Part 50 (1/2)
For an emplaster, take of castorium a dram and a half, of opium half a scruple, mixed both together with a little water of life, make two small plasters thereof, and apply them to the temples.
Rulandus _cent. 1. cur. 17. cent. 3. cur. 94._ prescribes epithems and lotions of the head, with the decoction of flowers of nymphea, violet-leaves, mandrake roots, henbane, white poppy. Herc. de Saxonia, _stillicidia_, or droppings, &c. Lotions of the feet do much avail of the said herbs: by these means, saith Laurentius, I think you may procure sleep to the most melancholy man in the world. Some use horseleeches behind the ears, and apply opium to the place.
[4355]Bayerus _lib. 2. c. 13._ sets down some remedies against fearful dreams, and such as walk and talk in their sleep. Baptista Porta _Mag. nat.
l. 2. c. 6._ to procure pleasant dreams and quiet rest, would have you take hippoglossa, or the herb horsetongue, balm, to use them or their distilled waters after supper, &c. Such men must not eat beans, peas, garlic, onions, cabbage, venison, hare, use black wines, or any meat hard of digestion at supper, or lie on their backs, &c.
_Rusticus pudor_, bashfulness, flus.h.i.+ng in the face, high colour, ruddiness, are common grievances, which much torture many melancholy men, when they meet a man, or come in [4356]company of their betters, strangers, after a meal, or if they drink a cup of wine or strong drink, they are as red and fleet, and sweat as if they had been at a mayor's feast, _praesertim si metus accesserit_, it exceeds, [4357]they think every man observes, takes notice of it: and fear alone will effect it, suspicion without any other cause. Sckenkius _observ. med. lib. 1._ speaks of a waiting gentlewoman in the Duke of Savoy's court, that was so much offended with it, that she kneeled down to him, and offered Biarus, a physician, all that she had to be cured of it. And 'tis most true, that [4358]Antony Ludovicus saith in his book _de Pudore_, ”bashfulness either hurts or helps,” such men I am sure it hurts. If it proceed from suspicion or fear, [4359]Felix Plater prescribes no other remedy but to reject and contemn it: _Id populus curat scilicet_, as a [4360]worthy physician in our town said to a friend of mine in like case, complaining without a cause, suppose one look red, what matter is it, make light of it, who observes it?
If it trouble at or after meals, (as [4361]Jobertus observes _med. pract.
l. 1. c. 7._) after a little exercise or stirring, for many are then hot and red in the face, or if they do nothing at all, especially women; he would have them let blood in both arms, first one, then another, two or three days between, if blood abound; to use frictions of the other parts, feet especially, and was.h.i.+ng of them, because of that consent which is between the head and the feet. [4362]And withal to refrigerate the face, by was.h.i.+ng it often with rose, violet, nenuphar, lettuce, lovage waters, and the like: but the best of all is that _lac virginale_, or strained liquor of litargy: it is diversely prepared; by Jobertus thus; _[Symbol: Rx]
lithar. argent. unc. j cerussae candidissimae, [Symbol: Dram]jjj. caphurae, [Symbol: Scruple]jj. dissolvantur aquarum solani, lactucae, et nenupharis ana unc. jjj. aceti vini albi. unc. jj. aliquot horas resideat, deinde transmittatur per philt. aqua servetur in vase vitreo, ac ea bis terve facies quotidie irroretur_. [4363]Quercetan _spagir. phar. cap. 6._ commends the water of frog's sp.a.w.n for ruddiness in the face. [4364]Crato _consil. 283. Scoltzii_ would fain have them use all summer the condite flowers of succory, strawberry water, roses (cupping-gla.s.ses are good for the time), _consil. 285. et 286._ and to defecate impure blood with the infusion of senna, savory, balm water. [4365]Hollerius knew one cured alone with the use of succory boiled, and drunk for five months, every morning in the summer. [4366]It is good overnight to anoint the face with hare's blood, and in the morning to wash it with strawberry and cowslip water, the juice of distilled lemons, juice of cuc.u.mbers, or to use the seeds of melons, or kernels of peaches beaten small, or the roots of Aron, and mixed with wheat bran to bake it in an oven, and to crumble it in strawberry water, [4367] or to put fresh cheese curds to a red face.
If it trouble them at meal times that flus.h.i.+ng, as oft it doth, with sweating or the like, they must avoid all violent pa.s.sions and actions, as laughing, &c., strong drink, and drink very little, [4368]one draught, saith Crato, and that about the midst of their meal; avoid at all times indurate salt, and especially spice and windy meat.
[4369]Crato prescribes the condite fruit of wild rose, to a n.o.bleman his patient, to be taken before dinner or supper, to the quant.i.ty of a chestnut. It is made of sugar, as that of quinces. The decoction of the roots of sowthistle before meat, by the same author is much approved. To eat of a baked apple some advice, or of a preserved quince, c.u.minseed prepared with meat instead of salt, to keep down fumes: not to study or to be intentive after meals.
”[Symbol: Rx]. Nucleorum persic. seminis melonum ana unc. [Symbol: Scruple] aquae fragrorum l. ij. misce, utatur mane.”
