The regiment of life, whereunto is added a treatise of the pestilence, with the boke of children, newly corrected and enlarged by T. Phayre

The eyght Chapter, for diseases of the splene.

THe splene is a mēberlōg•• soft, and spongy, being in the left side ioyned vnto the holownesse of the sto∣make, and to the thycke endes of the ribbes, & to y^e backe, y^e which is ordeined for to re∣ceiue the melancholy humours, and to cleanse the bloud of thesame, for by y^e meane y^e bloud remaneth pure & nette. Wherfore it is good nourishyng for al

the membres, and is y^e cause that ma∣keth a bodye merye, but oftentymes there happeneth oppilaciō or debilitie wherof commeth the blacke iaundys.

And sometymes it is greater, fuller, or grosser then it ought to be, by ouer∣much melancholie that is not natural, caused of the dregges of the bloud en∣gendred in the liuer, & doth hindre ge∣neracion of good bloud, wherthrough the members become drye for defaute of good nourishyng. And therefore the pacient is called splenetike, whiche ye maye knowe by that, that after meate they haue payne in theyr left syde, and are alwayes heauy, and hath theyr fa∣ces somwhat enclining vnto blaknes.

¶Remedye. In oppilacions and apostemes of the splene, whether it be of hote humours or of colde, he ought to be let bloud on y^e splene veine called saluatella, which is in thee left hande, betwene the litle finger, and the next fynger which they call medicus. And ye muste drawe out

but a litle bloude.

And if the pacient fele a burning on the left syde, and hath a drye tonge without appetite, it signifieth that suche disease of the splene, is caused of an hote humoure. Wherefore ye must geue the pacient four or .v. morninges fastinge, syrupe of endiue water, and hartestong, then a purgacion made as foloweth, thus.

¶A goodlye purgacion to auoyde melancholy. Talke halfe an ounce of succorosarū and thre ounces of the decoctiō of the rootes of capparus, and hartestonge, & make a drinke the whiche ye may my∣nister in a good daye to take purgacy∣ons, syxe houres afore meate.

An other. In stede of that drynke ye may tem∣per halfe an ounce of cassia, and three drammes of diaseny, in thre ounces of whey, or hartestong water, and drynke it as is aforesaide. After the sayd pur∣gacion, ye ought to annoynt the splene

with oyle of violettes, or oyle of lyne∣seed, or to make a playster of the s••de oyle and lineseede, and the rootes of capparis, and laye vpon the splene.

Also after the saide purgacion, it shall be good to laye vpon the splene, nyghtshade, purcelane seede, and pou∣der of plantaine, myxte with vineger lyke a plaister, and if the pacient haue more appetite then he can digeste, and that he haue belchinges of the stomak sometimes sowre in the mouth, it sig∣nifieth y^t the passion splenetike com∣meth by a colde humor melancholike.

¶Remedie. Ye must drinke sirupe of sticados, or hartestong, or oximel diureticum, with water of the decoction of hartestonge, epithime, smallache rootes, percelye rotes, tameriscus, and mintes, or els only with the decoction of hartestong, and rootes of cappars. And then after purge it frō suche melancholy humor, with an ounce of diacatholicon, & two drammes of dia••ene, dissolued in thre

ounces of the sayd decoction, or water of wormewood, or hartestonge.

And after this ye must annoynte the syde of the splene, with oyle of lilies, oyle of dyll, freshe butter, marye of an oxe, and hennes grece, or of a dogge, medled together, or annoynt the sayde syde with dialthea.

And the paciēt ought to drinke whyte wine, and the decoction of hartestong, euening and morninge, takynge twoo fygges, with pouder of ysope, peppe•• or ginger, but he may put no water in his wyne, and oftentimes he must ea•• cap••ars, with a litle oyle and vineger.

If for the oppilacions of the splene, the paciēt hath a pale coloure, or leady in the face, and a whitenes of eies, ta∣kyng awaye of appetite, payne in the left syde with hardnesse, and hathe his excrementes blacke, it is a signe of the blacke iaundys,

An expert medicine for all diseases of the splene. Take the leaues and coddes of ••eny••

the barke of an ashe tre skraped & cut, maydenheere, hartstong and liquirice, seth them all in clere whaye, and after they be strayned, drynke of it twyse or thrise a daye tyl ye be amended.

¶Remedye for the blacke iaundis. Ye must geue sirupes and purgacions as afore is sayd, and to be let bloud of the veine saluatella, and afterwarde dyuers tymes euening and mornyng, to applie vētoses vpon the splene with out scaryfyinge. Afterwarde ye muste lay on it a lyst, wette in good veniger, and kepe it there so longe as the heate remaineth in the sayd liste, and warme it thre or foure times.

Afterward annoynt the splene with dialthea, & so continue fower or fyue dayes, and other foure or fyue dayes laye vpon it a playster made of twoo ounces of gumme armoniake, dyssol∣ued in veniger, and spred vpon lether.

And yf by the foresayde thynges the paciente bee not eased, the doctours of

phisicke saye, that he muste receiue the medicines agayne, at the least once in euery moneth, for half a yere togither.

¶Regiment for all oppilacions. The pacient oughte to vse thynges of easye digestion, and in smal quanty∣ty, and ought to absteine from breade to litle leuened, cakes, tartes pasties, pies, hogges fleshe, beafe, and poudred meates, and fumishe. Fishe, limmons, peason, beanes milke, chese, ryse, and firmentie, all fryed meates, drinke af∣ter supper, wyne and apples, whiche with al other lyke trouble the bodye. Also ye must absteine from much mo∣uyng or exercise by and by after meat.

It is good to vse capars, asparage, hoppes, brothe of dryed peason, wyth perselye, or his rootes, smal byrdes of the fielde, kyddes fleshe, yong mutton lambe, chickins, feysauntes, snytes, partriches, scaled fyshe, of swete run∣nyng water, with percelye, and vyne∣gre. Newe layd egges potched in wa∣ter,

are very holsome, & ye may drynke white wine or claret, onely at meales.

Also it is good to vse cresses, sage, i∣sope, mintes, fenell, and percelye, suc∣corry, scariole, and beetes, and singu∣lerly, to take fastyng halfe a sponefull of redde colewortes sodden, and to eat often anyse seedes, and fenel.