The whole course of chirurgerie wherein is briefly set downe the causes, signes, prognostications & curations of all sorts of tumors, wounds, vlcers, fractures, dislocations & all other diseases, vsually practiced by chirurgions, according to the opinion of all our auncient doctours in chirurgerie. Compiled by Peter Lowe Scotchman, Arellian, Doctor in the Facultie of Chirurgerie in Paris, and chirurgian ordinarie to the most victorious and christian King of Fraunce and Nauarre. Whereunto is annexed the presages of diuine Hippocrates.

The sixt Chapter, of Humors.

CO.

Thou knowest that the most part of all sicknesses proceedeth and are entertayned by some humor, and sometime by sundry humors together, therfore it is most

necessarie, that the Chirurgian know perfectly the humors of our bodies, to the end he giue the better order, for the cu∣ration of maladies, then tell me what is an humor.

LO.

It is a thin substance, into the which our nourishment is first con∣uerted, or it is an naturall Ius that the body is intertained no∣rished or conserued with.

CO.

Wherof proceedeth the hu∣mors.

LO.

Of the iuice or chiles which is made in the sto∣mack, of the aliment wee are nuorished with, changed by the naturall heate of the stomacke and parts neere thereto, theraf∣ter brought to the lyuer by the veines meseraicks, and maketh the foure humors which differeth in nature and kind.

CO.

How many humors are there.

LO.

There are foure which represent the foure Elements aswell by the substance as quali∣ties, whereof euery thing is made, Galen calleth them the e∣lements of our body.

CO,

which are the foure humors.

Lo.

The blood, the phlegme, the choller, and melancholie.

CO.

What is the blood▪

LO.

It is an humor hot, aerious, of good consistance, red coloured, swete tasted, most necessarie for the nourishment of the parts of our body, which are hot and hu∣mide, ingendered in the lyuer, retayned in the veines, and is compared to the aire, as sayth Galen.

CO.

What is phleg∣mie.* 1.1

LO.

It is an humor cold and humide, thyn in consistance, white coloured, when it is in the veines, it nourisheth the parts cold and humide, it lubrifieth the the mouing ef the ioynts & is compared to the water.

CO.

What is choll••r.

LO.

It is an humor hot and drie, of thyn and subtill consistence, black coloured, bitter tasted, proper to nourish the parts hot and dry, it is comparrd to the fire.

CO.

What is melancholie.

LO.

It is an humor cold and drie thick in consistence, sower tasted proper to nourish the parts that are cold and dry and is compa∣red to the earth or winter.

CO.

How many sortes of blood are there.

LO.

Two, naturall and vnnaturall.

CO.

How many wayes degendereth the blood from the naturall.

Lo.

Two wayes: first by some alteration or transmutation of the substance, as when it becometh more grosse or more subtil than it should be, or else by adustion, when the most subtill becom∣meth in choller, and the most grosse in melancholie: secondly through vnnaturall proportion and euill mixion with the rest of the humors and then it taketh diuers names as for example, if with the blood, there bee abundance of pituit, such is called Phlegmaticke, if the choller exceede, chollerick and so forth in the rest.

CO.

How many sorts of phlegmies are there.

LO.

Two, in like manner, naturall and vnnaturall..

CO,

How many kindes of pi••••ite vnnaturall are there.

Lo.

Ac∣cording to Galen there are foure sorts. The first called vitre∣a, because this humor is like vnto melted glasse, it is colde,* 1.2 and proceedeth of gluttonie and Idlenesse, it prouoketh to vo∣mit, causeth great paine in the partes, where it falles as on the teeth and Intestines. The seconde is called the sweete phlegmie, because in spitting of it, it seemeth sweete, it pro∣uoketh the bodye to sleepe. The thirde is called acide or bitter Phlegmie, because in spitting, it seemeth bitter, it is colde and maketh the bodye hungrye. The fourth is salte Phlegmie, it maketh the bodye drye and thirstie. There are some, who make an other kinde, called gipsei, be∣cause of the forme and hardnesse it hath like lyme called gip∣sei: it is often in the ioyntes and is reckoned vnder the vi∣trea.

