A treatise of the plague containing the nature, signes, and accidents of the same, with the certaine and absolute cure of the feuers, botches and carbuncles that raigne in these times: and aboue all things most singular experiments and preseruatiues in the same, gathered by the obseruation of diuers worthy trauailers, and selected out of the writing of the best learned phisitians in this age. By Thomas Lodge, Doctor in Phisicke.

Of Blood-letting.

AS soone as the sicke féeleth himselfe strucken, if he be sanguine, yong, and full, you ought to let him bloud

by those rules that ensue hereafter. If the signe or tumor appeare not as yet, you ought to let him bloud in the Me∣diana of the right arme rather than of the left, to prouide lest the venime haue recourse to the hart, and to take blood according to the repletion and vertue of the patient. Or to worke more surely, wée may take the veine in the foote called Saphena, to diuert the venime from the noble parts, or instéede of letting bloud apply cupping-glasses with sca∣rification on his shoulders and buttocks. From the strong, able, and well complexioned, you may take some sixe oun∣ces of bloud, or at the least thrée or foure: but for such as are weake, they must not be dealt with. And note, that in this sickenesse, we ought not to be busie in taking bloud although bloud-letting be necessarie, because bloud is the treasury of life, whose assistance nature néedeth to combate with the venime. As also for that by much letting bloud mens forces are weakened, and the venime worketh with more aduantage, as shalbe hereafter declared.

And whenas the patient is letten bloud, wee ought to cause him kéepe in his mouth either a little péece of an o∣renge or a lemmon, or a cloue or some cinnamon, or else a little rose vineger, and rose water mixed together, to comfort his heart and vitall spirites. But if the markes or botch do appeare, the blood is to be drawne on that side of the body on which the tumor sheweth it selfe, namely, if the swelling beginneth to shew behinde the right eare, drawe blood in the Cephalica of the right arme, and so of the left. If the signe appéere vnder the arme pits, you shal cut the median of the same side, namely on the right arm, if the impostume be vnder the right armehole, and that on the left: likewise when the impostume sheweth it selfe vn∣der the left arme hole. But in trueth the surest way is ra∣ther, in this case, to open the veines of the féete then of the armes, to the end you may draw the venime farthest off: if the signe appéere vnder the groyne, strike the Saphena on the same side, or rather the inward veine of the ham,

if it may be found, the like ought also to be done in the car∣buncle when it appéereth, yet ought not the bloodletting be redoubled, but onely vsed on that side where the car∣buncle appéereth. But note in this case of bloodletting, that it ought to be done before the patient hath remained infected foure and twenty houres, for after the terme is past, blood letting is both hurtfull and pernicious, because that by the same the contagion is inwardly drawne into the body and heart. Whence it happeneth, that the most part of those that are let blood doe die, as by Hierome Fra∣castorius an excellent and noted Phisitian is sufficiently testified in his treatise of the Plague, the third Booke and fift chapter, who testifieth that all they, who in the pesti∣lent yéeres of 1505. and 1528. were let blood, died all of them by the reason aforesaide, because that where the in∣terior séede of the venime is scattered and mixed with the blood and humors of the body (which is done in two daies space or thereabout after a man féeleth himselfe infected) letting blood is greatly harmefull, because it causeth agi∣tation of the blood, and augmenteth by this means the pu∣trifaction, and by such agitation and motion the contagi∣on doth more inwardly mixe it selfe with the humors, and maketh them, of pure and sincere, corrupt and infected: after no other maner than whenas stincking mud is moo∣ued, it venteth out the more, and maketh the aire infected and stincking, as is séene by experience, or whenas a man shaketh or shoggeth a vessel full of salt or bitter water, the water becommeth more bitter and salt than if it had béen suffered to be settled, without moouing it: For euery mat∣ter that is mooued, is worse then that which remaineth in quiet, as testifieth Galen in his fift booke de Symptomatum causis. And by these reasons the said Fracastorius and Fer∣nelius likewise, men both of them excellently learned, are of opinion, that blood is not to be let in this case, to whose iudgements I subscribe. And for mine owne part, and in trueth I finde it more expedient, instéede of letting blood,

to vse cupping glasses with scarrification, for after the se∣cond day is past, phlebotomy is to be omitted. Sée héere our instruction as touching blood-letting.