Infection by sweat he gives a drachm of Theriaca in Sorrel-water Fonseca Tom. 1. Cons 35. layes down the Defensives of Falloppius Rudius Saxonia c. all which you may see in the Precedent Chapters Petronius derides Falloppius's Defensives and advises after Venus to wash the parts with warm Vrine Wine or the Decoction of Guaiuc and after washing to apply clean Linnen or a fine Sponge for that extracts the Venom and infections Moisture Joan. Sylvius de Morbo Gallico Declam bids them presently after the Act wash the parts with warm Water or white Wine which is much better CHAP. XI Palmarius's Defensive Method summarily laid down Varandous his Prophylacticon PAlmarius tells us that as K. Mithridates with his Autidate fortifi'd his body and made it impassible so he desiring the Safety of Mankind and the Extinction of this Disease has invented an Amulet by the due use whereof Man's Body may be secur'd and made impregnable But withal he conjures Physicians not to discover it to luxurious persons I have omitted this Amulet because of its length and my intended brevity and also because 't is much such another Composition as Theriaca Andromachi or Mithridatium If I may be permitted to give my Opinion of Palmarius's Prophylacticon I judg it a potent Sudorific to cure the Pox but not at all proper as a Defensive to prevent the danger of this Disease For in our Case the Blood Humours Inward parts and whole Habit of the Body are all sound and entire the Privities onely are attaqu'd in those parts there 's a superficiary Impress of Venom And certainly Internal Medicines alone can never reach the Venom when 't is in a remote part and extrinsic ouly but it must be thrust out by Bezoartique and drawn forth by Topique or Local Medicines But Palmarius's Defensive Method is a tedious Prescription of Internal Remedies continued many days together and in my opinion ineffectual to this purpose because no regard is had to the part affected In the last place comes Varandaeus This learned man in 's Book de Lue Ven. praescribes a Decoction much after the manner of those of Falloppius and Saxonia and appoints Linnen to be macorated in it and afterwards dry'd in the shade and apply'd to the parts before and after Venus's Exercise He bids also to make water and wash the parts with white Wine and to apply the Medicate Linnen or Cotton impregnated with the