The methode of phisicke conteyning the causes, signes, and cures of invvard diseases in mans body from the head to the foote. VVhereunto is added, the forme and rule of making remedies and medicines, which our phisitians commonly vse at this day, with the proportion, quantitie, & names of ech [sic] medicine. By Philip Barrough.

CAP. XV. Of the frenisie.

PHRENITIS in Greeke and in Latin is a disease, wherin the mind is hurte, & doth differ only from madnes, which is called in Greeke and Latine Melan∣cholia, or Mania. For that a feuer is ioyned with the phrenisy, and therfor the frenisy may be called a continuall madnes & fury ioyned with a sharpe feuer. Galen saith that the frenisy is an inflammacion of the braine or of the filmes therof. Aetius saith that it is an inflammaciō of the filmes of the braine with an acute feuer, causing raging and vexation of the mind.* 1.1 Ther be three kindes of frenisies (as Galen doth witnesse in his fourth Booke de Locis affectis. cap. 40.) according to the internal senses, which be three in number, that is imagination, cogitation & memory arrow_forward , which may seuerally be hurt. Two of those kinds be simple, and the third is compounded of those two. For some be frene∣tick, which can iudge rightly of those things that they see as touching commō sense & ima∣gination, and yet in cogitatiō & fantasy they erre from naturall iudgemēt. Some other being frenetick are not deceiued in cogitation and reason, but only in imagination they erre. Ther be other some frentick which doe erre both in sense and cogitatiō (that is) both in imagina∣tiō & reason, and doe ther with also lose ther arrow_back memory.* 1.2 The frenesy is caused eyther of aboū∣dance of bloud, or of choler, occupying the braine or the filmes thereof. And if the choller wherof the disease engēdreth be burnt, then the frensie is most vehemēt & more pernicious then any other. Those that be frentick haue a cōtinuall feuer, & be madde, for the most parte they cannot sleepe. Sometime they haue troublesome sleepes, so that they ryse vp, & leap,* 1.3 & crie out furiously, they babble wordes without order or sense, being asked a question, they aunsctere not directly, or at the least rashly, & that with loud voice, especially if you speake gently to them. Ther eyes be bloudshotten and bleared, they rubbe them often, sometime they are drie, and sometime full of sharpe teeres. Ther tongue is rough, and bloud will often droppe out at there nose. Moreouer they pull motes & flockes from the bedding and clothes about them. Ther pulses be small & weak, and somewhat hard and senowy, they fetch ther breath but seeldom. Note that they which haue the frenesy, caused of bloud, they laugh in there madnes. But those that be frentick through choler they rage furiously, so that they can not be ruled without bands, & such do vse to forget all things that they doe or say, so that some of them, when they require the chamberpot, doe forthwith forget to make vrine, or when they haue done it, they remember not to restore the vessell againe.* 1.4 As touching the prognostication of this disease: Galen and all other lerned Phisitions doe confesse that it is most sharpe & most perilous, and is in deed vncurable and deadly for the most parte. Hippo∣crates saith in the 72. aphorisme of his fourth booke that vrine white & cleer in those that do raue, is a very euill and deadly token. Concerning diet let the sicke be vsed in this sorte.* 1.5 If it be winter, let him lye in a warme place, if it be sommer, let his lodging be in a coole place, let the ayer and the light be moderate, and let ther not be diuerse pictures in the place. And for that some be troubled with the light, and some with darknes, it is best to trie them in both, and to lay him in the light, which is afraid of darknesse, and contrary he that is offended at the light, let him be in a dark place. But if the sicke person do finde noe difference in the pla∣ces, then, if he be strong, let him haue light, if weak, keep him in a darke place. Let his dearest frindes come to him, and let them sometime speake gently & softely vnto him, & sometime rebuke him sharply. Let his meate at the first be ptisan broth, or husked barley boiled, or the crume of bread dipped often in aqua mulsa (that is) water & hony sodden together, or in ho∣ny

