CAP. XIX. Of Congelation or taking.

CATOCHE or Catalepsis in Greeke, in Latin may be called Occupatio, De∣tentio, & deprehensio. The newe wryters in phisick do call it Congelatio,* in English it maie be called Congelation or taking. It is a sodaine detention & taking both of mind and body, both sense and mouing being lost, the sicke remaining in the same figure of bodie wherin he was taken, whither he sit or lye, or stand, or whither his eyes be open or shut. This disease is a meane betwene the lethargie and the frenesy, for it cometh of a melancholy humour for the most parte, as shalbe declared afterward. Therefor in respect of coldnesse it agreeth with the lethargie, and in respect of drynes with the frenesy. Hereupon it cometh that they which haue this disease, are nether like the freneticke altogether, nor like them that haue the le∣thargie.* This disease is caused sometime of aboundance of bloud flowing to the head and replenishing it. But for the most part (as AEtius witnesseth) it is caused of a cold and drye melancholicke humour, troubling the hinder partes of the head and braine. This disease in∣uadeth a man sodainly, and taketh away speach and sense from him, he heareth nothing,* he aunswereth nothing, his breathing is scarcely to be perceiued, but he lieth as he wer dead. His pulse is small & weak & very thick. His egestion & vrine are detained, or els they come forth in small quantity, & that is not in respect of drynes, for the sicke somtime doth abound with much moistur, but for lacke of sense. Ther face is somtime redd, and that is when the euill is engendred of bloud, and somtime it is swart, & that is wher melancholy causeth the disease. Moreouer the eyes in this disease remaine immoueable, as though they were frosen. This euill differeth from Carus (as Galen saith) for that in it the eye liddes are euer shut, but in this disease they somtime remaine open. The diet in this euill must be diuerse accor∣ding to the diuersity of causes. Let his food be ptisan broth, and such like.* Let his drinke be aqua mulsa well boiled, or thinne white wyne well alaied, for such wyne, seing it doth not fume into the head, doth much good. It his hurtfull for them to drinke water, for it causeth windynes, swelleth the splene, and quencheth not thirst. As concerning the cure if the face of the sicke be ruddy, and bloud seme to abound, if strength permit and yeres,* let him fourth with bleed on the outwardmost vaine of the arme, & let him bleed according to his strēgth. Afterward if the head be hot, apply those things that coole. For that purpose you may boile the shelles of poppy heades in oile, and annoint the head therwith. But in other, that haue Page  24 ther face swart, & so haue tokens of melancholy abounding, you must first clense the guttes with clisters, made of floures of borage, buglosse, fumitorye, tyme, epithimum, rootes of po∣lipodie, leaues of sene, adding to it oiles of cammomill, and dill, and casia, diacutholicon, diase∣na, or confectio •amech in conuenient quantity. Whereof you shall find examples afterward in the Chaptre of Melancholia. And if the belly become not soluble by this meanes, then is it not amisse to boile in the former decoction rootes of Eleborus ••ger. The head must be annointed with oile, wherin wild time is sodden, or with oyle of lillies or dill, or such like, & that you must do chiefly when the head seemeth cold. Moreouer if his vrine appeare grosse and thick, you must giue him to drinke the decoction of dill, apium, calamint, & such like, as haue vertue to extenuate. It profiteth also to annoint all ther whole bodie with oyle of dill specially in winter. Also they that haue trembling with this disease maie haue. ʒ.j. of Ca∣storeum commixed with aqua mulsa, and powred into ther mouth. The rest that concerne the cure of this disease maie be gathered partly out of the Chapters of the frenesie and le∣thargie before, and partly out of the Chaptre of melancholie following.