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CHAP. II. Of the generall causes of Tumors.
THere are two generall causes of Impostumes, Fluxion, and Congestion. Defluxions are occasioned, either by the part sending, or receiving, the part * 1.1 sending discharges it selfe of the humors, because the expulsive fa•…•…ltie re∣sident in that part is provoked to expell them, moved thereto, either by the troublesomenesse of their quantity or quality. The part receiving drawes, and recei∣ves occasion of heat, paine, weakenesse (whether naturall, or accidentall) opennesse of the passages, and lower situation.
The causes of heat, in what part soever it be, are commonly three, as all immode∣rate * 1.2 motion (under which frictions are also contained,) externall heat, either from fire, or sun, and the use of acride meates and medicines.
The causes of paine are foure, the first, is a sodaine and violent invasion of some * 1.3 untemperate thing, by meanes of the foure first qualities; the second is solution of continuitie, by a wound, luxation, fracture, contusion or distention; the third, is the exquisit sense of the part, for you feele no paine in cutting a bone, or exposing it to cold or heate; the fourth is, the attention, as it were of the animall faculty, for the minde diverted from the actuall cause of paine, is lesse troubled, or sensible of it.
A part is weake, either by its nature, or by some accident; by its nature as the Glandules and the Emunctories of the principall parts; by accident, as if some di∣stemper, * 1.4 bitter paine, or great defluxion have seazed upon it, and wearied it, for so the strength is weakened, and the passages dilated. And the lownesse of site yeeks opportunity for the falling downe of humors.
The causes of congestion are two principally, as the weakenesse of the concoctive * 1.5 facultie, which resides in the part, (by which the assimulation into the substance of the part of the nourishment flowing to it is frustrated) and the weakenesse of the expulsive faculty; for whilest the part cannot expell superfluities, their quantity continually encreases.
And thus oftentimes cold impostumes have their originall from a grosse and tough humor, and so are more difficult to cure.
Lastly, all the causes of Impostumes may be reduced to three, that is, the primi∣tive, or externall; the antecedent, or internall; and the conjuncte, or containing, as we will hereafter treat more at large.