The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latine and compared with the French. by Th: Johnson

CHAP. XXXI. Of the Feaver which happeneth in Scirrhous Tumors.

SVch a Feaver is a Quartaine, or certainly comming neare unto the nature of a Quartaine, by reason of the nature of the Melancholike * 1.1 humor of which it is bred. For this shut up in a certaine seat in which it makes the tumor, by communication of putride vapours heats the heart above measure, and enflames the humors conteined therein, whence arises a Feaver. Now therefore a quartaine is a Feaver comming every fourth day, and having two dayes intermission.

The primitive causes thereof are, these things which encrease Melancholicke humors in the body, such as the long eating of pulse, ofcourse and burnt bread, of salte flesh and fish, of grosse meates as Beese, Goate, Venison, olde Hares, olde Cheese, Cabbage, thicke and muddy wines and other such things of the same kinde.

The antecedent causes are a heaped up plenty of Melancholicke humors aboun∣ding over all the body. But the conjunct causes are Melancholike humors putrify∣ing without the greater vessels, in the small veines and habite of the body.

We may gather the signes of a Quartaine feaver from things which they call natu∣rall, not naturall, and against nature; from things naturall, for a cold and dry * 1.2 temper, oldeage, cold and fat men, having their veines small, and lying hidde, their spleene swolne and weak, are usually troubled with quartaine Feavers.

Of things not naturall; this Feaver, or Ague is frequent in Autumne, not onely because, for that it is cold and dry, it is fit to heape up Melancholike humors; but * 1.3 cheifly by reason that the humors by the heate of the preceding Summer are easily converted into adust Melancholy, whence far worser and more dangerous quar∣taines arise, than of the simple Melancholike humor; to conclude, through any cold or dry season in a region cold and dry, men that have the like Temper easily fall into quartaines; if to these a painefull kinde of life full of danger and sorrow doth accrew.

Of things contrary to nature; because the fitts take one with painefull shaking, inferring as it were the sence of breaking or shaking the bones; further it taketh one every fourth day with an it ching over the whole body, and oft times with a thinne skurfe and pustles especially on the legges; the pulse at the beginning is litle, slow, and deepe, and the urine also is then white and waterish, inclining to somewhat a darke colour.

In the declination when the matter is concocted the urine becomes blacke, not occasioned by any maligne Symptome or preternaturall excesse of heat, (for so it should be deadly) but by excretion of the conjunct matter. The fit of the Quar∣taine continues 24 houres, but the intermission is 48 houres. It often takes its

originall from an obstruction, paine, and Scirrhus of the Spleene, and the suppression of the courses and Haemorroides.

Quartaines taken in the Summer are for the most part short, but in the Autumne * 1.4 long, especially such as continue till Winter. Those which come by succession of any disease of the Liver, Spleene, or any other precedent disease, are worse than such as are bred of themselves, and commonly end in a Dropsie. But those which happen without the fault of any bowells, and to such a patlent, as will be governed by the * 1.5 Physition in his Diet, infer no greater harme, but free him from more grievous and long diseases, as Melancholy, the Falling sicknesse, Convulsions, Madnesse, because the Melancholy humor, the author of such diseases, is expelled every fourth day by the force of the fit of the Quartaine.

