and wholesome effluvia be communicated in the same manner As there are some who are said to fascinate by their Aspect so Rodericus à Castro Med polit l. 4. c. 1. saith è converso quosdam esse quorum Oculi creduntur habere vim beneficam ad res inspectas vulgo Benzedeiros I remember the Presbyterian Assembly of Divines say that nothing more kindly restores decayed Nature then the Embraces of an Abishag of a young spritely and Beautifull Damsell as you may see in their large Notes upon the first Chapter of the first Book of Kings To explaine the nature and manner of M r Greataricks working upon the patients for their Cure I shall premise some things First That all the Diseases and distempers M r Greatarick meddles with have their essence either in the masse of Blood and Spirits or nervous Liquour or in the particular Temperament of the parts of the Body Secondly That of the Diseases and Infirmities which he meddles with he Cures none wherein there is a decay in Nature but onely such as wherein she seems only oppressed by some Heterogeneous Ferment either exciting an Ebullition and paine or Coagulating and fixing the blood and spirits This is a confessed truth by him he refusing still to touch the Eyes of such as their sight is quite perished so for Eares that are Deaf upon any such accident that hath extinguished the Naturall faculty of the part And there being the same reason for inward distempers as to their causes his fayling as to many and the relapse of many after a momentany amendment is to be ascribed to this cause as I shall shew further by and by Thirdly It seems to me very imaginable that there may be given by God such a Natural Crasis and Effluvia consequentiall thereunto that the stroaking with his Hand for some space so as to communicate the Vertue may restore the Blood and Spirits to that vigour and strength which is naturall to them and resuscitate the contracted imbecillity of any part That which makes me to conceive this is that I observe that there are things outwardly applyed which by their opposition to particular Ferments do destroy severall Distempers not onely inwardly taken but outwardly applyed as the Cramp rings and small Manati-stone the Crampe the Nephritic-stone drives out gravel and the Stone Peony-roots gathered in due time the Epilepsy There are severall things which outwardly applyed revive oppressed Nature not onely as Odours but by friction and outward application this needs no Illustration Having these grounds to confirme me in the manner Medicaments may operate methinks I can as easily comprehend that there may be a Medicament and whether that be a Man or a Stone or a Plant it is all one which may invigorate the blood and spirits so as to continue that work of Circulating Depurating and Sanguifying as before the oppression they did provided there be no essentiall distemper contracted but that Nature be oppressed onely not destroyed wholly or in part for so farre as Nature is mutilated and destroyed the reparation of that essentiall damage is possible onely to God or such as he hath obliged in a more eminent manner then M r Greatarick pretends unto This last imagination of mine cannot seem more irrationall to any man then the Learned'st men of the last Age both Divines and Casuists thought all sorts of Amulets and I am sure I can bring for Mr Greataricks more Experiments then all this Age can shew to justify the received Amulets and Cataplasmes for if I argue from visible effects no Amulet or Periapt ever produced more evident Testimonies of its force then M r Greataricks hath rendered of his Efficacy And if they go to explicate the wayes and means whereby those Amulets work the notion I have concerning M r Greataricks is the most facile for I imagine no more to be in him then a particular Temperament or implanted Ferment which upon his touching and stroking shall so farre invigorate the blood spirits and innate temperament of the part Nature being onely oppressed that they performe their usuall duties This being done it is Nature Cures the Diseases and distempers and infirmities it is Nature makes them fly up and down the Body so as they do they avoyd not his Hand but his Touch and stroke so Invigorateth the parts that they reject the Heterogeneous Ferment 'till it be outed the Body at some of those parts he is thought to stroke it out at Considering that our life is but a Fermentation of the Blood nervous Liquor and innate constitution of the parts of our Body I conceive I have represented those hints and proofs which may render it imaginable that M r Greataricks by his stroking may introduce an oppressed Fermentation into the Blood and Nerves and resuscitate the oppressed Nature of the parts I now proceed to shew that those effects which are so admired upon the stroaking of M r Greataricks Hand viz that the paines flye before his Hand untill he drive them out at the Fingers Mouth Eyes Toes c. are the effects of Nature in vigorated and not immediatly of his Touching I saw him Stroke a man for a great and setled paine in