CO.

How many sorts of choll••r are there.

LO.

Two in like māner naturall and vnnaturall.

CO.

Howe ma∣nye wayes becommeth the chollor vnnaturall.

LO.

Two wayes, firste when it spilleth rotteth and is burnt, and then it is called choll••r adust by putrifaction: the o∣ther is made of the mixture of the other humors.

CO.

In∣to howe manye kindes is it deuyded.

LO.

In foure as sayth Galen. The first is called vitellin, because of the coulor and thicke substaunce,* 1.3 it is like the yolke of

an egge, it is ingendered in the liuer, and the vaines, when by the vnnaturall heate, it dissipateth and consumeth. The se∣cond is called verricuse, because this coulor representeth a wart, called Verruca. The third is called erugmous, because it is like the rust of Brasse or Copper, called aerugo. The fourth is called the blewe choller, because it is ble••e like A∣zure. These three last humors, as sayth Galen are ingendred in the stomacke by the vicious meates, & of euill iuice, which cannot be digested and conuerted into good iuice.

CO.

How many sortes of melancholie is there.

LO.

Two, naturall and adust.

CO.

How many kinds of adust or vnnaturall are there.

LO.

Two, the first is that, whereof commeth the humor melancholicke, which is like the lees of blood, when it is verie hot and adust, or by some hot feuer, that the bloode it selfe doth putrifie, as sayth Auicen, and differeth from the naturall melancholie, as the dregs of wine burnt, from the vn∣burnt.* 1.4 Galen sayth that humor, which is like the lees of wine, whē it becommeth more hot, it ingendereth an humor against nature, called atra bilis, of the which no beast can tast. The second kinde proceedeth of an humor chollericke, the which by adustion is conuerted into diuers coulors, at the laste into blacke coulor, which is the worst of all.

CO.

Knowing these foure humors and their generation, we must knowe in like manner, that in our bodies their is concoctiō, ther∣fore tell me how many kindes of concoction there are.

LO.

* 1.5There are three, as sayth Iohannes Bacchanellus: The first is made in the stomacke, which conuerteth the meate we eate into the substance called chile, in the which the foure hu∣mors are not, but potentially, the second is done in the lyuer, which maketh of the chile▪ the masse sanguiner, ••s sayth Ga∣len.* 1.6 The third is made, through all the body of the which are ingēdered the foure humidyties which the Arabs call humors nourishing or elementaries,* 1.7 as sayth Auicen. The firste hath no name & is thought to be the humor, which drop∣peth from the mouth of the veines. The second is called Ros, the which after it is drunken into the substance of the

bodie, it maketh it humide, whereof it taketh the name. The thirde is called Cambium. The fourth is called Gluten and is the proper humiditie of the similar partes.

CO.

Haue not these humors certaine time, in the which they raigne more then other, in mans bodie.

LO.

Yes indeed,* 1.8 for the blood raigneth in the morning from three hours vntill nine: in like manner in the spring time: The choller from nine in the morning, vntill three in the afternoone: as in Sommer: the phlegme from three afternoone, vntill nine at night, as in autume: the melancholie from nine at night, vn∣till three in the morning, like as in winter: and this is the opini∣on of Hipocrates and Galen as touching the humors.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••. de placi••is.
• * 1.2

  2. de differenti∣is febrium ca. 6
• * 1.3

  Tractatu de a∣tra bile & mul∣tis alijs locis.
• * 1.4

  14. Method.
• * 1.5

  Lib. de consen∣su medicorū.
• * 1.6

  4. de vsu parti∣um.
• * 1.7

  1. Cano. cap. 1.
• * 1.8

  Com. in apli. 15. sect. 1. lib. 6. epide. Alexander a∣pud pr••ble. 74. lib. 2.