A Quartane Feaver, if there be no error committed, commonly exceeds not a yeare, for otherwise some Quartanes have beene found to last to the twelfth yeare ac∣cording to the opinion of Auicen: the Quartane beginning in Autumne is oft times ended in the following spring; the Quartane which is caused by adust blood or choler or Salt flegme is more easily and sooner cured, than that which proceeds from an adust Melancholy humor; because the Melancholy humor, terrestriall of its owne nature, and harder to be discussed than any other humor, is againe made by adustion (the subtiller parts being dissolved and the grosser subsiding) more stub∣borne, grosse, maligne and acride. The cure is wholy absolved by two meanes, that is, by Diet and medicines. The Diet ought to be prescribed, contrary to the * 1.6 cause of the Feaver in the use of the sixe things not naturall, as much as lyes in our power. Wherfore the Patient shall eschew Swines flesh, flatulent, viscide and gluti∣nous meats, fenny fowles, salt meats and Venison, and all things of hard digestion. The use of white wine indifferent hot and thin is convenient to attenuate and incide the grosse humor, and to move urine and sweat; yea verily at the beginning of the fit a draught of such wine will cause vomiting, which is athing of so great moment, * 1.7 that by this one remedy many have been cured. Yet if we may take occasion and op∣portunity to provoke vomit, there is no time thought fitter for that purpose than presently after meate; for then it is the sooner provoked, the sibers of the Stomach being humected & relaxed, and the stomach is sooner turned to vomiting, whereup∣on followes a more plentifull, happy and casie evacuation of the Flegmatique and Cholericke humor, and lesse trouble some to nature: and of all the crudities with which the mouth of the ventricle abounds in a Quartaine, by reason of the more copious afflux of the Melancholike humor, which by his qualities cold and dry, disturbes all the actions and naturall faculties. Moreouer exercises and frictions are good before meat; such passions of the minde as are contrary to the cause from which this Feaver takes his originall, are fit to be cherished by the patient; as Laughter, Ieasting, Musique, and all such like things full of pleasure and mirth. At the begin∣ning the patient must be gently handled and delt withall, and we must abstaine from all very strong medicines untill such time, as the disease hath beene of some continuance. For this humor, contumacious at the beginning when as yet nature hath attempted nothing, is againe made more stubborne, terrestriall and dry, by the almost fiery heat of acride medicines. If the body abound with bloud, some part thereof must be taken away by opening the Median or Basilick veine of the left arme, with this cau∣tion, that if it appeare more grosse and blacke, we suffer it to flow more plentifully; if more thin, and tinctured with a laudable red Colour, that we presently stay it. The matter of this Feaver must be ripened, concocted and diminished with the Syrrupes of Epithymum, of Scolopendrium, of Mayden hayre, Agrimony, with the waters of Hopps, Buglosse, Borage and the like. I sincerely protest, next unto God, I have * 1.8 cured very many quartaines by giving a potion of a little Treakle dissolved in about some two ounces of Aqua vita; also sometimes by two or three graines of muske dis∣solued in Muskadine, given at the beginning of a particular fitt towards the generall declination of the disease, after generall purgations the humor and body being pre∣pared, and the powers strong; And certainly an inveterate Quartaine can scarce ever be discussed unlesse the body be much heated with meates and medicines. There∣fore it is not altogether to be disproved which many say, that they have driven a∣way

a quartaine by taking a draught of wine every day as soone as they came forth of their bed, in which some leaves of Sage had bin infused all the night. Also it is good a little before the fit to anoint all the spine of the backe with oyles heating all the nervous parts, such as are the oyle of Rue, Wallnuts, of the Peppers, mixing there∣with a little Aqua vitae. but for this purpose the oyle of Castoreum which hath beene boyled in an apple of Coloqui••tida, the Kernells taken out, uppon hot coles to the consumption of the halfe part, mixing therewith some little quantity of the powders of Pepper, Pelitory of Spaine and Euphorbium, is excellent. Certainly such like In∣unctions are good not onely to mitigate the vehemency of the terrible shaking, but also to provoke sweats; for because by their humid heat they discusse this humor being dull and rebellious to the expulsive facultie, for the Melancholy is as it were the drosse and mudde of the bloud. Therefore if on the contrary the Quartaine feaver shall be caused by adust choler, we must hope for and expect a cure by refrigerating * 1.9 and humective medicines, such as are Sorrell, Lettuce, Purflane, brothes of the de∣coction of Cowcumbers, Gourds, Mellons and Pompions. For in this case if any use hot medicines, he shall make this humor most obstinate by the resolving of the sub∣tiller parts. Thus Trallianus boasts that hee hath cured these kinds of Quartane Feaver by the onely use of refrigerating Epithemaes being often repeated a little before the beginning of the fit. And this is the summe of the Cure of true and legitimate inter∣mitting Feavers. That is, of those which are caused by one simple humor, whereby the * 1.10 Cure of those which they call bastard intermitting Feavers, may be easily gathered and understood; as which are bred by a humor impure and not of one kinde, but mixt or composed by admixture of some other matter; for example, according to the mixture of diverse humors Flegmatique and cholericke, the medicines must also be mixt, as if it were a confused kinde of Feaver of a Quotidian and tertian; it must be cured by a medicine composed of things evacuating flegme and choler.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Why a quar∣taine happens upon scirrhous tumors.
• * 1.2

  The signes.
• * 1.3

  Why they are frequent in Autumne.
• * 1.4

  Prognostick••.
• * 1.5

  From what diseasses a quartain 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉.
• * 1.6

  Diet.
• * 1.7

  How much vomitting pre∣vailes to cure •• quartaine
• * 1.8

  Medicine.
• * 1.9

  What quar∣taines must be cured with refrigerating things.
• * 1.10

  What bastard agues are and how they must be cured.