his left Shoulder which rendered his Arme uselesse upon his stroking it the paine removed instantly into the end of the musculus Deltodes being Stroked there it returned to the Shoulder again thence upon a second Stroking it flew to the Elbow thence to his Wrist thence to his Shoulder again and thence to his Fingers whence it went out upon his last stroking so as that he moved his Arme vigorously every way I asked M r Greaterick about the Courses pains and diseases took to go out of the Body he told me he could not tell what course any pain or Disease would take to go out that the wayes of God were unsearchable that it was not in his power to force them any way but that he followed them onely and if the party could not tell where the paine was for such are onely stroked out he could not cure them nor were they cured but eased if it came not out Of this I saw an instance in a Woman whom the Falling-sicknesse by its long continuance joyn'd with Melancholly had infatuated so as that being out of all Fits she could not tell what ayled her she falling into her Fit there he opened her Breast and with a few strokes reduced her to her self but she not being able to tell what was become of the paine she had felt he could proceed no further then to remove that Paroxysme How Nature may cause those irregular motions of pains backward and forward shall be my next enquiry Where bold and commanding Medicines are not made use of it is Nature not Physique that cures Disease we are but Servants to Nature to remove impediments or strengthen her that she may effect the work upon this account it was that the Ancient Physicians were so cautious to distinguish the times
parts which modesty would not permit her to let M r Greatarick stroke she went away as if she had been cured but is since sick of an intolerable pain there Such consequents are usuall when the Disease is not stroked out HAving been lately requested by the Learned D r Henry Stubbe of Stratford upon Avon to set down in VVriting some few of those very many observables I had seen in the Cures or Attempts of M r Valentine Greatarick since his coming into England in order to a designe wherewith that knowing Physitian intends shortly to oblige the Curious I could no wayes refuse his so just demand VVherefore wholly quitting all Philosophical Researches and disquisitions to the framers of new Hypotheses or at least to those who are better verst in such as are already extant I shall barely relate matter of Fact in four or five of the most eminent instances whereof I have been an Eye-witness Thursday Feb 1. 1. M ris Reynolds a Shop-keepers Wife of Alcester in the County of Warwick having been ever since Hay-harvest disabled in her Arms and Hands in so much as she was not able to use them or even to undresse her self was that day and twice afterward touched by M r Greataricks she found them considerably strengthned at the first time and much more after so that she could put them behind her Back combe her Head and use her Needle and thus she continues to this day The same day in the Town-Hall I saw two Women delivered of the shaking Palsy which was driven out at their Toes ends Tuesday Feb 13. 2. I accompanied M r Greatericks to the Citty of VVorcester and lodged with him in the House of M r VVithie an Attorney We had not been there full an houre when beside a multitude of infirme people there came to him one M ris Bickeridge dwelling within half a mile of Tewxbury bringing with her four of her Children two Sons and as many Daughters The elder of the youths is now two and twenty years of Age and about two years since was strucken with the dead Palsy which in continuance of time hath so disabled him that he can neither stand or feed himself I saw little or no effect upon M r Greataricks stroking him either that night or the next day The other three the remaining Son and two Daughters by the report of their Mother fell all down in the street as they were coming along with her to M r Greataricks These had all been troubled with Convulsions or fits of the Falling-sicknesse for about four years The Youth upon the application and short chafing of M r Greataricks Hand was restored I saw him well the next day in the Citty-Hall and the next after heard that he continued so and was seen playing in the Street Susan one of the Girles as her Mother told me was so thickly pursued with her Fits that of a Twelve month before she had not spoken above once in a Month And Margaret the other Girle had lay'n utterly Speechlesse for three Weeks last past Both these after somewhat a longer chafing were soon freed and restored to Speech and ability of walking up and down the Room but they both relaps't into their Fits and became again Speechlesse Margaret lay in that condition for twelve hours that she could neither speak or stand On Wednesday morning Feb. 14. her Mother brought her into the City-Hall and within ten Minutes She was restored to Speech but her Pain held Mr. Greataricks Hand in play neer an Hour after Being thus returned to her speech