of roses. Boile in his brothes, endiue, succory, lettuse, mallows, & such like, which haue ver∣tue to coole & moisten. When the disease decreaseth, you may giue him scaly fishes, such as lyued in grauelly ryuers. If he be very hote within, you may giue him pomegarnettes, and cheryes. Let his drinke be water, wherin a litle Cynamon or barley hath bene boiled, you may commixe with it syrupe of violettes, or of roses, or of water lillies. But beware you giue them not much at once, nor oftentimes, but seldomee, and a litle at once. When signes of cō∣coction appeare in the vrine, and the vehemency of the feauer is slaked, if then the sick lacke strength, you may giue him small white wine allaied with water. Moreouer let the sicke be kept quiet without mouing as much as is possible, if he be riche let seruauntes hold him, if poore, bind him, for inordinate mouing deminisheth strength. Also a bath of sweete water is good for him, if the body be drye and rimpled, but he muste vse it bloud warme. For so it cooleth and moisteneth, and by that meanes it cureth the drynes and ouermuche watching, but take heede you vse not bathing before the body be purged. Moreouer perturbations of the minde do hurte frantick persons excedingly, and therfor you must suffer them to vse no∣thing,* 1.6 that will make them sadde, or engender choler in them. For the cure, if the strength of the patiēt will suffer, let him bleed forthwith for ther is none so present a helpe. You must cut the vttermost vaine of the arme called Caephalica,* 1.7 and if that appeare not, take the midle vaine, & draw out as much bloud as strength will suffer. But take heed you let him not bleed vntill he sound, as many rashely doe, for it is better to take lesse then you should doe, the body being much weakened by vehemēt motion. You must take good heede, least the sicke doe priuily take away the band of his arme, or loose it. Afterward also you may stryke the vaine in the middest of the forehead. But if age or strength doe forbid bloudletting, then vse cupping with scarification, behind in the necke and on the back bone, which be profitable for that they drawe back the humours that flowe to the braine. For that purpose also cli∣sters are specially to be vsed made in this sorte.* 1.8 ℞. Mallowe leaues, violet leaues, endyue, and lettuce. ana. M.j. of Barley decorticate. ℥.j. sebesten. num. 11. seades of gourdes, melons and cucūbers. ana. ʒ.iij. seeth all these in sufficiēt quantity of water, vntill the third parte be cōsumed, then straine it and take of the decoctiō. ℥.xij. of casia fistula newly drawen. ℥.j.ss. of mel rosarum. ℥.j. of oyle of violettes. ℥.iij. of salt. ʒ.j.ss. commixe them all and make a clister. If you will haue it to purge more strongly, put to it of Hierapicra, or of Elcium de succo rosarum. ℥.ss. binding of the extreme partes of the body profit muche to diuert the hu∣mours from the head. Also Mathiolus doth greatly commend stubium with the conserues of roses,* 1.9 & I my selfe haue proued it in this order to be most excellēt as followeth. ℞. g.12. made in very fine powder and put it into clarret wyne. ℥.iiij. and let it stand houres .30. and euery 6. or .7. houre shake it. And at the .30. houres end, poure it from the powder, and let him drinke it with a litle sugar. This doth mightely purge the superfluous humors from the head, as also to rubbe the feete with salte and vineger and such like. You must sprinckle the head with oyle of roses,* 1.10 or vinegre of roses being bloud warme. For the braine or his filmes being enflamed, can not safely abyde actuall cold, nor vehement heate. For the same purpose also you may vse iuice of nightshade, & of plantaine, or the distilled waters of them, or such like herbes. If the euill be very vehement, moisten his face cōtinually with oyle or water, wherin the toppes of poppye haue bene sodden. You may also vse odours to his nose, of roses, vio∣lettes, water lillies, and such like. Also annoint his nosethrills within, and his forhead with the iuyce of the afore said herbes. For you must endeuour to astonye and dull the braine, which burneth extremely by cooling it. If the sicke watche ouermuch, then you must apply such things as doe prouoke sleepe,* 1.11 as this ointement following, or such like. ℞. Vnguenti po∣puleon. ʒ.ij. oyle of violettes. ʒ.iij. sead of henbane, & barke of mandrake rootes. ana. ℈.ss. of opium gra. ij. of saffron. g.iij. vinegre a litle, whit waxe as much as is sufficient, make an oint∣ment, and annoint the tempels therwith. Also this embrocation maie be vsed bloud warme to the head.* 1.12 ℞. floures of violettes, redd roses, and water lillies. ana. M.j. Barley decorticate. ℥.j. seades of whit poppy. ʒ.ij. seades of lettuce. ʒ.iij. seeth them in sufficient quātity of wa∣ter vnto the third parte, and make an embrocation. You shall make the decoction of more force, if you adde to it leaues of henban, nightshade, poppy heades, mandrake appels, or rootes, and a litle vineger. You may also lay vnder his pillowe, poppie heades, or man∣drake

appels. You maie also for the same purpose, giue him to drinke water wherin pop∣py or henban seede hath bene sodden, or some somnoriferous compounde as is regines Nicolai, or philonium, or such like, in ministring whereof you must obserue, that you giue them not in the vehemencie of the fit, but in the declining therof. Besydes note that you must eschew continuall vse of stupefactiue medicines aswell inwardly as outwardly also. For in this disease, by ouermuch cooling you may turne the frenesy into a litargy, wherby you may cause him to sleepe so, that you can awake him noe more. Also if the patient be weake be∣ware how you minister stupefactiue things to prouoke slepe, for in such as be weak (as Tral∣lianus saith) somnoriferous potions doe noe small hurte, and sometime they kill. At the last when the disease is asswaged, and waxeth more gentle, which for the most parte, chaunceth the third day:* 1.13 you may apply discussiue medicines which haue vertue to disperse the rem∣naunt of the disease. And for that purpose you may applie the aforsaid embrocation, adding to it before, floures of cammomil, dill, melilote, marshe mallowes, and such like. Ther be som that at this time (the disease declining) doe apply to the head, hennes or whelpes cut in the middes, or the loungs of a wether hote. But take good heed, that noe such thing be applied in the beginning of the disease, or in the vehemencie thereof, for so you should encrease the inflammation and the feuer, and make the sicke in more perill. Moreouer if the euill conti∣nue long, you may boile in the embrocatiō serpillum, that is, wilde time or sauerie. Also in the declination of the inflammation (as Galen teacheth) you may vse Castoreum, for that it is of subtill substaunce, and will worke his force through the skull. When the frenticke person is recouered, let him eschew dronkennesse, idlenes, variety and corruptiōs of meates, and espe∣cially the burning heat of the sunne. Hereby you may lerne not only, the cure of the frenesy, but also remedy against immoderate watching, & rauing in any sort engendred by feauers, when the patient is so vexed by them, (although they come by consent and be but accidētes of the feauers) that it is necessarie to remedy them lest the braine in time be therby affected.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Three ••••ndes of fren••sie••.
• * 1.2

  Causae.
• * 1.3

  Signa.
• * 1.4

  Prognostica.
• * 1.5

  Victus ratio.
• * 1.6

  Curatio.
• * 1.7

  Ven•• sectio.
• * 1.8

  Clyster.
• * 1.9

  A purging po∣tion.
• * 1.10

  Localia.
• * 1.11

  Vnguentum.
• * 1.12

  Embrocha.
• * 1.13

  Discutienti••.