[4370]To apply cupping gla.s.ses to the shoulders is very good. For the other kind of ruddiness which is settled in the face with pimples, &c., because it pertains not to my subject, I will not meddle with it. I refer you to Crato's counsels, Arnoldus _lib. 1. breviar. cap. 39. 1._ Rulande, Peter Forestus de Fuco, _lib. 31. obser. 2._ To Platerus, Mercurialis, Ulmus, Rondoletius, Heurnius, Menadous, and others that have written largely of it.
Those other grievances and symptoms of headache, palpitation of heart, _Vertigo deliquium_, &c., which trouble many melancholy men, because they are copiously handled apart in every physician, I do voluntarily omit.
MEMB. II.
_Cure of Melancholy over all the Body_.
Where the melancholy blood possesseth the whole body with the brain, [4371]
it is best to begin with bloodletting. The Greeks prescribe the [4372]
median or middle vein to be opened, and so much blood to be taken away as the patient may well spare, and the cut that is made must be wide enough.
The Arabians hold it fittest to be taken from that arm on which side there is more pain and heaviness in the head: if black blood issue forth, bleed on; if it be clear and good, let it be instantly suppressed, [4373]
”because the malice of melancholy is much corrected by the goodness of the blood.” If the party's strength will not admit much evacuation in this kind at once, it must be a.s.sayed again and again: if it may not be conveniently taken from the arm, it must be taken from the knees and ankles, especially to such men or women whose haemorrhoids or months have been stopped. [4374]
If the malady continue, it is not amiss to evacuate in a part in the forehead, and to virgins in the ankles, who are melancholy for love matters; so to widows that are much grieved and troubled with sorrow and cares: for bad blood flows in the heart, and so crucifies the mind. The haemorrhoids are to be opened with an instrument or horseleeches, &c. See more in Montaltus, _cap. 29._ [4375]Sckenkius hath an example of one that was cured by an accidental wound in his thigh, much bleeding freed him from melancholy. Diet, diminutives, alteratives, cordials, correctors as before, intermixed as occasion serves, [4376]”all their study must be to make a melancholy man fat, and then the cure is ended.” Diuretics, or medicines to procure urine, are prescribed by some in this kind, hot and cold: hot where the heat of the liver doth not forbid; cold where the heat of the liver is very great: [4377]amongst hot are parsley roots, lovage, fennel, &c.: cold, melon seeds, &c., with whey of goat's milk, which is the common conveyer.
To purge and [4378]purify the blood, use sowthistle, succory, senna, endive, carduus benedictus, dandelion, hop, maidenhair, fumitory, bugloss, borage, &c., with their juice, decoctions, distilled waters, syrups, &c.
Oswaldus, Crollius, _basil Chym._ much admires salt of corals in this case, and Aetius, _tetrabib. ser. 2. cap. 114._ Hieram Archigenis, which is an excellent medicine to purify the blood, ”for all melancholy affections, falling sickness, none to be compared to it.”
MEMB. III.
SUBSECT. I.--_Cure of Hypochondriacal Melancholy_.
In this cure, as in the rest, is especially required the rectification of those six non-natural things above all, as good diet, which Monta.n.u.s, _consil. 27._ enjoins a French n.o.bleman, ”to have an especial care of it, without which all other remedies are in vain.” Bloodletting is not to be used, except the patient's body be very full of blood, and that it be derived from the liver and spleen to the stomach and his vessels, then [4379]to draw it back, to cut the inner vein of either arm, some say the salvatella, and if the malady be continuate, [4380]to open a vein in the forehead.
Preparatives and alteratives may be used as before, saving that there must be respect had as well to the liver, spleen, stomach, hypochondries, as to the heart and brain. To comfort the [4381]stomach and inner parts against wind and obstructions, by Areteus, Galen, Aetius, Aurelia.n.u.s, &c., and many latter writers, are still prescribed the decoctions of wormwood, centaury, pennyroyal, betony sodden in whey, and daily drunk: many have been cured by this medicine alone.
Prosper Altinus and some others as much magnify the water of Nile against this malady, an especial good remedy for windy melancholy. For which reason belike Ptolemeus Philadelphus, when he married his daughter Berenice to the king of a.s.syria (as Celsus, _lib. 2._ records), _magnis impensis Nili aquam afferri jussit_, to his great charge caused the water of Nile to be carried with her, and gave command, that during her life she should use no other drink. I find those that commend use of apples, in splenetic and this kind of melancholy (lamb's-wool some call it), which howsoever approved, must certainly be corrected of cold rawness and wind.
Codronchus in his book _de sale absyn._ magnifies the oil and salt of wormwood above all other remedies, [4382]”which works better and speedier than any simple whatsoever, and much to be preferred before all those fulsome decoctions and infusions, which must offend by reason of their quant.i.ty; this alone in a small measure taken, expels wind, and that most forcibly, moves urine, cleanseth the stomach of all gross humours, crudities, helps appet.i.te,” &c. Arnoldus hath a wormwood wine which he would have used, which every pharmacopoeia speaks of.