she was willed by Mr. Greatarick to move her Hand upon the place and point wheresoever her pain removed he being presently ready to apply his Hand to the part affected she did so and forthwith it avoided his Touch skipping exceeding swiftly from one part of the Head to the other as from the Forehead to the Crown from thence to the Pole then to the Right Side now to the Left into the Neck Shoulder Arm Hand th' opposite Hand to the Thigh calf of the Leg Anckle Foot and from thence as quick as thought to the head again where shifting according to the former or like Order he was sometimes fain to apply both his Hands but then many times the Pain got between the interstices of his Fingers from whence upon a fresh Application it flew to other parts as before and alwaies with such incredible speed that it much amazed the By-standers and Mr. Greataricks would often affirm that in his Opinion it was some Evill Spirit gotten into the Body of the Child At length having vexed it from part to part for as I guess the best part of an Hour it passed out at her Toes Thursday Feb. 15. The next day the other Sister Susan was brought in speechless She was restored to her Speech and freed from her paines in like manner but with far lesse adoe and in much shorter time We heard no more of them after On VVednesday Feb. 14. in the City-Hall at Worcester M ris VValling a School-Mistress dwelling upon Mavern Hill fell into a most horrid Fit of the Falling-Sickness her Motions were exceedingly vehement and Convulsive with so much violence and impetuosity as if her Limbs had then been rending in sunder I never saw any Hysterical Paroxysm half so dreadful all her Joynts seemed to be crampt and sometimes so distorted as if She had been upon the Wrack M r Greataricks by stroaking her Brest for that purpose first bared soon restored her to such Sensibility as that she was able to speak and direct him to the place whither her Pain shifted which it often did with inexpressible Agility from one extreme part of her Body to another And it was very observable that whither soever her Pain retired that part was as it were crampt and seem'd by her Motions Cryings out and Shrieks to be affected with intolerable Dolour sometimes it was in her Throat and then it nigh choaked her and there ensued excessive Belchings as I have also often observed in sundry Asthmatical and Pthisical Persons stroaked by him And in this case was he fain to leave her for that time Night growing on and an infinity of diseased people pressing upon him for help The next day being Thursday Feb. 15 Whilst we were at Mr. VVithies sitting at Dinner word was brought to Mr. Greataricks that one was fallen in his Chamber and as at other times he was wont to quit all things to afford relief in this sad Distemper He immediately and I with him left the Table we were no sooner gotten into the Chamber but we found it was the same M ris VValling fallen into a new Fit which was now rather more vehement then that of the day before it now sometimes affected her in the Eyes and sometimes in her Nose and that with such anguish as she seem'd oftimes ready to tear it off Upon the removal of her Pains she often gave such Shrieks as if her Heart had been
of Diseases and to instruct Practitioners what they were to do at the severall times when to moderate the dangerous symptomes when to Purge by Stoole or Urine they were to attend unto Concoction and not to meddle much before except in case of Turgency When they proceeded thus warily there were severall Translations or removals of Diseases and paines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are now scarce observable by reason of the Minoratives the Purges the Vomits and other Physique which is given not because it is best but because in fashion In those times when Nature was so left to her self I observe severall Translations or removeals of Diseases which came into my mind when I saw the effects of M r Greataricks Stroking Hippocrates in his Epidem l. 6. part 3. § 34 tells us that the Gout ceaseth if a man fall into the Colique and that fit of the Colique abates as his Gout encreaseth Thus Nature removeth the paine So in his Aphorismes he tells us that long Feavers Terminate in swellings and pains of the Joynts And elsewhere That a Dysentery suppressed creates an Apostemation in the Side Bowels or Ioynts That swellings of the Spleen and Bowels or inflamations thereof frequently terminate in Ioynt-aches So Quartane-agues often Terminate in the Gout It were infinite to relate out of Hippocrates the Translations and removals of paine which he relates viz. of Coughs and Asthmas falling into the Joynts and Testicles of Ulcers and outward distempers which have removed into the Head and Bowels All the Prognosticks illustrate this nor can any man be ignorant of the translations of Humours and paines from noble to ignoble parts and from ignoble to noble ones nor of the alteration of distempers upon such translation of the Morbifique Matter as of Asthmas and Coughs turning to the Gout or Tumour