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

CHAP. II. Of the causes of the Lues Venerea.

THere are two efficient causes of the Lues venerea; the first is, a certaine occult and specificke quality, which cannot be demonstrated; yet it may * 1.1 be referred to God, as by whose command this hath assailed mankind, as a scourge or punishment to restraine the too wanton and lascivious lusts of unpure whoremongers. The other is an impure touch or contagion, and principally, that which happeneth in copulation. Whether the man or woman have their privities troubled with virulent ulcers, or bee molested with a virulent strangury (which disease crafty Whores colour by the name of the whites) the ma∣lignity catcheth hold of the other; thus a woman taketh this disease by a man ca∣sting it into her hot, open and moist wombe; but a man taketh it from a woman, which, for example sake, hath some small while before received the virulent seed of a whore-master polluted with this disease, the mucous sanies whereof remaining in the wrinckles of the womans wombe, may be drawne in by the pores of the stan∣ding and open yard, whence succeede maligne ulcers, and a virulent strangury. This virulencie, like a torch or candle set on fire, will by little and little bee propa∣gated and sent by the veines, arteries and nerves to the noble parts; whose malig∣nity a strong liver not enduring, by the strength of the naturall expulsive facultie, will send it into the groines, whereon follow Abscesses, therefore called venereall Bubo's. These, if they returne in againe, and cast not forth matter by being ope∣ned, they will, by their falling back into the veins and arteries, infect the masse of the * 1.2 bloud by the like tainture, & thence will ensue the Lues venerea. Yet this disease may be got by a more occult manner of touch, as by breathing only. For it is not alto∣gether besides reason and experience, that a woman long troubled with this disease, may by importunate and often kissing, transfuse malignity into a child; for the ten∣der and soft substance of a little childe may bee altered, infected, and by little and * 1.3 little corrupted by receiving of filthy, and in their whole kinde maligne vapours. For it is knowne, and now vulgarly believed, that mid-wives by receiving the child of a woman infected with this disease, to have got this affect, the malignity being taken and drawne into their bodies through the pores of their hands by the passa∣ges of the veines and arteries. Neither doth it spare any condition, sexe, nor age of men: for, not onely whosoever use copulation, but such as onély lye with them, may bee taken by this virulencie; yea verily, if they onely lye in the sheets or cove∣rings which retaine his sweat, or the virulencie cast forth by an ulcer. The same dan∣ger may assaile those who shall drinke in the same vessell after such as are troubled with this disease. For by the impure touch of their lips, they leave a virulent sa••ies and spittle upon the edges of the cup, which is no lesse contagious in its kinde than the virulencie of leprous persons, or the some of madde dogs. Wherefore it is no * 1.4 marvell if children nursed by an infected nurse, draw in the seeds of this disease to∣gether

with the milk, which is only bloud whitened in the breasts; or infected suck∣ing children by their hot and ulcerated mouthes, may trans-fuse this malignity in∣to the body of the nurse, by the rare, loose and porous substance of the dugs which it frequently sucketh.

This following history is very memorable to this purpose. A certaine very good * 1.5 Citizen of this Citie of Paris granted to his wife being a very chaste woman, that conditionally shee should nurse her owne child of which shee was lately delivered, shee should have a nurse in the house to ease her of some part of the labour: by ill hap, the nurse they tooke was troubled with this disease; wherefore shee presently infected the childe, the child the mother, the mother her husband, and hee two of his children who frequently accompanied him at bed and board, being ignorant of that malignity wherewith hee was inwardly tainted. In the meane while the mo∣ther when shee observed that her nurse childe came not forward, but cryed almost perpetually, shee asked my counsell to tell her the cause of the disease; which was not hard to bee done, for the wholebody thereof was replenished with venereall scabs and pustles, the hired nurses and the mothers nipples were eaten in with viru∣lent ulcers; also the fathers, and the two other childrens bodies, whereof the one was three, the other foure yeares old, were troubled with the like pustles and scabs. I told them that they had all the Lues venerea, which tooke its originall and first off-spring by maligne contagion from the hired nurse. I had them in cure, and by Gods helpe healed them all; except the sucking child, which died in the cure. But the hired nurse was soundly lashed in the prison, and should have beene whipped through all the streets of the Citie, but that the magistrate had a care to preserve the credite of the unfortunate family.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Lues vene∣rea the scourge of whoremon∣gers.
• * 1.2

  Venereall Bu∣bo's returning in again occasi∣on the Lues venerea.
• * 1.3

  The Lues vene∣rea may be got by the only communication of vapour.
• * 1.4

  How nurses may infect chil∣dren, and they their nurses.
• * 1.5

  A historie.