of the Testicles of Agues turning into pains in the Joynts of Feavours ending in a Parotis or other abscessus Not to mention the vagrant nature of Humours in the beginning of Diseases when they are Turgent and continually vary their station These Considerations made me think that God had been pleased to bestow upon M r Greataricks such a Complexion and Temperament that his Touch or Stroking should instantly maturate Diseases or render them Turgent whereupon the part touched being strengthned and the blood and spirits Invigorated the Heterogeneous Ferment or paine which if not occasioned by some evident and externall cause is caus'd by an Heterogeneous Ferment is expelled from the corroborated place to some other more weake that being corroborated it is driven upon another and so on till it be quite ejected If the Disease be such as lies in nothing but a Dyscrasy of the part it is cured without any such removeall of paine and so for such Coagulations of the Nervous liquor as in Palsyes c. there is no such removeall of paine and pursuing it either because they are not Dolorifique or that they Transpire in the part There remaine yet two things to be debated viz 1. How comes it to passe that these Heterogeneous Ferments removing thus by the force of Resuscitated Nature do not terminate in Apostemes or issue out in some grosse Body but go out in a vapour and invisibly 2. How comes all this to happen in so short a time To the first I answer That it is not unusuall for Nature to discharge her self of Heterogeneous Ferments by insensible Transpiration as well as Apostemes Sweat Diarrhaea and Urine so the Mesels are cured so many Crude and hard Tumours and in this Plague few swellings broke yet were they cured Nor is it to be said that the matter occasioning those Tumours was discussed so as to be reimbibed in the blood againe for in the Plague the recurses of the Pestilentiall Ferment are Mortall and such as took Powders and Antidotes gently promoting a Diaphoresis not sweat escaped they who did not dyed with those Bubones It is an affect of prejudice occasioned by the contemplation of the usuall effects of Nature and not of Reason to imagine that the Morbifique cause consists in a grosse Body because it is often evacuated so It is usuall for those subtile Ferments so to commix themselves and to occasion that transposition of Parts and Texture that Nature cannot eject the one without the expense of the other Thus we see that Beer or Ale in its Fermentation or Working casts out aboundance of Barme yet is not that Body the Ferment but it is implicated and incorporated therewith for with it there issues out aboundance of Beare so that the Brewers either pover the same or new in again to fill up the Barrel If the same Ferment be precipitated by Vineger or Allome there is not the like diminution So Kergerus saith that in Germany they put common Salt or cold Water into their Bear and precipitating the Ferment make it potable presently Many such instances are to be found in Dr VVillis and Kerger which sufficiently evince that the Ferment is distinct from the grosse Body it comes out in So in Diseases however some have vainly imagined to themselves a maturation of them and that the Morbifique matter being concocted issued out in that white Hypostasis at the end of Diseases yet is it no such thing nor is there any such concoction in Nature as they phansy but the Morbifique matter or Ferment being intimately commixed with some good and profitable parts of the Blood and Humours is ejected together with them according to the nature of the Eumuctory by which the Crisis or Metastasis is made or the nature of the Bodies constituting that humour Nature dealing therein just as she does in the Fermentation of Beer and Wine in the aforesaid Kerger and D r VVillis whence proceed their wayes of curing Agues by Precipitation of the Morbifique Ferment without any such Evacuations of grosse Bodies This Paradox appeares further by the several Crises of Diseases sometimes by Vomit sometimes by Stoole sometimes by bleeding at the Nose and Sweat In all which circumstances the Urine shew one sort of Concoction whilst the Morbifique Ferment issues out severall wayes in severall Bodies Nor is it to be doubted I think that all grosse bodyed Ferments have their Virtue and efficacy from a subtile Body which is no more in that grosse Body then the Spirit of Sugar is in Sugar of which See Angelus Sala's Saccharologia many other instances might be given as that if the grand Ferment were a grosse Body how comes it to evaporate as I have seen in the Distillation of Sugar Sugar-cance-juyce and other Liquors Fermented for Spirits without any diminution of the Liquors From all which it appears that one may conceive how upon the efficacious Touch of M r Greataricks he refuscitating the Blood and innate Temperament the Morbifique Ferment may be ejected and the remaining grosse Body by a Transposition of its Texture and a new impregnation of Vitality be reimbibed into the Blood and become nutritious Thus